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...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO
6 PM MDT TUESDAY...
* WHAT...Snow and blowing snow expected. Total snow accumulations
of 1 to 3 inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph.
* WHERE...South Lincoln County, Rock Springs and Green River,
Flaming Gorge and East Sweetwater County.
* WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 6 PM Tuesday. The bulk of the
snow is expected to occur through 3 AM Tuesday.
* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions and areas of
blowing snow.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The combination of snow and blowing snow
could reduce visibility to around a tenth of a mile.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Slow down and use caution while traveling.
The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can
be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
&&
New head coach Matt Robles has flipped the switch with the Green River High School girls’ soccer program. The Lady Wolves picked up a pair of victories last week.
SWEETWATER COUNTY – New head coach Matt Robles has flipped the switch with the Green River High School girls’ soccer program.
The Lady Wolves picked up a pair of victories last week.
On Tuesday, April 5, the Lady Wolves defeated Star Valley High School, 3-2. Senior forward Ellie Kettering had a hat trick for the squad on their way to victory.
On Friday, April 8, Green River blanked the Evanston High School Lady Red Devils. The Lady Wolves won, 2-0, with the help from a goal from Kettering and a goal from freshman Claira Kuball.
With the victories, the Lady Wolves are 3-2 overall this season and 2-1 in Class 4A West Conference play.
In just one month of the soccer season, the Lady Wolves already have more wins than the squad totaled in 2021. They are currently tied for fourth in the conference standings with the Rock Springs High School Lady Tigers.
The Lady Tigers had an open week, which means that they had no games scheduled.
Below are the current standings of each conference, along with the teams’ overall records followed by their conference record. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/lady-wolves-improve-to-3-2-on-the-season/article_bfab29e7-8864-5140-b523-f9e62fd918fa.html | 2022-04-11T20:15:51Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/lady-wolves-improve-to-3-2-on-the-season/article_bfab29e7-8864-5140-b523-f9e62fd918fa.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
I am neutral on CVS Health (CVS) as its strong competitive positioning and steady growth are offset by an unappealing valuation and political and regulatory risks surrounding the company.
CVS originated as a massive retail pharmacy and today owns over 9,900 stores. However, in recent years it has transitioned itself into a full-service healthcare company with a recent inclusion of a leading health insurance business.
In this article, I will lay out three reasons to like CVS stock, along with a big risk that keeps me from being bullish on the stock.
Steady Growth Driven by Diversified Business Model
CVS is no longer a high-growth company but does continue to generate steady growth year after year. In 2021, its revenue grew 8.6%, and analysts expect it to grow revenue at a 6% CAGR over the next five years. Meanwhile, earnings per share saw impressive 12% year-over-year growth in 2021, and analysts forecast that it will grow at a 6.5% CAGR over the next half-decade.
In Q4 2021, CVS grew revenue 10% year-over-year and adjusted earnings per share grew 52% year-over-year. However, part of the growth was due to a short-term boost from COVID-19 vaccination and testing services at the retail pharmacy stores. In the coming years, this tailwind will likely subside meaningfully, so growth will likely slow to levels in-line with analyst forecasts.
Leading Healthcare Company
CVS enjoys a competitive position in the healthcare industry due to its attractive combination as a leading medical insurer and pharmacist. This gives it network effects, economies of scale, and name brand competitive advantages over smaller, less integrated competitors.
Its scale should also give it some pricing power with suppliers and enable it to continue opportunistically adding further services and bolt-on acquisitions to drive additional growth.
Its retail pharmacies also benefit from being in prime real estate locations. This means that many customers will choose CVS simply based on its convenient proximity to other popular locations and may also purchase additional items at its stores given the convenience provided, further padding CVS’ profits.
Unimpressive Valuation
CVS stock does not look particularly attractively priced when looking at its valuation multiples in a historical light.
Its forward EV/EBITDA ratio currently stands at 10.3x compared to its five-year average of 8.9x, and its forward price-to-normalized-earnings ratio is 12.88x compared to its five-year average of 10.40x. Its forward price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of 14.1x is also quite high relative to its five-year average of 9.9x.
CVS also pays out a dividend, which is still expected to grow in the next half-decade. However, given that interest rates are soaring, the current 2.0% dividend yield is relatively unimpressive, especially when compared to its five-year average yield of 2.87%.
According to Wall Street analysts, CVS has earned a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 10 Buy ratings, three Hold Ratings, and zero Sell ratings in the past three months. Additionally, the average CVS Health price target of $118.92 puts the upside potential at 13.9%.
Summary and Conclusions
CVS is a leading healthcare company that combines a leading health insurance business with a leading retail pharmacy business. Each business on its own would enjoy substantial competitive advantages, and together, they make the company even stronger.
While the company seems to be past its highest growth days, it continues to generate steady growth as it exploits numerous opportunities across its diversified business model. If it can continue to extract synergies and leverage its competitive advantages, CVS should be able to enjoy solid growth for many years to come.
Additionally, Wall Street analysts are overwhelmingly bullish on the stock, and the average analyst price target implies that the stock could see decent upside over the next year. That said, when comparing its current valuation multiples to its historical averages, the stock looks overvalued at present.
On top of that, CVS does have some risks. These include uncertainty about the future of the U.S. healthcare system as the political debate about how much government intervention should be enacted to make it more affordable continues to heat up.
Given that CVS is a major health insurer, it could potentially severely harm the company’s profitability depending on the details of an eventual political solution.
The most radical proposed policy solution, which was proposed by some candidates in the most recent Presidential election, would have eliminated the private healthcare insurance industry. This would have dealt an enormous blow to CVS.
Given these risks and the relatively unappealing valuation for CVS stock, investors might want to wait for a larger margin of safety before adding shares.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/cvs-health-a-healthy-stock-with-some-risks/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:03Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/cvs-health-a-healthy-stock-with-some-risks/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Shares of fallen chip maker Intel (INTC) have fallen considerably over the past few quarters.
With the stock looking to hit at a multi-year level of support at around the $45 per-share range, questions linger as to what the firm’s next course will be as it attempts to move forward with its plan to retake the lead in processors.
Undoubtedly, it’s hard to play in the chip space if you’ve fallen behind by so much. With new rivals, including the likes of Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT), building their own chips, Intel’s glory days seem to be in the rear-view mirror.
Even if the company can get back up to speed with its current architecture roadmap, the total addressable market could shrink as more firms look to in-house internal hardware components. Indeed it’s not a significant trend in the tech space for a firm that once was vital in the hardware space.
There’s never been a better time to reduce one’s reliance on other firms’ supply chains. Simply put, the next five years seem very uncertain, as the company risks falling victim to rising competition that looks to have been given a bit of a jolt by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am neutral.
Historic Turnaround Effort
Though Intel is still in the early innings of its multi-year plan to retake the lead in the chip space, its newly appointed CEO Patrick Gelsinger already appears to be raking it in, with a whopping ~$180-million pay package in 2021. That’s a rich sum, especially early on in the man’s tenure.
If Gelsinger can steer Intel stock back to its former glory, I’m sure investors will be happy with Gelsinger’s big payday. Until then, time is of the essence for the firm whose stock has underperformed the S&P 500.
With shares of INTC falling into single-digit earnings multiple territory, the name is likely to gain the attention of technically inclined value investors.
Of course, it’s hard to evaluate the company as it navigates between the line of value and value trap. For that reason, I’m hesitant to load up on shares until the company can share updates on its long-term investment plan.
How Intel Can Retake the Lead
Intel is still in the race, though its valuation would suggest otherwise. At writing, Intel stock trades at a mere 9.7 times trailing earnings and 2.5 times sales.
With Apple’s M2 line of chips on the horizon, it’s clear that Apple is looking to change the game. It’s raising the bar on per-watt performance. So much so that it could make its last generation of chips look bad.
At this juncture, I think it’s incredibly unlikely that a Mac computer will have anything other than an Apple-made ARM-based chip. The company has invested way too much, and every year, the M-series could increase the gap between its own performance and that of its peers.
Despite losing its spot in the latest and greatest Apple-powered computers, Intel still has a world of share to spread its wings in the PC market. Intel is spending considerable sums to close the gap with its rival AMD (AMD). The company knows it needs to sprint to get ahead, which is a major reason it recently decided to pour €33 billion into European R&D.
A commoditized industry is at risk of becoming more commoditized, in my books. Just how much of a discount is warranted on the old players like Intel remains a mystery for now.
Still, I think a lot of the negativity and doubt surrounding Intel’s future is already mostly baked into the share price. A single-digit P/E multiple leaves a low bar ahead of a firm that’s more than capable of surprising.
In any case, the stakes are high in the semi market, but so too are the potential rewards, as various trends like IoT (Internet of Things) fuel the appetite for processing power across a broader range of devices.
Wall Street’s Take
According to TipRanks’ consensus rating, INTC stock comes in as a Moderate Buy. Out of 28 analyst ratings, there are seven Buy recommendations, 13 Hold recommendations, and seven Sell recommendations.
The average Intel price target is $52.67, implying 12.2% upside potential. Analyst price targets range from a low of $40 per share to a high of $70 per share.
Bottom Line on INTC Stock
Intel may be an underdog, but it’s still generating ample cash flow from its PC and server CPU markets.
Though it may have to get more competitive with pricing, I think too many investors are counting the firm out of the game, when it’s still on track to hit its goal over the coming three years.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/intel-stock-sinks-to-multi-year-low/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:09Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/intel-stock-sinks-to-multi-year-low/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHEYENNE – Walmart has a message for truckers: Keep on trucking, do it for Walmart and potentially earn more money.
Amid a shortage of long-haul truck drivers and low unemployment as many workers change jobs across a variety of professions, the nation’s largest private employer said it will pay its truckers more than what it had been compensating them.
While this may make Walmart trucking jobs more competitive in the U.S. as a whole, it may not much affect the already difficult situation smaller trucking firms face in Wyoming, one such business owner told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. On top of rising inflation and accompanying increased employee costs, diesel prices also have surged in recent months.
On Thursday, Walmart announced that a starting driver could make as much as $110,000 in their first year of employment there. It would not provide a comparable figure for what such personnel could have earned in their first year if they had started work there about a year ago.
“Walmart is one of the best places to drive, and Walmart benefits are among the best in the industry,” according to a company blog post.
The retailer has about 12,000 drivers in total. “We plan to hire over 5,000 drivers total this year across the country,” a spokesperson wrote in response to WTE’s questions. Some of those new jobs will be in Wyoming, she confirmed.
“Previously, Walmart drivers could make an average of $87,500 in their first year of employment with the company,” the company representative wrote. Now, “the average pay for new drivers ranges from $95,000-$110,000” annually, according to another spokesperson who responded to questions by email Friday.
Besides the potential first-year salary that now could stretch into the six figures, there is “the potential to make even more down the road, based on factors like tenure and location,” the company said.
Currently, the retailer has 27 truck drivers in Wyoming, a spokesperson wrote.
Trucking locally
The Wyoming Trucking Association noted that there are some 6,340 tractor-trailer drivers in the state, with an average annual salary of $50,200, according to Managing Director Sheila Foertsch. These figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2018, she added in an email Friday to the WTE.
As of last September, according to more recent BLS figures that may not be directly comparable to those Foertsch provided, in this state there were 3,490 truckers, whose average annual wage amounted to $61,412. These more-recent statistics do not include certain types of workers, such as sole proprietors and contractors, according to the agency’s Ric Wise. He is an economist, dealing with the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
Across the U.S., in general, American Trucking Associations reports that “demand for trucking freight services remains strong.” There’s a wrinkle, however.
“For-hire contract carriers are capacity constrained due to the driver and equipment markets. The spot market has been surging as these carriers can’t haul all of the freight they are asked to move,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a March 22 news release. The group noted that “trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy.”
Feehan Trucking in Mountain View likely won’t be hurt too much by Walmart’s pay increase, said owner Casey Wegener. He said he could not compete with such high salaries, nor with the starting bonuses of many thousands of dollars that some bigger trucking firms are offering.
“It does make it hard to compete,” given actions like Walmart’s, Wegener said by phone. “I do not blame a company doing what they need to do to get drivers. We are all short drivers.”
Feehan has eight trucks, which it uses to haul hazardous, overweight or over-height loads for the oil and gas industry. It only has three drivers currently, and could immediately put another two to work. A few months ago, it had enough business to have added five new truckers, if they were available.
In recent months, Feehan has raised hourly wages, which are now equivalent to about $30 an hour, and also started matching some of its workers’ contributions to their 401(k) retirement plans.
His company is not so much competing with national trucking firms, but rather offers unique circumstances that Walmart and other big firms may not be able to provide, Wegener said. Feehan’s truckers almost always can return home at night, unlike long-haul drivers for national retailers, and the employees also can easily live in the small town without having to travel far to start their on-the-job drives each workday.
“We have sort of a smaller hiring pool, but we will use social media advertisements and (newspaper) advertisements,” said Wegener, who separately is the secretary of the Wyoming Trucking Association. “I haven’t gotten any new drivers in two months.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/economy_and_labor/walmart-raising-pay-for-truckers-hiring-locally-amid-u-s-employee-shortage/article_1eeb0c4c-b9be-11ec-a5ed-1757f1727c13.html | 2022-04-11T20:16:10Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/economy_and_labor/walmart-raising-pay-for-truckers-hiring-locally-amid-u-s-employee-shortage/article_1eeb0c4c-b9be-11ec-a5ed-1757f1727c13.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
I am bullish on Netflix (NFLX) due to its strong competitive positioning, growth momentum, and opportunistic valuation after the latest pullback in the share price.
Netflix is a video streaming service that has a broad global presence. The company streams content that it produces in-house as well as content produced by third parties. This article will discuss three reasons to be bullish on NFLX stock while also outlining a few of the risks involved in holding the stock.
Strong Competitive Advantages
NFLX enjoys several competitive advantages that have fueled its strong growth in the past and should enable it to continue growing in the years to come despite rapidly increasing competition in the streaming space.
NFLX is the largest online streaming business in the United States, and also enjoys the first mover advantage that has enabled it to build up a large and loyal subscriber network. It has leveraged its strong content library and scale in the United States to grow internationally, and now has a global subscriber base of about 223 million.
This scale and years of experience also gives NFLX a data advantage that it is applying machine learning models to in order to further improve its content creation, marketing, and customer retention capabilities, thereby maximizing growth and profitability.
Last, but not least, its scale and data advantages enable it to invest heavily in new content creation without eating too much into profit margins. This is a capability that its competitors will be challenged to match..
Robust Growth Momentum
Another reason to be bullish on NFLX stock is its strong growth momentum that appears poised to continue for the foreseeable future. While near-term growth appears to be disappointingly slow (the company only anticipates adding 2.5 million subscribers in Q1 2022 compared to 4 million in the year-ago quarter), it added 8.3 million net new subscribers during Q4 2021, and grew its global subscriber count by 9% in 2021.
Financial growth remains robust as well. Revenue grew by a healthy 18.8% in 2021 while EBITDA grew by 33% and normalized earnings per share soared by 84.9%. Over the next five years analysts expected normalized earnings per share growth to remain quite strong at a 22.2% CAGR.
Given NFLX’s competitive advantages and willingness to aggressively invest in data analytics techniques and content creation, this growth rate should be quite achievable as it moves beyond its mostly saturated North American market into international markets like India.
Opportunistic Valuation
A third reason to be bullish on NFLX stock is that it currently trades at an opportunistic valuation. Its EV/EBITDA ratio is cheap relative to its history at 23.12 compared to its five-year average of 46.85 times.
Furthermore, its P/E ratio is 31.91 compared to its five-year average of 77.34 times.
According to Wall Street analysts, NFLX earns a Moderate Buy analyst consensus based on 18 Buy ratings, 15 Hold Ratings and two Sell ratings in the past three months. Additionally, the average analyst Netflix price target of $514.14 puts the upside potential at 48%.
Summary and Conclusions
NFLX is a leading global video streaming company with an impressive growth and shareholder total return track record. Moving forward, the outlook remains positive as its competitive positioning remains strong, its growth momentum is robust and expected to remain so, and the valuation looks opportunistic after its recent pullback in share price.
That said, investors should keep in mind a few risks before buying the stock here. First, the NFLX is having to rely increasingly on penetrating and winning in new international markets given that its core North American market is largely saturated. This could be challenging given that NFLX must cross cultural and language boundaries to win business.
Second, competition in the streaming space is heating up considerably with rivals like Disney and Amazon firmly in the mix. As a result, NFLX’s competitive advantages could be increasingly at risk and the company will need to continue investing aggressively in new content creation and improving the customer experience while keeping subscription fees at reasonable levels. This in turn could pressure profit margins.
Third, while its customer database gives it an advantage, there is still the risk that NFLX will fail to innovate successfully with new content, thereby losing customer interest and losing market share to competitors that might be more successful at creating attractive new content.
Fourth, while the stock looks attractively priced relative to its history and analyst price targets, the valuation multiples are still fairly lofty. With interest rates rising and risks to the growth thesis, if NFLX disappoints on growth projections in the future, shareholders could see disappointing total returns moving forward.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/netflix-stock-3-reasons-for-bullishness/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:16Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/netflix-stock-3-reasons-for-bullishness/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHEYENNE – Some employees say Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and its overall health system did not adequately handle an outage that affected its timekeeping and payroll software.
The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported March 26 that more than 2,000 CRMC employees were affected when its human resources management system, Kronos Private Cloud, went down Dec. 11 after a larger-scale ransomware attack.
The WTE spoke with three Cheyenne Regional employees who reached out after that story was published. They did not want to be identified because they said they fear retaliation from the hospital.
These employees were frustrated largely because of what they felt was management not being readily available while the system was down. In some cases, they questioned the accuracy of their pay, mainly because it was unclear to them how their paychecks were calculated during the outage.
They claimed that the payroll department was understaffed, and said they felt devalued by certain responses to their frustrations. These workers said they are paid by the hour.
While Kronos was down, the health system’s payroll department manually processed paychecks over five pay cycles, Chief Human Resources Officer Joanna Vilos said previously. Vilos says about 55% of Cheyenne Regional employees were overpaid, while about 45% were underpaid.
“One of our top priorities was to ensure paychecks were issued timely on each and every payday, which we successfully accomplished,” Vilos said in a Thursday statement to the WTE.
Kronos says the core functionality of its payroll software, including “time, scheduling and HR/payroll capabilities,” was restored by Jan. 22. Cheyenne Regional says the software became fully functional in early March, and Vilos said that when the hospital could access the payroll system, it “immediately began reconciling all employees’ paychecks.”
Those who were underpaid received the money they were owed in their March 17 paycheck, an employee said.
Vilos says no personal information was compromised, thanks to the health system’s “robust set of policies and practices against cyberattacks.”
Payroll department
Employees said just two people staffed the health system’s payroll department during the Kronos outage.
In her Thursday statement, Vilos confirmed the payroll team was staffed with two full-time employees, saying it was “supplemented with ongoing assistance from human resources, accounting and administrative staff.”
“I feel like a lot of the over- (and) underpayment stuff could have been prevented if maybe they would have contracted in some outside help, instead of dumping this onto employees,” said a staffer. “We were getting messages of ‘Don’t call payroll, they’re very busy. They’ll set up a room in one of the conference rooms on such and such day from such and such hours. If you have questions, do it then.’”
Since Kronos came back online, the employee said, they’ve been asked to schedule meetings with the payroll department.
Staff said there were several email communications from hospital leadership, but that some aspects were difficult to understand. Employees perceived the messaging as not transparent.
“This is a widespread concern within the organization, and there are a lot of unhappy employees,” one hospital worker said. “There’s a lot of inconsistencies with what they’re saying, and I think that’s one of the primary reasons people are upset is that we’re not getting straightforward answers.”
When one employee scheduled an in-person meeting with a payroll department employee, the hospital worker said she wanted to find out more from payroll about how they’d determined paycheck amounts. According to this hospital worker, payroll did not have information about individual employees’ insurance deductibles, or even pay scale, during at least part of the outage.
“I told (the payroll department employee) that I really wanted to double check and make sure that everything matches up, everything aligns, before I pay anything back, and she said, ‘I will make a note to the VP that you are refusing to pay back the money you owe,’” the hospital worker recalled. “I told her that is not what I said, and later on, she retracted that statement, saying she had never said that. So I did, I got a little riled up with her because I felt that was inappropriate and she was setting me up.”
The employee said she was told that if she did not pay back the money she was told she owed, the amount would be sent to collections.
Inconsistencies
In communications from the health system, an employee said, hospital workers were told to “double check” their paychecks to ensure they were paid correctly.
“But the way they do the pay system, it almost makes it impossible for a person to figure it out. And, for the most part, my paychecks looked accurate. So they just kept saying, you know, just double check, double check,” she said.
But when she sent an email to an employee in the payroll department outlining concerns about discrepancies, the payroll employee “basically kind of wrote it off and said: ‘Just be assured that your paychecks are correct,’” she said.
To this hospital worker, the payroll employee’s comment contradicted what had been said earlier about double-checking pay amounts.
The worker said she was underpaid in her first two paychecks, then overpaid in subsequent February paychecks. This was confusing, because during the periods she was overpaid, she was told Kronos was back up and running.
According to Vilos: “As Kronos came back online, we then had to reconcile each pay period in chronological sequence during the timeframe that Kronos was not operational. The timeframe to complete the reconciliations crossed over an additional two pay periods. Upon completion of December’s payroll reconciliation, we were then able to process and produce (IRS) W-2 tax forms for all employees.
“For many employees, as we estimated payroll based off a previous pay period, the pay, deductions and taxes were a direct reflection of the baseline pay period. In instances where we estimated an increase or bonus payment, the IRS standard tax rate of 22% was applied. In a week’s time, after all reconciliations were completed, all underpayments were made.”
‘Mishandled’
Employees said they were given several options to pay back the money: pay it in a lump sum with check or cash; have the amount taken out of one paycheck; have it taken out over five paychecks; or cash out up to 160 hours of paid time off, and be unable to cash out any more this year.
Vilos said Thursday that “Employees who were overpaid had options to repay directly or through payroll deduction, either over a single pay period or over multiple pay periods, entirely their choice. For employees with hardship or unique challenges, we evaluated each one individually and provided additional options to better meet their unique circumstances.”
One employee said she could tell she was being overpaid, so she set the money aside. She’d taken extra shifts in the weeks leading up to the Kronos outage during a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations. This employee said it was her understanding that at least some of the paychecks during the Kronos outage were based a previous paycheck, meaning her pay during the outage was higher than normal.
She decided to pay the amount back all at once.
“When you have to write a check for (thousands of dollars), even though you know that it was overpayment money, it still kind of takes your breath away,” the employee said.
Another said that, although she’s been told she only owes a few hundred dollars, she’s still trying to parse out the accuracy of her pay.
Employees said they were instructed to keep manual timesheets to give to their supervisors during the outage. It was unclear whether these timesheets were used to calculate employee pay, as employees also said they were told their pay over the next five cycles was based on the amount in their Dec. 10 paycheck.
Vilos said CRMC “used a recent, previous pay period as the baseline for the five pay periods that Kronos was not fully operational, and estimates were made off of that baseline pay period.”
Some of the employees said that the money they may owe isn’t the main problem.
“The point is that they mishandled this situation,” one employee said. “They didn’t get the help that they desired or needed. (A payroll department employee) said that she made the choice, along with her supervisors, to not hire any extra employees or outside help to do payroll. So it was just two (payroll) employees for the 2,200 (total Cheyenne Regional) employees.”
This employee said she’s lost some of her confidence in management following this incident.
All the employees who spoke to the WTE said they were aware of situations where hourly hospital workers were drastically over- or underpaid.
One person said she and colleagues had been discussing the possibility of contacting a labor organization, though they weren’t clear on exactly who to go to or where to start. She said they just wanted someone “impartial” to investigate how things were handled.
“This has been a difficult and challenging situation that we, and thousands of other Kronos clients, had to work through,” Vilos wrote. “It has been difficult on our payroll, accounting and HR staff, as well as every single employee. We regret any inconvenience or frustration this has caused. Now we are moving forward as our system has been restored, historical accuracy adjudicated and normal payroll functionality resumed.”
A different perspective
After the WTE contacted Cheyenne Regional with specific questions regarding these employee complaints, a hospital spokesperson said she had reached out to department managers. The spokesperson said she believed there were “many employees who may have a different point of view” than those who said they’d had negative experiences.
One additional employee then contacted the WTE. She also asked to remain anonymous.
This hospital worker, who is also hourly, said the payroll disruption didn’t have much of an effect on her.
“I always know how many hours I work every day. So, for me, it wasn’t a big deal,” she said.
The employee said the collective feeling within her small department was one of empathy toward payroll employees, understanding that they had a daunting, complex task on their hands.
“So, I think for me personally and the people around me,” she said, “it was just like, ‘Oh, gosh, those poor people are going to be overwhelmed.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/health_care/some-cheyenne-regional-employees-upset-by-handling-of-kronos-hack/article_fbdb0e96-b9bd-11ec-bc99-4ba477110623.html | 2022-04-11T20:16:16Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/health_care/some-cheyenne-regional-employees-upset-by-handling-of-kronos-hack/article_fbdb0e96-b9bd-11ec-bc99-4ba477110623.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NextEra Energy (NEE) is one of North America’s biggest electric power and energy infrastructure companies, and a prominent player in the renewable energy industry. The company runs two principal businesses, FPL and NEER.
Business Breakdown
FPL is Florida’s largest electric utility and one of the largest electric utilities in the country. FPL is focused on investing in the generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure to achieve affordable customer bills, increased reliability, and clean energy generation for more than 5.7 million customers.
On the other hand, NEER is the biggest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun in the world. The company is also a world leader in battery storage. NEER is focused on developing and operating assets throughout the U.S. and Canada under long-term contracts. These assets primarily consist of clean energy infrastructure, including renewable generation facilities and battery storage projects.
NextEra shares’ performance has been one of the most impressive amongst its industry peers over the past decade. Following the stock’s decade-long rally, the company is valued at around $169.1 billion, making it the highest-valued utility in the country. To provide some perspective on NextEra’s dominance, the second-most valuable utility in the U.S., Duke Energy (DUK), is valued at “only” $87.8 billion.
On the one hand, NextEra is a trustworthy company that should continue rewarding its shareholders with growing capital returns going forward. On the other hand, I believe that investors have been paying an increasingly steep premium for the stock, leading to NextEra’s valuation multiples expanding substantially over the past decade.
Accordingly, I am neutral on the stock.
Recent Developments & Growth Estimates
NextEra Energy’s Q4 results came in rather strong, with revenues growing 15% to $5.05 billion. NextEra’s profitability and future earnings projections were also quite promising.
Adjusted earnings increased to $814 million, or $0.41 per share, compared to $785 million, or $0.40 per share in last year’s comparable period. Hence, on an adjusted basis, the company’s earnings for the full year totaled $5.02 billion, or $2.55 per share, an increase of 10.4% compared to $4.55 billion, or $2.31 per share, in Fiscal 2020.
Earnings growth was primarily driven by NextEra’s continued investments. Further, under a new agreement with Florida Power & Light, NextEra now expects that its average annual growth in regulatory capital employed is going to be between 8% and 9% through 2025. Accordingly, the company raised its adjusted earnings per share expectations over the medium term.
For this year, NextEra expects adjusted EPS to land between $2.75 and $2.85. The company then forecasts adjusted EPS growth between 6% and 8% per year through 2025.
Dividend & Valuation Expansion
Utility companies have historically paid substantial dividends to shareholders because their cash flows are rather predictable compared to most other businesses.
Amid its continuous growth, NextEra has managed to grow its dividend quite rapidly as well. The company now counts 27 years of consecutive annual dividend increases, featuring a 10-year dividend per share CAGR of 10.84%.
Dividend growth has not slowed down even a bit over the years. In fact, NextEra’s latest DPS increase in February was once again in the double-digits, equaling 10.4%, highlighting the company’s commitment to shareholder returns.
At the midpoint of management’s Fiscal 2022 adjusted EPS guidance and the current DPS run-rate of $1.70, NextEra’s payout ratio stands at a healthy 60.7%. Hence, the company is likely to sustain DPS growth in the double-digits for the next several years without its payout ratio reaching worrying levels.
