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Cheruvathur (Kasaragod): Police on Thursday arrested Pilikode Echikovval Thekkeveettil T T Balachandra (50) for misbehaving with a girl Plus Two student.
He was the PTA president of the school and CPM branch secretary.
The reported incident took place during the school's Onam celebrations on September 2. In her complaint, the student said Balachandra touched her body with sexual intent at the school assembly hall during the Onam celebrations.
School authorities handed over the complaint the student gave regarding the incident to the police.
Following the student's complaint, a case was registered against him under the non-bailable sections. CPM removed him as the secretary of the Echikoval North branch and cancelled his party membership. The school authorities too sacked him as PTA president.
After police filed the case, he went into hiding. Based on the information that he had returned home, he was arrested under the direction of Kanhangad DySP Balakrishnan Nair and Chanthera SI M V Sridas. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/15/pta-president-arrested-for-misbehaving-with-plus-2-student.html | 2022-09-15T11:00:04Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/15/pta-president-arrested-for-misbehaving-with-plus-2-student.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Munnar: A critically-ill tribal woman suffering from severe fever was brought to the hospital by her relatives and the panchayat vice-president on a hand-made stretcher by foot, covering a 10-km long treacherous forest path.
Valli, 38, wife of Pashi Muthu hailing from Meenkothi in Idamalakkudi panchayat, was carried on their shoulders by her relatives till Anakkulam in Mankulam. From here, she was taken in a vehicle to Adimali Taluk Hospital.
Valli was bedridden for a week after being afflicted with a fever. Due to heavy rain, she could not go to the hospital at the Society Area (Societykkudy) from her tribal settlement.
The other day, her condition worsened and she could not even walk. The panchayat vice-president V Mohandas then intervened and, with the help of her relatives, brought her to Anakkulam through the forest in the hand-held stretcher, locally known as ‘manchal.'
Motorable road is available only from Pullumedu in Rajamala to the Society Area in Idamalakkudi, the lone scheduled tribe settlement panchayat in the state. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/15/sick-tribal-woman-carried-on-shoulders-through-forest-path.amp.html | 2022-09-15T11:00:10Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/15/sick-tribal-woman-carried-on-shoulders-through-forest-path.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Munnar: A critically-ill tribal woman suffering from severe fever was brought to the hospital by her relatives and the panchayat vice-president on a hand-made stretcher by foot, covering a 10-km long treacherous forest path.
Valli, 38, wife of Pashi Muthu hailing from Meenkothi in Idamalakkudi panchayat, was carried on their shoulders by her relatives till Anakkulam in Mankulam. From here, she was taken in a vehicle to Adimali Taluk Hospital.
Valli was bedridden for a week after being afflicted with a fever. Due to heavy rain, she could not go to the hospital at the Society Area (Societykkudy) from her tribal settlement.
The other day, her condition worsened and she could not even walk. The panchayat vice-president V Mohandas then intervened and, with the help of her relatives, brought her to Anakkulam through the forest in the hand-held stretcher, locally known as ‘manchal.'
Motorable road is available only from Pullumedu in Rajamala to the Society Area in Idamalakkudi, the lone scheduled tribe settlement panchayat in the state. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/15/sick-tribal-woman-carried-on-shoulders-through-forest-path.html | 2022-09-15T11:00:19Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/15/sick-tribal-woman-carried-on-shoulders-through-forest-path.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Grand reopening/Stepping Stones showing new Newport location
NEWPORT -- Stepping Stones Therapeutic Riding Center is making progress on its new location.
The public can see the work and meet the staff at a grand reopening event, set for 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 24. “Boots, Brews & BBQ” will be held at the organization’s new location, 8699 U.S. Turnpike Rd. in Newport.
“Join us for root beer, a meet-and-greet with our horses and board members, outdoor activities and fun,” Chelsea Rupp Seegert, board member and certified riding instructor, said. “We will also have a silent auction with some really great items, a barbecue buffet and pig roast and family yard games. We look forward to connecting with familiar faces and meeting new friends.”
Attendees also can sign-up for the next riding season, which will begin in the spring. Sessions will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 18 through May 23.
The six-week spring and fall sessions will cost $250 each. A four-week summer session will cost $175.
Stepping Stones is a therapeutic horse riding program for people of all ages with mental, emotional and physical impairements. The program had operated for more than three decades in Monroe County, but closed more than a year ago because of COVID and funding issues. In March, Seegert announced plans to reopen Stepping Stones on a farm she owns with her husband, Norm. The Seegerts are building a barn for the program on their 13-acre farm, BB&R Ranch.
In addition to the 42-foot by 100-foot barn, a horse arena, tack room, hayfield and handicap-accessible bathrooms will be part of the complex.
The Seegerts are paying for the construction; all donations given to Stepping Stones will be used for the horse riding program.
Since March, Seegert, the office secretary at Rupp Funeral Home, has completed training and is now a certified riding instructor. She has shown horses nationally since the age of 5 and earned several honors for riding through the years.
Other Stepping Stones board members are: Polly Rupp, president; Diane Slatinsky, treasurer; AnnMarie Lenceski, secretary; Norm Seegert, barn manager; Ken Kruzel; Angie Kruzel; Natalie Knaggs, and Scott Knaggs.
Volunteers and donations continue to be needed for Stepping Stones. For more information or to learn more, email admin@steppingstonesmonroe.org. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/09/15/grand-reopeningstepping-stones-showing-new-newport-location/69486965007/ | 2022-09-15T11:00:21Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/09/15/grand-reopeningstepping-stones-showing-new-newport-location/69486965007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fascists smear opponents. Sound familiar?
The term “fascist,” a favorite term of opprobrium since the Second World War, seems to be more popular than ever. Chiefly, a fascist is someone with whom you have a strong political distaste and, these days, is employed by the Democratic left to smear Republicans (racist being another favorite).
So what exactly is a fascist?
Fascism had its roots in the late 19th century and came officially to power in 1920s Italy under Mussolini. The two decades after World War I were fraught with economic and political turmoil, making fertile ground for political opportunists to “do something.” The decades leading up to the First World War were characterized by the salad days of capitalism — free trade, democratic political systems, the ending of unfree economic arrangements such as slavery, serfdom and other forms of peonage. The gold standard supplied sound money with inflation a nonissue. As a result, economies were booming, wealth was expanding geometrically and modern times had arrived with a bang. Optimism was in the air people breathed. Naturally, as always, the fruits of success were unequally distributed, just as talent, intelligence and ambition are always unequally distributed.
Gun shots in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, put paid to all of that. Carnage toppled empires, not to mention the capitalist order. Depression, unrest, a Carthaginian peace imposed upon Germany, Italy feeling cheated out of what it thought was a just disposition of the spoils, and so forth paved the way for the other “isms” — socialism, communism and fascism.
Since the United States, a late-comer to the slaughter, emerged relatively unscathed, we waited another decade before falling into the same mess during the Great Depression. Communism emerged first in Russia. Various forms of socialism spread in much of Europe. Mussolini, an ardent socialist, switched to fascism, thinking it was more apt for Italy, and likely to be more politically successful for him. It came to be officially called fascism since Mussolini adopted the “fasces,” a symbol of power and authority from ancient Rome. Mussolini saw himself as leading Italy to a new Roman Empire. (If you want an example of fascism in this country during that time, look on the back of a “Mercury” dime, which featured a fasces. For some reason that got dropped in 1945.)
All the noncapitalist “isms” had several things in common, which is why it is so difficult to precisely define them. Fascism is an especially ill-defined term. All involve a powerful state, heavy regulations on economic and political arrangements, leading to some form of utopian end game. Two of the three — socialism being somewhat of an exception — involve a strict delineation of classes and groups in society, with the bad and/or inferior groups to be suppressed in favor of the ruling classes. They are expressly nationalist (Italy, Germany, Russia, China), violent in their methods, and all believe individuals simply cannot be left alone to run their own lives. State purpose supersedes all else, personified by a strong leader, almost always a dictator. The attraction for the survivors is a sense of controlled well-being, pride in being part of a bigger movement, sacrifice in the service of a greater good, and the satisfaction of revenge on those who caused the alleged problems in the first place. Besides, Mussolini made the trains run on time.
So now we come to those “semi-fascist” Republicans, to quote President Joe Biden. Republicans usually advocate for lower taxes, fewer regulations, capitalist methods of economic relations and maximal personal freedom. These would not be considered typical fascist ideas. Although President Donald Trump is routinely vilified as a want-to-be-dictator, it occurs to me that his Democratic bookends in the presidency seemed to be much more active with “phone and pen” in signing hundreds of executive orders, many with profound consequences affecting virtually every American. Republicans tend to be visibly patriotic. Is that now a bad thing? Democrats were visibly patriotic when I grew up.
Fascists always personally smear and vilify their opponents. You might ask yourself who now is more aligned with fascism.
Charles Milliken is a professor emeritus after 22 years of teaching economics and related subjects at Siena Heights University. He can be reached at milliken.charles@gmail.com. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/09/15/charles-milliken-fascists-smear-opponents-sound-familiar/69491768007/ | 2022-09-15T11:00:24Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/09/15/charles-milliken-fascists-smear-opponents-sound-familiar/69491768007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Letter: Abortion as a constitutional right is contradictory
I find it very ironic/contradictory that the proposal to make abortion a constitutional right in the state of Michigan will be accompanied on our November ballots by a proposal to expand voting rights.
Nothing has suppressed the voices of Michigan voters — especially Black Michigan voters — more than abortion. Every year, abortion disproportionately claims the lives of preborn Black human beings by the thousands in our state. While Black citizens only make up about 13% of Michigan’s population, at least 55% of all abortions in our state killed a Black Michigander. Last year over 15,000 Black lives here in Michigan were directly ended due to abortion.
If we would like to see the voting rights of Black citizens in our states expanded, foremost we have to respect their most fundamental right, the right to life. As logic indicates, without this right, no other rights can be enjoyed.
Planned Parenthood, abortion facilities and pro-abortion organizations have consistently targeted the Black community in hopes of reducing its population. Unfortunately, they are succeeding. And if Michigan voters opt to make abortion a “constitutional right” in our state, statistics show that Black lives — and subsequently Black voices at the ballot box — will continue to be snuffed out at disproportionate rates.
Intentionally killing a preborn human being — whether Black or not — can never be a so-called right, because it is always wrong.
Joe Boggs
Monroe | https://www.monroenews.com/story/opinion/letters/2022/09/15/letter-abortion-constitutional-right-contradictory/69494336007/ | 2022-09-15T11:00:26Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/opinion/letters/2022/09/15/letter-abortion-constitutional-right-contradictory/69494336007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday sought explanation from the CBI and the state government for excluding politicians from the sexual abuse case filed by the accused in the solar scam.
The court asked the probe agency and the state to file their replies within two weeks.
The HC intervention was based on a plea filed by the survivor. She alleged that only four accused were listed in the case currently and that 14 people including politicians and officials were excluded from the case. She said that the investigation refrained from including high profile individuals who sexually exploited her.
The survivor raised the same allegation in her complaint to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Though six cases were registered by the CBI, only one report has been submitted. The CBI took over the investigation into the separate cases of sexual abuse in August 2021.
Congress leaders Oommen Chandy, K C Venugopal, Hibi Eden, Adoor Prakash, MP, former minister A P Anil Kumar, and BJP leader A P Abdulla Kutty are the accused in six different cases registered over sexual abuse charge.
The cases against six leaders were registered over the past several years and investigated earlier by the Crime Branch of the Kerala Police. The woman had complained that she was exploited sexually by them in 2012.
She is an accused in the multi-crore solar panel scam that shook the Chandy-led United Democratic Front government nearly a decade ago. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/15/solar-scam-sexual-abuse-case-accused-politicians.amp.html | 2022-09-15T11:00:26Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/15/solar-scam-sexual-abuse-case-accused-politicians.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LONDON (AP) — Thousands of mourners lined up through the night to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Parliament’s Westminster Hall on Thursday, as King Charles III spent a day in private to reflect on his first week on the throne.
The queue to see the queen lying in state stretched for 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) Thursday morning, along the south bank of the River Thames and then over a bridge to Parliament. Thousands in the line didn’t mind the hours of waiting.
“I’m glad there was a queue because that gave us time to see what was ahead of us, prepared us and absorbed the whole atmosphere,” said health care professional Nimisha Maroo. “I wouldn’t have liked it if I’d had to just rush through.”
After a day of high ceremony and high emotion as the queen was borne in somber procession from Buckingham Palace, the king was spending the day in “private reflection” at his Highgrove residence in western England. Charles has had calls with U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron and is speaking to a host of world leaders — many of whom will come to London on Monday for the queen’s funeral.
Heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, will visit the royal family’s Sandringham estate in eastern England to see some of the tributes left by well-wishers.
On Wednesday the queen left Buckingham Palace for the last time, borne on a horse-drawn carriage and saluted by cannons and the tolling of Big Ben, in a solemn procession through the flag-draped, crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall.
Charles, his siblings and sons marched behind the coffin, which was topped by a wreath of white roses and her crown resting on a purple velvet pillow.
The military procession underscored Elizabeth’s seven decades as head of state as the national mourning process shifted to the grand boulevards and historic landmarks of the U.K. capital.
The 900-year-old Westminster Hall is now the focus of events, as the queen lies in state until Monday. Thousands have already paid their respects, filing past the casket draped with the royal standard and topped with a diamond-encrusted crown.
People old and young, dressed in dark suits or jeans and sneakers, walked in a steady stream through the historic hall, where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were tried, where kings and queens hosted magnificent medieval banquets, and where previous monarchs have lain in state.
After filing past the casket, most mourners paused to look back before going out through the hall’s great oak doors. Some wiped away tears; others bowed their heads or curtseyed. One sank onto a knee and blew a farewell kiss.
Keith Smart, an engineer and British Army veteran, wiped away tears as he left the hall. He had waited more than 10 hours for the chance to say his goodbye.
“Everybody in the crowd was impeccably behaved. There was no malice, everybody was friends. It was fantastic,” he said. “And then, to come into that room and see that, I just broke down inside. I didn’t bow — I knelt to the floor, on my knees, bowed my head to the queen.”
The late-night silence was broken when one of the guards standing vigil around the coffin collapsed and fell forward off a raised platform. The man, his chest adorned with medals, could be seen on livestreams of the queen’s coffin lying in state swaying on his feet before pitching forward onto the floor. Two police officers rushed to his assistance.
Crowds have lined the route of the queen’s coffin whenever it has been moved in its long journey from Scotland — where the monarch died Sept. 8, aged 96 — to London.
On Tuesday night, thousands braved a typical London drizzle as the hearse, with interior lights illuminating the casket, drove slowly from an air base to Buckingham Palace.
Earlier, in Edinburgh, about 33,000 people filed silently past her coffin in 24 hours at St. Giles’ Cathedral. | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/crowds-line-up-for-miles-to-view-queens-coffin-as-charles-spends-quiet-day/ | 2022-09-15T11:01:11Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/crowds-line-up-for-miles-to-view-queens-coffin-as-charles-spends-quiet-day/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Defining his own cultural identity has been a lifelong struggle for Damon Arredondo, the longtime brewer said. Coming from a mixed-cultural background, Arredondo often felt as if there was “a checklist” that decided whether or not he was able to identify with his heritage, he shared.
“Only recently in the last five year have I been comfortable identifying as Latinx, Hispanic, Mexican American. And the reason being is I grew up in the suburbs. I have a Mexican last name; I’m Brown; I speak basic Spanish — but culturally, I never grew up with it,” said Arredondo, the co-founder of Rizoma Liquid Creations, Kansas City’s first Hispanic Brewing Company.
Rizoma Liquid Creations was created out of the crossroads of Arredondo’s passion for brewing and his desire to connect with people on an emotional level, he noted. On the same mission was Edwing Mendez — a Kansas City-based designer who wanted to challenge and explore the idea of what it means to identify a certain way, Mendez said.
“We don’t want the brand to necessarily define Latinism, as much as make it a vehicle for exploring it,” said Mendez, co-founder of Rizoma Liquid Creations. “We wanted to find a way to make it authentic to us and speak to others who may have a mixed cultural identity and are navigating what that looks like.”
“This beer is not exclusively for anyone,” Arredondo added. “It’s for everyone who enjoys craft beer and is willing to listen and engage in meaningful conversations.”
Rizoma Liquid Creations officially launches its first brew, a Latin American ale named “El Sol”, on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at Crane Brewing in Raytown, Missouri. The beer will be sold exclusively at Crane Brewing for the next month, but the duo has early aspirations to take the brand to a regional level, they noted.
To celebrate Rizoma Liquid Creations’ launch, the duo hosted a Hispanic Heritage Happy Hour yesterday, Sept. 14 at Crane Brewing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event featured local coffee by Doña Fina Café as well as art and a raffle by Chico Sierra.
A portion of the Rizoma Liquid Creations sales will be donated to the Latinx Education Collaborative — a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the representation of Latinx professionals in kindergarten through high school.
“It was really important to us to collaborate with artists and nonprofit organizations in the local community for this event,” Mendez said. “There’s no magical marketing way to reach the community and gain authenticity with them. You just work with them. Bring them to the things you’re doing and go to their events.”
During the Hispanic Heritage Happy Hour, the duo encouraged individuals from all backgrounds to come by and chat with them.
“We want to be there to answer any questions and have deep, uncomfortable conversations,” Arredondo said.
Finding the right look and taste
With a decade of experience in the brewing industry, Arredondo has previously worked on helping create brews and branding, he shared. While working in Oregon from 2013 to 2016, Arredondo worked on a Mexican-style ale.
“The branding was a stereotypical sombrero, mustache and Day of the Dead stuff,” he recalled. “We ended up winning a few awards in the Latin American lager category, but [the branding] always bothered me. It just felt like it was not supporting the people in the culture that it was exploiting, so I ended up selling the recipe and potential ownership.”
When trying again with Rizoma Liquid Creations, it was extremely important to Arredondo to have an aesthetic and design that was authentic to his mission of inclusion, he said.
“Latin American, Hispanic, Latinx — there’s no ‘look’. There are stereotypes, but there’s no actual one way of looking,” Arredondo explained. “… Rizoma has this futuristic look to it because we want to question, ‘How does the future look for our various cultures? And how can we include everyone and normalize differences even within a culture?”
The word “Rizoma” is Spanish for the word “Rhizome” — the main stem of a plant that runs horizontally through the soil. The duo saw it as the perfect way to represent a community of people who, at the root, are connected to one another, they said.
“From the design to the idea of ‘liquid creation,’ we wanted to mix and match stuff that looks and feels unexpected,” Mendez said. “With the actual logo itself, we design it to be this amorphous thing that can be worked into any type of art. Because in the future, we would love to collaborate with artists and have their work and their story living on the [beer] can.”
“El Sol” (Spanish for “the sun”) is a Latin American light ale that is ideal for light, easy drinking, Arredondo noted. In the upcoming months, Rizoma Liquid Creations will release “La Luna” (Spanish for “the moon”) that will have a more robust, evening flavor.
Building the brand
The brewing industry in the United States is overwhelmingly white, according to a 2021 study by the Brewers Association — a trade organization for brewers, in which Arredondo sits on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee. Although Rizoma Liquid Creations is the first Hispanic Brewing Company in Kansas City, the duo is positive that others have tried.
“Kansas City has had a Hispanic population for over 100 years,” Mendez noted. “There’s likely been many other ‘Damons’ who went through the process, but the barriers of entry made it near impossible.”
The duo had originally planned to open a taproom to serve Rizoma Liquid Creations, but ultimately decided to launch the beer and contract with other breweries in order to gain financial stability, they explained.
“We wanted to validate the brand and product,” Arredondo said. “We are currently looking for investors and looking for people of color as investors and partners — not exclusively, but definitely being intentional. We want to find people whose values and stories align with the brand.”
Arredondo and Mendez are starting with sharing their own stories, but the two are planning to do so with communities across the region and then country, they said.
“Our goal is not to be a local brewery, we want to be regional, if not larger,” Arredondo shared. “Again, it’s all about the ability to connect with people who maybe haven’t had their story told or who don’t feel represented. We see there being this spectrum of how someone can identify, and we want to normalize that.”
This story was originally published on Startland News, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-09-15/kansas-citys-first-hispanic-beer-company-wants-to-start-meaningful-conversations | 2022-09-15T11:07:09Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-09-15/kansas-citys-first-hispanic-beer-company-wants-to-start-meaningful-conversations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A user on the Kansas City subreddit asked the question: "What is the most cursed intersection in Kansas City?" Residents named over 40 places with poor sidewalks, no crosswalks and speedy drivers. Out of all these answers, however, five places kept showing up.
KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with reporters Celisa Calacal and Savannah Hawley about where these "cursed" intersections were located and how they're being changed — or not.
Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.
Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Trevor Grandin, and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.
You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/kansas-city-today/2022-09-15/why-are-kansas-citys-intersections-so-terrible | 2022-09-15T11:07:16Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/kansas-city-today/2022-09-15/why-are-kansas-citys-intersections-so-terrible | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for re-election, so it’s an opportunity to hear that talk about what they have accomplished. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. For more information about these and other Democratic candidates, including links to interviews and Q&As from the primary and runoff, see the Erik Manning spreadsheet.)
1. Who are you and in which court do you preside?
Hello, my name is Audrie Lawton Evans and I am the presiding judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1.
2. What kind of cases does this court hear?
The county civil courts at law hear all civil matters with the amount in controversy of up to $250,000 and has jurisdiction to hear all appeals of civil cases, including evictions, from justice courts in Harris County. The court also has jurisdiction over statutory eminent domain proceedings, suits involving real property disputes, and slander and defamation cases.
3. What have been your main accomplishments during your time on this bench?
On August 10, 2021, I was unanimously appointed as the presiding judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1. Approximately four months later, I was elected by my colleagues as the Administrative Judge of all the County Courts at Law. As the Administrative Judge, I am tasked with maintaining cohesiveness among the courts, disseminating information to our constituents, and reviewing and ensuring that our courts are following all Texas Supreme Court and other administrative orders. During my tenure thus far, I implemented our Fall Open House, an online event to give the public and attorneys a chance to hear all about the court and provide resources to the community. I also facilitated Active Shooter training for all courtroom personnel as well as other safety procedures.
4. What do you hope to accomplish in your courtroom going forward?
In the upcoming year, I hope to focus on reviewing the courts’ systems and procedures to streamline the administrative side of the judicial process. At our very core, the court provides a service to the community. As such, I would like to revamp the court’s website and online presence. In addition, because of the pandemic, the court system has had to utilize technology in a whole new way. For example, I plan to continue zoom hearings for certain cases where it makes sense. Overall, I want to ensure that a person’s experience with my court is practical and easy to navigate.
5. Why is this race important?
The judiciary’s job is to facilitate the efficient resolution of disputes. As a judge, I am responsible for maintaining decorum in the court room, making sure that all parties have equal access to the legal system, and to render the prompt and fair resolution of cases filed in court.
This race is important because in our society, protecting the integrity of the bench is becoming increasingly important. Local elections probably have the most impact on our day-to-day lives.
6. Why should people vote for you in November?
I have always had an affinity for this court. As a practicing attorney for 20 years, I have tried thousands of cases in the county courts at law. I have the requisite experience and the right temperament to be a great judge. Since my appointment, I have hit the ground running, managing a large docket from day one. In 2021, the county civil courts at law have disposed of over 18,000 cases. Collectively, my colleagues and I have coordinated with rental assistance programs to help over 73,000 tenants stay in their homes while landlords collected nearly $300 Million dollars thru the programs. In addition, since 2018, the courts have also modernized all court filings to electronic filing system passing savings to taxpayers.
I am humbled every day by my position and the great weight of the responsibility I hold. A vote for me is a vote for experience, fairness, and integrity. I look forward to my continued service to Harris County as judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106802 | 2022-09-15T11:13:38Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106802 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Gov. Greg Abbott leads his Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke by 5 percentage points, according to a new poll from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
The survey found that Abbott received 45% of support among registered voters, while 40% supported O’Rourke and 4% supported third-party candidates. Three percent of respondents named “Someone else” as their choice, and 8% said they have not thought about the race enough to have an opinion.
The result is almost identical to the margin from when the pollsters last surveyed the race in June, finding Abbott ahead of O’Rourke 45% to 39%.
The latest survey also gave Republican incumbents single-digit leads in two other statewide races. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led Democrat Mike Collier by 7 points, and Attorney General Ken Paxton registered a 5-point advantage over Democrat Rochelle Garza. More voters remain undecided in those contests than in the gubernatorial election — 20% in the lieutenant governor’s race and 21% in the attorney general one.
See here for the previous UT/TPP poll, and here for the pollsters’ report. The Lite Guv and AG numbers are 39-32 for Patrick and 38-33 for Paxton, and I just don’t give much weight to results that have such high numbers of non-responses. Joe Biden clocks in with a 40-52 approval rating, up from 35-55 in June. Abbott was at 46-44, up from 43-46 in June.
You may look at this and conclude that there’s been no noticeable boost in Democratic fortunes since the Dobbs ruling. Based just on post-Dobbs polls (minus that Echelon poll) that may be correct. I will note, however, that Abbott has slowly been losing ground to Beto in this particular poll over time:
February: Abbott 47-37
April: Abbott 48-37
June: Abbott 45-39
August: Abbott 45-40
I will also note that this poll, like previous ones, has generic US House/Texas House questions. If you look in the crosstabs for this poll (questions 21 and 22), those numbers are 47-43 and 46-43 in favor of Republicans, respectively. It was 46-41 GOP for both in June, and 48-39 (Congress) and 47-39 (The Lege) for the GOP in April. So while maybe not a sharp turn, there has been a gradual bend all along. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=107009 | 2022-09-15T11:13:46Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=107009 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This made for a super eventful Tuesday afternoon.
Police and panicked parents scrambled to Heights High School Tuesday afternoon, in frantic response to a false report that a gunman had shot 10 people in a room on the 2,400-student Houston ISD campus.
The school went into lock down around 1 p.m., and police officers found the room locked and immediately breached the door, according to Chief Troy Finner. Two sweeps of the school found nothing, according to the Houston Police Department.
“We have no injuries here,” Finner said at a news briefing as a crowd of parents stood at an intersection near the high school. “Thank god for that.”
Officials intend to determine who made the hoax call and hold that person accountable. Finner said police believe the call may have come from outside the school.
“There was no active shooter here — there was a fight,” said Constable Alan Rosen.
An email notified parents later that Heights High, as well as nearby Hogg Middle and Harvard and Travis Elementary schools, were placed in lockdown.
“As a precautionary measure, we went into lockdown mode,” Heights Principal Wendy Hampton said in an email to parents. “Houston Police Department and HISD Police are onsite and continue to investigate, though no evidence has been found to substantiate the threat. We take all threats seriously as the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority.”
As it happens, I had to go into the office Tuesday afternoon. I was headed out a little after 1 PM, and was on Studewood going towards the I-10 entrance when I saw three HPD cars with lights and sirens going headed the other way at full speed. I didn’t give it much thought until after I had arrived at the office, took a minute to check Twitter, and found out what was happening. I don’t currently have any kids at Heights or the other schools that got locked down, but my kids have friends there and I have friends and neighbors who have kids at all of them. It was pretty stressful, to say the least, and I had the luxury of not having to be frantic about my own kids. My thoughts today remain with those parents and those kids.
Shannon Velasquez burst into tears on Tuesday afternoon as she waited on the sidewalk near Heights High School, where her daughter and hundreds more students were locked down in their classrooms after someone made a false report about a mass shooting.
The mother knew her daughter was fine — she had spoken with the sophomore student on FaceTime as she sped to school from work.
Still, she could not shake a horrible feeling, and her frustration bubbled over as she heard conflicting information from parents and officers about where she should go to reunite with her child.
“As if this isn’t bad enough?” she said. “I just can’t wait to put my arms around my kid.”
Anxiety, panic and confusion erupted on Tuesday afternoon in the residential streets surrounding Heights High School. Personnel from at least eight law enforcement agencies sped to the scene with lights and sirens. Panicked parents rushed from jobs and lunch appointments. Some drivers ditched their cars on the grassy median along Heights Boulevard, and walked or ran several blocks to the school.
Parents gathered information from their children, other parents, news reports and officials — eventually learning that their kids were safe and the massive frenzy actually stemmed from a false alarm.
Still, some parents said they were frustrated by sparse communication from the school, district or law enforcement agencies, although HISD and law enforcement agencies have defended their response.
[…]
Luis Morales, HISD spokesman, said notifications went out to parents 23 minutes after the district became aware of the situation.
“We were able to get that out a quicker than we have before,” Morales said, adding that the district must verify information before sending out notifications.
Chief Troy Finner said during a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon that he sympathized with parents who were frustrated. But safety comes before notifications, he said.
“We have to search the school. That is the most important thing — to stop the threat if there’s a threat,” he said. “We don’t have time to call. Once we make it safe, we start making those calls.”
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said more than two dozen units from HFD responded to the scene. The first unit arrived two minutes after HFD received the call, he said, and quickly began coordinating a rescue team with police.
“The community expects the first responders to get on scene quickly, to get on scene and coordinate and start taking action as soon as they get on scene,” he said. “That’s exactly what we did.”
I have nothing but sympathy for the parents here. I was scrambling around looking for accurate information too, and the stakes were much lower for me. I have no doubt I’d have been out of my mind and super upset at how long it took to get updates. I also have a lot of sympathy for HISD and HPD, who were understandably reluctant to get out ahead of what they knew. I don’t have a good answer for this.
As relieved as we all are that this turned out to be nothing, we have to talk about the law enforcement response, since that is an obvious item of interest after Uvalde. In addition to HPD, there were deputies from the Precinct 1 Constable and the Sheriff’s office at the scene, and I assume there were some HISD cops as well. We do know that HPD entered Heights HS in search of the alleged shooter, which is good to know, but we don’t know more than that about who was in charge and who was making what decisions. Given what we know about the thoroughly botched response in Uvalde, this should be used as an opportunity for HPD and HISD to review their processes, make sure they have agreements in place, and so on. In the end, thankfully this was just a drill. We damn well better learn from it. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=107011 | 2022-09-15T11:13:54Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=107011 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It's a big weekend for car buffs in the Yakima Valley.
The 30th annual Ponies in the Sun car show is Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
Ponies in the Sun is from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. in Sarg Hubbard Park, 111 S. 18th St. It's open to the public and free to spectators.
Gates open at 8:30 a.m. for car registration and close at 11 a.m. Registration is $25 on day of the show. Visit www.suncountrymustang.com for a full list of car show classes. Contact Dave Mitts at 509-494-3210 or dmmitts@gmail.com for more information.
There will be a pony trail starting at 9:30 a.m. at Sarg Hubbard Park and a cruise-in at 5 p.m. to Major’s Restaurant, 1705 W. Lincoln Ave.
Proceeds from Ponies in the Sun benefits Children's Wishes & Dreams and an automotive scholarship through Yakima Valley College Foundation.
The show is put on by the Sun County Mustang Club, “a non-profit organization dedicated to promote the preservation, enjoyment and usage of 1964 ½ to present Ford Mustangs, Shelbys and Mercury Cougars,” according to their website.
Volksfest 2022 is Saturday-Sunday, with several events.
Saturday begins with a poker run, starting at Moxee Park, S. Rivard Road., and proceeding through the lower Yakima Valley. That's followed by Volkswagen drag racing from noon-4 p.m. at Renegade Raceway, 1395 N. Track Road, Wapato. There’s a $5 entrance fee and it costs $20 to race Sportsman and $30 to race Pro class. There will be a mini-show and shine at Renegade.
The show and shine on Sunday will be at Moxee Park from 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Registration is $15 per vehicle and is from 7-10 a.m. Judging starts at noon and trophies will be awarded at 3 p.m.
There will be a swap meet and vendors in the park, with food and activities for spectators.
For more information, contact Steven Aragon at 509-930-6550 or email applevalleyvw@hotmail.com or call 509-654-8004. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/explore_yakima/two-car-shows-planned-this-weekend-in-yakima-and-moxee/article_459f5c94-31fa-11ed-b052-9be2acd14ea7.html | 2022-09-15T11:17:45Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/explore_yakima/two-car-shows-planned-this-weekend-in-yakima-and-moxee/article_459f5c94-31fa-11ed-b052-9be2acd14ea7.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In-person interactions were plentiful and a large meeting room was filled with 48 employers and about 200 potential employees as the South Central Workforce Council hosted its Sept. 8 job fair at the Yakima Convention Center.
But a closer look at the businesses and agencies participating in the job fair illustrates a few tough realities for employers seeking to fill open positions, noted Michelle Smith, communications and employer engagement manager for the workforce council.
“It’s not the typical job fair — we’re seeing different employers, and some from a good distance away, like Klickitat Valley Health (hospital),” Smith said during Thursday’s event.
The range of employers spanned the alphabet and job spectrum — from medical and administrative staff at Astria Health locations throughout the Yakima Valley to combing canines at stores like Wilco.
“Wilco is trying to hire a lead dog groomer. It pays $70,000 a year,” Smith said of the West Valley retailer.
Labor force participation rate
There are two figures to consider when looking at available jobs: the participation rate and the unemployment rate, Smith said.
Don Meseck, regional labor economist with the state’s Employment Security Department, noted that July’s unemployment rate in Yakima County (the most recent data available) was 4.5% — the lowest rate for July since Washington state began recording data electronically in 1978.
July’s local jobless rate was 1.8 percentage points lower than July 2021 (6.3%) and represented the 16th straight month, from April 2021 to July 2022, that year-over-year monthly rates have declined in Yakima County, Meseck reported.
With the statewide unemployment rate at 3.5% for July, Smith said there are now almost two open jobs for every unemployed person.
This is a factor of the labor force participation rate: a figure the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics uses to determine the percentage of the population either working or actively looking for work (see sidebar).
The participation rate has gradually declined for most of the past 20 years, going from 66.6% in August 2002 to 63.4% in February 2020.
Then the pandemic hit, and the participation rate plunged, dropping to 60.2% in April 2020 — a two-month decline that matched the rate’s decrease over the previous 18 years, the BLS reported.
As Smith noted in her recent “Central Washington Works” column, many Baby Boomers retired during the pandemic, and families found they could either make ends meet on one income and/or could no longer afford child care, forcing one parent to leave the work force.
“Whatever the reason, the COVID shutdown changed American workers,” Smith noted. “People of all ages realized that work is only part of life, and many are no longer putting it ahead of families, travel, vacation, etc.”
The participation rate has rebounded a bit since the first months of COVID-19, with August’s 62.4% national figure about 1 percentage point lower than before the pandemic.
With both the unemployment and participation rates at low levels, businesses of every size and industry are looking for workers, Smith said.
State agencies join the job fair
Of the 48 employers at the Sept. 8 job fair, many were associated with health care, with Astria, Community Health, Comprehensive Healthcare, Triumph Treatment Services, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital and the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic all staffing booths seeking workers.
Goldendale’s hospital, Klickitat Valley Health, also attended, seeking to fill open positions ranging from nurses to janitorial staff.
Manufacturers (Crunch Pak, Cub Crafters, Northstar Attachments), employment staffing companies (Atlas Staffing, BBSI, Work-Force Solutions) and senior living/health care companies (Living Care Community, Parkside Nursing Care, Senior Life Resources NW) were well-represented at the job fair, as they have been in the past, Smith noted.
But the appearance of state or local government agencies such as the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Postal Service and Yakima Police Department indicates that public sector jobs are widely available, too.
“State agencies are here today … that’s very, very rare,” Smith said. “They’re starting to come to in-person job fairs because they’re struggling to get employees.”
Typically state agencies promote their job openings online on state websites (careers.wa.gov), on their agency LinkedIn pages, or at worksourcewa.com, Smith added. If an agency’s human resources budget allows, they also may recruit employees through sites like Indeed.com.
“Both the Department of Fish and Wildlife and DSHS attended last week’s event because they have several openings,” Smith said on Monday. “Many people are not aware of (jobs listed at) careers.wa.gov.”
Long lists of local job openings
Human resources personnel from Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Terrace Heights, Tree Top in Selah and Legends Casino and Hotel in Toppenish all met with job seekers at the Sept. 8 event.
