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Big Changes Coming To Starbucks In 2024
You assume you know Starbucks well. You have your favorite drink, which you faithfully order every day. You have your favorite seasonal offerings, the long-awaited pumpkin spice latte or peppermint mocha. You can recognize the iconic logo on sight, no matter where in the world you might be traveling, and you know that when you follow that logo's call, you'll find yourself in a cozy coffee house filled with green-aproned baristas and other customers just like you, looking for a caffeine fix, sugary treat, or an open table with a side of WiFi.
However, your neighborhood Starbucks could start to look a little different this year. From the art on the walls to the cups that your favorite drinks are served in, your favorite drinks themselves, and the way in which your coffee is prepared and served — Starbucks has a lot of plans in the works. It's not entirely unexpected, even if change can often seem out of place in an institution that you think you know like the back of your hand; Starbucks announced a new CEO in the latter half of 2022, and new CEO Laxman Narasimhan formally assumed his role in spring of 2023. While a new brand leader often brings changes, prior to Starbucks welcoming Narasimhan, Howard Schultz had already launched a Starbucks "reinvention" plan in late 2022 with changes that will impact Starbucks this year. So, what's in the works and what can you expect? Here's everything you need to know.
Starbucks plans to increase its international presence in a big way
When you think of Starbucks, you likely think of it as a global brand — and it definitely is. Starbucks boasts more than 20,000 international locations and 38,000 locations in total. However, the brand sees big potential for growth, particularly when it comes to opening those international outposts. In late 2023, Starbucks announced that it hopes to reach 35,000 total international locations by 2030, for a total of 55,000 storefronts overall by 2030. To make this happen, Starbucks will need to open about eight stores every single day.
This said, though, you might not necessarily see an extra Starbucks or two popping up in your neck of the woods. As noted, Starbucks is keeping its growth focused on international locations (as of late 2023, Starbucks said 75% of all "near-term" new store openings would occur in cities outside of the United States), and on a few markets in particular. The brand announced big growth plans for China, and anticipates that it will have approximately 9,000 storefronts in the country by next year; as of late 2023, there were 6,800 Starbucks locations in China, scattered across 800 cities. Starbucks also sees big growth opportunities in Southeast Asia, India, and Latin America. All this growth, Starbucks says, will increase its earnings substantially.
Starbucks will double barista pay
Starbucks baristas have made headlines quite a lot over the last few years. Since 2021, Starbucks employees have been fighting to form unions and Starbucks corporate has been increasingly accused of doing everything it can to stop those union organization efforts. According to the National Labor Relations Board and its 100 cases against the company, Starbucks has used many strategies to punish unionizing employees, from reducing employee hours to closing stores completely. As of the latter half of 2023, only a few hundred Starbucks locations had managed to unionize. Starbucks has agreed to meet with union reps, though, to discuss union concerns such as, for one, pay increases.
On that note, Starbucks is at least seemingly listening to what its baristas want and, as of this year, you'll see that employees at your local Starbucks are enjoying a pay raise. In late 2023, Starbucks announced that, through its Triple Shot Reinvention growth plan, it will essentially double its employees' hourly income from 2020 to 2025 by not just raising hourly wages, but also offering employees more hours. What does that look like, more specifically? As of January 2024, Starbucks has increased most employees' hourly wages by a minimum of 3% (raises for those who've only been with the company for a few months are delayed), with workers who have been with the company longer able to receive raises of up to 5%.
Starbucks is introducing new employee benefits
Your favorite Starbucks barista isn't only enjoying a pay raise this year, though. Starbucks is also making an effort to improve employee benefits overall. In November 2023, the company announced that it would be offering even more "industry-leading" benefits, even citing a study that showed Starbucks offers higher-value benefits for its hourly employees than 50 other U.S. brands. So what do these benefits include, beyond just the higher pay that Starbucks promised its baristas and other employees they would begin receiving in 2024?
Well, starting in February 2024, Starbucks said it would allow employees to begin accruing vacation time after 90 days of employment. Starbucks also noted that it would make an effort to recognize employees' work-life balance, with what it calls "partner-centric scheduling;" to do so, employees will provide management with their preferred minimum and maximum number of work hours so that managers can schedule those employees accordingly, as much as possible. Already, Starbucks employees receive annual stock allotments, but Starbucks is expanding what it calls "financial wellness" benefits by also offering a banking card to employees that will come with no fees or interest. Lastly, Starbucks said it's looking into ways it can offer more career mobility through credential and certification programs, though specifics were not announced last year.
Starbucks stores will become more efficient
Maybe you love a lot about Starbucks, but there's also a lot you don't love: namely, how inefficient actually getting your order can seem. You wait in line, you place your order, maybe answer a few clarifying questions, and then wait ... and wait ... and wait, until your order is finally done. Whether it happens in the drive-thru or in the physical store, the experience can take longer than you expected, leaving you late for work or the next item on your to-do list.
This common occurrence can be chalked up to a number of issues. Starbucks does, of course, offer near-endless drink options. Beyond the menu items that include an array of ingredients and that require baristas to perform far more functions than just pouring some drip coffee in a cup (unless, of course, drip coffee is your go-to order), customers frequently tweak menu items — or come up with so-called "Starbucks secret menu" items all on their own, essentially crafting custom drinks. Add on numerous ways for customers to now order their Starbucks drinks, including in-person and on an app, and you leave a lot of room for inefficiency. Luckily, Starbucks is promising that it aims to become more efficient as it reinvests in its employees. How exactly Starbucks plans to do this is a bit vague, but we can only hope that these reinvestments mean shorter wait times, more accurate drinks, and a process that's a little kinder to baristas.
Starbucks has revamped its winter menu
This change coming to Starbucks in 2024 shouldn't really be all that much of a surprise. Starbucks brings back favorite seasonal beverages year after year and also routinely and reliably introduces new seasonal offerings every few months. While some of these new seasonal offerings prove favorites and are added to the annual rotation, others don't prove quite as popular and disappear for good.
For winter 2024 — not to be confused with the 2023 holiday season and its special beverages — Starbucks introduced some new offerings that were available starting in January. For starters, a new Iced Hazelnut Oatmilk Shaken Espresso combines Blonde Espresso with hazelnut syrup and oat milk. The reviews for the new drink, thus far, are a mixed bag. One Redditor said the drink "tastes like my medicine cabinet with a splash of oat milk," (they weren't the only one to say that the drink had a medicinal note, kind of like cough syrup), while some say they like the strong hazelnut flavor, describing it as "nicely nutty and a little herbal." The general consensus, though, is that the hazelnut syrup packs a punch. New food is on the winter menu as well, including a potato, cheddar, and chive bake that's a little like a piece of breakfast casserole. There's also a vanilla bean custard Danish to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Customers can now use their own personal cup for drive-thru and mobile orders
If you're actively trying to reduce the number of single-use plastics in your life, or you hate all the waste that comes with ordering drinks and food at fast-food restaurants and coffee chains, then you're going to love this new change coming from Starbucks. As of this January, you can ask for your drink to be served in your own, personal coffee cup — and it can really be any cup that you own; it doesn't need to be a Starbucks-branded reusable mug or thermos or something similar. You'll have this option whether you order in-store, at the drive-thru, or in the app, making Starbucks the very first national brand in the country to offer this sustainably-focused option. Making the deal even sweeter, if you choose this option, Starbucks will give you a $0.10 discount and Starbucks Rewards points.
All you have to do is give your personal cup to the barista when you place your order (or arrive to pick up your order, if you placed your order in the app). The barista will use a special "contactless vessel" to hold your cup, for hygiene purposes. They'll make the drink in your cup and then return it to you. The only thing Starbucks asks? Please make sure your mug is clean before you bring it in.
Starbucks is hosting a North America Barista Championship
As part of its efforts to better support its employees and enhance the employee experience, Starbucks is introducing another new activity for employees in 2024: the North America Barista Championship. Starbucks has hosted barista championships in other regions around the globe since 2013, but this will be the very first in North America. So what is it?
According to Starbucks, the championship will include thousands upon thousands of employees. In fact, one person from every single Starbucks location in the United States and Canada will participate. Participating employees must be chosen by the end of February. Then, in March, these employees will compete against other baristas in their region in a battle that includes tasting, brewing, and testing on Starbucks lore. In April, these winners compete again, showing off their skills in making classic Starbucks beverages, but they'll also have to present judges with a beverage of their own creation. From there, there's another regional competition in May, and then the ultimate North America Barista Championship for the finalists in June. The weeklong final competition will also include career advancement opportunities and the winner will receive a trip to Costa Rica.
The Oleato is now available at all U.S. stores
When Starbucks first introduced the Oleato in early 2023, it was a big, big deal. Olive oil? In your coffee? Stalwart Starbucks fans didn't know whether they should be excited or appalled. Some reviewers actually quite liked the Oleato, but reports soon followed of unsuspecting customers discovering that the drink had a laxative effect. The mixed reviews didn't stop Starbucks, though. At first, the drink was only available in Italy (a destination the brand says sparked the inspiration for the drink's creation). Then, it was slowly rolled out to other locations on a limited basis. It showed up in the United States in March 2023, and then in Japan in April 2023.
Now, Oleato beverages are available in the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, London, and Paris — and, as of January 30, the beverages aren't just available at limited locations throughout these destinations. Regardless of your take on the Oleato, now, it's available in all Canadian and United States stores.
Starbucks is introducing new Oleato drinks
Starbucks isn't just rolling out Oleato drinks to every single Starbucks location in the United States and Canada. It's also bringing more for Oleato fans to love, with new drink offerings available as of January 30. There's a new Oleato Golden Foam Iced Shaken Espresso with Toffeenut, an Oleato Caffe Latte with Oatmilk, and new Oleato Golden Foam beverages.
However, while the new Oleato drinks — and the new rollout of Oleato beverages on a widespread scale — may make some Starbucks fans excited, some baristas aren't quite as thrilled, taking to Reddit to air their grievances. On January 30, one barista posted that the Oleato worries them, as they received very few orders for the drink, and even had difficulty giving away free samples; they said their best reaction to the drink thus far was that it was "surprisingly okay." Other baristas commented on the Reddit post mentioning a similar lack of interest in their locations. Another Redditor, though, posted on January 29 and said that Oleato's appeal all comes down to the individual drink, saying, "Go in with an open mind and think of creative ways to make it taste good."
New enhancements are coming to Starbucks Rewards
If you're a frequent Starbucks customer, then you're likely also enrolled in Starbucks Rewards. If you're not, you probably should be. The rewards program allows you to pay through the app and get rewards points, called Stars, that you can then redeem for free food and beverages. For example, 25 Stars is enough to add a free drink customization to your order, which would normally incur an extra charge. Once you start getting into hundreds of Stars, you can redeem those Stars for drinks, food, and merch. Depending on how you pay for your Starbucks orders, you'll receive either one or two Stars per dollar you spend.
Now, Starbucks is enhancing Starbucks Rewards with the goal of enticing a whopping 75 million customers to sign up for the rewards program. Starbucks plans to bring on new rewards partners and hints at a financial institution and hospitality brand that have both agreed to come on as rewards partners in the first half of 2024. Currently, Starbucks is partnered with Delta, so you can earn Delta SkyMiles at the same time that you earn Stars and earn more Stars overall on days that you're flying with Delta. It's safe to assume that future brand partnerships will work similarly.
Starbucks will introduce the new Starbucks Art Prize
The last change you can expect to see at Starbucks in 2024 is the artwork on the walls. If you've never paid much attention to the décor in your neighborhood Starbucks, it might be time to begin taking a closer look, as Starbucks recently announced the new Starbucks Art Prize. Through this prize, Starbucks will annually select an artist to feature throughout its stores. The artist will receive a $1 million sponsorship as part of the deal.
According to a post that Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan made on LinkedIn around the time of the announcement, the artist must be a visual artist as well as a newer or emerging artist with a novel perspective. A panel of judges will choose the annual recipient. In addition to displaying the recipient's artwork throughout Starbucks locations for the year, the initiative will also choose five emerging architects to design five new Starbucks locations. A Starbucks Scouted program will also seek to bring emerging musical talent to the Starbucks in-store soundtracks. All of these efforts, the brand says, are part of its growing focus on community and bringing the artistic elements of Starbucks culture to greater attention.
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https://www.mashed.com/1506826/big-changes-coming-starbucks-2024/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:03Z
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Feds pledge $362 million to provinces, cities to temporarily house asylum seekers
The federal government is pledging a $362.4-million top-up to its interim housing assistance program for asylum seekers.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller made the announcement Wednesday, citing what he called the need to provide support that reflects the impact of asylum claims across the country.
Deeper changes are needed down the road, he added.
"This program is important because it gets shelters over people's heads, particularly with the temperature that it is outside. But it needs reform, and that's something that will have to be worked on ... in the coming months," Miller said.
"I think we owe it to Canadians to reform a system that has very much been a stopgap measure since 2017 to deal with large historic flows of migration."
Housing and support for asylum seekers are the responsibility of provincial and municipal governments, but Ottawa has offered multiple top-up payments like this one to ease the load.
As of last week, about 7,300 asylum claimants in need of housing were staying in 4,000 hotel rooms in six provinces, Miller said.
Of the new money, he said $100 million will go to Quebec.
He wouldn't offer details on how the rest of the money will be distributed, but said Toronto will get a "significant amount."
Miller said many asylum seekers gravitate toward big municipalities such as Montreal and Toronto, because of jobs or existing communities in such cities.
He said the system as it stands is "not perfect," and not a long-term solution.
"But it's something we have to do."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2024.
IN DEPTH
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TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Here's why Trudeau has a new House leader, temporarily
Liberal MP Steven MacKinnon was sworn in as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government House leader on Monday, taking on the position temporarily, as Karina Gould begins her maternity leave.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Billions for home building back-loaded, deficit projected at $40B in 2023-24: fall economic statement
The federal government's fiscal update presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday includes billions of dollars in new spending and targeted policy measures aimed at increasing Canada's housing supply in the years ahead.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Despite his horrible year, Trudeau's determined to roll the dice again
In his column for CTVNews.ca, political commentator Don Martin says you can't help but admire Justin Trudeau's defiance and audacity of hope despite his 'horrible' 2023, as it appears Trudeau is insisting on leading the Liberals into the next federal election.
opinion Don Martin: Why Danielle Smith is my political newsmaker of the year
In his column for CTVNews.ca, political commentator Don Martin argues why Alberta Premier Danielle Smith deserves to be Canada's political newsmaker for 2023.
opinion Don Martin: Greg Fergus risks becoming the shortest serving Speaker in our history
House Speaker Greg Fergus could face a parliamentary committee inquisition where his fate might hang on a few supportive NDP votes. But political columnist Don Martin says this NDP support might be shaky, given how one possible replacement is herself a New Democrat.
opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
OPINION Don Martin: For squandering their hard-earned income tax, we owe our kids an apology
'Its bi-annual work of fiscal fiction rolled out Tuesday as the fall update staged a desperate bid to reverse the Liberals' downward spiral in the polls while trying to soften its drunken-sailor-spending image.'
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
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Here are the 5 Canadian cities with the fewest low-cost rental units: report
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
'He thought it was the flu,' says widow of man who died of strep A
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image reignites excitement and skepticism over Earhart's final flight
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More than 400 kg of methamphetamine seized at Manitoba border; largest seizure in Prairie history
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
Pilots describe 'bizarre' lights and 'triangles' over Canada in air traffic control audio
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B.C. employer sues workers for quitting without required notice
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Locals race to preserve mysterious Newfoundland shipwreck
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/feds-pledge-362-million-to-provinces-cities-to-temporarily-house-asylum-seekers-1.6750321
| 2024-01-31T23:20:03Z
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DEER PARK, Texas (KTRK) -- A traffic stop led police to the man accused of slashing a homeowner's tires, but it turns out that person was not his intended victim, according to Deer Park police.
Seth Alexander Wright, 38, from Montgomery County, was arrested on Jan. 31 when undercover Deer Park police officers conducted a traffic stop on him in Spring.
Authorities said Wright was identified as the suspect seen on video on Jan. 24 slashing 10 tires on three parked vehicles on a home in the 300 block of Ellen Drive.
On the day of the slashing, police responded to the home at about 9:45 p.m., where they learned Wright went up the driveway and used a knife to stab the sidewalls of the tires. The victim said they were unable to identify the suspect at the time or provide a reason why the slashing took place.
When the video surfaced on social media, police said they received multiple tips leading them to Wright.
Now, days after the incident, police said Wright was reportedly targeting the previous owners and was unaware they had moved out several years ago.
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https://abc13.com/deer-park-tire-slashing-man-arrested-accused-of-stabbing-tires-in-three-cars/14375946/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:03Z
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Reyna is a Red! USMNT star Gio ends Borussia Dortmund nightmare as he completes Nottingham Forest loan moveRitabrata BanerjeeGetty ImagesGiovanni ReynaNottingham ForestTransfersBorussia DortmundPremier LeagueBundesligaUSAUSMNT star Gio Reyna has completed his loan move to Nottingham Forest from Borussia Dortmund.Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowReyna completes Forest loan moveContract valid until the end of the seasonSaw his game time reduced at Dortmund
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https://www.goal.com/en-ae/lists/gio-reyna-usmnt-borussia-dortmund-nightmare-nottingham-forest-loan/blt17d4dd7b86b697e1
| 2024-01-31T23:20:04Z
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Morning, all!
While it may appear that Corey Seager should have had his hernia surgery earlier in the off-season, he had elected to try rest rather than jumping straight to surgery.
The Rangers are hopeful that Seager will only miss a bunch of meaningless Spring Training games.
Chris Young classifies his level of concern about how this will impact Corey Seager as “very low.”
The Athletic has an explainer on the potential Amazon / Bally Sports deal and what it means for accessing in-market games in 2024.
Josh Jung is hoping he can follow up on a good rookie season with a great sophomore campaign.
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https://www.lonestarball.com/2024/1/31/24056840/wednesday-morning-links
| 2024-01-31T23:20:05Z
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Cozy Aldi Finds To Help You Get Through The Coldness Of February
As one of the coldest winter months arrives, Aldi is taking steps to provide snug clothing, soothing home goods, and comforting foods and beverages to carry you through to spring. While the Aldi Finds section is always one of shoppers' favorites to peruse weekly, the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII has given folks even more reasons to search the aisle. While Aldi is known to make your holiday party easier, it's also a worthwhile stop when looking for items to have at your Super Bowl party.
After a January that Aldi used to focus on Valentine's Day with items like ice cream rose cones and Choceur Chocolate Heart Boxes, Aldi's February items have people equally excited for game-time snacking, not to mention relaxing in snug loungewear with a glass of wine (or coffee). From an Italian wine that pairs with pasta to a doggie jacket that will keep our beloved pets toasty during chilly walks, these items will help you relax and stay cozy in the coming month.
Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen Cheeseburger Party Flatbread
If you've been shopping at Aldi for a while, you're probably already familiar with Mama Cozzi's pizza. It's so popular with customers that it was the first product inducted into the Aldi Hall of Fame in 2022. After years as a fan favorite, stores began selling out of it on Fridays, as shoppers were stocking up for the weekend. Starting February 7, Mama Cozzi's 20.8-ounce Cheeseburger Party Flatbread will be available for $6.99.
Barissimo Coffee
Barissimo coffees have become a reliable Aldi buy, along with the brand's annual Aldi Advent Calendar. With its variety of flavors, Barissimo usually has something for everyone's tastes. The caramel macchiato flavor has been available as a K-cup offering for some time, so it's nice to see it offered to those without a single-serve coffee maker. Fans can purchase a 12-ounce bag of Caramel Macchiato or Crème Brûlée-flavored coffee for $4.35 starting February 14.
Appetitos Filled Pretzel Bites
Aldi fans were obsessed with the cheese-stuffed pretzel bites in 2023, and it's doubtful 2024 will be any different. Whether you're sharing with friends during the Super Bowl or keeping them all to yourself, this is an item you don't want to wait on when it hits stores on February 7, as your next visit will likely buy them out. A 10-ounce box of Appetitos Filled Pretzel Bites sells for $2.99, and pretzel lovers can choose between cheddar or pepper jack.
Serra Ladies Long Sleeve Cozy Lounge Romper
Searching for a cute and simple one-piece to throw on when you're relaxing at home? The Serra Ladies Long Sleeve Cozy Lounge Romper has you covered. Available starting February 7, the romper has pockets, an elastic waist, and buttons up the front. It will sell for $14.99 and come in blue and black.
Breakfast Best Meatballs
People don't often think of meatballs as a breakfast food, but Aldi is trying to change that. On February 14, Breakfast Best Meatballs will roll into stores in two varieties: French Toast Maple and Bacon Egg Cheese. The 20-ounce package is $5.99. Breakfast Best is known for making some of Aldi's most popular breakfast items like its Cinnamon French Toast sticks, so these may be worth a try.
Huntington Home Wax Warmer
If you prefer wax melts to traditional candles, Huntington Home's Wax Warmer will be available starting February 14 for $7.99. Each wax warmer bears one of three phrases: "Give Me The Tea," "Coffee is Always A Good Idea," and "Cookies." You'll have to purchase the wax melts separately, but it's convenient to simply change the scent by adding a new melt versus buying a whole new candle.
Priano Gnocchi
On February 21, Priano's Potato Gnocchi will be a $1.99 Aldi Find. Gnocchi isn't an entirely new Aldi offering, but the price is. At $2 for 17.6 ounces, the price is a great deal, considering a 16-ounce package is $1.50 more at Target, and a 9-ounce package is $7 at Whole Foods. Customers adored Priano's truffle gnocchi, and they'll probably clear this from the shelves, too.
Heart to Tail Varsity Pet Coat
For those with dogs who stall at the front door when the weather is icy, the Heart to Tail Varsity Pet Coat may make the trek outside a bit less dramatic. Made of soft teddy sherpa, the coat comes with snap buttons and extra lining to keep your pup warm. The jacket will be available starting February 7 for $8.99 and will come in the colors Rust (sizes extra-large or small), Tickled Pink (large or small), and Forest Elf (medium or small).
Breakfast Best Mini Stuffed Pancakes
If you manage to save any of those Breakfast Best Meatballs from the middle of February, you can serve them alongside the Breakfast Best Mini Stuffed Pancakes, which will be released in stores on February 28. For $3.99, each 12-ounce package contains 10 mini pancakes filled with either strawberry or chocolate hazelnut filling. The pancakes also contain 3 grams of protein and have no artificial flavors or colors.
Huntington Home 24 x 36 Faux Sheepskin Rug
In regards to home goods, Huntington Home's Faux Sheepskin Rug will be available starting February 7 for $14.99. This product sold for $19.99 in 2023, so it must have been popular enough for Aldi to bring it back. The warm, cozy rug is 24" x 36" and comes in the colors natural beige, white, and brown.
Bake Shop Cake Pop
While February's Aldi Finds are mostly filled with savory snacks and meals (plus a few breakfast items), shoppers finally get a dessert at the end of the month. The Bake Shop Cake Pops will appear on February 28 in either chocolate or vanilla. A four-pack will sell for $4.49. Even the Bake Shop's oatmeal cranberry cookies were a favorite, so it's hard to imagine that its cake pops will disappoint.
Royal Class Men's Stretch Jogger or Straight Leg
For the men who want loungewear that's just as comfortable as the ladies', Aldi is introducing the Royal Class Men's Stretch Joggers or Straight Leg Tapered Stretch Pants on February 28 for $14.99. Available in black for the joggers and either beige or gray for the tapered pants, these bottoms got high marks when they were sold in 2022. "Guys, do yourself a favor and get a pair of these. Most comfortable pair of sweatpants I've ever owned," one Reddit user declared.
Specially Selected Soup
Specially Selected soups are known to come in seasonal flavors like Tomato Parmesan Bisque, Southwest Style Tomato, and Pumpkin Maple Bisque. They sometimes even get rave reviews, as has been the case for Pumpkin, a yearly favorite. On February 28, 24-ounce jars of Specially Selected soups will appear on the shelf at your local Aldi in the flavors Creamy Curry Bisque and Thai Coconut Ginger. Each will sell for $3.89.