However, with investors likely (over)appreciating NextEra’s growth prospects and overall qualities, the stock’s valuation has expanded to rather distressing levels.
The midpoint of management’s adjusted EPS guidance implies a forward P/E of 30.7, which is quite rich for the industry. In fact, the company’s forward P/E has expanded from just under 20 between 2013 and 2015 to a range between 20 and 30 since then and 2020. From another point of view, NextEra’s price/book ratio has expanded from around 2.3 in 2014 to a rich 4.5 as of today.
As a result, despite the company’s double-digit dividend hikes, the stock’s yield has been on a downward trend for years. At just under 2%, NextEra’s yield is currently at the very low end of its historical range.
Therefore, current investors are subject to softer capital returns than previously, which may not be enough to counterbalance the damage of a potential valuation multiple compression.
Wall Street’s Take
Turning to Wall Street, NextEra Energy has a Strong Buy consensus rating based on nine Buys and three Holds assigned in the past three months. At $93.33, the average NextEra price target implies 8.4% upside potential, nonetheless.
Conclusion
Overall, I believe that NextEra is one of the highest quality companies in the utility sector. The company’s focus on renewables has positioned it well for the future, while its track record of consistent shareholder value creation is undoubtedly impressive.
With a clear EPS growth outlook through 2025 and adequate room for further dividend hikes ahead, NextEra is likely to keep providing dividend growth investors with rising payouts.
However, at its current valuation levels, investors are likely overpaying for the stock. Further, the current dividend yield could hardly compensate against the cracks of a potential valuation contraction.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/nextera-energy-valuation-compression-risks-remain/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:22Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/nextera-energy-valuation-compression-risks-remain/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
EV maker Nio (NIO) is currently demonstrating one of the simplest business aphorisms ever: if you don’t make anything, you can’t sell it.
With production halted, and only its current backlog left to sell, the company’s stock is in decline.
It dropped 8.4% in premarket trading on Monday and those losses carried on into Monday morning trading. Right now, I’m a bit pessimistic, and I’m pulling back to neutral on Nio as a result.
Nio has been in what amounts to freefall since late June 2021. Some updrafts have given the company brief boosts in the interim. However, given that Nio has lost over half its value since June 2021, the conclusion remains the same.
The latest news will prove no help. Nio announced on Saturday that it was shutting down production due to COVID-19 related supply chain issues. The factories that supply Nio with parts have shut down already, so Nio sees little point in staying open.
A day later, Nio also announced price hikes on its three sport utility vehicle (SUV) lines, the ES8, the ES6, and the EC6. All three would see prices jump 10,000 yuan — about $1,570 — starting May 10.
Wall Street’s Take
Turning to Wall Street, Nio has a Strong Buy consensus rating. That’s based on 16 Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months. The average Nio price target of $43.51 implies 118.9% upside potential.
Analyst price targets range from a low of $28.30 per share to a high of $87 per share.
Hedge Funds Confident Despite No Dividend
Hedge funds proved their confidence in Nio by steadily ramping up their investment. The TipRanks 13-F Tracker shows that not only did hedge funds increase their investment between September and December 2021, but also, that’s part of a streak that dates all the way back to December 2020.
However, income investors looking for a dividend here will be stymied. Nio’s dividend history shows that the company has no plans to issue a dividend, and has yet to issue one at all.
A Temporary Problem?
Here’s the thing about Nio: your assessment of Nio right now is probably valid no matter what it is.
After all, before the recent ramping up of COVID-19 testing in China, and the lockdowns that came along with it, Nio was doing well. So to believe that Nio can return to that level once the lockdowns stop isn’t out of line. This is a temporary problem that will likely be solved in time.
Or is it? That’s the big issue here; Nio isn’t currently suffering due to anything it can control. Nio is shut down because its component suppliers can’t supply product. Why can’t its component suppliers supply product? Part of this would likely be traced back to the ongoing supply chain meltdown.
The Chinese government gets at least some of the blame here for its zero-tolerance and unnecessarily draconian response to COVID-19. In a time when even the most liberal enclaves of the United States have given up on lockdown fever, China has plunged back into it full-tilt.
Despite original projections suggesting that Shanghai would only be shut down for a few days, and only half the city at a time, the whole city has been shut down since April 5.
The response has been horrifying, and features reports of insanity and suicide. Other Chinese cities are on edge, fearing that they may be next to suffer lockdowns.
Nio’s ability to function will likely depend on how fast the Chinese government can get out of the way. Quickly enough, Nio can get parts in, assemble them, and sell the produce. The market is clearly there; it’s been there for some time.
Not quickly enough, and Nio goes under because it has nothing to sell. It has a market, but it can’t satisfy that market by government mandate.
Worse, even if the Chinese government concludes its COVID-19 interdiction efforts quickly — which seems more like a declining hope with each new day — that may not be enough.
This isn’t the first time Nio has shuttered production. March 29, just about two weeks ago, Nio shut down its Hefei plant for five working days. That was due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage.
Thus, the supply chain may have continued to bite on Nio, regardless of what the Chinese government did.
Concluding Views
I’m staying neutral on Nio right now because I can’t tell how the Chinese government will play this. Betting on the Chinese government to support business interests seems like a long shot.
Certainly, Nio has a stockpile that it can sell while the lockdowns go on. But if the lockdowns go on much longer, that stockpile may not hold out.
That stockpile already had to hold out an extra week beyond what the government contributed to thanks to that first shutdown over semiconductors.
Nio is as vulnerable to issues in the supply chain as anyone else is. With little to suggest these points will improve any time soon, Nio’s days may be numbered.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/nio-plunges-as-production-halts/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:28Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/nio-plunges-as-production-halts/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Qualtrics International (XM) provides a software application to 16,500 companies worldwide to help them build customer loyalty and acquire new customers.
Also, the application encourages the creation of a positive culture in the work environment and helps to create successful products and brands that customers love. I am bullish on XM stock for the following reasons.
The wave of rushes into energy stocks to take advantage of higher hydrocarbon prices fueled by the crisis in Ukraine has kept more than three-quarters of the stock market in negative territory.
The technology sector has been hit hard but still has many quality stocks that will lead to a strong recovery if the market sentiment changes.
Qualtrics International’s divergence from energy stocks is large, as its shares are down almost 25% year-to-date.
However, given the good market prospects, I believe this stock could quickly recoup the loss and continue growing.
Qualtrics Q4 and FY-2021 Results
For the fourth quarter of 2021, Qualtrics International reported a net loss of $0.07, a deterioration from the net loss of $0.02 in the year-ago quarter, while analysts’ median estimate was $0.05 higher.
The company posted another loss despite revenue of $316.04 million, up 48% from the same quarter a year ago, beating the average analyst forecast by $18.4 million.
For all of 2021, total revenue was ~$1.08 billion, up 41% year-over-year.
Despite this growth in annual sales, the income statement ended with another net loss of $0.01 per share, but that was a significant improvement from the net loss of $0.11 per share in 2020.
While Subscription revenue accounted for about 81% of total revenue for the full year, Professional Services and others contributed the remainder.
Comparing Q4 2021 to Q4 2020, the company reported subscription revenue growth of 61%, while comparing Fiscal 2021 to Fiscal 2020, the company reported subscription revenue growth of 51%.
Financial Condition
As of December 30, 2021, the company’s financial position appears to be fairly healthy, with approximately $1.01 billion in cash and cash equivalents far exceeding total debt of $282.2 million, comprising current and long-term lease obligations.
The Altman Z-Score of 5.25 also supports the above stance on Qualtrics’ balance sheet robustness.
For those that may not know, the Altman Z-Score predicts the probability that a company will go bankrupt within a few years. A value more than or equal to 3 indicates that a company is in the “safe zone.” Hence, the probability of business failure is almost zero.
The current ratio of 1.57 could be even better, as generally, it must be a minimum of 2 for operating activities to comfortably generate enough liquidity to meet creditors’ short-term requests.
The company must increase profitability to improve the financial strength of the balance sheet, or the balance sheet could gradually deteriorate.
Evidence of this is that Qualtrics has a return on invested capital of -77.48%, which instead should be positive and higher than the weighted average cost of capital, which is currently 8.56%. Comparing these two metrics shows that any investment is now negative for Qualtrics shareholders, while the capital required to fund the investment certainly comes at a price.
To increase profitability, the company must increase sales and keep costs as low as possible, and it will transform its current value-destroying state into one that creates value as it grows.
However, based on the market outlook and sell-side analysts’ forecasts of the company’s earnings for the coming years, shareholders can look forward to a stronger balance sheet. This should provide enough incentive to expect a strong rally in the share price.
The Market Outlook and Analysts’ Growth Estimates
Globalization increases the profit opportunities for companies exponentially. Since it came into force, there are no longer any limits to the demand that a company can reach. However, to take advantage of these opportunities, companies are focusing on expanding their customer portfolio.
The numbers of a rapidly growing market are a clear sign of this trend.
Customer experience management software is growing rapidly around the world. Its size (estimated at $7.6 billion two years ago) should grow more than 15% per year to about $24 billion through 2027, according to analysts at Allied Market Research.
Following the company’s $1 billion revenue milestone in 2021, growth estimates from sell-side analysts suggest the company should be well-positioned to capitalize on the increasing importance of customer experience management software to business success.
Analysts are forecasting Qualtrics’ earnings to grow at a 30% CAGR over the next five years.
Wall Street’s Take
In the past three months, 13 Wall Street analysts have issued a 12-month price target for XM. The company has a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 10 Buys, three Holds, and zero Sell ratings.
The average Qualtrics International price target is $37.92, implying a 42.7% upside potential.
Valuation and Technicals
Shares are changing hands at $26.6 as of the writing of this article for a market cap of almost $15.5 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.6, and a 52-week range of $22.72 to $49.03.
The stock has a price-book ratio of 7.1, a price-cash flow ratio of 5,522, and a price-free cash flow ratio of -153.1.
The stock price is below the 50-day moving average of $28.98 and trades well below the 200-day moving average of $36.45.
Conclusion
The stock has been down so far this year, but many other tech stocks have also underperformed. The company needs to improve the profitability of its operations, which may give the stock price a strong boost. XM’s market outlook and earnings growth estimates make it possible to anticipate an uptrend in the stock price.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/qualtrics-international-expected-to-bounce-back-strongly/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:34Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/qualtrics-international-expected-to-bounce-back-strongly/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Phillips 66 (PSX) shares are up more than 12% this year, and are expected to trade higher than they are right now for the following reasons.
Before I describe the catalysts, I’m bullish on Phillips 66.
The energy sector is up almost 40% so far this year, which is not surprising as traders have been fully committed to trying to capitalize on higher oil and gas prices amid supply concerns over G7 sanctions on the Russian economy.
As long as these tailwinds continue to push hydrocarbons higher, energy stocks and Phillips 66 are unlikely to halt their uptrends, and the cause of all this, the crisis in Eastern Europe, is not going to end anytime soon.
Phillips 66
Phillips 66 is a diversified energy company as it processes and markets fuels worldwide..
In addition to these products, which come primarily from petroleum refining, the company is active in the natural gas trade and supplies chemicals and specialty products to global markets.
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Phillips 66 employs approximately 14,000 people, and has an asset base of $56 billion as of December 30, 2021.
Q4 and FY 2021 Results
In the fourth quarter of 2021, the company announced that pro forma earnings were $1.3 billion, resulting in a net income per share of $2.94.
Cash flow generated from operations was $1.8 billion, a notable increase compared to cash flow of $639 million in the year-ago quarter, which prompted the fossil fuel refiner to increase its quarterly dividend by 2.22%.
Arguably the most relevant figure from annual management is the $6 billion in operating cash flow the company has been able to generate, which has allowed it to reduce its debt by about $1.5 billion.
In addition, Phillips 66 has funded various projects, including midstream infrastructure upgrades and the adaptation of some facilities for renewable fuel production.
The company also invested in initiatives to meet the planet’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality within a few decades while exploring the development of clean technologies for fossil fuel refining.
Financial Condition
The financial condition is moderately solid.
As of December 30, 2021, cash totaling $3.15 billion represented just 20% of the total debt amount of $15.52 billion.
After deleveraging and thanks to higher oil and gas prices, the interest coverage ratio has improved to 5.56, suggesting easy payments of interest costs on outstanding debt.
Essentially, Phillips 66’s business is safe, as evidenced by the Altman Z-Score of 3.31.
Oil and Gas Price Outlook
There is no doubt that high oil and gas prices will help Phillips 66 grow.
With the expected increase in air travel as the holiday season approaches, the demand for fossil fuels will increase. This will create an opposite and stronger effect, offsetting the joint plan announced last week by IEA member states and the U.S. for a massive release of reserves totaling 240 million barrels to lower prices. So, crude oil prices are poised for a quick rebound after an expected brief setback.
Analysts estimate that WTI crude oil futures will reach $103 per barrel by the end of Q2 2022, and they also estimate that this will reach $114 per barrel before the end of Q1 2023. These are increases of 7.3% and 18.8% from the current price of $96 per barrel. Year-to-date, crude oil is up almost 30%.
Gas prices are also likely to trade higher on the same factors as crude oil, coupled with added pressure from concerns over a ban on coal imports from Russia by EU countries, and the imposition of an embargo on Russian hydrocarbons.
Another key catalyst for gas prices is the sharp decline in U.S. natural gas inventories (due to the current frosty weather in parts of the U.S.) combined with the increase in U.S. shipments of liquid natural gas to Europe.
Analysts are estimating U.S. natural gas futures to hit $6.92 per million British thermal units before the end of Q1 2023. This is an increase of 6.5% from the current price of $6.5 per million British thermal units. Year-to-date, natural gas is up more than 65%.
2022 Catalyst
Sell-side analysts are forecasting Phillips 66’s earnings to rise a whopping 37.4% in 2022, which could translate to a robust cash flow for the company’s projects and balance sheet.
Those factors should cause the stock price to rise, but the upside potential could be even greater if the company raises its dividend again.
Wall Street’s Take
For the past three months, 10 Wall Street analysts have issued a 12-month price target for PSX. The company has a Strong Buy consensus rating based on eight Buys, two Holds, and zero Sell ratings.
The average Phillips 66 price target is $99, implying a 17.9% upside potential.
Stock Statistics
Shares with a market cap of $40.4 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.5, and a 52-week range of $63.19 to $94.34.
The stock has a price-book ratio of 2.77, a price-sales ratio of 0.44, a price-cash flow ratio of 6.1 and a price-free cash flow ratio of 16.4.
Dividend
Phillips 66 paid a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per common share on March 1, 2022, and December 1, 2021. The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per common share on September 1, 2021, and June 1, 2021.
As a result, its 12-month dividend is $3.64 per common share, which translates to a 4.38% yield today.
Conclusion
Technically, the stock isn’t cheap, but it’s worth considering shares as there is strong growth potential.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/rising-energy-to-lead-phillips-66-higher/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:40Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/rising-energy-to-lead-phillips-66-higher/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
San Francisco-based SoFi Technologies (SOFI) operates a technology platform that offers financial services. I am bullish on the stock.
If today’s traditional big banks don’t feel threatened by SoFi Technologies, perhaps they ought to. Younger bankers, such as Millennials and Generation Z, deserve to have technology-enhanced ways to save and invest in the 2020s.
Old-fashioned banks aren’t always responsive to the demands of young bankers, and that’s going to hurt the bottom line of these out-of-touch financial institutions. Filling the gap is SoFi Technologies, a fintech startup with a bold vision to modernize banking as we know it.
Not everyone is going to like SoFi, but the company doesn’t seem to mind if there are haters and skeptics. The company is focused on the clients, not on people who have a vested interest in the status quo. If you’re on board with this audacious vision, then SOFI stock might be right for your portfolio.
Getting Results
Of course, having a bold vision isn’t enough for a startup business to survive. A company has to prove its ability to generate revenues. Plus, a company like SoFi can’t exist without its user base, and prospective investors have every right to ask whether the company is demonstrating user growth.
Thankfully, SoFi is hitting all the right marks. During 2021’s fourth quarter, SoFi’s total net revenue increased 67% to $285.6 million. For Fiscal 2021, SoFi’s total net revenue grew 74% to $984.87 million.
SoFi CEO Anthony Noto served up some more stunning stats for stubborn skeptics. In Q4 of 2021, SoFi’s adjusted net revenue of $280 million marked a quarterly record for the company, “up 54% year-over-year and up sequentially, even with the unexpected extension of the federal student loan payment moratorium in late December.”
Noto also noted that SoFi “exceeded $1 billion in annual adjusted net revenue for the first time” during 2021’s fourth quarter. Still not convinced? SoFi’s CEO also pointed out that SoFi “delivered fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $5 million — our sixth consecutive positive quarter — resulting in positive full-year adjusted EBITDA of $30 million.”
Those fiscal figures out to get the SOFI stock bears questioning their positions. Even more importantly, these numbers should cause old-fashioned banking institutions a great deal of consternation. Sure, the bigger banks have more capital, but are they growing as fast as SoFi?
Truly, SOFI stock is more of a ground-floor opportunity than investing in a traditional bank. There’s less of a safety factor with SoFi than with an old-school financial institution, but the potential returns could be much greater if you’re able to tolerate the volatility and the growing pains.
What’s Happening with the Stock?
Speaking of volatility and growing pains, it has undoubtedly been painful for SoFi’s shareholders lately. After a sharp drawdown from the $23 level, SOFI stock is near 52-week lows in the $7 range.
Surely, it’s not a mere coincidence that the stock started to tumble in November of last year. That’s when the stock market began to enter into a correction. Technology-focused stocks got hit particularly hard, and financial stocks also came under negative price pressure.
SoFi is both a technology and a financial company, so it got a double-whammy from the broad-market correction. Some folks might be concerned that the stock market will continue to go down during 2022’s second quarter because the U.S. Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates.
If you’re a contrarian, though, then SOFI stock should look interesting to you right now. When a company is demonstrating powerful revenue growth yet, the share price is going down, that’s a divergence that should appeal to any “buy low, sell high” type of investor.
Say Hello to Crypto
Adding even more interest to SoFi is the company’s bold foray into the world of cryptocurrency. This is where some big banks might fall short, and SoFi can pull ahead of the pack.
Not long ago, SoFi introduced no-fee crypto purchases for direct deposit members. The ability to automate cryptocurrency investments for zero fees should attract Millennial and Generation Z bankers who want to make crypto trading easier and more cost-effective.
In addition, SoFi rolled out an online educational center “to explain the ins and outs of cryptocurrency to investors.” There’s no doubt about it: SoFi is getting aggressive in the crypto space, and as a result, the company could steal market share from out-of-touch big banks.
Wall Street’s Take
Turning to Wall Street, SOFI stock is a Moderate Buy based on seven Buy and five Hold ratings. The average SoFi Technologies price target is $14.86, implying 90.9% upside potential.
The Takeaway
As you can see, analysts are preparing for bigger and better things with SOFI stock. They’ve seen SoFi’s revenue growth, so the bullish argument is practically indisputable.
Yet, the SoFi share price is down. This shouldn’t be viewed as a problem, though, in my opinion. Really, it’s a chance to get in on the ground floor of a bold fintech business that’s making ambitious moves in the emerging cryptocurrency space.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/sofi-technologies-fintech-disruptor-gets-serious-about-crypto/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:53Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/sofi-technologies-fintech-disruptor-gets-serious-about-crypto/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Down doesn’t mean out. When a stock takes a tumble, investors sometimes jump the gun and assume that the name has reached the end of the line. Sure, a significant share price decline should sound the alarm bells, as it could indicate underlying problems with the business or insurmountable headwinds.
However, there’s another side to the story. These falls could reflect temporary challenges that can ultimately be overcome, with the lower prices presenting an opportunity to get in on the action before the stock takes back off on an upward trajectory.
So, how are investors supposed to distinguish between the names poised to get back on their feet and those set to remain down in the dumps? That’s what the pros on Wall Street are here for.
Using TipRanks’ database, we pinpointed two beaten-down stocks the analysts believe are gearing up for a rebound. Despite the hefty losses incurred so far in 2022, both tickers have scored enough praise from the Street to earn a Strong or Moderate Buy consensus rating. Not to mention some strong upside potential is at play here.
Yeti Holdings (YETI)
In recent years, the state of Texas has become something of an economic engine in the US, accounting for large portions of economic growth. The first stock on our short list today, Yeti, is based in Austin, the Texas capital; it was founded in 2006 by pair of Texan brothers. The company is known for its outdoor gear, lines of insulated coolers, drinking cups, and bags, as well as outdoor apparel and even rugged dog bowls and beds. Yeti’s products have found a devoted following among campers, hunters, and fishers, and are available both online and through a network of brick-and-mortar stores.
At first glance, it’s fair to wonder why Yeti’s stock is down 50% from this past November. The company saw a top line of $443.1 million in the last reported quarter, 4Q21; this was a gain of 18% year-over-year. Adjusted income per diluted share grew 17% y/y, to reach 87 cents.
On the negative side, however, investors couldn’t fail to note that the company’s earnings forecast for 2022 came in well below expectations. The Street had been looking for guidance of ~$2.94 per share; what the company gave was a range of $2.82 to $2.86.
Looking at Yeti for investment firm Berenberg, analyst Rudy Yang points out both the company’s strong quarter and its downbeat guidance – and then comes down squarely for the bulls on this one, writing: “We find the company’s recent de-rating to be unwarranted, as fears over mean reversion and temporary margin headwinds have overshadowed Yeti’s solid fundamentals and robust growth trajectory. As a result, we believe shares now offer an attractive buying opportunity, and we encourage investors to buy Yeti stock.”
To this end, Yang rates Yeti a Buy, while his $92 price target indicates potential for ~71% upside in the coming year. (To watch Yang’s track record click here)
Overall, the Wall Street analysts are lining up behind Yang. The stock has 10 recent analyst reviews on record, breaking down 9 to 1 in favor of Buy over Hold and giving the stock a Strong Buy consensus rating. Yeti is selling for $53.93, and its average price target of $94.10 suggests a further upside of ~74% over the next 12 months. (See Yeti stock forecast on TipRanks)
RH (RH)
For the second stock on our list, we’ll shift gears and look at RH, a company in the luxury home furnishing niche. RH uses a combination of showplace gallery stores and direct-to-consumer online sales, and markets its products toward well-heeled clients purchasing homes in the >$1 million range. RH shares peaked last August; it is down by more than half since then.
RH issued its 4Q21 and full year results this past March 29. The top line came in at $903 million, a Q4 record for the company, and up 11% year-over-year. On the negative side, the figure missed the forecast of $931 million. EPS, however, came in at $5.66, up 12% y/y and beating the $5.58 estimates.
The real problem here came with the 2022 outlook. RH management guided toward full-year revenue growth in the range of 5% to 7%; the analysts had been hoping for a more robust 10% guidance figure.
We should consider these figures in light of recent events. RH faces generalized pressures from a combination of headwinds, including rising fuel prices, continued supply chain problems, and the war in Ukraine which is exacerbating both. The company is something of a luxury brand, and its customer base has money – but those customers are impacted by rising inflation and a tighter credit regime.
Even with all of this, analyst Jonathan Matuszewski of Jefferies sees a positive outlook for RH. He writes of the stock, “We think a moderation in luxury real estate is baked into shares, and March data suggests >$1M home sales aren’t ‘doomed.’ With RH trading closer to aspirational brands vs. true luxury brands, we see minimal downside, and investors should feel comforted by its unmatched pricing power across Consumer Discretionary.” On an upbeat note, Matuszewski adds, “RH’s strategy of higher price points, fewer customers, and bigger orders provides insulation.”
The analyst uses these comments to support a Buy rating here, and he sets a $560 price target that implies a 12-month upside of ~62%. (To watch Matuszewski’s track record, click here)
The Jefferies view represents the bulls on RH; overall, the stock gets a Moderate Buy consensus rating, based on 10 Buys, 3 Holds, and 1 Sell. The shares are priced at $346.32 and their $499.93 average price target suggests an upside of 44% from that level. (See RH stock forecast on TipRanks)
To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/these-2-beaten-down-stocks-offer-an-attractive-buying-opportunity-say-analysts/ | 2022-04-11T20:16:59Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/these-2-beaten-down-stocks-offer-an-attractive-buying-opportunity-say-analysts/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This past March, the Federal Reserve instituted its first interest rate hike since 2018, marking a major change in monetary policy. The conventional wisdom had been expecting such a move, and the magnitude – just 25 basis points – was modest. The idea that the Federal Reserve will be shifting policy to combat a serious inflation problem has apparently been ‘baked in’ to our collective expectations.
Or has it entirely? The most recent data on US inflation, for February of this year, shows a 7.9% annualized rate. Not only is that the highest in 40 years, it’s also still accelerating – January’s rate of 7.5% annualized, while the February 2021 rate was only 1.7%. These numbers, and worries about what the March numbers – due out this week – will look like, brought a renewed focus on the Fed, which in recent days announced the reversal of its long-standing quantitative easing policy.
That means the end of the easy money terms that have fueled the stock market expansions of the last several years. Instead of creating new dollars, the Fed will begin contracting its balance sheet, to the tune of $1 trillion annually. Even at that rate, it will take nearly a full decade for the Fed to work off its $9 trillion surplus.
In an environment like this, with uncertainty building behind a wall of fog, the only sure bet is for more volatility. Last week, the S&P fell 1.3%, for its first weekly loss in nearly a month; the NASDAQ fell further, by 3.9%. Both indexes remain down for the year-to-date.
The increased market fluctuations of the last few weeks has analysts and investors alike starting to look at dividend stocks. These are the classis defensive plays, taken to protect the portfolio in a time like this. We’ve used the TipRanks database to pull up the details on three reliable dividend payers that have all gotten recent ‘thumbs up’ from the Street. Let’s take a closer look.
DCP Midstream Partners (DCP)
We’ll start in the energy industry. While the Biden Administration has been working assiduously to de-emphasize fossil fuels, the fact remains that oil and gas are – and well remain for the foreseeable future – the mainstay of the energy sector. DCP is a midstream company, one of the many firms that moves hydrocarbon products from wellhead to the market. DCP’s portfolio is broad and diversified, with assets in gathering, processing, transporting, and marketing natural gas and natural gas liquids.
In the company’s most recent quarter, 4Q21, DCP reported a net income of $315 million, up a hefty 266% from $86 million in the year-ago quarter. Per share, the increase was just as impressive; EPS jumped from 34 cents in 4Q20 to $1.44 in 4Q21 – gain of 323%. The company’s top line of, $3.23 billion, was up 81% year-over-year.
These weren’t the only gains that DCP claimed. The company is benefiting from rising fuel prices, and its investors are reaping those benefits. DCP’s distributable cash flow, which funds the dividend, rose from $178 million one year ago to $219 million in this most recent quarter.
That dividend was declared, at the end of January, at 39 cents per common share. This annualizes to $1.56, and gives a yield of 4.5%. The company has a history of reliable dividend payments – never missing a quarter – going back to 2006.
All of this has Evercore analyst Todd Firestone bullish on this midstream company. He writes, “Our upgrade is based primarily on i) group leading commodity exposure as Y-bbl pricing and record frac spreads clearly favor DCP, ii) valuation, and iii) returns messaging. These themes should remain attractive to investors looking to enter the space whether as newcomers, or re-entering, the post-COVID DCP is not your dad’s MLP from 2017, in our view.”
These comments support Firestone’s Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating, while his $42 price target implies an upside of 26% for the year ahead. (To watch Firestone’s track record, click here)
This reliable dividend payer has a unanimous Strong Buy consensus rating, based on 7 analyst reviews. The shares are priced at $33.25 and the $40.57 average price target suggests an upside of ~22% this year. (See DCP stock forecast on TipRanks)
BRT Apartments Corporation (BRT)
Now we’ll shift gears, and move on to a REIT. These real estate ownership and management companies are well known as ‘dividend champs’ of the stock market – federal tax regulation requires that they return a high percentage of profits directly to shareholders, and they frequently use dividends as the instrument for that return. BRT, which holds a portfolio of multifamily dwellings mainly across the US Sunbelt region, is typical of its niche. BRT’s portfolio currently includes 32 properties in 11 states, and totals 8,985 apartment units.