PNWU was hoping to fill various professional and administrative openings, and had a second booth seeking people willing to act as “simulated” patients, said Sheila Sahagun, administrative coordinator.
Ashlee Strom, employment specialist at Legends Casino, had a list of 14 different types of job openings, many of them food and beverage positions like cooks, cashiers and dishwashers.
“Those positions are always the hardest to fill,” Strom said.
She noted potential employees usually ask about pay, benefits and hours, especially if daytime hours are available.
“We need midshift and nighttime positions filled. People often think that they can start with daytime hours, and that’s usually not available,” Strom said. “Of course, some people prefer those (later) shifts, or like the flexibility.
“I feel like right now a lot of places are having the same issues we are finding people,” she added. “Transportation is an issue for a lot of our (job applicants), getting from Yakima to the casino. We used to have a shuttle for employees at one time, and may try to bring that back.”
Tree Top had two salaried positions and nine hourly-rate jobs available at its Selah facilities, with all three shifts available, said Jazmine Lopez of the company’s human resources department.
“Actually, I just had someone ask about the graveyard shift. Some people look for those hours,” Lopez said, noting shift deferential is paid for overnight hours. “We also currently are offering a sign-on bonus, which is paid after the 90-day probationary period.”
Tree Top had another career fair planned on Sept. 15 at the Selah Civic Center.
WorkSource is a statewide partnership of state, local and nonprofit agencies that provides an array of employment and training services in Washington. The South Central Workforce Council oversees the WorkSource offices in Kittitas, Klickitat, Yakima and Skamania counties.
Smith, with the Workforce Council, said her organization probably won’t have any large job fair events until 2023, but the organization can help businesses in a variety of ways.
“Our dedicated business team meets regularly with businesses small and large from across a variety of industries. We can organize employer of the day hiring events at WorkSource offices,” she said.
“We can help craft job descriptions and job postings. We offer labor market information (wages ranges, trends as well as occupations in demand). We also help promote opportunities on Facebook.” | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/struggle-to-fill-yakima-valley-job-openings-continues/article_8ed153be-32f3-11ed-ac8f-7b9cd925414e.html | 2022-09-15T11:17:51Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/struggle-to-fill-yakima-valley-job-openings-continues/article_8ed153be-32f3-11ed-ac8f-7b9cd925414e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ZILLAH — City officials will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Teapot Dome Scandal on Saturday at the quirky landmark inspired by it.
Mayor Scott Carmack will speak during the 11 a.m. ceremony at Teapot Dome Memorial Park, 117 First Ave. The public event at the Teapot Dome Service Station, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, is expected to last about half an hour.
It's part of the No Rhyme or Reason Country Market at Stewart Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Co-sponsored with the Zillah Chamber of Commerce, it will include more than 100 vendors.
The kettle-shaped gas station was built in 1922 by Jack Ainsworth on State Route 410 between Zillah and Granger. When that section of Interstate 82 was constructed in 1978, the gas station was moved to the Yakima Valley Highway west of Zillah. It continued to operate there until 2006. City officials bought the property for $125,000 and moved it to its current location in 2012.
Ainsworth was inspired by the presidential scandal that began when President Warren G. Harding transferred control of three oil reserve fields from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Department of Interior in 1921. One of the reserves was at Teapot Dome, Wyo., named for a rock formation in the area.
Interior Secretary Albert Fall persuaded Harding to put the oil fields under his control, then leased the reserves to the Pan-American Petroleum and Mammoth Oil companies. Word got out in April 1922 and an investigation found that Fall had received $400,000 from oil executives to tap into the fields.
Fall was the first cabinet official convicted of corruption. Harding died before the investigations got into full swing. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/saturday-event-at-zillah-teapot-commemorates-100th-anniversary-of-teapot-dome-scandal/article_876e7ebe-3445-11ed-9645-9b84cca1a673.html | 2022-09-15T11:17:58Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/saturday-event-at-zillah-teapot-commemorates-100th-anniversary-of-teapot-dome-scandal/article_876e7ebe-3445-11ed-9645-9b84cca1a673.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Reuters are reporting some possible good news for on the U.S. railway strike saga
U.S. railway parties have agreed to a cooling off period as standard part of the ratification process after reaching a tentative deal overnight, a move that would avert any shutdown in case unions fail to ratify it, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday.
U.S. President Joe Biden called negotiators around 9 p.m. Wednesday night as talks continued in a move the source said was "crucial" as talks progressed for 20 hours into the night.
As a reminder, almost 30% of cargo in the U.S. travels by rail, and with harvest season upon us, a nationwide strike would be very damaging
Full story via Reuters available on PiQSuite.com | https://www.forexlive.com/news/cooling-off-period-to-avert-shutdown-as-us-rail-deal-heads-for-vote-piqsuitecomsuite-20220915/ | 2022-09-15T11:20:14Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/cooling-off-period-to-avert-shutdown-as-us-rail-deal-heads-for-vote-piqsuitecomsuite-20220915/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
“Turay looked impressive in training camp with a 1-2 combo of an outside speed rush and a counter spin move that made use of those speed rush expectations.”
“[Kittle has] made a lot of progress,” Shanahan said. “So hopefully we’ll have him back going this week.”
“Trey Lance is way more talented than Tim Tebow and Shanahan is a better coach, in my opinion than John Fox and this Niner roster is better than that Denver roster,” Cowherd continued. “They just came to terms with Tebow. They’re like, ‘We’re not going to make Tebow fit in our system, we’re just going to lean into what Tebow can do and do that system.”
Jeff Wilson’s mission: Making sure 49ers’ rookie runners avoid ‘bonehead’ plays
“Nick threw the ball and Bobby Wagner picked it off and ran all the way to the crib,” Wilson recalled in front of his locker Wednesday, a sheepish grin on his face. “So, yeah, that was on me. Now y’all know — that was strictly on me. That’s why I said I would never let nothing like that happen to me again or to those younger guys. That’s why I’m on ’em.”
Silver: 49ers experts: Montana, Young know what Lance, Garoppolo are dealing with
“Early on you can be freaked out and miss all those throws,” Young said. “Accuracy comes out of the fingertips, and he’s not a fingertip thrower. I don’t know if there’s a limiting factor. I don’t think Trey knows, either. He has the ability to develop. It’s the athleticism in your arm to make all the throws — off-balance, with movement, going against your body.”
Elijah Mitchell’s knee injury has San Francisco 49ers facing all-too-familiar running back issue
“According to Shanahan, the biggest thing for both rookie backs is learning how to do the little things — blitz pickups, route running, even run blocking — that happen when they don’t have the ball. Shanahan said both players will have to “grow up fast” and the pressure will be on because they will be getting opportunities sooner than later.”
“I got to talk to my boy, Trey. I think he was taking too many hits out there,” Fields said. “I try to not take hits at all, to be honest with you unless the game’s on the line … That’s really the only time I’m taking a hit. Other than that I’m pretty much going to slide. For all the defenders out there that think I’m going to stay up, I’m not so don’t worry about getting those late hits on me.”
Branch: Trey Lance is already in 49ers’ record book, but can he stay on the field? (paywall)
“On Sunday, in his third career start, Lance had 13 carries, the third-most in the 49ers’ 76-year history.”
Branch: 49ers’ rarely seen Lance-to-Kittle connection may not be on display Sunday (paywall)
“Lance’s only completion to Kittle came in his second start last season, when they connected for a 29-yard gain in a win against the Texans. Before Lance played without Kittle in a 19-10 loss to the Bears on Sunday, he did the same in his first career start, a 17-10 loss to Cardinals in October. Those are the only instances in the 49ers’ past 44 games that they’ve scored 10 or fewer points.”
”I think, and I believe, don’t kid yourself, that we’re gonna see Garoppolo back in that lineup.” | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/15/23354196/49ers-news-trey-lance-sean-payton-criticism-not-ready-jimmy-g-kemeko-turray-jordan-willis-injuries | 2022-09-15T11:45:42Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/15/23354196/49ers-news-trey-lance-sean-payton-criticism-not-ready-jimmy-g-kemeko-turray-jordan-willis-injuries | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The first Battle of Pageland Lane ended in favor of landowners, but both sides will regroup before the final decisive battle.
Early Thursday morning, the Prince William County Planning Commission voted 4-3-1 to recommend approval of the first application for the controversial PW Digital Gateway.
Commissioners Cynthia Moses-Nedd (Woodbridge), Qwendolyn Brown (Neabsco), Juan McPhail (Potomac) and Patty Kuntz (At-Large) voted in favor of the project. Commissioners Joseph Fontanella Jr. (Coles), Richard Berry (Gainesville) and Tom Gordy (Brentsville) opposed it.
Commissioner Robert Perry Jr. (Occoquan) abstained from the vote.
The vote came after a nearly seven-hour marathon public hearing, easily among the longest in county history. It started at 10 p.m. Wednesday and didn’t wrap up until 4:34 a.m. Thursday. The commission did not cast a vote until after 5 a.m.
The raucous Wednesday/Thursday hearing was on the request from dozens of landowners to designate 2,139 acres in western Prince William County for data centers. Specifically, it was to change the land in the Comprehensive Plan currently designated as agricultural/estate and environmental resource to technology/flex, parks and open space, county registered historic site and environmental resource overlay.
Supporters ended the night with an edge in speakers with 84 in favor compared to 67 opponents.
Of those in favor, at least 57 were landowners who are part of the PW Digital Gateway application, and five were representing companies associated with the project.
More than 220 people signed up to speak, but 85 dropped off before their slot as the hearing stretched well into the morning. By 2:30 a.m., only a small but dedicated core of supporters and opponents remained to watch the proceedings.
Berry first made a motion to only approve the northern portion of the proposal but did not get a second. He then made a motion to recommend denial and still did not get a second.
Brown then made the motion to recommend approval of the application. The motion included recommendations for unspecified noise and environmental regulations to be added to the proposal.
Brown said the project “presents an opportunity to transform Prince William County’s future in a profound way.”
Gordy and Fontanella made an unsuccessful bid to table the proposal for county staff to get more information. “We need more time to get this right,” Gordy said.
The proposed change would target 1,321 acres as technology/flex, 807 acres as parks and open space, 439.8 acres as environmental resource protection overlay and 9.6 acres as county historic registered site.
The project, which proposes 27.6 million square feet of data centers along Pageland Lane, has quickly become the most controversial and contentious local land-use proposal in decades. Opponents and proponents have launched personal attacks against each other, and it has spawned recall efforts against Gainesville Supervisor Pete Candland and Board Chair Ann Wheeler and a federal lawsuit against Candland.
County planner David McGettigan said it was important to restrict development to data centers because they have less employees and generate less traffic.
“We don’t want rezonings for any industrial use. We want to limit it to data centers,” he said. “There’s less demand on infrastructure from data centers.”
The original application was submitted last summer by landowners along Pageland Lane who wanted to change the land designation on about 800 acres for the project. The Board of County Supervisors later expanded the request to cover 2,100 acres.
Supporters say the project will provide a huge economic boon to the county in an area that’s no longer rural.
Opponents say such large developments would decimate the character of the county’s rural area; they have raised concerns about the availability of power, effects on water quality and the potential that the buildings could quickly become obsolete as technology continues to improve.
The staff report says if the Comprehensive Plan amendment is approved, the potential data center usage would range from 13.2 million to 27 million square feet and support 1,471 to 5,048 jobs.
The low end is more in line with rezoning requests filed by Compass Datacenters and QTS Realty Trust Inc. rather than the 27.6 million square feet touted by the proposal’s supporters. The combined Compass and QTS projects cover 1,636 acres and 18.42 million square feet.
The hearing was only for the Comprehensive Plan amendment, not the two rezonings. However, if the Comprehensive Plan update is approved, it will weigh heavily in favor of the rezonings.
“It’s only a guide. It’s not regulatory in nature,” McGettigan said. “When the planning office reviews a rezoning application, we’re going to look at consistency with the Comprehensive Plan.”
Those on both sides of the project have shown up to nearly every Board of County Supervisors and Planning Commission meeting for the past year to plead their case. Everyone was out in full force Wednesday, with 88 people in line to sign-up for the hearing when registration opened at 5:30 p.m.
Opponents held a rally and press conference outside the building before the meeting started, with similar talking points that have been raised over the past 12 months.
Gordy said the proposal might not be necessary because land exists in currently targeted areas.
“What we have heard is the data center market remains extremely strong in Northern Virginia,” said Deputy Planning Director Meika Daus. “We’ve not heard that there is a cooling of the data center market.”
Gordy said the county needs an estimate of how much it will cost the county to support the project through infrastructure upgrades.
“The county’s going to bear some of that burden, and the main rationale for supporting this is the benefit financially to the county, but we haven’t accounted for cost,” he said.
County staff were criticized for bringing the project forward before completing a study of the noise ordinance, impact on the watershed, cost of associated infrastructure and review of the existing Data Center Opportunity Zone overlay district.
Fontanella Jr. was concerned that county staff didn’t have concrete answers to some of the panel’s questions.
“I’m hearing a lot of ‘to be determined’ or ‘we’re studying that,’ and it sort of begs the question of whether we’re ready for prime time without solid answers,” he said. “I would like to have a much better, deeper understanding of the impacts on not just the Occoquan Reservoir but our drinking sources that include the Potomac River.”
McGettigan presented the staff report to the commission. Those in the atrium frequently criticized his hesitation on answers and called him a “dummy” and “idiot.”
As McGettigan said the recommendation of staff was for approval, the atrium erupted in a chorus of boos.
No one presented on behalf of the applicants, as it was billed as a county-initiated project, although dozens of applicants spoke at the hearing. Representatives of the companies planning construction also provided input.
Those in the atrium cheered when commissioners or speakers asked questions or made statements they agreed with and jeered during speakers or staff answers they did not support. At one point, Potomac District Commissioner Juan McPhail, who was serving as chair for the meeting, told those in the atrium to cut down on their outbursts and was greeted with yells of “no.”
Bruce Ridgeway, an applicant, was booed from the atrium. He responded, "Boo to you out there ... Where were you guys at when I was fighting for my home eight years ago? Don’t tell me what I can do to my home now.”
As Ridgeway left the board chambers and entered the atrium, which was mostly full of opponents, he shouted “woo” and held up a pro data center sign before heading home.
Supporters claimed those in opposition primarily lived in Heritage Hunt and didn’t support progressive change and accused them of intimidation.
Rhonda Reese said opponents should not be dismissed because their concerns are valid.
“How dare you guys assume that all of us that are against this are against change?” she said. “You don’t know me”
Two men almost came to blows in the atrium after one supporter was upset because he said opponents had parked outside Candland's house to "intimidate" him. He was confronted when he came into the atrium, but security and police stepped in to separate the men.
Elena Schlossberg said the supporters only favored the project because they were selling their land.
“If you remove the millions of dollars that each of these applicants are making, they would be with me,” she said.
Ali Iman, one of the applicants, said the proposal is “the most studied single project in the history of Prince William County.”
“For over a year now we have been consistently presenting facts about how the PW Digital Gateway is the greatest economic development in Prince William County’s history,” he said.
Melanie Williams, one of the applicants, said Pageland Lane is “a very, very small piece” of the county’s rural area and has been “ completely destroyed by huge power lines.”
“Nobody wants to leave their property, trust me,” she said. “But we feel like there’s no alternative.”
At about 3:20 a.m., Mary Ann Ghadban, one of the lead applicants, called out county Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, R-Brentsville, who has been adamantly opposed to the project. She said Lawson voted in favor of the nearby Gainesville Crossing data center that started Pageland landowners down the path toward the PW Digital Gateway.
Lawson, who was attending the meeting, spoke during the public hearing to counter Ghadban’s point. She did vote in favor of the project, but noted that the data center was not in the rural area, only outside of the overlay district.
“It is not and never was in the rural area,” she said. “They have a hard time forgetting that. We have borders for a reason. The rural crescent is nearby, I will give her that.”
The proposal next heads to the Board of County Supervisors. No date has been scheduled, but officials are planning for an October hearing and vote. | https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/shortly-after-5-a-m-prince-william-county-planning-commission-recommends-approval-for-pw-digital/article_493b2ab0-34d7-11ed-a06f-93c7f0e78bec.html | 2022-09-15T11:46:56Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/shortly-after-5-a-m-prince-william-county-planning-commission-recommends-approval-for-pw-digital/article_493b2ab0-34d7-11ed-a06f-93c7f0e78bec.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DETROIT, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockbridge Growth Equity ("Rockbridge"), a partnership-oriented middle market private equity firm with a differentiated approach to building and growing companies, announced today that it has made a strategic investment in The Nest Schools ("Nest" or the "Company"), an operator of 36 early childhood education centers across Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Virginia. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Gerry Pastor and Jane Porterfield, Nest's Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, will continue to lead the Company and implement their differentiated operational playbook with the support of Rockbridge. Mr. Pastor and Ms. Porterfield have decades of education industry experience, having previously led another successful early education business together.
"It's no coincidence that in a relatively short amount of time, Nest has grown to become one of the top 50 largest early education providers in the country," said Ziv Weizman, a partner at Rockbridge. "We have been impressed with Gerry and Jane's standout approach in the industry and their dedication to providing premier early education experiences. Parents today value high-quality early childhood education, and we see abundant opportunities to expand into new markets and grow our presence in existing regions by partnering with Gerry, Jane and the entire Nest management team."
The Nest Schools delivers a premium educational experience supported by a proprietary, developmental-focused curriculum in safe and stimulating educational environments with industry-leading facilities. Its "play-based" educational programming is augmented by a fitness-inspired wellness program ("Fit Buddies"), a program emphasizing art and music ("Paints & Pianos"), and a program teaching basic life skills ("The Art of Living"). Its curriculum and program design encourage children to wonder, question, work with their peers, and experiment with different possibilities. The more than 600 team members deliver the Company's "Nest Play" curriculum to over 3,000 infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children across its portfolio of schools.
"The importance of Early Childhood Education and our understanding of how young children learn and develop has evolved rapidly over recent years, and we incorporate all current research into our approach in addition to state-of-the-art technology," said Mr. Pastor and Ms. Porterfield. "With the support of the Rockbridge team, we will look to grow our presence in a fragmented industry and meet the growing demand for innovative and quality education solutions. We were highly impressed by the Rockbridge team's understanding of the early childhood education industry and believe their experience and relationships make them the ideal partner as we embark on the next phase of the Company's development."
Honigman served as legal advisor to Rockbridge.
About Nest
The Nest Schools operates premium early childhood education across multiple states for infants through school age children. It is driven by its vision to raise a world of kind, healthy, happy, and inspired children as the worldwide leader in early childhood programs for children, their families, and its team. The Nest Schools' mission to build strong minds, healthy bodies, and happy kids are made possible through its core values of kindness, wellness, innovation, and fun. For more information, visit www.thenestschool.com.
About Rockbridge Growth Equity
Founded in 2007, Rockbridge Growth Equity is a middle market private equity firm committed to helping both founder-operated and established companies accelerate growth and build long-term, sustainable value. Rockbridge combines the flexibility of a financial sponsor with the benefits of strategic partnership by leveraging the firm's relationship with the Rock Family of Companies, which provides access to industry and functional expertise. As of year-end 2021, Rockbridge has regulatory assets under management of over $1.2 billion across its target sectors: e-Commerce and Marketing Services, Financial Services and Fintech, Tech-Enabled Products and Services, and Digital Media. For more information, please visit www.rbequity.com.
CONTACT:
Lambert
Jennifer Hurson
845-507-0571
jhurson@lambert.com
or
Megan Bowman
616-780-1610
mbowman@lambert.com
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SOURCE Rockbridge Growth Equity | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/rockbridge-growth-equity-makes-strategic-investment-nest-schools-leader-premium-early-childhood-education/ | 2022-09-15T11:50:07Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/rockbridge-growth-equity-makes-strategic-investment-nest-schools-leader-premium-early-childhood-education/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHICAGO, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives of Black Men United, local Ukrainian officials and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will gather in the parking lot of Saints Volodymr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago this Saturday, September 17, 2022, to give away furniture and household goods to Ukrainian refugees in need.
The giveaway is taking place in the church parking lot at 11 a.m. at 2220 W. Superior St. The church parking lot is east of the church at the corner of Superior and Leavitt streets.
Pastor John Harrell, president of Black Men United, said his organization is donating a truckload of goods including: living room and dining room sets, beds, outdoor furniture, heaters, air fryers, diapers and baby formula.
Black Men United is a nonprofit dedicated to changing the narrative of the Black community and bringing hope by building bridges in communities across the U.S.
"These families have lost their homes," said Harrell. "It's incumbent upon us to help them rebuild their lives."
Millions of Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia began its invasion Feb. 24. Thousands of refugees have made their way to the Chicago area because of its sizeable Ukrainian population.
"These refugees are fleeing their war-ravaged country and are coming here with empty pockets," said Pappas. "They need our help."
Also in attendance will be Marta Farion, vice president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America-Illinois Division, and members of Plast, a worldwide Ukrainian Scouting organization.
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SOURCE Cook County Treasurer's Office | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/black-men-united-donate-furniture-household-goods-ukrainian-refugees-chicago-saturday/ | 2022-09-15T11:51:22Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/black-men-united-donate-furniture-household-goods-ukrainian-refugees-chicago-saturday/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MINISO Group Holding Limited (NYSE: MNSO; HKEX: 9896) ("MINISO", "MINISO Group" or the "Company"), a global value retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products, today announced an update on the status of the previously announced independent investigation. As previously disclosed, shortly after the publication of a report issued by the short-seller firm Blue Orca Capital on July 26, 2022 (the "Short Seller Report"), an independent committee of the board of directors (the "Independent Committee"), consisting of independent directors Ms. Xu Lili, Mr. Zhu Yonghua and Mr. Wang Yongping, was formed to oversee an independent investigation regarding the allegations made in the Short Seller Report (the "Independent Investigation"). The Independent Investigation, overseen by the Independent Committee and conducted with the assistance of third-party professional advisors including an international law firm and forensic accounting experts from a well-regarded forensic accounting firm that is not the Company's auditor, is now substantially complete. Based on findings of the Independent Investigation, which encompassed the allegations in the Short Seller Report regarding the Company's franchise business model and land deals involving the Company's chairman, the Independent Committee has concluded that key allegations made in the Short Seller Report were not substantiated.
About MINISO Group
MINISO is a global retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products. The Company serves consumers primarily through its large network of MINISO stores, and promotes a relaxing, treasure-hunting and engaging shopping experience full of delightful surprises that appeals to all demographics. Aesthetically pleasing design, quality and affordability are at the core of every product in MINISO's wide product portfolio, and the Company continually and frequently rolls out products with these qualities. Since the opening of its first store in China in 2013, the Company has built its flagship brand "MINISO" as a globally recognized retail brand and established a massive store network worldwide. For more information, please visit https://ir.miniso.com/.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" or other similar expressions. MINISO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about MINISO's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: MINISO's mission, goals and strategies; future business development, financial conditions and results of operations; the expected growth of the retail market and the market of branded variety retail of lifestyle products in China and globally; expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of MINISO's products; expectations regarding MINISO's relationships with consumers, suppliers, MINISO Retail Partners, local distributors, and other business partners; competition in the industry; proposed use of proceeds; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to MINISO's business and the industry. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in MINISO's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and MINISO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
Investor Relations Contact:
Raine Hu
MINISO Group Holding Limited
Email: ir@miniso.com
Phone: +86 (20) 36228788 Ext. 8039
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SOURCE MINISO Group Holding Limited | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/miniso-announces-substantial-completion-independent-investigation/ | 2022-09-15T11:52:22Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/miniso-announces-substantial-completion-independent-investigation/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Another incredible, local artist is participating in ArtPrize for the first time this year. Paige Rochefort's art is all about daydreams, but her life story hasn't always been a daydream after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 16-years-old.
Rochefort, now 26-years-old, has started her own business now to tap into other people's daydreams - Daydreams By Paige.
She works from her at-home studio where she and her pup Henry sat down with FOX 17 to discuss her health journey and what pushed her to participate in ArtPrize this year.
Rochefort has created art her entire life. Her talents and passion run in the family.
“My dad is an artist, he’s a metal artist," she said. "My grandpa - he was always an artist and a lot of people on my mom’s side too are artists.”
Rochefort grew up with art and studied it at Grand Valley State University. She has perfected her craft and has already tackled some big projects.
She has painted multiple murals across Grand Rapids including one near Gaia House at Plainfield and Lafayette and a new mural she recently completed in Alger Heights.
“People know me for my murals and my flower paintings," Rochefort said.
She wanted to step outside her comfort zone and decided to participate in ArtPrize for the first time this year after an ArtPrize venue, Lotus Brew Coffee/Dry Bar, reached out to her and wanted to feature her art.
On display are 50 different daydreams pulled from the minds of Rochefort, her friends, family and strangers.
“I opened up a form on my website and I let people take a minute fill it out," Rochefort said.
People wrote out their perfect daydreams and Rochefort brought them to life. Some people described a calm boat ride as their daydream, others described being in the mountains on a beautiful day as theirs.
Rochefort says she hopes the community visits the art that's a bit out of the way from downtown, to experience all of the amazing entries of this year's ArtPrize.
“The places off the beaten path, it’s great exposure for newer businesses that aren’t in the hub of downtown too," she said.
So what's Rochefort's perfect daydream? Part of her dream she says, includes good health since that hasn't always come easy to her.
"It’s been a wild ride my entire life," she said.
Rochefort was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 16-years-old that then spread to her lungs. What got her through those dark times was very fittingly, art.
“It just gave me something to look forward to. I would always start a project when I was going to begin treatment and then I was always excited to finish it by the end," she said.
Rochefort has been in remission for nearly 10 years now and is transferring her life experiences into her ArtPrize piece and all of her future daydreams as well. Rochefort is hosting a launch party at Lotus Brew Coffee/Dry Bar Thursday from 5pm to 8pm. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/morning-news/cancer-survivor-and-first-time-artprize-artist-takes-life-experiences-and-translates-it-into-art | 2022-09-15T11:52:48Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/morning-news/cancer-survivor-and-first-time-artprize-artist-takes-life-experiences-and-translates-it-into-art | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that a tentative railway labor agreement has been reached, averting a potentially devastating strike before the pivotal midterm elections.
Railroads and union representatives had been in negotiations for 20 hours at the Labor Department on Wednesday to hammer out a deal, as there was a risk of a strike starting on Friday that could have shut down rail lines across the country.
Biden made a key phone call to Labor Secretary Marty Walsh at 9 p.m. as the talks were ongoing after Italian dinner had been brought in, according to a White House official insisting on anonymity. The president told the negotiators to consider the harm to families, farmers and businesses if a shutdown occurred.
What resulted from the back and forth was a tentative agreement that will go to union members for a vote after a post-ratification cooling off period of several weeks.
“These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned,” Biden said. “The agreement is also a victory for railway companies who will be able to retain and recruit more workers for an industry that will continue to be part of the backbone of the American economy for decades to come.”
The threat of a shutdown had put Biden in a delicate spot politically. The Democratic president believes unions built the middle class, but he also knew a rail worker strike could damage the economy ahead of the midterms
That left him in the awkward position on Wednesday. He flew to Detroit, a stalwart of the labor movement, to espouse the virtues of unionization, while members of his administration went all-out to keep talks going in Washington between the railroads and unionized workers.
As the administration was trying to forge peace, United Auto Workers Local 598 member Ryan Buchalski introduced Biden at the Detroit auto show on Wednesday as “the most union- and labor-friendly president in American history” and someone who was “kickin’ ass for the working class.” Buchalski harked back to the pivotal sitdown strikes by autoworkers in the 1930s.
In the speech that followed, Biden recognized that he wouldn’t be in the White House without the support of unions such as the UAW and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, saying autoworkers “brung me to the dance.”
But without a deal among the 12 unions in talks back in Washington, Biden also knew that a stoppage might have begun as early as Friday that could halt shipments of food and fuel at a cost of $2 billion a day.
Far more was at stake than sick leave and salary bumps for 115,000 unionized railroad workers. The ramifications could have extended to control of Congress and to the shipping network that keeps factories rolling, stocks the shelves of stores and stitches the U.S. together as an economic power.
That’s why White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking aboard Air Force One as it jetted to Detroit on Wednesday, said a rail worker strike was “an unacceptable outcome for our economy and the American people.” The rail lines and their workers’ representatives “need to stay at the table, bargain in good faith to resolve outstanding issues, and come to an agreement,” she said.
Biden faced the same kind of predicament faced by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 with coal and Harry Truman in 1952 with steel — how do you balance the needs of labor and business in doing what's best for the nation? Railways were so important during World War I that Woodrow Wilson temporarily nationalized the industry to keep goods flowing and prevent strikes.
Inside the White House, aides don't see a contradiction between Biden's devotion to unions and his desire to avoid a strike. Union activism has surged under Biden, as seen in a 56% increase in petitions for union representation with the National Labor Relations Board so far this fiscal year.
One person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss White House deliberations on the matter, said Biden's mindset in approaching the debate was that he's the president of the entire country, not just for organized labor.
With the economy still recovering from the supply chain disruptions of the pandemic, the president's goal is to keep all parties so a deal could be finalized. The person said the White House saw a commitment to keep negotiating in good faith as the best way to avoid a shutdown while exercising the principles of collective bargaining that Biden holds dear.
Biden also knew a stoppage could worsen the dynamics that have contributed to soaring inflation and created a political headache for the party in power.
Eddie Vale, a Democratic political consultant and former AFL-CIO communications aide, said the White House pursued the correct approach at a perilous moment.
“No one wants a railroad strike, not the companies, not the workers, not the White House," he said. "No one wants it this close to the election.”
Vale added that the sticking point in the talks was about "respect basically — sick leave and bereavement leave,” issues Biden has supported in speeches and with his policy proposals.
Sensing political opportunity, Senate Republicans moved Wednesday to pass a law to impose contract terms on the unions and railroad companies to avoid a shutdown. Democrats, who control both chambers in Congress, blocked it.
“If a strike occurs and paralyzes food, fertilizer and energy shipments nationwide, it will be because Democrats blocked this bill,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
The economic impact of a potential strike was not lost on members of the Business Roundtable, a Washington-based group that represents CEOs. It issued its quarterly outlook for the economy Wednesday.
“We’ve been experiencing a lot of headwinds from supply chain problems since the pandemic started and those problems would be geometrically magnified,” Josh Bolten, the group's CEO, told reporters. “There are manufacturing plants around the country that likely have to shut down. ... There are critical products to keep our water clean.”
The roundtable also had a meeting of its board of directors Wednesday. But Bolten said Lance Fritz, chair of the board’s international committee and the CEO of Union Pacific railroad, would miss it “because he’s working hard trying to bring the strike to a resolution.”
By 5:05 a.m. Thursday, it was clear that the hard work across the government, unions and railway companied had paid off as Biden announced the deal, calling it “an important win for our economy and the American people.” | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national-news/tentative-railway-labor-deal-reached-averting-strike | 2022-09-15T11:52:54Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national-news/tentative-railway-labor-deal-reached-averting-strike | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Birth date - February\t B. A. (Birth-day) – Birth date without exact hours but in months\n26 ( 464 AD)\t St Valentiner\t Catholic: St (R.B.) is from Rome 6-5th-7 c....\t Mar-Dion Marbella Dates: 3 March ‐ early Martyrium / date at Valence at Eus d�Ampuis / dishormony Pump Man Rush Rush Rumble Quen Rin 65\nHamachi Quen The Bone Fish Lance the Beast Quen Quel Quest, Loot & Uncapper Eat 💐💆♥ Gear The Hex. Wish me. If any of his/ hers/thees friends/family. Or. The german duo quillen + steiner – with gunter The White House announced early Thursday morning a tentative deal has been reached between railroad operators and labor unions to avoid a strike.
The White House and others had warned that a rail strike would have caused significant disruptions in the supply chain.
The agreement came after talks went through the night.
“It is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America’s families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years,” President Joe Biden said. “These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned.”
Rail unions said they would have gone on strike at end of the day Friday had an agreement not been reached. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/biden-administration-announces-deal-to-avert-rail-strike | 2022-09-15T11:53:00Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/biden-administration-announces-deal-to-avert-rail-strike | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thousands of mourners lined up through the night to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Parliament’s Westminster Hall on Thursday, as King Charles III spent a day in private to reflect on his first week on the throne.
The queue to see the queen lying in state stretched for nearly four miles (around six kilometers) past Tower Bridge. The line snakes along the south bank of the River Thames and then over a bridge to Parliament. Thousands in the line didn’t mind the hours of waiting.
“I’m glad there was a queue because that gave us time to see what was ahead of us, prepared us and absorbed the whole atmosphere,” said health care professional Nimisha Maroo. “I wouldn’t have liked it if I’d had to just rush through."
After a day of high ceremony and high emotion on Wednesday as the queen was borne in somber procession from Buckingham Palace, the king was spending the day in “private reflection” at his Highgrove residence in western England. Charles has had calls with U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron and is speaking to a host of world leaders — many of whom will come to London on Monday for the queen’s funeral.
Heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, will visit the royal family’s Sandringham estate in eastern England to see some of the tributes left by well-wishers.
On Wednesday the queen left Buckingham Palace for the last time, borne on a horse-drawn carriage and saluted by cannons and the tolling of Big Ben, in a solemn procession through the flag-draped, crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall.
Charles, his siblings and sons marched behind the coffin, which was topped by a wreath of white roses and her crown resting on a purple velvet pillow.
The military procession underscored Elizabeth’s seven decades as head of state as the national mourning process shifted to the grand boulevards and historic landmarks of the U.K. capital.
The 900-year-old Westminster Hall is now the focus of events, as the queen lies in state until Monday.
The display of mass mourning is an enormous logistical operation, with a designated 10-mile (16 kilometer) route lined with first aid points and more than 500 portable toilets. There are 1,000 stewards and marshals working at any given time, and 30 religious leaders from a range of faiths to stop and talk to those in line.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Church of England, wore a high-visibility vest emblazoned with the words “Faith Team” as he spoke to mourners.
Welby, who led a service for the royal family when Elizabeth's coffin reached Westminster Hall, paid tribute to the queen as “someone you could trust totally, completely and absolutely, whose wisdom was remarkable.”
Thousands have already paid their respects, filing past the casket draped with the royal standard and topped with a diamond-encrusted crown.
People old and young, dressed in dark suits or jeans and sneakers, walked in a steady stream through the historic hall, where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were tried, where kings and queens hosted magnificent medieval banquets, and where previous monarchs have lain in state.
After passing the coffin, most mourners paused to look back before going out through the hall’s great oak doors. Some wiped away tears; others bowed their heads or curtseyed. One sank onto a knee and blew a farewell kiss.
Keith Smart, an engineer and British Army veteran, wiped away tears as he left the hall. He had waited more than 10 hours for the chance to say his goodbye.
“Everybody in the crowd was impeccably behaved. There was no malice, everybody was friends. It was fantastic,” he said. “And then, to come into that room and see that, I just broke down inside. I didn’t bow — I knelt to the floor, on my knees, bowed my head to the queen.”
The late-night silence was broken when one of the guards standing vigil around the coffin collapsed and fell forward off a raised platform. The man, his chest adorned with medals, could be seen on livestreams of the queen’s coffin lying in state swaying on his feet before pitching forward onto the floor. Two police officers rushed to his assistance.
Crowds have lined the route of the queen’s coffin whenever it has been moved in its long journey from Scotland — where the monarch died Sept. 8, aged 96 — to London. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/world/mourners-spending-hours-in-line-to-pay-tribute-to-queen | 2022-09-15T11:53:06Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/world/mourners-spending-hours-in-line-to-pay-tribute-to-queen | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) (OTCQX: WHTCF) (the "Company" or "WELL"), a digital healthcare company focused on positively impacting health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and their patients globally, is pleased to announce its inclusion in to the TSX30.
Founded in 2019, the TSX30 is an annual program that recognizes companies with exceptional shareholder returns over the last 3 years by driving growth in their industries, for their investors, and for the Canadian economy. WELL is proud to be among the 30 companies on this year's list who have demonstrated their ability to innovate, transform, and diversify through uncertainty and challenging economic times.