Huntington Home Reusable Bread Pan Candle
The Huntington Home Bread Pan Candles aren't just cute — they're also reusable. Huntington Home has rarely let shoppers down in the candle department, and these new $3.99 candles scented with Coffee & Walnut Cake in an orange bread pan, Iced Lemon Bread in a yellow pan, and Key Lime Pie in a green pan are the sweet fragrances Aldi fans want drifting through their homes. All three varieties will be available starting February 14.
Appetitos Arancini
Appetitos' second item on this list will be released on February 21. The breaded rice balls filled with cheese and either mushrooms or sweet peas will sell for $3.99. Each 9-ounce package contains 12 pieces. You can eat them alone or try to upgrade them with Bobby Flay's sauce choice for arancini: brown butter crème fraîche.
Palazzo Nobile Il Vero Red Blend
If you have yet to try the Palazzo Nobile Il Vero Red Blend, which was available last year, don't miss your chance — the Italian wine is available starting February 21 for $5.99. Users of the online wine marketplace Vivino gave this bottle a 4.1 out of 5 stars, calling it dry, bold, acidic, and an even balance between smooth and tannic. Some thought it had notes of cherry and red fruit, while others described it as having vanilla, chocolate, or oak flavor.
Fremont Fish Market Chilled Crab Cakes
If you've been craving crab cakes but don't want to splurge, head to Aldi on February 21 to snag a box or two of Fremont Fish Market Chilled Crab Cakes at $5.99 each. The 12-ounce package contains four crab cakes, which is perfect for making a crab cake Benedict. While you used to be able to get five crab cakes for $3.99, Aldi fans love these frozen crab cakes, and many are sure to pick up multiple boxes.
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https://www.mashed.com/1506845/cozy-aldi-finds-february-2024/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:09Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
U.S. officials said Wednesday they disrupted a Chinese-backed effort to plant malware that could damage civilian infrastructure, as the head of the FBI warned that Beijing is positioning itself to disrupt the daily lives of Americans if the United States and China ever go to war.
The operation, announced just before FBI Director Chris Wray addressed House lawmakers, disrupted a botnet of hundreds of U.S.-based small office and home routers owned by private citizens and companies that had been hijacked by the Chinese hackers to cover their tracks as they sowed the malware. Their ultimate targets included water treatment plants, the electrical grid and transportation systems across the United States.
Speaking before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Wray said there's been far too little public focus on a cyber threat that affects "every American."
"China's hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike," Wray said.
Jen Easterly, the director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, voiced a similar sentiment at the hearing.
"This is a world where a major crisis halfway across the planet could well endanger the lives of Americans here at home through the disruption of our pipelines, the severing of our telecommunications, the pollution of our water facilities, the crippling of our transportation modes -- all to ensure that they can incite societal panic and chaos and to deter our ability" to marshal a sufficient response, she said.
The comments align with assessments from outside cybersecurity firms including Microsoft, which said in May that state-backed Chinese hackers had been targeting U.S. critical infrastructure and could be laying the technical groundwork for the potential disruption of critical communications between the U.S. and Asia during future crises.
That operation, attributed to a group of hackers known as Volt Typhoon, has now been disrupted after FBI and Justice Department officials obtained search-and-seizure orders in a Texas federal court in December. U.S. officials did not characterize the disruption's impact. The hackers have infiltrated targets through multiple avenues, including cloud and internet providers, disguising themselves as normal traffic.
The U.S. has in the past few years become more aggressive in trying to disrupt and dismantle both criminal and state-backed cyber operations, with Wray warning Wednesday that Beijing-backed hackers aim to pilfer business secrets to advance the Chinese economy and steal personal information for foreign influence campaigns.
"They are doing all those things. They all feed up ultimately into their goal to supplant the U.S. as the world's greatest superpower," he said.
Complicating the threat is that state-backed hackers, especially Chinese and Russian, are good at adapting and finding new intrusion methods and avenues.
U.S. officials have long been concerned about such hackers hiding in U.S.-based infrastructure, and the end-of-life Cisco and NetGear routers exploited by Volt Typhoon were easy prey because they were no longer supported by their manufacturers with security updates. Because of the urgency, law enforcement officials said, U.S. cyber operators deleted the malware in those routers without notifying their owners directly -- and added code to prevent re-infection.
A Justice Department official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the government said officials were determined to disrupt the Volt Typhoon operation as soon as possible because the hackers were using the botnet as a stepping stone to hide in U.S. internet traffic while burrowing into the networks of critical infrastructure, ready to maliciously exploit that access at a time of their choosing.
"The truth is that Chinese cyber actors have taken advantage of very basic flaws in our technology," Easterly said. "We've made it easy on them."
U.S. officials said allies were also affected by the Chinese hacking operation, but, asked by reporters, would not discuss any countermeasures they might be taking.
China has repeatedly denounced the U.S. government's hacking allegations as baseless. Beijing has accused the U.S. of "almost daily" and "huge amounts of intrusions against Chinese government, with Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, saying last year that "China is the biggest victim of cyber attacks."
But Gen. Paul Nakasone, the outgoing commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, said "responsible cyber actors" do not target civilian infrastructure.
"There's no reason for them to be in our water," Nakasone said. "There's no reason for them to be in our power."
On Tuesday, testifying before the same committee, Leon Panetta, who served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the defense secretary in the Obama administration, said he believed that the Chinese agents had "planted malware within our own computer networks" and warned that the Chinese government would use artificial intelligence to spread disinformation.
The committee, chaired by Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, was established last year with a mandate of countering China, kicking off with a prime-time hearing. The Chinese government has lashed out at the committee, demanding that its members "discard their ideological bias and zero-sum Cold War mentality."
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Bajak reported from Boston.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/chinese-hackers-are-determined-to-wreak-havoc-on-u-s-critical-infrastructure-fbi-director-warns-1.6749403
| 2024-01-31T23:20:09Z
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A recent victim of road rage is frustrated over the current status of her case but is applauding the Houston Police Department's revival of efforts to keep roads safer.
Rosemeri Sabio and her 7-year-old daughter, Luna, were at a red light on Bellfort Avenue and Telephone Road on July 9, 2023, when shots were fired.
Sabio said she didn't take off from a red light quickly enough, was honked at, and then followed before being shot at.
"My daughter got injured by a bullet," she said. "She got shot in the leg."
Luna has healed from the shooting from a physical perspective, but the mental scars remain.
"Every time somebody is honking behind me, she gets scared," Sabio said. "We had therapy for her."
RELATED: Suspect in fatal road rage shooting along Southwest Freeway arrested on heels of HPD crackdown
ABC13 spoke with Sabio Wednesday afternoon as the Houston Police Department revives its initiative aimed at cracking down on road rage incidents.
The "Safe Roadways" initiative utilizes multiple law enforcement agencies working together on the issue.
"Our commitment is to make our roadways and communities safer," Mayor John Whitmire said. "We're not going to rest until we've accomplished that."
Sabio praised the effort but said she's frustrated she can't get any information on where her case stands.
"There's no information or no update," she said. "They wouldn't answer the calls or anything."
Eyewitness News called HPD about that issue, and the department said it would look into it.
For news updates, follow Chaz Miller on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
SEE MORE: Houston saw 135% increase in road rage shooting incidents from 2016 to 2023, data shows
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https://abc13.com/houston-road-rage-shootings-hpd-roadway-safety-initiative-bellfort-avenue-and-telephone-shots-fired/14375966/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:09Z
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Debates over Trent Alexander-Arnold's best position in this Liverpool team will rumble on, but right now, it's difficult to make a case for the England international not to be moved into midfield given the form Conor Bradley has shown while covering at right-back.
The 20-year-old has impressed plenty in recent weeks, but against Chelsea on Wednesday, he was superb, as he netted his first Reds goal and assisted two more in the Premier League leaders' 4-1 win over the Blues on Merseyside.
After Darwin Nunez went close on a couple of occasions, Liverpool broke the deadlock through Diogo Jota, who ran onto Bradley's pass and bustled his way through two Chelsea defenders to poke home. Bradley then doubled the lead with a superb angled drive after being freed down the right.
Nunez missed the chance to make it 3-0 before half-time when he hit the post with a penalty, but the Reds soon put that behind them after the break as Dominik Szoboszlai headed in a sumptuous Bradley cross.
Chelsea threatened a comeback when Christopher Nkunku netted with 20 minutes to play, but after Nunez again hit the woodwork with a header, Luis Diaz settled things with a close-range finish to ensure the Reds' first Premier League game since Jurgen Klopp announced his intention to leave the club ended in victory.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield...
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https://www.goal.com/en-ae/lists/liverpool-player-ratings-chelsea-conor-bradley-jurgen-klopp/blt56016321d56dc0dd
| 2024-01-31T23:20:11Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
A region of the moon that's at the centre of a new international space race because it may contain water ice could be less hospitable than once thought, new research has found.
Interest in the lunar south pole spiked last year, when India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission made the first successful soft landing in the area, just days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed en route to attempt the same feat. NASA has selected the region as the landing site for its Artemis III mission, which could mark the return of astronauts to the moon as soon as 2026, and China also has plans to create future habitats there.
But now a study funded by NASA is ringing an alarm bell: As the moon’s core gradually cools and shrinks, its surface develops creases — like a grape shriveling into a raisin — that create "moonquakes" that can last for hours, as well as landslides. Much like the rest of the natural satellite’s surface, the area of the south pole that is the subject of so much interest is prone to these seismic phenomena, potentially posing a threat to future human settlers and equipment.
"This is not to alarm anyone and certainly not to discourage exploration of that part of the south pole of the moon," said the study’s lead author, Thomas R. Watters, a senior scientist emeritus in the National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, “but to raise the caution that the moon is not this benign place where nothing is happening.”
The moon has shrunk by about 150 feet (46 metres) in circumference over the last few million years — a significant number in geological terms but too small to cause any ripple effect on Earth or to tidal cycles, according to researchers.
On the lunar surface, however, it’s a different story. Despite what its appearance might suggest, the moon still has a hot interior, which makes it seismically active.
"There is an outer core that’s molten and is cooling off," Watters said. “As it cools, the moon shrinks, the interior volume changes and the crust has to adjust to that change — it’s a global contraction, to which tidal forces on the Earth also contribute.”
Because the moon’s surface is brittle, this pulling generates cracks, which geologists call faults. “The moon is thought of as being this geologically dead object where nothing has happened for billions of years, but that couldn’t be more far from the truth,” Watters said. “These faults are very young and things are happening. We’ve actually detected landslides that have occurred during the time that the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been in orbit around the moon.”
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, launched in 2009, and it’s mapping the moon’s surface with various instruments. In the new study, published January 25 in The Planetary Science Journal, Watters and his colleagues used data collected by LRO to link a powerful moonquake — detected with instruments left by Apollo astronauts more than 50 years ago — to a series of faults in the lunar south pole.
"We knew from the Apollo seismic experiment, which were four seismometers that operated for a period of about seven years, that there were these shallow moonquakes, but we didn’t really know what the source was,” Watters added. “We also knew that the largest of the shallow moonquakes detected by the Apollo seismometres was located near the south pole. It kind of became a sort of a detective story to try to figure out what the source was, and it turns out that these young faults are the best suspect.”
The strongest recorded quake was the equivalent of magnitude 5.0. On Earth, that would be considered moderate, but the moon’s lower gravity would make it feel worse, Watters said.
“On the Earth, you have a much stronger gravity keeping you attached to the surface. On the moon, it’s much smaller, so even a little bit of ground acceleration is going to potentially pop you off your feet, if you’re walking along,” he said. “That kind of shaking can really start throwing things around in a low G environment.”
The moon has shrunk by about 150 feet (46 metres) in circumference over the last few million years. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
The findings of the study will not affect the Artemis III landing region selection process, and that’s due to the scope and duration of the mission, according to study coauthor and NASA planetary scientist Renee Weber.
“This is because estimating how often a specific region experiences a moonquake is difficult to do accurately, and like earthquakes, we can’t predict moonquakes,” Weber said. “Strong shallow moonquakes are infrequent and pose a low risk to short-term missions on the lunar surface.”
NASA has identified 13 Artemis III candidate landing regions near the lunar south pole, she added, using criteria such as the ability to land safely in the region, the potential to meet science objectives, launch window availability and conditions such as terrain, communications and lighting. As part of the mission, two astronauts will spend about a week living and working on the lunar surface.
However, Weber said, for a long-term human presence on the moon, the site selection process could indeed factor in geographic characteristics such as proximity to tectonic features and terrain.
Moonquakes could indeed be a problem for future manned landing missions, said Yosio Nakamura, a professor emeritus of geophysics at the University of Texas at Austin, who was among the researchers who first looked at the data collected by the Apollo seismic stations.
However, Nakamura, who was not involved with the study, disagrees about the cause of the quakes, and said Apollo data shows the phenomena originate tens of kilometers below the surface.
“We still don’t know what causes shallow moonquakes, but it is not the sliding fault near the surface,” he said. “Regardless of what causes those quakes, it is true that they pose a potential threat to future landing missions, and we need more data about them.”
Regardless of the underlying cause, the potential danger moonquakes pose to astronauts will be limited by the fact that — at least in the near future — humans will be on the moon for short periods of time, a few days at most, according to Allen Husker, a research professor of geophysics at the California Institute of Technology who was also not involved with the study.
“It is very unlikely that a large moonquake will happen while they are there. However, it is good to know that these seismic sources (causing the quakes) exist. They can be an opportunity to better study the moon as we do on the Earth with earthquakes,” Husker said. “By the time there is an actual moon base, we should have a much better idea of the actual seismic hazard with upcoming missions.”
That sentiment is shared by Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna, an associate professor of planetary science at the University of Arizona, who also didn’t participate in the work. “Moonquakes are an incredible tool for doing science,” he said in an email. “They are like flashlights in the lunar interior that illuminate its structure for us to see. Studying moonquakes at the south pole will tell us more about the Moon’s interior structure as well as its present-day activity.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
|
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/the-moon-is-shrinking-and-it-could-be-a-problem-for-astronauts-1.6750391
| 2024-01-31T23:20:15Z
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NEW YORK -- Tamron Hall knows she has a big spotlight and likes to use it to introduce her audience to everyone we should know.
All this week on her show, the host is introducing members of her "Tam Fam" to up-and-coming fashion designers.
Ernesto Santalla, an architect getting his start in fashion at age 63, was on the show with his new collection because Tamron is all about success at any age.
"We have an opportunity with this series to meet people who by day have their job, and at night they have their passion," Hall said. "And for me, this was a love letter to fashion. It was a love letter to all the women who made my clothes growing up. My parents couldn't go into department stores and say 'this one, this one, this one,' but they could talk to the woman at my church who made clothes or my aunt."
Tamron Hall airs weekdays on this station.
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https://abc13.com/tamron-hall-show-showcasing-fashion-designers/14374939/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:15Z
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Man City confirm big-money Laura Blindkilde Brown signing from Aston Villa as they look to keep chase with Emma Hayes' Chelsea in WSL title raceJames HunsleyManchester CityManchester City WomenLaura BlindkildeWomen's footballWSLManchester City have completed the signing of Laura Blindkilde Brown from Aston Villa, with the midfielder penning a three-and-a-half year deal.Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowCity confirm Blindkilde Brown signingMidfielder pens three-and-a-half year dealCity also complete Pritchard and O'Hanlon deals
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https://www.goal.com/en-ae/lists/man-city-laura-blindkilde-brown-signing-aston-villa-emma-hayes-chelsea-wsl-title-race/blt3f10b15dbde43581
| 2024-01-31T23:20:18Z
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By Cindy Chen
WASHINGTON, DC – The ACLU, among other civil rights and immigrant rights organizations, this week highly criticized President Joe Biden’s support for potentially “callous and unworkable” —according to critics—anti-immigrant policies under consideration in ongoing supplemental funding negotiations.
Biden, in a released statement from the White House, has indicated his willingness to employ new emergency authority to shut down the border, with the President claiming it would be “the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country.”
These policies emerge, said the WH, amid record levels of migrant crossings since Biden assumed office in 2021.
Recent figures released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the Biden statement, show a record 302,034 encounters with migrants along the southern border in the past month alone, with 249,785 of those encounters recorded between ports of entry.
According to his statement last Friday, Biden’s reforms would entail the recruitment of additional resources, including “1,300 border patrol agents, 375 immigration judges, 1,600 asylum officers, and over 100 cutting-edge inspection machines.”
They would also grant President Biden new “emergency authority,” enabling him to close the border during times of significant strain. “If given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law,” Biden said in his statement.
Critics of the reforms, such as Deirdre Schifeling from the American Civil Liberties Union, have honed in on the proposed “expulsion authority,” which is currently under negotiation.
This authority, if approved, would grant the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the power to expel individuals if border crossings reach certain thresholds.
According to an article by Politico, if border encounters average 4,000 individuals per day over the course of a week, including asylum appointments, DHS would gain this authority, and this authority would become mandatory if daily crossings exceed 5,000 people for a week or surpass 8,500 individuals per day.
In a statement on Sunday, Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer at the American Civil Liberties Union, charged, “There are real challenges at the border, and now is the moment that we need our leaders to move forward effective policy solutions that will improve port processing, support communities receiving migrants, and create lawful pathways to citizenship for Dreamers and others. But let’s be clear: cruelty is not a policy solution — and barring people from seeking protection is both callous and unworkable.”
Schifeling pointed out the shortcomings of past measures like Title 42, which failed to deter migration and caused harm to vulnerable individuals.
“We’ve already had an expulsion authority before — Title 42 — and we know that it did not stop people from coming to the U.S.” Schifeling added, noting, “Instead, we saw record numbers of families and individuals arriving at our border seeking protection, and Title 42 caused tremendous harm to people fleeing danger.”
Schifeling argued, “Voters want to see our elected leaders do the hard work to fix our frayed immigration system. President Biden and Congress must abandon these proposals and heed voters’ demands for fair and effective immigration policies that manage the border and treat people seeking safety with dignity.”
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https://www.davisvanguard.org/2024/01/aclu-urges-president-biden-to-abandon-callous-and-unworkable-immigration-proposals/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:11Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Donations poured in Wednesday to replace a destroyed statue of Jackie Robinson on what would have been the 105th birthday of the first player to break Major League Baseball's color barrier.
Major League Baseball pledged support. And the total raised just through one online fundraiser surpassed US$145,000, which is far in excess of the estimated US$75,000 value of the bronze statue that was cut from its base last week at a park in Wichita, Kansas. Police are searching for those responsible.
Only the statue's feet were left at McAdams Park, where about 600 children play in a youth baseball league called League 42, which is named after Robinson' s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues' color barrier in 1947.
Fire crews found burned remnants of the statue Tuesday while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) away. A truck believed to be used in the theft previously was found abandoned, and police said the theft was captured on surveillance video.
Bob Lutz, executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture, said Wednesday in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that the MLB commissioner's office and 30 clubs had committed funding toward the cost of replacing the statue and providing other support.
"Amazing, huh?" he said.
Lutz had said earlier that the money raised also could enhance some of its programming and facilities. In April, the group opened the Leslie Rudd Learning Center, which includes an indoor baseball facility and a learning lab.
"We're not just baseball," Lutz said. "We have after school education, enrichment and tutoring."
One of the largest donations is a US$10,000 pledge from an anonymous former Major League Baseball player who won a World Series. Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan, who announced the donation over the weekend, has urged anyone involved in the theft to surrender and vowed that arrests were imminent.
"The community, along with the business community and the nation as a whole, have demonstrated an incredible outpouring of support," Sullivan said in a statement Wednesday. "This effort highlights the kindness of the people and their determination to rebuild what was taken away from our community."
Lutz, whose friend, the artist John Parsons, made the statue before his death, said the mold is still viable and anticipated that a replacement can be erected within a matter of months.
"We value what it represents," he said. "It's important that our 600 kids understand what it represents. And, we make every effort to educate our kids about the role that Jackie Robinson played in life and civil rights, his life beyond sports. He's the absolute best role model you could imagine."
League 42 drew attention to Robinson's birthday Wednesday in a Facebook post, noting that "his legacy will hold up forever" and asking for donations.
Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He's considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon. Robinson died in 1972.
Lutz said that the league appeals to "all kids, but especially to kids of color" and that the connection to Robinson resonated.
"We can't imagine, being named League 42 without a Jackie Robinson statue in our park," he said. "It was a no-brainer when we went about trying to name our league. And the name League 42 came up. It was like lightning and struck. We knew we had our name."
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/donations-pour-in-to-replace-destroyed-jackie-robinson-statue-on-his-105th-birthday-1.6750430
| 2024-01-31T23:20:21Z
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The countdown to Valentine's Day is kicking off, and if you have not made your reservations yet, you might want to get on that.
If you are thinking it's too early to make reservations for Valentine's Day, remember you only have two more weeks. Making reservations now makes sense, according to Christina Robbins of the Texas Restaurant Association.
"Most restaurants will start accepting reservations up to a month in advance," Robbins said.
So you are already behind. Get those reservations set.
Making the reservations now will help avoid any last-minute issues. Keep in mind that Valentine's Day is the third most popular day to dine out, with more than a third of adults planning to dine out, and you don't want to wait outside for a table.
If your restaurant of choice is already booked up, consider dining outside of the normal window, like around 5 p.m. or after 8 p.m.
When it comes to costs, restaurants, like all other businesses, have raised prices over the last few years. You've seen it already, and you will see on Valentine's Day that prices are up from a year ago.
"Unfortunately, menu prices at a lot of full-service restaurants are up four and a half to 5% across the U.S. compared to last year," Robbins said.
Robbins added that you can get a deal by choosing the Valentine's Day pre-fixed menu.
And one last tip: if you want to avoid the crowds, consider celebrating the weekend before or after Valentine's Day, which falls on a Wednesday this year.
For more on this story, follow Jeff Ehling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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https://abc13.com/valentines-day-reservations-last-minute-date-night/14375345/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:21Z
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Elizabeth Claire “Betty” Knecht (born McKellin) entered heaven on January 28, 2024, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. She lived a very full and happy life as a woman of faith with a strong work ethic and a healthy sense of humor. She was 85 years old.
Betty was born, and grew up in Wheaton IL, to Florence and James McKellin, attended Wheaton Academy and graduated from Wheaton College. Some of her favorite childhood memories included taking road trips through the south to visit extended family, hosting neighborhood friends at their family home on Madison Street, heading into Chicago for big city entertainment, and participating in a high school choir tour of Europe in 1956. Her first job after college was touring the country as a celebrity chef and leading TV shows and live cooking workshops for the Galaxy of Foods Company. Over the course of four years on the road, she was described as one of the “country’s foremost home economists.”
Betty met Dave Knecht, a physical education teacher, while teaching home economics at Maplewood Junior High School in Maplewood NJ. In 1968, she began the journey of raising three boys: David, John and Doug. She drove them to swim classes, sporting events and music lessons for over two decades. Betty served as a deacon, taught Sunday school and sang in the choir at First Presbyterian Church in Orange NJ. She also became a small business owner by co-purchasing the ‘Back of the Mill’ plant shop which she helped run for 14 years. Whether you were a close friend or customer stopping by, Betty would always greet you with a warm smile and engaging conversation.
Betty and Dave retired and moved to Coopersburg PA where they built a home on Dave’s family land and joined First Presbyterian Church in Allentown. In Pennsylvania, they hosted their growing family for holidays and joyous summer gatherings. Betty was blessed with six grandchildren: Catie and Megan Knecht, born to David and Cathleen Knecht, Max and Oskar Knecht, born to Doug Knecht and Stephanie Guyet, and Ashton and Dylan Knecht, born to John Knecht and Ashley Muenstermann.
Betty is preceded in death by son, David, parents, Florence and Jim McKellin, and brothers, Jim and Billy McKellin. She is survived by husband, David, sister, Carol Gonsky, sons, Doug and John, and six grandchildren, Catie, Megan, Max, Oskar, Ashton, and Dylan.
We will all miss her welcoming smile, friendly laugh and endless willingness to help others.
Her memorial service will be held later this year. Arrangements entrusted to STEPHENS FUNERAL HOME, INC.