As 2021 came to an end, BRT reported a Q4 net loss of 8 cents per share. This was an improvement from the year-ago quarter, when the net EPS loss came in at 19 cents. For the full year, BRT was profitable, reporting EPS of $1.62.
The metric of most interest to us here, however, is the funds from operations (FFO). This is the cash flow that backs up the company’s dividend – and in 4Q21 it was 35 cents per share, up from 29 cents one year prior. This was more than enough to cover the dividend payment, which in March was declared at 23 cents per common share. With an annualized rate of 92 cents, the dividend currently yields 4%.
5-star analyst Craig Kucera, from investment firm B. Riley, sees this company holding a sound niche in the REIT sector – and better yet, he notes that JV asset sales and consolidation make BRT a must-watch name.
“We believe BRT’s strategic shift to harvest an increasing amount of value from its unconsolidated multifamily portfolio through both assets sales and consolidation should lead to a better multiple in shares as JV disposition proceeds (with sizable gains) are utilized to reduce leverage and simplify BRT’s ownership interest structure. Given elevated SS NOI growth and better G&A scaling through asset consolidation, we are raising our 2022E FFO from $1.15 to$1.30, while establishing a 2023E FFO of $1.35,” Kucera noted.
Kucera, in light of these comments, rates BRT stock a Buy, and his $29 price target suggests a one-year upside potential of ~29%. (To watch Kucera’s track record, click here)
Other analysts don’t beg to differ. With 4 Buy ratings and no Holds or Sells, the word on the Street is that BRT is a Strong Buy. BRT’s share price of $22.68 and average price target of $28 give the stock a 12-month upside of ~23%. (See BRT stock forecast on TipRanks)
Realty Income Corporation (O)
Last up is another REIT. Realty Income is one of the market’s best dividend payers, and backs up the payments with a huge portfolio: more than 11,100 commercial real estate properties. Realty’s properties are subject to long-term net-lease agreements, and the company lets them out to over 1,000 clients. Realty has properties in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico, the UK, and Spain.
In its last quarterly release, for 4Q21, Realty Income showed a net EPS of 1 cent – but the full year result was stronger, at 87 cents. The company’s quarterly FFO rose more than 7% year-over-year, to reach 89 cents per share – more than enough to fund the dividend.
That dividend deserves a closer look, as it is one of the market’s most reliable. Realty Income has maintained it for over 50 years – going back to the company founding in 1969 – without ever missing a monthly payment. In that time, the company has made 620 dividend payments, and 98 consecutive quarterly dividend increases. The most recent dividend, declared in March for an April 15 payment, was for 24.7 cents per common share. This annualizes to $2.96, and gives a yield of 4.1%.
In coverage for investment firm Wolfe Research, analyst Andrew Rosivach writes of Realty Income: “We believe O, with only 2.7% and 5.1% of leases rolling in 2022 and 2023 respectively and 43.7% of rents from investment grade tenants, would rapidly become a ‘must own’ stock in an inflationary scenario. Please note, O fell only 14% in 2008, outperforming the REIT index by ~2,700 basis points in that year. Indeed, in a recession, O’s lack of rent mark to market highlighted above could turn from a negative to a positive.”
Rosivach’s comments back up his Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating, while his $84 price target indicates room for a one-year upside of ~17%. (To watch Rosivach’s track record, click here)
All in all, this stock gets a Moderate Buy consensus rating from Wall Street, based on 10 analyst reviews that include 7 Buys and 3 Holds. (See Realty Income stock forecast on TipRanks)
To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/these-3-dividend-stocks-are-a-buy-in-this-highly-volatile-environment-say-analysts/ | 2022-04-11T20:17:05Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/these-3-dividend-stocks-are-a-buy-in-this-highly-volatile-environment-say-analysts/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
There are signs that COVID-19 is on the wane. Or, at least, we’re learning to live with it. Yet new treatments still emerge, and one of the latest comes from drugmaker Veru (VERU). Veru shot up as much as ~237% in today’s trading session so far.
Given what we know about the company and the potential of this new treatment, I’m bullish on Veru. This could be a real winner in the short term.
The last year for Veru has been largely up-and-down. It tends, though, to stick within a close range of around $6 to $10 per share. However, with the latest news, the company has tripled from its Friday close.
That news featured the results from Veru’s Phase 3 trials of its COVID-19 treatment. The treatment produced “clinically and statistically meaningful” results. It’s designed to address hospitalized patients who have the disease, specifically those with a high risk for adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Reports noted that the Independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee wanted the tests shut down, but no safety concerns connected to the testing could be identified. Now, Veru will take these results to the FDA to try and get emergency use authorization.
Wall Street’s Take
Turning to Wall Street, Veru has a Moderate Buy consensus rating. That’s based on three Buys assigned in the past three months. The average Veru price target of $25 implies 103.5% upside potential.
Analyst price targets range from a low of $21 per share to a high of $29 per share.
A Stable Front from the Hedge Funds
Hedge fund involvement in Veru has taken a “wait-and-see” approach and has held that approach for the last several months. In fact, based on the TipRanks 13-F Tracker, hedge fund involvement in Veru has remained static since June 2021.
4,451,342 shares of Veru were held by hedge funds in June 2021. That’s the same number seen in both September and December of that year.
As for Veru’s dividend history, it used to be almost ideal—used to be. The company hasn’t issued a dividend since 2014 and shows no signs of doing so in the future. Before that point, the dividend regularly increased on an annual basis. Then April 2014 hit, and the dividend repeated at the 2013 level until halting altogether.
The Glorious “If”
“If.” The word packs a heavy load of significance. Rudyard Kipling wrote a whole poem about it. In this case, “if” could bring with it a lot of opportunities.
Until earlier today, Veru was a company that didn’t have a lot going for it. The last major move for Veru came back in December 2021, when the FDA approved Venu’s Entadfi treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
This, however, is an order of magnitude bigger. If Venu has a working treatment for severe COVID-19 cases—since they’re hospitalized, that would seem to be the case—it could effectively write its own ticket. It already has; the company’s value has roughly tripled since Friday’s close, and it may well head higher in the next few days if the treatment holds water.
Getting that emergency use authorization from the FDA would effectively open up a massive marketing pipeline as hospitals and clinics the world over place orders.
Already, some are looking for big results to arrive fairly soon; Hearing Cantor reiterated its earlier guidance on Veru, coming in with a price target of $24 per share and a rating of “overweight.”
The problem here is that Veru’s future performance hinges entirely on that COVID-19 treatment making it through FDA scrutiny. If it works as well as the Phase 3 tests suggest, then Veru could be unstoppable.
With 100 shares of Veru currently trading around the price of a decent television, a speculative play here could pay off in a big way.
That bizarre interjection from the Independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee may be unnerving. Nonetheless, given that there’s no real support for it so far, it may not have much impact going forward.
Concluding Views
There is some value in speculation. It’s no different for Veru. It’s a company that’s still trading well under its lowest, average, and highest price targets. Buying in on Veru right now could see an explosion in value thanks to the sheer potential involved.
However, without that FDA approval, there’s no further reason to speculate. Veru is about to release a drug that will stop some of the worst cases of COVID-19: the hospitalized cases. That’s a huge step forward. Veru must live up to that narrative to keep that valuation.
It all comes down to that one word: “if.” If Veru gets approval from the FDA the sky is likely the limit here. If it doesn’t, then there’s not much to support Veru’s sudden explosively-growing valuation.
I take a bullish stance here. Veru stock is currently trading well under its lowest targets. This is in spite of the explosive gains already seen. There could be much more here, enough to dwarf even the current share price.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/veru-stock-spikes-on-new-potential-covid-19-treatment/ | 2022-04-11T20:17:11Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/veru-stock-spikes-on-new-potential-covid-19-treatment/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Last week marked the second consecutive weekly decline in oil prices, with the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures, the U.S. oil benchmark, closing 1% weaker at $98.26 a barrel on April 8. Oil prices fell on a weekly basis as the member countries of the International Energy Agency, including the U.S., announced their plans to release more reserves to bring down global prices.
The recovery in energy demand following the reopening of economies and the Ukraine-Russia crisis triggered a sharp rise in oil and gas prices, benefiting stocks in the energy sector. The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP), which includes major oil and gas companies, has rallied 46% year-to-date.
We used the TipRanks stock comparison tool for energy stocks to compare Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips to see if Wall Street analysts see further upside potential in these stocks following a strong run.
Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM)
Exxon Mobil is one of the largest integrated energy companies and is involved in the exploration, production, and distribution of oil and natural gas. It markets fuels, lubricants, and chemicals under four brands –Esso, Exxon, Mobil, and ExxonMobil.
A rebound in oil and gas prices fueled by the recovery in energy demand drove a 57.3% rise in the company’s 2021 revenue to $285.6 billion. Adjusted EPS came in at $5.38 in 2021, compared to a loss per share of $0.33 in 2020.
The company cut its capital spending to $16.6 billion in 2021 from $21.4 billion in 2020.
The energy giant generated operating cash flows of $48 billion in 2021, which according to the company, is the highest level since 2012 and reflects a significant rise compared to $14.7 billion in 2020. Further, Exxon reduced its debt by $20 billion in 2021, bringing debt back to pre-pandemic levels.
Exxon’s initiatives to streamline its business and cut down its costs helped deliver savings of $1.9 billion in 2021. It is now on track to exceed its target of reducing costs by $6 billion by 2023.
Given its improved financial position, Exxon initiated share repurchases in Q122 as part of its $10 billion buyback program over the next 12 to 24 months.
Also, Exxon retained its status as a dividend aristocrat (a term used for companies that have increased dividends for at least 25 consecutive years) by increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.88 from $0.87. This marked the 39th consecutive annual dividend hike. Exxon’s forward dividend yield stands at 4.1%.
Following Exxon’s recent favorable update about Q122, Bank of America Securities analyst Doug Leggate raised his estimate for Q122 EPS from $2.15 to $2.18.
The analyst noted that the upward revision in guidance was “driven mainly by strong upstream earnings more than offsetting slightly lower contributions from Chemicals and Corporate QoQ with downstream relatively in-line.”
Leggate added, “XOM has hit its debt targets, is ready to accelerate buy backs in our view and is the only major to emerge from COVID with line of sight to expand FcF [Free Cash Flow].”
Leggate maintained a Buy rating on Exxon Mobil stock, with a price target of $120.
Meanwhile, the Street is cautiously optimistic about Exxon Mobil based on 10 Buys and 13 Holds. At $89.59, the average Exxon Mobil price target implies a modest 3.17% upside potential from current levels. The stock has rallied about 42% year-to-date.
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX)
Integrated energy company Chevron delivered mixed Q421 results earlier this year, with revenue beating analysts’ estimates and earnings lagging the Street’s expectations. Q421 earnings were impacted by weaker-than-estimated production.
Chevron’s revenue increased 72% to $162.5 billion in 2021, and adjusted EPS surged to $8.13 from $0.09 in 2020, a year severely impacted by a pandemic-induced slump in demand.
Higher crude oil and natural gas prices helped boost Chevron’s operating cash flows to $29.2 billion in 2021 from $10.6 billion in 2020. This helped the company reduce debt by $12.9 billion.
Chevron’s capital and exploratory expenditures came in at $11.7 billion in 2021, compared to $13.5 billion in 2020. Chevron anticipates capital spending in the $15 billion to $17 billion range for the next five years.
The company aims to grow its renewable fuels production capacity to 100,000 barrels per day by 2030 and is acquiring Renewable Energy Group in a $3.15 billion cash deal to accelerate this goal. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022.
Chevron is also a dividend aristocrat and has increased its dividends for 35 consecutive years, including a 6% hike in its quarterly dividend per share this year to $1.42. Chevron’s forward dividend yield is 3.3%.
Recently, UBS analyst Luiz Carvalho raised his price target on Chevron stock to $192 from $150 and reaffirmed a Buy rating, citing the company’s lower exposure to Russia than its peers along with his updated crude oil price deck forecasts.
However, RBC Capital analyst Biraj Borkhataria told investors, “CVX has outperformed the rest of the integrateds by some margin and we believe shares may take a pause in the near term as analysts calibrate company specific issues for 1Q. Notably, our Chevron earnings estimate is the only one where we’re below consensus across the group.”
Borkhataria has a Buy rating on Chevron and a price target of $160.
To summarize, the Street is cautiously optimistic about Chevron, with a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 15 Buys and eight Holds. Following a 44.8% rally in the stock so far this year, the average Chevron price target of $164.63 implies a downside potential of 3.12% from current levels.
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP)
ConocoPhillips is one of the world’s leading exploration and production companies, with operations in 14 countries. It became an upstream pure-play following the spin-off of its downstream business in 2012 to create the independent company Phillips 66 (PSX).
ConocoPhillips is known for its low-cost structure and efficiency. In its 4Q21 conference call, the company indicated that its free cash flow break-even point is around $30 per barrel.
Meanwhile, higher realized prices and volumes helped ConocoPhillips generate revenue of $48.3 billion in 2021, up 151% from 2020. The company posted adjusted EPS of $6.01 in 2021 compared to an adjusted loss per share of $0.97 in 2020.
Improved business conditions helped ConocoPhillips generate operating cash flows of $17 billion in 2021, up from $4.8 billion in 2020.
The company continues to dispose of non-core assets as part of its ongoing efforts to focus on “low cost of supply opportunities.” Last month, ConocoPhillips completed the sale of its Indonesia assets to MedcoEnergi for about $1.36 billion.
ConocoPhillips expects capital spending of $7.2 billion in 2022, up from $5.3 billion in 2021. Capital expenditure this year includes funding for ongoing development drilling programs, major projects, exploration and appraisal activities, and investments in early-stage low-carbon opportunities.
Further, the company expects to return $8 billion to shareholders in 2022, reflecting a 30% increase over 2021. These payments include an ordinary dividend per share of $0.46 and a second-quarter variable return of cash (VROC) payment of $0.30.
On March 31, Mizuho analyst Vincent Lovaglio increased his long-term oil price forecast to $70 per barrel from $61, with his 2022-25 estimates up $16 per barrel on average, driven by an increase in estimated U.S. unconventional oil volume growth and the resulting increase in capital intensity.
Given the increase in the price deck, Lovaglio raised his price targets for exploration and production companies, including ConocoPhillips stock to $150 from $115.
Lovaglio reiterated a Buy rating on ConocoPhillips.
On TipRanks, ConocoPhillips scores a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 12 Buys and three Holds. The average ConocoPhillips price target of $116.50 suggests 13.05% upside potential from current levels. The stock has advanced about 43% year-to-date.
Conclusion
Shares of Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips have had an impressive run so far this year and have outperformed the broader market. However, Wall Street analysts are more bullish on ConocoPhillips and see higher upside potential from current levels.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/which-oil-stock-offers-better-upside-potential/ | 2022-04-11T20:17:30Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/which-oil-stock-offers-better-upside-potential/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Shares of Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) have recently reached its multi-year lows, losing half of its market capitalization over the last year.
This is despite the fact that “Shopify nearly tripled revenue, more than doubled GMV and the Shopify team, and the number of merchants using Shopify is nearly twice as big as 2019 levels,” as highlighted by Shopify President Harley Finkelstein during the earnings call on Feb 16.
There are a host of factors that could be pulling the stock down: the end of its “hyper-growth” phase during the pandemic years on resumption of physical stores; outlook below expectations; absence of government stimulus; growing inflation putting pressure on consumers’ budget; and macro and geo-political risks.
Investors are very much concerned about the slowdown in hyper growth seen during the pandemic years visible in the company’s outlook. The company expected slower revenue growth in the first half of the year.
To boost its revenues, Shopify is now focused on international expansion and the creation of an integrated e-commerce model that focuses on logistics and warehouses, spending a significant amount on a network of fulfilment centers.
Notably, the company plans to reinvest its profits and will incur a capital expenditure of $200 million in 2022, with an incremental $1 billion expected in the next two years.
The big question is: are investors’ looking forward to the real, long-term growth embedded in Shopify, or are they only focussing on the slowdown in growth and margin compression due to increased CAPEX?
Let us take a deeper look at the stock.
The Roadmap Ahead
In terms of gross merchandise volume (GMV), Shopify was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the pandemic as world consumption moved online. In 2020, Shopify’s GMV jumped a whopping 96% to $120 billion, followed by another 47% increase in 2021. In fact, GMV almost tripled from $61 billion in 2019 to $175 billion in FY21.
Notably, in FY2021, Shopify maintained its second position in terms of e-commerce sales with a 10.3% market share in the U.S., right after Amazon (AMZN) at 41% and ahead of Walmart (WMT) at 6%.
However, there is a huge gap between Amazon and Shopify’s market share, leaving ample room for Shopify to capture the same as it continues to expand its merchant base and help merchants consolidate their vendors.
In fact, the company’s revenue growth in Q4 was still higher than the pre-COVID levels, on a two-year stack basis.
Last week, Wells Fargo analyst Jeff Cantwell initiated coverage on Shopify with a Buy rating and a price target of $834 (38.27% upside potential).
Cantwell believes that the company deserves to trade at premium valuation to its peers within the Fintech space given “SHOP’s positioning as a unique disruptor, its strong growth profile, and its attractive opportunity globally”.
Cantwell highlights that Shopify has a substantial scope for growth with over $160 billion total marketable opportunity (TAM) in revenue and global retail volume worth $25 trillion.
The analyst foresees increased adoption of balance, capital, fulfillment, markets, and physical POS that would further “drive expansion in Shopify’s merchant base, improved MRR and take rate metrics, and naturally, growth in Subscription Solutions and Merchant Solutions revenue.”
Cantwell stated that “shares have historically traded as high as 47x EV/Sales, but have declined recently on broader sector risk-off. We believe as macro conditions stabilize and SHOP’s strong, above-peer financial performance manifests, this will drive multiple expansion and share price appreciation.”
On TipRanks, Shopify stock commands a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 14 Buys and 13 Holds. As for price targets, the average Shopify stock price forecast of $982.44 implies almost 62.85% upside potential from the current level.
Key Takeaway
Shopify has a stalwart position in the e-commerce space and should benefit from the tailwinds of rising e-commerce penetration and digital commerce transformation with its impressive platform of products and services, earning it the second position after Amazon.
Fintechs like Shopify are focusing on vendor consolidation to further expand its merchant base. The company’s capital expenditure and international expansion plans are moves in the right direction with the aim of gaining substantial market share in the years to come.
Investors should focus on the long-term story and make the most of the current price levels, which look extremely attractive at current valuations.
To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.
Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/will-shopify-benefit-from-tailwinds-of-rising-e-commerce-penetration/ | 2022-04-11T20:17:36Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/will-shopify-benefit-from-tailwinds-of-rising-e-commerce-penetration/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) announced that it has acquired NN Group’s asset management unit, NN Investment Partners, in a deal worth €1.7 billion. With this, the company now holds about $2.8 trillion in assets under supervision globally.
Based in New York, Goldman is a global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. Shares of the company have declined 18.2% so far this year.
As per the agreed terms, Goldman Sachs Asset Management will integrate the newly bought business along with its 900 employees. Also, it has signed a long-term strategic partnership agreement with NN Group under which Goldman is liable to manage a nearly $180 billion portfolio of assets
With this deal, Goldman will be able to build on new abilities and bolster product offerings such as European equity and investment grade credit, sustainable and impact equity, and green bonds.
The Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, said, “This acquisition advances our commitment to put sustainability at the heart of our investment platform. It adds scale to our European client franchise and extends our leadership in insurance asset management.”
Analyst’s Take
Last week, Piper Sandler analyst Jeff Harte reiterated a Buy rating on Goldman but lowered the price target to $430 from $465. The new price target implies 33.8% upside potential from current levels.
The analyst is of the opinion that the global banks’ Q1 top line may have been impacted by capital market-related headwinds amidst heightened macro uncertainty and market volatility on account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Consensus among analysts is a Moderate Buy based on 10 Buys and five Holds. Goldman Sachs’ average price forecast stands at $434.36 and implies upside potential of 35.2% to current levels.
Website Traffic
TipRanks’ Website Traffic tool, which uses data from SEMrush Holdings (SEMR), the world’s biggest website usage monitoring service, offers insight into GS’ performance.
According to the tool, Goldman’s banking website recorded a 53.1% monthly increase in global visits in March, compared to the previous year. Likewise, the footfall on its website has grown 12.6% year-to-date against the same period last year.
Takeaway
The recent acquisition is expected to help Goldman strengthen its presence in the European market and expand its product offerings. This bodes well for the company’s performance in the upcoming quarters.
Furthermore, while uncertainties in the market may have impacted capital market revenues for Goldman, its Q1 banking revenues are likely to have witnessed an uptrend as indicated by the website traffic report.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure
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Novavax Receives Authorization to Inject COVID-19 Vaccine in Thailand | https://www.tipranks.com/news/goldman-strengthens-asset-management-business/ | 2022-04-11T20:17:42Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/goldman-strengthens-asset-management-business/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
American air transport service provider JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU) is reducing its summer schedule to prevent further flight and passenger disruptions. At the time of writing, JBLU stock was up more than 6% during pre-market trading.
The airline industry is witnessing a boom in travel demand after economies worldwide have opened their skies for cross-border travel. However, since the onset of the pandemic, airlines have been struggling to retain their employees and sustain the enormous flight demand.
Airline Blues
JetBlue Airlines cut over 300 flights over the weekend, due to bad weather conditions in Florida, which resulted in several flight delays and cancellations across multiple carriers.
Last summer, airlines grappled with staff shortages and were forced to cancel and/or delay numerous flights. This year, various research houses have already projected a heavy summer and spring travel season. Meanwhile, airlines are trying to skirt the issue by reducing their schedules well in advance.
According to CNBC, an email to staff by JetBlue COO and President Joanna Geraghty stated that JetBlue has already planned a decrease in capacity by 8%-10% for May. Further, the company has warned of similar schedule cuts for the remainder of summer.
In late March, JetBlue urged flight attendants to accept more flights to satiate the rising travel demand, and promised to hire around 700 additional crew members through the summer.
Considering the tightly wound crew schedules, JetBlue has decided to cut back on its flights as the best solution for the time being. “I think everyone recognizes that the industry still remains very much in recovery mode, so we believe this proactive step is the right decision,” Geraghty wrote in the email.
Despite hiring 2,500 people to date this year, JBLU is facing staffing shortages. The airline is also undertaking other measures to ensure that its crew can work under pressure by incentivizing them with bonuses and extra pay.
JetBlue is giving a $1,000 bonus to crew members if they don’t take a leave from work starting April 8 through the end of May, and $500 to part-time attendants for meeting the goals. Moreover, a $100 bonus will be given to flight attendants for picking up open trips.
Similarly, Alaska Air (ALK) has also reduced its schedule by 2% through the end of June to survive the staffing shortages. On April 8, Alaska’s Twitter account read, “We’ve recently let down some of our valued guests by canceling an unusual number of flights. Rest assured we’re making immediate changes to ensure our guests can count on us to get them where they want to go.”
Analysts’ Take
Recently, Evercore ISI analyst Elizabeth Anderson reiterated a Hold rating on the JBLU stock with a price target of $15, which implies 26% upside potential to current levels.
In the Q1 preview of the airline industry, Anderson adjusted estimates of stocks “on higher assumed fuel and better revenue. We continue to see strong cross-currents: high fuel volatility, strong demand, and operational constraints.”
The analyst noted that JetBlue has a more aggressive capacity recovery plan for 2022 by focusing on Northeast growth, but the airline is facing temporary headwinds arising from staff shortages, training lead times, new aircraft delivery rates, and highly constrained regional capacity. Accordingly, the analyst has lowered the estimates for both the current year and the next year for the company.
The other analysts on the Street are also cautiously optimistic about the stock with a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on four Buys and three Holds. The average JetBlue price target of $19.60 implies 64.7% upside potential to current levels. JBLU stock has lost over 19% year-to-date.
Conclusion
Considering the above factors and its intention to buyout ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines (SAVE), JetBlue seems to be a good bet should the acquisition go through. In the short term, however, the added costs will overshadow the carrier’s performance, but in the long run, JetBlue will be hailed as one of the top five carriers in America with solid underlying fundamentals. The stock is also trading more than 50% below its all year high, making its a good entry point for investors seeking long-term value.
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By Barbara Powell and Chunzi Xu | Bloomberg
Chevron’s plan to move major maintenance at its San Francisco Bay-area refinery to June from April because of an ongoing labor strike may further exacerbate already-high California fuel prices.
Retail gasoline prices in California led the national rally to a record high in February, and have clung close to that level while prices in the rest of the U.S. have cooled.
Gasoline averaged $5.763 a gallon in California on Monday, down by 0.7% from month-ago levels, according to AAA. By contrast, the national average has fallen by 5% over the past month.
The summer driving season kicks off with the Memorial Day holiday at the end of May. The turnaround at Chevron’s Richmond refinery will start in mid-June and last about 45 days, eating up a chunk of the prime time to sell gasoline.
The timing of the turnaround, which includes the sole crude unit at the 245,300 barrel-a-day refinery, highlights California’s vulnerability to any hiccups in gasoline production.
Chevron may also have to import feedstocks for the refinery that could be used to make fuel while its crude unit is down, never an easy feat for the isolated California market, said Robert Campbell, head of oil products research at London-based consultancy Energy Aspects.
Chevron doesn’t comment on day-to-day operations, spokesman Tyler Kruzich said.re stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/04/11/california-refinery-work-delayed-by-strike-may-boost-fuel-prices/ | 2022-04-11T20:17:54Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/04/11/california-refinery-work-delayed-by-strike-may-boost-fuel-prices/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Global investment firm KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR) recently announced that it has acquired four logistics properties in the UK for £160 million ($208.5 million) from global alternative asset management firm TPG and Stoford.
The acquisitions were carried out through KKR Real Estate’s industrial and logistics platform in Europe, Mirastar.
Situated in Harlow, Greater London, the Grade A freehold properties span a total area of 370,000 square feet. The location can be used for national distribution as well as within Greater London.
Following the acquisition of four freehold logistics assets totaling 45,000 square meters in the Netherlands in January, the latest acquisition is KKR’s second from its pan-European Core+ Real Estate strategy.
Management Commentary
The Managing Director and Head of Core+ Real Estate in Europe at KKR, Ian Williamson, said, “We’re delighted to announce our first UK acquisition for KKR’s Core+ strategy for Real Estate. High-quality logistics assets are one of the main investment themes for our Core+ strategy in Europe and this marks the second successful transaction in just three months since the platform was launched last year. The combination of protection on the downside and optionality on the upside is compelling.”
Stock Rating
Recently, Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Bedell reiterated a Buy rating on the stock. The analyst, however, lowered the price target from $87 to $83, which implies upside potential of 43.9% from current levels.
According to the analyst, macroeconomic headwinds like the rising interest rate environment can impact the company’s earnings capability.
Consensus among analysts is a Strong Buy based on seven Buys and one Hold. KKR’s average price target of $84.88 implies upside potential of 47.1% from current levels. Shares have gained 10.9% over the past year.
Key Takeaway
The acquisition of these four properties in the sector near London is expected to be beneficial for the company, as the logistics sector in the UK has been witnessing sustained growth over the past few years. Also, given that the global supply chain issues are unlikely to abate soon, KKR’s move to strengthen its logistics portfolio appears to be prudent.
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EL SEGUNDO — Twelve hours after the world learned Frank Vogel would be fired, the Lakers let him know.
The team announced Monday morning that Vogel’s tenure has ended after three seasons, an awkward conclusion to a bungled dismissal. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Vogel had coached his last game almost as soon as the buzzer sounded after the Lakers’ overtime win in Denver, leading to Vogel saying “I haven’t been told (expletive)” in his post-game press conference before the flight back to L.A.
Vogel finishes his Lakers tenure with a 127-98 record in the regular season, an 18-9 playoff record and the 2020 NBA championship. The Lakers sent out a tweet of Vogel holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy, with the caption, “Thank you, Coach.”