"It's a great honour for us to be recognized on the TSX30" said Hamed Shahbazi, Founder and CEO of WELL. "Our team works extremely hard to deliver for practitioners every day. To be recognized by the TSX, a body we greatly respect, is extremely encouraging, and is a testament to the growth and the progress the WELL team has achieved to deliver for health care practitioners everyday."
For more information on the TSX30, visit: www.tsx.com/tsx30.
WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"
Hamed Shahbazi
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director
About WELL Health Technologies Corp.
WELL is a practitioner focused digital healthcare company whose overarching objective is to positively impact health outcomes to empower and support healthcare practitioners and their patients. WELL has built an innovative practitioner enablement platform that includes comprehensive end to end practice management tools inclusive of virtual care and digital patient engagement capabilities as well as Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) and data protection services. WELL uses this platform to power healthcare practitioners both inside and outside of WELL's own omni-channel patient services offerings. As such, WELL owns and operates Canada's largest network of outpatient medical clinics serving primary and specialized healthcare services and is the provider of a leading multi-national, multi-disciplinary telehealth offering. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL" and on OTCQX under the symbol "WHTCF". To learn more about the Company, please visit: www.well.company.
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SOURCE WELL Health Technologies Corp. | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/well-health-announces-inclusion-2022-tsx30/ | 2022-09-15T11:53:16Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/well-health-announces-inclusion-2022-tsx30/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, about the effects that a strike would have had on supply chains still recovering from the pandemic.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, about the effects that a strike would have had on supply chains still recovering from the pandemic.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/2022-09-15/a-rail-strike-would-have-put-another-kink-in-an-out-of-balance-supply-chain | 2022-09-15T11:55:42Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/2022-09-15/a-rail-strike-would-have-put-another-kink-in-an-out-of-balance-supply-chain | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Almost all of Twitter's shareholders have voted to approve the social media giant's deal with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had agreed to buy it for $44 billion but has since tried to back out.
About 98.6% of stockholders approved the buyout, priced at $54.20 per share. That was higher than Twitter's near-$50 share price when the deal was struck, and nearly 30% above its $41.90 per share value as markets opened on Thursday.
"The shareholder approval satisfies the final condition precedent to the closing of the merger under the merger agreement." Twitter said. The social media company said it is ready to complete the deal "immediately" and no later than Thursday, per the requirements of the agreement.
Musk first agreed to buy Twitter in April for $44 billion. But a lawyer for Musk has sent multiple letters to the Securities Exchange Commission, with the most recent one dated last Friday.
The lawyer sent termination notices in July and August, and wrote that the most recent letter is "not legally necessary" but that he was sending it "in the event that the July 8 Termination Notice or, alternatively, the August 29 Termination Notice is determined to be invalid for any reason."
Twitter sued Musk in July over the crumbling deal. Musk claimed he changed his mind because the company had understated the prevalence of bots — fake accounts — on its platform.
Last month, Twitter's former head of security Peiter Zatko filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that the company's lax security practices put users' personal data at risk, and that the social media company in danger of violating a settlement agreement with federal regulators. He also alleges that the Indian government forced Twitter to hire two government agents who had access to sensitive data.
Musk added Zatko's concerns to his legal claims soon after they became public. He now says that Twitter is damaged goods, and that by hiding such egregious problems, it committed fraud.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-09-15/twitter-shareholders-have-approved-the-44-billion-sale-to-elon-musk | 2022-09-15T11:55:48Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-09-15/twitter-shareholders-have-approved-the-44-billion-sale-to-elon-musk | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Updated September 15, 2022 at 7:26 AM ET
Like so many essential workers in the pandemic, the engineers and conductors who drive the nation's freight trains have had it.
They're tired of unpredictable, inflexible work schedules. They're tired of being penalized for taking days off when they're sick or tending to a family emergency. They want a better quality of life.
Through contract negotiations, they made their voices heard, threatening a strike that could have brought trains to a halt nationwide on Friday.
Early Thursday morning, after 20 hours of negotiations, the White House announced a tentative agreement had been reached.
Freight railroads and the unions representing more than 100,000 rail workers had been negotiating a contract for several years. The stakes were high and a presidential emergency board appointed by President Biden recommended a compromise over the summer that would give workers a 24% increase in wages. Both sides — the unions and the railroad companies — essentially agreed to the board's economic proposals.
But until early Thursday, there remained one major sticking point: a workplace attendance policy that the unions call draconian.
"This abusive and punitive attendance policy is breaking apart families and causing locomotive engineers and other railroaders to come to work dangerously fatigued," the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said in a statement in May.
The unions had sought a change to the policy to ensure that workers can take time off to tend to medical needs when necessary, without fear of discipline.
Without releasing details of the tentative deal, a spokesperson for the Labor Department said it "balances the needs of workers, businesses, and our nation's economy."
In the middle of the pandemic, railroads introduce a policy that workers hate
Points-based attendance policies are not new. Employers, including Amazon and Walmart, use them as a way to reduce unexpected absences from work. But such policies are fairly new to railroads.
BNSF Railway introduced its version, called Hi-Viz, in February 2022, saying it would improve consistency for both crews and customers. The unions say it has only made things worse.
Even before the system was introduced, railroad conductors and engineers were essentially on call all the time, outside of paid vacation and personal leave days (which they do accrue in amounts determined by seniority). When they get called to work, they generally have either 90 minutes or two hours to report to work.
Under Hi-Viz, if they are unavailable to report to work in that window, they are docked points from a starting balance of 30. Deductions range from 2 to 25 points, depending on the day. The more valuable the day, the higher the deduction.
That means Fridays, Saturdays, holidays and so-called "high-impact days," including Mother's Day and Super Bowl Sunday, result in larger deductions. When their point balance falls to zero, they face a 10-day suspension.
After that, their points are reset to 15. If their balance falls to zero again, it's a 20-day suspension. If there's a third time, the worker faces termination.
There are several ways workers can earn back points, including by being available to work for 14 consecutive days.
Americans went on a pandemic buying spree after railroads had pared back staff
A number of factors put pressure on the railroads to implement such a system. For one thing, cargo volumes in the pandemic soared to record highs, as Americans went on a buying spree. There was simply a lot of stuff that had to be moved, and BNSF says it needs consistent and reliable attendance to stay competitive.
However, freight railroads had pared back their workforce dramatically since 2015 in a bid to reduce costs and increase profits. They introduced changes such as running fewer but longer trains, and waiting until trains are full to leave the terminal.
The federal Surface Transportation Board Chair Martin Oberman testified in April 2022 that he'd raised red flags because the workforce had shrunk by 29% — or about 45,000 employees — over the last six years.
With a leaner workforce, rail workers describe difficulties in scheduling time off even for anticipated events. You can't count on getting your preferred holidays off, especially if you lack seniority. Even for other days, workers are often told they cannot have the day off because too many others have already requested it.
The points-based attendance system penalizes anyone who tries to circumvent the system by simply calling in sick on a day that they had requested off but were denied.
The system also ends up penalizing people who are actually sick or have emergencies or family matters to attend to.
"We had a union member who missed a funeral, and another one who had to attend a funeral... and their points ended up getting zeroed out," says Kathleen Bisbikis, whose husband has worked for the railroads for 24 years out of Stockton, California. She is also national president of a group of family members and other supporters of the rail workers' union called the BLET Auxiliary.
BNSF Railway stands by the policy
BNSF says it made changes to its attendance policy earlier this year based on employee feedback, including increasing the number of points a worker can accrue with good performance. Since starting its points-based attendance system, the company says it has seen more planned vacation days taken as compared with before the system was in use.
BNSF also says this year it increased the number of personal leave days by 25%. The presidential emergency board has also recommended one additional day of paid leave as part of the workers' package.
It's still not enough for the unions. After laboring through the pandemic, they say, workers deserve better.
Bisbikis says there's been a mass exodus of workers because of the attendance policy.
"I'm not talking about just young guys who... don't have a lot invested, so they can go start another career," she says. "I'm talking about older, invested, 21-plus years at the railroad. They've left. They've left because they just don't want to deal with it."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-09-14/how-an-attendance-policy-brought-the-u-s-to-the-brink-of-a-nationwide-rail-strike | 2022-09-15T11:55:54Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-09-14/how-an-attendance-policy-brought-the-u-s-to-the-brink-of-a-nationwide-rail-strike | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In the first congressional hearing on monkeypox, federal officials were criticized for being slow to act, and struggling to apply the lessons of the pandemic to the current outbreak.
Copyright 2022 NPR
In the first congressional hearing on monkeypox, federal officials were criticized for being slow to act, and struggling to apply the lessons of the pandemic to the current outbreak.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/npr-politics/2022-09-15/senators-grill-top-health-agencies-on-the-u-s-response-to-monkeypox | 2022-09-15T11:56:06Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/npr-politics/2022-09-15/senators-grill-top-health-agencies-on-the-u-s-response-to-monkeypox | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sometimes you can be so close to something, without realising what you’re looking at.
If there was one thing more prevalent at Ireland’s recent LZ Fest than the rain, it was a simply stunning amount of saloon cars, or sedans as our North American friends call them.
The thing is, I don’t think I had ever really noticed just popular they had become here until the wonderful Jordan Butters pointed it out. Naturally enough, I ignored him (as I recommend everyone does), until later in the day when I had the realisation that there were actually quite a lot of them about the Mondello Park paddock.
As a descendant of a family with a predilection for saloon-type cars, the sudden awareness that I’m not alone in my appreciation for them was quite comforting.
My initial love for four-door models came about courtesy of BMW’s E39 M5, but the (almost) complete takeover of Irish car culture by Japanese imports throughout the last 20 years has created an even larger pool of cool, fast saloon cars to learn about and appreciate.
There’s something so brilliantly understated about a 500+hp modified saloon car that was once some boring business person’s pride and joy. It’s amazing what a tickle of boost and a locking rear differential can do to a car’s character.
Whether your own tastes have you gravitating towards the Chasers, Crestas, Crowns and Mark IIs of the world, or if you lean more towards Laurels, Skylines, Presidents and Celsiors, there was something for you at LZ Fest.
Some of you will recognise Reuben’s Advan-liveried Laurel from a past feature, and will notice the addition of a new (and so far, unpainted) kit.
Another past feature car from the Juicebox stable is still going strong. Eamonn’s HCR32 Skyline continues to be used as intended, when it’s not holding me up by crawling over speed-bumps…
It would be amiss of me to talk about saloons, and not include at least one German example. I previously was never a big fan of the E34, but they have grown on me something mighty over the last few years.
The Chaser has always been the most popular of the JZX platform cars in Ireland, and in particular the JZX100 variant. It has, however, led to nearly all JZX100s and JZX90s being referred to as ‘Chasers’ here, regardless if they actually are or not. I reckon most owners have just given up correcting people at this stage.
The JZX81 remains my personal favourite of the lot, ever since watching a High Performance Imports DVD featuring Tezuka-san doing practice runs at Mizunami in his 2JZ-powered Mark II. This is what my JDM dreams are made of – a Mark II and some gourmet chicken and chips.
Is it strange that a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI feels sort of out place here? Despite being a four-door, Lancer Evos were purpose-built performance cars from the factory, where as the big luxury sedans very much weren’t, at their inception at least.
Here’s another Mark II, but with a much more aggressive styling package than the black example on RAYS Volk Racing TE37s at the start of the feature.
Major bonus points for the tri-colour Speedhunters sticker in the rear window (no, I don’t have any left, sorry).
This Toyota Crown of a vintage era was another standout of the event. If you needed an example of how the correct ride height and wheels can make a car, this is it.
When you think of four-door cars, Skylines maybe don’t come to mind straight away, but the R32 and R34 examples are among some of the finest saloon shapes to ever come out of Japan. The ER34 in particular, with the right kit and wheels, is a timeless looking car.
The often-derided-in-Ireland Toyota Altezza is rarely as good as this. I’ve seen this car a few times over the course of the year, and I really wish other local Altezza owners would take note, rather than limiter-bashing their cars in first gear around a traffic cone.
Tri-spokes on a Mk1 Escort? While ATS wheels are very much a German brand, I can’t help but get some solid JDM vibes from them. I think my mind has been corrupted by Super Advan Racing Version 2s.
I can’t recall ever seeing a non-Cosworth Sierra of this calibre before. It’s wonderful seeing people put their own style onto previously unloved examples.
This aggressive JZX90 was another high point of a standout selection of cars on a very wet afternoon.
I know for sure I’m missing a few really good cars (I have an awful tendency to sometimes salivate over a car and then completely forget to take a picture), so my apologies to anyone else who was rocking the four-door life at LZ Fest if you were overlooked here.
I’ll leave a gallery below with a few more examples, while I go to bed and lie awake at night praying I haven’t mislabelled a JZX…
Paddy McGrath
Instagram: pmcgphotos
Twitter: pmcgphotos
paddy@speedhunters.com | http://www.speedhunters.com/2022/09/the-four-door-life-at-lz-fest/ | 2022-09-15T11:59:30Z | speedhunters.com | control | http://www.speedhunters.com/2022/09/the-four-door-life-at-lz-fest/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
After a sum of N5 million was allegedly paid as ransom, the abducted vice chairman of Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, Frank Ozue, has regained his freedom.
He was kidnapped by unknown gunmen on Sunday night while returning home from a nightclub in Ughelli, headquarters of Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.
The abductors had, on Wednesday, established contact with his family and demanded N30 million which was later reduced to N10 million, N7 million and finally N5 million.
It was learnt that the hoodlums made several cash withdrawals from the victim’s bank accounts, using his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) debit cards.
Speaking on his Facebook account shortly after his release, Ozue thanked everyone who prayed for him and made efforts to secure his release.
“Words are not enough to thank God for his mercies. Your fervent prayers were truly answered.
“I regained my freedom from daredevil extremists, Hausas leaving within us, Now turned Boko Haram in our communities.
“Truly, they are here. I will do documentary on my four days in captivity. May God bless you All. I love you All. Thanks,” he wrote.
As of the time of filing the report, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta State Police Command, DSP Bright Edafe, has yet to respond to enquiries forwarded to his WhatsApp line.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- Southwest PDP Backs Atiku, Insists Ayu Must Go
- Abducted Delta LG vice chairman regains freedom | https://tribuneonlineng.com/abducted-delta-lg-vice-chairman-regains-freedom/ | 2022-09-15T11:59:31Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/abducted-delta-lg-vice-chairman-regains-freedom/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Most people envision themselves aging gracefully and living a long, healthy life filled with good friends, family, and plenty of activity. While this is something that many people dream of, it’s far from being a fantasy.
The fact is, many old people do it. So what’s their secret? How do these people enjoy the benefits of old age while maintaining good health and a happy state of mind? According to Katherine Baldwin, a nutritionist, here are some secrets to a healthy and long life you should start implementing right now.
1. Keep your BMI within a healthy range
According to the CDC, body mass index (BMI) can assess our potential risk for various health issues. Furthermore, maintaining a healthy BMI can lengthen one’s life by over a decade!
BMI has also been associated with lowering the risk of passing away from cancer and cardiovascular disease. Hence, one of the secrets to living a healthy and long life is by keeping your BMI within a healthy range.
2. Follow proper nutrition
If you’ve been eating unhealthily, start by implementing little changes and choosing healthier alternatives for all your favorite dishes. Plant-based diet is the way to go, but your diet doesn’t have to be restrictive.
You could lengthen your life significantly just by cutting down on processed and red meat and adding more veggies, legumes, nuts, grains, and fruits into your diet.
3. Take care of your mental health
These days, mental health is often neglected even by those focused on keeping their bodies in top shape, and this neglected part of us “contributes a huge amount to our overall health and well-being.”
Some things you can do are go on a walk, meditate, be present in the morning, journal, and take a lot of breaks from your devices. Also, practising mindfulness can lower cortisol levels, which has been dubbed the stress hormone.
4. Get enough sleep
Those who sleep less than seven or eight hours per night regularly, tend to have higher levels of cortisol as well as blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
To improve sleep patterns, you can keep your bedroom dark, cold, and quiet and only use it at night.
5. Maintaining a healthy social life
Being alone as you age is a significant risk factor in everything from premature death to heart disease and stroke. Because of this, it’s wise to ensure that you maintain a healthy, active social life as you get older.
Doing this will not only protect you from depressive symptoms, but it will also help guard your brain against symptoms of cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE | https://tribuneonlineng.com/five-secrets-to-a-healthy-and-long-life/ | 2022-09-15T11:59:44Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/five-secrets-to-a-healthy-and-long-life/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Only 10% of cashew produced in Nigeria is processed for export, says Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that only 10 per cent of the cashew produced in Nigeria is gainfully processed for export.
Speaking at the 16th African Cashew Alliance (ACA), Obasanjo regretted that the country was losing revenue to developed nations by majorly exporting raw cashew nuts.
He said “I very much wished that the ACA Conference happening now would happen eight or nine years ago and I challenged them. So, you can imagine how happy I am.
“The challenge that I gave them nine years ago is now been actualised today. I’m very happy to be able to see firsthand what progress is been made. We are not starting on a blank sheet as there are things on the ground.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- Southwest PDP Backs Atiku, Insists Ayu Must Go
- Only 10% of cashew produced in Nigeria is processed for export, says Obasanjo
- Only 10% of cashew produced in Nigeria is processed for export, says Obasanjo
“What we need to do is to enhance, improve, multiply, promote and do everything possible to increase the benefit and advantage that we get from the cashew industry.”
Obasanjo lamented that ” It’s painful, I’m sad that 10 per cent of cashew that is produced is processed, so some people are taking advantage of our own hard labor in production, they add value to it and they get more money from it than we should have gotten if we produced and process.
“So, in my short speech to them, I give them a challenge that we should give ourselves what I call a twenty, thirty committee for policy, for production, for processing, for promotion and indeed for research because there is a lot we can get from research.
“No aspect of cashew from the root to the leave should be wasted. And that is what research and innovation will help us achieve,” he stated.
On his part, the president, African Cashew Alliance (ACA), Otunba Babatola Faseru said “we are working together with eleven countries to improve the production of cashew.
“We can do better in the cashew sub sector. In line with the recommendation of former president Obasanjo, we will ensure an improved processing of cashew in Nigeria,” Feseru assured. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/only-10-of-cashew-produced-in-nigeria-is-processed-for-export-says-obasanjo/ | 2022-09-15T12:00:16Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/only-10-of-cashew-produced-in-nigeria-is-processed-for-export-says-obasanjo/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Getting over a breakup is hard. Breakups are difficult to handle, and moving forward seems impossible because broken hearts take time to heal, ex-partners are difficult to forget, and the pain can feel unbearable.
Remembering all the commitments you made now feels like looking at a pile of broken glass. You probably feel like the only one dealing with this kind of sadness and are upset with yourself for being so naive. But, after a while, it does get easier. You can still be the loving person you used to be even after the breakup. Here are some ways to forget your ex.
1. Accept it as a part of life
A breakup can make you lose hope and retreat into your shell, never wanting to move on. It may feel like the end of the world, but know that you will rise again.
However, you should accept that heartbreak is a part of life. No matter how bad a situation feels today, nothing lasts forever. Eventually, everything goes back to normal. You just need to stay strong and withstand the storm.
2. Give yourself some time to heal
The biggest mistake people make when trying to move on is indulging in self-destructive activities. Though there is no point sulking over what you may have already done, allow yourself to open up and cry to release the negative emotions.
Give yourself time to heal. Start working out and eating healthy. The positive impact it has on your mental health is almost magical. Also, go back to the hobbies and other parts of life that interest you, now that you have the time you had been giving to the relationship.
3. Forgive yourself and forget your ex
Forgive and forget is easier said than done especially when it comes to the person who broke your trust and dreams. However, forgiving your ex might be the key to letting go completely and being happy on your own.
It may hurt you to see him with someone else. But, if you just focus on your life and create a better future for yourself, you will end up wishing only happiness for your ex. It won’t even bother you if your paths cross again!
4. Learn your lesson
Everyone makes mistakes, and it is very important to learn from them to prevent them from reoccurring.
People that come into your life will teach you lessons, and a person who wants to leave will leave no matter what you do to hold them back. You should try as much as possible to learn from the mistakes you made in that relationship.
5. Do not try to be friends with them if you still have feelings for them
Trying to be friends with your ex, just to keep seeing them after the breakup will hurt you more than you may think. Trying to turn things around will continue to put you on the wrong path. Friendship is a very special relationship and should not be used for ulterior motives.
6. Get rid of the things that remind you of them
It’s possible you saved the bus ticket from the first time you both traveled together, or his shirt that you snuggled with when you missed him. To forget about your ex, you should let go of not only his belongings but also the memories that you keep revisiting.
7. Cut all communication lines
If you think messaging him or her once in a while or just dialing their number will not harm you, you are mistaken. Staying in touch with him or her will keep you trapped in the past and never let you move on. You could also block his/her number and delete all his emails/texts if you think that will help.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE | https://tribuneonlineng.com/seven-ways-to-forget-your-ex/ | 2022-09-15T12:00:23Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/seven-ways-to-forget-your-ex/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Liz Truss became the leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister of the United Kingdom Monday, on September 5, defeating former finance minister Rishi Sunak to claim the top spot in British politics. She polled 57.4 percent of the votes over 47.6 percent polled votes by Sunak.
Hours after Truss, the new prime minister of the United Kingdom assumed office as Britain’s third woman prime minister and new leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party, Liz Truss appointed Kemi Badenoch as the new Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade, a British politician of Nigerian descent, as a member of her cabinet on Tuesday.
Kemi is currently Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade.
1. PROFILE
Kemi Badenoch, a British politician, was born on January 2, 1980 in London to Nigerian parents namely Femi and Feyi Adegoke. She spent her childhood in Nigeria, precisely Lagos. She Grew Up ‘With No Running Water’ In Nigeria To Become Top Contender For British Prime Minister and the United States where her mother lectured as a professor of physiology while her father worked as a GP, before she returned fully to the United Kingdom at the age of 16 due to the declining and obnoxious political and economic situation in Nigeria which had impacted heavily on her family.
After moving to the United Kingdom, Kemi began her academic journey first by obtaining A Levels from Phoenix College, a former further education college in Morden, London While working at a branch of McDonald’s.
She went further to study Computer Engineering at the University of Sussex and then obtained a Master of Engineering(M Eng) degree in 2003. Thereafter in 2006, she proceeded with a part-time study of Law at Birkbeck, University of London while working as a software engineer. She completed an LLB in 2009. At the age of 25, she had already started her political career .
2. POLITICAL CAREER
Badenoch began her political career In 2005 at age 25, as a member of the Conservative party. During the 2010 general election, she contested for a position in her constituency but came third. Three years later in 2015, after losing an election to Victoria Borwick who was elected to the House of Commons but resigned, Badenoch was chosen to replace a candidate to become London assembly member and went on to retain her seat in the Assembly in the 2016 election. She got her first parliamentary seat as a representative of Saffron Welden, a safe seat in 2017.
On 19th of July of the same year after she won. She delivered her maiden speech in Parliament just a few weeks later. In it, she described herself as the ‘British dream,’ the African ‘immigrant who came to the UK aged 16 and who became a parliamentarian’ in one generation.
She also described the vote for Brexit as ‘the greatest ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom’ and hailed
In the same month, she was selected to join the 1922 Executive Committee. Two months after, she was also appointed to the parliamentary Justice select committee. By January 2018, she was appointed as the Conservative Party’s Vice Chair for Candidates in January.
In July 2019, Badenoch was appointed as a member of the parliament as the Secretary of State for children and Families Under the government administration of Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and by February 2020, she was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury still under Boris Johnson’s government.
In September 2021, she was promoted to Minister of State for levelling up communities and Local Government Department for International Trade in a government.
On 6 July 2022, in a joint statement with fellow Ministers, Badenoch resigned from government, citing Boris Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher scandal. Two days after, On July 8, 2022 she joined in the race to succeed the former prime minister alongside Rishi Sunak, former chancellor; Sajid Javid, former health secretary; Ben Wallace, defence secretary; and Jeremy Hunt, former foreign secretary, among several others to replace Johnson in the 2022 Conservative Party Leadership election as party leader but was eliminated.
On the 6th of September 2022, The newly elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss appointed Badenoch as UK Secretary of State for International Trade.
3. POSITIONS HELD
According to her official website kemibadenoch.org.uk Before her appointment as UK Secretary of State for International Trade by the new Prime Minister Liz Truss, Badenoch served in several position such as
- British equalities minister during Johnson’s tenure.
- Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education.
- A former Vice-Chair of the Conservative Party and former member of the Justice Select Committee.
- She was a Conservative member of the London Assembly, acting as the GLA Conservative’s spokesperson for the economy.
4. HER POLITICAL VIEWS AND MISSIONS
Kemi Badenoch is known to be a culture warrior with anti-’woke’ views on issues including trans rights and critical race theory.
On the basis of economy, Badenoch posited she would tackle the economic crisis by cutting taxes, reducing corporate and personal taxes, reducing spending on international aid, university student subsidies, and ‘superfluous support staff’ including well-being officers and diversity ‘tick-box exercises’.
On areas of security, She added that she would ‘get the police to focus on neighbourhood crime’ rather than ‘waste time and resources worrying about hurt feelings online’.
She opined that her Government would be guided by the ‘Conservative principles’ of a ‘limited government doing less, but better’ and a ‘strong nation state’.
Extracted from Nigerian Tribune
5. PERSONAL AND FAMILY LIFE
Kemi Badenoch is married to Hamish Badenoch, and blessed with three children together, two girls and a son. Hamish is currently working as a banker with Deutsche Bank. Hamish served as a Conservative councilor on the Merton Borough Council from 2014 to 2018. In 2015 general election, he contested against Foyle for the Northern Ireland Conservative
In February 2022, Badenoch’s father Femi passed away.
6. KEMI BADENOCH CONTACTS INFORMATION
Phone: 0207 219 1943
Email:kemi.badenoch.mp@parliament.uk
Twitter:https://twitter.com/KemiBadenoch
Source- The Parliament of United Kingdom
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE | https://tribuneonlineng.com/who-is-kemi-badenoch-cabinet-member-of-britains-third-female-prime-minister/ | 2022-09-15T12:00:29Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/who-is-kemi-badenoch-cabinet-member-of-britains-third-female-prime-minister/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ever since their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in March of this year, there has been confusion over why the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children, Archie and Lilibet, are not styled as a prince and princess. The reason is due to a centuries-old Letters Patent, enacted by King George V in 1917, which stipulated that only the grandchildren of the monarch (as well as the first grandson of the Prince of Wales) could be styled as such. With members of the Royal Family numbering highly due to Queen Victoria's 9 children, it was George's attempt at slimming down the monarchy.
Now, though, with the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children have become the grandchildren of the monarch, as King Charles III is their grandfather. This means that they are not entitled to be Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, should their parents want it. According to reports, Charles has agreed to issue a new Letters Patent enacting as such, however he will stop short at giving them HRH status – something which has reportedly angered Harry and Meghan.
A source speaking to The Sun, said: 'Harry and Meghan were worried about the security issue and being prince and princess brings them the right to have certain levels of royal security. There have been a lot of talks over the past week. They have been insistent that Archie and Lilibet are prince and princess. They have been relentless since the Queen died.
‘But they have been left furious that Archie and Lilibet cannot take the title HRH. That is the agreement — they can be prince and princess but not HRH because they are not working royals.’
Harry and Meghan themselves were stripped of their HRH status in 2020, following their decision to step down as senior working royals. The move meant that they were no longer entitled to state-funded security, a source of major contention for the couple. Prince Harry is currently embroiled in a law suit against the Home Office, as he wants to be entitled to pay for his own private security, but currently is not able to. | https://www.tatler.com/article/archie-and-lilibet-will-become-a-prince-and-princess-after-charles-reportedly-agrees-to-new-letters-patent | 2022-09-15T12:03:31Z | tatler.com | control | https://www.tatler.com/article/archie-and-lilibet-will-become-a-prince-and-princess-after-charles-reportedly-agrees-to-new-letters-patent | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
That photograph of the then Duchess of Cambridge staring out from the car – dressed in black, a netted veil framing her bright blue eyes, a demure mask – given it was held at the heights of the pandemic when funeral numbers were limited to 30 mourners – and sheathed in pearls was one of the most famous photographs to be taken at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in 2021 (discounting that picture of the lonesome Queen at the end of a pew in Windsor Castle).
The four strand pearl choker – first lent to Kate for the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary in 2017 – was a nod to her grandmother-in-law, but also Prince Philip and his marriage and service to the Queen. Pearls, too, were a significant choice: they are often considered the royal choice for ‘mourning jewellery’ – in a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria’s era. The then Duchess of Cambridge wore the pearl choker alongside her Bahrain diamond and pearl drop earrings, which are also from the Queen’s collection. | https://www.tatler.com/article/pearls-royal-jewellery-period-of-mourning-queen-princess-of-wales | 2022-09-15T12:03:37Z | tatler.com | control | https://www.tatler.com/article/pearls-royal-jewellery-period-of-mourning-queen-princess-of-wales | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
While the most familiar senior royals have been hyper-visible in recent days, Queen Elizabeth II’s death has also seen some of the lesser-known Royal Family members step into the spotlight. One among them is her niece, Lady Sarah Chatto, who was present for the service when Her Majesty’s coffin was received at Westminster Hall yesterday, and will no doubt appear again at the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
Born in 1964, Lady Sarah is the second child and only daughter of the Queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, and her then-husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones (who became the 1st Earl of Snowdon after his marriage). As well as having close blood ties to prominent royals (Lady Sarah herself is 27th in line to the throne) the affection among them is apparent from the fact that she is a godmother to both Prince Harry and Lady Louise Windsor, two of the Queen’s grandchildren. | https://www.tatler.com/article/who-is-lady-sarah-chatto-queen-elizabeth-ii-niece-princess-margarets-daughter | 2022-09-15T12:03:43Z | tatler.com | control | https://www.tatler.com/article/who-is-lady-sarah-chatto-queen-elizabeth-ii-niece-princess-margarets-daughter | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Duke of Norfolk, otherwise known as Edward Fitzalan-Howard, is Earl Marshal, a position he inherited from his father in 2002. As the most senior peer in Britain, the duke has been given the task of organising Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral, as well as the coronation of King Charles III.
Since 1936, the Duke of Norfolk has held the position of Earl Marshal. Fitzalan-Howard's grandfather was responsible for the Queen's Coronation in 1953 as well as the State funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, and the investiture of King Charles III as the Prince of Wales, in 1969.
The Fitzalan-Howards are one of the oldest aristocratic families in Britain, with a lineage that can be traced back to Edward the Confessor. The duke currently lives at his ancestral home, Arundel Castle in West Sussex, a palatial pile that overlooks the River Arun and dates back to the 11th century; it has been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors for over 850 years.
Fitzalan-Howard was educated at Ampleforth College and later studied at Lincoln College, Oxford. The duke's brother is Lord Gerald Fitzalan-Howard, who resides at the family's other stately seat, Carlton Towers in North Yorkshire; he and his wife, Emma, both recently starred in ITV series Keeping Up With The Aristocrats. Their sister, Lady Marcia Fitzalan-Howard, is the English actress best known for her performance as Sarah B'Stard in the 1980s satirical comedy The New Statesman.
After a long period of separation, the duke and his former wife Georgina, Duchess of Norfolk, finalised their divorce this year. As the most senior lay member of the Roman Catholic Church it is likely that divorce proved a difficult decision for the duke. The couple share five children, Henry, Earl of Arundel, Lady Rachel, Lord Thomas, Lady Isabel and Lord Philip. During the breakdown of their relationship, the pair reportedly still lived together in their vast medieval castle, although the duke is said to have the east wing and the duchess, the west. Georgia then moved out to a farmhouse just two miles down the road from her former home.
The duke and duchess had a famously acrimonious marriage, reportedly missing the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales because they could not bear to be in the same room. However, the final stages of their divorce were apparently ‘amicable’. Both friends of the Queen, it has been reported that Her Majesty was disappointed that the couple ‘were unable to mend the marriage’.
Their eldest son Henry, who will inherit the dukedom, is currently Managing Director of Noble Insurance Group, although he had a brief stint as a race car driver in his early twenties. From 2006 to 2009 he participated in a number of competitions, including the British Formula 3 Championship, whilst studying economics at Bristol university.
The duke has confirmed he is currently in a relationship with Chica Herbert, mother of socialite Frankie Herbert and ex-wife of Harry Herbert whose father, the 7th Earl of Carnavon, was the Queen’s racing manager and a close friend.
The family has long had connections to the Royal Family. The third Duke of Norfolk was uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom became wives of King Henry VIII. Most recently, the duke was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the RVO for services to the monarchy during the Queen’s Jubilee honours this summer. | https://www.tatler.com/article/who-is-the-duke-of-norfolk-the-man-organising-the-queens-funeral | 2022-09-15T12:03:49Z | tatler.com | control | https://www.tatler.com/article/who-is-the-duke-of-norfolk-the-man-organising-the-queens-funeral | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In the days since Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the Royal Family have had to process their grief in a very public forum – as well as adjust to some major changes in their roles under the reign of King Charles III. Prince William, who was bestowed with his father’s former title during the King’s first televised address last week, is stepping up to his responsibilities as heir, carrying out his first engagement with his wife today since the couple became Prince and Princess of Wales.
William and Kate conduct first solo engagement as Prince and Princess of Wales
On 15 September, Kensington Palace announced: ‘The Prince and Princess of Wales will travel to Sandringham to view floral tributes left at Norwich Gates by members of the public, in memory of Her Majesty The Queen.’
Everything you need to know for your final goodbye
The royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk was one of the late Queen’s favourite rural retreats. It is also a place that holds special significance for Prince William and Kate, as their own country home (until their recent move to Windsor), Anmer Hall, belongs to the estate. The couple and their three children have spent many happy times there, including with William’s beloved grandmother.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William has inherited the title held by his father since the age of 9, one that has traditionally been bestowed upon the heir to the throne since the 13th century
The engagement will be the Prince and Princess of Wales’s first public appearance without the support of other family members since the Queen’s death. Last weekend, the couple joined with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to view floral tributes at Windsor Castle, before William walked alongside his brother and father during the procession of the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster yesterday. He was joined by his wife for a service as Her Majesty’s coffin was received at Westminster Hall, where it will now lie in state until her funeral on Monday.
The Prince of Wales title for the heir to the British throne dates back to 1284, when it was bestowed by King Edward I on his son following England’s defeat of the Welsh leader, Llewelyn the Last. While King Charles III used the moniker during his time as prince, the last woman to be Princess of Wales was William’s mother, Diana. It was not applied to Camilla, now Queen Consort, after her marriage due to its associations with the late princess, meaning Kate is the first royal to hold the title since her mother-in-law.
The brothers were reunited with their father as the Royal Family received the Queen’s coffin at Buckingham Palace last night | https://www.tatler.com/article/william-and-kate-prince-and-princess-of-wales-first-engagement-sandringham | 2022-09-15T12:03:55Z | tatler.com | control | https://www.tatler.com/article/william-and-kate-prince-and-princess-of-wales-first-engagement-sandringham | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES – The 74th Emmy Awards were handed out Monday night with trademark glitz and self-deprecating humor, but this year’s show did little to mask the fear roiling the television industry.
Broadcast networks – where executives are growing resentful over how the ceremony has become a three-hour commercial for their streaming competitors – were only recognized with three televised awards, compared to nine for the streamers.
The show aired on NBC, a network that is considering cutting back on the number of prime-time hours it programs.
HBO and its streaming arm HBO Max had a lot to celebrate with 38 Emmy trophies overall, topping 26 for Netflix.
But the wins come amid layoffs and cost cutting at parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. HBO Max – home of Emmy-winning comedy “Hacks” – will be merged with Discovery’s streaming service next year.
Emmy host Kenan Thompson summed up the state of flux in his monologue.
“If you’re over 50 years old, Peacock is NBC’s streaming service,” he said. “And if you’re under 20 years old, NBC is a network that used to show ‘The Office.’”
The divide is one of the many challenges facing the TV industry. Wall Street is demanding a path to profitability from the streaming business, even the mighty Netflix, which has been humbled by a slowdown in subscriber growth.