(www.stephensfuneral.com)
In lieu of flowers, please donate money to the Parkinson’s Foundation, https://www.parkinson.org/ or the
Michael J. Fox Foundation, https://www.michaeljfox.org/
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https://essexnewsdaily.com/obituaries/elizabeth-c-knecht
| 2024-01-31T23:20:22Z
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By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW star Adam Cole spoke with Justin Barrasso of SI.com and sang the praises of Christian Cage’s heel work. “He does this so well because he wants to be one,” Copeland said. “Somewhere along the way, that’s got lost. Heels became cooler than the babyface. That’s not how it should be. That’s not how he sees it, either. I mean, the man wears a cut-off turtleneck. There’s nothing cool about what he’s doing. He’s fully committed to it. He’s a Bond villain and loving it. It’s fun to be involved with.” Read more at SI.com.
Powell’s POV: Copeland is absolutely right about Cage going all in as a heel with no redeeming qualities. Copeland also spoke about his open challenge series and playing Ares on the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series on Disney+.
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https://prowrestling.net/site/2024/01/31/adam-copeland-says-christian-cages-lack-of-being-cool-is-the-key-to-his-success-as-a-heel/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:22Z
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Matthew Vaughn has never played by the rules. Whether it’s his penchant for independence, eschewing the traditional studio system, or his gleeful genre subversions (superhero tales in Kick-Ass, fantasy adventures in Stardust, spy movies in Kingsman), he prefers doing things his own way. With Argylle, he basically subverts himself — it might be another film in the espionage arena, but here he tempers his tendency for ultra-violence and gross-out gags for a rug-pull-heavy romp boasting surprising sweetness; a Vaughn movie without the bits that make your mum wince.
While the director’s signature excesses are out, his playfulness remains. As telegraphed by Argylle’s unnecessarily convoluted origins (the film is seemingly based on a real novel by author ‘Elly Conway’, who is actually the film’s lead character, played by Bryce Dallas Howard), this is a film that wilfully freefalls down its own narrative rabbit hole, unspooling an array of twists across its runtime while paying homage to the fun, frivolity and fashion of ’60s spy flicks. That’s the general milieu of Conway’s (Howard) acclaimed Argylle novel series, here visualised with Henry Cavill as the smooth-talking (and smooth-haired) Agent Argylle, uncovering a global conspiracy via classy cocktails and femme fatales and chaotic car chases.
Howard and Rockwell are dynamite together, both given oodles to do.
But Elly’s conception of spies rubs up against the reality when she crosses paths with Sam Rockwell’s Aidan — a distinctly un-Argylle-esque agent who swoops in when the author finds herself under fire, her espionage plots unwittingly holding real-world truths. It’s here that Argylle’s true magic unfolds — Howard and Rockwell make a wonderful pair with genuine chemistry and great comic timing; the changing nature of their relationship as the plot careens through multiple meta layers becomes truly touching.
It’s that emotional throughline — and the giddiness of its ongoing reveals — that carry Argylle’s weaker moments. It moves so swiftly through its revelations that you barely have time to consider if it actually all adds up, while Vaughn’s ever-stylish filmmaking does sometimes give way to slightly airless CG compositions. When the film is intent on exploring a reality beyond spy fiction, you want that reality to feel more… well, real. One last mid-credits twist is a brain-breaker too far, while the overstuffed cast leaves legends like Samuel L. Jackson and Bryan Cranston mostly yelling in empty rooms.
But where it counts, Argylle has the goods. The action — the final work from the late, great fight co-ordinator Brad Allan — is inventive, boasting the sweetest shootout ever; Howard and Rockwell are dynamite together, both given oodles to do; Claudia Schiffer’s cat Chip hits his every mark. And no iffy gags to boot. Enough, then, to have you awaiting Conway’s next chapter.
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https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/argylle/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:22Z
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The Best of Forsyth awards ceremony recently returned to the
Forsyth Conference Center, with this year’s event celebrating the first 10-year
winners of the awards.
'It was great to see both old and new businesses recognized.' Winners celebrate at 2024 Best of Forsyth
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https://www.forsythnews.com/life/events/it-was-great-see-both-old-and-new-businesses-recognized-winners-celebrate-2024-best-forsyth/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:22Z
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Magnus’ new visual blog on China Writers’ Group,
https://seektruthfromfacts.org/magnus/
Transcript
Hello everybody. Jeff J. Brown, founder of the China Writers’ Group and the Seek Truth From Facts Foundation.
I am so happy to announce that we have a new member of CWG. His name is Magnus S. Kjærgaard, from Denmark and he is our new visual editor. What Magnus does is scour the Internet and finds political cartoons, drawings, headlines, tweets, jokes, photographs, etc., that tell a story. He takes a screenshot off his computer and makes them into visual images.
I found out about Magnus about two years ago. He contacted me that he had bought the China Trilogy, my three books, and was reading them, and he told me about his Instagram channel, which I went to, and I was just blown away. For the last couple of years, he puts out so much visual media for people. But the downside of Instagram is that after 24 hours, it disappears. Also, when he puts up ten or 15 of them, you've only got like two or three seconds to see each one and it's really hard to keep up. Thus, for me, it's not very enjoyable.
That’s why I've been bugging him for the last year. Come on, man, be our visual editor. But Magnus is young, he's a father, he's going to college, he just spent six months in China, in Beijing, studying intensive Mandarin, and just got back.
I kept saying, come on, man, you got to do this, and he finally agreed. I got him onto the Seek Truth From Facts website and showed him we created a blog for him. My web developer is in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Nice, great guy. Anyway, we created this blog for him. On Instagram he calls himself Servant of the South. So that's what his visual posts are going to be titled in the China Writers’ Group. His goal is to do 15-20 visuals every week, on Fridays until further notice.
And unlike Instagram, where they're gone after 24 hours, each week will stay there. Each week will be a blog. That means you can go back, as the weeks go on, go back and look at all the older ones. Of course, you can copy off his blog and use all these visuals with great pleasure, which is not possible on Instagram.
I'm really excited to have Magnus on board. I think his youth and vitality and his level headedness about geopolitics and what's really going on in the world, he really finds great material to show you. I think it's going to be hugely popular, where you can scan ten or 20 images in five minutes, laugh and chuckle and see what's going on in the world without having to read too much, because it's all just for your visual enjoyment.
So please welcome Magnus S. Kjærgaard, we are very happy to have him on board. Welcome to China Writers’ Group!
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https://jeffjbrown.substack.com/p/please-meet-our-new-visual-editor
| 2024-01-31T23:20:23Z
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Julian Alvarez celebrated his birthday in style by leading Manchester City to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Burnley on Wednesday night. Pep Guardiola made six changes to his side but Alvarez started a 21st-consecutive league game and bagged two goals in quick succession, the second helped by an audacious Kevin De Bruyne assist from a free-kick.
De Bruyne was making his first start in over five months and Erling Haaland came off the bench, with their returns potentially threatening Alvarez's place in future starting line-ups. But the Argentine showed he is worth keeping around as City continue to chase Liverpool in the title race.
Rodri put City further at ease early at the start of the second half but Burnley got a consolation goal, as Ameen Al Dakhil pounced on a blunder from Ederson in added time.
GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium...
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https://www.goal.com/en-ae/lists/man-city-player-ratings-vs-burnley-julian-alvarez-kevin-de-bruyne/blt318549e341a372ae
| 2024-01-31T23:20:25Z
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With questions surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals' future with players like Tee Higgins getting a lot of attention, it could be easy to forget that the Bengals have another contract to handle with their top receiver in Ja’Marr Chase.
After finishing his third season, Chase is also eligible to sign a contract extension to stay in Cincinnati long-term. With the wide receiver contracts only getting bigger, Chase has been on record saying that he would like to wait until Justin Jefferson gets his deal to set the market.
While they look for a solution on Higgins, it still seems the Bengals front office is focused on locking Chase in the long term. Bengals Director of Player Personnel was at the Senior Bowl and was asked about the future of Chase in Cincinnati.
“He’s eligible for (an extension); sometimes those happen, and sometimes they don’t. It could,” Tobin said in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We like Ja’Marr. He’s in our long-term plans. He’s shown that he is a high-level player in this league.”
The “sometimes they don’t” could be a little concerning, but Tobin is just explaining the reality of business in the NFL. While sometimes extensions don’t happen, it would be in the Bengals’ best interest to sign Chase sooner or later. His impact on the field is evident every time he lines up, and the sooner the Bengals sign him, the less the market inflates around the league.
Chase has produced over 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons and has been a crucial part of two deep playoff runs, so the front office should be very motivated to keep him in Cincinnati long-term.
Do you think the Bengals will get an extension done with Chase in the coming months?
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https://www.cincyjungle.com/2024/1/31/24056929/jamarr-chase-contract-extension-cincinnati-bengals-duke-tobin
| 2024-01-31T23:20:25Z
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MIAMI — A federal judge has dismissed the Walt Disney Company's lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Disney sued after DeSantis and state lawmakers removed its self-governing status in 2023.
Backed by Republican lawmakers, DeSantis dissolved a special district near Orlando that for more than fifty years had governed Walt Disney World. He acted after Disney's CEO opposed a law limiting how sex orientation and gender identity can be discussed in the schools. The Parental Rights in Education Act was labeled "Don't Say Gay" by opponents.
At DeSantis' request, Florida's GOP-controlled legislature created a new special district, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, controlled by the Republican Governor's appointees. Disney sued in federal court, saying DeSantis was retaliating against the company, punishing it for exercising its First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Disney also canceled plans for a $1 billion campus in Florida.
In a 17-page order, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor dismissed the case, saying Disney lacks standing to sue the governor. The judge also said while Disney could sue the new DeSantis-appointed board, it hadn't shown evidence that actions by the new board had harmed the company. In addition, Winsor said the law prohibits plaintiffs from bringing a free speech challenge to constitutionally enacted laws.
A DeSantis spokesman hailed the decision saying, "the Corporate Kingdom is over. The days of Disney controlling its own government and being placed above the law are long gone. Disney is still just one of many corporations in the state and they do not have a right to their own special government."
Disney says it will "press forward with its case." In a statement after the ruling, a company spokesperson said, "If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with."
Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board are also embroiled in lawsuits in state court.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/a-federal-judge-dismisses-disneys-lawsuit-against-florida-gov-ron-desantis
| 2024-01-31T23:20:25Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
The International Sports Press Association has condemned journalists' "deplorable" behaviour at the Africa Cup of Nations after several incidents including fighting and celebrating in the stands.
"Being a journalist means behaving properly, and above all, exercising restraint. Certain behaviors are simply unworthy of a profession as noble as journalism," AIPS said in a statement Wednesday.
Many accredited reporters covering this edition of the Africa Cup have been wearing their national team jerseys and vocally supporting their teams during games, loudly celebrating any goals or victories. An Ivorian with press credentials was filmed dancing shirtless after the team's win on penalties over Senegal.
There have also been frequent arguments among media rushing to get on buses to and from games, their patience thin because of chaotic organization and frequent changes to announced schedules.
Some arguments around matches were also reported -- between Guinean and Senegalese journalists before their nations' group game, and between Moroccan media and South African representatives during their teams' match on Tuesday.
"Between pitched battles, attacks, invectives, it is a distressing spectacle that certain colleagues have been delivering to the world since the start of CAN 2023," AIPS wrote, referring to the Africa Cup by its French acronym.
"The media work spaces (press gallery, mixed zone, conference room) have been transformed into a boxing ring, or even simply transformed into a dancefloor or performance zone hosted by media badge holders," it said.
The association called for national member associations to work more on "training and capacity building" of journalists regarding their coverage of sporting events.
------
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/international-sports-press-association-condemns-journalists-deplorable-behaviour-at-africa-cup-1.6750294
| 2024-01-31T23:20:27Z
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Back in Die Hard 2, John McClane uttered the legendary line: “How could the same shit happen to the same guy twice?” Foiling one terrorist plot is something – but getting tangled up in a second one? That’s seriously bad luck. Well, Idris Elba’s Sam Nelson is about to find himself in McClane mode: after navigating a high-stakes plane hijacking in Apple TV+’s Hijack, he’s going to be taking on another suspenseful situation in an upcoming Season 2. The streamer has confirmed that the show will be back for more, with Elba returning too.
Little is known about what the next season will entail. Will Nelson somehow find himself on another hijacked plane? Will it be another mode of transport altogether? Or will it sidestep the whole hijacking thing, and simply pit him in another generally hostage-based negotiation? Whatever it entails, Elba promises more excitement to come. “I was floored by the overwhelming audience response after Season 1,” he said in a statement. “It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson, but I can assure you we will bring the high octane back!”
Elba will be executive producing, and the new season will be directed by Jim Field Smith – who helmed much of Season 1, and also directed Criminal and Truth Seekers. Stay tuned to see what trouble arrives for Sam Nelson next – hey, maybe since he’s back on the ground he’ll find himself in a terrorist-occupied airport…
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https://www.empireonline.com/tv/news/hijack-season-2-confirmed-idris-elba/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:28Z
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By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, MLW, ROH, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
Future Stars of Wrestling “New Year’s Resolution 2024”
Streamed on Triller+
January 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada at FSW Arena
This show aired live from their training center in Las Vegas, Nev. Unfortunately, the crowd is maybe 75. Jake Black and Joe DeFalco provided commentary. I’m surprised and a bit disappointed how infrequently on-screen graphics appeared here; in the past they have been more commonly used.
1. Duke Lawrence and Kevin Koa defeated Chase Bell and Jimmy Jack at 7:02. This is billed as a pre-show match. Jimmy Jack is dressed like Luke Harper in a white T-shirt and torn blue jeans. Duke Lawrence is a tall Black man; think Shane Taylor, and he hiptossed an opponent across the ring, then he hit a Black Hole Slam. Duke hit a swinging uranage to pin the smaller Chase Bell. Okay; a bit disjointed but they are clearly learning.
2. Bodhi Young Prodigy defeated Damien Desire to retain the No Limits Title at 8:53. Desire has a pink umbrella and pink ring gear and he’s clearly effeminate. Bodhi is still just 16 but I’ve seen him wrestle for more than a year now; he’s been on some GCW shows when they’ve headed West. He looks like a teenage Matt Sydal. Bodhi hit a dropkick that sent Damien to the floor. He dove through the ropes but Damien caught him and slammed his back on the ring apron at 2:00. Damien took control in the ring and kept Bodhi grounded. Bodhi hit a flip dive to the floor at 6:00. Bodhi hit a stunner but he missed a 450 Splash. Desire hit an Axe Kick to the back of the neck for a nearfall. Bodhi hit a 450 Splash for the pin. Okay match; Bodhi is younger but I bet he has more ring time.
* Graves hit the ring. He wears a baseball jersey and looks a bit like Braun Strowman. He introduced Alexander Hammerstone, who got a standing ovation. He trained and learned here. The commentary team noted other past graduates include Chris Bey, Zoey Stark, Kenny King, and Killer Kross. Hammerstone got on the mic and fans chanted “you deserve it!” They went to unveil his banner on the wall, but it was covered in graffiti! Out came Danny Limelight who laughed and said Hammerstone has never looked better. Limelight boasted that he’s been everywhere that Hammerstone has; two more heels joined him at ringside. The new guys from the first match, Duke Lawrence and Kevin Koa, attacked Hammerstone and Graves from behind, but the babyfaces quickly disposed of them. This led to a six-man tag match to headline tonight’s show!
3. Gregory Sharpe defeated Tyler Bateman, Dante King, and Cutthroat Cody in a four-way at 9:49. I don’t think I’ve seen King; he has black curly hair with a splash of white near his forehead and his hair reminds me of a crazy broken Matt Hardy. Cody is bald with a goatee. Bateman has appeared in ROH; he and Sharpe also have appeared on New Japan Strong. Lots of basic brawling among the four; not bad but not descriptive, either. Cody hit a piledriver for a nearfall at 8:00 when two more guys came from the back, dragged Cody out of the ring, and beat him up on the floor! King hit a flip dive the floor on everyone. This match is now a mess with so many people getting involved. Sharpe hit a brainbuster to pin King.
4. Jakob Austin Young defeated Lazarus (w/Alice Blair) to retain the Nevada State Title at 4:57. I have always compared Young to Drew Gulak, but his hair is brighter blond today and he’s looking more like Joe Hendry. Lazarus wore his green Mortis-style singlet and I saw him on a West Coast Pro show that occurred just 24 hours earlier. Lazarus kept Jakob grounded early on. Young hit a tornado DDT into a rollup for the pin.
* Bateman returned to the ring to attack Jakob, but Cutthroat Cody ran in with a chair to chase off Bateman. The commentators said nothing has been decided between these two warring groups.
5. “Sky High” Mondo Rox and Robbie Lit defeated “Billionaire Boys Club” Devin Reno and CLAS to become No. 1 contender at 11:22. Reno is bald; CLAS is like a heel Miz, and they wore identical green trunks and both have great physiques. Sky High are the scrawny kids who I saw get destroyed 24 hours earlier in West Coast Pro. Lit has long, dark hair with a splash of red. CLAS hit a delayed vertical suplex on Lit for a nearfall at 4:00 and the heels worked LIt over and kept him grounded. Mondo finally made the hot tag at 10:00 and he cleared the ring. Lit dove through the ropes onto the heels. Mondo got a rollup out of nowhere for the pin on Reno! Reno sold his shock at being pinned. Pretty standard, formula tag match… not bad but not really exciting either.
* The next match was slated to be Big Money Clutch vs. Kenny King. Clutch reminds me of Homicide in ring presence, presentation and style and he came out first. However, Kenny King came out on crutches and dressed in his street clothes, not his ring gear. He “claims” he needs ankle surgery. So, Action Braxton is taking his place in the match!
6. Big Money Clutch defeated Action Braxton (w/Kenny King) via DQ at 8:47. Braxton is a Black man with long dreadlocks; I’m showing my age here but he reminds me of the Milli Vanilli singers. Clutch took control early on, so Braxton rolled to the floor at 2:00 to regroup. They brawled at ringside. In the ring, Braxton hit an elbow drop at 5:30 and was in charge. Clutch hit a belly-to-belly suplex. There is money all over the ring; the ref swated it away so I’m presuming it’s fake bills. Clutch hit a Blackhole Slam and was going for the pin when King hopped in the ring and hit Clutch with his crutch. Kenny danced around the ring to show his ankle is just fine. They beat down Clutch a big more.
7. “The West Coast Wrecking Crew” Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs defeated “The Regulators” EJ Sparks and Thugnificent to retain the FSW Tag Team Titles at 11:35. The commentators explained how Nelson and Isaacs won the titles in a four-way at a recent show. The Regulators are both thin, muscular Black men and the commentators joked that you know they are an actual tag team because they have identical ring gear. Royce opened for his team. The commentators are doing an exceptionally poor job of telling me which Regulator is which; do they not know? Because I certainly don’t. At 4:00, they still haven’t identified which one is which.
Okay, they just identified Thugnficient, who is wearing a black T-shirt, fell off the apron and hit the guardrail at ringside. The WCWC beat down Thugnificient in their corner. Sparks (think Kofi Kingston!) finally made the hot tag at 8:00 and he hit some enzuigiris. Jorel and Thugnificent traded forearm strikes, and Thug slammed Isaacs to the mat. Isaacs hit a German Suplex on Sparks, and Jorel immediately hit a springboard fadeaway stunner on Sparks for the pin. Decent match; the commentary team needed to do better here, though. I can’t be the only viewer who didn’t know which guy was which.
* Sky High came to the ring, as their win earlier made them No. 1 contenders. However, the West Coast Wrecking Crew beat them up.
8. Viva Van vs. Rachelle Riveter vs. Mazzerati vs. Brittnie Brooks in a four-way for the FSW Women’s Title ended in a double pin at 9:43. Riveter came to the ring with her daughter, probably four or five years old. The commentator joked that it was her attempt to avoid being booed. Mazzerati has blue hair and is similar to Kiera Hogan. Brittnie is 19, white, with blonde hair half-way down her back and she wears pink. Viva has been champion for 541 days; she is of Vietnamese heritage and she carries herself like a star. The commentators pointed out that Riveter and Mazzerati are friends; one wondered what happens if they do a “Finger Poke of Doom” spot. All four brawled in the ring as we got underway.
Viva hit a flying crossbody block for a nearfall at 2:30. The heels worked together to beat down Van and Brittnie. Riveter hit a running double knees to Viva’s face at 4:30. Mazzerati tied Brittnie’s long hair around the bottom rope. Brittnie hit a double powerbomb out of the corner and got a nearfall. Viva hit some clotheslines, then a spinning heel kick to Riveter’s face, then one on Mazzerati at 7:30. The babyfaces hit stereo cannonballs in the corner on the heels. Mazzerati hit an Eat D’Feat kick. Van hit a butterfly suplex. The heels hit a Magic Killer slam on Viva, but they began arguing over who was going to cover Viva. Brittnie rolled up Mazzerati for a pin but at the same time, Riveter was pinning Van! So, we have a double pin! A commentator said the title is being held up with no champion.
* (I would have declared Riveter and Brooks as co-winners and have them square off in the future. We’ll see what they do here.)
9. Alexander Hammerstone, Graves, and Shogun defeated Danny Limelight, Papa Lesco, and Hero Leu at 16:39. Shogun is Black with a great physique and he’s the champion. They said this was Papa Lesco’s debut, so I’m guessing on his name. Again, I can’t believe no on-screen graphics; he is rotund and bald and his singlet reads “fat boy.” Think Tyrus/Brodus Clay in size, or former ROH brawler Danny Maff. He brawled with Shogun to open. Hero Leu (think NJPW’s Hikuleo) and Graves (think a shorter Braun Strowman) brawled at 4:30.
Hammerstone and Limelight got in and fought. The heels began working over Hammerstone in their corner. Graves got in but the heels worked him over too. Limelight removed his wrist tape and choked Graves with it at 12:00. Hammerstone got in and hit a T-Bone Suplex on Limelight at 13:30. Shogun finally got in and hit a hard clothesline. Lesco hit Mark Henry Slam, and suddenly everyone was down. Leu and Shogun finally traded blows, and Shogun clotheslined him to the floor, and those two brawled to the back. Limelight tried a tornado DDT on Hammerstone but Alexander blocked it. Hammerstone hit a running knee on Lesco for the pin as Limelight ran from the ring. Just so-so.
Final Thoughts: Just an okay show and certainly nothing ‘must-see.’ I was promised a Kenny King match that wasn’t delivered. The lack of on-screen graphics meant I was guessing names often and looking up spellings later, and I’ve seen several FSW shows that I feel like I know the roster, too. This roster definitely has bigger and more muscular guys than your average indy lineup and they look ‘WWE TV-ready.’ The women’s four-way stood out so I’ll give that best match. I really like what I’ve seen from several of these guys in the past, even though I can’t say anything really clicked for me on this show. The six-man tag was a pretty standard extended beatdown.
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https://prowrestling.net/site/2024/01/31/future-stars-of-wrestling-new-years-resolution-2024-results-vetters-review-of-alexander-hammerstone-graves-and-shogun-vs-danny-limelight-papa-lesco-and-hero-leu/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:28Z
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Thomas Powell wows us with his bombshell book "The Secret Ugly: The Hidden History of US Germ War in Korea". China Rising Radio Sinoland 240131
jeffjbrown.substack.com
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Thomas Powell wows us with his bombshell book "The Secret Ugly: The Hidden History of US Germ War in Korea". China Rising Radio Sinoland 240131
jeffjbrown.substack.com
Thomas Powell wows us with his bombshell book "The Secret Ugly: The Hidden History of US Germ War in Korea". China Rising Radio Sinoland 240131
Read the full transcript, download the audio podcast and access the resources, by clicking on the hyperlink below,
Jan 31, 2024
Transcript
No transcript...
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https://jeffjbrown.substack.com/p/thomas-powell-wows-us-with-his-bombshell
| 2024-01-31T23:20:29Z
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A local CEO has been named among the top 100 CEOs in the
state.
Local businessman named one of Georgia’s top 100 CEOS
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https://www.forsythnews.com/news/business/local-businessman-named-one-of-georgias-top-100-ceos/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:28Z
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The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway was able to discuss the upcoming offseason with Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel and de facto general manager Duke Tobin.
They discussed a wide range of topics, and eventually, they landed on defensive tackle DJ Reader and his future with the team.