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court,” said Rob Pelinka, the Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, in a statement. “Frank is a great coach and a good man. We will forever be grateful to him for his work in guiding us to the 2019-20 NBA championship. This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point. All of us here wish Frank and his wonderful family all the best for the future.”
LeBron James spoke to reporters Monday morning as Vogel’s status remained unconfirmed. He said he had not been told that Vogel had been fired: “I’ve seen the reports just like everybody else.”
While James declined to cast judgment on how Vogel was dismissed – “When decisions is made, you’re never gonna make everyone happy,” he said – he did say that Vogel had earned his respect over their three seasons together.
“I respect Frank as a coach, as a man and our partnership that we’ve had over past few years here has been nothing but just candid, great conversations,” James said. “He’s a guy who gives everything to the game, prepared us every single night, as well as his coaching staff. I give those guys a lot of credit too.”
Pelinka was scheduled to meet with the media at noon Monday.
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Report: Lakers to fire coach Frank Vogel | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/04/11/lakers-make-it-official-frank-vogel-is-fired/ | 2022-04-11T20:18:00Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/04/11/lakers-make-it-official-frank-vogel-is-fired/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Moderna (MRNA) disclosed the presence of a “foreign body” in one of the COVID-19 vaccine vials distributed in Europe, which resulted in the withdrawal of the whole lot, consisting of 764,900 doses, from the market. MRNA stock shook off this news, as the stock closed higher on Friday following the recall.
The lot was manufactured by ROVI Pharma Industrial Services’ unit in Spain and distributed in Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The company informed that the concerned vial was found to be punctured and not given to any adult.
Moderna has found no other complaints regarding the lot so far but is still recalling all the doses “out of an abundance of caution.” As per the company, the material found in the concerned vial is of no risk to other vials of the lot and has no impact on the significant benefit/risk profile of the vaccine.
Wall Street’s Take
Last week, Brookline Capital Markets analyst Leah R. Cann maintained a Buy rating on Moderna with a price target of $506 (221.9% upside potential from current levels).
The analyst said, “Our current expectations only include the HIV vaccine program, which combined with Moderna’s second HIV program, mRNA-1574, is anticipated to enter the market in 2026, and we estimate sales from these two programs, mRNA-1644 and mRNA-1574, combined could be more than $13 billion in 2030, making this the third-largest contributor to Moderna’s estimated 2030 sales.
“Based on the unmet need and market sizes for TB and enteric pathogens, these settings could provide upside to our total 2030 revenue outlook.”
Meanwhile, the rest of the Street is cautiously optimistic about the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on five Buys, seven Holds, and one Sell. The average Moderna price forecast of $247.20 implies 57.3% upside potential from current levels.
Hedge Fund Trading Activity
TipRanks’ Hedge Fund Trading Activity tool shows that confidence in Moderna is currently Very Negative, as all 15 hedge funds that were active in the last quarter cumulatively sold 5.3 million shares of the company.
Takeaway
Moderna has been one of the key vaccine manufacturers during this pandemic and is the second vaccine to have received FDA’s full approval in January 2022. Despite this incidence, investors’ are likely to keep their trust in the company.
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Thrifty theme park fans who ate at Magic Mountain for less than $1 a day will no longer be able to buy the all-season dining pass after Six Flags killed the all-you-can-eat plan that became a viral online sensation.
All Six Flags parks have dropped the Unlimited Dining Plan and now offer dining add-ons as part of a new season pass program.
“We believe there is no better value than a visit to Six Flags and continuously look at ways to improve our product offerings with the goal of elevating the guest experience,” Six Flags officials said in a statement. “Based on guest feedback, we recently launched a simplified pass program that better aligns with those preferences, including add-ons like the dining pass.”
SEE ALSO: How you can eat every day at Six Flags Magic Mountain for $150 a year
New Six Flags CEO Selim Bassoul has been pushing the parks to adopt a “premium experience” strategy rather than chase big crowds and offer heavy discounting.
“As we continue to invest in our parks and offer a more premium dining experience, our new dining pass program includes new options for one-day ticket holders and passholders,” Six Flags officials said in a statement.
Two guys who ate daily at Six Flags Magic Mountain on the pennies-per-meal all-season dining plan became viral sensations after explaining how they saved money on groceries and dining out by living on a theme park diet of cheeseburgers, pizza, fried chicken, french fries and soft drinks.
The life hack stories about the Six Flags unlimited dining plan that went viral on social media had no influence on ending the program, according to Six Flags officials.
SEE ALSO: Six Flags tests simplified season pass plan at Magic Mountain
How did the now-ended Six Flags all-you-can-eat life hack work? And how did Six Flags possibly make any money off the program?
Six Flags used to offer a $150 per year unlimited dining plan that could be added to a Magic Mountain season pass and used to get two meals and a snack every day of the year. Competitors such as Knott’s Berry Farm and SeaWorld San Diego offer similar all-season dining passes.
The dining annual passes make financial sense to the theme park chains for a number of reasons. For starters, the low-priced dining annual passes create the perception of value and savings in a theme park industry that is increasingly viewed as expensive. They drive annual pass sales to the park. Those annual passes increase return visits which in turn increase per-capita spending by visitors. Annual passholders are loyal customers who attend seasonal festivals and purchase exclusive offers — like all-season dining passes. It’s a virtuous cycle for the parks.
What theme parks know is that a season-long dining pass is like a gym membership or extended warranty. They make sense when you break down the overall cost. But there are plenty of visitors who will never extract the full value out of the plan, which makes it both affordable for those who use the dining plans to the ultimate maximum and also wildly profitable for the theme parks.
Believe it or not, dining season passes are incredibly profitable for theme parks. Six Flags, Cedar Fair and SeaWorld executives regularly boast during quarterly reports about the ever-increasing revenue generated from season dining plans.
SEE ALSO: Six Flags Magic Mountain launches pay-per-ride option on 4 coasters
It’s possible to recreate a Frankenstein version of the former Six Flags Unlimited Dining Plan. Passholders can purchase as many 4-meal plan add-ons as they want at $40 a pop — but that pretty much defeats the cost-savings benefit of the former $150 waistline-busting meal deal.
The new top-of-the-line $330 Ultimate Pass at Magic Mountain includes a 10-meal dining plan that can be used in a single transaction, on any individual visit or any time during the 2022 season. Ultimate passholders pay a $150 premium for the 10-meal dining plan and preferred parking. In addition, any visitor can buy a $20 one-day dining deal good for one meal and one snack.
At Magic Mountain, the new dining passes can be used at Ace O’ Clubs BBQ, Big Belly Burger, Chicken Coupe, Chop Six, High Octane Wings, Johnny Rockets and several other restaurants. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/04/11/six-flags-ends-unlimited-dining-plan-that-went-viral/ | 2022-04-11T20:18:06Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/04/11/six-flags-ends-unlimited-dining-plan-that-went-viral/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
When Republicans who oppose federal marijuana prohibition vote against your legalization bill, you probably are doing something wrong. That is what happened when the House of Representatives approved the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act by a vote of 220 to 204.
The ayes included 217 Democrats but only three Republicans, two fewer than voted for the MORE Act when the House passed it in 2020. The meager and waning GOP support for the bill suggests that Democrats want credit for trying to legalize marijuana but are not really interested in building the bipartisan coalition that would be necessary to accomplish that goal.
The 2020 vote was the first time that either chamber of Congress had approved legislation that would remove marijuana from the list of federally prohibited drugs. But as expected, the MORE Act went nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate.
The Senate is now evenly divided between the two parties, with Democratic control depending on Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote. So even if Democrats unanimously supported a legalization bill, they would still need the support of 10 Republicans to overcome a filibuster.
Democrats seem determined to ignore that political reality. Both the MORE Act and the legalization bill that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) plans to introduce this spring include unnecessarily contentious provisions that are bound to alienate Republicans who might otherwise be inclined to resolve the untenable conflict between federal prohibition and the laws that allow medical or recreational use of cannabis in 37 states.
According to the latest Gallup poll, 68% of Americans think marijuana should be legal, including 83% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans. Even Republicans who are not crazy about the idea should be able to get behind legislation that would let states set their own marijuana policies without federal interference.
Such legislation can be straightforward. The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2017, sponsored by then-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California, consisted of a single sentence that said the federal marijuana ban would not apply to conduct authorized by state law. Its 46 co-sponsors included 14 Republicans — 11 more than voted for the MORE Act last week.
The Common Sense Cannabis Reform Act, which Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, introduced last May, is 14 pages long. So far it has just eight co-sponsors, including four Republicans, but that still means it has more GOP support than Democrats managed to attract for the 92-page MORE Act, which includes new taxes, regulations and spending programs.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, thinks Congress never should have banned marijuana because it had no constitutional authority to do so. He nevertheless voted against the MORE Act, objecting to the “new marijuana crimes” its tax and regulatory provisions would create, with each violation punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The 163-page preliminary version of Schumer’s bill doubles down on the MORE Act’s overly prescriptive and burdensome approach. It would levy a 25% federal excise tax on top of frequently hefty state and local taxes, impose picayune federal regulations and create the sort of “social equity” programs that gave pause even to Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, the MORE Act’s lone Republican co-sponsor.
GOP support for marijuana federalism is clear from the fact that 106 Republicans voted last April for the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would protect financial institutions that serve state-licensed marijuana businesses from federal prosecution, forfeiture and regulatory penalties. The SAFE Banking Act would already be law if it had not been blocked by Schumer, who insisted that his own bill take priority.
Instead of building on the Republican appetite for letting states go their own way on this issue, Schumer is effectively telling GOP senators their views don’t matter. That makes sense only if he is more interested in scoring political points than in reversing a morally, scientifically and constitutionally bankrupt policy that should have been abandoned long ago.
Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason magazine. Follow him on Twitter: @JacobSullum. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/04/11/when-will-democrats-get-serious-about-repealing-cannabis-prohibition/ | 2022-04-11T20:18:12Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/04/11/when-will-democrats-get-serious-about-repealing-cannabis-prohibition/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Shell (SHEL) is interested in purchasing a portfolio of renewable energy projects valued at about €1 billion in Spain, according to a Reuters report. The oil giant, keen on reducing its carbon footprint and unlocking new revenue opportunities, is making huge investments in the renewable energy space.
The renewable energy portfolio up for sale mostly consists of solar energy projects. Once fully developed, the portfolio could generate more than 3.6 GW of electricity. The seller is Q-Energy, a Spanish fund manager. In addition to Shell, utilities like Verbund and Naturgy are also interested in buying the projects. Bids are expected by the end of April.
Shell’s Renewable Energy Ambitions
By 2030, Shell aims to sell about 560 terawatt hours of power a year around the world. At the same time, the company targets a significant reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
As part of its efforts to achieve its energy ambitions, Shell recently acquired 49% of Australia’s WestWind, which is targeting 5 GW of renewable energy capacity through wind projects. Shell has also partnered with BYD on electric vehicle charging solutions in China and Europe. The company has also entered into strategic renewable energy partnerships with General Motors (GM) and Keyera.
Wall Street’s Take
Consensus among analysts is a Strong Buy based on four Buys and one Hold. The average Shell price target stands at $64.74 and implies upside potential of 15.4% to current levels. Shares have gained 27% year-to-date.
Stock Investors
TipRanks’ Stock Investors tool shows that investor sentiment is currently Very Positive on Shell, with 8.6% of portfolios tracked by TipRanks increasing their exposure to SHEL stock over the past 30 days.
Key Takeaway for Investors
Amid the global efforts to combat climate change, demand is growing for renewable power. Shell’s investment in this space should help it take advantage of the market opportunity. At the same time, the investments should help the company avoid criticism of its environmental impact by reducing its greenhouse emissions.
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Payments processor Square plans to introduce a redesigned iPad-based payment terminal, according to a Bloomberg report. Square is a unit of the Jack Dorsey-led Block (SQ); its other brands include Cash App and Tidal.
Square’s new iPad payment terminal will integrate tap-to-pay technology along with the physical credit-card reader in the device. The current generation of Square’s iPad terminals requires an external tap-to-pay reader.
Bringing the physical reader and the tap-to-pay reader together in the device is expected to make it easier for shoppers and merchants to complete a transaction. Square has not revealed when it will release the redesigned iPad payment stand or what it will cost. The iPad payment terminals on the market currently cost $169.
The product makes money for Square in a number of ways. In addition to the cost of acquiring the device, merchants pay a 2.6% commission and a $0.10 fee to Square for every transaction.
Wall Street’s Take
Consensus among analysts is a Strong Buy based on 30 Buys and four Holds. The average Block price forecast stands at $185.39 and implies upside potential of 50.5% to current levels. Shares have declined 25% year-to-date.
Blogger Opinions
TipRanks data shows that financial blogger opinions are 81% Bullish on SQ, compared to a sector average of 69%.
Key Takeaway for Investors
If the redesigned iPad payment stands makes it easier to complete transactions quickly, then more merchants would want to use it. A broader adoption of the new device could increase the transaction commission and fee earnings opportunity for Square.
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The Fed’s crackdown plans on inflation and the corresponding increase in U.S. Treasury yields are affecting the morale of stock market investors. Futures on the major averages trended in red in the early morning trading hours of Monday.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) lost 0.22%, while the S&P 500 (SPX) futures were down 0.50%, as of 5:48 a.m. EST., Monday. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) futures dipped 0.98% below parity.
At the end of Friday’s regular trading session, the Dow had gained 0.4%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 fell 0.27% and 1.41% respectively, as the fear continued.
On Friday, the benchmark 10-year yield touched a 3-year high, sparking a sell-off in the stock market, led by technology stocks. Market movements during the entire last week were driven by the Fed’s update. The technology sector bore the maximum brunt as has been typical, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite falling 3.9% last week, whereas the Dow and S&P 500 dipped 0.3% and 1.3% respectively. Losses were partially offset by gains in the healthcare sector, which was up by more than 3%.
The Policy Blueprint and its Repercussions
Last Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced its intent to reduce $95 billion of bond holdings every month from its balance sheet, in order to curb inflation. Moreover, multiple 50-basis-point interest rate hikes have also been planned through 2022.
Fed officials also think that the new wave of Covid-19 and related lockdowns will further fuel the persistent inflation-boosting component supply chain disruptions. Therefore, a more aggressive monetary policy has become necessary to protect the economy.
Again, the U.S. market is also factoring in the inflationary effects of the volatility of oil and energy prices stemming from the ongoing hostility between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Market participants are expecting one round of half-point hikes at the Fed’s next meeting that is to be held on May 3 and May 4; and another round of a similar hike at the June meeting.
The Fed’s plans have sent the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage sprinting to 4.9% last week, the highest rate since 2018, as informed by the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Can the Equity Market Recover From the Rate-Hike Cycle of 2022?
At the advent of the pandemic, stimulus money was pumped into the U.S. economy to help with the dwindling demand scenario, and to prop up stocks which had lost significant value. This continued until earlier this year, as the Fed began to warn of multiple rate hikes in order to curb inflation which had been (and still is) ballooning out of control. Nonetheless, one look at the past performances of stocks after such rate hikes shows us that stocks typically rise after an interest rate hike.
There have been five planned rate hike series since 1990, and each time, the S&P 500 regained its lost value after six months of the hike cycle, after initial months of volatility or decline. Experts also recommend against worrying too much about losses, as the equity market has always managed to recover remarkably.
Nonetheless, fears are rife of a recession this year, driven by the Fed’s aggressive tightening of monetary policy. Yet, investors are looking at a further rally in the market and are possibly going to stay till the last moment, believing that there are significant upsides to the market before falling into a recession.
That being said, Deutsche Bank also pointed out that eight out of the 11 rate-hiking series in the past 70 years had ended in recessions. It remains to be seen what this year holds.
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Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/stock-futures-in-red-as-fed-gears-up-for-rate-hikes-treasury-yields-spike/ | 2022-04-11T20:18:38Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/stock-futures-in-red-as-fed-gears-up-for-rate-hikes-treasury-yields-spike/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Semiconductor products maker Silicon Motion Technology Corp. (NASDAQ: SIMO) has mentioned that it expects first-quarter revenue to come in above the previously announced guidance range of $225 million to $238 million.
Further, the company anticipates Gross margin to be around 52%, higher than the guidance range of 49.5% to 51.5%.
SIMO is scheduled to release its first-quarter results on May 4. Shares of the company closed 0.6% up on Friday at $71.99.
Q4 Highlights
Silicon Motion ended last year on an excellent note with fourth-quarter revenue and earnings beating the Street’s estimate.
Revenue surged 4% quarter-over-quarter and 84% year-over-year to $264.4 million, and EPS stood at $1.90 versus $1.70 in the third quarter and $0.86 a year ago.
Analysts had expected the company to report revenue and EPS of $262.52 million and $1.76, respectively.
About Silicon Motion
The company makes NAND flash controller integrated circuits for solid-state storage devices. It provides these circuits for commercial, enterprise, and industrial applications ranging from SSDs, eMMCs, memory cards, and USB flash drives.
Price Target
Based on four Buys and one Hold, Silicon Motion Technology has a Strong Buy consensus rating. SIMO’s average price target of $113.50 implies 57.7% upside potential from current levels. Shares have lost 23.7% year-to-date.
Conclusion
Silicon Motion’s expectation of a solid quarter is a positive for the company. Further, the SIMO stock is expected to rise if the company’s first-quarter results are in line with its expectations.
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Now, Boeing 777s Pose Challenge for United Airlines
WarnerMedia-Discovery Combination Boosts AT&T’s Growth Prospects
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TipRanks has compiled a list of Monday’s biggest pre-market stock movements.
Today’s stock market is dominated by mixed market sentiment on company-specific news, macro factors, and other variables. Using TipRanks’ new Top Stock Gainers/Losers page, we’ve identified the top five pre-market stock movers, as detailed below.
5 Biggest Movers
SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc. (SAIL) was the biggest gainer in pre-market trading, jumping around 29.46% at last watch. The positive sentiment followed a Financial Times report, which stated that private equity firm Thoma Bravo will acquire the cybersecurity company for $6.9 billion. No comments were received from either of the companies.
Meanwhile, China-based EV maker NIO Inc. (NIO) declined in pre-market trading, recording losses of around 8.15% at the time of writing. The company’s suspension of production due to supply issues following the resurgence of COVID-19 cases raised investors’ anxiety.
NetEase, Inc. (NTES) surged 7.48% in the pre-market session, at the time of writing. Positive sentiment followed a report stating that China is likely to approve the first batch of gaming licenses since July. It is a Chinese Internet technology company, which provides online services centered on content, community, communications, and commerce.
Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (GOOS), a Canadian holding company of winter clothing manufacturers, dove 7.2% in pre-market trading at the time of writing. It seems the disclosure in the company’s recent SEC filing that Russell Investments Group Ltd. has increased its stake in Canada Goose by 95.5% during the fourth quarter has impacted investor sentiment. The firm now owned 27,177 shares of the company’s stock after an additional buy of 13,275 shares.
London-based online car retailer Cazoo Group Ltd (CZOO) completes the list. It jumped 7.2% in pre-market trading, at last watch. The upward movement followed a 7.4% gain in price at Friday’s close. The company recorded strong results for the last quarter of 2021 driving investor optimism. Revenues stood at £245 million, up 227% year-over-year. Additionally, 16,235 vehicles were sold during the quarter, up 145%.
Continue to watch this space for possible volatility upon the market opens. Tomorrow, we’ll have another up-to-date piece on stock Pre-Market Movers…
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AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has completed the pending transaction of combining its WarnerMedia business with New York-based Discovery, Inc. The deal to this transaction was signed between the parties in May 2021.
The aforementioned business combination has created Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., which will start trading on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol ‘WBD’ effective today.
Shares of AT&T rose 1.7% to close at $24.14 on Friday. AT&T is a $173-billion telecommunications, technology, and media services provider. The company is headquartered in Dallas, TX.
Rationale of the Transaction
Warner Bros. Discovery is a standalone media and entertainment giant with a revenue expectation of $52 billion in 2023. The newly born company’s adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) are anticipated to be $14 billion and free cash flow conversion is predicted to be 60% in 2023. Also, costs synergies of $3 billion are anticipated in the years ahead.
The new media company’s portfolio will include franchises, content, and brands related to streaming, film, and television. In addition to Discovery’s HBO, CNN, Discovery Channel, and other businesses, Warner Bros. Discovery will operate sports, entertainment, and other businesses of WarnerMedia.
AT&T has financially benefited from this transaction, as it received cash amounting to $40.4 billion and debt retention of WarnerMedia. The company intends on using the cash resources from this transaction for lowering debts and boosting its fiber and 5G scope as well as rewarding shareholders handsomely.
In addition to the cash and debt portion, AT&T shareholders gained a stake in Warner Bros. Discovery at the rate of approximately 0.25 WBD’s shares for every single share of AT&T held at the time of closing the transaction.
Overall, approximately 71% stake in Warner Bros. Discovery is owned by AT&T shareholders and the rest are with Discovery’s stakeholders.
Official Comments
AT&T’s CEO, John Stankey, said, “We are at the dawn of a new age of connectivity, and today marks the beginning of a new era for AT&T.”
Meanwhile, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery said, “With our collective assets and diversified business model, Warner Bros. Discovery offers the most differentiated and complete portfolio of content across film, television and streaming. We are confident that we can bring more choice to consumers around the globe while fostering creativity and creating value for shareholders.”
Wall Street’s Take
A few days ago, Frank Louthan, a Raymond James analyst, maintained a Buy rating on AT&T with a price target of $32 (32.56% upside potential).
“We continue to believe a more focused vision along a simpler line of business creates a solid scenario for share price appreciation in 2022 and a solid, double-digit total return,” said Frank.
Also, another analyst, Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson reiterated a Hold rating on the stock with a price target of $19 (21.29% downside potential).
Overall, AT&T has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on seven Buys, six Holds, and one Sell. This rating points towards analysts’ cautiously optimistic view of the company. AT&T’s price forecast of $28.92 suggests 19.80% upside potential from current levels. Over the past year, shares of AT&T have fallen 19.4%.
Risk Analysis
Per TipRanks Risk Factors tool, AT&T stock is at risk mainly from three factors: Finance & Corporate, Tech & Innovation, and Legal & Regulatory. These categories contribute six risks each to the total 26 risks identified for the stock.
Conclusion
The WarnerMedia-Discovery business combination is a win-win for AT&T shareholders. While they get rewarded with WBD shares immediately, AT&T’s efforts to lower debts and boost growth prospects in fiber and 5G will help them bag long-term gains.
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Shares of American chipmaker Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) fell 4.5% on Friday, closing at $231.19 due to a cautious outlook from one of the five-star analysts, William Stein of Truist Financial. Year-to-date, NVDA stock has lost over 23% amid a broader market sell-off, and gained 52.1% over the past year.
The analyst sees a decline in demand for the semiconductor industry, especially in the second quarter. According to Stein, the demand for chips from the computer, consumer, and communications original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) has somewhat declined for some of the chip-making companies, which will impact their near-term performance.
Although Stein does note that the outlook for the second half of 2022 remains optimistic, he is concerned about the short-term effect of demand disruption coupled with limited supply, which could lead to a traditional cyclical downturn for the industry.
Accordingly, the analyst cut the price target on NVDA to $298 (28.9% upside potential) from $347, while maintaining a Buy rating. This led to a slump in the stock as soon as the news hit the market.
Along with Nvidia, Stein also cut the price target for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel (INTC) to reflect the temporary headwind of slowing demand.
Shareholders’ Approval to Double Shares Authorization
In other news, Nvidia has put up a proposal to shareholders to approve an increase in the authorized share capital at the upcoming annual stockholders’ meeting scheduled for June 2, 2022.
As per the current charter, Nvidia has 4 billion in authorized shares. As of April 4, Nvidia’s outstanding shares stood at approximately 2.5 billion, and 408 million equity awards were reserved for future issuance under its equity incentive plans and employee stock purchase plans.
“The Board recommends a vote FOR this proposal so that there are adequate shares of common stock to be used by the Board for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, stock dividends and/or stock splits, expanding our business through mergers and acquisitions, providing equity incentives to employees, officers or directors, and the raising of additional capital,” the company stated in a regulatory filing on Friday.
Nvidia Stock Analysis
According to TipRanks’ Smart Score, Nvidia scores a “Perfect 10”, indicating that the stock is highly likely to outperform the market. Bloggers and news articles are bullish on the stock, and hedge funds have increased their holdings of NVDA stock by 51.8K shares in the last quarter.
Similarly, Wall Street analysts have awarded the NVDA stock a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 21 Buys and five Holds. The average Nvidia price target of $343.61 implies 48.63% upside potential to current levels.
However, corporate insiders have sold shares worth $31.8 million in the last month, which probably indicates that insiders are aware of some negative sentiment in the company that the rest of us are not aware of. The insiders’ view resonates with analyst Stein’s short-term outlook on Nvidia stock.
In Conclusion
Considering the above factors, it would be reasonable to state that Nvidia may face short-term headwinds and it could be a good bet to hold on to the stock for a longer time horizon.
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Medical technology company Zynex, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZYXI) has reported its preliminary first-quarter 2022 results. The company expects to post revenues in the range of $30.5 million to $31.5 million in the quarter. It further expects adjusted EBITDA between $3 million and $4 million.
Thomas Sandgaard, the CEO of Zynex, said, “Our Q1 2022 revenue estimate is approximately 26% higher than Q1 2021 and adjusted EBITDA is estimated to increase approximately 900% year-over-year.”
Meanwhile, the company has reaffirmed its guidance for full-year 2022. It continues to expect revenue in the range of $150 million to $170 million and adjusted EBITDA between $25 million and $35 million.
Following the announcement, shares of ZYXI declined 1.6% on Friday to close at $6.08.
About Zynex
Based out of Colorado, Zynex design, manufacture and sells medical devices. It offers electrotherapy medical devices used for pain management and rehabilitation. The company is developing non-invasive patient fluid, pulse oximetry and sepsis monitoring systems.
Stock Rating
Overall, the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on two Buys and one Hold. ZYXI’s average price target of $12.33 implies 102.8% upside potential. Shares have lost nearly 56% over the past year.
Conclusion
Zynex is scheduled to release its first-quarter results on May 3. The company managed to surpass expectations in all quarters of Fiscal 2021. If the trend continues in the first quarter as well, the stock is likely to receive a boost.
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Chicago cops face firing after man was pistol-whipped, shocked with Taser during gun arrest
CHICAGO - Three Chicago police officers face dismissal more than five years after they were involved in a violent arrest in which a man was repeatedly pistol-whipped and shocked with a Taser at a Humboldt Park convenience store.
In a report last March, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability called for the firing of Officers Chavez Siler, Corey Boone and Robert Clark for their alleged roles in the brutal arrest, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown agreed with COPA’s recommendations to discharge the officers in a document filed March 11 with the Chicago Police Board, which set in motion disciplinary proceedings. A status hearing is set for Tuesday.
The incident began early March 15, 2017, when a security guard at a mini-mart in the 3700 block of West Chicago Avenue told Siler and Officer Michael Benamon an armed man was inside, according to COPA. Brown’s letter to the police board identifies the man as 27-year-old Charles Whitehead.
As the officers tried to detain Whitehead inside the store, a struggle ensued and Siler placed a gun to his head and struck him with it — despite Whitehead’s apparent efforts to comply with orders to raise his hands. As they wrestled throughout the store, Benamon also punched Whitehead before ultimately disarming him, COPA reported.
"I got it," COPA quoted Benamon as saying before handing the Glock handgun to Boone as he arrived.
After the gun was recovered, COPA said Siler continued aiming his own weapon at Whitehead and "pistol-whipping" him in the face, even as he laid on the ground. Siler also called on someone else to use a Taser on Whitehead’s face as Benamon kneeled on him in front of a cooler, prompting Boone to shock Whitehead in the back.
The violent confrontation apparently left Whitehead unconscious and only stopped after he was "motionless on the ground," according to COPA. His face was left bloodied, and "a significant amount of blood" was found on the floor.
Store surveillance footage released by the Chicago Reader last year shows the melee lasted almost five minutes.
Whitehead was charged with a list of felonies stemming from the arrest, according to Cook County court records. He pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to four-and-a-half-years in prison.