Media companies still dependent on cable and broadcast TV while they transition to streaming are seeing cord cutting shrink their traditional business like an iceberg melting in the sun as they try to compete with deep-pocketed tech companies such as Apple and Amazon.
“What we are going through right now, in the media and entertainment space, is the age of great anxiety,” former Disney boss Bob Iger said last week at Vox Media’s Code conference in Beverly Hills. “People who are running these big companies are anxious. Streaming companies are anxious. Investors are anxious, advertisers are anxious and the creative community is anxious. Agents are anxious, everybody’s anxious.”
Jeff Gaspin, an independent producer and former entertainment chief at NBC, said program sellers who benefited from the boom in content from the proliferation of streaming services are going through a period of adjustment. He said companies are taking a closer look at the return on investment for programming, especially higher-priced projects.
“The overall mood is a little concerning that there has been a lot of pushback after years of expansion,” Gaspin said. “People are nervous about the finances.”
Netflix, the industry’s biggest spender in the last decade, has had a bruising year, tightening its wallet after missing expectations for subscriber growth. The Los Gatos-based streamer lost more than 1 million subscribers in the first half of the year, laid off hundreds of workers and canceled numerous shows.
Media companies, including Walt Disney Co., Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) and Warner Bros. Discovery, have also been contracting, trying to pay down debt accrued from recent mergers.
WarnerMedia and Discovery merged in April, a $43 billion transaction. Since then, stock of the new entity Warner Bros. Discovery has lost nearly 50% of its value.
Investors have been concerned about the company’s huge debt load, the price of the failed 2018 AT&T takeover of the company whose assets include HBO, CNN, TBS, Turner Classic Movies and the Warner Bros. film and television studio in Burbank.
Partying HBO employees woke up on Tuesday to learn the parent company ramped up plans to cut about 200 people from its advertising division.
Company executives are bracing for a brutal fall filled with layoffs that will steadily continue until Thanksgiving, according to one high-level executive who was not authorized to speak publicly about the downsizing.
In all, more than1,000 people eventually will be cut by year’s end, said one high-level source who was not authorized to comment on the reductions and requested anonymity. The company is shrinking its workforce to find $3 billion in annual cost savings that Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav promised Wall Street.
So why worry about winning Emmys when the business is in throes of such upheaval and uncertainty?
Like every other television awards show, the Emmys have diminished as an annual event that attracts a large audience.
But in a TV universe that is more fragmented and with critical mass becoming more difficult to attain, the awards have seen their importance rise as a marketing tool. Even a nomination serves as a seal of approval, a signal to consumers to try something at a time when the number of choices they have seems overwhelming.
Programmers know a majority of TV viewers will only watch video clips of the most poignant or wackiest moment of the Emmys telecast. But what endures is saying a show was nominated – or won – the Emmy, piquing the interest of a streaming subscriber.
“The Emmys have real value, especially to streamers,” Gaspin said. “It’s like what the Emmys meant to HBO and later Showtime years ago.”
After HBO and Netflix, Hulu finished third with eight wins, followed by seven each for Apple TV+ and NBC. Disney+ and Prime Video each had six.
The Emmys have seldom provided a significant ratings boost for winners, although the awards have rescued a few shows from cancellation. But data shows that the lift for streaming programs – which are available on demand – is real.
A Parrot Analytics’ review found that, in past years, interest soared for such shows as Amazon Prime’s “Fleabag,” the Netflix original “The Queen’s Gambit” and HBO’s “Game of Thrones” in the immediate aftermath of their Emmy wins as viewers sampled the shows.
The show that got the biggest bounce among recent winners was “Ted Lasso,” after the Apple TV+ show took home its first award for outstanding comedy last year.
Winning still matters to HBO, where executives, producers and stars celebrated their Emmy haul at an exclusive private club, the San Vicente Bungalows, which provided space for only 600 people. In years past, HBO would celebrate its many victories at the Pacific Design Center on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, where nearly 2,000 invitees would crowd into a cavernous space, lavishly decorated with various themes and elaborate ice sculptures.
On Monday night, the club’s rooms buzzed with stars from HBO shows, several toting their Emmy statuettes. Much of the cast from “Succession,” including Brian Cox, Matthew Macfayden (who won for supporting actor), Sarah Snook and Nicholas Braun, celebrated in a wood-paneled room featuring a taco bar. Mike White, creator of “The White Lotus,” who won two Emmys, bobbed through the crowd wearing a Hawaiian lei.
One executive privately joked, “The end of the world is coming,” but slightly in jest. But when asked whether he felt the programming purse strings tighten under the new Discovery regime, HBO and HBO Max’s chief content officer, Casey Bloys, just smiled and said: “Not yet.”
Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/2022-emmys-do-the-awards-still-matter-in-a-tv-business-under-siege/article_d038d22e-345f-11ed-9ea8-1bef6eddbdd3.html | 2022-09-15T12:06:32Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/2022-emmys-do-the-awards-still-matter-in-a-tv-business-under-siege/article_d038d22e-345f-11ed-9ea8-1bef6eddbdd3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New name, new attitude.
Cheyenne Concert Association is adopting a new persona, officially rebranding as the Southeast Wyoming Concert Series in its 89th year.
This is partly due to the fact that it was often mistaken for being a part of the Cheyenne Civic Center’s operations, but the organization is taking the opportunity to increase its marketing presence and attract a broader audience to its performances.
The organizers, including volunteer Rita Basom, who spoke with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle about this season’s schedule, have also implemented a number of changes that come along with the announcement of this year’s concert lineup, including a free concert and the possibility of workshops being held for high school students in the area.
“By next week, I’ll be getting a hold of some of the teachers and seeing if they want to have a lecture or demonstration for one of the schools with Empire Wide,” Basom said. “Because they’re young performers, and I think they would really relate to school kids.”
Due to budget concerns through the talent agency that SWCS uses for acts, they were only able to secure three national acts. To fill the two empty slots, they sought out prominent artists in the Front Range region, including local musician Todd Dereemer and Denver musicians Basil Vendryes and William David.
The first performance of the year comes on Sept. 25 with Freddie Marquez and company. The hope is that by providing a free show, people will be encouraged to experience what SWCS has to offer for the remainder of the season and will buy a $60 membership.
The membership grants access to all SWCS performances, as well as other performances through associated performance organizations in the region.
If patrons are truly hooked, then the next performance they’ll catch is from Dereemer as he kicks off the official run of the concert series on Oct. 15.
Here’s a look at the full schedule for this season of the Southeast Wyoming Concert Series, provided by Basom. All concerts will be held as the Cheyenne Central High School Auditorium.
Freddie Marquez
Sept. 25, 2:30 p.m.
Marquez, a Cheyenne native, will be performing familiar country music and rock songs. This will be free in an effort to promote the SWCS’s upcoming season, and to hopefully increase the number of season tickets and memberships for the organization.
Todd Dereemer and Friends
Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Dereemer is a well-known Cheyenne singer/songwriter who has a dedicated local and regional following. He has also lived and performed in France and throughout the U.S., including on national television shows. He combines his life experiences and Western heritage into his music, which can often be simultaneously poignant and funny. He will invite other previous bandmates to perform with him.
Empire Wild
Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Empire Wild is a NYC-based trio formed by Ken Kubota, Brandon Ilaw and Mitch Lyon while at Juilliard School to play the music they love – a fusion of classical, pop, jazz standards, folk and original music. All three musicians are committed to community engagement and teaching, and have taught and performed in NYC and across the USA, individually and together as Empire Wild.
Basil Vendryes and William David
Feb. 5, 2:30 p.m.
Working on their third CD, Vendryes and David combine their virtuosity on viola and piano to delight audiences across Colorado and into Wyoming. This concert is being temporarily postponed to this date after Vendryes suffered an injury that prevents him from performing. When it arrives, this performance will consist of famous American compositions.
Backtrack Vocals
March 18, 7:30 p.m.
A five-person, multi-genre a cappella group based in NYC, Backtrack Vocals takes the stage around the USA at performing arts centers, corporate events, music festivals, schools and more. These musicians – Mallory Moser, Melissa Jordano, Mike Hinkle, Jojo Otseidu and Craig Simonetti – each bring their own unique sound and personality to the group. They are passionate about arts education, and have done assemblies and workshops at more than 100 schools.
How Sweet It Is
April 22, 7:30 p.m.
Nashville-based Steve Leslie is a Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist who has tuned his warm baritone and guitar playing to the music of James Taylor, one of his most influential musicians, for this show. He will be joined on stage by the pianist from his own Walking Man Band. Leslie’s songs have been recorded by well-known artists, including Kenny Rogers, Mark Chesnutt, George Strait, Darius Rucker, Ricky Skaggs and others. Steve has taught in Florida and Tennessee, and is a regular contributor to American Songwriter Magazine. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/southeast-wyoming-concert-making-changes-in-its-89th-year/article_0908d254-33b4-11ed-a2ea-1f2d43c50058.html | 2022-09-15T12:06:38Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/southeast-wyoming-concert-making-changes-in-its-89th-year/article_0908d254-33b4-11ed-a2ea-1f2d43c50058.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cheyenne and Laramie County
Arts in the Parks
– Sept. 15-18, park hours. The Wyoming Arts Council partners with Wyoming State Parks to hold various arts activities in parks across the state. Plein Air in the Parks is an annual event that pairs talented artists with beautiful locations. This painting competition is open to artists of all ages and offers cash awards. Curt Gowdy State Park, 1264 Granite Springs Road. 307-777-7742
Open Jam Night
– Sept. 15, 7 p.m. Free. The Lincoln Theatre is hosting its monthly Open Jam Night. Musicians are encouraged to bring their guitar, bass, etc., and come jam with other local musicians. Backline provided. A full bar will be available for those who just want to come and watch. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
GOODING performance for “Funding the Future”
– Sept. 15, 8-11 p.m. $10. A fundraising event for Funding The Future, a nonprofit program that teaches financial literacy to teens. GOODING is a high-energy rock n’ roll trio based in Nashville. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
2022 Cheyenne Greek Festival
– Sept. 16, 4-10 p.m.; Sept. 17, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. A yearly celebration of Greek culture. Cheyenne Frontier Days Exhibit Hall, Eighth Street and Dey Avenue. 307-635-5929
Positive Aging
– Sept. 16, 1:30-4:30 p.m. Join the library for a screening of “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003, rated PG-13), a romantic comedy about an aging womanizer who finds himself falling for the mother of his young girlfriend during a trip to the Hamptons. Starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. There will be a free discussion afterward. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
CFD Hall of Fame Introduction
– Sept. 16, 5 p.m. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame showcases individuals, livestock and organizations whose distinctive contributions to Cheyenne Frontier Days have helped grow a dream into the “Daddy of ‘em All.” CFD Headquarters, 4610 Carey Ave. 307-778-7290
Night with the Brewer
– Sept. 16, 6-9 p.m. $40. Black Tooth Brewing Cheyenne is hosting its second Night with the Brewer event. Get to know Head Brewer Thomas Batson with an evening beer tasting, a brewery tour, a Q&A and catered dinner. Black Tooth Brewing Co., 520 W. 19th St. 307-514-0362
Sept. 17, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Local and regional vendors sell their produce, honey, jams, meat, bakery and specialty items, and much more. Proceeds benefit Community Action of Laramie County and its programs. B Parking Lot, Frontier Park, 4610 Carey Ave. 307-635-9291 or www.calc.net/farmers-market
– Sept. 17, 8 a.m. The Cheyenne High Plains Audubon Society is hosting a free two-mile birding hike. Wyoming Hereford Ranch, 1101 Hereford Ranch Road. 307-343-2024}
– Sept. 17, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. $5. A skateboard competition, with all profits being donated to local skateboarder Stefani Perdue. In late July, she underwent a CT scan that revealed a significant brain bleed, and after surgery spent several weeks on life support. Now in recovery, the goal is to raised $6,000 to help ease the financial burden for Perdue and her family. Brimmer Park, 3056 Windmill Road. masonhdieters307@gmail.com
Heirlooms and Blooms Harvest Market
– Sept. 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Join the Botanic Gardens for an expanded indoor/outdoor market. This one-day event will have a variety of regionally made gifts from artists and craftsmen selling home décor, woodworking, art and jewelry, dog treats, baked good, apparel, pottery and more. There will also be food vendors. Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, 710 S. Lions Park Drive. 307-637-6458
Dogtoberfest
– Sept. 17, 1-6 p.m. A miniature street festival in partnership with the Cheyenne Animal Shelter. There will be beer, costume contests (for pets and people), food trucks and the annual “Running of the Wieners,” aka wiener dog races. Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co., 1509 Pioneer Ave. 307-514-5314
64th Annual Symphony Gala
– Sept. 17, 5 p.m. An evening to kick off the new season. The event includes a cocktail hour, three-course gourmet meal, live entertainment, and silent and live auctions. Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W Lincolnway. 307-778-8561
Cheyenne Greenway Cleanup
– Sept. 18, 10 a.m.-noon. Cheyenne Audubon is hosting a Greenway cleanup event. Trash bags and lightweight gloves will be provided. Cleanup will begin in the parking lot near Van Buren Avenue and Laramie Street. Contact Barb Gorges for more information: bgorges4@msn.com
Pinot & Picasso
– Sept. 18, 1-4 p.m. $40. Jam out, drink and eat as you paint. The Louise Event Venue, 110 E. 17th St. 307-220-1474
Guided Play
– Sept. 19, 10-11:45 a.m. The library invites families to come play. Each week, they will feature a different playscape in the Early Literacy Center, along with suggestions of how to engage your child in guided play. This week’s theme is “Big Art.” Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Snapshots from Wyoming’s Wildernesses with Kirk Miller
– Sept. 20, 7 p.m. Kirk Miller will share photos and stories from his pack trip into Wyoming’s southern Wind River Range, followed by his thoughts for capturing interesting photographs with a cellphone. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. bgorges4@msn.com
Guitar Workshop with Pierre Bensusan
– Sept. 20. 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Internationally renowned guitarist Pierre Bensusan will offer a workshop for adult and teen guitar players at any level. While he plays and composes in DADGAD tuning, the workshop will be open to all guitarists, whatever tuning they use. Presented in partnership with Cheyenne Guitar Society. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Guitar Concert with Pierre Bensusan
– Sept. 20, 7-9:15 p.m. French-Algerian acoustic guitar virtuoso, vocalist and composer Pierre Bensusan has taken his unique sound to all corners of the globe. He is the winner of the Independent Music Award for his triple live album, Encore and the Rose d’Or at the Montreux Festival, for his debut album at age 17 and has been voted Best World Music Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine Reader’s Poll. Presented in partnership with Cheyenne Guitar Society. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
The Fashion Experience
– Sept. 22, 6-9 p.m. A fashion show featuring downtown boutiques. Paramount Cafe, 1607 Capitol Ave. 307-634-2576
Joe Gato @ Cheyenne Civic Center
– Sept. 22, 7 p.m. Joe Gatto, a stand-up comedian, actor, producer and co-star for the hit TV show “Impractical Jokers,” will give a performance. Cheyenne Civic Center, 510 W. 20th St. 307-637-6200
Dueling Pianos at The Metropolitan
– Sept. 23, 7:30-11 p.m. $20. Come laugh and sing along in an evening of musical entertainment directed by your requests. The Metropolitan Downtown, 1701 Carey Ave. 307-432-0022
Brandt Tobler @ The Lincoln
– Sept. 23, 8-11 p.m. $35. Stand-up comedian Brandt Tobler is coming home to Cheyenne for a night of comedy. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
CLTP presents “Little Shop of Horrors”
– Sept. 23-25, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, Oct. 7-9; dinner theater Sept. 24, Oct. 1, 8. Cheyenne Little Theatre Players are putting on a rendition of the Broadway and big-screen hit musical. Historic Atlas Theatre, 211 W. Lincolnway. 307-638-6543
Sept. 24, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Local and regional vendors sell their produce, honey, jams, meat, bakery and specialty items, and much more. Proceeds benefit Community Action of Laramie County and its programs. B Parking Lot, Frontier Park, 4610 Carey Ave. 307-635-9291 or www.calc.net/farmers-market
Cheyenne Community Appreciation Day
– Sept. 24, 8-9 a.m.; 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; 7-9 p.m. The Downtown Development Authority and Visit Cheyenne are showing their appreciation for the community with a day of family friendly events. There will be a rock wall, bouncy house, 20-foot slide, free face painting, free balloon animals, street magic, $5 pony rides (at the 15th Street Stables) and other activities with local law enforcement and military organizations. There will also be Oktoberfest vendors and activities happening at the Depot Plaza, including the Downtown Mini-Golf Tournament. Various locations, downtown Cheyenne. 307-772-7266
Downtown Putt Putt Tournament
– Sept. 24, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. $100 per person. A 18-hole miniature golf tournament through downtown Cheyenne that raises money for the Historic Cheyenne Depot and to support the local business community. Various locations, downtown Cheyenne. kaylan@cheyennedepotmuseum.org
6th Annual “End of the Trail” Kite Festival
– Sept. 24, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Watch semi-pro kite fliers from the American Kitefliers Association and the Rocky Mountain Kite Association. There will be Large Kites, Stunt Kites, Sport Kites and Single Line Kite Flying. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own kites to fly. Free kites will be given to the first 100 kids age 14 and under. Pine Bluffs Recreation Center, 1200 S. Beech Ave., Pine Bluffs. 307-245-3301
Downtown Cheyenne Oktoberfest
– Sept. 24, noon-8 p.m. This year’s event is taking on a “Hop-toberfest” theme with the combination of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s traditionally hop-forward offerings alongside Prost Brewing’s traditional Germanic lager biers, so no doubt the event will have something for the purists and the modern craft lovers alike. Cheyenne Depot Plaza, 1 Depot Plaza. kdoyle@bisonbev.com
Library Harvest Festival
– Sept. 24, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Children and families. Come join us for our second annual Harvest Festival. There will be fall-inspired games, crafts and treats for the whole family to enjoy. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Charity Chili Cookoff & Cornhole Tourney
– Sept. 24, 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. In support of Cheyenne Community Appreciation Day, Blue Raven Brewery is hosting a fundraiser for two organizations with a chili cookoff, a cornhole tournament, and various raffles and auctions throughout the day. Live music will also be on site, as well as two food trailers following the conclusion of the cookoff. Blue Raven Brewery, 209 E. 18th St. 307-369-1978
Black Tooth’s 3rd Annual Oktoberfest
– Sept. 24, noon-11 p.m. A block party with live music, food, games and beer specials. Black Tooth Brewing Co., 520 W. 19th St. 307-514-0362
Guided Play
– Sept. 26, 10-11:45 a.m. The library invites families to come play. Each week they will feature a different playscape in the Early Literacy Center, along with suggestions of how to engage your child in guided play. This week’s theme is “Parachute Play.” Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Blind Date with a Book: Banned Books Edition
– Sept. 26-Oct. 1, library hours. Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. During this week, we will be highlighting historically banned and challenged books. Try out our Blind Date with a Book! Fill out the “rate your date” card and be entered into a drawing for a Barnes & Noble gift card. Burns Branch Library, 112 Main Street. 307-547-2249
High Plains Arboretum with Local Horticulturist Jessica Fries
– Sept. 27, 6-8 p.m. Did you know that Cheyenne was home to one of America’s most important research centers for trees and plants? Hear about this and more cool facts as local author and Children’s Village horticulturist Jessica Friis discusses her book “High Plains Arboretum,” written in collaboration with Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Empty Bowl Cheyenne
– Sept. 29, 5-6:30 p.m. $15. A fundraiser for Volunteers of America’s services. Enjoy gourmet soups while donating to those in need. Event Center at Archer, 3801 Archer Pkwy. 307-633-4672
Book Discussion Group
– Sept. 29, 6–7:30 p.m. Transition from summer to fall and join us for a September book group discussion of “Meet Me at the Museum” by Anne Youngson. This novel’s story unfolds through a series of letters written between two strangers who’ve bonded over their mutual obsession with the life and death of Tollund Man, one of Denmark’s famous bog bodies. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Ongoing
Cheyenne Artists Guild Art Show
– Through Sept. 30, Wednesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. The theme of this month’s art show is “Sapphire,” which includes local artwork with a blue color scheme. Cheyenne Artists Guild, 1701 Morrie Ave. 307-632-2263
Laramie and Greater Wyoming
LBar7 Benefit & Concert
– Sept. 17, 8:30 p.m.; doors at 7:30 p.m. $10. Kenny Feidler and The Cowboy Killers will be hitting the Cowboy Saloon and Dance Hall for a ticketed show with Tris Munsick, Jordan Smith and Kaden Madden, with all proceeds being donated at the end of the night. Cowboy Saloon & Dance Hall, 108 S. Second St. cowboysaloon@gmail.com
Fort Collins, Colorado
Marc Maron @ Lincoln Center
– Sept. 23, 7 p.m. Marc Maron has four hit stand-up comedy specials, including “More Later” (2015), “Thinky Pain” (2013), “Marc Maron: Too Real” (2017) and 2020’s “End Times Fun,” which was nominated for a 2021 Critics’ Choice Award. The Lincoln Center Performance Hall, 417 W. Magnolia St. 970-221-6730
Greeley, Colorado
David Brighton’s Space Oddity @ Union Colony Civic Center
– Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. $28-$53. A journey through David Bowie’s storied career by Brighton and the Space Oddity Band. Union Colony Civic Center, 701 10th Ave., Greeley, Colorado. 970-356-5000
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder Fall Festival
– Sept. 16-18, various times. One of the most highly anticipated events in Boulder turns the Pearl Street Ball into a local arts festival, featuring music, food and beer. Downtown Boulder, Pearl Street Mall and 14th Street. 303-449-3774
Melvins @ Fox Theater
– Sept. 16, 8 p.m; doors at 7 p.m. $25-$27.50. The Melvins are one of biggest names to rise out of the Seattle grunge scene. Catch their slow, sludge-metal style in this performance. Fox Theater, 1135 13th St., Boulder, Colorado. 303-447-0095
Marcus Mumford @ Fox Theater
– Sept. 19, 8 p.m. $45-$50. On his first ever solo tour, the founder and lead singer of folk band Mumford and Sons will perform with special guest Danielle Ponder. Fox Theater, 1135 13th St., Boulder, Colorado. 303-447-0095
Anthony Doerr @ Boulder Theater
– Sept. 27, 6:30 p.m.; doors at 5:30 p.m. The author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “All the Light We Cannot See,” and most recently “Cloud Cuckoo Land,” will hold a book reading. Boulder Theater, 2042 14th St., Boulder, Colorado. 303-786-7030
To submit an item to the events calendar, email ToDo@wyomingnews.com or call WTE features editor Niki Kottmann at 307-633-3135. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/friday-calendar-9-15-22/article_568f6fb2-33bc-11ed-bed2-4f18c240ab55.html | 2022-09-15T12:06:44Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/friday-calendar-9-15-22/article_568f6fb2-33bc-11ed-bed2-4f18c240ab55.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical warrior action epic “The Woman King” hits theaters this weekend. After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, it kicks off the fall movie season, and it’s sitting pretty on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment with a cool 100% perfect score. Viola Davis stars in this film based on the Agojie, the female warriors of the Dahomey kingdom in West Africa (they are also the inspiration for the Dora Milaje warriors of Wakanda in “Black Panther”). Alongside Davis, who stars as a general training the new generation of Agojie warriors, the film also features Thuso Mbedu, “No Time to Die” star Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim and John Boyega.
While patiently waiting for “The Woman King,” take the time to revisit the filmography of Prince-Bythewood, who has steadily built a solid body of excellent, and varied, work over the past 20 years within an industry that isn’t always hospitable to women of color. In fact, in 2020, Prince-Bythewood became the first Black woman to helm a big budget action film based on a comic book with the Netflix movie “The Old Guard,” starring Charlize Theron. Based on the graphic novels about a secretive group of immortal warriors, “The Old Guard” was a chance for Prince-Bythewood to hone her action chops prior to “The Woman King,” and she delivered a film laden with fascinating characters, mythological lore and excellent action sequences. Stream it on Netflix.
Prior to “The Old Guard,” she made a splash with the music industry romantic drama “Beyond the Lights,” a riff on “The Bodyguard” starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a pop star who falls in love with a local cop (Nate Parker) who saves her from a suicide attempt. Minnie Driver co-stars as her controlling stage mother. Anchored by great performances and an emotional authenticity, “Beyond the Lights” told a great love story while casting a critical eye at the manipulations of the pop music machine. Stream it on Tubi or Kanopy or rent it online elsewhere.
Prince-Bythewood’s previous film, six years earlier, was “The Secret Life of Bees” (2008), a family drama set in 1960s South Carolina, adapted from the 2001 novel by Sue Monk Kid. Starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Sophie Okonedo and Alicia Keys, the story follows a young white woman who escapes an abusive father thanks to the Black women in her life. Stream it on HBO Max.
Also available on HBO Max, as well as Netflix, is Prince-Bythewood’s lauded directorial debut, the 2000 sports romance “Love & Basketball,” starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps and produced by Spike Lee. This film, about two aspiring basketball players who fall for each other while pursuing their dreams, made a splash upon its debut and cemented Prince-Bythewood as a filmmaker to watch, and it continues to pop up on lists of the best romantic films and best basketball films to this day.
Lathan and Prince-Bythewood also teamed up on the 2017 Fox miniseries “Shots Fired,” about an investigation into the racially charged police shooting of an unarmed teenager. Prince-Bythewood collaborated with her husband Reggie Rock Bythewood (whom she met on the set of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) on the miniseries in order to address the real-life incidents of police shootings in the United States. The miniseries is available to stream on Hulu. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/what-to-stream-enjoy-prior-works-of-woman-king-director-gina-prince-bythewood/article_571e5c08-33b8-11ed-ba61-031089a24e53.html | 2022-09-15T12:06:57Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/what-to-stream-enjoy-prior-works-of-woman-king-director-gina-prince-bythewood/article_571e5c08-33b8-11ed-ba61-031089a24e53.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
THURSDAY
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Open loom hours at University of Wyoming Art Museum: 3-5 p.m., 2111 Willett Drive. Free to participate.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Fly fishing rod building for veterans: 7-9 p.m., Laramie Chamber Business Alliance office, 528 S. Adams St. For more information, call 307-745-4429 or 307-399-1801.
FRIDAY
Albany County CattleWomen meet: 11:30 a.m., location tbd. Visit wyaccw.com in the week before the meeting for location and more information.
Open loom hours at University of Wyoming Art Museum: 3-5 p.m., 2111 Willett Drive. Free to participate.
Toys for Tots collection at War Memorial Stadium: Beginning at 4 p.m., Gates 1, 3, 4 and 6 at War Memorial Stadium prior to kickoff of the UW vs. Air Force football game. All donations remain in Albany County.
SATURDAY
Walk to End Alzheimer’s: 9 a.m., Optimist Park, with music and food following the walk.
Higher Ground Fair: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site in Laramie. A celebration of the six Rocky Mountain states and the native first nations that also call the region home. Proceeds from ticket sales (kids admitted free) help support Feeding Laramie Valley. Fore more information or to volunteer, call 307-223-4300 or email info@highergroundfair.org.
SUNDAY
Higher Ground Fair: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site in Laramie. A celebration of the six Rocky Mountain states and the native first nations that also call the region home. Proceeds from ticket sales (kids admitted free) help support Feeding Laramie Valley. Fore more information or to volunteer, call 307-223-4300 or email info@highergroundfair.org.
Walk with a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Washington Park west shelter No. 3. Bring walking shoes and a friend. For more information, email questions@ivinsonhospital.org.
UW Faculty Recital Series free performance: 3 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. This free performance features Nicole Riner on flute and Chi-Chen Wu on piano.
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
MONDAY
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Veterans service office hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Veterans Service Center at the UW Student Union, 1000 E. University Ave.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
TUESDAY
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
WEDNESDAY
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Open loom hours at University of Wyoming Art Museum: 4-6 p.m., 2111 Willett Drive. Free to participate.
Ivinson’s women’s health team hosts prenatal education: 5:30 p.m. in the Summit conference room. For more information and registration, visit ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Sept. 22
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Open house for Laramie Police Department chief finalists: 6-7:30 p.m., Laramie Municipal Operations Center, 4373 N. 3rd st.
Fly fishing rod building for veterans: 7-9 p.m., Laramie Chamber Business Alliance office, 528 S. Adams St. For more information, call 307-745-4429 or 307-399-1801.
”Expect the Unexpected” with UW Symphony: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. The season opening performance for the symphony. For tickets, call 307-766-6666.
Sept. 25
UW Faculty Recital Series presents oboist Jennier Stucki: 3 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. Free to attend.
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Sept. 26
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
America Sewing Guild Laramie Chapter meets: 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1215 E. Gibbon St.
Sept. 27
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Sept. 28
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Open loom hours at University of Wyoming Art Museum: 3-5 p.m., 2111 Willett Drive. Free to participate.
Sept. 29
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Fly fishing rod building for veterans: 7-9 p.m., Laramie Chamber Business Alliance office, 528 S. Adams St. For more information, call 307-745-4429 or 307-399-1801.
Sept. 30
Downtown Laramie Farmers Market: 3-7 p.m., parking lot north of Depot Park on South 1st Street.
Bestselling author Kali Fajardo-Anstine at library: 6-9 p.m., Albany County Public Library, 310 S. 8th St.
UW Music presents Duo Cintemani: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. This free performance features a critically acclaimed flute-guitar group.
Oct. 2
Walk with a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Washington Park west shelter No. 3. Bring walking shoes and a friend. For more information, email questions@ivinsonhospital.org.
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Oct. 3
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Veterans service office hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Veterans Service Center at the UW Student Union, 1000 E. University Ave.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Oct. 4
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Oct. 5
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson’s women’s health team hosts prenatal education: 5:30 p.m. in the Summit conference room. For more information and registration, visit ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Casper Aquifer Protection Draft Plan public comment: 6-8 p.m., in-person at Laramie Municipal Operations Center at 4373 N. 3rd St. and online at Zoom; meeting ID: 85445790677, passcode: 626454.
Oct. 6
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Diabetes Support Group meets: 5:30-6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Email questions@ivinsosnhospital.org for the link.
Fly fishing rod building for veterans: 7-9 p.m., Laramie Chamber Business Alliance office, 528 S. Adams St. For more information, call 307-745-4429 or 307-399-1801.
Oct. 8
12th annual Kids Pumpkin Walk: Noon to 4 p.m., Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site. A fun family event featuring outdoor activities, indoor games, education, candy, treats and plenty of pumpkins. Cost is $4 for adults, 17 and younger admitted free.
Oct. 9
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Oct. 10
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Veterans service office hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Veterans Service Center at the UW Student Union, 1000 E. University Ave.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Oct. 11
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Albany County Republican Party meets: 6 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
Bras with a Cause: 6 p.m., Roxie’s on Grand, 221 E. Grand Ave. For tickets, information or to decorate a bra, visit wyomingbreastcancer.org.
Oct. 12
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson’s women’s health team hosts prenatal education: 5:30 p.m. in the Summit conference room. For more information and registration, visit ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Oct. 13
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Fly fishing rod building for veterans: 7-9 p.m., Laramie Chamber Business Alliance office, 528 S. Adams St. For more information, call 307-745-4429 or 307-399-1801.
Oct. 16
Walk with a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Washington Park west shelter No. 3. Bring walking shoes and a friend. For more information, email questions@ivinsonhospital.org.
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Albany County Historic Preservation Board meets: 6 p.m. the second Monday of the month via Microsoft Teams. To attend and receive an invite, email a request to kcbard@charter.net.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Oct. 17
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Veterans service office hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Veterans Service Center at the UW Student Union, 1000 E. University Ave.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Oct. 18
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Oct. 19
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson’s women’s health team hosts prenatal education: 5:30 p.m. in the Summit conference room. For more information and registration, visit ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Oct. 20
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Fly fishing rod building for veterans: 7-9 p.m., Laramie Chamber Business Alliance office, 528 S. Adams St. For more information, call 307-745-4429 or 307-399-1801.
Oct. 21
Albany County CattleWomen meet: 11:30 a.m., location tbd. Visit wyaccw.com in the week before the meeting for location and more information.
Oct. 22
Laramie Foster Closet Fall Fest: Noon to 5 p.m., Albany County Fairgrounds.
Oct. 23
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Oct. 24
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Veterans service office hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Veterans Service Center at the UW Student Union, 1000 E. University Ave.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
America Sewing Guild Laramie Chapter meets: 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1215 E. Gibbon St.
Oct. 25
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Oct. 26
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Oct. 27
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Fly fishing rod building for veterans: 7-9 p.m., Laramie Chamber Business Alliance office, 528 S. Adams St. For more information, call 307-745-4429 or 307-399-1801.
Oct. 30
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Oct. 31
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Veterans service office hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Veterans Service Center at the UW Student Union, 1000 E. University Ave.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Nov. 1
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Nov. 2
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson’s women’s health team hosts prenatal education: 5:30 p.m. in the Summit conference room. For more information and registration, visit ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Nov. 3
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Diabetes Support Group meets: 5:30-6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Email questions@ivinsosnhospital.org for the link.
Fly fishing rod building for veterans: 7-9 p.m., Laramie Chamber Business Alliance office, 528 S. Adams St. For more information, call 307-745-4429 or 307-399-1801. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/announcements/whats-happening-sept-15-2022/article_b4dd6268-3448-11ed-a703-4f9c9aba8d7e.html | 2022-09-15T12:07:03Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/announcements/whats-happening-sept-15-2022/article_b4dd6268-3448-11ed-a703-4f9c9aba8d7e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Laramie City Council wants the city to clean up its act.
The council has given the green light to a resolution a acknowledging there are blight conditions across the community and recognizing a need for redevelopment in these areas.
The resolution passed last week is the first step in the process of creating an urban renewal authority, the city’s latest approach to expanding development options in Laramie.
An urban renewal authority is a statutory body that leads development projects in a community. City Council is considering a URA to provide new avenues of funding to make improvements in some places around the city tagged as “blighted areas” in need of repair.
Wyoming state statute outlines a variety of conditions that can be considered as blight, including deteriorated structures, defective street layouts, unsafe conditions and diversity of ownership, tax or special assessments.
A study conducted by the Fort Collins engineering consulting firm Ayres Associates focuses on three areas of blight in the Laramie community as examples of spaces that could benefit from the work of a URA.
This includes deteriorating structures and gravel roads in the area of North 4th Street near LaBonte Park, dead-end roads and trash piles along the 3rd Street corridor between Interstate 80 and 9th Street and dilapidated buildings and lack of storm drainage along Snowy Range Road between Interstate 80 and Cleveland Street.
The study noted that some areas include city property, such as the Solid Waste and Utilities Office, Laramie Animal Shelter and parks offices near LaBonte Park. While these areas don’t necessarily represent project areas a URA would focus on, they serve to acknowledge the existence of blight in the Laramie community.
Since the resolution has passed, the next step in creating a URA will be to bring an ordinance to the council, which can approve it over the course of three readings, said Assistant City Manager Todd Feezer. Once approved, the city will begin searching for five members to appoint to the URA. The group will then elect officers, adopt bylaws and begin to review project plans.
If the process goes according to plan, the URA would begin its first project in the spring, Feezer said.
One mechanism the city plans to use through the formation of a URA is tax increment financing, which allows cities to pay for development work up front and then make up for that spending by collecting the increase in property taxes applied to areas that benefit from development.
City staff said that a local URA would operate with the intention of working with property owners and the private sector to create projects stakeholders agree are beneficial for the community.
“I think we’re going to get a better product and get more involvement from the community if we do work with private enterprise,” City Manager Janine Jordan said.
Laramie resident Brett Glass raised questions over what exactly the city is planning to do with a URA and whether or not it would use its power to condemn properties.
The city already has the authority to condemn properties and enact laws of eminent domain without a URA, Feezer said. If formed, a local URA would not have the authority to use these powers.
“In our model, I believe the project plans are going to come in under the full agreement between all the folks that are part of the property or the area to make it more affordable … through tax increment financing,” Feezer said.
Resident Tom Mattimore said what’s proposed may not work for areas in West Laramie, where residents have opted out of opportunities for street development to avoid having to pay for it.