Reader is set to enter NFL free agency while rehabbing from a torn right quad muscle sustained on December 16th in the Bengals’ overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Here’s what Tobin had to say about the Bengals’ defensive captain.
“DJ’s been great for us,” he said. “He’s the defensive Ted Karras. He brings other people along with him. He makes people believe; he holds people accountable. He’s a great leader for us and he’s been a really good player for us. It’s a shame he got hurt again, I know he’s going to attack that rehab and we think he’ll be back and we think he’ll be just as good.
“In terms of financially, what the dollars and what we’re able to pay, that’s all to be determined. Do we want him back, yeah. He’s a good player for us, we want all of our good players back, and he’s not at the end of his career. We’ll see what happens as we go. But he has been and could be a very important part of our team going forward.”
Reader signed a four-year contract in the 2020 offseason and spent almost his entire first season on IR due to a torn left quad muscle. After bouncing back from that injury, Reader was possibly the most important defensive player in the front seven during the Bengal's two deep playoff runs in 2021 and 2022.
Unfortunately, he was injured again late in the season in 2023, and his absence was felt immediately.
The Bengals are heading toward a precarious position when it comes to cap space. Joe Burrow is the highest-paid player in NFL history, and while his contract is structured in a way that is helpful, it’s still a pretty big chunk of the pie. So while the Bengals do have a lot of cap space now, they’re staring down the barrel of not only extending one of the NFL’s top-two wide receivers in Ja’Marr Chase but also want to keep Tee Higgins, a top-10 wide receiver, in stripes as well for longer than just a one-year franchise tag.
If they decide that’s impossible, maybe that money could go toward Reader. Considering his contributions over the last four years and how he frees up everyone playing behind him, Lou Anarumo and Zac Taylor would love to keep him if the price is right.
With so many star players on a team, there’s only enough money for a select few, and the Bengals will have to be more frugal than they were over the last few seasons.
Having said that, Reader’s injury could help keep the nose tackle in Cincinnati if it keeps his price tag lower than it would be if he were healthy, or even if there was a guarantee that he’d be healthy by Week 1. Spotrac projects his market value is in the range of three years and almost $15 million annually. The Bengals could afford Reader at that price, but it remains to be seen if they would rather use that money for something else. We won’t know for a couple more months.
Until then, it’s just conjecture. That and convincing ourselves the Chiefs are going to a Super Bowl only because Burrow was hurt and the Bengals didn’t make the NFL Playoffs.
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https://www.cincyjungle.com/2024/1/31/24056988/dj-reader-very-important-part-2024-bengals-free-agents
| 2024-01-31T23:20:31Z
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New Liverpool hero Conor Bradley left in sheer disbelief after match-winning performance in mauling of ChelseaPeter McVitieGettyConor BradleyLiverpoolLiverpool vs ChelseaPremier LeagueLiverpool starlet Conor Bradley felt like he was 'in a dream' after scoring his first senior goal as he put in an incredible display against Chelsea.Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowBradley was the star in Liverpool winGot his first senior goal for the RedsSpoke of 'dream' performance vs Chelsea
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https://www.goal.com/en-ae/lists/new-liverpool-hero-conor-bradley-disbelief-match-winning-performance-chelsea/blt3dbe90282b83a3c8
| 2024-01-31T23:20:31Z
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A look from Maui six months after devastating wildfires By Debbie Elliott Published January 31, 2024 at 3:39 PM MST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Flipboard Listen • 5:06 As we approach the six-month anniversary of the Maui fires, we look at the biggest issues that people on the island are still facing. Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/a-look-from-maui-six-months-after-devastating-wildfires
| 2024-01-31T23:20:31Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Video captured on January 26 from a home security camera shows the girl walking on a sidewalk to school in Glendale, Arizona as a silver car pulls a U-turn on the residential street.
As the car pulls up to the sidewalk, the driver exits and chases the girl, trying to grab her as she runs away screaming.
In an update to media, Glendale police said the girl claimed the same man was seen on the staircase at her apartment building earlier that same morning and that she felt his presence made her "uncomfortable".
The Glendale police department said in an update posted to social media that they commended the 11-year-old girl for her bravery in "doing the right thing" by screaming during the attempted kidnapping and by telling adults.
Police said thanks to the girl's detailed report and description of the suspect, they were able to arrest 37-year-old Joseph Leroy Ruiz and charged him with attempted kidnapping.
When asked, Glendale police confirmed that the suspect has prior charges including a 2013 charge of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/arizona-girl-escapes-alleged-kidnapping-on-her-walk-to-school-1.6750338
| 2024-01-31T23:20:33Z
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Responding to its presale Priority Tickets reappearing on resale platforms, the telco is working with the industry to ensure those tickets end up in the right hands
Sign up for IQ Index
The latest industry news to your inbox.
The Hamburg Regional Court has ordered resale sites to comply with legal requirements for the rock band's German concerts
By James Hanley on 31 Jan 2024
Rammstein and European promoter MCT Agentur have won a further court ruling in Germany, compelling resale sites to abide by legal rules in the marketplace.
CTS Eventim is the exclusive authorised ticket provider for the rock band’s German shows, with tickets permitted to be resold only via its fanSALE platform, which caps prices at 10% above face value.
The group and MCT previously obtained an interim injunction against Viagogo regarding the band’s 2023 European stadium tour. Although the ruling was contested by the platform, it has since been upheld by the Hamburg Regional Court.
The judgement was delivered last month, and obliges Viagogo to comply with the relevant legal rules “when distributing all concert tickets in Germany”. The company was also fined €20,000 by the court, along with an additional €250 per day if it fails to pay up. The court adds that Viagogo appears to have “not taken any notice of the preliminary injunction” so far.
The case marked the second time the Hamburg Regional Court had legally prohibited the Switzerland-headquartered company from reselling Rammstein tickets, following an identical injunction in 2019.
The most recent court order, which is not yet legally binding, is based on consumer protection regulations that were newly defined in May 2022. Rammstein and MCT also obtained interim injunctions against secondary ticketing companies StubHub and Gigsberg in November 2023.
“All decisions confirm the opinion of Rammstein and the MCT Agency”
“All decisions confirm the opinion of Rammstein and the MCT Agency, the tour promoter of the European shows, that Viagogo AG, StubHub, Inc. and Gigsberg Services OÜ are violating consumer protection regulations,” says a statement from Berlin-based MCT.
Rammstein are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a 2024 European stadium tour, launching in Prague, Czechia on 11 May and wrapping up with five nights at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins-Arena in the group’s native Germany from 26-31 July. Ticket prices for the German gigs range between €70-131.
In an effort to clamp down on the excesses of the resale market, tickets for the concerts will have the full name of the buyer printed on them. The ticket holder will be required to present their ID to gain access entry to the stadium, along with the rest of their party.
“There are strict entry controls at all concerts,” stresses MCT. “If a ticket is not personalised to the person requesting entry, they will not be allowed entry. Any returns of tickets (e.g. due to prevention, illness, etc.) in accordance with the general terms and conditions of the tour operator MCT Agency can only be processed via the CTS Eventim platform ‘fanSALE’.
“All other providers who offer Rammstein tickets are unauthorised dealers. Rammstein tickets purchased there do not entitle you to enter a show. This applies in particular to all Rammstein tickets that are offered through providers of the so-called secondary ticket market.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
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https://www.iq-mag.net/2024/01/court-backs-rammstein-on-secondary-ticketing/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:34Z
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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. dollar, which slipped in early New York session on Wednesday after data showed a smaller than expected increase in the nation's private sector job growth, rebounded after the Federal Reserve's comments suggested a rate cut in March is unlikely.
As widely expected, the Fed maintained the target range for the federal funds rate at 5.25 to 5.5% in support of its dual goals of maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2% over the longer run.
The decision to leave rates unchanged came as the Fed acknowledged inflation has eased over the past year but said it remains elevated.
The central bank also described economic growth as solid while noting job gains have moderated since early last year but remain strong.
However, the Fed also said it does not expect it will be appropriate to lower rates until it has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%.
In his post-meeting press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that he doesn't think it's likely the central bank will reach that level of confidence by the time of the March meeting.
Following the announcement, the chances of a 25 basis point rate cut in March have fallen to 35.5%, according to CME Group's FedWatch Tool.
The dollar fell earlier in the session after data from payroll processor ADP showed that private sector employment rose by 107,000 jobs in January after climbing by a downwardly revised 158,000 jobs in December.
Economists had expected private sector employment to increase by 145,000 jobs compared to the addition of 164,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.
MNI Indicators released a report showing Chicago-area business activity unexpectedly contracted at an accelerated rate in the month of January. The report said the Chicago business barometer slipped to 46.0 in January from an upwardly revised 47.2 in December, with a reading below 50 indicating a contraction.
The dollar index, which dropped to 102.94 after the release of the private sector job growth data and the report on Chicago area business activity, rose to 103.74 after the central bank's policy announcement. The index was last seen at 103.55, up 0.14% from the previous close.
Against the Euro, the dollar firmed to 1.0815 from 1.0846. The dollar strengthened to 1.2683 against Pound Sterling from the previous close of 1.2701.
Against the Japanese currency, the dollar weakened to 147.00 yen after having firmed to 147.90 yen earlier in the day. The dollar gained against the Aussie, firming to 0.6566, rising more than 0.5% from Tuesday's close. Against the Loonie, the dollar strengthened to C$ 1.3437.
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2024-01/61285650-dollar-rebounds-after-fed-policy-powell-s-comments-020.htm
| 2024-01-31T23:20:34Z
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By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Tuesday’s NXT television show averaged 648,000 viewers for USA Network, according to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics.com. The viewership count was up from last week’s 642,000 viewership count from the previous episode.
Powell’s POV: NXT finished with a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demo, down compared to last week’s 0.19 rating. One year earlier, the January 31, 2023 edition of NXT delivered 587,000 viewers and a 0.13 rating for the Vengeance Day go-home show.
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https://prowrestling.net/site/2024/01/31/nxt-tv-rating-for-the-show-featuring-the-vengeance-day-go-home-show/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:35Z
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By Darlin Navarrete and Bryan Miller
WOODLAND, CA – An accused’s chance to gain employment—despite that employment being a Yolo County Superior Court requirement for the accused to move forward in the case—was delayed because, claimed the defense Tuesday, the prosecution hasn’t signed the paperwork.
The accused faces a felony charge, possession of controlled substance/armed with a weapon, two misdemeanors including one for the possession of a firearm while prohibited from owning/possessing one, and the second misdemeanor for the possession of controlled substance, and an enhancement for a prior felony conviction.
Defense Attorney James Granucci explained to the court he had sent all documentation and paperwork over to Deputy District Attorney Alex Kian last week. DDA Kian, he said, failed to sign the documents, which would ensure the accused’s ability to obtain employment.
Granucci explained to Judge Samuel T. McAdam the significance behind having this document signed because it not only was required from the employer, but this employment played a huge role in advancing the case since the court suggested it.
Defense counsel added the accused has children who are depending on him as well, noting the accused has taken accountability for his mistakes and having these documents ready is vital and beneficial for all involved.
Hoping the court would acknowledge the severity, Mr. Granucci stated, “I’m good to go tomorrow. I will be in the building.”
But DDA Kian said he needed more time and early disposition was set for Feb. 13.
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https://www.davisvanguard.org/2024/01/court-watch-deputy-district-attorney-fails-to-sign-documentation-essential-for-progress-to-accuseds-dase/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:30Z
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During a special-called meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 31, the
Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding
with the development team behind The Gathering at South Forsyth that ensures any
County contribution to the proposed arena project will be contingent upon an
NHL franchise based at the venue.
Breaking: Commissioners approve memorandum to require NHL team for The Gathering at South Forsyth to get a contribution from the County
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https://www.forsythnews.com/news/government/breaking-commissioners-approve-memorandum-require-nhl-team-gathering-south-forsyth-get-contribution-county/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:35Z
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Will the Bengals keep Tee Higgins?
That’s arguably the team’s biggest storyline heading into what’s sure to be a busy offseason. After all, Higgins, alongside Tyler Boyd and Trenton Irwin, are all set to hit NFL free agency, so the wide receiver room could look very different come this fall.
Thankfully, the Bengals do have the franchise tag in their back pocket, and Higgins is worthy of that high price tag, which is expected to be in the $20 million range.
During the Senior Bowl festivities down in Mobile (AL), Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin was asked about Higgins potentially getting hit with the franchise tag but stayed mum on the subject.
“I don’t think I’m going to be breaking any news today,” Tobin said when asked about tagging Higgins via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Last year, Tee Higgins was under contract to us. He was a guy that we drafted for that reason, to be a contributor for us. He’s not under contract now, so we’re going to have to work through how to do that and if it’s possible and we’ll have to go through the gymnastics of that. So it’s a different scenario than it was last year. Trading a high-level player that’s under contract just because the future might demand it, that’s never really on my mind.
”We’ll see what happens this year. I want Tee Higgins back. Everyone on our team would like to have Tee Higgins back. Again, there’s one pie, and how big of a slice that takes and what else we can’t do because of it, we’ll have to determine, and we’ll see.”
The Bengals have until March 5th to either sign Higgins to an extension or use the franchise tag on him. My guess is the decision goes right up to the deadline, assuming both sides try to hammer out a long-term deal before the tag can be used.
Let’s just hope Higgins is still on the team when the 2024 season begins.
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https://www.cincyjungle.com/2024/1/31/24057033/tee-higgins-nfl-free-agency-bengals-franchise-tag-duke-tobin
| 2024-01-31T23:20:37Z
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Tottenham x UFC?! Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou makes bizarre MMA threat after bad-tempered victory over BrentfordJames HunsleyGetty ImagesTottenham HotspurPremier LeagueAnge PostecoglouNeal MaupayTottenham Hotspur vs BrentfordBrentfordBrennan JohnsonAnge Postecoglou challenged his Tottenham players to sort out their differences with Brentford in a UFC ring after a full-blooded win on Wednesday.Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowSpurs and Brentford in heated clashNorth London side prevail 3-2Postecoglou makes UFC comment
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https://www.goal.com/en-ae/lists/tottenham-ufc-spurs-boss-ange-postecoglou-bizarre-mma-threat-bad-tempered-victory-brentford/blt461ce8ae5451caa2
| 2024-01-31T23:20:37Z
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Laws on abortion are out of step with public opinion. One Republican legislator in Tennessee is working to establish exceptions to his state's strict abortion laws, but he faces a tough battle.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Laws on abortion are out of step with public opinion. One Republican legislator in Tennessee is working to establish exceptions to his state's strict abortion laws, but he faces a tough battle.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/a-tennessee-lawmaker-helped-pass-a-strict-abortion-law-hes-now-trying-to-loosen-it
| 2024-01-31T23:20:38Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
A surge of earthquakes at Kilauea's summit prompted scientists to raise the alert level for the Hawaiian volcano on Wednesday. But any eruption is unlikely to threaten homes.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said it detected 25 to 30 small earthquakes per hour since 3 a.m. at the southern part of the volcano's caldera. This spot is inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and far from homes.
Magnitudes ranged from less than 1 to 3.4. Several quakes were large enough to be felt by observatory staff in the field.
The observatory raised its alert level to "watch," signifying that Kilauea was showing heightened or escalating unrest. This level indicates there is an increased chance the volcano will erupt, though it is unclear when.
Previously, the designator for Kilauea was "advisory," meaning the volcano was showing signs of elevated unrest above a known background level.
Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. It last erupted in September, spewing lava inside the summit caldera for nearly a week. It also erupted in June.
In 2018, lava burst out of cracks on Kilauea's eastern flank in its lower East Rift Zone and destroyed more than 700 homes.
The observatory said there has been no unusual activity in the middle and lower sections of the East Rift Zone.
Kilauea's much larger neighbor, Mauna Loa, erupted in 2022 for the first time in four decades.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/earthquakes-raise-alert-for-hawaii-s-kilauea-volcano-but-any-eruption-is-unlikely-to-threaten-homes-1.6750525
| 2024-01-31T23:20:39Z
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It’s back again and the latest edition of Rugby World magazine has our all-inclusive Six Nations preview for the 2024 championship. Out in shops now but already with subscribers, it also includes our FREE wallchart for both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
We have comprehensive team guides on every single nation with their one to watch, coaching staff, key player, Six Nations high and low as well as the all-important form guide. France are the bookies’ favourites to regain the title they won in 2022 but Ireland are the defending Grand Slam champions with the two sides set to battle it out in the very first game.
Read more: Six Nations predictions – Who will win the championship?
Scotland are hoping to improve on third last year while England had a good World Cup. Wales have a fresh look to their side and Italy have a new coach with all sides looking to hit the ground running in the new campaign.
Related: SUBSCRIBE NOW TO RUGBY WORLD AND GET SIX ISSUES FOR £6 IN OUR SIX NATIONS SPECIAL OFFER
What’s inside the Rugby World Six Nations preview?
- The six comprehensive team guides
- Stephen Jones on the changing of the guard at fly-half without Farrell, Sexton and Biggar
- Stuart Barnes writes about how Leicester’s Ollie Chessum can fill the Courtney Lawes-shaped hole in Steve Borthwick’s England plans
- Big Interview: Iain Henderson
The Ireland lock chats to Tom English about how he got over yet another World Cup quarter-final heartbreak
- The Making of Grant Gilchrist:
Mark Palmer hears from those who know the influential Scotland second row and Edinburgh co-captain best
- After his international retirement reversal, Uini Atonio tells Paul Eddison why he’s still going up front for France
- Top 12 Six Nations breakout stars from Hogg to Henson
- Editor Alan Dymock speaks to Sam Underhill about his return to the international fray and booming Bath form
- Alan Pearey sits down with Wales prop Corey Domachowski who opens up about his first World Cup experience
- Downtime with Andrea Piardi, who will become the first Italian chosen to referee a men’s Six Nations game this year
- Our tribute to the legendary late Wales full-back JPR Williams
- Inside the mind of Red Roses star Maisy Allen
- What it’s like to play in front of the Bayonne fans
- Rising Stars: Cameron Miell and Cameron Winnett – who has been named in Warren Gatland’s Wales squad
- Rugby World goes to Grenada! Josh Graham reports from the Caribbean as the Grenada Rugby World 7s helps get the sport up and running on the island the size of the Isle of Wight
- Australia prop Angus Bell was one of the few Wallabies to come back from France 2023 with any credit, Alan Dymock hears from the confident Waratahs prop
- Grass Roots: Josh Graham charts the story of Dartmouth RFC who went from having just five players to lifting silverware at the StoneX Stadium in the space of 18 months
- Mark Palmer chats to Italy scrum-half Martin Page-Relo who reveals how Ange Capuozzo helped him get the call-up for the Azzurri
- Former Ireland women’s captain and now U20 coach, Niamh Briggs, outlines why the women’s Lions tour to New Zealand is a great step forward for the game in her column
- Former Wales captain Ken Owens insists the Six Nations should be protected on free-to-air television in his monthly column
- What you should be talking about this month: Louis Rees-Zammit’s NFL gamble both shocks and intrigues…
Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.
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https://www.rugbyworld.com/publication/rugby-world/march-2024
| 2024-01-31T23:20:42Z
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Broadway star Hinton Battle, who played the original Scarecrow at the 1978 "The Wiz", has died at 67. He was a three-time Tony Award winner.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Broadway star Hinton Battle, who played the original Scarecrow at the 1978 "The Wiz", has died at 67. He was a three-time Tony Award winner.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kuaf.com/2024-01-31/broadway-legend-hinton-battle-who-originally-played-scarecrow-in-the-wiz-has-died
| 2024-01-31T23:20:42Z
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Laws on abortion are out of step with public opinion. One Republican legislator in Tennessee is working to establish exceptions to his state's strict abortion laws, but he faces a tough battle.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Laws on abortion are out of step with public opinion. One Republican legislator in Tennessee is working to establish exceptions to his state's strict abortion laws, but he faces a tough battle.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/2024-01-31/a-tennessee-lawmaker-helped-pass-a-strict-abortion-law-hes-now-trying-to-loosen-it
| 2024-01-31T23:20:42Z
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Tom Brady has spent 14 seasons in the NFL, and he's still seeing new situations.
Brady was asked Tuesday on WEEI Radio if he'd ever seen a pass called uncatchable because it was too low; the New England Patriots quarterback called it a new experience.
"No, I haven't," he said. "I'm sure there is a first time for everything. We get our fair share of calls and we don't. Referees never want to be in that position either ... I guess being in the NFL for as long as I've been in you see kinda everything. It happened and we're gonna have to move on. You don't have long to grieve in the NFL."
Brady is ready to move on from the controversial ending to Monday's game but got a final jab in during his Wednesday news conference:
"My mom thought it was a penalty. ... No more thoughts."
Some other highlights from Brady's interview on "The Dennis & Callahan Morning Show":
»* On keeping his composure after the no call. *
" ... I'm sure everyone has their own feelings on it, but my own personal feeling is yeah, there is frustration. I was certainly frustrated at the moment it happened but also going into the locker room and understanding that we really blew the chances that we had."
»*Was it conveyed to the team not to complain about the call? *
"No, (Bill Belichick) didn't say anything. He said look, we played hard, keep your head up, we have a whole season ahead of us. Let's not make any excuses and move on."
»*Do you expect to see your ol' pal Wes (Welker) dressed and in uniform Sunday night? *
"Yes, I do. I've been around him long enough to know what he's all about. He loves playing football and if there's a chance to play, especially coming back here, he's definitely going to be out there. I got no question about that."
»*Did (Welker) text you? Did he call you? *
"No, no he didn't do that. It would take an awful lot for him to miss this game."
*We recapped every Week 11 game on the latest "Around The League Podcast." *
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https://www.nfl.com/news/tom-brady-new-england-patriots-have-to-move-on-0ap2000000284958
| 2024-01-31T23:20:42Z
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SANTA FE, N.M. — (AP) — Actor Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a rehearsal on a movie set in New Mexico.
Court documents filed Wednesday show Baldwin entered the plea in state district court in Santa Fe, waiving an arraignment Thursday that was scheduled to take place remotely by video conference.
Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on the Western movie “Rust,” was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin says that he pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger, and the gun fired.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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https://www.wdbo.com/entertainment/alec-baldwin-pleads/QOQTTYQASATAGFBEOOWTAU7JB4/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:42Z
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ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Wednesday defining antisemitism and incorporating it into Georgia’s hate crimes law.
Kemp signs antisemitism bill
Latest
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Breaking: Commissioners approve memorandum to require NHL team for The Gathering at South Forsyth to get a contribution from the County
-
When the Board of Commissioners will take the next steps regarding The Gathering at South Forsyth
-
Dolezal’s bill to investigate DA Fani Willis moves to next phase
-
When Board of Commissioners will discuss possibility of 100% hand recount of 2024 election ballots
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https://www.forsythnews.com/news/government/kemp-signs-antisemitism-bill/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:42Z
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With well over a week until the Super Bowl, we’re at that point where it’s too early to only focus on the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers and the play of the rest of the NFL’s teams is still fresh in our minds.
So the team at Good Morning Football decided to give us something to keep us busy: how much does the Baltimore Ravens’ meltdown in the playoffs matter? Do the Ravens deserve to be the AFC North favorites next year, or does the return of Joe Burrow mean we should expect the Cincinnati Bengals to finish first again?
Kyle Brandt was quick to remind viewers that Burrow is the only one in the division (and the NFL right now) who has beat Mahomes. And that means everything. Here’s what he said:
The answer to every question is Patrick Mahomes right now. It’s Super Bowl week, almost Super Bowl week. He’s the overlord. He runs this thing. I’ll go with the Bengals because they’ve beaten Mahomes in the playoffs.
Co-host Peter Schrager, meanwhile, thinks that the big steps Lamar Jackson and the offense took this past year will carry over to next season, and the Ravens will only get better. Jason McCourty also favors Baltimore, and he pointed out that both the Bengals and Ravens have missed their QBs at the most critical points of the last two seasons.