Siler, who COPA accused of using "deadly force," now faces dismissal for allegedly violating five departmental rules, including for unnecessarily using his weapon and for engaging in an unjustified physical altercation, according to the administrative charges Brown filed with the police board.
Boone allegedly broke those same five rules, as well as three others for allegedly lying to COPA investigators, failing to report his colleagues’ excessive use of force and failing to intervene, according to the charging document. Clark also allegedly made false or misleading statements to investigators and failed to prevent or report the alleged abuse against Whitehead, Brown wrote.
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Siler, Boone and Clark were all relieved of their police powers last July in relation to Whitehead’s arrest, according to a police spokesperson. All three were placed into no-pay status on March 24, weeks after Brown filed the administrative charges against them.
Tim Grace, an attorney for Boone and Clark, said his clients "acted within policy and look forward to presenting their cases before the Police Board." An attorney representing Siler didn’t respond to requests for comment.
COPA also recommended a 60-day suspension for Benamon, a Black officer who allegedly punched Whitehead and conceded to COPA investigators that he used a racial slur for African Americans during the incident. The police oversight agency also sought 180-day suspensions for Sgt. Kevin Leahy and Lt. Wilfredo Roman, both accused of signing off on "multiple deficient reports" containing omissions or inaccuracies.
Benamon, Leahy and Roman were all served notices of discipline, and grievances are pending, the police spokesperson said. Benamon and Leahy remain on active duty.
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Roman was stripped of his police powers in July amid an unrelated COPA investigation into allegations he shoved a flashlight between the buttocks of a 17-year-old carjacking suspect. He was later charged in August with felony counts of aggravated battery in the public way and official misconduct in connection to that incident. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-cops-face-firing-after-man-was-pistol-whipped-shocked-with-taser-during-gun-arrest | 2022-04-11T20:20:24Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-cops-face-firing-after-man-was-pistol-whipped-shocked-with-taser-during-gun-arrest | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Chicago mayoral race: Will third time be a charm for Willie Wilson?
CHICAGO - After running for Chicago mayor in 2015 and 2019 and failing to make the runoff election, wealthy businessman Willie Wilson announced during a Monday morning press conference he's going to run for the job again.
"I don't need to run for mayor to get a paycheck," Wilson said. "My wanting to do this is to serve communities."
Four years ago, Wilson estimated his net worth at up to $60 million.
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So is Wilson becoming one of those perennial candidates who just likes to run or does he have a legitimate shot?
He's also run for U.S. Senator and for President of the United States, unsuccessfully. But he could have a bigger impact this time, especially given his popularity among voters in Chicago's politically pivotal Black community.
"We gotta make sure that the communities work together. One person cannot solve the problem of two or three million people or more. It takes togetherness," Wilson said.
WILLIE WILSON JOINS 2023 RACE FOR CHICAGO MAYOR
"One person cannot fix the crime by itself. One person cannot fix all the economic that we particularly need or the education system, but one person can open the doors and communicate and that people can have input and to put in."
Wilson’s recent multimillion dollar gasoline giveaways have become part of his political trademark and have added to his standing and public attention. But they have also drawn ridicule from Mayor Lori Lightfoot and some of her allies for causing long lines and making people wake up early to get in those lines.
But Wilson is promising to do it again, even if the city imposes new rules to make it more difficult.
"If Chicago don't allow me to do it again, try to put up some roadblocks, then we’ll just go over in Indiana and suburban areas and have the people in Chicago come out there and get gas. We'll do what it takes," Wilson said.
There’s currently no word on whether that sort of gasoline giveaway might be a regular feature.
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There is one other candidate as he contemplates another round of gasoline giveaways. Ald. Ray Lopez from the South Side’s 15th Ward jumped in a few days ago and is among perhaps a half dozen serious candidates. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-mayoral-race-third-time-charm-willie-wilson | 2022-04-11T20:20:30Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-mayoral-race-third-time-charm-willie-wilson | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Gunman opens fire on vehicle in Waukegan, 2 bystanders wounded
WAUKEGAN, Ill. - Two bystanders were wounded Sunday night when the occupant of a pickup truck opened fire on another vehicle in north suburban Waukegan, according to police.
Officers responded to a report of shots fired about 8:45 p.m. near 8th Street and Jackson Street, Waukegan police said in a statement on Monday.
Investigators said a silver Nissan sedan, occupied by a 50-year-old man and a 60-year-old man, were driving in the area of 8th and Prescott streets when their vehicle was shot at by the occupant of a light-colored pickup truck.
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The men attempted to flee in the sedan before eventually crashing in the area of Jackson Street and Belvidere Road. The pickup truck fled the area, police said.
Neither of the men were wounded in the shooting and police said they are cooperating with the investigation.
A 20-year-old woman from Georgia was driving in the area when she and her vehicle were struck by gunfire during the shooting. She underwent surgery to treat her wounds at an area hospital, and is in stable condition.
A 60-year-old Waukegan man who was walking in the area at the time of the shooting was also wounded. He was transported to an area hospital where he underwent surgery. He is listed in stable condition.
Police said an occupied home in the 800 block of Prescott Avenue was also struck by gunfire. No one in the home was injured.
Investigators recovered multiple shell casings from the scene, but have not determined the cause of the shooting.
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Anyone with information is asked to call the Waukegan Police Department's Community Crimes Division at 847-856-6444. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/gunman-opens-fire-on-vehicle-in-waukegan-2-bystanders-wounded | 2022-04-11T20:20:42Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/gunman-opens-fire-on-vehicle-in-waukegan-2-bystanders-wounded | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Man accused of impregnating 14-year-old family member caught in Fulton County hotel
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County deputies have arrested a man accused of raping and impregnating a family member after a manhunt over the weekend.
The Fulton County Sheriffs' Office says their investigation began on the weekend when the Falls River Police Department reached out in their search for Roque Garcia-Ortiz.
According to officials, Garcia-Ortiz raped a 14-year-old family member and impregnated her.
Officials were afraid that the suspect was trying to fly to Puerto Rico, where he has family ties, so the department's Scorpion Unit got on the move.
After a search Garcia-Ortiz was found at a hotel in East Point and brought into custody without incident.
Garcia-Ortiz is charged with three counts of rape, three counts of aggravated rape of a child, and one count of rape of a child with force.
He remains in custody at the Fulton County Jail while he awaits extradition back to Massachusetts.
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Man killed, woman injured walking on Ohio 13 after struck by SUV that left scene
CORNING — Two pedestrians were struck, one fatally, while walking along a state highway in Perry County on Sunday night, according to the Lancaster Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Troopers were called at approximately 8:50 p.m. Sunday to the scene of the crash on Ohio 13 near Corning.
One of the pedestrians, Dean Morrison, 29, of New Straitsville, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other pedestrian, Cindy Spears, 33, of Crooksville, was flown by MedFlight to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.
According to the Patrol, a 2016 Honda CR-V, operated by Lee Watkins, 55, of Corning, was going north on Ohio 13 and struck the two pedestrians as they were walking north on the state route. Watkins left the scene of the accident and was found a short time later.
Assisting the Patrol were Corning Police Department, Corning Fire/EMS, and Crooksville EMS.
The crash remains under investigation. | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/2022/04/11/fatal-hit-skip-involved-pedestrians/7278310001/ | 2022-04-11T20:23:01Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/2022/04/11/fatal-hit-skip-involved-pedestrians/7278310001/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Genesis receives $5,3000 from Strike Out for Breast CancerContributed to the Zanesville Times RecorderSubmitted by Genesis HealthCare SystemView CommentsView CommentsView CommentsView Comments | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/04/11/genesis-receives-5-3000-strike-out-breast-cancer/9515966002/ | 2022-04-11T20:23:07Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/04/11/genesis-receives-5-3000-strike-out-breast-cancer/9515966002/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ace of Trades: Kristen Brown brings color and joy to the world
'Art is my therapy and a way I can create a peaceful colorful outlet'
ZANESVILLE – Sometimes art is more than art. It can be, well, therapeutic. So it is for Kristen Brown.
“My dream has always been to help people and create art,” she said. “I want others to feel a sense of happiness, fun and calming atmosphere, where everyone is welcome.
“Being kind, creating art and singing brings me great joy,” she added. “I’ve always been drawn to art and expressing how I feel through art. Art is my therapy and a way I can create a peaceful colorful outlet for everyone.”
Thus, the Kristen Brown Art Studio was born.
“I also have another job that I work as a job coach for people with special needs,” she noted. “I love to help bring peoples’ dreams to life and find myself in jobs that allow me to do that.”
Brown grew up in Zanesville, graduated from Zanesville High School, then Columbus College of Art and Design. Her talents were obvious to many. Most notably, her family.
“Kristen has always had a creative flair and love of bright colors,” said her mother, Beth Brown. “In her early grade school years, she was given a coloring page of a squirrel and asked to color it. She created a brightly colored rainbow squirrel. Her teacher explained to her that squirrels were black, grey or red. Kristen knew this, but wanted her squirrel to be bright and happy. We knew then art would be a part of Kristen's life.”
“My parents, my brother, and now my husband, Mike Hill, have always been huge supporters,” Brown responded. “I remember one time when I was younger and had to stay at the hospital for a few days, my parents spoiled me with lots of art supplies. They helped fuel my passion over the years with supplies, positive reinforcement and love.”
Another supporter in more recent years is world-renowned Zanesville-based artist Yan Sun, chair of the art department at Muskingum University.
“Kristen Brown is a talented artist,” assessed Yan Sun. “Her creativity is shown in the way she works with a variety of media. She has used techniques properly to create many wonderful artworks. Viewers find Kristen’s artworks are infused with beauty and happiness. Many people have collected her works, so they have the beautiful blessings and hopes with them.
“Recently,” he continued, “Kristen once again showed her artistic talent in her mural creation in the mall. Those murals beautify the environment and provide so much imaginative space for community members, especially the younger generation.”
“I do it because I love it,” Brown responded. “I love to create using mixed media. I’ve had the pleasure of doing murals for the City of Zanesville, the Colony Square Mall and art commissions from customers.”
She also volunteers as president of the Artist Colony of Zanesville to “help the artists’ movement in Zanesville.”
“I’m very blessed where I’ve ended up,” she concluded. “I want to bring color and joy into the world. It’s therapeutic for me. I wouldn’t change anything.”
Kristen Brown Art Studio is located at 605 Market St., Suite 1, in Zanesville. For more information, call 740-607-8560, email studioleighbrown@gmail.com or log on Facebook.
About the series
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at trnews@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com. | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/04/11/kristen-brown-brings-color-and-joy-world/7265866001/ | 2022-04-11T20:23:13Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/04/11/kristen-brown-brings-color-and-joy-world/7265866001/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Police: Altercation at Terry's Tavern leads to shot fired
Editor's note: This story has been corrected. Tristan Gebhard was arrested in connection to a fight inside the bar. He is not suspected in the shooting.
ZANESVILLE — A shooting occurred after a bar fight Friday night, according to Zanesville Police Department Detective Sergeant Phil Michel.
The only arrest made was that of Tristan Gebhart. Michel said Gebhart was involved in a fight that preceded the shooting, but Gebhart is not accused of using firearms in the fight.
Previous:Incident near Terry's Tavern under investigation
Police were called to Terry's around 10:30 p.m. on a report for a fight inside of the business.
A shot was fired outside of the bar during the altercation, but nobody was struck by the gunfire, Michel said.
Police haven't found the person responsible for firing the shots.
According to Michel, Gebhart fled the scene and was found a few blocks away. Multiple firearms were recovered.
Gebhart is charged with two counts of carrying a concealed weapon, fourth-degree felonies; two counts of illegal possession of a fireman in a liquor-permit premises, a third-degree felony; two counts of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; and two counts of violation of a protection order, a third-degree felony.
Gebhart has been booked into the Zanesville City Jail.
A court date has yet to be scheduled.
ecouch@gannett.com
740-450-6752
Twitter: @couchreporting | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/04/11/man-arrested-connection-shooting-outside-bar/7274155001/ | 2022-04-11T20:23:19Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/04/11/man-arrested-connection-shooting-outside-bar/7274155001/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
When getting older, the future isn't what it used to be
I'm having a birthday this month and the song, "The Old Gray Mare," rings true.
I look at the fences I used to jump over and wonder how I can get to the other side. I see pictures of "elderly" persons and realize they are younger than I. When my grandmother turned 80 in 1948 and my mom had a little party for her, I thought she was a really "old lady." She still worked around the house and helped with the flowers and the canning of produce and there was plenty of that. She had never driven a car and her outside activities beyond her home were the church and the grange.
In my younger days, "old" was another time and place — a time and place that was off in the distant future. Time seems to go faster as we get older. I once heard someone try to explain this phenomenon mathematically.
According to the 2017 Agriculture Census the average age of the American farmer is 59.4 years. This number has increased from 50.3 since 1978. Many farms have three and four generations still active in the workings of their farms.
All generations are valuable to a farm operation because there are always age-appropriate tasks to be done. The average age of a beginning farmer is 46.3 years. This number seems high, but I wonder if this accounts, in part, for the young people who left the farm for other careers and then decided their heart was on the farm and came back. Only 26% of beginning farmers are under 35.
I've learned a few things lately. You can't do everything like you used to. It takes longer to do things. It's okay to sit down and rest now and then. It's okay to let people help you. I don't feel so old on the inside, but, after I saw my new driver's license picture, it's no wonder a young lady gave me her chair at the BMV.
In a catalog recently I saw a T-shirt that read, "I've reached the age where my train of thought often leaves the station without me." My son asked if I was going to get the shirt. I told him no, because I didn't want to advertise my condition.
Iris Eppley is a member of the Farm Bureau Council. | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/04/11/when-getting-older-future-isnt-what-used/9475591002/ | 2022-04-11T20:23:25Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/04/11/when-getting-older-future-isnt-what-used/9475591002/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Dupler, Stephens named MVL Scholarship winners
The Muskingum Valley League recently honored a pair of area athletes.
New Lexington's Lydia Stephens and Sheridan's Abby Dupler were named this year's MVL Terry Ohlinger Scholarship recipients.
The scholarship was established to award outstanding student athletes for their achievements. Each will receive a $500 scholarship, as both demonstrated outstanding athletic involvement during their education and exhibited the ability to succeed in completing higher education.
Stephens has participated in basketball, softball, volleyball, cross country and cheerleading and has earned MVL and District honors in basketball and volleyball. She also owns two school records and was part of the National Honor Society. Stephens has volunteered at the gate for athletic events and takes part in her youth group at the Church of Christ.
Stephens will attend Ohio University-Lancaster to pursue a degree
Dupler was a three-year letter winner in volleyball, basketball and track and earned MVL Honors in volleyball and basketball and district accolades in volleyball. She is also a 10-year member Madison Junior Farmer 4-H where she has shown cattle and pigs at the Perry County Fair and State Fair. She has also volunteered to work the youth basketball and volleyball camps and for the daddy-daughter dance.
She plans to attend West Liberty and become a dental hygienist. | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2022/04/11/dupler-stephens-named-mvl-scholarship-winners/9533501002/ | 2022-04-11T20:23:31Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2022/04/11/dupler-stephens-named-mvl-scholarship-winners/9533501002/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Blackburn: Haskins tragedy a somber reality check for Buckeye Nation
Dwayne Haskins was a near-perfect college quarterback masquerading as a flawed young adult.
Like a lot of us at 24, he was just trying to figure out how to do it effectively.
While some viewed the former Ohio State star as one giant wasted opportunity in the NFL, others saw a gifted talent who needed to grow up and prioritize. Almost universally, though, even his worst of critics saw a talent not worth discarding.
The Steelers were set to give the Buckeye All-American another chance this fall, as he was due to compete with veterans Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky in their quest to replace legendary Ben Roethlisberger. To fill shoes like that, you need legitimate talent. Haskins had more than both of his competitors combined.
Then Saturday happened. And all of that changed.
It was around 6:30 a.m. when Haskins was struck by a dump truck while walking on an interstate near Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was found dead at the scene by authorities not long after.
Given his history of being at the wrong place at the wrong time since joining the NFL — and a penchant for enjoying too much of a good time — it was easy for the critics to assume the worst. This was, after all, the same Dwayne Haskins that was found in a strip club after a game, without a mask, during December 2020 when strict COVID-19 protocols were in place. He was released by Washington, the team that drafted him, a few days later.
This time the critics were wrong. Haskins, who had just gotten married in March 2021, was reportedly on his way to the Hollywood airport and had car trouble. He had been in Florida during the week working out voluntarily with several other Steelers backs and receivers.
Exact details still remain uncertain, particularly why Haskins was walking across an interstate highway into oncoming traffic, rather than using his cell phone to call for help, if he was indeed broken down. The Florida State Highway Patrol said the case is being investigated as "an open traffic homicide."
Regardless of fault or reasoning, there is no denying the incident's tragic nature.
Haskins, just shy of his 25th birthday, was in the NFL only three years after being drafted by Washington 15th overall in 2019. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in his only season as a Buckeye starter — and the first with Ryan Day calling the plays — just a few months removed from shattering almost every Ohio State passing record. No Big Ten quarterback has thrown for 50 TDs in a season before or since.
He carried those Buckeyes, whose defensive woes were historic and well-documented. The team's only loss was a wretched one to Purdue on a Saturday night when Haskins and the defense had an off night at the same time. It only punctuated just how much he meant to that team.
Even the wins had his fingerprints everywhere. He brought the team from two scores down in the fourth quarter to win at Penn State, then made several clutch throws in the second half of a shootout win at Maryland — after the loss at Purdue — to keep the team's Big Ten and national title hopes intact.
A team with a so-so running game and a defense that allowed more passing yards than any in program history still managed to finish 13-1, win the Big Ten and beat USC in the Rose Bowl. Haskins passed for more than 4,800 yards.
Never has a Buckeye signal caller thrown a better ball or had more of a pocket presence. That he did it with no game experience, and beat out the great Joey Burrow for the job in the spring of 2018, speaks of the elite talent he provided the offense. Rex Kern, Craig Krenzel and Cardale Jones might have national championship rings, but none were as good as Haskins when it came to putting points on the board.
Did he leave too early? That's a football question that Buckeyes everywhere will ponder as long as OSU quarterback conversations surface. Regardless of opinions on that topic, there is no doubting his place in program history. He set 28 OSU passing records.
He simply defined great.
As No. 7s go at OSU, quarterback Cornelius Green started it, the great Chris Gamble and Teddy Ginn revitalized it and Haskins took it to new heights. And now another Heisman finalist, C.J. Stroud, is chasing his ghost. It would be the perfect tribute to bring home the trophy that Haskins came so close to winning.
We're now only left to wonder what could have been.
Gone too soon, Haskins was a hero to many young Buckeye fans and was only beginning to get his life started. Even if he didn't win the Steelers' quarterback job, it would have been difficult to envision him not sticking around as the backup if he, indeed, had matured the way many insisted.
Retired Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who spent last season with Haskins after the Steelers signed him as a free agent, said on Twitter on Saturday that Haskins "came to work everyday with a smile on his face and energy and love in his heart," adding that his passion and love for the game, and his eagerness to learn, were things he appreciated.
The future Hall of Famer was far from alone in his support. Condolences came from across the league, including from former Buckeye receiver and Washington teammate Terry McLaurin, who said he was "devastated" and had talked to Haskins just hours earlier.
It's times like these that make fans realize how quickly our favorite stars can be taken from us. Few made the Horseshoe roar like Simba, even if it was for a short time. Those who saw him are lucky to have the memories.
Sadly, that's all we have left.
sblackbu@gannett.com
740-450-6723
Twitter: @SamBlackburn | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2022/04/11/dwayne-haskins-tragedy-somber-reality-check-ohio-state-football/9519690002/ | 2022-04-11T20:23:37Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2022/04/11/dwayne-haskins-tragedy-somber-reality-check-ohio-state-football/9519690002/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
For the 11th consecutive year, St. Louis-based World Wide Technology (WWT) has been named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For® by Great Place to Work® and Fortune, this year ranking 71.
89 Percent of WWT employees say it’s a great place to work, 32 percent higher than the average U.S.-based company. Developing a strong workplace culture plays a central role in WWT’s commitment to helping customers, partners and the communities it serves achieve long-term goals and success. This recognition further acknowledges WWT’s continued efforts to invest in their employees and foster an inclusive work environment for all.
WWT and Edward Jones (#35) represent the St. Louis-based companies recognized on this year’s list. WWT is proud to call St. Louis home for the past 30+ years and, as a partner to hundreds of technology companies – including tech giants like Cisco, Dell, VMware, Microsoft and more – through its Advanced Technology Center, the company has made world-class technology services and solutions available to customers 24/7 creating “Silicon Valley in St. Louis.”
In addition to offering a great work environment for its own employees while also doubling in size roughly every five years – and still growing – WWT also offers its customers a unique staffing solution to address their own talent needs. With the rapid growth of digital technologies and the Great Resignation, this resource has been invaluable to WWT’s customers. The Strategic Resourcing service is one of WWT’s most efficient lines of business and has experienced 38% year-over-year growth. Being a great place to work has taken on a new meaning for WWT. | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/st-louis-based-world-wide-tech-and-edward-jones-continues-fortune-s-100-best-companies/article_bbca52ec-b9c9-11ec-9804-eb68a63cb698.html | 2022-04-11T20:24:39Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/st-louis-based-world-wide-tech-and-edward-jones-continues-fortune-s-100-best-companies/article_bbca52ec-b9c9-11ec-9804-eb68a63cb698.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Covenant House Missouri announced Dr. Gralon A. Johnson as chief program officer. In this role, Dr. Johnson will co-chair the development and implementation of the organization’s next strategic plan; ensure transformational, high quality programs are provided to youth on their journey from homelessness to hope; and work in partnership with the executive leadership team and board of directors to advance the organization and positive impact in the community. Prior to his employment at Covenant House Missouri, Dr. Johnson held the position of national director of programs at College Possible, one of the largest educational equity organizations in the United States. Dr. Johnson received his master’s degree from the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas.
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- This Week's Photos: Mar. 17, 2022 | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/people_on_the_move/covenant-names-dr-gralon-johnson-chief-program-officer/article_e1448336-b9be-11ec-be82-bbe1d9edb5f0.html | 2022-04-11T20:24:45Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/people_on_the_move/covenant-names-dr-gralon-johnson-chief-program-officer/article_e1448336-b9be-11ec-be82-bbe1d9edb5f0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Missouri children would be better protected from lead poisoning under a state legislative bill to require schools to nearly rid their drinking water of the dangerous toxin.
The bill, heard Monday, by the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, would require schools to test drinking water, remove old coolers and filter water where lead is found. The goal is drinking water with a lead concentration of less than one part per billion. The state’s current action level for drinking water is 15 times that.
In telling her colleagues about the bill on Monday, Rep. Dottie Bailey, R-Eureka, said the legislation would require schools to test their water and then mitigate. Typically, she said, adding filters would be the best fix.
Lead is a colorless, odorless, poisonous heavy metal and neurotoxin that can have irreversible effects on organ systems in the body. Children are especially vulnerable and may suffer slowed growth and development, as well as hearing, speech and learning problems because of exposure — even at low levels.
“This is truly a kid-first bill,” said Rep. Paula Brown, D-St. Louis, who worked on the legislation with Bailey.
State governments already have funds, provided by federal grants, for schools that voluntarily test their water. But if the bill passes, Missouri will stand apart from peers in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska by requiring action at such low levels.
The prevalence of lead poisoning has declined steadily in the last several decades. Forty years ago, more than 80% of children had lead levels above 10 micrograms per deciliter in their blood, more than double the level modern health professionals consider elevated, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. But while lead has been banned in gasoline, paint, and pipes for decades, it remains in older homes and buildings.
Between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018, more than 2,500 Missouri children — just over 3% of those tested — were found to have blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter.
Eradicating the remaining environmental lead has been a priority for President Joe Biden’s administration, bringing about a national discussion about the toxin’s legacy of contamination. The infrastructure law passed by Congress and signed by Biden last year allocates $15 billion in funds to replace lead service lines in the next five years.
Bailey and supporters of her legislation noted federal COVID-19 relief funds could help pay for the efforts in Missouri schools. A House budget subcommittee discussed adding $20 million for lead filtration to an appropriations bill still being weighed by the larger Budget Committee.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends lead concentration in school drinking not exceed one part per billion because it is the lowest detectable level, although there is no known safe blood lead concentration. The Environmental Protection Agency requires public water systems to take action if more than 10% of routine samples have 15 or more parts per billion of lead.
The primary lead hazard to children in Missouri is exposure to deteriorated lead-based paint, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
“We’ve been working on that,” said Bridget Sanderson, director of Environment Missouri and supporter of the legislation. “And now we just have to update our aging infrastructure to help protect our children.”
Lead in school drinking water is common in states across the country. Harvard School of Public Health researchers found that of the 12 states included in the 2019 study, 44% of schools had at least one water sample test above the state’s lead concentration action level.
This article was republished with permission as part of a content sharing partnership with Missouri Independent. Original story found here.
The Missouri Independent and the NPR Midwest Newsroom are jointly exploring the issue of high levels of lead in the children in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. | https://www.stlamerican.com/news/national_news/house-bill-could-cut-down-poisonous-lead-in-school-drinking-water/article_ab929ff6-b07d-11ec-827e-ef73d0fa5533.html | 2022-04-11T20:24:51Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/news/national_news/house-bill-could-cut-down-poisonous-lead-in-school-drinking-water/article_ab929ff6-b07d-11ec-827e-ef73d0fa5533.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In Oregon's high desert, a more than 10,000-year-old lake is drying up. That doesn't have to happen. Summer Lake hosts millions of migratory birds annually, but its water is being diverted to farms.
Copyright 2022 Oregon Public Broadcasting
In Oregon's high desert, a more than 10,000-year-old lake is drying up. That doesn't have to happen. Summer Lake hosts millions of migratory birds annually, but its water is being diverted to farms.
Copyright 2022 Oregon Public Broadcasting | https://www.klcc.org/2022-04-11/encore-a-vital-lake-in-oregon-around-for-eons-could-run-dry-within-a-generation | 2022-04-11T20:30:56Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/2022-04-11/encore-a-vital-lake-in-oregon-around-for-eons-could-run-dry-within-a-generation | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Carnival Magic responded to a distress call off the Florida coast early in the morning of Saturday, April 9, relaying messages to rescue a man stranded in a disabled sailboat. The ship acted quickly and the man was safely rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Mariner Stranded
The man was stranded approximately 69 miles off the coast of Port Canaveral as his sailboat was disabled. The nature of the boat’s malfunction was not immediately noted, but there were no injuries or dangerous situations reported.
The area has been subject to severe storms in recent days, but it was not known if weather was a factor in the sailboat’s operational status.
Carnival Magic picked up the man’s distress call at approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, as the cruise ship was en route back to Port Canaveral at the end of its cruise. The crew responded and immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard.
A MH-60 Jayhawk from the USCG Air Station in Clearwater, Florida was dispatched to rescue the man. The rescue was successfully carried out, and the cruise ship returned to port with no delay to its planned arrival.
Cruise Ship Rescues
The 128,048-gross ton, Dream-class Carnival Magic was finishing a 6-night Eastern Caribbean sailing when the distress call was received. The cruise ship, which is homeported at Port Canaveral, had departed April 3, with ports of call in Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, and Puerto Plata, and was returning to Port Canaveral at the time.
There has been no delay or change to Carnival Magic‘s operations after the rescue. The ship departed Port Canaveral as scheduled later on April 9, and is now on an 8-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary visiting St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, and Grand Turk.
Cruise ships regularly respond to distress calls and quickly initiate rescue operations when needed. This may include bringing stranded individuals aboard, notifying other local authorities, or searching rescue areas, depending on the situation.
Read More: What Happens During a Cruise Ship Overboard Alarm
Under the Safety Of Life At Sea agreements (SOLAS), mariners, no matter what their vessel or status, are required to assist any vessel in distress.
In November 2021, for example, Carnival Ecstasy responded to a distress call from a small yacht off the Bahamas coast and rescued an injured sailor in very windy, dangerous conditions.