“There might be other ways to do this,” Mattimore said. “I would like to see those explored before we stand up another bureaucracy.”
One reason the city is looking to seek development through a URA and tax increment financing is because of a decrease in one-time funding from the Wyoming Legislature, Jordan said. While previously the city relied on that money to complete development projects, it has dried up in recent years.
“I think there’s a history of projects where this type of structure would have served Laramie well,” said Mayor Paul Weaver. “I think it’s unwise to count on the availability of one-time funding being available for projects in the community.”
A first reading of the ordinance that would create a URA in Laramie is expected to come to City Council in October. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/city-moves-forward-with-exploring-ura-to-target-unsightly-areas/article_46130226-3393-11ed-be05-e3af969220cf.html | 2022-09-15T12:07:09Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/city-moves-forward-with-exploring-ura-to-target-unsightly-areas/article_46130226-3393-11ed-be05-e3af969220cf.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHEYENNE — In its last piece of business in a two-day meeting, the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to sponsor a bill clarifying the necessary qualifications for district attorneys in the state, as well as county and prosecuting attorneys.
A draft addressing this subject was suggested by Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, at the committee’s May meeting in Lander. At the time, Zwonitzer referenced the ongoing disciplinary proceedings involving Laramie County District Attorney Leigh Anne Manlove and her potential suspension or disbarment. If either of these were to occur, Manlove would not be able to practice law for at least a time, preventing her from carrying out vital functions, Zwonitzer said.
Wyoming statute 9-1-802(b) currently requires district attorneys to “have been a licensed attorney for at least four years and a member in good standing of the Wyoming State Bar immediately prior to his election.” Immediately following, the new bill would add: “Each district attorney shall be a licensed attorney and a member in good standing of the Wyoming State Bar throughout the term of office for which the district attorney was elected or appointed.”
Lawmakers also approved an amendment that would modify state statute 18-3-301(a). It would add that county and prosecuting attorneys must also be in good standing “at the time of his nomination and election and during his term of office,” and not only “a member of the bar of this state,” as that statute currently says.
A county and prosecuting attorney serves as the top prosecutor in 21 of Wyoming’s 23 counties. Only Laramie and Natrona counties have a district attorney.
There was no further discussion of the bill draft, nor was there any public comment.
Formal charges filed last year with the Wyoming State Bar alleged DA Manlove had mishandled the prosecution of cases and inappropriately dismissed certain cases, and that she created a hostile work environment.
Following an eight-day disciplinary hearing in February, a three-person panel chosen from the Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility recommended Manlove lose her ability to practice law in Wyoming. The BPR is the hearing body for attorney discipline in the state.
The Wyoming Supreme Court will ultimately decide on any consequences. The high court heard oral arguments on Aug. 17.
Manlove, who is not running for re-election, rejects the idea that disbarment would not remove her from her elected position as DA.
In its official recommendation to the state Supreme Court, the disciplinary panel said that, “once elected, Wyoming law does not require a district attorney to be licensed and in good standing with the (Bar).” It said Manlove’s assertion that she would be removed from office following a suspension or disbarment was “evidence of (Manlove’s) fundamental lack of understanding of the law governing her position as Laramie County district attorney.”
Hannah Blackis the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/committee-to-sponsor-bill-on-da-qualifications/article_245a1874-346d-11ed-8941-877b525ad276.html | 2022-09-15T12:07:15Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/committee-to-sponsor-bill-on-da-qualifications/article_245a1874-346d-11ed-8941-877b525ad276.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CASPER — A faction of the GOP is aiming to reaffirm its support for Trump-endorsed Republican Secretary of State nominee Chuck Gray amid an attempt by some lawmakers to strip the position of some powers ahead of his likely victory in the November election.
The Park County GOP put its stamp of approval on a resolution earlier this month stating that the group “wholeheartedly supports” Gray and “condemns” the effort to take away elections administration duties from the secretary of state position.
The resolution, signed by Park County GOP Chairman Martin Kimmet and dated Sept. 1, will go before the Wyoming GOP State Central Committee in its upcoming public meeting on Saturday.
The resolution doesn’t have legal weight and is symbolic more than anything; Kimmet told the Star-Tribune on Monday that it’s meant to “support the voters of Wyoming, pure and simple.”
Rep. Gray, R-Casper, beat out his closest Republican challenger, attorney Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, by roughly 9 points, or 13,000 votes, in the August primary. He doesn’t have a challenger from another party for the upcoming general election, which means that he is almost certain to succeed Secretary of State Ed Buchanan.
Gray focused his primary campaign on getting rid of ballot boxes and rooting out voter fraud, even though cases of voter fraud in Wyoming are extremely rare.
Those who back Gray say he is a champion of “honest and fair elections,” per the words of Kimmet.
But critics see Gray as a serious threat to fair elections because of the narratives of widespread voter fraud that he’s pushed. That narrative has pervaded American politics since former president Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, even though there isn’t evidence that voter fraud was prevalent enough to have changed that outcome.
“I think the state of American politics that we’ve seen in other states has finally arrived in Wyoming,” Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, said.
Gray’s likely ascendance to the secretary of state position galvanized a group of traditional and more moderate-leaning Republicans, as well as some Democrats, to search for an independent candidate to challenge Gray in the November election.
That effort ultimately failed.
But at a Joint Corporations Committee meeting last month, Zwonitzer proposed drafting a bill that would curtail some of the secretary of state’s powers.
“I do have some concerns that the most likely person who will be our next chief elections officer, our secretary of state, has alleged that there may be nefarious activities at the ballot box in Wyoming, which I don’t agree exist,” Zwonitzer, who chairs the House Corporations Committee, said at the meeting. “I think our elections are safe and secure, probably more than any other state in this country.”
Zwonitzer told the Star-Tribune on Monday that, having worked alongside Gray in the Legislature for the past six years, he sees “concern in the back of everyone’s mind” about how Gray’s potential tenure as secretary of state could go.
“I think it’s fair to have some options on the table should it not go well,” he said.
But during the committee meeting, Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, said those who voted for Gray would “rightfully feel insulted” if the committee tried to take away “a major portion” of the secretary of state’s responsibilities “before the guy’s even had a chance.”
“Republicans correctly see this for what it is,” Gray texted the Star-Tribune, “big-government politicians are shamelessly ignoring the will of voters and our right to have our elected officials represent us.”
The committee ultimately voted in favor of drafting a bill that would take away elections administration duties from the secretary of state position. A separate agency with an appointed director would take up these duties instead.
Lawmakers will look at a draft version of the bill at the committee’s October meeting.
The GOP quickly came out against that move, framing it as an attempt to “silence the conservative Republican voice in Wyoming,” per the words of a Sept. 2 email notice from the GOP.
By Friday, the GOP had the resolution attached to the State Central Committee’s meeting agenda. (Wyoming GOP Executive Director Kathy Russell confirmed on Monday that the Friday version of the resolution is the most current draft).
But Zwonitzer said the potential bill is meant to address the very concerns around elections that Gray — and other candidates — have emphasized.
“If people believe there’s clearly fraud in our elections, then we probably should, for the future, ensure that there are adequate safeguards over that (secretary of state) position,” he said.
“It’s the Legislature’s duty to at least discuss if it’s good or bad to have all of our elections under one individual, or is it better to spread it out between four of our statewide constitutional officers on the canvassing board,” he said.
When asked if he had any comment in response to Zwonitzer’s explanation for the bill, Gray texted a similar message to his first statement: “Republicans across Wyoming correctly see Zwonitzer’s and (Sen. Cale Case’s) effort for what it is — a couple of big-government insiders who are shamelessly ignoring the will of voters and our right to have our elected officials represent us.” (Case, R-Lander, was involved in the attempt to find an independent challenger to face Gray in the November election).
Gray added in another text that he believes Zwonitzer is “lying to hide his true motivation of stripping power away from elected officials who the people have already chosen.”
He said that if Zwonitzer cared about secure elections, he would support the measures that Gray has pushed during his campaign.
The GOP State Central Committee will also vote Saturday on a resolution to censure Case for his efforts to find a challenger to face Gray, among other grievances.
The resolution also states that the party will deny Case “any financial or physical support” in “any political endeavors…” and requests that he change his party affiliation. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/gop-resolution-would-back-gray/article_2b73379c-346f-11ed-adc4-d7bbc9e857a0.html | 2022-09-15T12:07:28Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/gop-resolution-would-back-gray/article_2b73379c-346f-11ed-adc4-d7bbc9e857a0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
With some $370 billion to entice more demand for efficiency and cleaner forms of energy, the Inflation Reduction Act promises to reshape the national energy landscape that steers much of Wyoming’s economy.
That doesn’t bode well for Wyoming’s fossil fuel industries. Many of its provisions, however, directly align with aspects of Wyoming energy and climate strategies — especially combined with another piece of federal legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Increased tax credits for carbon capture, use and sequestration, for example, is a boon to Wyoming’s primary energy and climate strategy: capturing CO2 from coal-fired power plants (and other industrial facilities) and injecting the greenhouse gas underground for permanent storage or to produce more oil. Gov. Mark Gordon claims Wyoming can achieve net-zero CO2 emissions with such technology. The Legislature and University of Wyoming have spent more than a decade developing partnerships and building infrastructure to take advantage of CCUS technologies in hopes of providing a lifeline for Wyoming fossil fuels.
“[The IRA] could certainly make the state more attractive for investment in some of the technology that, frankly, the governor has been pushing and has been leading on for a number of years now,” Gov. Mark Gordon’s spokesperson Micheal Pearlman told WyoFile.
The IRA also aligns with state ambitions to launch hydrogen energy and nuclear power generation, while domestic sourcing requirements for renewable energy, electric vehicles and battery storage are expected to entice the production of rare earth minerals in the state.
While the federal bill helps finance more demand for cleaner forms of energy, it does not include specific measures to limit the use of fossil fuels. The threat of those types of restrictions come directly from courts, the Biden administration, the investment community and other states.
“Nothing was really taken off the table,” University of Wyoming energy economist Rob Godby said. “You can look at [the IRA] and say this is broadly consistent with the energy strategy that the state has been developing for the long term.”
Wyoming has much to gain from the IRA with the state’s industrial-scale wind and solar energy potential, according to analysts. Businesses, municipalities, school districts and homeowners also will find a more affordable path to installing rooftop solar and other energy-efficiency strategies.
“I think there’s a lot in there, at the local level, to really help address the local interests and needs of communities to address the climate crisis,” Powder River Basin Resource Council attorney Shannon Anderson said. “It will help municipalities continue in some areas that they’ve already been doing, which is installing solar systems to meet their own electrical needs. They can retrofit their own buildings and infrastructure and begin thinking about how to integrate this for school districts.”
But whether the incentive-based strategy of the IRA to accelerate the use of cleaner forms of energy is ultimately good for Wyoming “depends on who you talk to,” Pearlman said. While Wyoming leaders generally embrace an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, Pearlman said, many in the state see any gains in renewable energy as direct losses for Wyoming’s fossil fuel industries.
There’s also a wariness in the state of one-time federal funding and programs that could grow continuing operational costs in the state. All three Wyoming congressional delegates voted against the IRA as well as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
For all the ways the IRA aligns with current Wyoming policy goals, it is primarily a partisan climate and health reform bill. It is designed to use cost savings and a 15% minimum corporate tax to spend on measures that cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. It’s also a major win for the Biden administration. For these reasons, the IRA has been criticized by Wyoming’s congressional delegation, its governor and the Republican-dominated Legislature.
“This bill attacks our fossil fuel industry, which not only causes prices to go up for every family in Wyoming, but it also puts into place unrealistic measures to cut carbon emissions that will cost millions of jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars,” U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said in an Aug. 7 statement.
“The governor’s position is in line with the delegation,” Pearlman said. “He is really not a supporter of the bill. He’s concerned about the tax increases, he’s concerned about the cost it’s going to put on businesses and consumers.”
Despite Wyoming’s political opposition to the IRA, the law doesn’t limit where state leaders want to drive energy policy at home, UW’s Godby said.
“There’s a lot of stuff in here that Republicans in the state have been talking about for quite a while,” Godby said. “Those technologies are in here, even though the bill didn’t pass on a bipartisan basis.”
Senate President Dan Dockstader (R-Afton) serves on the legislative energy council and is a board member of the Lower Valley Energy electric co-op. Dockstader, who is a proponent of TerraPower’s proposed Natrium nuclear power plant in Kemmerer, said he supports efforts to keep Wyoming fossil fuels in the nation’s energy mix. However, he said, the IRA and Infrastructure laws both present significant opportunities that the Legislature will have to consider carefully.
“I want to be a part of a successful solution for Wyoming,” Dockstader said. “As a state we have to stay with the changes, or we’ll be left behind. I am convinced of this.”
Adding CCUS to existing Wyoming coal-fired power plants — a legislative goal in recent years — hasn’t penciled out in utilities’ analyses. But Wyoming officials are hopeful that may change with the IRA. The law expands the “Section 45Q” tax credit for carbon sequestration from $50 per metric ton of CO2 to $85, and from $35 per ton for CO2 used in enhanced oil recovery and other forms of “utilization” to $60 per ton.
Those provisions, in addition to tens of millions of dollars for CCUS research and development via the Infrastructure bill, represent a “once in a generation” opportunity for Wyoming to adjust to and grow with a rapidly changing energy landscape, according to UW School of Energy Resources Senior Advisor Kipp Coddington. SER-led efforts such as the CarbonSAFE project to inject CO2 for permanent storage north of Gillette, and related programs to create commercial products from CO2 and Wyoming coal, might have faced faltering support in coming years without the legislation, according to Coddington.
“These two bills together, I think, are significantly positive for the state of Wyoming,” Coddington told WyoFile. “The dollar amounts that are now available truly may move the needle on [CCUS] projects that were otherwise wavering in the proverbial valley of death.”
Wyoming Energy Authority Executive Director Glen Murrell, whose agency is tasked with the nuts-and-bolts of implementing components of the state’s top energy policies, said the IRA and Infrastructure laws combined “align with the energy strategy that we’re trying to do.
“Some of the CCUS provisions are things that people in the CCUS world have been asking for and fighting for for years,” Murrell said. “And they got everything — everything they wanted. Check, check, check, check.”
The same can be said, perhaps to a lesser degree, of Wyoming’s climate and energy policy ambitions for nuclear and hydrogen power, as well as wind energy, according to Murrell. “It’s great,” he said. “There are some really good things in [the IRA] which will absolutely influence, positively, the deployment of those technologies.”
For Wyoming oil and gas producers, the IRA is mostly harmful, Wyoming Petroleum Association Communications Director Ryan McConnaughey said. It includes beneficial CCUS provisions that bolster enhanced oil recovery and may provide some certainty for mineral leasing on federal lands. But the law erases a federal mineral royalty tax exemption for flared gas and will add a fee for leasing so-called “unproven” oil and natural gas reserves.
“Obviously, there are some beneficial programs,” McConnaughey said. “Overall, for the state of Wyoming, the negatives are just too great.”
The decline of Wyoming coal will likely accelerate with the IRA, according to UW’s Godby, though contraction was inevitable before the IRA became law. “[The U.S. is] not building new coal-fired power plants,” Godby said. “And it’s not necessarily just for regulatory reasons. They just don’t see those as compatible for the long term.”
The IRA recognizes where things were already headed in the energy landscape and adds incentives to accelerate the shift, PRBRC’s Anderson said. “Power plants were already being retired prior to this bill,” she said. “The electric sector was already moving in a direction where coal was a disfavored energy source. This bill doesn’t really speak to that directly, but what it does is it recognizes the trend and builds upon it.”
The IRA unfairly selects energy-resource “winners and losers” with renewables coming out on top, Wyoming Mining Association Executive Director Travis Deti said. Yet, there are many beneficial aspects in the bill for fossil fuels and mining.
“There are incentives for carbon capture, so that’s a good thing [for Wyoming coal],” Deti said. “The incentives to get uranium and nuclear off the ground — our guys really like that. And there’s good stuff in there for rare earth [minerals]. So it’s a mixed bag.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/inflation-reduction-act-aligns-with-wyo-policy-but-not-politics/article_6ee09020-346e-11ed-9df2-27430f204167.html | 2022-09-15T12:07:34Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/inflation-reduction-act-aligns-with-wyo-policy-but-not-politics/article_6ee09020-346e-11ed-9df2-27430f204167.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JACKSON — A number of lengthy documents have been filed in a federal civil lawsuit that claims Teton County law enforcement and attorneys conspired to charge former resident William “Mike” Crothers with a sex-related offense and also played a behind-the-scenes role in a slander campaign that crushed the reelection effort of former Jackson Mayor Pete Muldoon.
The two men and a third man are seeking damages for harm they claim they suffered at the hands of the sheriff’s office and county attorney.
The third plaintiff was previously identified only by a pseudonym, John Doe, but has since been forced to identify himself or leave the lawsuit.
On Aug. 31, U.S. Senior District Judge Nancy Freudenthal denied Doe’s motion to proceed under a pseudonym and ordered him to amend the complaint with his real name or be dismissed from the case, citing federal rules for civil procedure.
Robert Charles Rosen disclosed his name and is continuing as a plaintiff. Rosen is a young Jackson man against whom prosecutors brought and subsequently dismissed sexual assault charges in three cases.
The saga began when Rosen was arrested Dec. 9, 2019, and charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault. By May 2020, prosecutors had dismissed both of those charges but then filed a new felony charge in a third case.
That last case was dismissed this week on Sept. 12.
According to the dismissal documents filed by Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Clayton Kainer, “The parties have reached an agreement in the case and the matter is being pursued in another court of competent jurisdiction.”
In the federal civil suit, other issues being raised according to court documents include Teton County and Prosecuting Attorney Erin Weisman’s move to quash a subpoena that prosecutors argue is an attempt to intimidate a former teen victim through a deposition.
During a February 2020 trial, the teenager testified that Mike Crothers inappropriately touched her during a May 2019 party at his house. She was one of 10 witnesses called by the prosecution — nine of the witnesses were teens.
At the conclusion of the jury trial, the jury found Crothers guilty of two misdemeanor counts of unlawful contact and of permitting a house party where minors were present. He was acquitted on one count each of sexual battery, breach of peace and unlawful contact.
On Sept. 7, Weisman filed the motion asking the court to “quash” the plaintiffs’ subpoena served to the young woman, stating it was unnecessary given the lengthy cross-examination during the 2020 trial and was meant to punish and intimidate her.
“The Teton County Prosecuting Office has a special interest in protecting victims of criminal activities,” the filing states. “If defendants were allowed to harass and intimidate victims after their convictions, it would cause irreparable harm to victims and chill future victims from reporting crimes.”
The News&Guide has not named the teens in this case because they were minors when the party occurred.
Judge Freudenthal has not yet ruled on whether the young woman will be deposed, which is currently scheduled for Sept. 22.
Defense attorneys Devon Petersen and Alan Dershowitz are representing the men. Dershowitz has previously represented celebrity clients such as O.J. Simpson and Mike Tyson.
Crothers has alleged that law enforcement intimidated witnesses into testifying and that prosecutors “upped the pressure” on him, adding a charge after Crothers refused to plead guilty.
In an Aug. 3 federal court hearing, Dershowitz argued that former Deputy County Attorney Clark Allan, who prosecuted the case against Crothers, failed to disclose to Crothers’ attorneys that law enforcement and prosecutors had assured students and their parents that they wouldn’t get into trouble if they testified.
This constituted “suppression of favorable material,” Dershowitz argued.
“If suppression is not found here, prosecutors will continue to withhold information,” Dershowitz said. “That’s dangerous precedent. They know it’s material to the case and it could change the verdict. Once you have incentivized witnesses, everything changes.”
Crothers’ motion for a new trial was ultimately denied by Teton County Circuit Court Judge James Radda although Petersen said in the hearing that Radda wasn’t the “right judge” to decide.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Kainer replied to Dershowitz and Petersen, saying Crothers’ trial was fair and there was no suppression regarding witness testimony.
“The state did not suppress the evidence that these individuals would not be prosecuted,” Kainer said. “In the [defense’s] opening statement they said it was ‘all about immunity.’ The fact that they were not being prosecuted is not an immunity agreement or incentivized testimony. The jury was made well aware that those testifying were not being charged.”
Former Mayor Muldoon, for his part, has alleged that the police department worked with the Teton County Sheriff’s Office to illegally release records about Muldoon to retaliate and suppress his speech, which resulted in his losing an election for town council.
The three men are seeking unspecified cash damages against a number of defendants, including the Teton County commissioners, Weisman, Sheriff Matt Carr, Deputies Bret Bommer, Dave Hodges, Clay Platt and Andrew Roundy, and former Deputy County Attorney Allan. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/john-doe-revealed-in-suit-against-officers-prosecutors/article_e7f7c168-346e-11ed-aa93-c71a3fba58d5.html | 2022-09-15T12:07:40Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/john-doe-revealed-in-suit-against-officers-prosecutors/article_e7f7c168-346e-11ed-aa93-c71a3fba58d5.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Newly released results show that Wyoming students’ scores in some subjects have dropped, while they rose for another subject area. This appears to fit a national trend of declining measures of student performance, which experts blame on learning and other disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021-22 school year Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP) and Wyoming ALternate Assessment (WY-ALT) results revealed students across the state saw decreases in their proficient and advanced scores for English Language Arts and science. They rose slightly in math.
The average proficient and advanced score among grades three through 10 was 53.1%, which was a decrease from the previous school year’s average of 53.9%. Students in the same grades dropped from 47.4% to 47.3% in science, and rose from 48% to 48.3% in math.
Wyoming Department of Education officials said in a statement the results indicate areas of growth and proficiency rates at individual grade levels within each content year. To see scores, go to edu.wyoming.gov/data/assessment-reports.
“Wyoming educators have done a tremendous job ensuring student learning continued through the pandemic,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder said in the news release. “Although there are areas where results decreased slightly for a second year, overall they were less than three percent compared to the state results prior to the pandemic. Wyoming’s commitment to keeping students in the classroom continues to be reflected in these assessment results.”In addition to the WY-TOPP results, the 2022 state, district and school-level results for the ACT college entrance exam taken by juniors in high school were released. The average composite score decreased from 19 to 18.6 from the previous year, with the highest score possible being 36. The scores for English dropped from 17.8 to 17.4, math from 18.8 to 18.4, reading from 19.8 to 19.1 and science from 19.3 to 19.1.
The WY-TOPP and WY-ALT assessments are administered through an adaptive online platform. Students in grades 3-10 took the WY-TOPP and WY-ALT summative assessments for math and ELA. Grade 3, 5, 7 and 9 students were also assessed in writing on WY-TOPP.WY-TOPP, WY-ALT, ACCESS for ELLs, and ACT results will be used to inform accountability determinations to be released Sept. 14.
Average gas prices down slightly last week
Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have declined 1.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.77 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.
Prices in Wyoming are 27.4 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and stand 26.7 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has declined 5.5 cents in the last week, and stands at $5.01 per gallon.
According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Wyoming was priced at $3.09 per gallon Sunday. The most expensive was $4.79, a difference of $1.70 per gallon between the two locations.
The national average price of gasoline has fallen 7.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.67 per gallon Monday. The national average is down 26.9 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 52.3 cents per gallon higher than a year ago, according to
GasBuddy’s data comes from weekly price reports covering over 150,000 U.S. gas stations. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/worth-noting/article_9d0979c8-346c-11ed-ab47-a763e8ed5739.html | 2022-09-15T12:07:46Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/worth-noting/article_9d0979c8-346c-11ed-ab47-a763e8ed5739.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
OLD FAITHFUL—Tom Wadsworth read straight from the 154-year-old treaty that displaced his ancestors from their land as he made a case that Shoshone and Bannock tribal members should be allowed to hunt, fish and gather inside Yellowstone National Park.
Signed at Fort Bridger on July 3, 1868 in what’s now southern Wyoming, the treaty granted the Shoshone and Bannock native people the right to “hunt on the unoccupied lands of the United States” in perpetuity, so long as game was found and peace with white people maintained.
Yet, today, with a few exceptions, hunting isn’t allowed by tribal members or anyone else in Yellowstone or the rest of the National Park Service’s 400-plus units in the Lower 48. Wadsworth, the captain game warden for the Shoshone-Bannock tribes, suggested the federal government didn’t uphold its end of the deal.
“This is what gives us the right to keep hunting,” Wadsworth, with treaty text in hand, told a crowd of his tribal members inside a Yellowstone gymnasium.
“And … I want y’all to realize that hunting doesn’t just mean going out and hunting animals. It also means fishing, it also means gathering — we did not have a word in our language to differentiate between those things.”
Wadsworth is not alone in calling for change. Tribal leaders, Park Service administrators, legal scholars and others are reconsidering the past and reimagining a Park Service future in which Native American tribes play a much larger role. Amid Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary, there’s a growing sense that it’s time to reverse historical wrongs, honor treaty promises, recognize Yellowstone and other parks as traditional Indigenous lands and incorporate tribes into National Park Service decision-making.
Re-Indigenizing Yellowstone, a 94-page article recently published in the Wyoming Law Review, outlines several paths that could reverse course on a century and a half of ignoring, erasing and marginalizing the history of Indigenous exclusion, absence and disconnection from Yellowstone.
“Yellowstone can once again change the world,” authors Kekek Jason Stark, Autumn Bernhardt, Monte Mills and Jason Robison wrote. “Ultimately, re-indigenizing Yellowstone can restore the shine to the nation’s original crown jewel and help ensure that all Americans can look forward to the park’s next 150 years and beyond.”
The National Park Service has embraced Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary as a historical pivot point and an opportunity to mend tribal relations and bolster Native American involvement. Much of the effort has been ceremonial: There have been roundtable discussions, teepee villages erected, a rematriation performance and artwork showcase and other activities and gatherings celebrating Yellowstone’s tribal heritage. At the Shoshone-Bannock gathering where Wadsworth spoke, Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly presented the tribe’s chairman, Nathan Small, with a medallion adorned with 23 bison to symbolize all that remained of the species before bison were brought back from the brink at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch more than a century ago.
Twenty minutes earlier, Shoshone-Bannock Land Use Policy Commissioner Darrell Shay said as much. “It’s not really a celebration,” Shay said. “Because this is ours, we never gave it up. We were the last group of Indians that were here, and we got shipped out — forced out by the cavalry.”
Pawnee Nation tribal member and attorney Brett Chapman called the park’s recent tribal outreach a “complete PR stunt,” in an interview with E&E News.
Amid such criticism, Sholly has maintained that he is making an earnest effort to bring about a new era of tribal-park relations.
“Maybe people don’t believe it, maybe we need more time [and] trust to build, but that is a two-way street,” Sholly told a panel during a discussion about sovereign relations in Yellowstone at a sesquicentennial symposium in Cody.
“I think what we’re asking for is to allow us to tell our story, but also allow us to have access,” Eastern Shoshone Business Council Member and historian John Washakie said during a panel discussion on Native people’s historical and cultural connections to the park. “Give us access. We won’t disturb things, we won’t bother things. We’ll just take what we need.”
In 2016, the National Park Service modified its regulations to allow federally recognized tribes to gather and remove plants or plant parts for traditional, non-commercial purposes, but the result isn’t a blanket entitlement. Tribes must strike agreements with the federal agency specifying what plants may be gathered, what quantities and which tribal members are permitted. That hasn’t happened in Yellowstone, but Sholly told WyoFile that those discussions are underway.
“The difficulty with Yellowstone is you have 27 different affiliated tribes, and it’s important to understand what the cumulative gathering request is by all those tribes,” he said. “What do the tribes want to collect? How much? Where? We’ll assess that and make determinations from there.”
Hunting in the park is a different beast.
The Lacey Act — established decades after the 1868 Fort Bridger Treaty promised the Shoshone and Bannock they could “hunt on the unoccupied lands” — prohibited unauthorized hunting, killing and capturing any bird or wild animal in Yellowstone and, later, other federal lands. According to the Wyoming Law Review article, near the turn of the 20th century a Bannock leader from the Fort Hall Indian Reservation named Race Horse agreed to kill seven elk in Uinta County and be taken into custody to test the tribe’s treaty rights. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state game laws still applied, even when they conflicted with treaty rights. That ruling held precedent for over 120 years until 2019 when the court ruled in Herrera v. Wyoming that a Crow Tribe member’s off-reservation treaty hunting rights remained intact.
“The Supreme Court reaffirmed those continuing rights in the national forest,” Mills, a Re-Indigenizing Yellowstone co-author who directs the University of Washington’s Native American Law Center, told WyoFile. “Conceivably, although it hasn’t been tested yet, ShoBan have those rights too, because their treaty language is essentially the same [as the Crow’s].”
National Park Service administrators have historically argued that Yellowstone was “occupied” — and thus exempt from the right to hunt “unoccupied lands” — when it became a national park in 1872.
Scholars see two ways to “test” tribal rights and settle the question about access to hunting in places like Yellowstone. One, a Shoshone-Bannock member could follow Race Horse’s example and force the courts to decide directly in the post-Herrera world by hunting in the park. Another way forward, Mills said, is through collaboration and co-management. That’s been the formula for tribal bison hunting outside of national park boundaries.
Wadsworth, the Shoshone-Bannock captain game warden, told WyoFile he favors the collaborative approach.
“That step would be a government-to-government meeting, between the tribes and the Park Service, to move forward and see what can be done,” Wadsworth said.
Those are complex conversations because of the number of Yellowstone-affiliated tribes involved: The Park Service recognizes 27, though Mills and others argue there are more. They are also sure to be contentious.
“Even bison hunting outside of the park, it’s been at least 25 years of litigation,” Mills said. “The development of the [Interagency Bison Management Program], it’s just been a long process and that doesn’t even get into the treaty rights issues.”
Nevertheless, the movement to increase Indigenous access and influence over management of Yellowstone and all national parks continues to gain steam.
Wes Martel, a former longtime Eastern Shoshone Business Council member, said that Native American National Park Service Director Chuck Sam’s two-day visit to the Wind River Indian Reservation to discuss tribal involvement and inclusion in the parks this summer was significant. Still, he does not expect change to come easy.
“We have made progress, but today’s political climate is just so toxic,” said Martel, who now works for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. “Montana, Wyoming and Idaho — all three of those states — are very opposed to tribal issues. They’re anti-Indian, they’re anti-buffalo, they’re anti-wolf, anti-grizzly, they’re anti-conservation.”
Yellowstone has made headway on improving its relations with tribes. At the dawn of the 20th century, there were attempts to use Native people essentially as props to bolster tourism. One infamous example is that of an “aboriginal exhibit” at Yellowstone Lake’s Dot Island. Businessman E.C. Waters tried but “had no luck convincing any Crow to camp in the middle of Yellowstone Lake” alongside bison for the viewing pleasure of summer tourists, according to the Wyoming Law Review article.
In the last 30 years, federal-tribal relations in Yellowstone have changed “drastically.” “The Park Service and Yellowstone-associated tribes have sought connection,” the legal scholars write.
There’s still a long way to go, the authors say. They don’t make specific recommendations for how the NPS and tribes should move forward in their paper, but provide “a range of options.”
“Regardless of whatever’s the most efficient and what avenues are available,” Mills said, “really it’s as much about the process of engagement and collaboration and the relationship that’s being built between the Park Service and the tribes.”
One of those paths forward they lay out is “radical realignment,” like the approach espoused by the #Landback movement. That could mean the “undoing of the large-scale displacement of tribes” and returning of the title to Yellowstone National Park.
In their review, the law professors also offer up federal-tribal government partnership models. Former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell empowered the Park Service to develop such partnerships with a 2016 secretarial order. The Re-Indigenizing Yellowstone document lists a slate of partnership templates, like co-management of the Bears Ears National Monument, which is governed in part by an inter-tribal commission.
The paper also contemplates ways to improve consultation and engagement with Indigenous people. Sholly, speaking at the Cody symposium, described the consultation status quo — which entails the NPS sending tribes formal letters about projects — as “artificial” and “bureaucratic.” Yellowstone will keep doing it to meet its statutory obligations and it’s “important,” he said, but “the real progress” is going to be made through relationship building with tribal councils and members.
Last, the Native law scholars suggest in their Wyoming Law Review paper the Park Service could build tribal capacity through business. For example, at Grand Portage National Monument — which Sholly used to oversee as the Park Service’s Midwest Region director — the maintenance program is contracted out to the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, or Ojibwe.
Ultimately, the Re-Indigenizing Yellowstone authors argue that Yellowstone and the tribes must hash out a tailor-made arrangement.
“[E]nvisioning a new management paradigm for the world’s first national park,” they write, “must go beyond the potential of existing collaborative frameworks to ensure it functions effectively in practice.”
In Martel’s view, Yellowstone bringing the tribes to the literal table will be key to making the nation-to-nation relationship work. The tangible actions might come along piecemeal, he said.
“Let’s designate areas where there could be ceremonies,” Martel said. “Let’s establish traditional use areas … We’re also talking about creating an Indigenous advisory board for Yellowstone.”
Sholly, addressing the Shoshone-Bannock people at Old Faithful, said the ceremonies and spotlight on Indigenous issues during Yellowstone’s sesquicentennial are just the start.
“We’ve made progress, but we have got a long way to go,” Yellowstone’s superintendent told the tribes. “We look forward to the rest of this ceremony and, most importantly, further dialogue, together in the future, about what is possible.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/movement-to-re-indigenize-yellowstone-gains-steam/article_dbccb002-346d-11ed-b820-5fbcd62d35e9.html | 2022-09-15T12:07:53Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/movement-to-re-indigenize-yellowstone-gains-steam/article_dbccb002-346d-11ed-b820-5fbcd62d35e9.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
I stand, taking notes, on the Medicine Bow Rail Trail. I’m about a mile south of Lake Owen on this 21-mile nonmotorized path that winds through the Medicine Bow National Forest.
First I check my GPS receiver to get my coordinates. I jot the numbers in my notebook, add a comment, then pick up my camera to take a picture.
Once completed, I hop back on my bicycle, much to the delight of my companion, Dobby. My Australian shepherd loves nothing better than to trot alongside as I pedal down the Rail Trail.
I don’t get far before I stop and repeat the process. The goal of my efforts on this outing is to note conditions on the trail where I and other volunteers might return to make repairs or improvements.
Most of the stops identify areas where off-road vehicles, or OHVs, came onto the nonmotorized Rail Trail, creating a distinct path for others to follow. I also note signs that have been damaged and run over.
I’ve been volunteering on the Rail Trail for most of a decade. In that time, I have put up more barricades and “No Motorized Use” signs than I care to count. I put them up, motorized users take them down or run them over.
A couple years ago, U.S. Forest Service personnel erected a number of split rail-fences to block illegal access. Now many of those are dismantled and even moved so OHV drivers could get on the Rail Trail.
On this day, as I’m writing notes I hear the loud rumble of an OHV. Instead of coming along the Forest Road paralleling the Rail Trail where motorized use is legal, it is roaring down the nonmotorized path, straight at me. I remain in the middle of the trail, forcing the driver to stop.
The four riders in this souped-up side-by-side wear high-performance protective clothing and aerodynamic helmets. They look dressed for speed and dust.
“This is a nonmotorized trail,” I tell the driver. I have to shout to be heard over the sound of the vehicle.
To his credit, the driver apologizes and explains he was unaware the route was nonmotorized. He turns around and goes back. Alas, going back means continuing back down the Rail Trail, but it is the best I can hope for at this point.
I continue with my note-taking and hear another OHV. This one is on the legal road about 20 feet away, but the driver pauses and peers at me, as if contemplating coming onto the Rail Trail. I shout to him that I am standing on a nonmotorized route.
“I know,” he shouts back. “I wasn’t going to go there.”
Instead, he and his wife, along with the dog sitting between them, continue down the rough forest road.
About a minute later, I prepare to hop back on my bike when, much to my delight, I spot a black bear crossing the Rail Trail. I quickly grab Dobby’s collar and tell him to sit. He sees the bear, but just sits and watches it amble across the trail and back into the trees. It is a small bear, though, so I am wary that mama bear is nearby.