You can watch an excerpt of the debate below:
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https://www.cincyjungle.com/2024/1/31/24057078/way-too-early-afc-north-predictions-can-bengals-unseat-ravens
| 2024-01-31T23:20:43Z
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Southern Gaza has seen the heaviest fighting over the past few weeks. But bombing has restarted in the north and the humanitarian situation has worsened there.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Southern Gaza has seen the heaviest fighting over the past few weeks. But bombing has restarted in the north and the humanitarian situation has worsened there.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/as-israel-resumes-bombing-in-the-north-thousands-of-gazans-face-desperate-conditions
| 2024-01-31T23:20:45Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
The United States on Wednesday attributed the drone attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, as U.S. President Joe Biden weighs his response options to the stroke.
The attribution comes as Iran threatened on Wednesday to "decisively respond" to any U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic after the U.S. said it holds Tehran responsible. The U.S. has signaled it is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the Mideast in the wake of the Sunday drone attack that also wounded at least 40 troops at Tower 22, a secretive base in northeastern Jordan that's been crucial to the American presence in neighboring Syria.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday the U.S. believes the attack was planned, resourced and facilitated by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group that includes the militant group Kataib Hezbollah. He said Biden "believes that it is important to respond in an appropriate way."
Kirby said Biden was continuing to weigh retaliation options to the attack but said "the first thing you see won't be the last thing," adding it "won't be a one-off."
Kirby dismissed a statement by Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah announcing "the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government." He said that the group can't be taken at face value, and he added, "they're not the only group that has been attacking us."
Any additional American strikes could further inflame a region already roiled by Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The war began with Hamas attacking Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 26,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million others from their homes, arousing anger throughout the Muslim world.
Violence has erupted across the Mideast, with Iran striking targets in Iraq, Pakistan and Syria, and the U.S. carrying out airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels over their attacks shipping in the Red Sea. Some observers fear a new round of strikes targeting Iran could tip the region into a wider war.
A U.S. Navy destroyer in the waterway shot down an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the Houthis late Tuesday, the latest attack targeting American forces patrolling the key maritime trade route, officials said. The U.S. later launched a new round of airstrikes targeting the Houthis.
The Iranian warnings first came from Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in New York. He gave a briefing to Iranian journalists late Tuesday, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
"The Islamic Republic would decisively respond to any attack on the county, its interests and nationals under any pretexts," IRNA quoted Iravani as saying. He described any possible Iranian retaliation as a "strong response," without elaborating.
The Iranian mission to the U.N. did not respond to requests for comment or elaboration Wednesday on Iravani's remarks.
Iravani also denied that Iran and the U.S. had exchanged any messages over the last few days, either through intermediaries or directly. The pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, which is based in and funded by Qatar, reported earlier that such communication had taken place. Qatar often serves as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.
"Such messages have not been exchanged," Iravani said.
But Iran's government has taken note of the U.S. threats of retaliation for the attack on the base in Jordan.
"Sometime, our enemies raise the threat, and nowadays we hear some threats in between words by American officials," Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami, who answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said at an event Wednesday. "We tell them that you have experienced us, and we know each other. We do not leave any threat without an answer."
"We are not after war, but we have no fear of war," he added, according to IRNA.
On Saturday, a general in charge of Iran's air defenses described them as being at their "highest defensive readiness." That raises concerns for commercial aviation traveling through and over Iran as well. After a U.S. drone strike killed a top general in 2020, Iranian air defenses mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 people on board.
Meanwhile, attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue in the Red Sea, most recently targeting a U.S. warship. The missile launched Tuesday night targeted the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement. No injuries or damage were reported.
A Houthi military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement Wednesday morning, calling it "a victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people and a response to the American-British aggression against our country."
Saree claimed the Houthis fired "several" missiles, something not acknowledged by the U.S. Navy. Houthi claims have been exaggerated in the past, and their missiles sometimes crash on land and fail to reach their targets.
The Houthis claimed without evidence on Monday to have targeted the USS Lewis B. Puller, a floating landing base used by the Navy SEALs and others. The U.S. said there had been no attack.
On Wednesday, a U.S. military jet struck a surface-to-air missile that was about to launch from Houthi-controlled Yemen, a U.S. official said. The missile was deemed an immediate threat and destroyed. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details ahead of a public announcement.
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade between Asia, the Mideast and Europe.
The Houthis hit a commercial vessel with a missile on Friday, sparking a fire that burned for hours.
The U.S. and the United Kingdom have launched multiple rounds of airstrikes targeting the Houthis as allied warships patrol the waterways affected by the attacks. The European Union also plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea within three weeks to help defend cargo ships against the Houthi attacks, the bloc's top diplomat said Wednesday.
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Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, and Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/islamic-resistance-in-iraq-group-is-to-blame-for-jordan-drone-strike-that-killed-3-troops-us-says-1.6749414
| 2024-01-31T23:20:46Z
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January, 31, 2024 / Kobrea Exploration Corp. (CSE:KBX)(FSE:F3I) ("Kobrea" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company's shares have been accepted for listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (the "FSE") and commenced trading on January 23, 2024 under the symbol "F3I".
The Company's common shares are now cross listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange and the FSE. The FSE is one of the world's leading international stock exchanges by revenue, profitability, and market capitalization and is the largest of Germany's stock exchanges.
"This listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is an exciting milestone for our team. There is significant demand from investors in Europe and we are pleased that it will now be easier for those investors to participate in our future growth, particularly as we continue to expand our global shareholder base", commented James Hedalen, CEO.
About Kobrea Exploration Corp.
Kobrea Exploration Corp. is a mineral exploration & development company focused on the acquisition and exploration of base metal projects. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Upland Copper Project in British Columbia, Canada.
For more information, please consult the Company's filings, available at www.sedarplus.ca.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Per: "James Hedalen"
James Hedalen
CEO & Director
Contact Information
James Hedalen
CEO & Director
Cell: (778) 322-9066
Email: James@kobreaexploration.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that are "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements respecting demand from investors in Europe, the Company's future growth, and the expansion of the Company's global shareholder base are "forward-looking information". These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.
SOURCE: Kobrea Exploration Corp.
View the original press release on accesswire.com
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https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2024-01/61285713-kobrea-exploration-corp-kobrea-exploration-announces-listing-on-frankfurt-stock-exchange-under-the-symbol-f3i-200.htm
| 2024-01-31T23:20:47Z
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Tearing down statues of historical figures is clear evidence of civilizational decline
The Van Maren Show
See MoreOn this solo episode of The Van Maren Show, Jonathon considers a subcurrent of the culture war dealing with those whom we honor as a culture.
January 31, 2024
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https://www.lifesitenews.com/episodes/tearing-down-statues-of-historical-figures-is-clear-evidence-of-civilizational-decline/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:47Z
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Scientists have found that spiderwebs can be used to capture environmental DNA, which reflects the animal population of an area. The technique may help track the biodiversity of an ecosystem.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Scientists have found that spiderwebs can be used to capture environmental DNA, which reflects the animal population of an area. The technique may help track the biodiversity of an ecosystem.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kuaf.com/2024-01-31/spiderwebs-could-offer-a-snapshot-of-an-ecosystem-study-shows
| 2024-01-31T23:20:48Z
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Southern Gaza has seen the heaviest fighting over the past few weeks. But bombing has restarted in the north and the humanitarian situation has worsened there.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Southern Gaza has seen the heaviest fighting over the past few weeks. But bombing has restarted in the north and the humanitarian situation has worsened there.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/2024-01-31/as-israel-resumes-bombing-in-the-north-thousands-of-gazans-face-desperate-conditions
| 2024-01-31T23:20:48Z
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The budding love story featuring music superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce took an unexpected turn into the world of political conspiracy theories this week after the team advanced to the Super Bowl.
Myriad baseless rumors emerged on social media — everything from claims that Swift has played a part in Pentagon psychological operations to the idea that she and her two-time Super Bowl champion boyfriend are key assets in a secret plot to help President Joe Biden get reelected in 2024. Another variant: That the Chiefs’ success was rigged as part of the plan for the game on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
Political and media figures on the right, including former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, political activist Laura Loomer and One America News Network host Alison Steinberg, have amplified the allegations.
The claims are ludicrous and may well reflect the fear on the right that someone as famous as Swift, whose landmark Eras Tour is the first tour to cross the billion-dollar mark, could indeed influence the presidential race should she urge her legion of fans in one direction.
Pop culture and politics have long been entwined. The entertainment industry has been a deep well of political contributions. And candidates often try to draft on the celebrity of stars to add to their own allure.
The potency of the impact is less clear. In Swift's case, there is some proof that she can at minimum generate more voter registration.
In September, Swift posted a short message on her Instagram account encouraging her 272 million followers to register to vote. The post led to more than 35,000 registrations on the nonpartisan nonprofit Vote.org.
Swift’s massive fan base gives her a powerful voice. An SSRS poll conducted in October 2023 found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults called themselves at least casual fans of the singer, with 8% saying they’re big fans. The poll also found that 8 in 10 U.S. adults said they had heard of her relationship with Kelce and the majority of those familiar with it considered it a real relationship, rather than a publicity stunt.
“Pop culture people identify with this stuff, they pay attention to it. And that’s what moves politics now. It’s attention and identity,” Joel Penney, an associate professor at Montclair State University whose research includes the intersection of politics and pop culture, said. Indeed, Donald Trump's improbable march to the presidency in 2016 was propelled in part from the celebrity he gained as a reality television star.
But the false claims about Swift are of such an extreme nature that they will test the limits of how potent a conspiracy theory can be. Penney sees the recent deluge of posts aimed at Swift as an attempt to preemptively blunt her impact by discrediting her.
Penney said Swift's influence could prove a difficult force to contend with, especially if she publicly supports Biden, as she did in the 2020 race.
The attacks on Swift could also galvanize young voters who want to rally around her.
“Young people are fighting their political battles through a language drawn from pop culture,” said Henry Jenkins, a professor at the University of Southern California who also studies politics and pop culture. “That’s what connects them. That’s what they’re engaged with.”
Both Swift and Kelce have made public statements about politics and other issues that put them at odds with the far-right.
Swift broke her long-standing refusal to discuss her political views in 2018 when she announced in an Instagram post that she would be voting for Tennessee's Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen and Democratic House incumbent Rep. Jim Cooper. She also slammed then-U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the Republican candidate, citing Blackburn's opposition to certain LGBTQ+ rights and her vote against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2013. Blackburn won election to the Senate.
In 2020, Swift endorsed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in an interview with V Magazine, noting that "under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs."
Kelce faced criticism in September for appearing in an ad promoting the double dose of the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ad was part of a partnership with Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company that developed a vaccine in response to the pandemic and has since become a common mark for anti-vaccine activists and conspiracy theorists.
Pop culture figures and the industry that surround them have been enmeshed in political campaigns long before the duo some fans refer to as Swelce. Former President Bill Clinton first appeared on MTV during his 1992 campaign while he was still governor of Arkansas. Major stars including Johnny Cash, Mary Tyler Moore and Willie Nelson endorsed former President Jimmy Carter more than 40 years ago when he made his second run for the White House. Ronald Reagan got his start in politics after a career as an actor.
“That question of, does this stuff work in pop culture? It absolutely can,” Penney said. “And it does. And history has shown that.”
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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https://www.wdbo.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-super/P45XZZBSCJEQ4DHZ74IUMRPVMY/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:49Z
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A rookie Gainesville firefighter was driving to church Sunday, Jan. 28, with his daughter and nephew when he witnessed a head-on collision.
Firefighter heading to church pulls driver from truck before it catches fire
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https://www.forsythnews.com/news/public-safety/firefighter-heading-church-pulls-driver-truck-it-catches-fire/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:49Z
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Agent takes aim at Erik ten Hag for treatment of youngster Facundo Pellistri as winger's Man Utd future is thrown into doubt amid loan interestRitabrata BanerjeeGettyManchester UnitedErik ten HagFacundo PellistriPremier LeagueFacundo Pellistri's agent has slammed Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag for mistreating his client, who is looking to seal a move out of the club.Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowPellistri's agent slammed Ten HagAccused manager of mistreating youngsterPellistri close to joining Granada on loan
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https://www.goal.com/en-sg/lists/agent-takes-aim-erik-ten-hag-facundo-pellistri-winger-man-utd-future-doubt-loan-interest/bltdef7f93f8fd5f0e4
| 2024-01-31T23:20:51Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
WARNING – This story contains details some may find distressing. Take care while reading.
A man accused of beheading his father in suburban Philadelphia and posting a gruesome video on social media that shows him holding up the severed head has been charged with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse, authorities said Wednesday.
Justin Mohn was armed and had jumped a fence at a National Guard facility about 100 miles (161 kilometers) away when he was arrested late Tuesday, hours after the killing, a Guard spokesperson said.
The victim, identified as Michael F. Mohn, was found beheaded in the bathroom of his home in Levittown, where his 32-year-old son also lived. Police said Justin Mohn was taken into custody at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Police said Michael Mohn's wife, Denice Mohn, arrived home and found the body about 7 p.m. Tuesday. Officers found Mohn's body, a machete and bloody rubber gloves, according to a police affidavit. Denice Mohn told police her husband's white Toyota Corolla and her son were missing.
Police said the YouTube video, which was more than 14 minutes long, showed Justin Mohn picking up his father's decapitated head and identifying him by name. Police said it appeared Mohn was reading from a script as he railed about the government.
In a statement, YouTube said the video, which was uploaded and not livestreamed, was removed for violating its graphic violence policy and Mohn's channel was shut down. Police said the video was posted about 10 p.m. and was online for about five hours.
Mohn, who also was arrested on a weapons possession charge, was arraigned Wednesday and held without bail. He is scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 8. Police said prosecutors were expected to release additional details at a news conference on Friday.
An attorney for Mohn wasn't listed in court records and a message seeking comment on his behalf was left at a phone listing for him. The district court office said it had no record of a lawyer representing him.
Mohn embraced violent anti-government rhetoric in writings he published online going back several years. In August 2020, Mohn published an online "pamphlet" in which he tried to make the case that people born in or after 1991 -- his birth year -- should carry out what he termed a "bloody revolution." He also complained at length about a lawsuit that he lost, and encouraged assassinations of family members and public officials.
In the video posted after the killing, he described his father as a 20-year federal employee and called him a traitor to his country. He also espoused a variety of conspiracy theories and rants about the Biden administration, immigration and the border, fiscal policy, urban crime and the war in Ukraine.
Mohn then drove his father's car to Fort Indiantown Gap, where he was taken into custody, Capt. Pete Feeney of the Middletown Township Police Department said.
Officials at Fort Indiantown Gap were told late Tuesday that Mohn's cellphone had pinged nearby, according to Angela Watson, communications director for the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Investigators caught up with Mohn inside the National Guard base, where he was walking after having apparently jumped the fence. He had a gun when he was caught, Watson said. She said he has never been a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
The house where Michael Mohn's body was found is in a suburban development of single-family homes. No one answered the door there Wednesday.
Neighbors out walking dogs described Justin Mohn as a regular walker in the development, someone they recognized for his odd behavior.
Bart DeHaven said he called police a handful of times since the summer after Justin Mohn sat on a raised manhole cover in a park directly across the street from his home and stared at his house.
"It's just sad," DeHaven said Wednesday morning. "He should have got some kind of help."
Carrie McCarthy said she saw him walking frequently and sitting in the wooded area in the neighborhood. She said someone sent her the YouTube video, which left her stunned.
"I screamed. I totally screamed," she said. "I opened the video and I was like, `Oh my God, that's the guy I see every day, and I knew something was unhinged with him."'
While living in Colorado in 2017, Mohn allegedly harassed employees at the Colorado Springs credit union where he once worked, threatening to sue the business for $10 million unless it agreed to a $2 million settlement. He also allegedly threatened to publish false statements about them or come to the credit union and make false statements to provoke police to attack the employees and then film it.
Three employees sought protection orders against Mohn but dropped the case under a settlement in which he promised not to contact them and they paid him $10,000.
In one email submitted as evidence, Mohn accused his co-workers of tampering with evidence in a disciplinary matter against him in 2016 and said that the state's civil rights division was investigating that. There were also songs or poems written by Mohn that employees found threatening, including one entitled "Men Don't Get No Warning Shot."
A man who lived in apartments with Mohn about a decade ago in Colorado Springs recalled hearing Mohn talk at length about conspiracy theories. Davis Rebhan said he left the living situation shortly after Mohn became volatile one night and damaged the walls and other objects.
Mohn's only visitor during the year they lived together was his father, who visited for a weekend, Rebhan said.
"I got nothing from that visit that would have made me ever think this would happen," Rebhan said. "There was nothing that would lead me to believe that Justin didn't care about his dad. And it was really clear that his dad cared about him because it was clear he had these issues and his dad still came across the country to stay with him."
In 2018, Mohn sued Progressive Insurance, alleging he was discriminated against and later fired from a job at an agency in Colorado Springs because he was a man who was intelligent, overqualified and overeducated. A federal judge said Mohn provided no evidence to indicate he was discriminated against because he was a man -- in the length of his training or in being denied promotions to jobs. Progressive said it fired him because he kicked open a door. An appeals court upheld the finding that Mohn did not suffer employment discrimination.
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AP reporters Michael Rubinkam in northeastern Pennsylvania, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Amy Beth Hanson in Helena, Montana, Colleen Slevin in Denver and Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg contributed.
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This story has corrected the name of the victim's wife to Denice Mohn, not Denise Mohn.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/man-accused-of-beheading-his-father-in-suburban-philadelphia-home-and-posting-gruesome-video-online-1.6749667
| 2024-01-31T23:20:52Z
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Broadway star Hinton Battle, who played the original Scarecrow at the 1978 "The Wiz", has died at 67. He was a three-time Tony Award winner.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Broadway star Hinton Battle, who played the original Scarecrow at the 1978 "The Wiz", has died at 67. He was a three-time Tony Award winner.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/broadway-legend-hinton-battle-who-originally-played-scarecrow-in-the-wiz-has-died
| 2024-01-31T23:20:51Z
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Germantown Municipal School District
Ethan Constant
Supervisor of the Year
Ethan Constant, recognized as Supervisor of the Year, is an educational leader and CTE & High School Instructional Supervisor, known for his significant contributions to curriculum development, CTE programming, and professional growth initiatives, leading to advancements in student readiness, teacher development, and securing substantial grants for innovative projects.
Ethan Constant is an educational leader with a robust background in teaching and administration. With a BSE in Mathematics and an MSE in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University, Ethan has been instrumental in the Germantown Municipal School District’s success. He has made significant contributions to curriculum development, CTE programming, and professional growth initiatives. His work as an Instructional Supervisor since 2018 has led to considerable advancements in student readiness and teacher development, earning him recognition, statewide, as an advocate for academic excellence and innovation. Ethan currently serves on several state committees, as the Vice President of the West TN Directors of CTE, the West TN Workforce Collaborative, and was named as the 2021 West TN Pioneer Award Winner for the TDCTE.
Notably, Ethan led the development of both academic and Career & Technical Education (CTE) initiatives. He spearheaded the creation of the Secondary Grading Manual and implemented district-wide training to improve Algebra I outcomes. He has been pivotal in expanding early post-secondary opportunities and pathways to graduation, enhancing the district’s CTE programs with new industry certifications, and securing significant grants to innovate school models. Last year, his work garnered the district $2 million in grants towards CTE projects. He’s overseen projects such as the renovations of the Mechatronics and STEM labs, the Houston High Business Center and the soon-to-be Aviation Lab. At the middle school level, he’s used grant funds to institute the nationally recognized Woz Ed STEM curriculum.
His leadership in building comprehensive college and career guidance has also been instrumental in elevating the district’s programs. Working with our school counselors and CTE teachers, Ethan has helped to establish a framework for students discovering and developing career-related talents and skills beginning in elementary school–ensuring a cohesive pipeline into middle school and high school. Elementary students will surely remember their Junior Achievement Biztown visits, in which they have a job for a day or participate in Naviance career interest inventories and activities at the middle school level. By the time they get to high school, they will be able to actively participate in those interests through hands-on internships or clinical experiences. His many contributions to the college and career pathway plan will resonate with our students.
Ashley Brasfield
GMSD Principal of the Year
Ashley Brasfield, is celebrated for her 19-year distinguished career marked by achievements as a teacher and administrator, fostering a warm and family-centric educational environment, promoting professional development, and spearheading initiatives, such as replacing cafeteria tables to enhance student conversation and inclusiveness.
Ashley Brasfield has served as the well-respected Principal of Farmington Elementary School since 2019. Her tenure has been marked by fostering trust and community, optimizing instructional schedules, and championing effective educational curricula. Ashley’s efforts have established a warm and family-centric educational environment that balances students’ well-being and academic excellence. Weekly, you will find Ashley learning and discussing alongside FES teachers during their weekly PLCs. Being a part of each grade-level’s PLC allows Ashley to know by name students strengths and challenges. Weekly, she demonstrates a growth-mindset by protecting the time she spends in PLCs, not just as a leader but also as a learner.
Her tagline, “We love you here at Farmington,” is more than a catch-phrase, it’s a personal mantra.
Ashley’s resume reflects a distinguished 19-year career marked by several achievements and awards as a teacher, a teacher leader, a student services coordinator, an assistant principal, and finally as the principal of Farmington Elementary School. While serving as a teacher, Ashley was appointed as a Master Teacher and achieved the Level 5 LOE designation. Her excellence in teaching and leadership was acknowledged with a PTA Lifetime Achievement Award, and she was celebrated as the Grizzlies Educator of the Month.
She has been a mentor for teachers aspiring to become administrators through the Memphis Learning Centered Leadership Scholars Program and the TASL Academy APA 15W. She was also recognized as a Student of the, competitive entry, Memphis Learning Centered Leadership Scholars Program, highlighting her commitment to professional development. As leader of the school, those traditions of professional development continue.
Ashley is Farmington’s number one cheerleader and consistently seeks to nurture a culture of kindness and excellence, and a sense of family. Recently, she spearheaded an initiative to replace all the traditional cafeteria tables with round family-style tables to promote student conversation and inclusiveness. Working alongside the PTO, she was able to secure over $70,000 in donations towards the cause.
Whether it is greeting students as they enter the building each morning, stopping by classrooms to celebrate with students, being the first to jump into the dunk tank or inflatable sumo costume, or making sure the halls are decorated for holidays or special occasions, Ashley’s motivation is to do all that she can to make sure that teachers, students, and families know they are loved at Farmington.
Anna Brignole
GMSD Teacher of the Year Grades PreK-4
Anna Brignole, a highly accomplished 4th-grade math teacher at Farmington Elementary with almost 20 years of experience, is renowned for her outstanding math teaching results, emotional support for students, and has been honored with the National Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Anna Brignole is an amazing 4th-grade math teacher who has been teaching for almost 20 years. She started her teaching career at Drummonds Elementary in Tipton County and then taught at Southwind Elementary. Today, Anna helps students learn and grow at Farmington Elementary School.
Anna believes in the power of self-efficacy. She understands how having students set goals and reflect on their learning progress empowers them as learners. Anna’s students consistently demonstrate a high-level of proficiency due to Anna’s instruction and guidance. Anna’s classroom is always open to fellow teachers. Teachers across the district have visited Anna’s classroom to observe how she provides immediate feedback and small group instruction as needed.
Anna believes it’s important to look at how students feel about their own learning, not just their test scores or grades. She’s widely known for getting the best results in teaching math, way above the average for most teachers. Anna also focuses on making sure teachers at Farmington Elementary work together to help students do better, especially in math. She’s a mom to three girls who all attend or have attended Farmington, so she knows a lot about what students learn from kindergarten to fifth grade.
In addition to being recognized at the school and district level, Anna has also received national recognition. She received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, one of the highest honors a math teacher can achieve. Anna’s strong understanding of our standards and mathematical principles have provided invaluable input as we recently went through a math adoption cycle.
Anna believes that teaching and encouraging students is how she is making a positive impact on our community. Based on what former parents and students have to say about Anna, it is evident she is making a difference one child at a time.
Elizabeth Hume
GMSD Teacher of the Year Grades 5-8
Elizabeth Hume, named GMSD Teacher of the Year for Grades 5-8, is a passionate 6th-grade social studies teacher at Houston Middle School for 27 years, known for making history exciting through creative teaching methods and community involvement.