This quick action saved the sailor’s life, and was more extraordinary because Carnival Ecstasy had not yet returned to passenger operations. The ship’s captain and crew were recognized for their heroic actions by the Association for Rescue at Sea.
Many other cruise ships from many lines have been involved in similar rescue operations, responding to those in need no matter what the situation. | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-ship-helps-rescue-stranded-man-off-florida-coast/69679 | 2022-04-11T20:30:57Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-ship-helps-rescue-stranded-man-off-florida-coast/69679 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Royal Caribbean posted the best booking week and day in its 53-year history. After more than two years, guests feel the confidence they need to book a cruise on board one of the company’s mega-ships. The global pause in operations has done a considerable amount of damage, but those days are now well and truly behind us.
Royal Caribbean is not alone either; several other cruise lines announced the same in the last weeks. Record bookings the like of which hasn’t been seen in many years.
According to the Health and Human Services Department, the pandemic is still not over, and COVID measures on board have seen few significant changes over the last six months. So, why did Royal Caribbean just have the best bookings ever?
Royal Caribbean International Sets Two New Records
The best week and the best day of bookings in more than 53 years. Between March 26 and April 1, 2022, Royal Caribbean received a massive amount of bookings through the website, call centers, and travel advisors.
Guests are flocking back to cruises and back to Royal Caribbean, prompting Michael Bayley, the president and CEO of Royal, to hail the return of cruising.
Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International:
“The enthusiasm and excitement for the successful return of cruising is undeniable. We could not have reached this incredible milestone without the unwavering support of our loyal guests, our valued travel advisors and partners, and the Royal Caribbean International team around the world,”
It’s not just Royal Caribbean; in the past week, both Carnival Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages reported the same, with huge booking numbers recorded between the end of March and the start of April.
Why Royal Caribbean Is Doing Well
All in all, it has been a good week for Royal Caribbean. The name of the newest Oasis-class ship, Utopia of the Seas, was announced. Progress on the construction of the company’s first LNG-powered cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, is going as planned.
In Asia, where cruise ships seem to be doing less well, Spectrum of the Seas sailed with guests from Singapore, making it two Quantum-class cruise ships sailing from the city. Then we have the biggest cruise ship in the world that commended operations only recently. And that, in part at least, explains the confidence guests seem to be having in the Miami-based company.
But the influencing factors do not come from Royal itself. On March 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed its Cruise Travel Advisory. Showing confidence in the effective measures cruise lines have implemented and how they are controlling the health and safety protocols.
The same counts for many guests who had been hesitant to book a cruise before. The cruise lines have, in the general public’s eyes, proven they are a safe vacation option.
March is also traditionally the end of Wave Season. It is the time of the year when cruise lines go all out in getting good deals online and when guests traditionally start looking for a vacation during the summer months.
If we factor in thousands of guests waiting for the right time to spend their Future Cruise Credits from canceled cruises in the past two years and a huge pent-up demand for people to go on vacation again, we have a unique situation.
All factors combined mean that Royal Caribbean was able to produce a week that it hasn’t seen before. It also means that the measures that the cruise lines have implemented onboard, such as testing before the cruise, and in some instances the need for masks, seem to be having little impact on the popularity of cruising. | https://www.cruisehive.com/why-did-royal-caribbean-just-have-its-best-bookings-ever/69682 | 2022-04-11T20:31:03Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/why-did-royal-caribbean-just-have-its-best-bookings-ever/69682 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Woodbridge man working as a temporary teacher at Benita Fitzgerald Elementary School in Dale City has been charged with assaulting an 8-year-old boy in a classroom.
The incident happened April 7 at the school on Benita Fitzgerald Drive. The student was in a classroom with the temporary teacher and other staff members when "he became upset and spat at the accused," Prince William County Police 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok said in a news release. "The accused then approached the victim and smacked the victim in the face before exiting the classroom."
The other staff members present reported the incident to school administration who notified authorities. On April 8, police charged Eman Mohammed Alkindi, 44, of Woodbridge, with assault and battery, Perok said.
He was released on a court summons. No mugshot was available. | https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/police-temporary-teacher-in-dale-city-charged-after-slapping-student/article_1395fbc4-b9cb-11ec-85d9-b7f2d89f5687.html | 2022-04-11T20:33:21Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/police-temporary-teacher-in-dale-city-charged-after-slapping-student/article_1395fbc4-b9cb-11ec-85d9-b7f2d89f5687.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The eastbound lanes of Interstate 66 in Gainesville were closed for six hours Monday after a fatal tractor-trailer fire near U.S. 29.
State police were called to the 43 mile marker at 8:48 a.m. for a report of a truck on fire. When troopers arrived, they found a tractor-trailer stopped along the eastbound lanes engulfed in flames.
State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said there was one confirmed fatality. State troopers were still in the process of notifying next of kin Monday afternoon, she said.
All eastbound lanes of I-66 were closed until after 2:30 p.m. Monday, and the left shoulder and left lane westbound were also closed. Traffic got by in the access lanes.
Stay with InsideNoVa.com for updates. | https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/updated-one-killed-in-fiery-tractor-trailer-crash-on-i-66-in-gainesville/article_c7da62e4-b9af-11ec-942a-179b47125755.html | 2022-04-11T20:33:27Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/updated-one-killed-in-fiery-tractor-trailer-crash-on-i-66-in-gainesville/article_c7da62e4-b9af-11ec-942a-179b47125755.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Gerber Baby is on the search for its next "spokesbaby."
The company said children up to four years old could enter the 2022 photo search, and the ideal candidate must have a playful smile that lights up a room.
An irresistible giggle is strongly preferred, in addition to an undeniable lovable personality, Gerber says.
One lucky winner will win $25,000 and earn the title of chief growing officer.
The child will also be featured on the company's social media accounts and its marketing campaigns throughout the year.
The baby food company says it'll match the grand prize by donating $25,000 to the March of Dimes for the first time this year.
The deadline to submit photos is Friday. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/gerber-baby-searching-for-its-next-spokesbaby | 2022-04-11T20:36:22Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/gerber-baby-searching-for-its-next-spokesbaby | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The city of Philadelphia will go back under an indoor mask mandate, the city's public health department announced on Monday.
In a statement, Philadelphia Public Health said on Twitter that the indoor mask mandate would be reinstated "due to increasing COVID-19 cases."
The statement said the city would move to a "Level 2," and that order would begin this week, but masks would be required in all indoor public spaces starting on Monday, April 18 to "provide a one-week education period for businesses."
🧵 Due to increasing COVID-19 cases, @PhiladelphiaGov will move to Level 2: Mask Precautions beginning today. In order to provide a one-week education period for businesses, masks will be required in all indoor public spaces as of Monday, April 18, 2022. (1/4)
— Philadelphia Public Health (@PHLPublicHealth) April 11, 2022
As WPVI reported, residents would be asked to report businesses that are not complying with the mandate to the city's 311 hotline.
City officials are hoping to mitigate another surge in hospitalizations, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole said on Monday, “If we fail to act now, knowing that every previous wave of infections has been followed by a wave of hospitalizations and a wave of deaths, it’ll be too late for many of our residents.” | https://www.katc.com/news/national/philadelphia-to-reinstate-indoor-mask-mandate-first-major-us-city-to-do-so-this-spring | 2022-04-11T20:36:28Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/philadelphia-to-reinstate-indoor-mask-mandate-first-major-us-city-to-do-so-this-spring | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The University of Southern California is suing two YouTube performers who the school says created panic after barging into classrooms to film prank videos for their channels.
Court documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times claim the pair caused "terror and disruption" during three "classroom takeover incidents" in the university's Mark Taper Hall of Humanities. The YouTubers are not USC students.
A court filing says they interrupted a lecture on the Holocaust last month while pretending to be a "Russian Mafia" member and Hugo Boss, a known World War II Nazi uniform manufacturer. A judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order banning the pair from USC's downtown Los Angeles campus.
According to the Associated Press, students reportedly ran from the classrooms, with some tripping over seats and leaving behind laptops and backpacks trying to flee “what reasonably appeared to them as a credible threat of imminent classroom violence,” court documents said. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/university-of-southern-california-sues-youtubers-over-pranks | 2022-04-11T20:36:34Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/university-of-southern-california-sues-youtubers-over-pranks | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Deputies in Acadia Parish have arrested two men in connection with a string of burglaries in the parish.
APSO says during the month of March, deputies investigated a string of burglaries and thefts in the Northeast portion of the parish.
These investigations led to the arrest of two men, 23-year-old Cody Manes of Church Point and 47-year-old Todd Tweedel of Church Point.
Deputies say they solved five burglaries and two thefts as a result of these arrests. They also believe that the two were involved in other burglaries and thefts as well.
Deputies are continuing their effort to resolve those cases as well, APSO says.
Manes was booked into the Acadia Parish Jail on three counts of burglary and two counts of theft. Tweedel was arrested for two counts of burglary.
Both remain in the Acadia Parish Jail.
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Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers | https://www.katc.com/news/two-arrested-in-connection-with-string-of-burglaries-in-acadia-parish | 2022-04-11T20:36:40Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/two-arrested-in-connection-with-string-of-burglaries-in-acadia-parish | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WWLP) – The youngest children attending Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy in Longmeadow prepared Monday to fully appreciate the eight day observance beginning Friday.
Members of the early childhood program, some as young as two years old, learned through an interactive multi sensory program how the Jewish people made their great Exodus from Egyptian slavery, the story of Moses and his deliverance of his people from bondage. When these little ones sit down with their families Friday night, they can contribute to the historic discussion.
“I would feel a very great sense of pride when I was able to explain the story to my family after learning it at school… with nice little events like this that the teachers would give us and all that,” said 7th grader Ezra Attias.
The Passover preparation also included a series of mounted history lessons to fill these children with the knowledge they’ll need to fully understand why people of the Jewish faith observe Passover with such reverence. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/longmeadow-students-learn-history-of-passover/ | 2022-04-11T20:40:30Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/longmeadow-students-learn-history-of-passover/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A historical New York City townhouse which once belonged to illustrious chef James Beard and his cooking school has listed for $4.95 million.
Beard, who pioneered television cooking shows and who wrote more than 20 cookbooks lived in the West Village home nearly 15 years, from 1959 to 1973.
He eventually sold it for only $125,000 in 1974, records show.
Made up of two-bedrooms and three bathrooms, the listing describes the abandoned residence as a “fixer-upper.” But with a prime location, the price remains a steal.
The three-story brownstone is situated on the upscale Greenwich Village block.
Built in 1849 for beer hair Samuel Smith, the home was meant to have ground floor storefronts with residential quarters above.
“Step back in time and imagine yourself in this jewel of a house on a lovely Greenwich Village block,” the listing states.
“Walking into the house now you’ll see a stunning display of elegant wallpaper, drapes, wonderful old sinks and a kitchen all from a bygone era,” the listing describes. “The splendiferous home will be delivered vacant and while the interior is of a bygone era, it is now waiting for that next caretaker to make this treasured home into their own.”
Jean Manon of Compass holds the listing.
“This jewel of a townhouse overlooking the Jefferson Market Gardens comes with historical significance in an impeccable location,” Manon told The Post. “Offered for the first time in 50 years, the townhome is a step back in time to the elegance of entertainment, where James Beard cooked and gathered with his friends, including the Julia Child.”
Back in 1974, a previous listing of the home described it as a “charming small townhouse,” with features that include “a full cellar, a walled garden, central air condition, gas heat, heavy duty wiring, and brass plumbing.”
Beard died of heart failure about 10 years later, on January 21, 1985, at the age of 81, at his home in New York City. Four years before his death, he came out as gay.
“By the time I was seven, I knew that I was gay. I think it’s time to talk about that now,” he wrote in his revised memoir “Delights and Prejudice.” | https://nypost.com/2022/04/11/inside-the-5m-nyc-home-once-owned-by-famed-chef-james-beard/ | 2022-04-11T20:43:59Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/04/11/inside-the-5m-nyc-home-once-owned-by-famed-chef-james-beard/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The family that owns Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals has taken initial steps to put the team up for sale, according to a report.
Mark Lerner, the managing principal owner of the Nats, told The Washington Post that he has retained the services of New York-based investment bank Allen & Company to seek out potential buyers for the club.
“This is an exploratory process, so there is no set timetable or expectation of a specific outcome,” Lerner told The Washington Post in a statement.
“The organization is as committed as ever to their employees, players, fans, sponsors and partners and to putting a competitive product on the field.”
The Lerners could either sell the team or bring on other investors while retaining a controlling stake in the club, according to a team spokesperson.
“As revenue streams around professional sports continue to evolve and the strength of the Washington Nationals brand continues to grow, the team believes it is prudent to assess all of the options out there,” the spokesperson, Jennifer Giglio, told The Washington Post.
The announcement has clouded the future of the team, particularly its plans for a new, long-term contract with its star player, 23-year-old outfield Juan Soto.
“This process does not impact the team’s ability to make baseball decisions,” Giglio said.
“It will not distract the organization from our goal of being a first-class organization and fielding a winning team.”
Lerner’s father, real estate magnate Ted Lerner, 96, bought the Nationals from Major League Baseball in 2006, paying $450 million for the franchise that was once known as the Montreal Expos.
MLB moved the team from Quebec province to the nation’s capital in 2005.
The team is currently valued by Forbes at around $ 2 billion.
In 2018, Ted Lerner transferred day-to-day control of the team to his son, Mark, who has solicited the advice of his mother, Annette; his sisters Debra Lerner Cohen and Marla Lerner Tanenbaum; and his brothers-in-law Edward Cohen and Robert Tanenbaum.
The family makes decisions running the team through consensus, according to the Post.
Ted Lerner’s estimated net worth has been valued at $4.5 billion.
The Nats enjoyed a decade of success, winning four National League East divisional titles between the years 2012 and 2019.
In 2019, the franchise captured the World Series title, defeating the Houston Astros in seven games. | https://nypost.com/2022/04/11/washington-nationals-owner-mark-lerner-could-sell-team-report/ | 2022-04-11T20:45:37Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/04/11/washington-nationals-owner-mark-lerner-could-sell-team-report/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth’s (NMCP) Diversity Committee hosted a Holocaust Remembrance ceremony in the command’s Chapel of Comfort, April 7.
NMCP’s leadership triad including Capt. Shelley Perkins, commanding officer; Capt. Joel Schofer, executive officer; Master Chief Michele Sullivan, command master chief; and other staff members, participated in a walkthrough of Holocaust memorabilia to include literature and poems, along with viewing a video about the Holocaust.
"As we begin to memorialize the day that six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust between (the years) 1933-1945, let us be encouraged to remember the strength and resilience of the Jews," said Hospital Corpsman Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathalee White, NMCP Diversity Committee member.
"Their resilience shows us as humans that we are able to rebound from all afflictions that we are faced with. I encourage us to remain positive and be thankful that we live in a country where we have the freedom to embrace who we are," White added.
As the U.S. Navy’s oldest, continuously-operating military hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, part of the Tidewater Market, serves eligible beneficiaries at the nationally-acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, along with the area’s 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics.
This work, NMCP HOSTS HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY, by SN Ariana Torman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/418269/nmcp-hosts-holocaust-remembrance-ceremony | 2022-04-11T20:49:56Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/418269/nmcp-hosts-holocaust-remembrance-ceremony | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
With an extensive list of conditions, Yakima County has approved a surf park, lodging units, campground and other amenities for an 80-acre site north of Moxee.
The decision, issued Friday by Hearing Examiner Patrick Spurgin and announced late Monday morning by county officials, will allow developers Joey Lawrence and Mike Roy to convert a parcel near East Norman and St. Hilaire roads into Barreled, a $30 million surf park.
Dozens of nearby residents spoke in opposition to the facility during a March 17 public hearing before Spurgin in the Yakima County Courthouse. Many supporters of the proposal also attended the hearing.
Residents in the area testified that the roads already struggle to handle the existing traffic of cars, trucks and farm vehicles, and their wells struggle with groundwater depletion. They believe hundreds of additional vehicles driving to a surf park and its new water demands on an already-stressed aquifer could force them out of their homes.
Spurgin’s decision can be appealed in Superior Court under the Land Use Petition Act, said Jason Earles, planning manager with Yakima County Public Services.
Some of the approval conditions restrict the size, length of stay and parking provided with the RV and camping spaces. Noise limitations, lighting and construction of the roadways both within and leading to the surf park must meet county standards.
Other conditions establish deadlines and requirements for planning and construction of Barreled’s 5.5-acre pool, surfing school, fitness studio, skate park, dog park, fire pit and beach volleyball area, with surfboard and wetsuit rentals available. Also proposed are 21 RV spaces, 21 campsites and 23 lodging units, with food service to include a restaurant/food truck.
The park would be open from April 1 through Oct. 31, and Lawrence said his goal is to be open by spring of 2024. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/hearing-examiner-approves-surf-park-near-moxee-with-conditions/article_9efe3b16-67dc-5bf2-9c01-43da762c3926.html | 2022-04-11T20:53:37Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/hearing-examiner-approves-surf-park-near-moxee-with-conditions/article_9efe3b16-67dc-5bf2-9c01-43da762c3926.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mt. Adams School District canceled classes and Sunnyside School District released its students early Monday due to power outages at school campuses, according to announcements made on the districts’ Facebook pages.
Sunnyside announced at around 10 a.m. Monday that Sunnyside High School, Harrison Middle School and Outlook, Pioneer and Chief Kamiakin Elementary Schools were without power. Shortly after, it also announced that phones were down at several of its schools, according to Facebook.
Sunnyside also announced its buses would be leaving from its eight schools early, at times ranging from 11:15 a.m. to 12:40 p.m., according to its Facebook page.
The district also canceled after school programs and practices for Monday.
Sunnyside also announced that Sierra Vista Middle School and Sun Valley Elementary were under a secure and teach order due to police activity in the area at 10:16 a.m. However, the district lifted the order and said students at these schools could be released to their parents or buses at about 11 a.m.
Mt. Adams School District also canceled classes Monday due to inclement weather and power outages, according to an announcement on its Facebook page.
There were 66 reported power outages affecting 854 customers in Yakima County, as of 12:15 p.m. Monday, according to Pacific Power’s online outage checker.
Much of the Valley experienced rain and snow Monday morning, with more expected throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/education/sunnyside-schools-release-students-early-due-to-power-outages-mt-adams-cancels-classes/article_ee0e4aff-001b-5575-93a0-879c02aa2c7a.html | 2022-04-11T20:53:49Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/education/sunnyside-schools-release-students-early-due-to-power-outages-mt-adams-cancels-classes/article_ee0e4aff-001b-5575-93a0-879c02aa2c7a.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A fire badly damaged a Yakima home Sunday, but there were no injuries, according to the Yakima Fire Department.
Firefighters responded to the blaze in the 1200 block of East Chestnut Avenue about 2:15 p.m. Sunday. Flames were shooting from the rear of the house with smoke billowing from its eaves, a fire department news release said.
Occupants were not home at the time of the fire, the release said.
Damaged is estimated at $100,000, and the fire’s cause is under investigation, the release said. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/sunday-fire-damages-yakima-home-no-injuries/article_32e6b714-796d-5cae-823e-ec9b29469a45.html | 2022-04-11T20:53:55Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/sunday-fire-damages-yakima-home-no-injuries/article_32e6b714-796d-5cae-823e-ec9b29469a45.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Springlike temperatures are expected to return to Central Washington next weekend, but only after spring snow, rain and wind wreak havoc for a few days.
The second of two wintry storms passing through Washington and Oregon started bringing snow and wind early Monday, resulting in some school and office closings, slushy and slippery roads and road closures. A southbound section of U.S. Highway 97 at milepost 57 near Toppenish was closed just before 10 a.m. due to multiple spinouts, and a semi flatbed loaded with apple bins slid sideways on Interstate 82 near Prosser, snarling traffic.
Just after 10 a.m., State Route 24 was closed from milepost 5 near Yakima to milepost 36 near the junction of State Route 240 due to adverse weather and road conditions, the Washington Department of Transportation reported. At that point there was no estimated time of reopening.
About 750 Pacific Power customers in Yakima and Toppenish were without power around noon Monday. That number topped 2,200 at mid-morning.
Mount Adams School District closed for the day. It was the only Yakima County school district that closed for the day, though the Sunnyside School District released students and staff early because of the weather. Many schools and some public offices were closed in Klickitat County, which was under a winter storm warning until 11 p.m. Monday.
That warning from the National Weather Service office in Pendleton, Ore., which included Goldendale and Bickleton, said total snow accumulations of 10 to 20 inches were possible for the Simcoe Highlands. Winds were expected to gust as high as 35 mph.
PHOTOS: Late winter storm brings snow, rain and wind to the Yakima Valley
The second of two winter storms passing through Washington and Oregon started bringing snow and wind early Monday. Spring-like temperatures are expected to return to Central Washington next weekend, but only after spring snow, rain and wind wreak havoc for a few days.
As of mid-morning, Yakima had received a half-inch of snow, with 6 inches in Goldendale and 10 inches in White Salmon, according to the weather service.
A winter weather advisory for the Yakima and Kittitas valleys expired at 11 a.m. Monday. Total snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches was expected, the advisory said, with winds gusting as high as 35 mph. High winds were predicted to continue into Tuesday but diminish in the morning.
Slippery road conditions could persist at times until the weekend, due to a chance of snow or rain every weekday, according to the National Weather Service's seven-day forecast for Yakima. Drivers should slow down and use caution while traveling.
Those traveling on the Cascade passes should also remember that travel could be difficult to impossible as snow continues to fall at higher elevations. Wintry conditions will continue to impact travel along Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 12 through White Pass as well as Blewett Pass, forecasters said. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/wintry-storm-forces-road-other-closures-in-yakima-valley-with-snow-rain-and-windy-conditions/article_f63d07d4-f844-5202-8169-42857d03b687.html | 2022-04-11T20:54:01Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/wintry-storm-forces-road-other-closures-in-yakima-valley-with-snow-rain-and-windy-conditions/article_f63d07d4-f844-5202-8169-42857d03b687.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A new law could reshape the way child dependency cases are handled in Washington state, potentially leading to more children staying with family members without those relatives being required to adopt them.
The current practice, explained Shrounda Selivanoff, director of public policy for Children’s Home Society of Washington, is for the state to force relatives to adopt children in cases where neither parent is able to take care of the child. If family members don’t want to adopt, the Department of Children, Youth and Families removes children from those placements, even if those relatives still want permanent kinship guardianship, and places the child up for adoption.
“We’re removing children out of relatives’ homes, loving relatives’ homes, because they’re unwilling to adopt,” said Selivanoff, who was a major proponent and writer of the legislation.
Children’s Home Society of Washington noted in their 2022 legislative priorities that the state currently “prioritizes termination” of parental rights instead of using other options available first.
Termination of parental rights is not required when a dependency case ends, they said. Under the new law, DCYF will no longer be allowed to move children out of their relatives’ care if those relatives would prefer not to adopt. In addition, existing placement standards will be kept during the life of the dependency case. Financial assistance also has been expanded for relatives who are eligible.
McClatchy wrote in February about the case of a young boy, Keyon, who was taken out of his supportive living situation with relatives and placed in three different foster homes before he was eventually returned to his family’s care. Keyon’s case eventually led to a ruling by the Washington Supreme Court that said relative placements during child welfare proceedings “must be given meaningful preference throughout a dependency” and said that DCYF’s reasoning for opposing relative placements served as “proxies for race and class.”
Selivanoff said Keyon’s case is the perfect example of why this new law was needed. Her own personal experience with having placement of her grandson is that while families in those types of situations want guardianship over children, they don’t always want to adopt. “Adoption is permanent,” Selivanoff said, adding that it “extinguishes any hope that something along the lines could be different.”
Sometimes families want to keep options open and maintain that hope, she said. The piece that Selivanoff said she finds disturbing for Black families in particular is the history of paperwork and ownership.
“What happens is you force the relative to adopt their relative and what you do is erase their history because you erase the parents off of the birth certificate and you insert grandmother as mother,” she explained. “Under these terms we force relatives to enter into collusion with the system that erases family histories.”
Some people will choose to adopt eventually, but families should have that choice, Selivanoff added. According to the National Library of Medicine, Indigenous children are 2.7 times more likely than white children to have both of their parent’s rights terminated. Black children are 2.4 times more likely than white children to have both of their parent’s rights terminated. Data from around the U.S. shows that parental termination rates are also racially disproportionate in Washington.
Others agree that this change in the law will help allow children to remain in stable living situations. Colleen Shea-Brown, a legal supervisor for the Legal Counsel for Youth and Children, said she believes the new law will ensure that children are not only able to stay with their relatives, but can continue to participate in their own cultures and communities.
“The shift in focus to relational permanency for children will help prevent unnecessary and generational trauma to children and their families in the child welfare system, who are disproportionately children of color,” Shea-Brown said. “It is critical that the implementation of the Keeping Families Together Act is informed by those who will be most impacted by this bill and we hope that DCYF will take appropriate measures to ensure that there is meaningful community engagement,” she added.
In an email to McClatchy, Nancy Gutierrez, the communications consultant manager for DCYF, said the law “will ensure that we are exploring whether or not a guardianship with a relative or close family friend is available before terminating parental rights and pursuing adoption.”
“It will also make sure we are prioritizing placement with relatives throughout the time the child is in foster care,” Gutierrez said. “Finally, it will expand eligibility to Relative Guardianship Assistance Payments to Title 11 guardianships. DCYF supported these changes to the law in the legislative session and this is aligned with our strategic plan.”
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, who serves on the House Children, Youth and Families Committee. “If we truly have the children’s best interest at heart, then our goal should be the least traumatic outcome, and that is keeping children connected to their families,” Ortiz-Self said in a press statement in March. The legislation passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously and was signed into law March 24 by the governor. The law goes into effect June 9. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/northwest/state-now-will-prioritize-keeping-children-with-relatives-when-both-parents-lose-custody/article_7758649f-4e65-5c46-bdb7-de326d3f7c86.html | 2022-04-11T20:54:08Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/northwest/state-now-will-prioritize-keeping-children-with-relatives-when-both-parents-lose-custody/article_7758649f-4e65-5c46-bdb7-de326d3f7c86.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Roxeanne Huddleston has worked at Newport Hospital her entire career as a nurse after her family relocated from the Seattle area nearly 20 years ago. Her experience in nursing school took her through the large hospitals in Spokane, but she knew she wanted something smaller.
“I like to get to know my patients and have good relationships with them and their families,” Huddleston said. “I want to make a difference in their lives.”
She was hired initially at Newport in long-term care and worked her way through the different departments at the hospital and clinic.
This was how it was when there was not a nursing shortage: Nurses worked their way up to more challenging parts of the hospital, adding skill sets as they progressed in their career.
COVID-19 has changed that.
Today, a nursing school graduate could get a job in an emergency department or even an intensive care unit, something that used to take years. That’s because hospitals are eager to build up their workforce after two years of a pandemic has led many nurses to look for more lucrative traveling jobs, or leave the health care profession altogether.
Huddleston said she never thought of leaving during the pandemic.
“I believe that when you work in rural nursing, you’re a part of a family, and you really do care about each other,” she said. “When someone here is sick, if an employee is sick, we reach out to them.”
But the pandemic brought a new level of intensity to the job that even veterans like Huddleston, who has been a nurse now for 17 years, hadn’t seen.
The pandemic and staffing
On the COVID ward, nurses became close to families. Huddleston recalls attending the funeral of one patient, whose partner invited hospital staff to attend. It was a reminder of the difference she and her colleagues make each day, even if it didn’t feel like it at times during the pandemic.
At Newport Hospital, the vaccine mandate led to 21 resignations. While the mandate was cited as the reason, some of the nurses were making moves to other states, retiring early or switching jobs.
This happened during the peak of the delta wave, the worst part of the pandemic for the hospital, and leaders were forced to rely on contracts to bring in more workers.
But this didn’t mean hiring agencies could always provide nurses during surges, and Newport Hospital’s leadership got creative.
Instead of hiring contracted workers, Newport hired its own temporary nursing staff. When the delta variant hit Northeast Washington, rates for traveling nurses went well over $100 an hour, said Theresa Hollinger, chief nursing officer at Newport Hospital.