I hear barking and realize the people in the OHV are stopped and their dog likely spotted the bear. Once there is silence, I walk down the road to ask the people if they saw it. They said they had and, like me, were pretty excited.
They were stopped at a particularly bad spot on the road. They told me they would be foolish to continue and instead would turn around and go back. We had a very amiable conversation. They told me they also are frustrated by the OHV drivers speeding all over the place.
“They pass us like we’re standing still,” the man said. “They make us all look bad.”
This particular forest road is in such poor shape that it is impassible in many spots. I’m sure that’s the main reason drivers opt to go onto the Rail Trail instead. I’ve been told for more than five years the road will be repaired, but that has yet to happen; instead, motorized use of the Rail Trail only increases.
I go back on the Rail Trail to continue my efforts. Just a minute later another OHV comes roaring down the trail. This driver is much less polite, blaming me for the Rail Trail not being well marked.
I explain that people tear down or run over the signs about as fast as we can put them up. He threatens to run over my bicycle if I don’t move it and sue me for taking his photograph. I took a picture of his vehicle, not him, to document the illegal use.
To my relief, he and the next OHV pulling up behind him actually followed my request that they go back the 10 feet on the Rail Trail to turn onto the appropriate forest road.
I realize my efforts on this section of the Rail Trail are futile, yet I persist.
The impassible forest road should be closed until repairs can be made. After that rude encounter I am disheartened and depressed. What I thought would be a pleasant outing turned into nothing but a frustrating experience.
I sure enjoyed seeing the bear, but not all the loud OHVs. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/outdoors/keeping-the-rail-trail-nonmotorized-is-no-easy-feat/article_210abe9a-339a-11ed-89e2-039e5747bc17.html | 2022-09-15T12:08:11Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/outdoors/keeping-the-rail-trail-nonmotorized-is-no-easy-feat/article_210abe9a-339a-11ed-89e2-039e5747bc17.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ROCK SPRINGS — A procedure regarding students’ preferred pronouns that surfaced on social media sparked questions, asking for clarity and an explanation from Sweetwater County School District No. 1.
The post in question was a screenshot of the Student Support Procedure, which states, “If a student is requesting the use of a transgender name and/or pronoun, we will honor their request. It is also not our obligation to notify the parent of this request and we will not do so.”
On Thursday, Sept. 8, the Rocket Miner reached out to school district officials to clarify the procedure.
Nicole Bolton, director of human resources, stated that the district’s policies that prohibit discrimination “mirror” federal civil rights laws, such as Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex. She added that the post that surfaced online “did not contain the complete explanation that was shared with staff.”
“The information circulating is the result of requests for clarification on how federal courts and agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Education, are currently interpreting those laws,” said Bolton.
She shared the district’s preferred and chosen names procedure: “As you become acquainted with your students, you may encounter students wishing to use a preferred or chosen name. A preferred/chosen name is any name a student chooses to use other than their legal name.
“For example, a student may wish to shorten their first name (e.g. Steven to Steve) or to be referred to by their middle name or a nickname. Sweetwater County School District Number One is committed to promoting an educational environment that is supportive and respectful to all students. Calling a person by their preferred name and pronoun shows respect and contributes to the District’s commitment to providing a safe and nondiscriminatory educational environment.
“Accordingly, staff must use a student’s preferred/chosen name or pronoun in verbal, written, and electronic communications. Staff must respect the privacy of all students regarding such choice.
“Violations of this procedure may constitute discrimination based on sex, and may result in discipline. Students who experience problems or discrimination related to their preferred/chosen name or pronoun shall be referred to the Title IX Coordinator for resources and assistance. This procedure does not address changes to educational records to reflect legal name changes. Any requests to amend educational records shall be referred to the Director of Human Resources.”
Bolton stated that the district’s “discussions involved the recent Notice of Interpretation issued by the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, which explained that OCR will enforce Title IX’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex to include: (1) discrimination based on sexual orientation; and (2) discrimination based on gender identity. Depending on the case, misgendering a student could violate both district policy and Federal law.”
Due to the complexity and sensitivity of issues surrounding gender identity, Bolton said that it precludes a “one-size fits all approach.”
“Staff were never directed not to talk to parents or lie to parents,” she said. “Decisions regarding how to support transgender and gender nonconforming students may involve the student, parents, and district administration. Teachers are expected to immediately refer such matters to their building principal, who will involve central administration. Teachers will then be informed of the district’s plan for supporting the individual student and will be responsible for supporting that student. Again, student needs will be met with an individualized response and specific support.”
However, Bolton went on to say that SCSD No. 1 will continue to prioritize safeguarding the physical and psychological well-being of a student.
“When a student indicates that their family is not supportive of their gender identity and/or the district is concerned for the student’s safety, the district will honor a student’s request for confidentiality until the student consents to the disclosure and/ or the district completes an individualized assessment and rules out any particularized and substantiated concern of real harm to the student,” she explained. “The expectation is that parents will eventually be involved: the district will support the student in this process and encourage familial involvement whenever possible.
“For example, the district will offer the opportunity to speak with a school counselor or social worker to facilitate conversations with parents.”
Bolton said that “harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated.”
“The district supports the needs of transgender and gender nonconforming students on a case-by-case basis to ensure a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment free from discrimination,” she said.
When it comes to using school facilities, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, Bolton said that the procedure “has no bearing on requests regarding facilities use, formal changes to academic records, etc.” and that “this was simply meant to provide guidance for staff in addressing students informally by their chosen name or pronoun.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/school-district-official-responds-to-criticism-of-support-procedure/article_9e5016dc-346e-11ed-bc5c-372eddaa59e8.html | 2022-09-15T12:08:17Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/school-district-official-responds-to-criticism-of-support-procedure/article_9e5016dc-346e-11ed-bc5c-372eddaa59e8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Albany County community will gather this weekend in remembrance, support and hope for those struggling with dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Association is hosting a local Walk to End Alzheimer’s, with the proceeds benefiting the organization to support Wyomingites fighting the disease as patients and caretakers.
More than 10,000 people ages 65 and older in Wyoming have Alzheimer’s and about 16,000 family members are acting as caregivers, according to Alzheimer’s Association data.
In addition to the walk, Saturday’s event will include presentations from speakers on their own personal experiences with the disease.
The speakers include Miss Wyoming, Wyoming District 14 state Rep. Trey Sherwood and Robin McIntyre, who will develop early onset Alzheimer’s as the result of a rare genetic mutation. McIntyre is chairing the event and will speak on her experience going through clinical trials to help find a cure.
“For me, it’s become kind of a passion to raise funds and awareness,” McIntyre said. “Unless we find a cure for the disease, my future and that of millions of others is uncertain.”
McIntyre explained that with the baby boomer population aging, the number of people expected to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s by 2050 could overwhelm the health care system. On top of the people who are suffering with the disease themselves, there are countless others who make sacrifices to care for affected loved ones.
“That’s a lot of people who are loved ones who are maybe even struggling with health issues of their own,” she said. “Trying to take care of people who have memory loss is quite a challenge.”
Before the walk, participants will have the opportunity to add to a memory garden full of artificial flowers based on each person’s motivation to help the cause. While Alzheimer’s is the most common version of dementia, the walk supports people impacted by all variations of dementia.
Registration for the walk is donation based, and anyone who wants to participate is welcome. Donors who contribute $100 or more will receive a T-shirt. At the end of the walk, there will be a raffle with prizes.
People can register as individuals or as a team. Registration is available online or in-person at the start of the event.
As of Tuesday, $15,545 had been raised for the local walk, with 64 participants and 15 teams registered.
“The walk is important to raise awareness and also to have the community pledge to take care of their loved ones who find themselves in that situation,” McIntyre said. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/walk-to-end-alzheimers-this-weekend/article_78029cf0-339e-11ed-8460-3b67161f74fa.html | 2022-09-15T12:08:23Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/walk-to-end-alzheimers-this-weekend/article_78029cf0-339e-11ed-8460-3b67161f74fa.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling in West Coast Hotel v. Parrish (1937), set against the backdrop of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s controversial court-packing plan, shocked the nation when it upheld state authority to impose a minimum wage law, less than a year after it had declared that such laws violated the freedom of contract protected by the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.
The New Deal Court’s abrupt about-face marked the beginning of the high tribunal’s rapidly changing jurisprudence. In the early and mid-1930s, the Court was dominated by the so-called “Four Horsemen,” a cadre of judicial conservatives who, with the support of Justice Owen Roberts, struck down as unconstitutional numerous laws designed to lift the nation from the depths of the Great Depression. A frustrated president and angry public brought immense pressure on the Court which, contemporary observers said, influenced Justice Roberts’ decision to reverse his voting pattern in favor of sustaining governmental programs.
Justice Roberts’ famous reversal, the so-called “switch in time that saved nine,” spared the Court from further pressure and persuaded Democrats in Congress to reject FDR’s legislative plan to pack the Court through appointment of a new justice for every member of the Court who was 70 years old. If FDR’s plan had succeeded, he would have named to the Court, at least in theory, justices who were sympathetic to New Deal programs and legislation.
Defenders of Justice Roberts argue that his switch was not attributable to public pressure, but rather a change in his thinking, a realization that the damage to the nation inflicted by the Depression could not be tamed through traditional laissez-faire approaches to governing, but required an active federal government generating new programs to restore Americans’ lives and opportunities. There may be something to this defense, since FDR’s program was introduced in February of 1937, one month after the Court had decided the case, and one month before the Court announced its decision in March.
However, it has been alleged, with considerable merit, that Chief Justice Hughes informed Roberts of FDR’s proposal in December of 1936 and persuaded him to switch his vote to uphold a Washington state minimum wage law and spare the Court from further attacks.
The Court, in 1936, in Morehead v. New York, by a 5-4 majority that included Justice Roberts, had struck down a state minimum wage law for women and children on the premise, set forth in Lochner v. New York (1905), that the Liberty of Contract Doctrine, grounded in the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment, prohibited the government from interfering with the right of employees to work for wages they found acceptable. That doctrine, it may be recalled, was harshly criticized by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’s famous dissent in Lochner, as a judicial invention without foundation in the Constitution. As it turned out, Holmes was vindicated by Justice Roberts, who had changed his mind about state authority to pass minimum wage laws, and Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes’s historic 5-4 opinion for the Court in West Coast Hotel v. Parrish.
“What is this freedom?” Hughes asked. “The Constitution does not speak of freedom of contract.” Hughes stated that the Constitution protects freedom, but subject to reasonable regulation and the interest of the community. In this instance, the police power of the state to pass laws to protect the health, morals, welfare and safety of citizens was justifiably exercised to protect women and children from exploitation.
Chief Justice Hughes explained that states were entitled to consider “the fact that they are in the class receiving the least pay, that their bargaining power is relatively weak, and that they are the ready victims of those who would take advantage of their necessitous circumstances.” The Court also took “judicial notice” of the public relief needed during the Great Depression. Inadequate wages for women had placed demands on state agencies for public assistance: “The community is not bound to provide what is, in effect, a subsidy for unconscionable employers.”
The Court’s landmark decision to uphold minimum wage laws helped to stabilize the economy in the years following the Depression. It created a minimum standard of living for the purpose of protecting the health of employees, stimulated consumer spending and demand, and contributed to the expansion of the economy.
John Selden, a 17th century English jurist and scholar, wrote about the talk among councilors serving in high office. “They talk (but blasphemously enough) that the Holy Ghost is President of their General Councils when the truth is, the odd Man is still the Holy Ghost.” The catalyst for the Court’s decision to reverse historical tides and sustain state minimum wage laws was Justice Owen Roberts. Indeed, it was his switch that made him the “odd Man.”
David Adler, Ph.D., is a noted author who lectures nationally and internationally on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and presidential power. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/the-court-the-minimum-wage-ruling-and-the-holy-ghost/article_20e67508-346c-11ed-a08f-b7dd44da7d8d.html | 2022-09-15T12:08:36Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/the-court-the-minimum-wage-ruling-and-the-holy-ghost/article_20e67508-346c-11ed-a08f-b7dd44da7d8d.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHEYENNE – The public is invited to an open house for Laramie County Community College’s Surgical Technology Program, from 1-4 p.m. on Sept. 24.
The event will allow attendees to see features of health care they miss while asleep during surgeries, said Tracy Perko, LCCC Surgical Technology Program director, in the college’s news release. Several sets of instruments will be set out, and students will perform a mock surgery. Attendees will also be invited to use a simulator that will allow them to do just this.
“We’d like to show people who we are and what we do,” Perko said.
Surgical technologists assist in surgical operations. Perko said surgical technologists are “the surgeon’s extra set of hands.”
The event coincides with National Surgical Technologists Week, which runs from Sept. 18-25. Since 1984, the third week of September has marked a celebration of surgical technologists and the critical part they play in the nation’s health care system. Perko said the week is an opportunity to provide education on surgical technologists’ role and focus on patient safety.
“It’s a time to educate the public about what kind of initiatives we’re doing in the operating room to promote patient safety and how we’re providing a safer environment for their overall surgical experience,” she said.
Gov. Mark Gordon will sign a proclamation recognizing National Surgical Technologists Week at 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 15 in the Governor’s Ceremonial Conference Room at the Wyoming Capitol. LCCC students will meet with the governor and join him for the signing.
LCCC’s surgical technology program lets students complete the program in 11 months. The surgery core program combines classroom lectures and discussions, lab demonstrations with hands-on practice, and supervised clinical experiences in patient care settings. Most of the program can be completed online. The program admits one class of students each fall. It is the only surgical technology program in Wyoming.
Those interested in learning more can contact Perko, at tperko@lccc.wy.edu or 307-778-1155. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/lccc-surgical-technology-program-to-host-open-house/article_8bf85a34-33a7-11ed-953b-a38ef000daab.html | 2022-09-15T12:08:42Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/lccc-surgical-technology-program-to-host-open-house/article_8bf85a34-33a7-11ed-953b-a38ef000daab.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UP to Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne for opening two new sites in Laramie County School District 2. The club is now offering affordable after-school programming at both Burns and Pine Bluffs elementary schools.
The local Boys and Girls Club has been a top-notch organization, providing high-quality support to Laramie County youth, for many years. Since taking over from Rolinda Sample nearly a year ago, Chief Professional Officer Justin Pendleton hasn’t missed a beat.
For just $10 a year, students can participate in programs at the main clubhouse on West Jefferson Road in Cheyenne, the club at Laramie County Community College, the Cole Elementary School site serving students from Cole and Hebard elementaries, or now the two new locations in eastern Laramie County.
Staff, board members and community supporters should continue to be proud of this outstanding program and the positive impact it has every day in the lives of our youth.
DOWN to Wyoming School Facilities Commission Chairwoman Holly Dabb for her blatantly biased comments against Cheyenne’s school district and its facility needs at a legislative meeting last week.
When addressing members of the Select Committee on School Facilities, Ms. Dabb essentially called Laramie County School District 1 leaders liars and accused them of gaming the system.
“Figures don’t lie, liars lie,” Dabb testified. “And they’re trying to manipulate it, so their only remedy is a new school, when they went in over budget on … I don’t even remember which school, probably all of them.”
Ms. Dabb was correct when she said her job as the leader of the commission is to “ensure all the children in the state have equal education and equal opportunities and equal facilities.” By that standard, though, she and many other state leaders are failing.
She knows very well that almost 30% of LCSD1’s facilities rank in the top 20 on Wyoming’s list of schools in the worst condition. Building renovations or replacement are needed due to deteriorating quality, inability to keep up with classroom capacity needs and a lack of technological updates.
Many years ago, Ms. Dabb was the publisher of the Rock Springs Rocket-Miner, which, like the WTE, is now owned by Adams Publishing Group. She had a bias against the state’s largest city then, and it’s obvious that chip is still firmly embedded on her shoulder.
More lawmakers like Sen. Stephan Pappas, R-Cheyenne, need to call her out for her inappropriate remarks. And if she can’t set aside her biases, she needs to turn the reins over to someone who can be more objective.
UP to Gov. Mark Gordon for convening the first Mental Health Summit, set for Oct. 11 in Casper.
In a news release announcing the event, the governor noted that, in 2020, Wyoming continued to have the highest rate of death by suicide in the country. He pointed to the need for a “holistic approach” in which “we must be actively engaged in finding solutions. Building partnerships and enhancing collaboration will help deliver timely services to those experiencing difficulty accessing help.”
Coming on the heels of the two-day Wyoming Suicide Prevention Symposium in Cheyenne, scheduled for Sept. 26-27, the hope is that it will lead to meaningful change when it comes to access to mental health providers statewide, especially in rural areas.
We join Gov. Gordon in encouraging key stakeholders to attend both events. Only by working together can we offer the support and services so desperately needed by those in crisis.
DOWN to Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Frank Eathorne and other party leaders for their recent letter asking Secretary of State Ed Buchanan to stay on the job until after the Nov. 8 general election.
The letter – signed by Mr. Eathorne and Wyoming GOP national committee members Nina Webber and Corey Steinmetz – shows a lack of trust of county clerks that is both unwarranted and insulting. They know very well that elections are conducted at the county level, and the Secretary of State’s Office has mostly a verification role after the fact.
Those tasks can be completed by the state election director and their team, as well as the State Canvassing Board. We’re confident they will be, no matter who is temporarily filling the seat being vacated by Mr. Buchanan, who is becoming a district court judge.
What the letter seems to signal is that Mr. Eathorne and other party leaders are having trouble getting three people to say they’re willing to serve in the role for such a short period of time. After all, who wants to quit whatever they’re doing now and step into a leadership role that will last, at most, four months?
State GOP leaders need to stop trying to change something out of their control and focus more on what they can.
WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK: Contact us via email at opinion@wyomingnews.com. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/staff_editorials/wte-offers-thumbs-up-and-down-9-15-22/article_a7012464-3370-11ed-acee-d3bdba40a1cb.html | 2022-09-15T12:09:01Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/staff_editorials/wte-offers-thumbs-up-and-down-9-15-22/article_a7012464-3370-11ed-acee-d3bdba40a1cb.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cheyenne East senior Elysiana Fonseca hits the ball during East’s 25-7, 25-12, 25-7 victory over Cheyenne South on Wednesday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle
CHEYENNE – Cheyenne East dominated from the onset of its Class 4A Southeast Quadrant opener against Cheyenne South, posting a 25-7, 25-12, 25-7 victory.
“We really played as one solid unit,” Lady Thunderbirds’ coach Nicole Quigley said. “Everyone bettered the ball. They came together, they didn’t worry about what was going on, they just played together and played hard for each other. It was a great team effort.”
East opened the match with a dominant 25-7 set win. Jaylyn Christensen and Bradie Schlabs picked up two aces each to lead the way for the T-Birds.
The second set got a little bit closer, but East managed to pull away late. After South cut the East lead to just two about half way through the set, the T-Birds pulled away to take the set 25-12.
The third set proved to be a repeat of the first. East jumped out to a 18-5 lead in the set before finishing South off with another 25-7 win.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the victory tonight for East came from serving. The team picked up 17 aces on the night, including six from Christensen.
“Usually, (serving) is our biggest struggle,” Elysiana Fonseca said. “We have been working really hard at practice to get it in and make sure we are consistent in our serves.”
Fonseca led the team offensively during the match. She picked up 11 kills on the night, including eight in the final two frames. She also picked up four aces, two of which came in the second set.
“My team was passing the ball really well,” Fonseca said. “My setter was (also) doing a good job at getting me the ball.”
East’s Boden Lijedahl led the way defensively for the team. The libero picked up 13 of the team’s 39 digs, and added one ace in the final frame as well.
South had a hard time staying out of its own way during the game. The Bison kept killing their own momentum, committing more than 10 service errors.
One positive South can take from the game was their blocking. They picked up just under 10 blocks in the game, four of which came in the second set.
Both teams have little time to mull over the results of Wednesday night’s contest. South will get right back to it tonight at home against Central. East will head out on the road to take on Laramie tonight.
Matt Atencio covers Cheyenne prep sports for WyoSports. He can be reached at matencio@wyosports.net. Follow him on Twitter at @MattAtencio5. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/east-dominates-south-in-conference-opener/article_3f8af93c-34a5-11ed-9e7a-ffd7c2e90d4b.html | 2022-09-15T12:09:13Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/east-dominates-south-in-conference-opener/article_3f8af93c-34a5-11ed-9e7a-ffd7c2e90d4b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Basketball
YMCA youth league: Registration for the YMCA’s youth fall basketball league ends Sept. 17. Late registration runs Sept. 18-24 and includes a $20 late fee.
The league is for children ages 3-12, and the season starts Oct. 1.
The cost is $52 for YMCA members and $73 for nonmembers for the 3-4- and 5-6-year-old divisions. The cost for the 7-8 division is $65 for members and $80 for nonmembers. The cost for the 9-10 division is $70 for members and $85 for nonmembers, and the 11-12-year-old division is $80 for members and $95 for nonmembers.
Registration can be completed under the youth sports tab at www.cheyenneymca.org.
K-2 co-rec youth league: Registration for the city’s co-rec league for kindergartners through second graders is underway. Late registration runs Oct. 21-Nov. 3. The cost is $60 per player, with a $25 late fee, if space is available.
Practices start Dec. 12, and the season includes a six-game schedule. Players will receive a team shirt, basketball, picture and award.
For more information, contact David Contreras at dcontreras@cheyennecity.org or 307-637-6425.
Registration can be completed under the Recreation Division link at www.cheyennerec.org.
Referee training: The city of Cheyenne will hold a free youth basketball referee training from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 at the Youth Activity and Community Center at David Romero Park, 1317 Parsley Blvd.
Registration ends Oct. 20. Participants will learn about proper court positioning, call signals and other aspects of the game.
Registration can be complete at www.cheyennerec.org.
For more information, contact David Contreras at dcontreras@cheyennecity.org or 307-637-6425.
Third-sixth grade league: Registration for the city’s youth league for third through sixth graders has started. Late registration runs Sept. 16-29.
The cost is $60 per player, with a $25 late fee, if space is available. Practices start Oct. 17, and the season will include six games. Players will receive a team shirt, basketball, picture and award.
For more information, contact Harley Tekerman at htekerman@cheyennecity.org or 307-637-6408.
Registration can be completed under the Recreation Division link at www.cheyennerec.org.
Volleyball
Adult co-rec league: Registration for the city of Cheyenne’s adult co-rec winter volleyball league starts Oct. 31 and ends Dec. 15.
The cost is $450 per team. The season runs Jan. 23-April 21. Each team is guaranteed 10 games. There is a single-elimination tournament at the end of the season.
For more information, contact David Mullen at dmullen@cheyennecity.org or 307-773-1039.
Registration can be completed under the Recreation Division link at www.cheyennerec.org.
If you have an item for the Community Sports Bulletin Board, email the information to sports@wyosports.net, fax it to 307-633-3189 or contact WyoSports’ Cheyenne office at 307-633-3137.
If you have an item for the Community Sports Bulletin Board, email the information to sports@wyosports.net, fax it to 307-633-3189 or contact WyoSports’ Cheyenne office at 307-633-3137. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/other_sports/community/community-sports-bulletin-board-for-sept-15-2022/article_1391fed0-3495-11ed-b35f-9b20c8f4f885.html | 2022-09-15T12:09:19Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/other_sports/community/community-sports-bulletin-board-for-sept-15-2022/article_1391fed0-3495-11ed-b35f-9b20c8f4f885.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
University of Wyoming's junior quarterback Andrew Peasley (6) looks for a pass during a football game at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Both teams have reason to feel good about their quarterbacks, despite the contrast in what they’re called upon to do. Air Force’s Haaziq Daniels has only attempted 11 passes this year, completing four for 117 yards and a touchdown, but it’s his value as a runner and facilitator of the offense that is most pivotal for the Falcons. He has 136 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, while running a triple-option attack that has Air Force boasting the sixth-highest Pro Football Focus offensive grade in the country through two weeks. Wyoming’s Andrew Peasley, meanwhile, has strung together back-to-back solid performances. He's completed 65% of his passes while throwing for 400 yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks, with the Cowboys scoring a total of 73 points during this stretch.
Advantage: Push
Running back
UW junior Titus Swen, who has been dealing with bruised ribs since the season opener, seems to be getting closer to full strength. Swen rushed for 76 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry last week against Northern Colorado. It’s also a promising sign that backup Dawaiian McNeely is listed on the depth chart for the first time this season. Regardless of these developments, it will be tough to compete with Air Force fullback Brad Roberts, who has been the focal point of a rushing attack that leads the nation by more than 200 yards per game. Roberts was named the Mountain West offensive player of the week Monday after rushing for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in a blowout win over Colorado, and ranks third in the FBS with an average of nine yards per carry.
Advantage: Air Force
Wide receiver and tight end
The Falcons don't get their receivers involved a ton, but when they do, big plays tend to happen. Dane Kinamon has 186 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on seven touches this season, with the bulk of this production coming in the running game. It’s difficult to gauge where UW’s receivers stand through three games. They had a forgettable performance in the season opener, before bouncing back for a strong showing in Week 1. Conservative play-calling limited the Cowboys to only 144 passing yards last Saturday, but receivers Wyatt Wieland and Joshua Cobbs and tight end Parker Christensen each had five receptions for a total of 128 yards.
Advantage: Push
Offensive line
A young offensive line has been one of the more promising aspects of UW’s roster this season. The group gave up their first two sacks of the season last week after not allowing any in their first two games, but they also made progress in the running game. The Cowboys’ 86.7 PFF run blocking grade was by far their best of the year, moving them all the way up to No. 18 nationally for the season. However, Air Force's offensive line has been an important part of its prolific rushing attack, ranking fifth in the FBS in the same category.
Advantage: Air Force
Defensive line
The defensive line deserves credit for its role in Air Force holding Colorado to 162 total yards and an average of 3.5 yards per carry. However, with just one sack and five quarterback hurries through two games, the Falcons need to find a way to get more pressure. UW struggled in this department in Week 0, but has since rebounded nicely, recording nine sacks and 10 quarterback hurries in the past two games – with six of these sacks coming from the defensive line. The Cowboys have also allowed just 76 yards on 56 carries during this span.
Advantage: Wyoming
Linebackers
There were a handful of impressive aspects in the Air Force defense's performance against CU, but the linebacker group seemed to separate itself. Linebackers accounted for four of the seven highest PFF defensive grades from Falcons starters in last week's win, with the position being responsible for all five of the team's quarterback hurries this season. Linebacker has been a strength for UW, as well, with Easton Gibbs and Shae Suiaunoa both coming up with key plays in the past two weeks. Gibbs recovered a fumble for a touchdown on the second play from scrimmage against Tulsa, while Suiaunoa earned MW defensive player of the week honors after recording an interception, one sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry and a career-high eight tackles against Northern Colorado.
Advantage: Push
Defensive backs
The Cowboys’ secondary will likely be at a disadvantage this week, although not necessarily by any fault of their own. As UW coach Craig Bohl mentioned Monday, the group will be required to play a different role than usual in defending the triple-option, with an added emphasis being placed on stopping the run, while still having to account for the passing game. The Falcons, meanwhile, will be going up against a UW team that is fairly similar to CU in terms of offensive balance. The Buffaloes had just 51 yards and an interception on 5-of-21 passing, which comes out to an average of 2.4 yards per attempt.
Advantage: Air Force
Special teams
Air Force has only had to punt twice this season, but the kicking game has been solid when called upon. Matthew Dapore is a perfect 4 for 4 on the year on field goal attempts, with a season-long of 54 yards. However, UW kicker John Hoyland has been arguably the most productive specialist in the MW this fall. The sophomore's 37 points are the most in the conference this season, going 10 for 11 on field goals with a season-long of 55 yards, while converting all seven of his extra-point tries.
Advantage: Wyoming
Final score: Air Force 31, Wyoming 23
Josh Criswell covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/tale-of-the-tape-air-force-at-wyoming/article_e8c92584-33d6-11ed-8d82-471af195372b.html | 2022-09-15T12:09:50Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/tale-of-the-tape-air-force-at-wyoming/article_e8c92584-33d6-11ed-8d82-471af195372b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The family of a long-time Providence Journal reporter is calling for an independent investigation into his death.
Richard Dujardin, 77, was crossing the Kilbourn Avenue Bridge in downtown Milwaukee last month with his wife, according to a Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office report, when it opened.
His wife, Rosemarie, made it across the bridge but he was about halfway across when it began to open. He grabbed onto a side rail as the bridge sections rose to a 90-degree angle, but he lost his grip and fell about 70 feet to the pavement below, according to the report.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, investigators said.
“This is a freak accident and one that each and every single one of us is remorseful about,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson previously said.
His family is now questioning the design of the bridge, saying if it had been different, Dujardin would still be alive.
Story continues below gallery.
The bridge is controlled by the city’s Department of Public Works and its two halves are raised and lowered for boat traffic by someone working remotely who has two camera views of the span. Investigators said the lights and bells were operational as the two sections were raised and crossing arms came down at each end of the bridge.
Police also said in a statement that there is no suspicion of a criminal act, but they are continuing to investigate.
The family’s attorney, Jay Urban, also questions comments the mayor said shortly after Dujardin’s death.
“Some people called this a freak accident, this is a tragedy waiting to happen on any one of these bridges that rises,” Urban said.
Dujardin’s family said the closest thing they can get to closure is a lawsuit so this never happens again, and Urban says they plan to file one.
The DA’s office in Milwaukee is also reviewing the police investigation. | https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/family-of-ri-man-who-died-in-bridge-fall-calls-for-independent-investigation/ | 2022-09-15T12:09:52Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/family-of-ri-man-who-died-in-bridge-fall-calls-for-independent-investigation/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
North Texas businesses need more data-driven DEI policies, report finds
A new report by the Dallas Regional Chamber found that businesses in North Texas are mostly doing well with parental leave and mental health benefits, but they have a long way to go when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion — often referred to as DEI.
Driving the news: The chamber released the 40-page report with Kanarys, a Dallas-based tech company that focuses on diversity and equity policies, at a State of DEI event Tuesday.
Why it matters: In 2018, the Urban Institute ranked Dallas at 272 out of 274 of the largest U.S. cities in overall inclusion, 270 for economic inclusion and 246 for racial inclusion.
- A 2022 CNBC report ranked Texas as the fifth-best state in the country for business — and second-worst state to live in.
Threat level: Chamber leaders said at Tuesday's event that they decided to do the benchmark report because they didn't feel good about the ranking.
- "We wanted to lay the foundation of where we are, but also be very transparent about what are the needs in our region that exist and how we can use this data to grow our communities and provide better opportunities to be a more inclusive region," said Latosha Herron Bruff, who leads the DRC's inclusion and community engagement efforts.
What they did: The benchmark comes out of assessments completed by 101 of the chamber's 398 members with an active DEI contact.
What they found: There is a lot of room for improvement in employee recruitment, supplier diversity and board diversity, per the report.
- Only 44% of participants had measurable goals to ensure their board is diverse, and only 10% work with diversity organizations to source candidates for their board, the benchmark found.
- Only 29% of participants have their chief diversity officer report directly to the CEO, which the report identifies as a best practice for DEI work.
What they're saying: Inclusion must reach beyond gender and ethnicity, taking into account less obvious attributes including LGBTQ status, disabilities, veteran status, age, family status and neurodiversity, per the report.
- Companies undertaking pay equity audits don't often have a plan for how they'll address any inequities that are uncovered, and the report says that should change.
What's next: The chamber plans to circulate its findings among businesses across North Texas so they can see how they compare against other businesses and possibly identify improvements.
- "If we don't measure it and we don't do the work, we can't get better," Kanarys co-founder Mandy Price said.
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The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
As temperatures begin to fall and windy weather picks up, it can show on our delicate skin. Cooler weather can dry us out, especially on our faces. This can leave us looking more tired and aged. Skin appears more youthful when it’s hydrated. Plump skin can reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles and leave us with a special glow.
We can protect our skin from the elements and get back our healthy radiance with the help of a good facial moisturizer. When it comes to finding the perfect face cream, most of us want something that is quick-absorbing and provides a dewy glow that won’t leave us looking like we’ve just slathered a stick of butter across our cheeks.
It can be difficult to find a cream that treats both oily and dry skin, but there’s one on Amazon that does just that.
Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer
As you run this whipped plum cream gel into the skin, it begins to sink into pores, creating visibly plump, glowing skin.
Featuring Kakadu, Illawarra and Burdekin plums to brighten, polyglutamic acid to add moisture and boost the efficacy of hyaluronic acid, and ice willowherb extract to balance skin, this lightweight but still hydrating formula is designed to leave combo skin balanced.
The 50 ml $39.00 Glow Recipe Plum Plump cream works well on most skin types to combat dryness or dullness and loss of firmness and elasticity. To use, rub a dime-size amount onto clean skin morning and night. If you use serum, apply this afterward. Then gently pat the face until the cream is fully absorbed.
Users like that it didn’t leave skin feeling greasy or slick. We like that this vegan and cruelty-free product is also free from parabens, mineral oil, drying alcohols, phthalates, synthetic dyes and fragrances. The glass jar is also refillable. You can purchase plastic tub replacements that simply pop in.
With an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, the Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Face Cream comes highly rated.
Maggie W. declared it the “best hydrating cream ever” and said it immediately remedied her dry skin patches around her nose.
“The elasticity in my skin has improved and my face has never felt so hydrated. Not oily at all or greasy. It’s literally perfect,” she said.
Reviewer Kimberly P. found it to have a pleasant scent.
“A lightweight cream that glides across the skin. Makeup can be applied over it without feeling heavy or thick. Love this product,” she said.
How do you keep your skin balanced throughout the seasons?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.katc.com/glow-recipe-plum-plump-moisturizing-face-cream | 2022-09-15T12:10:41Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/glow-recipe-plum-plump-moisturizing-face-cream | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The White House announced early Thursday morning a tentative deal has been reached between railroad operators and labor unions to avoid a strike.
The White House and others had warned that a rail strike would have caused significant disruptions in the supply chain.
The agreement came after talks went through the night.
“It is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America’s families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years,” President Joe Biden said. “These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned.”
Rail unions said they would have gone on strike at end of the day Friday had an agreement not been reached. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/biden-administration-announces-deal-to-avert-rail-strike | 2022-09-15T12:10:47Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/biden-administration-announces-deal-to-avert-rail-strike | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ankeny's sole Mexican grocery store serves up fresh meat counter
Maria Bonita, Ankeny's sole Mexican grocery store, opened its doors a few months ago and there are a lot of little treasures to try.
Why it matters: Ankeny is now the metro's largest suburb and its Latino and Hispanic populations are rapidly growing.
- The next closest Hispanic goods grocery store is in Des Moines—25 minutes away for some families.
What to expect: It's not as big as La Tapatia in Des Moines, but you'll find fresh produce, pantry items, dairy, frozen foods and lots of spicy snacks.
- You'll also find yuca, empanada dough, boxes of tortillas, fried plantains, arepas and frozen pupusas.
The intrigue: There's a meat counter where you can get barbacoa and carnitas by the pound, as well as food that's made-to-order, like elotes.
Open: 8:30am to 8:30pm every day; 502 North Ankeny Blvd., #9, Ankeny.
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Thousands of mourners lined up through the night to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Parliament’s Westminster Hall on Thursday, as King Charles III spent a day in private to reflect on his first week on the throne.
The queue to see the queen lying in state stretched for nearly four miles (around six kilometers) past Tower Bridge. The line snakes along the south bank of the River Thames and then over a bridge to Parliament. Thousands in the line didn’t mind the hours of waiting.
“I’m glad there was a queue because that gave us time to see what was ahead of us, prepared us and absorbed the whole atmosphere,” said health care professional Nimisha Maroo. “I wouldn’t have liked it if I’d had to just rush through."
After a day of high ceremony and high emotion on Wednesday as the queen was borne in somber procession from Buckingham Palace, the king was spending the day in “private reflection” at his Highgrove residence in western England. Charles has had calls with U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron and is speaking to a host of world leaders — many of whom will come to London on Monday for the queen’s funeral.
Heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, will visit the royal family’s Sandringham estate in eastern England to see some of the tributes left by well-wishers.
On Wednesday the queen left Buckingham Palace for the last time, borne on a horse-drawn carriage and saluted by cannons and the tolling of Big Ben, in a solemn procession through the flag-draped, crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall.