Elizabeth Hume, a dedicated 6th-grade social studies teacher at Houston Middle School since 2014, is known for making social studies exciting. In fact, she’s been doing so for 27 years! Elizabeth uses high-interest music and videos in her classes, often changing the lyrics of popular songs to fit what they’re learning about different ancient civilizations. Her students love these songs and remember them years later. She also gets her students to do fun group projects, like acting out TV interviews with Egyptian pharaohs or making newspapers about ancient Greece.
In her classes, Elizabeth uses a teaching activity called “hexagonal thinking” where students link together different historical terms and explain their thoughts. This helps her see how well they understand the material and where they might be confused. As a leader on her teaching team, she works with other teachers to look at how students are doing and plan out extra help or more challenging work for them.
Elizabeth doesn’t just teach in the classroom, her work extends much beyond the typical school day. She started the Days of Diversity program, a week-long event in May that celebrates the different cultures of students and staff with a parade, decorations, and a special event called Taste of Diversity, where families share food and traditions from their cultures. It’s a big hit and makes students from all over the world feel celebrated.
She’s also involved in lots of school activities. Elizabeth runs a food cart to raise money for the school at sporting events, is a regular fixture in the stands and in the audience for her students, and helps out with community service projects like “Feed the Frontline” or organizing students for the Germantown Holiday Parade.
Elizabeth loves taking her students beyond the classroom. She’s journeyed with students on trips to places like Pompeii and Rome to see the sites they study about. She even created a special elective class called History 901, where students learn about local history and go on field trips around Memphis. Her way of teaching and being involved in the community shows how much she cares about her students and helping them learn both inside and outside of school. The community has also recognized her many efforts. Elizabeth has been awarded both the PTA Lifetime Achievement Award and the S.T.A.R. of Excellence Award from her schools’ supporting parent organizations.
Jerica Ross
GMSD Teacher of the Year Grades 9-12
Jerica Ross, recognized as GMSD Teacher of the Year for Grades 9-12, is a dedicated math educator at Houston High School, showcasing exceptional teaching skills in AP Calculus AB and Algebra II, leading to outstanding student achievements in state tests and AP exams, while actively contributing to school activities and demonstrating a commitment to student success.
Jerica Ross, a dedicated educator with a passion for mathematics, joined Houston High School in 2019. Her teaching journey began at Cordova High School, where she taught Math and Science. She later taught at Ridgeway and White Station High Schools, focusing on Algebra and Pre-Calculus. At Pine Grove School, her expertise extended to Algebra I and II, showcasing her ability to teach across different levels of mathematics. Ross is licensed to teach in Mississippi and Tennessee, covering Biology, Drivers Ed, and Math. “When we first saw her resume, we knew she was a perfect fit for Houston High School,” said Assistant Superintendent Missy Abel (who at the time was serving as the Vice Principal at Houston High School).
In her four years at HHS, Jerica has demonstrated exceptional teaching skills, particularly in AP Calculus AB and Algebra II, leading to outstanding student achievements in state tests and AP exams. Her outcomes are some of the best in the school.
Her commitment extends beyond academic excellence; she actively participates in school activities, serving as a leader in the math department and a data lead for the entire school. Ross’s ability to foster student growth and her willingness to invest in her students’ success are evident in her impressive resume and the accolades from her peers and administrators. Jerica invests in people, and in doing so, her colleagues and her students love her.
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| 2024-01-31T23:20:52Z
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Select Highlights include -
- Net Income of $29.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 represents an increase of $5.1 million, or 21.0%, as compared to $24.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022
- Net interest margin of 3.78% for the year ended December 31, 2023 represents an increase of 26 basis points, or 7.4%, versus the year ended December 31, 2022
- Total Assets grew $198.1 million, or 8.7%, to $2.5 billion at December 31, 2023 as compared to the prior year end
- Total Loans grew $177.6 million, or 11.3%, reaching $1.8 billion at December 31, 2023 versus prior year end
- Total Deposits rose $64.4 million, or 3.3%, reaching $2.0 billion at December 31, 2023 as compared to prior year end
- Book value per share increased $4.78, or 19.5%, reaching $29.26 at December 31, 2023 as compared to $24.48 at December 31, 2022
- Trust and investment advisory income rose $1.0 million, or 11.2%, to $10.3 million, for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $9.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.
MIDDLETOWN, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 31, 2024 / Orange County Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company" - Nasdaq:OBT), parent company of Orange Bank & Trust Co. (the "Bank") and Hudson Valley Investment Advisors, Inc. ("HVIA"), today announced net income of $29.5 million, or $5.24 per basic and diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $24.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. This represents an increase of 21.0%, or $5.1 million. The increase in full year earnings was the result of continued strong growth in net interest income, including interest income associated with loans and cash balances, as well as a reduction in expense related to provision for credit losses. For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, the Company earned $8.1 million, or $1.44 per basic and diluted share, as compared to $9.1 million, or $1.61 per basic and diluted share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to increased interest expense associated with the rising rate environment during 2023.
Book value per share rose $4.78, or 19.5%, from $24.48 at December 31, 2022 to $29.26 at December 31, 2023. Tangible book value per share also increased $4.84, or 20.8%, from $23.28 at December 31, 2022 to $28.12 at December 31, 2023 (see "Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation" below for additional detail). These increases were due primarily to earnings growth during the year coupled with a decrease in unrealized losses in the investment portfolio attributed to interest rate changes in the fourth quarter 2023.
"I am very pleased and excited to report record full year earnings for 2023," said Orange Bank President and CEO Michael Gilfeather. "It was an extremely challenging year for the banking sector, with the Federal Reserve's inflation fighting efforts resulting in four interest rate increases through July, before turning less hawkish. Though economic activity in our operating markets remained strong throughout the year, loan demand was gradually tempered by the rising costs of lending. Throughout the year, we remained laser-focused on our low-cost deposit base, which is closely linked to our cash management services. This attention to account relationships has been a key driver of our business success and market leading net interest margin.
Our management team's ability to execute on our "trusted advisor" strategy in response to these complex market dynamics laid the foundation for our success in 2023. The combination of experience and execution resulted in record earnings for the year, with net income up $5.1 million, or 21.0%, to $29.5 million primarily due to strong net interest margin and effectively managed growth of loans and deposits.
For the year, total loans grew $177.6 million, or 11.3%, to $1.8 billion at December 31, 2023. Though marginally slower than in prior periods, we intentionally managed loan growth lower in response to elevated market uncertainty. As a result, the average yield on our loan portfolio for full year 2023 rose 92 basis points, or 19.2%, to 5.72% versus 4.80% for the year ended December 31, 2022. As competitors backed away from loan origination, we still seized the opportunity to initiate and further build relationships with some of the region's most established businesses, strengthening our foundation for long-term, high-quality growth. And with economic activity across our operating regions continuing to remain strong, we are optimistic additional opportunities will continue to present themselves.
On the funding side, total deposits rose $64.4 million, or 3.3%, to $2.0 billion at December 31, 2023 in comparison to year end 2022, despite the challenging rate environment. As a business-focused bank, we have managed liquidity needs and funding costs through FHLB borrowing and brokered deposits. This affords us the ability to better manage long-term funding costs and, in conjunction with our significant non-interest-bearing deposit base, is reflected in our consistently low cost of deposits. Average cost of deposits for the year ended December 31, 2023, stood at 94 basis points, up 73 basis points over 2022. Despite the challenges higher interest rates present in gathering new deposits, we believe our client-centric, business banking model enables us to lessen the impact of higher rates, grow core deposits, and reduce borrowing costs as markets and opportunities allow.
The combination of conservative, high-quality growth in our loan portfolio and higher, but managed deposit costs resulted in net interest margin increasing 26 basis points, or 7.4%, to 3.78% for the full year ended December 31, 2023. Though pleased with these results, we know our ability to increase net interest margin in the face of continued relative high interest rates will remain challenging. We believe, however, our consistently demonstrated ability to manage net interest margin pressure in 2023 reflects the quality and durable nature of our business model.
Our Wealth Management division also showed strong results for the quarter and year, providing the Bank with an additional stream of income ancillary to our core lending business. While outside the traditional bank model, wealth management has become an essential part of our service offering, providing businesses and high net worth individuals expertise that strengthens their relationship with the Bank. For the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023, trust and investment advisory income rose $466 thousand, or 19.9%, to $2.8 million and $1.0 million, or 11.2%, to $10.3 million, respectively, versus the same quarter and full year ended December 31, 2022.
As previously mentioned, this past year has been one of the most challenging for the banking industry in recent history. This makes our strong quarterly and record full year results all the more impressive. It is the result of unwavering commitment to our clients, knowledge of the markets we serve, and diligent management focus on execution. These allowed us to respond to changing market dynamics, maintain margins and credit quality, and increase profitability. The true test of any business model isn't just how well it performs in good times, but how well it performs when challenged. I am pleased to report ours performed admirably and again thank our employees for their outstanding efforts, our shareholders for their ongoing support, and our clients for their unwavering trust. Without all three, 2023 would have yielded lesser results."
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Review
Net Income
Net income for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $8.1 million, a decrease of $948 thousand, or 10.5%, from net income of $9.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2022. This decrease represents a combination of lower net interest income and increased noninterest expenses versus the same quarter last year. Net income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 was $29.5 million as compared to $24.4 million for 2022.
Net Interest Income
For the three months ended December 31, 2023, net interest income fell $676 thousand, or 3.0%, to $22.2 million, versus $22.8 million during the same period last year. Although total interest income rose, the decrease was driven primarily by a $6.6 million increase in interest expense related to deposit and borrowing costs in the current period. For the year ended December 31, 2023, net interest income increased $10.3 million, or 13.2%, over the year ended December 31, 2022.
Total interest income rose $5.9 million, or 23.2%, to $31.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, compared to $25.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022. The increase reflected 23.1% growth in interest and fees associated with loans, a 0.5% increase in income from taxable investment securities, and a 132.6% increase in income related to fed funds interest and balances held at correspondent banks. For the year ended December 31, 2023, total interest income rose $33.6 million, or 39.8%, to $117.8 million as compared to $84.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Total interest expense increased $6.6 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, to $9.4 million, as compared to $2.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. The increase represented the continued impact of rising interest rates and higher cost FHLB borrowings and brokered deposits as alternate sources of funding. Interest expense from FHLB advances during the current quarter totaled $2.6 million as compared to $599 thousand during the fourth quarter of 2022. Interest expense related to brokered deposits totaled $2.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2023 as compared to $108 thousand during the fourth quarter of 2022. Interest expense associated with savings and NOW accounts totaled $4.1 million during the fourth quarter of 2023 as compared to $1.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, total interest expense rose $23.2 million, to $29.4 million, as compared to $6.1 million for last year.
Provision for Credit Losses
As of January 1, 2023, the Company adopted the current expected credit losses methodology ("CECL") accounting standard, which includes loans individually evaluated, as well as loans evaluated on a pooled basis to assess the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses. The Bank seeks to estimate lifetime losses in its loan and investment portfolio by using expected discounted cash flows and supplemental qualitative considerations, including relevant economic considerations, portfolio concentrations, and other external factors, as well as evaluating investment securities held by the Bank.
The Company recognized a provision for credit losses of $462 thousand for the three months ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $1.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022. This decrease reflects the impact of the methodology associated with estimated lifetime losses and types of loans closed during the quarter. The allowance for credit losses to total loans was 1.44% as of December 31, 2023 versus 1.39% as of December 31, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the provision for credit losses totaled $7.9 million, as compared to $9.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The 2023 provision includes the effect of a $5 million reserve associated with the write-off of an investment in Signature Bank subordinated debt. No additional reserves for investment securities were recorded during 2023.
Non-Interest Income
Non-interest income rose $662 thousand, or 21.5%, to $3.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $3.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022. This growth was related to increased fee income within each of the Company's fee income categories, including investment advisory, trust, and service charges on deposit accounts. For the year ended December 31, 2023, non-interest income increased approximately $1.4 million, to $13.4 million, as compared to $12.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Non-Interest Expense
Non-interest expense was $14.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, reflecting an increase of $1.4 million, or 10.1%, as compared to $13.4 million for the same period in 2022. The increase in non-interest expense for the current three-month period was the result of continued investment in Company growth. This investment consists primarily of increases in compensation, occupancy, information technology, and deposit insurance costs. Our efficiency ratio increased to 56.9% for the three months ended December 31, 2023, from 51.7% for the same period in 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our efficiency ratio remained level at 55.8% as compared to year end 2022. Non-interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 reached $56.8 million, reflecting a $6.5 million increase over non-interest expense of $50.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Income Tax Expense
Provision for income taxes for the three months ended December 31, 2023 was $2.6 million, compared to $2.5 million for the same period in 2022. The increase was directly related to required provisions associated with the company's earnings for the quarter. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the provision for income taxes was $7.7 million, as compared to $5.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our effective tax rate for the three-month period ended December 31, 2023 was 24.1%, as compared to 21.3% for the same period in 2022. Our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2023 was 20.7%, as compared to 19.5% for 2022.
Financial Condition
Total consolidated assets increased $198.1 million, or 8.7%, from $2.3 billion at December 31, 2022 to $2.5 billion at December 31, 2023. The increase reflected continued growth in loans, deposits, and cash during the year.
Total cash and due from banks increased from $86.1 million at December 31, 2022, to $147.4 million at December 31, 2023, an increase of approximately $61.3 million, or 71.2%. This increase resulted primarily from increases in deposit balances and borrowings. The increase in borrowings reflected a strategic decision to bolster and maintain higher cash levels during 2023.
Total investment securities fell $38.6 million, or 7.1%, from $543.0 million at December 31, 2022 to $504.5 million at December 31, 2023. The decrease represented a combination of investment maturities and sales, changes in fair value, and a write-off associated with Signature Bank subordinated debt resulting from that bank's failure during the first three months of 2023.
Total loans increased $177.6 million, or 11.3%, from $1.6 billion at December 31, 2022 to $1.8 billion at December 31, 2023. The increase was due primarily to $161.3 million of commercial real estate loan growth and $14.7 million of commercial and industrial loan growth. PPP loans decreased to $215 thousand at December 31, 2023 from $1.7 million at December 31, 2022.
Total deposits increased $64.4 million, to $2.0 billion at December 31, 2023 from approximately $2.0 billion at December 31, 2022. This increase was due primarily to $140.1 million of growth in time deposits associated with brokered deposits which the Bank utilized to increase cash balances and support loan growth during the year. Deposit composition at December 31, 2023 included 49.3% in demand deposit accounts (including NOW accounts). Uninsured deposits, net of fully collateralized municipal relationships, remain stable and represent approximately 37% of total deposits at December 31, 2023, as compared to 43% of total deposits at December 31, 2022.
Stockholders' equity increased $27.2 million, or 19.7%, to $165.4 million at December 31, 2023 from $138.1 million at December 31, 2022. The increase was due primarily to $29.5 million of net income during 2023 and an approximately $4.1 million decrease in unrealized losses on the market value of investment securities within the Company's equity as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) ("AOCI"), net of taxes.
At December 31, 2023, the Bank maintained capital ratios in excess of regulatory standards for well capitalized institutions. The Bank's Tier 1 capital-to-average-assets ratio was 9.42%, both common equity and Tier 1 capital-to-risk-weighted-assets were 12.91%, and total-capital-to-risk-weighted-assets was 14.16%.
Wealth Management
At December 31, 2023, our Wealth Management Division, which includes trust and investment advisory, totaled approximately $1.6 billion in assets under management or advisory as compared to approximately $1.3 billion at December 31, 2022, reflecting an increase of approximately 24.2%. Trust and investment advisory income for the year ended December 31, 2023 totaled $10.3 million and represented an increase of approximately 11.2%, or $1.0 million, as compared to $9.3 million for year ended December 31, 2022.
The breakdown of trust and investment advisory assets as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, is as follows:
Loan Quality
At December 31, 2023, the Bank had total non-performing loans of $4.4 million, or 0.25% of total loans. Total non-accrual loans represented approximately $4.4 million of loans at December 31, 2023, compared to $6.1 million at December 31, 2022.
Liquidity
Management believes the Bank has the necessary liquidity to meet normal business needs. The Bank uses a variety of resources to manage its liquidity position. These include short term investments, cash from lending and investing activities, core-deposit growth, and non-core funding sources, such as time deposits exceeding $100,000, brokered deposits, FHLBNY advances, and other borrowings. As of December 31, 2023, the Bank's cash and due from banks totaled $147.4 million. The Bank maintains an investment portfolio of securities available for sale, comprised mainly of US Government agency and treasury securities, Small Business Administration loan pools, mortgage-backed securities, and municipal bonds. Although the portfolio generates interest income for the Bank, it also serves as an available source of liquidity and funding. As of December 31, 2023, the Bank's investment in securities available for sale was $490.0 million, of which $135.7 million was not pledged as collateral. Additionally as of December 31, 2023, the Bank's overnight advance line capacity at the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York was $613.6 million, of which $108.0 million was used to collateralize municipal deposits and $234.5 million was utilized for overnight and long term FHLBNY advances. As of December 31, 2023, the Bank's unused borrowing capacity at the FHLBNY was $271.1 million. The Bank also maintains additional borrowing capacity of $25 million with other correspondent banks. Additional funding is available to the Bank through the Bank Term Funding Program ("BTFP") and discount window lending by the Federal Reserve. The Bank maintains approximately $102.2 million of collateral under the BTFP but did not utilize this funding source during 2023. The BTFP will expire in March 2024 and no longer be an additional source of funding.
The Bank also considers brokered deposits an element of its deposit strategy. As of December 31, 2023, the Bank had brokered deposit arrangements with various terms totaling $172.4 million.
About Orange County Bancorp, Inc.
Orange County Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company of Orange Bank & Trust Company and Hudson Valley Investment Advisors, Inc. Orange Bank & Trust Company is an independent bank that began with the vision of 14 founders over 125 years ago. It has grown through innovation and an unwavering commitment to its community and business clientele to approximately $2.5 billion in total assets. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors, Inc. is a Registered Investment Advisor in Goshen, NY. It was founded in 1996 and acquired by the Company in 2012.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements contained herein are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward looking statements may be identified by reference to a future period or periods, or by the use of forward looking terminology, such as "may," "will," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "anticipate," "continue," or similar terms or variations on those terms, or the negative of those terms. Forward looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those related to the real estate and economic environment, particularly in the market areas in which the Company operates, competitive products and pricing, fiscal and monetary policies of the U.S. Government, inflation, changes in government regulations affecting financial institutions, including regulatory fees and capital requirements, changes in prevailing interest rates, increased levels of loan delinquencies, problem assets and foreclosures, credit risk management, asset-liability management, cybersecurity risks, the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial and securities markets and the availability of and costs associated with sources of liquidity.
The Company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company wishes to advise readers that the factors listed above could affect the Company's financial performance and could cause the Company's actual results for future periods to differ materially from any opinions or statements expressed with respect to future periods in any current statements. The Company does not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions that may be made to any forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
For further information:
Michael Lesler
EVP & Chief Financial Officer
mlesler@orangebanktrust.com
Phone: (845) 341-5111
SOURCE: Orange County Bancorp, Inc.
View the original press release on accesswire.com
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| 2024-01-31T23:20:54Z
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Donald Trump has yet to officially clinch the Republican presidential nomination, but he's already begun to tease about a running mate. The NPR Politics Podcast dives into who might be on his list.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Donald Trump has yet to officially clinch the Republican presidential nomination, but he's already begun to tease about a running mate. The NPR Politics Podcast dives into who might be on his list.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kuaf.com/2024-01-31/trump-says-vp-pick-wont-impact-the-race-so-whats-he-looking-for-in-a-running-mate
| 2024-01-31T23:20:55Z
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NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with constitutional scholar Philip Bobbitt about the effort from House Republicans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Copyright 2024 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with constitutional scholar Philip Bobbitt about the effort from House Republicans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/2024-01-31/constitutional-scholar-says-gop-charges-against-mayorkas-dont-meet-impeachment-bar
| 2024-01-31T23:20:55Z
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WASHINGTON — (AP) — Former President Donald Trump met with leaders of the Teamsters Union in Washington Wednesday as he tried to chip away at President Joe Biden's organized labor support heading into a likely general election rematch.
Trump participated in a roundtable with the union's executive board, its president and members as he works to win over the blue-collar workers who helped fuel his 2016 victory and who are expected to play a major role in November, particularly in critical Midwestern swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
Speaking to reporters after what he called “a very productive meeting," Trump acknowledged the union typically backs Democrats, but said of a possible endorsement, “Stranger things have happened."
“Usually a Republican wouldn’t get that endorsement,” he said. “But in my case it’s different because I’ve employed thousands of Teamsters and I thought we should come over and pay our respects."
“As you know, a big part of the voting bloc votes for me."
Union members tend to vote Democratic, with 56% of members and households backing Biden in 2020, according to AP VoteCast. And Biden has already received significant organized labor backing with early endorsements from the AFL-CIO and others. But Trump is hoping to cut into that support as he casts himself as pro-worker and tries to exacerbate divisions between union leaders and some rank-and-file members.
Days before the meeting, he called on members of the United Auto Workers to oust their president, Shawn Fain, after the group endorsed Biden.
“Shawn Fain doesn’t understand this or have a clue,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network. “Get rid of this dope & vote for DJT. I will bring the Automobile Industry back to our Country.”
Trump aides, before Wednesday's meeting, said the fact that it was taking place was a win in and of itself. For the first time, the union has been holding a series of roundtable discussions with candidates from both parties as it weighs its decision, expected following the summer party conventions.
“Our members want to hear from all candidates of all parties about what they plan to do for working people as president,” Teamsters president Sean O’Brien had said in a statement. “Our union wants every candidate to know that there are 1.3 million Teamsters nationwide whose votes will not be taken for granted. Workers’ voices must be heard.”
O’Brien later described the conversation with Trump as “pleasant” and “direct,” but said the union was a long way from making a decision. He said it has additional questions for Trump and for Biden, who has yet to set a similar meeting. He said the Teamsters will poll members over the coming weeks.
He acknowledged that Trump has the support of many members.
“There's no doubt about (it)," he said, “there is union support for President Trump. And there's always union support for President Biden,” But even as he praised Biden's record he, added: “What you've done in the past doesn't guarantee your future with us. We want to know what you're going to do for our members moving forward.”
Biden has long billed himself as the most labor-friendly president in history, and went so far as to turn up on a picket line in the Detroit area during an autoworkers' strike last fall. Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said Biden "looks forward to meeting with the Teamsters and earning their endorsement," but that the timing of a meeting remains to be announced.
On Thursday, Biden will travel to Michigan, where he plans to meet with United Auto Workers members, according to a campaign official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of a trip that had not been formally announced.
Earlier this month, the Teamsters' O’Brien met privately with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club, where the two discussed issues including right-to-work laws that allow those in unionized workplaces to opt out of paying dues and fees. They also posed for a side-by-side photo, both flashing thumbs-up signs, that Trump posted online.
In an interview with Fox Business after the meeting, O’Brien said, “We put our cards on the table. It was a very matter-of-fact meeting."
“He claimed he was, you know, 100% ... supportive of unions, but history obviously, you take a look back and there’s certain issues that we have with him,” the union president said.
During Trump's presidency, the National Labor Relations Board reversed several key rulings that had made it easier for small unions to organize, strengthened the bargaining rights of franchise workers and provided protection against anti-union measures for employees.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority — including three justices that Trump nominated — overturned a decades-old pro-union decision in 2018 involving fees paid by government workers. The justices in 2021 rejected a California regulation giving unions access to farm property so they could organize workers.
While the Teamsters endorsed Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016, O'Brien stressed the union has “a very diverse membership. And our members vote.”
Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University, said that in the past unions almost automatically endorsed Democratic candidates. But this year, he said, unions like the Teamsters have required candidates to outline their positions and show how they will support rank-and-file workers.
The message to candidates: “If you don’t help labor and you don’t help my position, you’re not going to get my endorsement,” Wheaton said.
He estimates about 30% to 40% of Teamsters members voted for Trump in 2020, even though the union endorsed Biden.
“You need to do your due diligence and listen, and let them have the option and ability to say what they want,” said Wheaton.