When staffing agencies charge hospitals these amounts, nurses don’t get the full cut, however, and Hollinger said Newport Hospital posted a temporary position for $100 an hour to cover their night shift, where they really needed support. In essence, they cut out the middle man. And it worked.
“It’s been really successful. In fact, we’re hoping to continue that process beyond just now,” Hollinger said.
To maintain equity with full-time staff nurses, they also got double-time pay when they worked over their allotted hours.
Even as the latest COVID wave has receded, rural hospitals are struggling to fill their vacant nursing roles.
Rural hospital administrators say they still aren’t back to pre-pandemic staffing levels, which is why they voiced concerns over a proposal at the Legislature that would have required them to hire even more staff.
Rural opposition to safe staffing legislation
That proposal to impose nurse-to-patient staffing ratios on hospitals worked its way through the Washington House and Senate earlier this year before eventually stalling.
Unions representing health care workers advocated for the staffing standards as a way to keep current nurses in the workplace and help stem the tide of health care workers leaving the health sector.
The Washington State Hospital Association opposed the legislation, and several rural facilities were concerned that their challenges getting more staff would get even more difficult if the legislation passed.
One version of the bill meant that Lincoln Hospital in Davenport, Washington, would have needed to recruit at least a dozen additional nurses, said Tyson Lacy, the hospital’s CEO.
“We’re already six nurses short, and I would have needed 22 nurses total, and they don’t exist,” Lacy said.
A rural hospital recruiting more than a few nurses is a lofty goal, especially for those facilities far from any major city or urban center.
At Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, there have been open nursing positions for years at a time, said Ramona Hicks, its CEO.
“I’ve found two recruiters and spent a lot of money to recruit nurses to the area and hire them, and have had zero response,” Hicks said.
Rural hospital administrators were concerned not only with the staffing ratios proposed in the bills, but with the limitations the legislation put on on-call hours for staff, which are relied upon for emergency surgeries.
At Coulee Medical Center and Forks (Washington) Community Hospital, birthing services were in jeopardy the way on-call hours were structured in the safe staffing legislation, because a surgery team must be on call during births. Other rural hospitals expected that they would have had to cut service lines or bed capacity to meet the staffing ratios in the proposed legislation.
Growing their own
Many rural hospitals are focusing on recruiting locally instead of recruiting nursing school graduates away from larger cities or competing with larger hospitals.
In Davenport, there’s a nursing assistant program based at the high school to get students interested in health care. Lacy said the students get high school credit for their nursing aid classes, and they can sit for their CNA exam following the course. He said one graduate of that course is headed to nursing school, while another is becoming an EMT.
They are trying to bring that student in nursing school back to do clinical rotations at the rural hospital. Recruiting and retaining local community members to work in health care is the strategy many leaders described.
“That’s how rural (hospitals) are going to survive,” Lacy said.
A nursing school student who has completed one clinical rotation can become a licensed nurse tech in a hospital, qualified to perform only the skills they have learned so far in school. At Newport Hospital, Hollinger is focusing on hiring nurse techs on a more frequent schedule that they make themselves to coordinate around their nursing school requirements.
The idea is that exposure will help them not only become competent in their nursing skills, but come back to work at the hospital once they complete their program.
“The hope is to grow our own nurses, to help them develop, take care of them, and help them become competent in their field so they feel good about being here,” Hollinger said.
Fixing the pipeline
Rural hospitals already have challenges with recruitment, but now, with larger hospitals offering lucrative sign-on bonuses, it has become tougher.
“If it’s hard for Providence and big systems … it’s that much worse for rural hospitals,” said Bevan Briggs, assistant professor and academic director at the Washington State University College of Nursing.
Fixing the nursing shortage requires multiple kinds of interventions and investments.
The Legislature passed some funding and proposals to help fix the nursing pipeline this session, but there are still gaps that make it challenging for nursing schools to graduate more nurses.
Nursing schools need to be able to accept more students, Briggs said. This is done by increasing the number of educators, something challenging to do when you need a master’s degree to teach and then, in some settings, take a significant pay cut.
“Faculty salaries for nursing are about what a new grad RN makes, and that’s one of the issues we’ve been trying to deal with,” Briggs said.
The Legislature has passed salary increases for some nursing instructors at community and technical colleges in the state, but not at four-year university nursing programs such as WSU.
Briggs hopes next year more can be done for nurses at the state level.
“Nurses are saying they’re burned out; and hospitals are saying resources are stretched thin; and colleges of nursing are saying, we’re trying to help out – but we don’t have what we need to help out,” Briggs said. “The whole system is completely stressed.”
Arielle Dreher's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is primarily funded by the Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund, with additional support from Report for America and members of the Spokane community. These stories can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper’s managing editor. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/northwest/washington-s-rural-hospitals-grapple-with-ongoing-staff-shortage/article_2c167eb4-b9b5-11ec-9c91-f3ff2b909bd0.html | 2022-04-11T20:54:14Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/northwest/washington-s-rural-hospitals-grapple-with-ongoing-staff-shortage/article_2c167eb4-b9b5-11ec-9c91-f3ff2b909bd0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
To the editor -- Our local Sinclair TV news team seems to love sensational stories that promote their values over the actual facts. A recent story featured a Yakima Police detective who calculated auto thefts for the first three months of this year and found they were more than 30 percent higher than last year at the same time. "Car thefts drastically increasing ..." was their lead.
Actually, 2006, 2007. 2008 and 2012 all showed higher auto thefts than recent years.
Sinclair seems willing to push scare stories that suit their political slant, and Yakima Police (and a couple of county commissioners) seem willing to join in the story if it suits their own agendas.
We need honesty and integrity from our local law enforcement and from local elected officials. It would be nice to have objective journalism from local TV, too.
Maybe Sinclair's news team, YPD officers and the county commission need to have coffee with local extension agents and soft-fruit orchardists and ask for lessons on how to grow a pear.
JOHN FROST
Yakima | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/letter-sensationalized-news-is-a-disservice-to-the-community/article_3141ab75-d1cb-5ea8-81d1-fb6bfd00d56f.html | 2022-04-11T20:54:20Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/letter-sensationalized-news-is-a-disservice-to-the-community/article_3141ab75-d1cb-5ea8-81d1-fb6bfd00d56f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This kit is part of new demining equipment transferred from U.S. Southern Command to the Ecuadorian Army on Feb 23, 2022 in Sangolquí, Ecuador. The kit has improved tools and is lighter to carry as the demining soldiers travel through the jungle. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Allison Stephens)
This work, Ecuadorian Armed Forces receive demining equipment [Image 9 of 9], by Lt. Col. Allison Stephens, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7137768/ecuadorian-armed-forces-receive-demining-equipment | 2022-04-11T21:02:36Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7137768/ecuadorian-armed-forces-receive-demining-equipment | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Senior Master Sgt. Matt Wilt (center), 123rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight superintendent, provides field training to Ecuadorian Army soldiers to use new demining equipment on Feb. 23, 2022, in Sangolquí, Ecuador. The equipment, from U.S. Southern Command, will be used to help clear the last remaining part of the country's southern border so it can be returned to the local population for farming and other activities. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Allison Stephens)
This work, Ecuadorian Armed Forces receive demining equipment [Image 9 of 9], by Lt. Col. Allison Stephens, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7137771/ecuadorian-armed-forces-receive-demining-equipment | 2022-04-11T21:02:56Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7137771/ecuadorian-armed-forces-receive-demining-equipment | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220409-N-GF955-1153
CARIBBEAN SEA - (April 9, 2022) -- The Freedom-variant littoral combat ships USS Billings (LCS 15) and USS Wichita (LCS 13) and MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28, Detachments 6 and 7 conduct counter narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea, April 9, 2022. Billings and Wichita are deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to support Joint Interagency Task Force South’s mission, which includes counter-illicit drug trafficking missions in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Aaron Lau/Released)
This work, USS Billings and USS Wichita Work Together [Image 11 of 11], by PO3 Aaron Lau, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7137791/uss-billings-and-uss-wichita-work-together | 2022-04-11T21:03:46Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7137791/uss-billings-and-uss-wichita-work-together | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
EASTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – Wholesale cannabis delivery is officially an option for parts of Hampshire County, and its growing. Monday was the first day of operation of Budzee Cannabis Delivery, the company offering this service in Easthampton, Southampton and Northampton.
The company’s reach is expanding. In the coming weeks they hope to reach Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties. Cannabis delivery is an option in other parts of the state, but according to the owners of Budzee, its the first Massachusetts company to offer wholesale delivery.
Kevin Perrier, the CEO of Budzee Cannabis Delivery, told 22News, “It’s direct to consumers so we’re buying it from a multitude of manufacturers and cultivators that offers an extremely wide selection of products. A little bit more than say the courier model that’s typically now coming from one dispensary. And it’s also the price point, there’s no delivery fees.”
According to the Cannabis Control Commission, there are over 350 licensed retailers in the state. As the industry gets more saturated, companies are doing what they can to stand out. Budzee Cannabis says their goal is to make ordering cannabis as easy as ordering pizza. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampshire-county/first-wholesale-cannabis-delivery-service-opens-in-hampshire-county/ | 2022-04-11T21:06:35Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampshire-county/first-wholesale-cannabis-delivery-service-opens-in-hampshire-county/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Weather permitting, crews will repair a portion of the I-75 bridge over Peavine Creek Tuesday, April 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
TDOT says the repairs will close one southbound right lane.
Motorists are advised to expect delays, exercise caution, and reduce their speed while traveling through work zones.
Before heading out, get real-time information on work status and traffic conditions.Call 511, visit 511ga.org, or download the Georgia 511 app.
TDOT maintenance team members who repair roads and bridges and our project teams who oversee construction projects are continuing their essential work, while following sanitary work practices prescribed by health agencies to protect themselves and the public from the coronavirus, as are most state DOTs in the U.S. | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/bridge-work-to-close-lanes-on-i-75-on-tuesday/article_c31006ea-b9ca-11ec-96a2-dffff6277d89.html | 2022-04-11T21:08:08Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/bridge-work-to-close-lanes-on-i-75-on-tuesday/article_c31006ea-b9ca-11ec-96a2-dffff6277d89.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Republican legislative leaders in Florida have given up trying to draw new congressional boundaries that can win Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature and, in an unprecedented move, announced Monday that they intend to essentially cede this constitutional power to the executive branch.
In a joint statement, state House Speaker Chris Sprowls and state Senate President Wilton Simpson said legislative staff will not draft a new map for lawmakers to consider when they convene in Tallahassee next week for a special session on redistricting. Instead, the legislative leaders announced they intend to let DeSantis decide how to reapportion the state's 28 congressional districts for the next decade.
"We are awaiting a communication from the governor's office with a map that he will support," they said.
DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, DeSantis vetoed the new district boundaries approved by lawmakers -- a rare public display of contention between the governor and a state legislature controlled entirely by his own party. DeSantis has demanded the legislature join his fight to eliminate two districts where Black residents are a plurality.
For months, Republican lawmakers appeared ready to defy DeSantis, passing a map even after he threatened to veto it. House and Senate map drawers defended their maps as constitutional and insisted the governor was leading lawmakers toward a court fight with specious legal footing.
But Monday's announcement signals Republican lawmakers are no longer willing to stand up to their party's most popular elected figure, despite the Florida constitution giving the state legislature redistricting authority.
"Like other general bills, the governor has a role in establishing congressional districts of the state," the joint statement from Sprowls and Simpson said. "Therefore, our goal during the special session is to pass a new congressional map that will both earn the Governor's signature and withstand legal scrutiny, if challenged."
Florida is one of three states yet to finalize a new map, a process required every 10 years after the US Census determines how many representatives to award each state. Florida received an additional representative after another decade of massive population growth.
Lawmakers had hoped there would be few fireworks during the redistricting debate after spending half of last decade in court over its maps. However, that ended after DeSantis took the unusual step of proposing his own congressional map that was far more partisan than the ones moving through the state House and Senate at the time.
DeSantis has recently said he expects a legal battle if he gets his way. His own map proposal eliminated two House districts -- the 5th and the 10th -- represented by Black Democrats. It was critiqued by opponents as a clear violation of a state constitutional amendment known as Fair Districts, which requires lawmakers to give minority communities an opportunity to "elect representatives of their choice."
Given the conservative makeup of the state Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court, Democrats worry DeSantis' effort could unravel the state's Fair Districts amendment, approved by voters in a ballot referendum last decade to reduce political influence in the map-drawing process, and perhaps further erode the federal Voting Rights Act.
The legislative session begins April 19 and will last no later than April 22.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/florida-lawmakers-cave-to-desantis-on-redistricting-and-will-defer-to-him-with-new-map/article_37372649-b7cd-5763-ab2c-f5065d1797fd.html | 2022-04-11T21:08:38Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/florida-lawmakers-cave-to-desantis-on-redistricting-and-will-defer-to-him-with-new-map/article_37372649-b7cd-5763-ab2c-f5065d1797fd.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LANSING, Mich. — Goveror Gretchen Whitmer's office announced today that she signed HB 5525, legislation that puts money into Michigan's Unemployment Compensation Fund, while also funding ongoing efforts to police fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds.
A portion of that money will go towards customer service improvements at the Unemployment Insurance Agency, as the UIA plans to hire dozens of additional employees to enhance fraud enforement efforts.
“This fiscally-responsible, bipartisan bill will lower costs for small businesses and fight waste, fraud, and abuse in our unemployment system,” Governor Whitmer said in a release. “This is the latest step we are taking to fight fraud, hold people accountable, and strengthen the Unemployment Insurance Agency after decades of disinvestment."
The bill totals nearly $140 million, including $106.8 million in federal funds, $24.0 million of Michigan’s General Fund, and $8.9 million of state restricted funds. The majority of that money will go towards lowering future costs for small businesses.
If you're interested, you can read more about HB 5525 here. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/governor-whitmer-signs-legislation-to-strengthen-uia-fight-fraud | 2022-04-11T21:09:54Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/governor-whitmer-signs-legislation-to-strengthen-uia-fight-fraud | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Police have rushed to attend a 'major incident' tonight (Monday) in Canterbury, it's being reported. Emergency response vehicles have been spotted at the scene.
Eyewitnesses report at least eight police vehicles and four ambulances in Lower Bridge Street. Officers were seen parked outside Cousins Snooker and Pool Lounge, according to the Express, although KentLive is awaiting confirmation of this.
As of yet, Kent Police has not revealed details of the incident or whether anyone has injured.
READ MORE:Residents evacuated from Maidstone road after 'suspicious item' found in property
We will keep you updated on the incident with this blog. See below for the latest.
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Key Events
'Road remains closed' - police statement
Officers and the South East Coast Ambulance Service were called to the scene at around 5.20pm on Monday 11 April 2022.
The road remains closed between St George’s roundabout and Burgate while enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of the incident.
'Two people injured' - police statement
Kent Police has come back to KentLive and confirmed they responded to reports of injured people:
Kent Police is currently attending a premises in Lower Bridge Street, Canterbury, following a report of two people found with injuries.
What's happened?
- Police have rushed to attend a 'major incident' in Canterbury
- Emergency response vehicles have been spotted at the scene
- Eyewitnesses report at least eight police vehicles and four ambulances in Lower Bridge Street | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/updates-police-attend-major-incident-6939185 | 2022-04-11T21:14:07Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/updates-police-attend-major-incident-6939185 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SPOKANE, Wash. — The 29-year-old man suspected of a deadly drive-by shooting in downtown Spokane has entered a not guilty plea to several charges. 29-year-old Johnathan R. Love appeared in court on Monday afternoon. A judge kept his bond at $1 million.
Prosecutors say Love shot three people outside Lucky’s Bar early Saturday morning. He faces three counts of drive-by shooting and three counts of first-degree assault. Prosecutors expect to upgrade these charges if any of the three shooting victims succumb to their injuries.
Court documents reveal new details about the shooting. Witnesses told police the shooter was driving the wrong way on Sprague Avenue when they opened fire shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Saturday outside Lucky’s Bar. Three people were shot.
The victims include a taxi cab driver who was sitting in her vehicle when she was shot and a man who was shot while standing in front of Lucky’s. Both victims were shot in the head according to court documents.
The third victim was also standing in front of the bar when she was shot in the leg. Court documents say she suffered a compound bone fracture but is expected to survive.
Police said “numerous” shell casings were found along Sprague between Washington and Stevens.
Police tracked down the suspect, Love, with help from a partial license plate. An officer in the area of the shooting spotted an SUV driving erratically and was trying to pull it over when he was advised of the shooting. The officer noted the first three digits of the license plate as BVW.
About 10 minutes later, a state trooper was passed on Highway 2 by an SUV that was speeding. It had plates matching the SUV spotted near the shooting scene. The Trooper pulled over the vehicle that had Love inside in Airway Heights.
The trooper stated when he opened the driver's side door he spotted a shell casing on the front driver's floorboard, according to court documents.
A detective said Love appeared intoxicated and vomited numerous times.
According to court documents, Love claimed he had left Lucky’s with friends and dropped them off at their homes. He said he was driving to another friend’s house when he was pulled over.
During another police interview, later in the day, Love said he had been with two friends. He dropped one off at their house and then went to Lucky’s. Love stated his friend was asked to leave the bar due to his behavior. Love said he drove his friend home and the next thing he remembers is being pulled over in Airway Heights.
Surveillance footage from nearby businesses shows a person matching Love’s description getting into the suspect vehicle, according to court documents. The SUV then drives out of a parking lot and about 70 seconds later drives eastbound on Sprague as shots are fired. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/spokane-drive-by-shooting-suspect/293-21d39e36-dbea-41b7-a55e-386a8def9d77 | 2022-04-11T21:15:11Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/spokane-drive-by-shooting-suspect/293-21d39e36-dbea-41b7-a55e-386a8def9d77 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LOS ANGELES — Months ago, Britney Spears was freed from a conservatorship that had controlled her life and money for more than 14 years. During her court battle, the singer said the conservatorship prevented her from marrying her boyfriend and having another baby.
According to a Monday Instagram post, both of those dreams have come true.
"I lost so much weight to go on my Maui trip only to gain it back... I thought 'Geez … what happened to my stomach ???' Spears wrote on Instagram. "My husband said 'No you’re food pregnant silly!!!' So I got a pregnancy test … and uhhhhh well … I am having a baby".
She said she's wondering "if 2 are in there".
Spears said she doesn't plan to go out much during her pregnancy due to fears of paparazzi snapping photos. Part of her concern is her history with perinatal depression -- a mood disorder that can happen during and after pregnancy.
Spears, already the mother to two teen boys from her previous marriage to Kevin Federline, said perinatal depression wasn't talked about at that time.
"Some people considered it dangerous if a woman complained like that with a baby inside her … but now women talk about it everyday … thank Jesus we don’t have to keep that pain a reserved proper secret," she wrote.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, perinatal depression could stem from a combination of genetic and environmental factors, like stress and hormone changes.
"Women are not to blame or at fault for having perinatal depression: it is not brought on by anything a mother has or has not done," the institute's website says.
Spears and Sam Asghari got engaged in September, shortly after Spears' father filed to end the conservatorship that had controlled her life for years. Though the singer hasn't publicly announced a wedding, she has called Asghari her husband in recent posts. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/britney-spears-pregnant/507-f40d5242-776c-4f81-9a53-bf9a85a128a7 | 2022-04-11T21:15:17Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/britney-spears-pregnant/507-f40d5242-776c-4f81-9a53-bf9a85a128a7 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LAS VEGAS — The NFL Draft is suddenly now just over two weeks away in what is expected to be a highly unpredictable NFL Draft.
But that isn't stopping us from putting out new mock drafts every Monday on the Locked On NFL Draft podcast. Hosts Eric Crocker and Ryan Tracy put out their latest mock drafts every Monday and give their analysis on what they think might happen in this year's draft.
SUBSCRIBE: The Locked On NFL Draft podcast hosted by former NFL cornerback Eric Crocker and Ryan Tracy, founder of Rogue Analytics and Personnel Consulting, is your DAILY podcast covering all things NFL Draft. Available on all platforms including YouTube.
This week, it was co-host Eric Crocker's turn to put out his full round one mock draft, which included a shakeup in his top 10 from his previous mock two weeks ago.
Check out the results of this week’s mock draft below, and tune into the Locked On NFL Draft podcast’s “Mock Draft Monday” episode for their full explanation and analysis.
Locked On NFL Draft Mock Draft - April 11 - Eric Crocker's picks
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
2. Detroit Lions: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
3. Houston Texans: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
4. New York Jets: Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State
5. New York Giants: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
Picks 6-10
6. Carolina Panthers: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
7. New York Giants: Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
8. Atlanta Falcons: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
9. Seattle Seahawks: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
10. New York Jets: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
Picks 11-15
11. Washington Commanders: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
12. Minnesota Vikings: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
13. Houston Texans: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
14. Baltimore Ravens: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson
Picks 16-20
16. New Orleans Saints: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
18. Philadelphia Eagles: Drake London, WR, USC
19. New Orleans Saints: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
Picks 21-25
21. New England Patriots: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
22. Green Bay Packers: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
23. Arizona Cardinals: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
24. Dallas Cowboys: Kenyon Green, IOL, Texas A&M
25. Buffalo Bills: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
Picks 26-32
26. Tennessee Titans: Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College
27. Tampa Bay Bucs: Tyler Linderbaum, IOL, Iowa
28. Green Bay Packers: David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Lewis Cine, S,Georgia
30. Kansas City Chiefs: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Minnesota
31. Cincinnati Bengals: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
32. Detroit Lions: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan | https://www.krem.com/article/sports/locked-on/lo-national/locked-on-nfl-draft/nfl-mock-draft-monday-four-edge-rushers-off-the-board-first-locked-on-nfl-draft-podcast-aidan-hutchinson-kayvon-thibodeaux-malik-willis-kenny-pickett/535-14b7600e-13ad-424e-a2eb-c7cd89d7e81d | 2022-04-11T21:15:23Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/sports/locked-on/lo-national/locked-on-nfl-draft/nfl-mock-draft-monday-four-edge-rushers-off-the-board-first-locked-on-nfl-draft-podcast-aidan-hutchinson-kayvon-thibodeaux-malik-willis-kenny-pickett/535-14b7600e-13ad-424e-a2eb-c7cd89d7e81d | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
6-Year-Old Girl Calls 911 After Mom Passes Out, Runs Outside to Confirm Address
“Just to be so mature in such a crazy situation, I’m beyond blessed,” the proud mom tells Inside Edition.
A 6-year-old girl’s quick thinking saved the day after her mom collapsed.
Jordynn was at home with her mom, Deja, when suddenly the mother and Army veteran collapsed. Jordynn wasted no time and called 911, telling the operator her mom “just passed out.”
When the operator asks her to verify the address, the little girl ran out to their mailbox to confirm the house number, then ran back inside to be at her mom’s side.
“Just to be so mature in such a crazy situation, I’m beyond blessed,” Deja told Inside Edition.
Deja came to and Jordynn gave her the phone.
“I don’t know what happened. I got really lightheaded and I sat down for a little while to try to make it go away. When I got up, everything just went black, and I hit my head really hard on the wall,” she told the operator.
First responders arrived, and the 911 operator praised Jordynn for her good work.
“It really makes me really proud,” Deja said. The proud mom says she was amazed when she saw Ring camera footage of her daughter running out out to check the mailbox.
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Crime | https://www.insideedition.com/6-year-old-girl-calls-911-after-mom-passes-out-runs-outside-to-confirm-address-74298 | 2022-04-11T21:16:26Z | insideedition.com | control | https://www.insideedition.com/6-year-old-girl-calls-911-after-mom-passes-out-runs-outside-to-confirm-address-74298 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Georgia Coroner Finds His Parents and His Teenage Son Shot to Death Inside Family Business
Investigators are asking for the public's help in shocking murders of three family members.
A tight-knit Georgia town is reeling after the local coroner stumbled upon the bodies of his parents and his son, who were all shot to death inside the family business.
Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk had gone to Lock Stock & Barrell, his parent's shooting range and gun store, on Friday evening to see why they hadn't returned home at their normal time. Hawk's 18-year-son, Luke, was also at the store, helping his grandparents while he was on spring break.
Inside, Hawk found his 75-year-old parents and his son shot to death, their bodies just feet apart, authorities said.
The business was well-known to the small town of Grantville and the owners were pillars of the church and community. The Hawks had operated the range and gun store for 30 years.
"My heart is broken," wrote Coweta County Sheriff Lenn Wood, who is a friend of the family.
"Now is the time that our Coweta family needs to direct our thoughts and prayers to Richard and his family. Theresa, my family, Sheriff’s Office members and I hurting for you and your family and we will be beside you always.
"With a broken heart,
"Lenn Wood," the sheriff wrote on the department's Facebook page.
About 40 weapons and the store's security camera were stolen, authorities said.
Because of the high number of stolen guns, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping the investigation. Also on the case is the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Grantville Police Department, and the sheriff's office.
Authorities are seeking the public's help and asking anyone who drove by the gun range between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Friday to contact investigators.
Meanwhile, residents and local law enforcement struggled to make some small sense of the senseless murders.
“It’s really hard because we don’t have stuff like this here in Grantville,” police chief Steve Whitlock told WSB-TV. “This is a nice, quiet little town ... I’ve been here eight years and we’ve never had anything like this. Right now, I’m just speechless. I have a hard time talking about it because they were friends of ours. I’ve known them for a long time.”
A GoFundMe account was established by a family member to help with funeral costs.
"They were such amazing people who believed in the Lord and loved with all that they had. Each would give you the shirt off of their back if you needed it," wrote Felicia Walker, a granddaughter of the slain couple.
"Nothing hurts worse than losing loved ones, but losing three at one time is heart wrenching," she said. "To say that they will be missed is an understatement. No words can describe the pain my family feels."
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Crime | https://www.insideedition.com/georgia-coroner-finds-his-parents-and-his-teenage-son-shot-to-death-inside-family-business-74304 | 2022-04-11T21:16:33Z | insideedition.com | control | https://www.insideedition.com/georgia-coroner-finds-his-parents-and-his-teenage-son-shot-to-death-inside-family-business-74304 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Loud Manhole Explosion Sends Panicked Crowds Scrambling in Times Square
The explosion, which happened at 6:45 p.m. Sunday, was caused by an underground fire. There were no reported injuries.
A manhole explosion caused by an underground fire sent panicked crowds fleeing Sunday evening in New York's Times Square.
The explosion happened at exactly 6:45 p.m., when the streets were crammed with Broadway fans streaming into theaters for the evening performances.
People ran for their lives in all directions after a loud boom shook the crossroads of the world. Video taken from above shows tourists pouring off the red steps of the TKTS booth in the middle of Times Square.
The opening night of the show "Birthday Candles” starring Deborah Messing was underway when the loud bang shook nerves. George Stephanopoulos’ wife, actress Ali Wentworth, was there.
“They heard the explosion go off. The entire theater was in panic. They swarmed the lobby — people pinned against the walls. They also thought there was a shooter outside at the same time, so it’s a real sign of the times,” Stephanopoulos said on “Good Morning America.”
Messing posed with several first responders who investigated the explosion.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.
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Crime | https://www.insideedition.com/loud-manhole-explosion-sends-panicked-crowds-scrambling-in-times-square-74305 | 2022-04-11T21:16:39Z | insideedition.com | control | https://www.insideedition.com/loud-manhole-explosion-sends-panicked-crowds-scrambling-in-times-square-74305 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Massachusetts Teacher Finally Diagnosed With Cancer After Medical Complaints Were Dismissed as Anxiety
The teacher said she was extremely ill for a year before finally being diagnosed with cancer.
Massachusetts elementary school teacher Heidi Richard says she knew something was wrong. She had excruciating stomach pain that kept her awake at night and she was losing a lot of weight.
A nurse practitioner said it was probably stress. Richard was tested for mono several times, she said. For a year, she bounced between tests, and prescriptions. Nothing helped, she said.
"Something wasn’t right, I said. I know my body, I told them. But the replies came back with authority. You’re young. You must be anxious. You’re under stress. Maybe it’s mono. It could be acid reflux," Richard wrote in an online essay about why she is running in the Boston Marathon on Sunday.