Charles, his siblings and sons marched behind the coffin, which was topped by a wreath of white roses and her crown resting on a purple velvet pillow.
The military procession underscored Elizabeth’s seven decades as head of state as the national mourning process shifted to the grand boulevards and historic landmarks of the U.K. capital.
The 900-year-old Westminster Hall is now the focus of events, as the queen lies in state until Monday.
The display of mass mourning is an enormous logistical operation, with a designated 10-mile (16 kilometer) route lined with first aid points and more than 500 portable toilets. There are 1,000 stewards and marshals working at any given time, and 30 religious leaders from a range of faiths to stop and talk to those in line.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Church of England, wore a high-visibility vest emblazoned with the words “Faith Team” as he spoke to mourners.
Welby, who led a service for the royal family when Elizabeth's coffin reached Westminster Hall, paid tribute to the queen as “someone you could trust totally, completely and absolutely, whose wisdom was remarkable.”
Thousands have already paid their respects, filing past the casket draped with the royal standard and topped with a diamond-encrusted crown.
People old and young, dressed in dark suits or jeans and sneakers, walked in a steady stream through the historic hall, where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were tried, where kings and queens hosted magnificent medieval banquets, and where previous monarchs have lain in state.
After passing the coffin, most mourners paused to look back before going out through the hall’s great oak doors. Some wiped away tears; others bowed their heads or curtseyed. One sank onto a knee and blew a farewell kiss.
Keith Smart, an engineer and British Army veteran, wiped away tears as he left the hall. He had waited more than 10 hours for the chance to say his goodbye.
“Everybody in the crowd was impeccably behaved. There was no malice, everybody was friends. It was fantastic,” he said. “And then, to come into that room and see that, I just broke down inside. I didn’t bow — I knelt to the floor, on my knees, bowed my head to the queen.”
The late-night silence was broken when one of the guards standing vigil around the coffin collapsed and fell forward off a raised platform. The man, his chest adorned with medals, could be seen on livestreams of the queen’s coffin lying in state swaying on his feet before pitching forward onto the floor. Two police officers rushed to his assistance.
Crowds have lined the route of the queen’s coffin whenever it has been moved in its long journey from Scotland — where the monarch died Sept. 8, aged 96 — to London. | https://www.katc.com/news/world/mourners-spending-hours-in-line-to-pay-tribute-to-queen | 2022-09-15T12:10:59Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/world/mourners-spending-hours-in-line-to-pay-tribute-to-queen | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
First-time event lures outdoor rec industry to Arkansas
The Natural State wants to capitalize on the "natural" part of its nickname, and continue to tap into a multibillion-dollar industry — outdoor recreation.
What happened: A summit for outdoor rec convened startups, investors and corporations looking to back Bentonville on Wednesday.
- It was the first-ever "Innovation in Outdoor Recreation Showcase," hosted by Plug and Play Tech Center, a venture capital and networking firm that connects entrepreneurs to investors.
Why it matters: A healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem in outdoor recreation can help sustain and further develop Arkansas' economy by creating jobs, elevating standards of living and supporting other businesses.
- Yes, and: The industry is in growth mode. The outdoor recreation economy accounted for $374.3 billion of U.S. GDP in 2020. Industry experts in the room agreed the market will continue on its upward trajectory.
Details: Speakers with tenure working at places like Patagonia and REI or those running VC funds talked about their experiences in the outdoor recreation industry to about 150 entrepreneurs and investors.
- Katherine Andrews, director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation at the state's tourism department made a case for entrepreneurs to plant their businesses in Arkansas.
- Then, startups had a chance to network and meet potential investors.
- 17 entrepreneurs showed off products, from women-specific hiking pants to apps designed to connect women of color with outdoor adventures.
Altangle Cycling makes heavy-duty aluminum bike stands that fold up for easy travel. CEO Scott Smith told Axios he just relocated his business and family from Houston, Texas, to NWA because he recognized this area as a future hub for the outdoor recreation industry.
What they're saying: Will Decker, Plug and Play vice president, said the event looked like a success because people were making connections and talking passionately about the industry.
- "We'll see in a few months," he said about any deals being made this week.
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Minnesota nurses return to work after three-day strike
Thousands of Minnesota nurses are going back to work.
Driving the news: A three-day strike that led some 15,000 Minnesota nurses to walk off the job over stalled contract negotiations with hospitals ends at 7am Thursday morning.
The big picture: There are no signs the two sides are any closer to a resolution than when the strike began.
- It remains to be seen whether the public pressure from the action, which organizers say was one of the largest nurses' strikes in U.S. history, moves the needle.
State of play: Nurses want 30% pay raises over three years and commitments on staffing and retention practices. Hospitals, which have offered closer to 10%, say the proposals are unworkable and unaffordable.
- No new talks occurred during the strike.
What they're saying: Union leaders said Wednesday that they won't drop their demands for higher pay and more say in staffing.
- "We don't have any alternative but to go into round two of this war," Minnesota Nurses Association President Mary C. Turner told reporters yesterday. "And that's what I call it, because we're fighting for our very existence."
The intrigue: When asked if "round two" meant a second strike, Turner quipped: "I'm not going to answer that, sir, that's not legal."
The other side: Paul Omodt, a spokesperson for four Twin Cities hospitals, said the union's demands on nurse discipline and pay increases are non-starters.
What to watch: Twin Cities hospitals have offered times to negotiate next week and coordination is "in the process," Omodt said.
- No talks had been confirmed as of last night, but a MNA spokesperson said nurses "stand ready to get back to negotiations."
🎧 Go deeper: Listen to "Axios Today" for more on the nurses' strike.
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Over-subscribed round to support Phase2a clinical trial in atopic dermatitis
ANNAPOLIS, Md., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alphyn Biologics, a clinical-stage dermatology company developing first-in-class multi-target therapeutics, announced today that it is has closed a Series A financing round of approximately $3.3 million. The over-subscribed round was led by Queen City Angels, with participation from the Angel Physicians Fund and Serial Stage Venture Partners.
Alphyn has raised approximately $6.7 million to date, including a seed round of more than $1 million, and a second round of more than $2 million. Participants in previous rounds include family office investment funds, a corporate fund, and professional high-net-worth investors.
The Series A financing will support the Phase2a clinical trial of AB-101a, Alphyn's lead candidate for the treatment of mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common form of eczema. AB-101a is anticipated to be the first AD treatment with the unique ability to target the disease's bacterial and immune system components. It has the potential to treat both infected and non-infected AD effectively and is being studied for use in pediatrics, starting at age two, as well as in adult populations.
"Current atopic dermatitis treatments are plagued with numerous safety and side effect problems. They frequently fail to address all the contributors to the disease," said Tony Shipley, chair and co-fund manager of Queen City Angels. "AB-101a is urgently needed in the dermatology market, and we look forward to working with Alphyn to advance its technology through clinical trials and ultimately improve the lives of the millions of AD suffers."
AB-101a, a non-steroidal, is in development to treat the inflammation, itch, and uniquely the bacterial causes commonly associated with AD, including infection. AB-101a targets common bacteria such as Staph and highly drug-resistant methicillin-resistant Staph (MRSA) that worsen AD and prevent its healing. These attributes, combined with its expected strong safety and very low side-effect profile, could make AB-101a the 'drug of choice' for physicians and patients. As a "4-in-1" solution, AB-101a would enable AD to be treated with a single therapeutic rather than multiple drugs. Significantly, AB-101a's strong safety profile has allowed Alphyn to move directly into Phase 2a clinical trials shortening the approval process and saving the company millions of dollars.
"We are honored and thrilled to close this round having passed the rigorous due diligence processes of three professional investment funds that understand the urgent need for a safe, effective, and comprehensive treatment for AD," said Alphyn CEO Neal Koller. "This financing allows us to begin an accelerated global multi-center clinical trial program to support a New Drug Application with the FDA and other national health authorities."
ABOUT ALPHYN BIOLOGICS
Alphyn Biologics is a clinical-stage dermatology company developing first-in-class multi-target therapeutics for severe and prevalent skin diseases based on its AB-101 platform. Its lead product candidate, AB-101a, is a topical treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common form of eczema, currently in a Phase 2a clinical trial. AB-101a has demonstrated a strong safety profile and is in development to uniquely target AD's bacterial and immune system components, making it ideal for treating infected and non-infected AD. Alphyn's AB-101 platform has multiple bioactive compounds and, therefore, multiple mechanisms of action to support a robust pipeline of dermatologic therapeutics with potential safety, efficacy, and regulatory marketing authorization advantages. Alphyn is based in Annapolis, Maryland, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and has a wholly owned subsidiary in Australia. The company became operational in 2020 and has raised approximately $6.7 million.
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CEO James Bogart named #1 overall Next-Gen Wealth Advisor in Virginia and #34 nationally in Forbes rankings
MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bogart Wealth, an independent, fee-only wealth management and Registered Investment Advisory firm, was recently named to multiple lists of top financial advisors and fastest-growing companies in national and industry publications. CEO James Bogart was included in Forbes' list of Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors, coming in at first overall in Virginia and #34 overall nationally. In addition, Bogart Wealth ranked #4,192 overall in the 2022 Inc. 5000, Inc. Magazine's annual ranking of America's fastest-growing private companies, and landed eighth overall in the Washington Business Journal's rankings of the largest wealth management firms in greater Washington D.C.
"We are ecstatic to be included in all of these rankings from such prestigious media outlets," said James Bogart, President and CEO of Bogart Wealth. "We're experiencing rapid growth lately and I'm so proud of our team. Without them, these rankings wouldn't be possible."
The Forbes Next-Gen Wealth Advisors rankings, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criterion – mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews – and quantitative data. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of four years' experience, and the algorithm weighs factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass the highest standards of best practices. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings. To learn more about Forbes' Next-Gen Wealth Advisors ranking methodology, please click here.
"Our rankings represent the true role models of the industry," said R.J. Shook, Founder and President of Shook Research. "We believe our Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisor rankings are an early peek of our future Top Wealth Advisor rankings – say, 10 or more years from now."
In fact, James Bogart has already been included in Forbes' Top Wealth Advisor rankings in recent years. In Forbes' 2022 Best-In-State Wealth Advisor rankings, Bogart ranked #12 overall in the state of Virginia. This is his fifth year in a row being listed as a Top Advisor in Forbes, being named a Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisor since 2018 and a Best-In-State Wealth Advisor since 2019.
To see Forbes' full list of Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors, please click here. To see James Bogart's Forbes Top Advisor profile, including rankings in other Top Advisor lists, please click here.
For the second consecutive year, Bogart Wealth was included in the Inc. 5000 list, Inc. Magazine's annual ranking of America's fastest-growing private companies. In the 2022 rankings, the firm was ranked #4,192, climbing nearly 800 spots from their ranking of #4,971 in the 2021 list.
Bogart Wealth made the list thanks to their 111% 3-year growth from 2019-2021. The firm continues to experience rapid growth in all facets of the company, recently surpassing $2 billion in assets under management and nearly tripling AUM since the start of the pandemic. Bogart Wealth has also been growing and expanding their team during this time, hiring 16 new employees since the start of the pandemic, including 6 in Q2 2022 alone.
To see Bogart Wealth's Inc. 5000 profile along with the full 2022 rankings, please click here. To learn more about the Inc. 5000 list and the verification process, please click here.
In addition, Bogart Wealth was included in the Washington Business Journal's list of the Largest Wealth Management Firms in Greater Washington D.C., coming in at #8 in the 2022 rankings. Bogart Wealth is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C., and D.C. area wealth management firms were ranked by 'Metro-area financial planners'. Based on statistics from 2021, Bogart Wealth had 8 metro-area financial planners and 21 metro-area employees. As of September 2022, the firm has 11 Certified Financial Planners and 28 total employees.
As the firm continues to grow, they are actively hiring financial planners and support staff. Open positions in the McLean, Virginia office include Compliance Associate, Advisory Director, Financial Advisor, Associate Financial Advisor, Financial Planning Associate, and more, and open positions in The Woodlands, Texas office include Advisory Director, Financial Advisor, Associate Financial Advisor, and more. To learn more about the open positions and careers at Bogart Wealth, please click here. To learn more about all of the employee benefits at Bogart Wealth, please click here.
To see the full rankings of the Largest Wealth Management Firms in Greater Washington D.C. in the Washington Business Journal, please click here.
Bogart Wealth is an independent, fee-only wealth management firm guiding corporate executives, professionals, and families on their paths to and throughout retirement. Led by President and CEO James Bogart, their mission is to help clients achieve financial peace of mind by preserving and maximizing intergenerational wealth. As a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), Bogart Wealth is held to a fiduciary standard, which gives clients confidence in knowing that everything the firm does is always in their best interest. Clients of Bogart Wealth enjoy an extremely high level of service, and the firm's boutique size enables multiple advisors to become familiar with each client and their financial plan. At Bogart Wealth, everyone is a part of the team, and they have taken great care to build a collegial and cooperative culture, as well as a diverse set of skills, experience, qualifications, and credentials. The team works together to apply their combined experience, expertise, and knowledge to each client account. To learn more, visit www.BogartWealth.com.
Media Contact:
Jonny Swift
Impact Communications, Inc.
913-649-5009
JonnySwift@ImpactCommunications.org
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GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MINISO Group Holding Limited (NYSE: MNSO; HKEX: 9896) ("MINISO", "MINISO Group" or the "Company"), a global value retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products, today announced an update on the status of the previously announced independent investigation. As previously disclosed, shortly after the publication of a report issued by the short-seller firm Blue Orca Capital on July 26, 2022 (the "Short Seller Report"), an independent committee of the board of directors (the "Independent Committee"), consisting of independent directors Ms. Xu Lili, Mr. Zhu Yonghua and Mr. Wang Yongping, was formed to oversee an independent investigation regarding the allegations made in the Short Seller Report (the "Independent Investigation"). The Independent Investigation, overseen by the Independent Committee and conducted with the assistance of third-party professional advisors including an international law firm and forensic accounting experts from a well-regarded forensic accounting firm that is not the Company's auditor, is now substantially complete. Based on findings of the Independent Investigation, which encompassed the allegations in the Short Seller Report regarding the Company's franchise business model and land deals involving the Company's chairman, the Independent Committee has concluded that key allegations made in the Short Seller Report were not substantiated.
About MINISO Group
MINISO is a global retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products. The Company serves consumers primarily through its large network of MINISO stores, and promotes a relaxing, treasure-hunting and engaging shopping experience full of delightful surprises that appeals to all demographics. Aesthetically pleasing design, quality and affordability are at the core of every product in MINISO's wide product portfolio, and the Company continually and frequently rolls out products with these qualities. Since the opening of its first store in China in 2013, the Company has built its flagship brand "MINISO" as a globally recognized retail brand and established a massive store network worldwide. For more information, please visit https://ir.miniso.com/.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" or other similar expressions. MINISO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about MINISO's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: MINISO's mission, goals and strategies; future business development, financial conditions and results of operations; the expected growth of the retail market and the market of branded variety retail of lifestyle products in China and globally; expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of MINISO's products; expectations regarding MINISO's relationships with consumers, suppliers, MINISO Retail Partners, local distributors, and other business partners; competition in the industry; proposed use of proceeds; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to MINISO's business and the industry. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in MINISO's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and MINISO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
Investor Relations Contact:
Raine Hu
MINISO Group Holding Limited
Email: ir@miniso.com
Phone: +86 (20) 36228788 Ext. 8039
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SOURCE MINISO Group Holding Limited | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/miniso-announces-substantial-completion-independent-investigation/ | 2022-09-15T12:15:31Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/miniso-announces-substantial-completion-independent-investigation/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DETROIT, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockbridge Growth Equity ("Rockbridge"), a partnership-oriented middle market private equity firm with a differentiated approach to building and growing companies, announced today that it has made a strategic investment in The Nest Schools ("Nest" or the "Company"), an operator of 36 early childhood education centers across Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Virginia. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Gerry Pastor and Jane Porterfield, Nest's Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, will continue to lead the Company and implement their differentiated operational playbook with the support of Rockbridge. Mr. Pastor and Ms. Porterfield have decades of education industry experience, having previously led another successful early education business together.
"It's no coincidence that in a relatively short amount of time, Nest has grown to become one of the top 50 largest early education providers in the country," said Ziv Weizman, a partner at Rockbridge. "We have been impressed with Gerry and Jane's standout approach in the industry and their dedication to providing premier early education experiences. Parents today value high-quality early childhood education, and we see abundant opportunities to expand into new markets and grow our presence in existing regions by partnering with Gerry, Jane and the entire Nest management team."
The Nest Schools delivers a premium educational experience supported by a proprietary, developmental-focused curriculum in safe and stimulating educational environments with industry-leading facilities. Its "play-based" educational programming is augmented by a fitness-inspired wellness program ("Fit Buddies"), a program emphasizing art and music ("Paints & Pianos"), and a program teaching basic life skills ("The Art of Living"). Its curriculum and program design encourage children to wonder, question, work with their peers, and experiment with different possibilities. The more than 600 team members deliver the Company's "Nest Play" curriculum to over 3,000 infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children across its portfolio of schools.
"The importance of Early Childhood Education and our understanding of how young children learn and develop has evolved rapidly over recent years, and we incorporate all current research into our approach in addition to state-of-the-art technology," said Mr. Pastor and Ms. Porterfield. "With the support of the Rockbridge team, we will look to grow our presence in a fragmented industry and meet the growing demand for innovative and quality education solutions. We were highly impressed by the Rockbridge team's understanding of the early childhood education industry and believe their experience and relationships make them the ideal partner as we embark on the next phase of the Company's development."
Honigman served as legal advisor to Rockbridge.
About Nest
The Nest Schools operates premium early childhood education across multiple states for infants through school age children. It is driven by its vision to raise a world of kind, healthy, happy, and inspired children as the worldwide leader in early childhood programs for children, their families, and its team. The Nest Schools' mission to build strong minds, healthy bodies, and happy kids are made possible through its core values of kindness, wellness, innovation, and fun. For more information, visit www.thenestschool.com.
About Rockbridge Growth Equity
Founded in 2007, Rockbridge Growth Equity is a middle market private equity firm committed to helping both founder-operated and established companies accelerate growth and build long-term, sustainable value. Rockbridge combines the flexibility of a financial sponsor with the benefits of strategic partnership by leveraging the firm's relationship with the Rock Family of Companies, which provides access to industry and functional expertise. As of year-end 2021, Rockbridge has regulatory assets under management of over $1.2 billion across its target sectors: e-Commerce and Marketing Services, Financial Services and Fintech, Tech-Enabled Products and Services, and Digital Media. For more information, please visit www.rbequity.com.
CONTACT:
Lambert
Jennifer Hurson
845-507-0571
jhurson@lambert.com
or
Megan Bowman
616-780-1610
mbowman@lambert.com
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Emporia State President May Now Dismiss Any Employee
The president of Emporia State University has gained the authority from the Kansas Board of Regents to “suspend, dismiss, terminate” any university employee, KSNT News reported.
Ken Hush, the president, still wants the Faculty Senate to approve a document outlining the new authority.
The university is not facing financial exigency, the document acknowledged. That is the standard by which the American Association of University Professors says tenured faculty jobs may be eliminated.
But the document said that Emporia State is suffering from “extreme financial pressures placed on universities due to the COVID-19 pandemic [and] decreased program and university enrollment.” From 2017 through 2021, Emporia State’s enrollment has declined by 24 percent.
Students held a protest against possible cuts on Wednesday, chanting, “Stop the cuts.”
Michael Morales, an associate professor and Faculty Senate member at the university, said he understood the students’ concerns. “If the president says it’s for the students’ benefit, that’s not correct … The current students now, some of them, will suffer a lot,” Morales said. “Their programs will be cut, their majors will be cut, their departments will be subsumed with other departments.”
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- Advice for academics interested in working in the Netherlands | https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/15/emporia-state-president-may-now-dismiss-any-employee | 2022-09-15T12:26:02Z | insidehighered.com | control | https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/09/15/emporia-state-president-may-now-dismiss-any-employee | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Assetrise Ltd promotes asset ownership with launch of Assetbanking
To enable an average Nigerian to save towards owning an asset -properties, either to build, live, rent, sell and as a collateral for loan facility. Assetrise Limited has launched Assetbanking.
Assetbanking is the right move to becoming a landlord and strategic asset ownership that will guarantee family stability and access to financial support to achieve goals at ease. There is an unequivocal need for Nigerians to begin building a savings culture through this unique model – Assetbanking.
Speaking at the official launch of the innovation- Assetbanking, on Friday, September 2, 2022, the Group Managing Director,RotimiOjamamoye said “there is the need for Nigerians to begin to save on asset ownership, like real estate to promote financial stability, noting that while saving is a good culture, it is a bad strategy to acquire wealth because over time savings depreciates with inflation, whereas, real estate appreciates with time”.
He said, “we have trained and still training Professional Real Estate Consultants who could educate the publics on our unique real estate model and added that the company Assetrise Limited, borne out of desire to see more people become asset owners to create sustainable wealth and passive income, had been giving strategic real estate solutions and other assets while solving strategic socio-economic challengessuch as housing deficit and food insecurity, hence, it’s latest offering, Assetbanking”.
Assetrise Limited is a Real Estate organization powered by a Multipurpose Cooperative Society (Flapcoop). Assetrise is duly registered with LASRERA to practice Real Estate in Lagos state and other parts of Nigeria. It intends to encourage and increase the number of House owners / landlords/ estate owners in Nigeria through unique Assetbanking model with Flapcoop.
Flap Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd (Flapcoop) is licensed by the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives (LSCS 17428). It is a people venture initiative to assist individuals own, invest, earn from Real Estate and Agricultural practices, and other strategic Assets initiatives. With the latest instrument, members and partners can save, invest, take loans and other financial supports are given to achieve their goals at ease per time.
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One of the fast sellingestate is the Palmera Crescent among others. The estate is strategicallylocated in a nature’s ambience of comfort and easy access to all basic infrastructural facilities. Palmera Crescent offers sales for a parcel of 500sqmtrs land for just N700,000 with a seamless flexible payment plan.
Customers have the option to select from the following categories of payment plan:
1.For outright payment of N700,000 in 3 months.
2.N128,350 per month for 6 months;
3.N70,000 per month for 12months; N16,800 weekly; N2,800 daily.
3.N40,850 per month for 24 months; N9,900 weekly; N1,650 daily.
4.N30,000 per month for 36 month; N7,200 weekly; N1,200 daily.
This is howAssetbanking is set to achieve it’s goals bythis concept to provide an escape route for all.
In furtherance of its commitment towards promoting wealth, Assetrise Limited Launched Palm tree farms on acres of land across various tropical regions as found in Ondo State, Nigeria; where it presently farms 130+ acres of Palm Tree Estate. With over 10 years’ experience in Palm tree farming and Oil Palm processing and distribution to industrial and domestic consumers across local and international market.The company engage willing and smart investors in the cultivation of Palm trees and setting up of Oil Palm Processing Mills to position Oil Palm as a means of revenue for many across generationswhile creating jobs and wealth for individuals, groups and the nation.
PalmRich Estate is an unusual concept of the company’s Land Rental Income initiative designed to encourage individuals or groups to own and earn from high yielding cash crop Estate, whilewaiting for development in the area that will ultimately transform the Estate to residential Estate over time.
A unit of the company’s land in Epe, Lagos, is part of the oil field PalmRich Estate. After signing a contract of sales with Assetrise powered by Flapcoop, the Palm tree setup is done using expertise and human resources at no extra cost from land purchase.
Investors earn up to 80 per cent profit if they decide to sell back to the company in 36 months. They could also decide to harvest Palm trees or rent to Assetrise with a management agreement to earn Rental Income per annum.
Other benefits of the PalmRich estate includes passive earnings of up to 50 per cent returns per annum from the Palm tree farm; 70 per cent value appreciation on the land per annum; maximum security of an Estate, among others. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/assetrise-ltd-promotes-asset-ownership-with-launch-of-assetbanking/ | 2022-09-15T12:30:09Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/assetrise-ltd-promotes-asset-ownership-with-launch-of-assetbanking/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Boys, 3 and 8, wounded in separate shootings minutes apart on Chicago's South Side
CHICAGO - Two young boys were wounded in shootings that took place less than 15 minutes apart Wednesday night on Chicago's South Side.
The 8-year-old was inside his home around 9:41 p.m. in the 3600 block of South Rhodes Avenue when gunfire erupted outside, according to Chicago police.
The boy was grazed on the leg but was not taken to a hospital for treatment, officials said.
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Just 13 minutes later, a 3-year-old boy was sleeping his residence in the 700 block of East 93rd Street when shots were fired outside in the Burnside neighborhood, police said.
A family member discovered the boy had been shot in the elbow. Police officers transported him to Comer Children's Hospital where he was listed in good condition, officials said.
No one is in custody in either of the shootings as area detectives investigate. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/boys-3-and-8-wounded-in-separate-shootings-minutes-apart-on-chicagos-south-side | 2022-09-15T12:34:58Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/boys-3-and-8-wounded-in-separate-shootings-minutes-apart-on-chicagos-south-side | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Champaign man charged with May 2021 murder of 47-year-old woman
CHICAGO - A man from Champaign, Ill. was charged with the murder of a 47-year-old woman who was killed in May 2021.
Granville Tyler, 62, was arrested in the 2300 block of West Springfield in Champaign on Tuesday.
Police say Tyler fatally stabbed a woman who was found dead on May 2, 2021, inside a home in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood.
Tyler is in court Thursday. No further information has been released at this time. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/champaign-man-charged-with-may-2021-murder-of-47-year-old-woman | 2022-09-15T12:35:04Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/champaign-man-charged-with-may-2021-murder-of-47-year-old-woman | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
How US changed in COVID's 1st years: Unmarried couples grew, remote work tripled
WASHINGTON - During the first two years of the pandemic, the number of people working from home in the United States tripled, home values grew and the percentage of people who spent more than a third of their income on rent went up, according to survey results released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Providing the most detailed data to date on how life changed in the U.S. under COVID-19, the bureau's American Community Survey 1-year estimates for 2021 showed that the share of unmarried couples living together rose, Americans became more wired and the percentage of people who identify as multiracial grew significantly. And in changes that seemed to directly reflect how the pandemic upended people's choices, fewer people moved, preschool enrollment dropped and commuters using public transportation was cut in half.
The data release offers the first reliable glimpse of life in the U.S. during the COVID-19 era, as the 1-year estimates from the 2020 survey were deemed unusable because of problems getting people to answer during the early months of the pandemic. That left a one-year data gap during a time when the pandemic forced major changes in the way people live their lives.
The survey typically relies on responses from 3.5 million households to provide 11 billion estimates each year about commuting times, internet access, family life, income, education levels, disabilities, military service and employment. The estimates help inform how to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending.
Response rates significantly improved from 2020 to 2021, "so we are confident about the data for this year," said Mark Asiala, the survey’s chief of statistical design.
RELATED: 10 largest US cities see population changes in COVID’s 1st full year, data shows
While the percentage of married-couple households stayed stable over the two years at around 47%, the percentage of households with unwed couples cohabiting rose to 7.2% in 2021 from 6.6% in 2019. Contrary to pop culture images of multigenerational family members moving in together during the pandemic, the average household size actually contracted from 2.6 to 2.5 people.
People also stayed put. More than 87% of those surveyed were living in the same house a year ago in 2021, compared to 86% in 2019. America became more wired as people became more reliant on remote learning and working from home. Households with a computer rose, from 92.9% in 2019 to 95% in 2021, and internet subscription services grew from 86% to 90% of households.
The jump in people who identify as multiracial — from 3.4% in 2019 to 12.6% in 2021 — and a decline in people identifying as white alone — from 72% to 61.2% — coincided with Census Bureau changes in coding race and Hispanic origin responses. Those adjustments were intended to capture more detailed write-in answers from participants. The period between surveys also overlapped with social justice protests following the killing of George Floyd, who was Black, by a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020 as well as attacks against Asian Americans. Experts say this likely lead some multiracial people who previously might have identified as a single race to instead embrace all of their background.
"The pattern is strong evidence of shifting self-identity. This is not new," said Paul Ong, a professor emeritus of urban planning and Asian American Studies at UCLA. "Other research has shown that racial or ethnic identity can change even over a short time period. For many, it is contextual and situational. This is particularly true for individuals with multiracial background."
RELATED: Most people infected with COVID-19 Omicron variant didn’t know it, study says
The estimates show the pandemic-related impact of closed theaters, shuttered theme parks and restaurants with limited seating on workers in arts, entertainment and accommodation businesses. Their numbers declined from 9.7% to 8.2% of the workforce, while other industries stayed comparatively stable. Those who were self-employed inched up to 6.1% from 5.8%.
Housing demand grew over the two years, as the percent of vacant homes dropped from 12.1% to 10.3%. The median value of homes rose from $240,500 to $281,400. The percent of people whose gross rent exceeded more than 30% of their income went from 48.5% to 51%. Historically, renters are considered rent-burdened if they pay more than that.
"Lack of housing that folks can afford relative to the wages they are paid is a continually growing crisis," said Allison Plyer, chief demographer at The Data Center in New Orleans.
Commutes to work dropped from 27.6 minutes to 25.6 minutes, as the percent of people working from home during a period of return-to-office starts and stops went from 5.7% in 2019 to almost 18% in 2021. Almost half of workers in the District of Columbia worked from home, the highest rate in the nation, while Mississippi had the lowest rate at 6.3% Over the two years, the percent of workers nationwide using public transportation to get to work went from 5% to 2.5%, as fears rose of catching the virus on buses and subways.
"Work and commuting are central to American life, so the widespread adoption of working from home is a defining feature of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Michael Burrows, a Census Bureau statistician. "With the number of people who primarily work from home tripling over just a two-year period, the pandemic has very strongly impacted the commuting landscape in the United States."
RELATED: Missouri town is center of nation's population, Census Bureau says | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/how-us-changed-covid-pandemic-unmarried-couples-remote-work-home-values | 2022-09-15T12:35:10Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/how-us-changed-covid-pandemic-unmarried-couples-remote-work-home-values | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tentative railway labor deal reached, averting strike, Biden says
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden said Thursday that a tentative railway labor agreement has been reached, averting a potentially devastating strike before the pivotal midterm elections.
Railroads and union representatives had been in negotiations for 20 hours at the Labor Department on Wednesday to hammer out a deal, as there was a risk of a strike starting on Friday that could have shut down rail lines across the country. Biden made a key phone call to Labor Secretary Marty Walsh at 9 p.m. as the talks were ongoing after Italian dinner had been brought in, according to a White House official insisting on anonymity.
What resulted from the back and forth was a tentative agreement that will go to union members for a vote after a post-ratification cooling off period of several weeks.
"These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned," Biden said. "The agreement is also a victory for railway companies who will be able to retain and recruit more workers for an industry that will continue to be part of the backbone of the American economy for decades to come."
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The threat of a shutdown had put Biden in a delicate spot politically. The Democratic president believes unions built the middle class, but he also knew a rail worker strike could damage the economy ahead of the midterms
That left him in the awkward position on Wednesday. He flew to Detroit, a stalwart of the labor movement, to espouse the virtues of unionization, while members of his administration went all-out to keep talks going in Washington between the railroads and unionized workers.
As the administration was trying to forge peace, United Auto Workers Local 598 member Ryan Buchalski introduced Biden at the Detroit auto show on Wednesday as "the most union- and labor-friendly president in American history" and someone who was "kickin’ ass for the working class." Buchalski harked back to the pivotal sitdown strikes by autoworkers in the 1930s.
In the speech that followed, Biden recognized that he wouldn’t be in the White House without the support of unions such as the UAW and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, saying autoworkers "brung me to the dance."
But without a deal among the 12 unions in talks back in Washington, Biden also knew that a stoppage might have begun as early as Friday that could halt shipments of food and fuel at a cost of $2 billion a day.
Far more was at stake than sick leave and salary bumps for 115,000 unionized railroad workers. The ramifications could have extended to control of Congress and to the shipping network that keeps factories rolling, stocks the shelves of stores and stitches the U.S. together as an economic power.
That’s why White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking aboard Air Force One as it jetted to Detroit on Wednesday, said a rail worker strike was "an unacceptable outcome for our economy and the American people." The rail lines and their workers’ representatives "need to stay at the table, bargain in good faith to resolve outstanding issues, and come to an agreement," she said.
Biden faced the same kind of predicament faced by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 with coal and Harry Truman in 1952 with steel — how do you balance the needs of labor and business in doing what’s best for the nation? Railways were so important during World War I that Woodrow Wilson temporarily nationalized the industry to keep goods flowing and prevent strikes.
Inside the White House, aides don’t see a contradiction between Biden’s devotion to unions and his desire to avoid a strike. Union activism has surged under Biden, as seen in a 56% increase in petitions for union representation with the National Labor Relations Board so far this fiscal year.
One person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss White House deliberations on the matter, said Biden’s mindset in approaching the debate was that he’s the president of the entire country, not just for organized labor.
With the economy still recovering from the supply chain disruptions of the pandemic, the president’s goal is to keep all parties so a deal could be finalized. The person said the White House saw a commitment to keep negotiating in good faith as the best way to avoid a shutdown while exercising the principles of collective bargaining that Biden holds dear.
Biden also knew a stoppage could worsen the dynamics that have contributed to soaring inflation and created a political headache for the party in power.
Eddie Vale, a Democratic political consultant and former AFL-CIO communications aide, said the White House pursued the correct approach at a perilous moment.
"No one wants a railroad strike, not the companies, not the workers, not the White House," he said. "No one wants it this close to the election."
Vale added that the sticking point in the talks was about "respect basically — sick leave and bereavement leave," issues Biden has supported in speeches and with his policy proposals.
Sensing political opportunity, Senate Republicans moved Wednesday to pass a law to impose contract terms on the unions and railroad companies to avoid a shutdown. Democrats, who control both chambers in Congress, blocked it.
"If a strike occurs and paralyzes food, fertilizer and energy shipments nationwide, it will be because Democrats blocked this bill," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
The economic impact of a potential strike was not lost on members of the Business Roundtable, a Washington-based group that represents CEOs. It issued its quarterly outlook for the economy Wednesday.
"We’ve been experiencing a lot of headwinds from supply chain problems since the pandemic started and those problems would be geometrically magnified," Josh Bolten, the group’s CEO, told reporters. "There are manufacturing plants around the country that likely have to shut down. ... There are critical products to keep our water clean."
The roundtable also had a meeting of its board of directors Wednesday. But Bolten said Lance Fritz, chair of the board’s international committee and the CEO of Union Pacific railroad, would miss it "because he’s working hard trying to bring the strike to a resolution."
By 5:05 a.m. Thursday, it was clear that the hard work across the government, unions and railway companied had paid off as Biden announced the deal, calling it "an important win for our economy and the American people." | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/tentative-railway-labor-deal-reached-averting-strike-biden-says | 2022-09-15T12:35:22Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/tentative-railway-labor-deal-reached-averting-strike-biden-says | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Michael Keaton Defends Batgirl, Isn’t Certain of His Future As Batman
One of the most intriguing aspects of HBO Max’s Batgirl movie was that it was slated to feature Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman in a mentor role for Leslie Grace’s Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. The explanation for the return of Keaton’s Batman is presumably in The Flash, but it may not matter anymore since Warner Bros. Discovery cancelled the $90 million dollar Batgirl movie in order to get a $20 million dollar tax write off. After winning his first Emmy Award for Dopesick, Keaton took the time to defend Batgirl from accusations that the film was cancelled over quality issues.
Via Deadline, when asked about Batgirl’s fate, Keaton replied “I think it was a business decision. It was a film, it was a good one.”
Keaton was subsequently asked when he would return as Batman on the big screen, and he admitted that he is unsure.
“I don’t know,” said Keaton. “I really have no idea.”
RELATED: Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Complains About the Batgirl Backlash
Keaton’s confusion is understandable considering that he shot a cameo appearance for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which was originally supposed to come out after The Flash. More recently, Ben Affleck filmed his own cameo for the Aquaman sequel. Presumably Affleck shot his scene because The Lost Kingdom had been moved ahead of The Flash. But now that The Lost Kingdom has been pushed back to December 25, 2023, it’s once again set after The Flash.