This is not the first time Trump has tried to woo union members. In September, he traveled to Michigan while his Republican rivals separately held a debate and tried to win over autoworkers by lambasting Biden's electric vehicles push in the midst of a strike. During his speech, Trump urged the UAW to endorse him, directly appealing to Fain from the floor of a non-unionized auto parts plant.
Fain instead called Trump a “scab,” a derogatory term for workers who cross union picket lines and work during a strike, as he endorsed Biden.
“This November we can stand up and elect someone who stands with us and supports our cause, or we can elect someone who will divide us and fight us every step of the way,” Fain said.
Teamsters members include UPS drivers, film and television workers, freight operators, members of law enforcement and other government workers.
Biden already has the backing of the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which rolled out their endorsements together last June.
While overall union membership rates nationwide fell to an all-time low in 2023, the country's largest unions have nonetheless built sprawling get-out-the-vote efforts, which Biden is counting on to help turn out his supporters in pivotal swing states.
The campaign of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s last remaining GOP rival, did not respond to a request for comment about whether she intends to meet with the Teamsters.
O'Brien said they hadn't received a response from her. Given what he called her past anti-union comments, he said, “It doesn't surprise at all.”
___
Krisher reported from Detroit. Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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https://www.wdbo.com/news/after-teamsters/MFQ3Q7HGKBXSUOBP5ZMZF6VJR4/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:55Z
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Here's a look at how Forsyth County boys lacrosse teams stack up for the 2024 season.
2024 Boys Lacrosse Preview: Team-by-team capsules
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https://www.forsythnews.com/sports/other-sports-news/2024-boys-lacrosse-preview-team-team-capsules/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:56Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Iowa lawmakers on Wednesday declined to advance a bill that would have stripped gender identity from the state’s civil rights law, a proposal that opponents said could have subjected LGBTQ2S+ Iowans to discrimination in education, housing and public spaces.
The bill has been floated in recent years without success but reached the first step in Iowa’s lawmaking process Wednesday, when it was rejected by three members of a House Judiciary subcommittee. As they discussed the measure, LGBTQ2S+ advocates outside the room cried out: “Trans rights are human rights.” Two of the subcommittee members are Republican and one is a Democrat.
Not every state has explicit protections for a person based on their gender identity, but opponents of the bill suggested that removing such already existing protections from a state’s anti-discrimination law would have stood out in an already historic period of anti-trans laws in Republican-led statehouses.
Republican House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl — who is not a member of the subcommittee and didn't take part in the vote — said Wednesday that he doesn’t think it would be the “wise choice” to break open established civil rights code “whether you agree with all of it or not.”
“Taking that protection away would then be an opportunity to discriminate against one of those protected classes,” he said of how the bill would be perceived.
LGBTQ2S+ Iowans and allies who descended upon the Iowa Capitol to protest the bill far outnumbered those in support, though the testimony initially alternated between pro and con. Some trans Iowans in the room shared personal testimony about discrimination they've faced and fears of being further marginalized.
Iowa’s civil rights law protects against discrimination in employment, wages, public accommodations, housing, education and credit practices based upon certain characteristics of a person. That includes gender identity, as well as someone’s race, colour, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin and disability status.
Sexual orientation and gender identity were not originally included in Iowa’s Civil Rights Act of 1965. They were added by the Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2007, with about a dozen Republicans across the two chambers joining in favor.
State Rep. Jeff Shipley, who authored the bill discussed on Wednesday, gave an impassioned introduction in which he argued that there is no objective criteria to evaluate gender identity and that there is a “viciously hostile” culture around the protection of these individuals over others. Shipley said the latter was made clear by the protesters shouting expletives and giving him the finger as he left the room.
As written, the bill would have amended the civil rights law’s definition of disability, a protected status, to include the psychological distress that some transgender people experience, known as gender dysphoria, or any another diagnosis related to a gender identity disorder.
Those individuals would be protected, but advocates Wednesday made clear that being trans is not a disability and that a broad swath of transgender Iowans who do not experience gender dysphoria would be left exposed.
“I am not disabled,” said Annie Sarcone, a transgender Iowan and director of the Des Moines Queer Youth Resource Center. “Shame on the Iowa Legislature for trying to pull something like this. For being the only state to take things this far.”
Iowa’s Republican-controlled statehouse has passed multiple bills that Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law targeting LGBTQ2S+ Iowans in recent years, including prohibiting transgender students from using public bathrooms that align with their gender identity, banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors and prohibiting transgender females from participating in girls high school and women’s college sports.
Those measures are part of a wave of laws recently passed in conservative states across the country that have led the Human Rights Campaign to declare a state of emergency for LGBTQ2S+ Americans.
About half of U.S. states include gender identity in their civil rights code to protect against discrimination in housing and public places, such as stores or restaurants, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ2S+ rights think tank. Some additional states don’t explicitly protect against such discrimination, but it is included in legal interpretation of the statutes.
Federal protections against employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity were reinforced in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 2020, when conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority that discrimination because of LGBTQ2S+ status was an extension of sex-based discrimination.
Iowa's Supreme Court expressly diverged from the federal high court in a 2022 ruling.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/move-to-strip-gender-rights-from-iowa-s-civil-rights-law-rejected-by-legislators-1.6750375
| 2024-01-31T23:20:58Z
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Chelsea were overpowered and outclassed as they sustained a brutal 4-1 defeat against Premier League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday. The Blues were second best from beginning to end as Jurgen Klopp's team ran rampant at Anfield against a group of players who looked like deer caught in headlights at times. The scoreline would have been worse, too, had Darwin Nunez not hit the woodwork an incredible four times in the game.
The Blues went into the game sat 10th in the top-flight, but they put up less of a fight against Liverpool than Championship team Norwich City did in their FA Cup clash at the weekend. The defensive line up of Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile and, the worst culprit, Ben Chilwell were floundering right from the start and left poor goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic completely exposed throughout the first half.
Chilwell gave away the ball while Silva and Badiashile did little to stop Diogo Jota from powering through and scoring the first Liverpool goal. Then Chilwell left Raheem Sterling on his own down the left by wrapping himself up with Jota to allowt Conor Bradley double the lead. Badiashile then gave away a penalty, but Nunez's wastefulness from the spot was the only thing that kept Liverpool from being out of sight by half-time.
Chelsea went 48 minutes without hiavinga shot and by the time Enzo Fernandez's tame long-range effort went into Alisson's hands in first-half stoppage time, Liverpool had created 15 attempts. So miserable were they that coach Mauricio Pochettino had to make three changes at half-time.
The changes did have an influence, though, as after going 3-0 down following a Dominik Szoboszlai header, Carney Chukwuemeka drove forward and found Christopher Nkunku to lash in a consolation with 20 minutes left to play. Shortly afterwards, they should have had a penalty for a foul on the France forward, but their protests were waved away by the referee for the second time in the game.
There was no such turnaround, though, as Liverpool went on to hit the bar once again before Luis Diaz slid in his team's fourth after Badiashile lost track of the Colombian at the back post.
GOAL rates Pochettino's players from Anfield...
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https://www.goal.com/en-sg/lists/chelsea-player-ratings-vs-liverpool-ben-chilwell-noni-madueke/bltac72f1390259d143
| 2024-01-31T23:20:57Z
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NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with constitutional scholar Philip Bobbitt about the effort from House Republicans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Copyright 2024 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with constitutional scholar Philip Bobbitt about the effort from House Republicans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/constitutional-scholar-says-gop-charges-against-mayorkas-dont-meet-impeachment-bar
| 2024-01-31T23:20:58Z
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By Bryan Miller
WOODLAND, CA – A man struggling with mental health issues here was in Yolo County Superior Court this week for an arraignment on several felony vandalism charges, and was held in jail—at least for now—rather than being released before trial.
During the arraignment, Deputy Public Defender Aman Davtyan and Deputy District Attorney Jose Figueroa agreed the man should be released on Supervised Own Recognizance (SOR) while seeking treatment for any drug related problems.
Probation, however, asked Judge Catherine Hohenwarter to hold the accused because it allegedly was his third time facing similar charges, and because of his drug abuse issues.
The judge disagreed, but ordered the accused not to be released from jail until a facility was available to house him.
DDA Figueroa’s only requirement for this is that there was a place “with a bed” for the accused to stay. This was an idea that was supported by Judge Hohenwarter.
The representative from probation, when asked, was not supportive of the idea of the accused being released on SOR and requested the accused remain in custody, noting the accused has faced charges similar three times and often did not take the medication as required.
The probation officer argued SOR with drug treatment programs would continue to fail and, because of the repeated nature of the crime, the accused should be put back in the custody of the sheriff’s office.
Judge Hohenwarter did not agree with the representative from probation, stating not taking medications and drug program failure can be a result of mental health issues. She believed that it would be best to release the accused to a program that “best suits his condition” rather than keep him in custody.
According to the court report the accused will be released to probation “when a residential treatment facility becomes available,” but meanwhile will be held in jail.
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https://www.davisvanguard.org/2024/01/court-watch-probation-urges-judge-to-keep-man-with-mental-health-issues-in-jail-despite-da-and-pd-agreeing-accused-should-be-freed/
| 2024-01-31T23:20:47Z
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The Baltimore Ravens are losing another key member of the franchise.
Not long after the Ravens’ season ended in the AFC Championship, the team lost director of player personnel Joe Horitz, who became the new general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Now, Baltimore is losing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who is being hired as the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, according to media reports.
Sources: The #Seahawks are set to hire #Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as their new head coach. Seattle was willing to wait for him if Baltimore made the Super Bowl.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2024
Instead, their season ended last week and he takes a big-time job. He’s currently in Seattle on a 2nd interview. pic.twitter.com/9iusq8zYOe
Macdonald has been the Ravens’ defensive play-caller for the past two seasons after previously working as a defensive assistant, defensive backs coach, and linebackers coach from 2015-20. He was also the defensive coordinator of the Michigan Wolverines in the 2021 season.
In his two years as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, the team finished third (2022) and first (2023) in scoring defense. They also finished ninth (2022) and sixth (2023) in total defense.
Macdonald’s best work came this past season, as Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to lead the league in sacks (60) and takeaways (31) while allowing the fewest points per game (16.5).
Needless to say, Macdonald became a hot commodity in this hiring cycle, and he’s now set to score his first head-coaching gig at the age of 36, making him the league’s youngest head coach.
Bengals fans will obviously be happy to see Macdonald lead the division. What will be interesting to see is if the Ravens lose some of their top free agents to Seattle.
Patrick Queen, Justin Madubuike, Jadeveon Clowney, Geno Stone, Kyle Van Noy, and Brent Urban are all key defenders slated to become free agents. Baltimore is currently at $13.6 million in projected cap space (via Over The Cap), so there’s a good chance at least a few of them are elsewhere this fall.
Could be a rough offseason in Baltimore.
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https://www.cincyjungle.com/2024/1/31/24057148/ravens-mike-macdonald-seahawks-defense-nfl-history
| 2024-01-31T23:20:49Z
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Encinitas, California and Clermont-Ferrand, France--(Newsfile Corp. - January 31, 2024) - Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KPRX), a clinical-stage biotech company developing treatments for orphan retinal diseases, today announced that it has entered a strategic development and commercialization agreement with Théa Open Innovation (TOI), a sister company of the global ophthalmic specialty company Laboratoires Théa (Théa). Under the agreement, Kiora granted TOI exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights, excluding Asia, to KIO-301 for the treatment of degenerative retinal diseases. In exchange, Kiora will receive an upfront, payment of $16 million; up to $285 million upon achievement of pre-specified clinical development, regulatory and commercial milestones; tiered royalties of up to low 20% on net sales; and reimbursement of KIO-301 research and development expenses.
"Our partnership with TOI provides us the strategic, financial and commercial resources that we believe will help to bring innovative treatments to market for patients living with inherited retinal disease," said Brian Strem, Ph.D., CEO of Kiora. "Based on the Phase I/II (ABACUS) data of KIO-301 in Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), we have started to implement our plan to initiate our Phase 2, multicenter, controlled clinical trial for retinitis pigmentosa, in early 2024 with the goal of reporting results in H1 2025 and explore other retinal disease where KIO-301 may be applicable."
Data from ABACUS, reported in November 2023, demonstrated meaningful vision improvements in patients with late-stage RP. Findings included significant improvement in visual field, concordant trended improvements in visual acuity and tests of functional vision relating to the use of sight in everyday activities. In addition, functional MRI demonstrated increased visual cortex activity (region of the brain responsible for processing vision) relative to baseline at two and 14 days after treatment.
"This partnership confirms our commitment to advancing innovation in the treatment of unmet need for ophthalmic diseases," said Jean-Frédéric Chibret, President of the Théa group. "KIO-301 fits ideally into our range of therapeutic solutions as a cutting-edge product intended to return vision to patients suffering from hereditary retinal diseases thanks to an innovative small molecule. Promising clinical trial results recently reported at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting on KIO-301 give us further confidence in the program and the potential to bring a new treatment option to patients suffering from rare diseases."
The strategic partnership covers retinitis pigmentosa and potentially other indications in ophthalmology across all global geographies, excluding China, Japan, and certain other countries in Asia. Kiora is primarily responsible for the design and implementation of clinical development through phase 2 whereas Théa will assume primary responsibility for phase 3 clinical trials as well as for securing regional marketing authorizations. Upon approval in respective regions, Théa will be responsible for all commercial activities including sales, marketing and market access.
KIO-301 is a small molecule, referred to as a molecular photoswitch, designed to confer light-sensing capabilities to Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs), a special cell type of the retina. In healthy eyes, light detection is primarily performed by photoreceptors (rods and cones). In patients with numerous types of inherited retinal disease, mutations in one of more than hundreds of known genes can lead to the death of photoreceptors. This retinal degeneration results in lost vision for the patient. KIO-301 is able to selectively enter RGCs downstream of degenerated photoreceptors and once inside, KIO-301 interacts with voltage-gated ion channels. When light hits RGCs, KIO-301 alters its shape to change the flow of current, thereby activating the neurons, and resulting in signaling the brain. When light is removed, KIO-301 reverts to its lower energy shape, stopping the signaling to the brain. In this way, the molecule acts as a light switch within the eye.
Investor Webcast
Kiora will host an investor call today (Jan 31, 2024) at 5:30 pm ET (2:30 pm PT) to discuss the partnership.
The live webcast may be accessed by clicking here or from the homepage of the Investor Relations section of Kiora's website (ir.kiorapharma.com). Investors interested in a direct dial-in number may email investors@kiorapharma.com ahead of the call.
A replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days following the call under the 'News & Events' section of Kiora's Investor Relations website.
About Kiora Pharmaceuticals
Kiora Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and commercializing products for the treatment of orphan retinal diseases. KIO-301 is being developed for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, choroideremia, and Stargardt disease. It is a molecular photoswitch that has the potential to restore vision in patients with inherited and/or age-related retinal degeneration. KIO-104 is being developed for the treatment of posterior non-infectious uveitis. It is a next-generation, non-steroidal, immuno-modulatory, and small-molecule inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. In addition to news releases and SEC filings, we expect to post information on our website (www.kiorapharma.com) and social media accounts that could be relevant to investors. We encourage investors to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn as well as to visit our website and/or subscribe to email alerts.
About Théa and Théa Open Innovation
Théa is the leading independent European pharmaceutical company specialized in the research, development, and commercialization of eye-care products. Based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, this family-owned company has continued to expand by opening more than 35 affiliates and offices in Europe, North Africa, North and South America, and the Middle East. Its products are available in 75 countries. Théa Open Innovation (TOI) is a sister company of Théa. TOI's mission is to set up partnerships with companies and universities to help bring the most innovative products in ophthalmology to the market.
www.laboratoires-thea.com; www.theaopeninnovation.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in this press release are "forward-looking" and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These "forward-looking" statements include statements relating to, among other things, the development and commercialization efforts and other regulatory or marketing approval efforts pertaining to Kiora's development-stage products, including KIO-301 and KIO-104, as well as the success thereof, with such approvals or success may not be obtained or achieved on a timely basis or at all, the ability of KIO-301 to improve vision in everyday activities, the potential to expand KIO-301 to other indications including choroideremia and Stargardt disease, Kiora's ability to expand clinical development into the U.S. and the EU, the timing of results of the ABACUS study and timing and design of the ABACUS II study, the expectation that the partnership with TOI will help to bring treatments to market. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from the statements set forth in this press release, including, among other things, the ability to conduct clinical trials on a timely basis, the ability to obtain any required regulatory approvals, whether future trials of KIO-301 will yield similar results for participants, market and other conditions, and certain risk factors described under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in Kiora's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 23, 2023, or described in Kiora's other public filings. Kiora's results may also be affected by factors of which Kiora is not currently aware. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Kiora expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to such statements to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any changes in the events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.
Contacts:
Investors
investors@kiorapharma.com
Media
kiora@crowepr.com
Crowe PR
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/196399
SOURCE: Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2024-01/61285716-kiora-pharmaceuticals-inc-kiora-pharmaceuticals-and-thea-open-innovation-enter-strategic-agreement-to-develop-and-commercialize-kio-301-for-the-tre-296.htm
| 2024-01-31T23:21:00Z
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NPR News A look from Maui six months after devastating wildfires By Debbie Elliott Published January 31, 2024 at 4:39 PM CST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 5:06 As we approach the six-month anniversary of the Maui fires, we look at the biggest issues that people on the island are still facing. Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kuaf.com/npr-news/2024-01-31/a-look-from-maui-six-months-after-devastating-wildfires
| 2024-01-31T23:21:01Z
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Lawmakers grilled the CEOs of top social media companies in a hearing today By Dara Kerr Published January 31, 2024 at 4:21 PM CST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 3:45 During a contentious hearing, lawmakers demanded that social media companies do better to protect children online. Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/2024-01-31/lawmakers-grilled-the-ceos-of-top-social-media-companies-in-a-hearing-today
| 2024-01-31T23:21:01Z
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Even when compared with other CEOs, who routinely get paid roughly 200 times more than their typical employees, Elon Musk’s pay package was eye-opening.
A judge in Delaware on Tuesday struck down the package that Tesla established for Musk in 2018, ruling that the process was "flawed" and the price "unfair." Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick called the package "the largest potential compensation opportunity ever observed in public markets by multiple orders of magnitude."
So, if Musk isn’t worth the maximum $55.8 billion value of the package, how much is he worth? It’s a thorny question without an easy answer in the notoriously complex world of executive compensation.
McCormick's ruling bumped Musk out of the top spot on the Forbes list of wealthiest people. The magazine on Wednesday lopped $25 billion off his net worth, reducing it to $185.3 billion, putting him behind fashion and cosmetics magnate Bernard Arnault and family.
Critics have argued for years that CEO pay packages are exorbitant. The median compensation for a CEO of an S&P 500 company was valued at $14.8 million, according to the latest AP CEO pay survey for 2022 conducted with the executive compensation research firm Equilar. It would take the typical worker at one of those companies more than 185 years to earn what their chief executive reaped in just 12 months.
In 2018, Tesla estimated the value of Musk's compensation package at $2.28 billion, topping the previous highest package of $1.39 billion given to Blackstone's Steven Schwarzman 10 years earlier, according to Equilar. The value of Musk's package has grown as Tesla's stock price increased. By comparison, in 2022 the median worker at Tesla made $34,084.
Under Musk's pay plan, he received a chunk of stock options each time Tesla's market value rose by $50 billion. Ultimately, he would have the chance to buy nearly 304 million shares for $23.34 each. Tesla has met each of the performance hurdles since the package was awarded. Its stock is trading at roughly $191 compared with $21 at the start of 2018.
The judge determined that Tesla’s board lacked independence from Musk. His lawyers said the package needed to be rich to give Musk an incentive not to leave — a line of reasoning the judge shot down.
“Swept up by the rhetoric of ‘all upside,’ or perhaps starry eyed by Musk’s superstar appeal, the board never asked the $55.8 billion question: ‘Was the plan even necessary for Tesla to retain Musk and achieve its goals?’” McCormick wrote.
Musk's fans would argue that he shouldn't be paid like other CEOs because he isn't like other CEOs. He and Tesla are practically inseparable, so keeping him as CEO is key to the company's growth. He built the company from an idea to the most valuable automaker in the world, last year selling more electric vehicles than any other company. His star power gets free publicity, so the company spends little on advertising. And he has forced the rest of the auto industry to accelerate plans for electric vehicles to counter Tesla's phenomenal growth.
To figure out how much to pay their CEO, corporate boards often start by looking at how much their rivals are paying theirs: They need to pay enough to attract and keep the talent.
General Motors, for example, considers executive salaries at 3M, Boeing, Ford, IBM and other huge companies, and uses complex formulas to determine CEO compensation. For GM CEO Mary Barra, part of that depends on how GM’s stock return compares to its peers and how much progress the company makes on electric vehicles.
In 2022, Barra earned total compensation that GM valued at $29 million. That included $2.1 million in salary. Ford CEO Jim Farley's compensation was valued at $22 million that year.
Even though Tesla makes automobiles, investors often lump its stock in with Big Tech stocks. They’re the companies disrupting industries and people’s ways of life.
Plus, Musk is closely identified with Tesla the way Meta Platforms’ Mark Zuckerberg or Apple’s Tim Cook are with their companies. Pay packages at Big Tech companies are among the largest in the U.S.
Cook’s compensation was valued at $63.2 million for 2023, mainly due to stock awards valued at nearly $47 million. A year earlier, he earned total compensation valued at roughly $99 million.
In the nuanced world of executive compensation, these numbers don’t indicate how much a CEO actually takes home, they’re just an estimate of the compensation package's value. The final value may exceed or fall far below those figures because it is tied to stock.
Corporate law experts say any new compensation package for Musk will likely be challenged in court unless Tesla's board either resigns en masse or follows a meticulous process to protect shareholders by passing a substantially smaller package.
“This is just a mess for them,” said Charles Elson, a retired corporate law professor and founder of the corporate governance center at the University of Delaware. “They kowtowed to this apparent superstar with poor results.”
Elson, who has followed the court for more than three decades, said this is the first time he can remember a judge invalidating an executive compensation plan at a public company.
Lawyers for Musk and the directors had countered that the plan was fairly negotiated by a compensation committee whose members were independent, and that it was blessed by a shareholder vote.
Shareholders who approved Musk’s deal, Elson said, were unaware that Musk essentially was negotiating with himself. “If the shareholders were aware of that, they may well have not approved it.”
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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https://www.wdbo.com/news/court-rejected-elon/5YYLNCCZ4KCLV7AAFN75PBS3CA/
| 2024-01-31T23:21:02Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Former President Donald Trump has won the last remaining unresolved delegate from New Hampshire, giving him a 13-9 delegate advantage in the Granite State over former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
The Associated Press allocated the final delegate based on the latest vote results from the Jan. 23 primary in accordance with the state's unusual rules regarding the allocation of Republican delegates.
Unlike in the Democratic presidential primaries, where all states follow a mostly uniform delegate allocation procedure, Republican delegate rules vary state by state. In New Hampshire, 22 Republican delegates are awarded to candidates in proportion to statewide primary results. For example, a candidate who receives 50% of the primary vote will receive 50% of the delegates at stake, or in this case, 11 delegates. The rules also state that a candidate must receive at least 10% of the primary vote in order to qualify for any delegates.
Only two candidates received more than 10% of the primary vote in New Hampshire -- Trump, who received a little more than 54%, and Haley, who received a little more than 43%. In most states, the delegate math would involve multiplying these percentages -- including the decimals -- by the total number of delegates at stake. However, in New Hampshire, the first step in allocating Republican delegates is to round the vote percentages to the nearest whole percentage, which would be 54% for Trump and 43% for Haley. These whole percentages are then multiplied by the total number of Republican delegates at stake, which in New Hampshire is 22.
This produces an initial result of 11.88 delegates for Trump, which rounds to 12, and 9.46 delegates for Haley, which rounds to 9.
This accounts for 21 of the state's 22 delegates. In New Hampshire, any unallocated delegates are awarded to the top vote-getter, which in this case is Trump. This is sometimes referred to as a "winner's bonus."
Based on these rules, the final delegate allocation in New Hampshire is 13 for Trump and 9 for Haley.