Finally, she was given an cat scan, and the diagnosis was cancer. "Diffuse large b-cell lymphoma, specifically," she said. "I had spent an entire year afraid to raise my voice to those whom I perceived to be more knowledgeable in this area, when in reality I knew something was really wrong all along."
That was in 2020. For the next year, she underwent many rounds of chemotherapy. Richard received a stem cell transplant in January 2021. Now in remission, she is undergoing immunotherapy to help prevent a recurrence.
A lifelong runner, Richard is gearing up for Sunday's grueling race, and she is participating on behalf of DetecTogether, a group dedicated to teaching folks how to detect cancer early.
"If I can raise money for DetecTogether by running the Boston Marathon, they can get this message out to even more people and lives will change," she wrote.
"I’m not going to be fast, but I’m going to find my joy out there on that course," she said.
You can donate to Richard's run for DetecTogether on her fundraising site here.
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ST. ANTHONY, Idaho - Lori Vallow has been found competent to stand trial and is set to be arraigned in the deaths of her two children next week.
Vallow was indicted on first-degree murder charges for her children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, in May of 2021. She was however found unfit for trial in Idaho court following a psychological assessment.
Her arraignment is set for April 19 at 1 p.m. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/lori-vallow-found-competent-to-stand-trial-arraignment-date-set/article_c5cccb1e-b9b8-11ec-a8ee-4f9dafd2a15a.html | 2022-04-11T21:16:50Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/lori-vallow-found-competent-to-stand-trial-arraignment-date-set/article_c5cccb1e-b9b8-11ec-a8ee-4f9dafd2a15a.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Murder Charge for Texas Woman After Self-Induced Abortion Dropped
Lizelle Herrera was arrested and detained in a county jail after a self-induced abortion, but her charges have been dropped after she was released on bond.
Following a recent 2021 abortion ban in Texas, Lizelle Herrera was arrested on a murder charge after being accused of “self-induced abortion,” and taken into custody, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Maj. Carlos Delgado.
Herrera, 26, was held in Starr County Jail before she was released on a $500,000 bond and the charges were ultimately dropped, according to a statement from District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez.
Lynn Paltrow, the executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women noted the state law exemption, according to the Associated Press.
“What’s a little mysterious in this case is, what crime has this woman been charged with?” Paltrow said to the outlet.
“There is no statute in Texas that, even on its face, authorizes the arrest of a woman for a self-managed abortion.”
Ramirez’s statement included that "Ms. Herrera did not commit a criminal act under the laws of the State of Texas" and said, "the events leading up to this indictment have taken a toll on Ms. Herrera and her family."
According to the statement, "Prosecutorial discretion rests with the District Attorney's office, and in the State of Texas a prosecutor's oath is to do justice,"
"Following that oath, the only correct outcome to this matter is to immediately dismiss the indictment against Ms. Herrera."
According to the AP, the situation is still under investigation.
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MOXEE, Wash. -
Washington Department of Transportation says State Route 24 from mile post 5 near Yakima to mile post 36 near the State Route 240 junction is closed for adverse weather and road conditions.
WSDOT says there is currently no estimated time for reopening.
The closure is just outside of Moxee. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/right-now-sr-24-closed-for-poor-visibility-and-road-conditions/article_22da12aa-b9bc-11ec-85af-8fb3f0774924.html | 2022-04-11T21:16:56Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/right-now-sr-24-closed-for-poor-visibility-and-road-conditions/article_22da12aa-b9bc-11ec-85af-8fb3f0774924.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Over 50,000 Ukrainians Have Entered US Since Russian Invasion Began
Over 40,000 refugees have been legally welcomed into the U.S. due to the Russian invasion, but border patrol has reported processing almost 10,000 who did not have legal documentation for their relocation.
As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, almost 10,000 Ukrainians have been processed by border officials in the past two months for entering the U.S. without proper documentation.
According to unpublished data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 9,926 fleeing Ukrainians who lacked legal documentation needed to enter the country between Feb. 1 and April 6.
During this time span, a little over 40,000 “legal entries” by Ukrainians were also reported.
These legal entries include Ukrainians with visas, short-term travelers, tourists, or Ukrainian immigrants allotted permanent residence, according to the data.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to the largest displacement crisis since World War II, also causing the relocation of 4.4 million refugees to other European countries.
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PROSSER, Wash. -
UPDATE 11:22 a.m. -
Power is back on in Prosser according to Benton PUD's outage map.
UPDATE 10:36 a.m. -
Power is restored in Benton City.
Prosser is still without power according to Benton PUD's outage map.
UPDATE: Thousands of people are now out of power in Prosser and Benton City.
Benton PUD is currently working to get power back to the cities.
WSDOT East says I-82 eastbound lanes near Prosser is closed because of a semi crash.
WSDOT East says SR 241 between Mabton and Prosser is closed for poor visibility.
WSDOT East says SR 221 between Prosser and Paterson is still closed.
WSDOT East says US 97 south of Toppenish is blocked due to a collision.
I-82/ near Prosser: Semi crash blocking the eastbound lanes.
— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) April 11, 2022
SR 241 between Mabton and Prosser is closed due to poor visibility.
SR 221 between of Prosser at Paterson remains closed.
US 97 southbound only, south of Toppenish is blocked due to a collision.
The previous story is below.
Washington Department of Transportation East says SR 221 is temporarily closed due to multiple spinouts and poor visibility.
The closure is between Prosser and Paterson.
Temporary Closure on SR 221 between Prosser to Paterson due to poor visibility and multiple spinouts. Estimated time of reopening is 8:45 a.m.
— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) April 11, 2022
Benton PUD is currently working to get power restored for hundreds of customers between Grandview and Richland.
This is a developing story, which means information could change. We are working to report timely and accurate information as we get it. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/update-power-restored-in-benton-city-but-thousands-in-prosser-still-without-power/article_0b7cc3f4-b9ae-11ec-8e0d-538c68543652.html | 2022-04-11T21:17:02Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/update-power-restored-in-benton-city-but-thousands-in-prosser-still-without-power/article_0b7cc3f4-b9ae-11ec-8e0d-538c68543652.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SUNNYSIDE, Wash. -
UPDATE 12:51 p.m. -
Yakima County Sheriff's Office confirms the man is locked inside his own apartment in the Cristo Rey Apartment Complex.
YCSO says the man is refusing to come out and SWAT has been requested by Sunnyside Police Department.
16th St., 14th St., North Ave. and Highway 241 and Sheller Rd. intersection are closed near the scene.
Students at Sun Valley Elementary School and Sierra Vista Middle School are being released to their parents after locking down the schools during the police activity nearby.
YCSO is asking people to avoid the area.
The previous story is below.
Two people are recovering in the hospital after being stabbed by a man wielding scissors in Sunnyside.
Yakima County Sheriff's Office says a man has barricaded himself inside an apartment on the 300 block of N 16th street.
Several agencies are on scene talking to the man through a window.
YCSO says the two people that were stabbed are in a local hospital.
This is a developing story, which means information could change. We are working to report timely and accurate information as we get it. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/update-sunnyside-police-is-requesting-swat-assistance-in-standoff-at-the-cristo-rey-apartments/article_893c284a-b9c0-11ec-bc5c-8ffc6d61d7a1.html | 2022-04-11T21:17:08Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/update-sunnyside-police-is-requesting-swat-assistance-in-standoff-at-the-cristo-rey-apartments/article_893c284a-b9c0-11ec-bc5c-8ffc6d61d7a1.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TRI-CITIES, WA - What started as rain, quickly turned into snow.
Jim Smith, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, stated this snowfall is a record in Tri-Cities.
"1935 was when Tri-Cities had the snow measurable snowfall on this day, at 0.3 inches. Today, our snowfall surpasses that at 0.5 inches," said Smith.
Gusty winds will accompany the rain and slush, causing blowing snow at as much as 40 mph.
Kittitas Valley and Yakima Valley will see 2-3 inches of snow along the higher terrain this morning. Smith said there could be a record measurable snowfall in Yakima, but cannot confirm that for sure at this time.
The East Slopes of the Washington Cascades will see 12-18 inches of snow, while the east Slopes of the Oregon Cascades will see 10-24 inches. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/tri-cities-breaks-record-of-snowfall-accumulation-during-this-spring-april-monday/article_d0506c2e-b9c4-11ec-9e31-339920ca95a6.html | 2022-04-11T21:17:14Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/tri-cities-breaks-record-of-snowfall-accumulation-during-this-spring-april-monday/article_d0506c2e-b9c4-11ec-9e31-339920ca95a6.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. -
Washington State Patrol reports SR97 near the Toppenish Wildlife Refuge is closed after a semi truck jackknifed near milepost 53.
Trooper Chris Thorson says on Twitter the road will be blocked for another hour or so.
YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. -
Washington State Patrol reports SR97 near the Toppenish Wildlife Refuge is closed after a semi truck jackknifed near milepost 53.
Trooper Chris Thorson says on Twitter the road will be blocked for another hour or so.
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YAKIMA, WA - The Yakima Fire Department (YFD) was sent to a house fire on E. Chestnut Ave. near the E. Yakima Ave freeway entrance of I-82 Sunday afternoon.
YFD received a call about the fire at 2:15 pm. When crews arrived to the residence in the 1200 block of E. Chestnut Ave., they found smoke coming out of the eaves on all sides of the house, with heavy smoke coming from the back of the house.
YFD says there were no injuries as the occupants were not inside the house at the time of the fire.
There was extensive building and water damage throughout the main living areas of the home. Crews estimate the damage to be about $100,000.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/yakima/sunday-afternoon-house-fire-causes-100-000-of-damage-in-yakima/article_e6e761b8-b9b0-11ec-8aaf-abe8b6eff48b.html | 2022-04-11T21:17:27Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/yakima/sunday-afternoon-house-fire-causes-100-000-of-damage-in-yakima/article_e6e761b8-b9b0-11ec-8aaf-abe8b6eff48b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II, after her own recent bout with COVID-19, empathized with patients, doctors and nurses at a London hospital last week as she listened to their stories about life on the front lines of the pandemic.
The monarch spoke to patients and staff at the Royal London Hospital during a virtual visit that marked the official dedication of the Queen Elizabeth Unit, a 155-bed critical care facility built in just five weeks at the height of the pandemic. Elizabeth tested positive for COVID-19 in February and suffered what Buckingham Palace described as “mild cold-like symptoms.’’
“It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn’t it?’’ she told recovering COVID-19 patient Asef Hussain and his wife, Shamina. “This horrible pandemic.”
The unit has treated about 800 coronavirus patients from across northeast London, with staff recruited from throughout the region, including retired doctors and nurses and even soldiers drafted in to help.
With friends and family members barred from the hospital by strict virus-control measures, nurses did their best to comfort seriously ill patients, senior nurse Mireia López Rey Ferrer told Elizabeth.
“As nurses, we made sure that they were not alone,’’ López Rey said. “We held their hands, we wiped their tears and we provided comfort. It felt at times that we were running a marathon with no finish line.”
Hussain was the third member of his family hospitalized with COVID-19 at the end of December 2020. His brother died first, then his father passed away while Hussain was on a ventilator.
“I remember waking up one morning and just finding it really, really difficult to breathe,’’ he said. “I remember waking my wife saying that I feel like there’s no oxygen in the room. I remember me sticking my head out the window, just trying to breathe, trying to get that extra oxygen.”
He was on a ventilator for seven weeks and only recently was able to stop using a wheelchair.
Nurses helped lift Hussain’s spirits by arranging video calls on a tablet computer. Shamina Hussain told the queen that 500 friends and family around the world dialed in to one conference call to pray for her husband.
“So you have a large family, or a large influence on people,” the queen quipped.
The couple smiled.
___
Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at h ttps://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/queen-chats-with-covid-19-patients-nurses-at-uk-hospital/ | 2022-04-11T21:19:43Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/queen-chats-with-covid-19-patients-nurses-at-uk-hospital/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What would it mean for biodiversity on Earth, if the Moon was completely black?
If the Moon couldn't reflect the Sun, there would be no moonlight.
A matt black Moon would still raise tides but would pass almost invisibly across the sky. Apart from the variation between the height of spring and neap tides, it would be impossible to tell the phase of the Moon.
This circalunar rhythm is a very important timing signal that many creatures use to synchronise their behaviour. Corals on the Great Barrier Reef, for example, use the full Moon as the trigger for their annual mass spawning. This ensures that all the polyps have their eggs and sperm in the water at once, which increases the chance of successful fertilisation.
Birds also use the lunar cycle to synchronise migrations. For example, the seabird Barau’s petrel arrives at its breeding ground on the island of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean, at a different time each year depending on the weather and feeding conditions, but all the birds always arrive together on a full Moon.
What makes the full Moon so useful as a timing cue is that its brightness dramatically increases on the night of the full Moon itself, compared with the nights on either side. This is due to the opposition effect, where shadows on the surface of the Moon (cast by craters and mountains) suddenly disappear when the Moon is lit directly from the front.
Moonlight is more than just a clock though. Even though it is less than one-thousandth of 1 per cent as bright as daylight, it is still 1,000 times brighter than starlight alone. Without the help of moonlight, nocturnal animals would be restricted to those able to navigate by touch or by echolocation.
The earliest mammals appeared when the daylight hours were dominated by dinosaurs. Mammal vision was, and still is, specially adapted to work well in moonlight. Without the ability to operate at night, mammals might not have evolved at all!
Read more:
- What would happen if there were no Moon?
- What would happen if the Earth became tidally locked to the Sun?
- Is it coincidental that the human menstrual cycle is about the same length as the Moon cycle?
- What would happen if all the salt in the oceans suddenly disappeared?
Asked by: Jakob Kaye, Dumfries and Galloway
To submit your questions email us at questions@sciencefocus.com (don't forget to include your name and location)
- This article first appeared in issue 374 of BBC Science Focus Magazine – find out how to subscribe here
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Subscribe and get 6 issues for just £9.99. After your first 6 issues, your subscription will continue at £22.99 every 6 issues by Direct Debit. Receive every issue delivered direct to your door with FREE UK delivery. | https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/what-would-happen-if-the-moon-was-black/ | 2022-04-11T21:22:36Z | sciencefocus.com | control | https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/what-would-happen-if-the-moon-was-black/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Lance Thompson, the CFO of Clark Atlanta University, is a Black history connoisseur who has a flair for both finance and the creative writing arts. The prolific nonfiction and fiction writer began conceptualizing his latest book, Black Wounds: The Pains, Scars and Triumphs of Black America, during the apex of the coronavirus pandemic and racial reckoning of 2020. | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/clark-atlanta-university-cfo-lanze-thompson-discusses-new-book-black-wounds/ | 2022-04-11T21:24:41Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/clark-atlanta-university-cfo-lanze-thompson-discusses-new-book-black-wounds/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Doomsday commission proposes changes in case of tragic House deaths
The bipartisan Continuity of Government Commission is recommending a constitutional amendment to allow the House to temporarily fill vacancies when members die.
Why it matters: A number of concerns — including violence against lawmakers, the pandemic and Jan. 6 insurrection — have put a fresh spotlight on doomsday protocols. In this case, the question is what happens when a catastrophic event leads to the death of an elected member of Congress.
Between the lines: The Senate has a clearly established succession plan: When a member dies, their home state's governor appoints a replacement.
- That person serves until a permanent successor is picked through a special or the next regular election cycle.
- The House doesn't have anything similar. A vacancy remains until the special election is held.
The commission, rejuvenated last fall after an incarnation following the 9/11 attack, is pushing for a constitutional amendment.
It would require House members to designate, confidentially, a list of replacements to serve in their stead if they're killed or incapacitated.
- The new member would take over immediately, allowing the body to act quickly should it be a chaotic time, but serve only until a special election is held.
- The automatic replacement would not be used in the case of resignations or expulsions.
- In those cases, the normal special-election process would be used.
The big picture: The commission was established in 2002 by the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution, two prominent Washington thinktanks.
- It issued three reports focused on Congress and the presidency before going dormant in 2011.
- In a joint op-ed in September, co-chairs A.B. Culvahouse and Donna Shalala said COVID-19 and the Jan. 6 insurrection gave fresh impetus to enact commission reforms.
- The body is now supported by AEI and includes four former members of Congress, a circuit court judge and former administration officials.
Flashback: One of the commissioners, former Rep. Mike Bishop (R-Mich.), was on a baseball field in Alexandria, Va, in 2017 when a gunman opened fire as members practiced for a congressional baseball game.
The shooting critically injured Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and others.
- "We've dodged a bullet in the past, so to speak, but who knows when our luck will run out?" Bishop testified last week before the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.
What they're saying: "What happens if they kill us? What happens to this institution?" former Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) said he thought at the time of 9/11.
"I've been doing this for twenty years now. ... We are not prepared, and we still aren't," Baird said during the hearing.
- John Fortier, executive director of the commission, told Axios: "What we really need is a mechanism for filling vacancies and so that if lots of people die, they can be filled like in the Senate, so that, immediately, you can have a Congress."
- "You want a Congress there to respond."
But, but, but: There are others who've argued the House remains a legislative body and should not have members who are unelected to craft and vote on laws. | https://www.axios.com/congressional-doomsday-recommendation-bbe2432b-1acb-4eab-bc54-82302c0ec6a6.html | 2022-04-11T21:24:48Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/congressional-doomsday-recommendation-bbe2432b-1acb-4eab-bc54-82302c0ec6a6.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DJ Khaled will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame soon, and while he is very grateful for the honor, he insists these types of acknowledgments don’t define his career, but he feels very “blessed.”
“Everybody who puts out great work loves greatness to come back. Now, am I driven by awards or other accolades? No. That I came from nothing, that I made it this far, and that I keep going and I keep growing — that’s what drives me. Being a father of two children drives me. Being a good man drives me — being there for my family and my children [drives me],” he said.
“I’m grateful for the blessings that God gave me. Getting this star is a blessing. Getting the call where you got a Walk of Fame star, a Grammy or a No. 1 album — I wake up every day saying that ‘We’re No. 1!’ ” the 46-year-old told Variety.
Khaled describes his most recent album, Father of Asahd, as his “biggest album.”
“As a body of work, this is my biggest album. A classic album from top to bottom. My whole career I’ve put out timeless records. I’ve been part of your life, and everybody’s life, for a long time. I’m the guy who made ‘All I Do Is Win,’ I’m the guy who made ‘I’m the One’ and ‘Wild Thoughts’ and ‘Shining’ — I can keep going. Usually my albums, I would have two, three big singles and a great album. This album, from top to bottom, everything was a single,” he said.
“It’s not only about numbers. It’s about the impact on the culture. It’s about, every time you turn on the TV you’re going to hear ‘All I Do Is Win.’ Every time you watch football, basketball, soccer you’re gonna hear ‘All I Do Is Win.’ You watch a movie, you’re gonna hear one of my records. You turn on the radio, you’re gonna hear one of my records. DJ Khaled is the anthem king,” he declared. | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/dj-khaled-explains-what-has-driven-his-career-over-the-years/ | 2022-04-11T21:24:51Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/dj-khaled-explains-what-has-driven-his-career-over-the-years/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
There are 37 states in America where cannabis is legal either medically, for adult use, or both. In Georgia, 71% of residents support making cannabis legal, but the state’s cannabis policies are remarkably out of step with the opinion of our citizens. Georgia is one of only 19 states where simple possession can still land you in jail. Possession of one ounce or less carries a maximum penalty of up to one year of imprisonment. Possessing more than an ounce is considered a felony and can result in up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
These arrests continue 50 years after the release of a report issued by the Shafer Commission, that found personal cannabis possession was not a danger to society and the laws criminalizing cannabis possession were too harsh to apply. The Commission therefore recommended that possession for personal use not be a criminal offense. You may not know about the Shafer Commission nor its report that was issued in 1972, and for good reason. Its findings were buried by the Nixon administration, never to see the light of day.
Then, President Richard M. Nixon had launched the “war on drugs” one year earlier. According to his former domestic policy advisor John Ehrlichman, Nixon had two enemies: the anti-war left and Black people. He decided to get the American public to associate cannabis with hippies and heroin with Blacks, heavily criminalizing both. This allowed him to disrupt the two communities. His plan worked.
A 2020 report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that Black people are 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession as white people despite comparable usage rates. Law enforcement made more than 6 million cannabis-related arrests from 2010 to 2018. In 2018 alone, there were nearly 700,000 arrests for cannabis. Those arrests accounted for 43% of all drug arrests. Also in 2018, law enforcement made more cannabis arrests than arrests for all violent crimes combined, including homicide, rape, robbery, and assault. Black Americans have borne the brunt of the continued “war on drugs.”
Unlike the statistics nationwide, Black Georgians and white Georgians use cannabis at a nearly identical rate, but Black Georgians are three times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession. Research performed by my council office showed more than 90% of the individuals arrested in Atlanta for possession of one ounce or less of cannabis were Black. Additionally, local law enforcement cites the scent of cannabis during traffic stops and uses it as a pretext to search vehicles, many times never finding the cannabis they suspected.
The price paid by Black bodies arrested and convicted of cannabis possession can linger for years and in many instances a lifetime. A cannabis offense can negatively impact public housing, student financial aid eligibility, employment opportunities, child custody determinations, and immigration status. Decriminalizing cannabis can save thousands from involvement in the criminal justice system and prevents them from becoming collateral damage to antiquated drug laws.
Already, 31 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted laws that prevent incarcerating their residents for possession of small amounts of cannabis. In 18 of those states and D.C., cannabis is fully legal for adults 21and older. It is time for Georgia to follow suit. The taxpayer dollars and resources that our state’s law enforcement agencies waste enforcing draconian cannabis laws would be better spent addressing and solving serious crimes and collaborating with communities of color to build trust and increase public health and safety.
The cannabis industry has a large, growing impact on the U.S. economy. With 2021 sales totaling approximately $92 billion and projected 2025 sales estimated at around $160 billion, Georgia could use tax revenue from legal cannabis sales to repair or build schools like Colorado, or support essential services like public transportation, libraries, and social services as is the case in California. Any of these efforts would help to restore those communities most harmed by the criminalization of cannabis. Therefore, it is time for Georgia lawmakers and the U.S Congress to adhere to the recommendations of the Shafer Commission and immediately decriminalize cannabis, ensure that the criminal records of those who have received a conviction for simple cannabis possession are expunged, and set aside a certain percent of dispensary ownership licenses for communities of color.
Kwanza Hall
Former member of Congress | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/former-member-of-congress-kwanza-hall-is-on-a-mission-to-decriminalize-cannabis/ | 2022-04-11T21:25:02Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/former-member-of-congress-kwanza-hall-is-on-a-mission-to-decriminalize-cannabis/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kelsie Whitmore has made it higher in pro baseball than any woman in over 20 years
Kelsie Whitmore's historic baseball journey continues today when the Atlantic League's Staten Island FerryHawks begin spring training.
Why it matters: This is the highest level of pro baseball reached by a woman since 2000, and Whitmore, who signed on Friday, is one of the only women ever to play in a league with connections to MLB.
"I've been working for an opportunity like this my whole life, and I'm ready to get after it and compete."— Whitmore
Catch up quick: For Whitmore, it's always been about baseball, which she chose over softball at age 6. "She wanted to throw overhand [and] do what baseball players do," her dad told SI. "So I didn't set the direction. She did."
- That led Whitmore, now 23, to the USA Baseball women's team, where she starred as an elite pitcher (1.35 ERA at the 2015 Pan-Am Games) and hitter (.348 BA in the 2019 Pan-Am Games).
- She switched to softball in college only because baseball wasn't an option, and last year at Cal State Fullerton she was named the Big West Conference position player of the year.
- She's played professionally before, too: In 2016 with the Sonoma Stompers and last summer with the Portland Pickles, both independent clubs.
The backdrop: Stories like Whitmore's are rare because girls have so few opportunities to play baseball, which oddly enough stems from a 1975 court ruling that should have had the opposite effect.
- The court's decision was that Little League must allow girls to play on boys teams, but backlash from parents resulted in Little League introducing softball and encouraging girls to play that instead.
- That status quo persists to this day, though some are trying to change it. Baseball For All, a non-profit founded in 2010, hosted the inaugural women's college club baseball championship last month.
The big picture: More women's baseball history was made on Friday when Tampa Tarpons (Yankees Single-A) skipper Rachel Balkovec became the first full-time female manager in affiliated baseball history.
"I was blatantly discriminated against [early in my career]. Some people say not to say that ... but I think it's important to say because it lets you know how much change has happened."— Balkovec | https://www.axios.com/kelsie-whitmore-has-made-it-higher-in-pro-baseball-than-any-woman-in-over-20-years-cc342d59-512b-4a7a-bf2b-cff82a57bab9.html | 2022-04-11T21:25:01Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/kelsie-whitmore-has-made-it-higher-in-pro-baseball-than-any-woman-in-over-20-years-cc342d59-512b-4a7a-bf2b-cff82a57bab9.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Golf pro Lindsey Mason III stopped by “Out of Bounds” to discuss his golfing career, the results of the 2022 Masters tournament, Scottie Scheffler, Harold Varner III, and Tiger Woods’ journey.
Golf pro Lindsey Mason III stopped by “Out of Bounds” to discuss his golfing career, the results of the 2022 Masters tournament, Scottie Scheffler, Harold Varner III, and Tiger Woods’ journey. | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/golf-pro-lindsey-mason-iii-discusses-career-masters-and-tiger-woods-journey/ | 2022-04-11T21:25:12Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/golf-pro-lindsey-mason-iii-discusses-career-masters-and-tiger-woods-journey/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The son of gospel icon Kirk Franklin, Kerrion, was reportedly arrested by Beverly Hills cops and is being held without bond on a misdemeanor charge by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The BHPD’s report reveals that Kerrion Franklin was stopped in the ritzy L.A. suburb at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 10, 2022, and booked into the jail at about 10:30 a.m. Court records confirm that he was denied bond and was given a “permanent residence” inside the L.A. County lockup, RadarOnline reported.
What specifically Franklin was arrested for had not been confirmed by the local media outlets at press time. He reportedly won’t see a judge until April 12.
Ironically, Kerrion Franklin currently stars on the Zeus Network show “Bad Boys: Los Angeles.”
Father Kirk Franklin, a legend inside and out of the gospel space, and son Kerrion have been estranged for years after being extremely close during the son’s formative years.
The situation remains fluid as new information is released to the media. Stay tuned for details. | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/kirk-franklins-son-kerrion-jailed-without-bond/ | 2022-04-11T21:25:22Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/kirk-franklins-son-kerrion-jailed-without-bond/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A rapper from pioneering hip-hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five has been convicted of the fatal stabbing of a homeless man.
Nathaniel Glover, 62, better known as Kidd Creole, was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the 2017 stabbing of 55-year-old John Jolly in Manhattan, on April 7, 2022.
Jolly, whom Glover had never met, walked up to him and asked, “What’s up?”
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is New York City. It’s 12 o’clock at night,” Scottie Celestin, Glover’s lawyer told the jury. “Who’s saying ‘What’s up?’ to you with good intentions? His fear for his life was reasonable.”
Glover pulled out a steak knife and stabbed Jolly twice in the chest. The man later died at a nearby hospital.
Glover’s defense team argued his stabbing was an act of self-defense, and Jolly’s death was a result of alcohol, as he was allegedly drunk during the altercation, and medication the hospital gave him.
The prosecutors referenced an interview Glover did with the police when he admitted he thought Jolly was trying to hit on him. In a 2021 interview with The Source, Glover denied he’s homophobic.
“They basically portray[ed] me as the villain when I was the one just walking down the street minding my business,” Glover told The Source. “I had no intention when I left my house that night to do anything harmful to anybody, for any reason.
“Now I’m fighting the image that they portrayed me as a person who’s intolerant of people with alternative lifestyles and that’s not true.”
Glover’s sentencing hearing is set for May 4. | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/pioneering-hip-hop-group-member-found-guilty-of-killing-homeless-man/ | 2022-04-11T21:25:32Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/04/11/pioneering-hip-hop-group-member-found-guilty-of-killing-homeless-man/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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