The Flash will hit theaters on June 23, 2023. That will also be Keaton’s next appearance as Batman, barring any additional changes.
Were you curious to see Keaton in the Batgirl movie? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Batman ’89
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Also. However. Regardless. Additionally. Also. However. Regardless. Additionally. Also. However. Regardless. Additionally. Also. However. Regardless. Additionally. Also. | https://www.superherohype.com/movies/519197-michael-keaton-defends-batgirl-isnt-certain-of-his-future-as-batman | 2022-09-15T12:36:01Z | superherohype.com | control | https://www.superherohype.com/movies/519197-michael-keaton-defends-batgirl-isnt-certain-of-his-future-as-batman | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The DWP has announced that its phone lines will be closed on September 19 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. The state funeral for her Majesty will take place this coming Monday.
Many businesses across the nation will be shut as a result of the national bank holiday declared for the event. The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed its phone lines will be closed all day.
Those with benefits or general queries for the DWP will need to ring Tuesday instead when the lines reopen. If anyone has an urgent query they should ring before the weekend.
Read more: 17C highs and sunny weather forecast in Kent for Queen's funeral
Announcing the decision on Twitter, the DWP said: "Changes to our opening times due to the bank holiday for the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
"Monday, September 19, offices and phone lines are closed. Tuesday, September 20, offices and phone lines are open."
The Government announced plans for the State Funeral online. It said: "This will allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate her reign, while marking the final day of the period of national mourning. This bank holiday will operate in the same way as other bank holidays, and there is no statutory entitlement to time off.
"Employers may include bank holidays as part of a worker’s leave entitlement. The bank holiday will take place across the United Kingdom."
Her Majesty's funeral is also set to break tradition as, unlike her husband’s funeral which was held at Windsor Castle, The Queen’s is to take place at Westminster Abbey. There will be a national two-minute silence held at midday. The funeral and committal service at St George's Chapel are to be broadcast.
The Queen is expected to receive a full state funeral which includes processing her coffin on a gun carriage to the abbey which is likely to be pulled by sailors using ropes rather than horses. It is understood members of the Royal Navy have been told to prepare to carry her coffin.
There will be a strict all-black dress code for members of the Royal Family, who are expected to follow behind the coffin. Military members will line the streets and join in the procession.
READ MORE:
The Royal Family and its links to colonialism and the slave trade
Mum heartbroken over fears of losing ‘dream shop’ as utility crisis tightens
Supermarkets, retailers, cinemas and attractions that will close for Queen's funeral bank holiday
How Kent County Council will spend £35 million on improving bus travel | https://www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/dwp-announces-offices-phone-lines-7589227 | 2022-09-15T12:37:54Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/dwp-announces-offices-phone-lines-7589227 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A unique crowdfunding response to help 50 people who are homeless or are at risk of being homeless get into housing and jobs has started in Tunbridge Wells. During the year-long pilot, 38 will start jobs, 15 will leave homelessness and 23 will avoid homelessness.
The exciting partnership set up to make this happen is between Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Beam, a social enterprise organisation. Beam is believed to be unique in the way it gives opportunities for homeless households to attract crowdfunding to help them "unblock the issues" they are facing.
The council said it could find no other provider offering such a service. Beam’s crowdfunding platform means help can be given towards the cost of things such as tools, training, transport, equipment and childcare.
Read more:The reality of growing poverty in Tunbridge Wells as foodbank left in 'desperate need'
Beam has links with more than 100 employer partners, which gives access to quality jobs and support. It has nearly 26,800 supporters who regularly donate, meaning campaigns are usually successful within weeks.
Now it is in place, the council and Beam can start fundraising and personalised support to help the people access employment and accommodation in the private rented sector. The council states in its report, without this new approach, it would have to support the homeless or those at risk of homeless in the more traditional way, such as paying deposits and advanced rent.
This approach aims to help people find a job and/or suitable housing, and become financially secure. Beam is based within inner London, but it has expanded its services into outer London regions, including Kent. Most of the cost of the project will be met by Rough Sleeper Initiative grants, and funding for each tenancy provided by the Homelessness Prevention Grant.
Some facts from the council report about its partnership for housing and employment support
- During 2021-22, the council accepted 485 applications from people experiencing homelessness or threatened with homelessness
- In 2021-22, of the 485 applicants experiencing homelessness or threatened with homelessness, 275 were not in employment, education or training
- Single people or childless couples made up 66 per cent of those who were in employment, education or training
'The lack of employment and difficulties accessing affordable private rented sector accommodation is a significant barrier of moving households out of temporary accommodation' said Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
As at June 30, there were 67 households in temporary accommodation, with 53 of these households (79 per cent) not being in any form of employment, education or training
The cost of the pilot to the council is £80,000, plus £900 additional private rented support service for each tenancy signed, which provides dedicated caseworkers. The total investment through the crowdfunding is expected to be in the region of £150,000 to support the 50 clients into employment and accommodation.
Let us know your thoughts on homelessness in Tunbridge Wells below. Join the conversation with other Kent readers here.
Read next:
Growing poverty in Tunbridge Wells as foodbank left in 'desperate need'
Life in one of Tunbridge Wells' most deprived neighbourhoods in cost of living crisis
All of the places in Kent where you can pay your respects to Queen Elizabeth II
New housing boss reveals only 36 homes for social rent delivered in Tunbridge Wells | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/response-tackle-homelessness-tunbridge-wells-7588708 | 2022-09-15T12:38:05Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/response-tackle-homelessness-tunbridge-wells-7588708 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New images have given a sneak peek into Canterbury’s latest addition to the city’s restaurant scene, set to open later this month. Las Iguanas is a Latin American focused restaurant and will be taking over the spot formerly occupied by Café Rouge in Longmarket.
With a menu centred around Mexican, Brazilian and Argentinian dishes, foodies will want to keep an eye out for the new restaurant when it opens on September 26. Café Rouge closed back in 2020 after its owner, The Casual Dining Group, went into administration.
The Casual Dining Group was then later bought up and rebranded as Big Table Group. While the restaurant chain has already proven incredibly popular across the country, with current expansion plans set to see the franchise operate 200 branches across the UK, this will in fact be the first of its kind within Kent.
Read more: Everything that will close in Kent for Queen's funeral bank holiday
Guests can look forward to a menu offering a range of beloved Latin American dishes including tacos, nachos, empanadas, burritos, fajitas and more. The chain has also seen praise for their Bottomless Brunch and extensive cocktail options.
Currently, Las Iguanas Canterbury is taking bookings ahead of their grand opening, further details of which can be found here. Announcing the new store on their website, Las Iguanas said: “We couldn't be more excited to announce that we're opening up another brand new restaurant, and this time we're bringing the party to Canterbury!
"Our restaurants take their influence from South American artisans with elements of Latin design and materials throughout, and Las Iguanas Canterbury will be no exception. We use beautiful tiles, warm woods, blown glass, vegan leather and features inspired by Latin street art to create exciting spaces to hang out in.”
Canterbury saw a number of other exciting new establishments find a home in the city over the summer period, from rooftop bars to a high-end steak house. Further details about Las Iguanas and their menu can be found here.
READ MORE:
The Royal Family and its links to colonialism and the slave trade
Mum heartbroken over fears of losing ‘dream shop’ as utility crisis tightens
Supermarkets, retailers, cinemas and attractions that will close for Queen's funeral bank holiday
How Kent County Council will spend £35 million on improving bus travel | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/food-drink/first-look-inside-new-canterbury-7588811 | 2022-09-15T12:38:15Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/food-drink/first-look-inside-new-canterbury-7588811 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Conyers man is dead and another is in jail after a confrontation that resulted from a Door Dash delivery being sent to the wrong address.
Fernando Soloman was shot and killed on Sept. 8 by Zaire Cortell Watson. According to the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, Soloman ordered a food delivery with Door Dash to his apartment, but it was sent to the wrong address. Soloman then went to retrieve the delivery, and Watson opened his door and shot him.
A deputy was called in response to the shooting, and when he arrived Soloman was on the ground bleeding. He was treated by EMS but died at the scene.
Watson was detained at the scene and told officers he shot Soloman after seeing him reach in his pocket. Watson is being charged with aggravated assault, murder, and felony murder.
According to the incident report, Watson’s father was at the scene and told officers he saw Soloman at the door by accessing his Ring camera via his phone and had called his son.
Soloman’s father was at the scene as well and told deputies he had arrived home to find his son shot. | https://rollingout.com/2022/09/14/how-a-doordash-delivery-led-to-a-man-being-killed/ | 2022-09-15T12:38:52Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/09/14/how-a-doordash-delivery-led-to-a-man-being-killed/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Nicki Minaj and Cardi B may very well despise each other, but there is one thing they have in common: they have dispatched their legal hounds to go after bloggers and social media influencers who allegedly traffick in mistruths about them.
Minaj, 39, has filed a lawsuit against Instagram influencer Marley Green, who calls herself “Nosey Heaux,” for allegedly posting a video recently that stated Minaj is addicted to cocaine.
According to the legal documents obtained by “TMZ,” Green also had this to say about Minaj’s one-year-old son: “Your baby is going to be a rapist, too.”
The post has been liked by more than 2000 people and retweeted 250 times.
This lawsuit comes just a couple of months after Cardi B, 29, won a multimillion-dollar judgement against her accuser, YouTube podcast host Tasha K, after she made scurrilous and defamatory statements on her show.
According to the entertainment publication, Minaj’s attorney Judd Burstein is making it clear how much they are going to try to take from Nosey Heauxe. They want more than just a $75K judgement against the infuencer.
#DropATear 💧 Hmmm 💭thinking if I should dish them out daily, weekly, orrrrr maybe even monthly… this Judd-Li folder is huge. 📂😝 LETS GO!!!!! 🫵🏽 r next 😘🍦 pic.twitter.com/d3Ox7sB30H
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 14, 2022 | https://rollingout.com/2022/09/15/why-nicki-minaj-is-suing-an-instagram-influencer/ | 2022-09-15T12:38:58Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/09/15/why-nicki-minaj-is-suing-an-instagram-influencer/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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As temperatures begin to fall and windy weather picks up, it can show on our delicate skin. Cooler weather can dry us out, especially on our faces. This can leave us looking more tired and aged. Skin appears more youthful when it’s hydrated. Plump skin can reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles and leave us with a special glow.
We can protect our skin from the elements and get back our healthy radiance with the help of a good facial moisturizer. When it comes to finding the perfect face cream, most of us want something that is quick-absorbing and provides a dewy glow that won’t leave us looking like we’ve just slathered a stick of butter across our cheeks.
It can be difficult to find a cream that treats both oily and dry skin, but there’s one on Amazon that does just that.
Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer
As you run this whipped plum cream gel into the skin, it begins to sink into pores, creating visibly plump, glowing skin.
Featuring Kakadu, Illawarra and Burdekin plums to brighten, polyglutamic acid to add moisture and boost the efficacy of hyaluronic acid, and ice willowherb extract to balance skin, this lightweight but still hydrating formula is designed to leave combo skin balanced.
The 50 ml $39.00 Glow Recipe Plum Plump cream works well on most skin types to combat dryness or dullness and loss of firmness and elasticity. To use, rub a dime-size amount onto clean skin morning and night. If you use serum, apply this afterward. Then gently pat the face until the cream is fully absorbed.
Users like that it didn’t leave skin feeling greasy or slick. We like that this vegan and cruelty-free product is also free from parabens, mineral oil, drying alcohols, phthalates, synthetic dyes and fragrances. The glass jar is also refillable. You can purchase plastic tub replacements that simply pop in.
With an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, the Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Face Cream comes highly rated.
Maggie W. declared it the “best hydrating cream ever” and said it immediately remedied her dry skin patches around her nose.
“The elasticity in my skin has improved and my face has never felt so hydrated. Not oily at all or greasy. It’s literally perfect,” she said.
Reviewer Kimberly P. found it to have a pleasant scent.
“A lightweight cream that glides across the skin. Makeup can be applied over it without feeling heavy or thick. Love this product,” she said.
How do you keep your skin balanced throughout the seasons?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.fox17online.com/glow-recipe-plum-plump-moisturizing-face-cream | 2022-09-15T12:49:33Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/glow-recipe-plum-plump-moisturizing-face-cream | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Prior was 0.0% Ex autos -0.3% vs +0.1% expected Prior ex autos +0.4% Control group 0.0% vs +0.5% expected Prior control group +0.8% (revised to +0.4%) Ex autos and gas +0.3% vs +0.7% prior Gasoline stations -4.2% m/m vs -2.3% prior Retail sales % y/y unadjusted for inflation +9.1% vs +10.1% prior Sales y/y ex gasoline stations unadjusted for inflation
Inflation
Inflation is defined as a quantitative measure of the rate in which the average price level of goods and services in an economy or country increases over a period of time. It is the rise in the general level of prices where a given currency effectively buys less than it did in prior periods.In terms of assessing the strength or currencies, and by extension foreign exchange, inflation or measures of it are extremely influential. Inflation stems from the overall creation of money. This money is measured by the level of the total money supply of a specific currency, for example the US dollar, which is constantly increasing. However, an increase in the money supply does not necessarily mean that there is inflation. What leads to inflation is a faster increase in the money supply in relation to the wealth produced (measured with GDP). As such, this generates pressure of demand on a supply that does not increase at the same rate. The consumer price index then increases, generating inflation.How Does Inflation Affect Forex?The level of inflation has a direct impact on the exchange rate between two currencies on several levels.This includes purchasing power parity, which attempts to compare different purchasing powers of each country according to the general price level. In doing so, this makes it possible to determine the country with the most expensive cost of living.The currency with the higher inflation rate consequently loses value and depreciates, while the currency with the lower inflation rate appreciates on the forex market.Interest rates are also impacted. Inflation rates that are too high push interest rates up, which has the effect of depreciating the currency on foreign exchange. Conversely, inflation that is too low (or deflation) pushes interest rates down, which has the effect of appreciating the currency on the forex market.
Inflation is defined as a quantitative measure of the rate in which the average price level of goods and services in an economy or country increases over a period of time. It is the rise in the general level of prices where a given currency effectively buys less than it did in prior periods.In terms of assessing the strength or currencies, and by extension foreign exchange, inflation or measures of it are extremely influential. Inflation stems from the overall creation of money. This money is measured by the level of the total money supply of a specific currency, for example the US dollar, which is constantly increasing. However, an increase in the money supply does not necessarily mean that there is inflation. What leads to inflation is a faster increase in the money supply in relation to the wealth produced (measured with GDP). As such, this generates pressure of demand on a supply that does not increase at the same rate. The consumer price index then increases, generating inflation.How Does Inflation Affect Forex?The level of inflation has a direct impact on the exchange rate between two currencies on several levels.This includes purchasing power parity, which attempts to compare different purchasing powers of each country according to the general price level. In doing so, this makes it possible to determine the country with the most expensive cost of living.The currency with the higher inflation rate consequently loses value and depreciates, while the currency with the lower inflation rate appreciates on the forex market.Interest rates are also impacted. Inflation rates that are too high push interest rates up, which has the effect of depreciating the currency on foreign exchange. Conversely, inflation that is too low (or deflation) pushes interest rates down, which has the effect of appreciating the currency on the forex market.
Read this Term +29.3% vs +7.8% prior The headline is strong but it gives the wrong impression. Auto sales carried an otherwise medicre month. The control group was meaningfully weaker than expected and the prior gain was cut in half. Remember that retail sales are unadjusted for inflation so if you go back to March, there's been very little growth in nominal spending while inflation has continued to ratchet. That leaves real spending in negative territory.
What strikes me in this data was that sales at gasoline stations were so high. Falling prices should have curbed spending more but it held up which points to people driving more but that doesn't make sense given some of the gasoline demand numbers we've seen.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-august-advance-retail-sales-03-vs-00-expected-20220915/ | 2022-09-15T12:51:57Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-august-advance-retail-sales-03-vs-00-expected-20220915/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
- Prior was -1.4% (revised to -1.5%)
- Export prices -1.6% vs -1.2% expected
- Prior export prices -3.3% m/m (revised to -3.7%)
This is the lowest tier inflation reading. It was higher than expected but when factoring in the revision, it's a negligible miss. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-august-import-price-index-10-mm-vs-12-expected-20220915/ | 2022-09-15T12:52:03Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-august-import-price-index-10-mm-vs-12-expected-20220915/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
- Prior week 222K revised to 218K
- initial jobless claims comes in stronger than expected at 213K vs. 226K estimate
- 4 week moving average 224.0K vs. 232.0K revised
- continuing claims 1.403M vs. 1.475M estimate. Prior week revised down to 1.401M from 1.473M previously reported
- 4 week moving average 1.413M vs 1.421M last week
- The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 3 were in Oklahoma (+1,935), Pennsylvania (+1,069), Kentucky (+824), Ohio (+659), and Indiana (+610),
- the largest decreases were in New York (-3,662), Michigan (-2,132), Connecticut (-1,285), Alabama (-314), and Virginia (-310).
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-initial-jobless-claims-226k-vs-226k-estimate-20220915/ | 2022-09-15T12:52:15Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-initial-jobless-claims-226k-vs-226k-estimate-20220915/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Prior was +6.2
- New orders -17.6 versus -5.1 last month
- Employment +12.0 versus +24.1 last month
- Six month capex +4.6 vs +18.0 last month
- Six month outlook --3.9 vs -10.6 last month
- Prices paid 29.8 versus 43.6 last month
The prices paid index was the lowest since Dec 2020. The worry here is that new orders are falling as well, raising the odds of a slowdown at the same time that prices are already falling. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-sept-philly-fed-business-index-99-vs-28-expected-20220915/ | 2022-09-15T12:52:22Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-sept-philly-fed-business-index-99-vs-28-expected-20220915/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The CHF is the strongest and the GBP is the weakest as the North American session begins. The inflation data is done for the week with the CPI worse and the PPI about as expected. However, there is a data dump today with 8:30 releases including retail sales, weekly claims, Philly Fed Manufacturing, Empire manufacturing, import and export prices. Later capacity utilization/industrial production and Business inventories will be released (at 9:15 and 10 AM respectively). Looking to tomorrow the Michigan sentiment will be released Next week the Fed will meet with expectation of 75 basis point hike as they move to more restrictive policy in an effort to stamp out inflation.
In other news, geopolitical risk is high as Xi and Putin meet in Kazakhstan. China is supporting Russian oil sales, but so far has not been a weapons supplier to their land advance in Ukraine. China has the same land advance dreams in Taiwan.
The "Merge" was completed for ethereum which is intended to vastly reduce the energy consumption. Ethereum is still down on the day by about -1%.
A rail strike was averted as parties came to a tentative agreement before the Friday deadline. Amtrak was to shut down service today, but it seems that may have been averted (or perhaps will only be a one day aversion).
Stocks are little changed trading above and below unchanged in premarket trading. US yields are higher. Oil is lower
Looking at the market prices:
- spot gold is trading down -$10.78 or -0.64% at $1685.98.
- Spot silver is down -$0.24 or -1.21% at $19.37
- WTI crude oil is trading down $1.21 at $87.27
- the price bitcoin is trading at $20,128 after trading as low as $19,623 yesterday. The low yesterday bounced just ahead of a swing area going back to August 28 through September 4 between $19,526 and $19,586.
In the premarket for US stocks:
- The Dow industrial average is up 5.9 points after yesterdays gain of 30.12 points
- The S&P futures are implying a decline of 7.5 points after yesterdays 13.34 point rise
- The NASDAQ index is implying a decline of -35 points after yesterdays 86.10 point rise
In the European equity markets, the major indices are trading mixed:
- German DAX, -0.1%
- France CAC -0.4%
- UK's FTSE 100 +0.3%
- Spain's Ibex +0.7%
- Italy's FTSE MIB +0.3%
In the US debt market, yields are higher across the board:
in the European debt market, benchmark 10 year yields are also moving to the upside in trading today: | https://www.forexlive.com/technical-analysis/the-chf-is-the-strongest-and-the-gbp-is-the-weakest-as-the-na-session-begins-20220915/ | 2022-09-15T12:52:28Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/technical-analysis/the-chf-is-the-strongest-and-the-gbp-is-the-weakest-as-the-na-session-begins-20220915/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The White House announced early Thursday morning a tentative deal has been reached between railroad operators and labor unions to avoid a strike.
The White House and others had warned that a rail strike would have caused significant disruptions in the supply chain.
The agreement came after talks went through the night.
“It is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America’s families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years,” President Joe Biden said. “These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned.”
Rail unions said they would have gone on strike at end of the day Friday had an agreement not been reached. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/biden-administration-announces-deal-to-avert-rail-strike | 2022-09-15T12:55:50Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/biden-administration-announces-deal-to-avert-rail-strike | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday flew two planes of immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, escalating a tactic by Republican governors to draw attention to what they consider to be the Biden administration's failed border policies.
Flights to the upscale island enclave in Massachusetts were part of an effort to “transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations,” said Taryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director.
While DeSantis' office didn't elaborate on their legal status, many migrants who cross the border illegally from Mexico are temporarily shielded from deportation after being freed by U.S. authorities to pursue asylum in immigration court — as allowed under U.S law and international treaty — or released on humanitarian parole.
Massachusetts’ Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, said he was in touch with local officials and that short-term shelter was being provided.
State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, who represents Martha’s Vineyard, tweeted: “Our island jumped into action putting together 50 beds, giving everyone a good meal, providing a play area for the children, making sure people have the healthcare and support they need. We are a community that comes together to support immigrants.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began busing thousands of migrants to Washington in April and recently added New York and Chicago as destinations. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has been busing migrants to Washington since May. Passengers must sign waivers that the free trips are voluntary.
DeSantis, who is mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, appears to be taking the strategy to a new level by using planes and choosing Martha's Vineyard, whose harbor towns that are home to about 15,000 people are far less prepared than New York or Washington for large influxes of migrants.
The move is likely to delight DeSantis' supporters who deride Democrat-led, immigrant-friendly “sanctuary” cities and anger critics who say he is weaponizing migrants as pawns for political gain.
The Florida Legislature appropriated $12 million to transport “illegal immigrants” from the state consistent with federal law, Fenske said.
“States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as 'sanctuary states' and support for the Biden Administration’s open border policies,” Fenske said. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/florida-flies-illegal-immigrants-to-marthas-vineyard | 2022-09-15T12:55:52Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/florida-flies-illegal-immigrants-to-marthas-vineyard | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Don't Waste Your Money may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
Life is short, and scrubbing toilets is one of those pesky tasks we could all benefit from doing less of. When it comes to buying a toilet cleaner, either a tool or solution, it’s best to find something that works quickly, efficiently and effectively. It’s even better when it’s chemical-free and economical.
Enter the Powerstone Pumice Stone for toilet bowls. It is a remarkable wand that lets you rub away hard water stains and use it repeatedly.
For only $12.99, this odorless pumice stone for toilet bowls lets you clean without any chemicals. Because of its sturdy, easy-to-grip handle is made from recycled materials and the item itself is reusable, it’s also eco-friendly.
The wand measures 9.5 by 1.5 by 1.5 inches and blasts through hard water rings, iron, calcium and limescale deposits and doesn’t leave behind any residue. It’s perfect for scrubbing sinks, tile, tubs and toilet bowls — anything with a porcelain or ceramic surface. Just rub the wand back and forth.
You can buy additional wands to tackle bathtubs, sinks, tile and grout. It’s great for outdoor items like swimming pools and grills — anything that’s got baked-on food, grime or dirt like metal gardening supplies or rusted workshop tools. (Just run a small test area to determine scratch resistance before you clean the item for the first time.) It’s already affordable as a single, but two-packs are available for $15.29.
With more than 23,200 global ratings and an average score of 4.5 out of 5 stars, most users raved about how well the pumice stone for toilets cleaned their bowls, especially if they had well water, which can leave behind mineral deposits. Several mentioned it “worked like a charm.”
Reviewer Ken was amazed this was the first time he’d ever heard about using a pumice stone as a cleaner.
“I used to drain the water out and hand scrub the stains, but no more! It literally takes seconds to clean my toilets now! I am thoroughly impressed.”
Another reviewer used it on her toilet and shower glass doors and was equally wowed.
“I was afraid to buy something like this for my toilet afraid it would scratch the finish. It does not scratch but it does clean! I was desperate to get the hard water stains and buildup off my shower glass and this worked!” She added that her glass has never looked so clear.
Some reviewers did mention that it wasn’t a miracle-worker on their hard water stains, but for the price, it seems worth trying.
We like that the Powerstone Pumice Stone includes an air-vented storage case so you can simply rinse the stone and then stow it away.
What do you use to clean your toilet? Do you think the pumice stone could do this dirty job for you?
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for product reviews and other great ideas to save and make money. | https://www.wtxl.com/pumice-stone-toilet-removes-stains-reusable | 2022-09-15T12:55:54Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/pumice-stone-toilet-removes-stains-reusable | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Landrum, S.C. (WSPA)- The Hogback Mountain Day festival has been rescheduled and is set to take place Saturday, September 17.
The event was rained out the weekend before.
Organizers with the Landrum Area Business Association said you could start off your day at the farmers market at 8 AM.
Produce vendors will have their harvest to sell until noon.
The event is followed by a Oneblood blood drive, mountain market on Trade Avenue, a petting zoo and more.
Retro 78 bluegrass band and food trucks will provide live music throughout the day. The festival is family-friendly with kids’ rides free of charge and a petting zoo. | https://www.wspa.com/news/hogback-mountain-day-rescheduled-and-ready-to-showcase-local-vendors-september-17/ | 2022-09-15T13:00:38Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/hogback-mountain-day-rescheduled-and-ready-to-showcase-local-vendors-september-17/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DES MOINES, IOWA (WHO) – A GoFundMe account created for the 17-year-old Iowa teen who pleaded guilty to killing her rapist has raised more than $200,000 in fewer than 24 hours.
Pieper Lewis was 15 years old when she stabbed and killed 37-year-old Zachary Brooks after, she says, he repeatedly raped her.
She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury. She faced up to 20 years in prison, but a judge on Tuesday handed her a deferred sentence that allows her to serve five years of probation, perform community service and get counseling. If she meets the terms of her probation, she won’t serve another day behind bars.
However, her conviction carries with it an automatic requirement by law that she pay $150,000 in restitution to her victim’s family. Her attorney argued forcefully that it should be considered cruel and unusual punishment to force her to pay her attacker’s family, but the judge said his hands are tied by the law.
Leland Schipper, one of Lewis’ former teachers, launched a GoFundMe account after her sentencing to seek help paying the fee. In fewer than 24 hours, the account exceeded that $150,000 goal. Schipper raised the fundraising goal to $200,000 on Wednesday morning. The account crossed that goal by 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.
“Pieper does not deserve to be finically burdened for the rest of her life because the state of Iowa wrote a law that fails to give judges any discretion as to how it is applied. This law doesn’t make sense in many cases, but in this case, it’s morally unjustifiable,” Schipper wrote on the fundraising page. “A child who was raped, under no circumstances, should owe the rapist’s family money.”
Schipper said in addition to paying the restitution fee, the funds will be used to pay an additonal $4,000 restitution to the state, “remove financial barriers” should Lewis want to go to college or start a business, and also to give her the “financial capacity to explore ways to help other young victims of sex crimes.”
“As the Donations have increased, I am overjoyed with the prospect of removing this burden from Pieper,” Schipper wrote.
As of Thursday morning, the total had reached more than $330,000 with over 8,600 individual donations made to the account. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/fund-for-iowa-teen-who-killed-rapist-raises-200k-in-under-24-hours/ | 2022-09-15T13:00:44Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/fund-for-iowa-teen-who-killed-rapist-raises-200k-in-under-24-hours/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Scotland Street Volume 16, Chapter 14: The Reel of the Fifty-First
The wedding reception at the Mansfield Traquair Centre lasted until eight o’clock that night. By that time, the dancing had been going on for three hours more or less without interruption, the ceilidh band gamely working its way through its repertoire, and the guests fortifying themselves against exhaustion with draughts of chilled lager, drams of whisky, or cups of tea. Jackets were removed, sporrans transferred to the sides of waists, and heeled shoes abandoned on the floor. It seemed to Domenica, who, with Angus, sat out two dances in three, that some sort of mass catharsis was taking place – that reserves of pent-up energy, long suppressed in the sedate climate of Edinburgh, were being released with sudden and profound abandon. So might dervishes whirl to induce a state of heightened spiritual awareness – finding, as did these dancers, a sense of communion with something just beyond their immediate surroundings.
At eight, Big Lou caught the eye of the leader of the band, and nodded. She had discussed with him the point at which the party might end, and he was certainly ready. Fat Bob, though, was keen for a final dance – just one more Gay Gordons, he said, and then the curtain could come down. The band leader smiled, and agreed. He announced the dance. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Bob and Lou have given us all a wonderful party, but every party has to come to an end. So take your partners, please, for a final Gay Gordons.”
The guests paired off, willingly, or stoically, according to the extent of their enthusiasm for Scottish country dancing. Angus rose to his feet with a sigh that he quickly suppressed under Domenica’s look of disapproval; Matthew, who liked dancing and who, as a teenager, had undergone long hours of lessons in Scottish country dance, needed no encouragement to lead Elspeth to the floor; Bertie, who looked about for an escape route but found none, was dragged onto the floor by Olive, while Ranald Braveheart Macpherson was similarly press-ganged by Pansy.
“You just pay attention to me, Ranald Braveheart Macpherson,” warned Pansy. “I’ll show you the steps – all you have to do is follow them. I’ll lead. You just do what I say.”
Ranald glared at her. “That’s not the way it works, Pansy,” he said. “I’m seven, remember – I’m not stupid. I was watching the Gay Gordons earlier on. The man takes the lady’s hand and twirls it round before they do that sort of round and round dance. I saw it.”
Pansy shook her head, almost in pity. “Oh, you are so yesterday, Ranald. That’s not how it works these days. Men do what women say in dances. That’s what happens these days – sorry, but that’s where we are.”
Ranald looked about him. He could refuse to dance. He could just sit down. Pansy thought she could tell him what to do, but she could not force him to dance the Gay Gordons.
“You can’t force me,” he muttered. “I don’t have to dance the Gay Gordons if I don’t want to.”
Pansy glared at him. “You’d better be very, very careful, Ranald Braveheart Macpherson,” she said.
Ranald swallowed hard. It was difficult to stand up to Pansy, who was almost as bad as Olive; but you had to do it, he decided, because otherwise life in Edinburgh would become unbearable.
“No,” said Ranald. “I’d prefer not to dance, Pansy.”
Pansy’s eyes narrowed. “I’m giving you one last warning, Ranald,” she said.
Ranald hesitated. Bertie was already on the floor with Olive, and Pansy was a formidable foe. He sighed. There would be other opportunities to take a stand.
On the other side of the room, seated around one of the smaller tables, two middle-aged couples had decided to sit the final dance out. They had danced some of the earlier dances, including a demanding Duke of Perth and a Reel of the Fifty-First, but now they gave the appearance of being somewhat dispirited.
They had been invited because they were regular customers of Big Lou’s in her coffee bar, and when she had found that she had a few spare places at the wedding, she had decided to include them on the list. The men were her customers – their wives had been in the coffee bar once or twice, but she barely knew them. The men were, of course, Mackie McIntyre and his old friend, Iain McDonald, the Chairman and Secretary respectively of the Association of Scottish Nudists, a national organisation with its headquarters in nearby Moray Place, one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious addresses. The Association occupied two floors on the north side of the elegant Georgian crescent, and enjoyed sweeping views over the gorge of the Water of Leith below and, in the distance, beyond the Firth, the blue hills of Fife.
Mackie was married to Jane, a cookery writer, and Iain was married to Catriona, a veterinary surgeon who specialized in skin diseases in West Highland Terriers. All four of them were prominent naturists, having met in the movement, Mackie and Jane at a meeting of the International Nudist Federation in Geneva, and Iain and Catriona at the Scottish and Irish Nudist Games in County Wexford.
Now Mackie watched the couples assembling for the final Gay Gordons. “It’s not quite the same,” he remarked, a tinge of sadness in his voice.
“The band’s been good,” said Iain.
Catriona agreed. “Really good,” she said. “That fiddler is wonderful.”
“Yes,” said Mackie. “But what I mean is that the dancing hasn’t been as much fun as it was in Largs. Remember when we all went down to Largs, to that campground, and we had that dance on the last day? Remember that? We did an eightsome together with the Sinclairs and . . .” he searched his memory, “that couple from Melrose. Remember? They’d never been to a naturist gathering before. He wanted to wear a sporran, but was persuaded otherwise.”
“Everyone has his or her way of coping with initial awkwardness,” said Catriona.
Catriona nodded. “And the weather was glorious. And we danced outside on the grass.”
“Such happiness,” mused Mackie. “Those days seemed to glow, didn’t they?”
“The past has that aura,” Iain said. He paused before continuing, “Do you think Scotland has changed? Have we lost the innocence we once had?”
“Was it innocence?” asked Jane.
“I’m not sure,” said Mackie. “Maybe it was. But the point is that we have always been a country where people have felt happy within themselves. They may not have had much, but they felt love for their country and that made them happy. It’s very curious.”
“Not curious,” said Iain. “Clothing is the metaphor here. Clothing obscures the spirit underneath. Closing is an addition. Take your clothes off, and how do you feel? Liberated. If only more people in Scotland would take their clothes off.”
“Oh, we all know that,” said Mackie.
They looked at one another, and for a few moments a current of sympathy flowed between them. It was sympathy that meant so much, thought Mackie. David Hume and Adam Smith had explained that in their system of moral philosophy. Sympathy. And if you were naked, sympathy was so much easier to feel, because sympathy needed no clothing, no artifice, no disguise.
© Alexander McCall Smith, 2022. Love in a Time of Bertie (Scotland Street Volume 15) is in bookshops now. The Enigma of Garlic will be published in November by Polygon, price £17.99 | https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/scotland-street-volume-16-chapter-14-the-reel-of-the-fifty-first-3841078 | 2022-09-15T13:00:55Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/scotland-street-volume-16-chapter-14-the-reel-of-the-fifty-first-3841078 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cost of living: Annual bonus threat as John Lewis suffers first-half loss of £99m
John Lewis Partnership has slumped to a £99 million first-half loss as it said it chose to “forgo” profit to help colleagues and customers cope with the cost-of-living crisis.
The employee-owned group, whose workers are known as “partners”, announced a £500 one-off payment to full-time staff, with a pro-rata amount for those working part-time. It also said it was increasing the entry level pay by 4 per cent for employees within the group - which will cost it £10m over the second half as part of a £45m support package.
But the measures, as well as efforts to rein in prices for customers despite “unprecedented” hikes in its own costs, are taking their toll on the retail giant’s bottom line.
The pre-tax losses for the six months to July 30 compare with a smaller deficit of £29m a year earlier.
The results showed that like-for-like sales lifted 3 per cent year-on-year in the department store business, which includes sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but fell 5 per cent in Waitrose stores.
The group cautioned over a “highly uncertain” end to the year - including the peak festive period - as the cost crunch impacts consumer spending. It also warned employees that it would need a “substantial strengthening” of its performance over the second half of the year to put it on track to pay out an annual staff bonus.
Dame Sharon White, chairman of John Lewis Partnership, said: “We have made a conscious choice to forgo some of our profit to provide more support to partners and more support to some of our suppliers and customers as well.
“Given what we have seen with energy bills and direct debits starting to land, we felt it was the right thing to do.”
She added: “No-one could have predicted the scale of the cost-of-living crisis that has materialised, with energy prices and inflation rising ahead of anyone's expectations. As a business, we have faced unprecedented cost inflation across grocery and general merchandise.”
The one-off payment will benefit all of the group’s 76,000 workers, of which around 60 per cent are full-time and 40 per cent part-time.
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article. | https://www.scotsman.com/business/cost-of-living-annual-bonus-threat-as-john-lewis-suffers-first-half-loss-of-ps99m-3844132 | 2022-09-15T13:01:14Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/business/cost-of-living-annual-bonus-threat-as-john-lewis-suffers-first-half-loss-of-ps99m-3844132 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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