In order to clinch the Republican presidential nomination, a candidate must win a majority of delegate votes -- 1,215 -- at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this summer. After Iowa and New Hampshire, Trump leads Haley in the overall delegate count, 33-17.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/trump-wins-final-delegate-out-of-new-hampshire-1.6750396
| 2024-01-31T23:21:04Z
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Darwin Nunez, how's your luck?! Misfiring Liverpool striker sets incredible Premier League record as he rattles the woodwork FOUR TIMES against ChelseaRitabrata BanerjeeGettyDarwin NunezLiverpoolLiverpool vs ChelseaPremier LeagueLiverpool forward Darwin Nunez set an unwanted Premier League record against Chelsea on Wednesday.Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowNunez sets Premier League recordHit the woodwork four times against ChelseaMissed a penalty in the first half
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https://www.goal.com/en-sg/lists/darwin-nunez-liverpool-premier-league-record-rattles-woodwork-four-times-chelsea/blt32a8dcd958a2745b
| 2024-01-31T23:21:04Z
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Drugmaker Biogen is pulling the plug on its controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm, following disappointing sales. It had been expected to be a blockbuster product.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Drugmaker Biogen is pulling the plug on its controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm, following disappointing sales. It had been expected to be a blockbuster product.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/expected-to-be-a-big-deal-alzheimers-drug-is-pulled-after-disappointing-sales
| 2024-01-31T23:21:05Z
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Laws on abortion are out of step with public opinion. One Republican legislator in Tennessee is working to establish exceptions to his state's strict abortion laws, but he faces a tough battle.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Laws on abortion are out of step with public opinion. One Republican legislator in Tennessee is working to establish exceptions to his state's strict abortion laws, but he faces a tough battle.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kuaf.com/npr-news/2024-01-31/a-tennessee-lawmaker-helped-pass-a-strict-abortion-law-hes-now-trying-to-loosen-it
| 2024-01-31T23:21:07Z
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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Below are the earnings highlights for Corteva, Inc. (CTVA):
Earnings: -$253 million in Q4 vs. -$55 million in the same period last year. EPS: -$0.36 in Q4 vs. -$0.08 in the same period last year. Excluding items, Corteva, Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $103 million or $0.15 per share for the period.
Analysts projected $0.06 per share Revenue: $3.71 billion in Q4 vs. $3.83 billion in the same period last year.
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2024-01/61285734-corteva-inc-q4-earnings-summary-020.htm
| 2024-01-31T23:21:07Z
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The dueling contests surrounding the Nevada Republican's nominating process has led to voter confusion. And with it, an outcome many in the state saw as inevitable: Trump is the de facto winner.
Copyright 2024 NPR
The dueling contests surrounding the Nevada Republican's nominating process has led to voter confusion. And with it, an outcome many in the state saw as inevitable: Trump is the de facto winner.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/2024-01-31/nevadas-gop-nominating-process-is-confusing-and-already-yielded-a-likely-winner
| 2024-01-31T23:21:07Z
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JACKSON, Miss. — (AP) — Mississippi could allow Medicaid coverage earlier in pregnancy in an effort to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies in a poor state with the nation's worst rate of infant mortality.
With wide bipartisan support, the state House passed a bill Wednesday to allow up to 60 days of “presumptive eligibility” for Medicaid, starting July 1. This means a pregnant woman's outpatient medical care would be paid by Medicaid as her application for coverage by the government insurance program is being considered.
Processing Medicaid applications can take weeks, and physicians say early prenatal care is important.
House Medicaid Committee Chairwoman Missy McGee of Hattiesburg pointed out that Mississippi has high rates of fetal mortality, infant mortality and maternal mortality.
“I think this will go a long way in helping moms and babies be healthy ... and give babies the best shot for a healthy life," McGee said.
Mississippi ranks worst in the U.S. for infant mortality, with Black infants nearly twice as likely as white ones to die over the past decade, according to a report unveiled Jan. 18 by the state Department of Health.
Presumptive Medicaid eligibility during pregnancy would be based on questions about income, asked by health care providers such as employees of county health departments. If a woman's Medicaid application is ultimately rejected because her income is too high, Medicaid would still pay health care providers for services they provided during the time of presumptive eligibility.
McGee said presumptive eligibility could cost the Medicaid program just under $600,000 a year.
Medicaid is funded by federal and state governments, with the federal government paying at least 50% of costs in all states and a higher share in poorer states. The federal government pays for nearly 77% of Medicaid expenses in Mississippi.
In Mississippi, Medicaid coverage for pregnant women 19 and older is based on income. A woman who is in that age category and has no dependents can earn up to about $29,000 and qualify for Medicaid during pregnancy. A pregnant woman in that age category who has three dependents can earn up to $59,700 and qualify.
Mississippi Medicaid coverage is available to all income levels for those who are pregnant and younger than 19.
Democratic Rep. John Hines Sr. of Greenville said earlier eligibility for Medicaid coverage during pregnancy could help the state in recruiting OB-GYNs.
“Where we are right now is that we are last in everything," Hines said. "This is a step toward making Mississippi a better place.”
The bill passed the House 117-5. It moves to the Senate for more work in coming weeks. Republicans control both chambers.
About 41% of births in the U.S. and 57% in Mississippi were financed by Medicaid in 2022, according to the health policy research group KFF. Only Louisiana had a larger share of births covered by Medicaid that year, at 61%.
In 2023, Mississippi extended postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to a full year, with Republican Gov. Tate Reeves saying the change was part of a "new pro-life agenda" to help mothers in a state where abortion is tightly restricted.
____
Associated Press/Report For America reporter Michael Goldberg contributed to this report.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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https://www.wdbo.com/news/health/mississippi-eyes/JFYXHUZVW6GAJQVPRL4G47FATY/
| 2024-01-31T23:21:08Z
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BREAKING Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Disney's free speech lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, leaving the company's remaining hopes of regaining control of the district that governs Walt Disney World to a separate state court challenge.
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee said in his decision that Disney lacked standing in its First Amendment lawsuit against the Republican governor, the secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and DeSantis' appointees to the Disney World governing district. The separate lawsuit is still pending in state court in Orlando.
Disney had argued that legislation signed by DeSantis and passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature that transferred control of the Disney World governing district from Disney supporters to DeSantis appointees was in retaliation for the company publicly opposing the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law. The 2022 law banned classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades and was championed by DeSantis, who recently suspended his campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
Disney supporters had run the district, which provides municipal services such as firefighting, planning and mosquito control, for more than five decades after the Legislature created it in 1967.
Winsor, who was appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump in 2019, said in his decision that Disney didn't have standing to sue the governor because DeSantis already had picked the appointees to the board of the governing district.
"Because Disney seeks injunctive relief, it must allege an imminent future injury ... and it has not alleged facts showing that any imminent future appointments will contribute to its harm," the judge wrote.
In dismissing the claim against the DeSantis appointees to the district's board, Winsor wrote that when a law on its face is constitutional, plaintiffs can't make free-speech claims challenging it because they believe lawmakers acted with unconstitutional motives. The law that revamped Disney World's district didn't single out Disney by name but rather special districts created before the ratification of the Florida Constitution, a group that included the Disney district and a handful of other districts, he said.
"Here, similarly, no one reading the text of the challenged laws would suppose them directed against Disney," the judge wrote. "The laws do not mention Disney."
Disney plans to appeal the decision.
"This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here," the company said in a statement. "If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with."
The governor's press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, said the judge's decision supported DeSantis' belief that Disney doesn't have a right to its "own special government."
"The days of Disney controlling its own government and being placed above the law are long gone," Redfern said.
Before control of the district changed hands from Disney allies to DeSantis appointees early last year, the Disney supporters on its board signed agreements with Disney shifting control over design and construction at Disney World to the company. The new DeSantis appointees claimed the "eleventh-hour deals" neutered their powers, and the district sued the company in state court in Orlando to have the contracts voided.
Disney has filed counterclaims which include asking the state court to declare the agreements valid and enforceable.
Since the takeover of the district by the DeSantis appointees, around 50 of its 370 employees have departed, with many complaining that the district has become politicized and the backgrounds of the five DeSantis appointees have been distracting.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.
Rental vacancy rates are the lowest in the country leaving renters in some Canadians cities priced out. Here's the least affordable places to rent.
A New Brunswick widow is urging Canadians with symptoms of Strep A to get tested or go to the hospital so that other families don’t have to deal with a loss like hers did.
A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937?
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) seized 406 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine at a southern Manitoba border crossing earlier this month.
At least four flights reported 'multiple lights sometimes in a triangle formation' high above the Canadian Prairies one morning earlier this month, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CTVNews.ca.
B.C.'s small claims tribunal has weighed in on two cases where employers attempted to sue workers who quit without providing the notice required by their contracts.
Worried that it may disappear for good, residents in Cape Ray, N.L. tied up a mysterious shipwreck on Tuesday, anchoring it to the beach in a bid to preserve the wreckage and find some answers about its origins.
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022, which is part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/u-s-federal-judge-dismisses-disney-s-free-speech-lawsuit-against-desantis-1.6750282
| 2024-01-31T23:21:10Z
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Reyna is a Red! USMNT star Gio ends Borussia Dortmund nightmare as he completes Nottingham Forest loan moveRitabrata BanerjeeGetty ImagesGiovanni ReynaNottingham ForestTransfersBorussia DortmundPremier LeagueBundesligaUSAUSMNT star Gio Reyna has completed his loan move to Nottingham Forest from Borussia Dortmund.Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowReyna completes Forest loan moveContract valid until the end of the seasonSaw his game time reduced at Dortmund
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https://www.goal.com/en-sg/lists/gio-reyna-usmnt-borussia-dortmund-nightmare-nottingham-forest-loan/blt17d4dd7b86b697e1
| 2024-01-31T23:21:10Z
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Jorge Rubiano arrived alone in Chicago, but his pain and trauma came with him.
For months, he tried to find steady work. For months, he's been sleeping in a crowded temporary shelter, worrying about his wife and mother back in Colombia. Are they safe? Did I make the right decision?
He recalls a frightening phone call with his wife in Colombia, cut short when the bus she was riding on was being robbed.
Rubiano, 43, is also haunted by memories of his harrowing journey to Chicago, during which he says he was kidnapped for a month, before escaping.
He left his country, he says, over a land dispute in which the government threatened his life.
"I'm still in between two dangers," Rubiano says in Spanish. "If I return it's very possible they kill me, and if I stay I don't know what can happen here."
More than 30,000 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago since August of 2022 — most of them from South and Central America. They are fleeing the collapse of their economies, a lack of food and jobs, and violence back home.
Many came here on a bus from Texas, sent by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who said Chicago — and other so-called sanctuary cities that embrace immigrants — would provide much-needed relief "to our small, overrun border towns."
The buses haven't stopped since.
Migrants fleeing hardship, danger, fear and loss
Interviews with more than 30 people reveal the emotional toll migrants face, and the efforts of individuals and organizations that are trying to fill the gaps of a frayed mental health system.
Some of those efforts are catching the attention of leaders in other big U.S. cities also coping with large influxes of newly-arrived migrants.
For many, their journeys here were terrifying. A young girl who fell into a river, her pregnant mother struggling to hold her small hand, so the current wouldn't whisk her away. Women who were forced to have sex with gang members to get from country to country. People who walked over the dead in the jungle, or are wracked with guilt over the sick and injured left behind.
Their stories have unfolded across Chicago: in the quiet space of a therapist's office, at an informal healing circle in the back of a store, with a nurse at a folding table propped up outside a police station.
But for many migrants, taking care of their mental health might not be a priority.
"They're in survival mode," says Sharon Davila, a school-based social worker who has screened migrant families. "They need their basic needs met. The number one thing is they're looking for jobs."
Just getting in front of a therapist or a social worker can be extremely difficult for even the most savvy and persistent. With a shortage of mental health workers, wait lists for an appointment can be months long.
Layer on being new to this country, speaking a different language, and having no health insurance. Getting help can seem impossible.
Therapist Susie Moya worries about a mental health crisis brewing for many migrants.
"Right now it's on the back burner," says Moya, who has worked with migrants on Chicago's Lower West Side. "But I'm thinking a year from now when these families are settled in. Who is going to be providing that support?"
Informal support, with a side of soup
It's a Monday night in the back room of an insurance agency on the Southwest Side. About 20 migrants have arranged their chairs in a circle. Each person takes a turn describing how they feel on a scale of one to 10, as social worker Veronica Sanchez gently encourages them to share why.
Warm homemade chicken soup and arepas await them for dinner.
A woman says her husband got deported, and she's heartbroken that she left her children behind. A man says he worked several days that week, but never got paid. Another says he is grateful to God for bringing him to America, but he misses his mom, dad and brothers.
Finding work and reuniting with family is important, Sanchez tells them. But right now she's concerned about their mental health.
"Maybe we have answers. Maybe we don't. But when you open up a safe space where you can share your sorrows... you don't feel so alone," Sanchez says in Spanish.
Sanchez understands the migrants' desperation. She comes from a long line of pottery makers in Mexico. Sanchez was just four years old when her father left to work in Cicero, a suburb outside Chicago. She didn't see her father for almost seven years, until they were reunited as a family in Cicero.
Those memories fuel her work with the healing circle. "When I was talking to them, it really came from the heart," Sanchez says. "I was seeing the migrants' faces, that they were so scared."
Informal support groups like this one have popped up around Chicago in shelters, storefronts, churches and schools, led by volunteers or mental health professionals.
Many of these support groups don't last long. Volunteers get burned out. Migrants prioritize other needs. Or the city moves them from place to place.
The costs of ignoring loss and trauma
Some volunteers and mental health providers emphasize that not every migrant might be experiencing severe trauma.
But for many, trauma can have lasting impact. Trauma can change the wiring in a person's brain and make someone more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.
Daily or ongoing stressors can add up to what Chicago psychologist Laura Pappa calls "little t trauma" — like not feeling welcomed right away.
"A lot of people come here seeking the American dream and they realize that that's not there," says Pappa, who came to the U.S. from Argentina as a teen. "A lot of people were not expecting that, how hard it is on this side. I've had a lot of parents who've come alone and ask themselves, was it worth it?"
It can be hard to persuade migrants to seek help, however. There's a stigma about the need for mental health care in many immigrant communities, particularly among Latino men, Pappa says.
But, she adds, the stigma is easing as talking about emotions becomes more common.
Training the front-line workers in shelters
One effort to provide faster help involves training hundreds of peoplewho don't have a medical background, but work in city-run shelters. These front-line workers, such as case managers and shelter supervisors, are learning to lead support groups called Café y Comunidad charlas — coffee and community talks.
The initiative is led by the Coalition for Immigrant Mental Health, the University of Chicago's Crown Family School, and Lurie Children's Center for Childhood Resilience.
The idea is to help migrants feel less isolated and try to prevent the most extreme outcomes, such as suicide.
"We have to help people the minute they arrive," explainsAimee Hilado, an assistant professor at UC's Crown School and chair of the coalition. "That's actually going to promote healing down the line."
Case manager Albert Ayala has led a charla in the ballroom of a downtown shelter. He recalls moments of joy, such as when a woman said she was searching for love — and hands shot up hoping to catch her attention.
Ayala says he's watched migrants who arrive scared and shy blossom after attending a charla.
"We try to tell them we're no different from you," says Ayala, who is Mexican American. "Your dream is possible."
Leaders in Philadelphia and San Jose have reached out asking how to replicate the effort, Hilado says.
Outside his shelter, Rubiano, the migrant from Colombia, says he hasn't attended one of these support groups. He says he tries to keep busy working on his English skills. And he recently found a full-time job in a supermarket.
He longs for his family, and for the chance to bring them here — once there is a stable life he can offer them.
WBEZ is part of the Mental Health Parity Collaborative, a group of newsrooms covering stories on mental health care access and inequities in the U.S. The Collaborative's partners include The Carter Center, the Center for Public Integrity and newsrooms in select states across the country.
WBEZ's Manuel Martinez contributed to this report.
Copyright 2024 WBEZ
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/for-chicagos-new-migrants-informal-support-groups-help-ease-the-pain-and-trauma
| 2024-01-31T23:21:11Z
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Southern Gaza has seen the heaviest fighting over the past few weeks. But bombing has restarted in the north and the humanitarian situation has worsened there.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Southern Gaza has seen the heaviest fighting over the past few weeks. But bombing has restarted in the north and the humanitarian situation has worsened there.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kuaf.com/npr-news/2024-01-31/as-israel-resumes-bombing-in-the-north-thousands-of-gazans-face-desperate-conditions
| 2024-01-31T23:21:13Z
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NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Vivian McCall, reporter for The Stranger, about recent raids in Seattle's gay bars. Members of the city's LGBTQ-plus community are looking for answers.
Copyright 2024 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Vivian McCall, reporter for The Stranger, about recent raids in Seattle's gay bars. Members of the city's LGBTQ-plus community are looking for answers.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/2024-01-31/seattles-queer-community-is-furious-after-gay-bars-were-raided-over-the-weekend
| 2024-01-31T23:21:13Z
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VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- (TSX: LUN) (Nasdaq Stockholm: LUMI) Lundin Mining Corporation ("Lundin Mining" or the "Company") reports the following updated share capital and voting rights, in accordance with the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act:
The number of issued and outstanding shares of the Company has increased by 250,555 to 773,918,344 common shares with voting rights as of January 31, 2024. The increase in the number of issued and outstanding shares from January 1, 2024 to date is a result of the exercise of employee stock options or the vesting of employee share units.
About Lundin MiningLundin Mining is a diversified Canadian base metals mining company with operations and projects in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Portugal, Sweden and the United States of America, primarily producing copper, zinc, gold and nickel.
The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of Lundin Mining under the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out below on January 31, 2024 at 14:30 Pacific Time.
CONTACT: Stephen Williams, Vice President, Investor Relations: +1 604 806 3074; Robert Eriksson, Investor Relations Sweden: +46 8 440 54 50
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/lundin-mining-announces-updated-share-capital-and-voting-rights-302049913.html
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https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2024-01/61285769-lundin-mining-corporation-lundin-mining-announces-updated-share-capital-and-voting-rights-008.htm
| 2024-01-31T23:21:13Z
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The full group buying the Baltimore Orioles at a $1.725 billion valuation was revealed Wednesday, and it had a very big name for the club's fans.
Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. is one of nine names that was revealed in the Orioles' announcement of the sale by the Angelos family, which was reported Tuesday. The group is led by two billionaires in Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein and Ares Management co-founder Michael Arougheti, with Rubenstein as the controlling owner.
In addition to Ripken, other shareholders include NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg, former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke and business names Michele Kang, Mitchell Goldstein and Michael Smith.
The deal is still pending approval from MLB's other owners. Per previous reports, the new group will acquire 40% control of the Orioles, with the remainder transferring following the death of patriarch Peter Angelos. The Angelos family will reportedly still retain a "sizable interest" in the team.
Ripken is the Orioles' all-time leader in games played, hits, home runs and many other statistics. Since his retirement in 2001, the 63-year-old has built up a business portfolio that includes the Aberdeen Ironbirds, an Orioles minor-league affiliate.
Ripken had signaled an interest in purchasing a stake of the Orioles as far back as 2007. Now, he'll be part of the group steering the team where he, his brother Billy and his father Cal Sr. played or coached for a combined 64 years.
The Orioles have been a part of my life since I was a child, and this is a special day. I look forward to this opportunity and will do whatever I can to help the organization. Let’s go O’s!
— Cal Ripken, Jr. (@CalRipkenJr) January 31, 2024
Bringing in Ripken is a good way for a group of billionaires to endear themselves to the fanbase, but the team's fans will obviously be wanting more.
The Orioles are being sold at promising, but pivotal time in franchise history. The team is coming off a 2023 season in which it went 101-61, its best record since 1979, and boasts one of the most impressive collections young talent in MLB between young stars like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson and a farm system led by baseball's top prospect in Jackson Holliday.
At this point, the Orioles' priority will be finding supporting pieces for their young stars and trying to sign them to long-term extension. The Angelo family earned the fanbase's ire with its hesitance to spend in a sport where payroll size heavily correlates with consistent winning and it will be up to the new ownership group to show it will do business differently.
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https://www.wdbo.com/news/national/cal-ripken-jr-grant/OE7XKTC6RQ42EFF6WPMRSSPZ7E/
| 2024-01-31T23:21:15Z
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Debates over Trent Alexander-Arnold's best position in this Liverpool team will rumble on, but right now, it's difficult to make a case for the England international not to be moved into midfield given the form Conor Bradley has shown while covering at right-back.
The 20-year-old has impressed plenty in recent weeks, but against Chelsea on Wednesday, he was superb, as he netted his first Reds goal and assisted two more in the Premier League leaders' 4-1 win over the Blues on Merseyside.
After Darwin Nunez went close on a couple of occasions, Liverpool broke the deadlock through Diogo Jota, who ran onto Bradley's pass and bustled his way through two Chelsea defenders to poke home. Bradley then doubled the lead with a superb angled drive after being freed down the right.
Nunez missed the chance to make it 3-0 before half-time when he hit the post with a penalty, but the Reds soon put that behind them after the break as Dominik Szoboszlai headed in a sumptuous Bradley cross.
Chelsea threatened a comeback when Christopher Nkunku netted with 20 minutes to play, but after Nunez again hit the woodwork with a header, Luis Diaz settled things with a close-range finish to ensure the Reds' first Premier League game since Jurgen Klopp announced his intention to leave the club ended in victory.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield...
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https://www.goal.com/en-sg/lists/liverpool-player-ratings-chelsea-conor-bradley-jurgen-klopp/blt56016321d56dc0dd
| 2024-01-31T23:21:16Z
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From the occupied West Bank, an emergency hotline assists rescue efforts in Gaza By Aya Batrawy Published January 31, 2024 at 3:39 PM MST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Flipboard Listen • 5:17 NPR visits an emergency hotline center in the West Bank assisting first responders in the Gaza Strip. Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2024-01-31/from-the-occupied-west-bank-an-emergency-hotline-assists-rescue-efforts-in-gaza
| 2024-01-31T23:21:18Z
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NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with constitutional scholar Philip Bobbitt about the effort from House Republicans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Copyright 2024 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with constitutional scholar Philip Bobbitt about the effort from House Republicans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kuaf.com/npr-news/2024-01-31/constitutional-scholar-says-gop-charges-against-mayorkas-dont-meet-impeachment-bar
| 2024-01-31T23:21:19Z
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Scientists have found that spiderwebs can be used to capture environmental DNA, which reflects the animal population of an area. The technique may help track the biodiversity of an ecosystem.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Scientists have found that spiderwebs can be used to capture environmental DNA, which reflects the animal population of an area. The technique may help track the biodiversity of an ecosystem.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/2024-01-31/spiderwebs-could-offer-a-snapshot-of-an-ecosystem-study-shows
| 2024-01-31T23:21:20Z
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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 31, 2024 / Pelangio Exploration Inc. (TSXV:PX)(OTC PINK:PGXPF) ("Pelangio" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on 2023 activities and the outlook for 2024 for its projects in Ghana and Canada.
Highlights - 2023
- Exploration resumed at Pelangio's district scale Obuasi Project, adjacent to the giant high-grade Obuasi Mine
- Pelangio's Obuasi Project benefits from an agreement with TuNya Mineral Resources Ltd. ("TuNya") to provide both exploration expenditures and access to significant technical expertise
- The recently completed Manfo Project drill program extended mineralization in both the Pokukrom East and West deposits, demonstrating resource growth potential with continued step-out drilling
- Canada Nickel Company's ("Canada Nickel") significant discovery on its Mann Northwest property enhances interest in Pelangio's adjacent Mann property (2.2 km away)
- Barrick Gold Inc. ("Barrick") began exploration on Hemlo Explorer's Pic property, which surrounds Pelangio's Seeley Lake property
- First Mining Gold Corp ("First Mining") began exploration on Pelangio's Birch Lake property which is adjacent to First Mining's Springpole Gold Project
Outlook - 2024
- Obuasi project continues with the TuNya-funded exploration program on the Obuasi Project and will focus on two large target areas in the southwest corner of the property closest to the Obuasi Mine property, the Obuasi and NGA target areas
- TuNya's exploration program will also cover the Tarkwaian geology which has been under-explored to date
- Resource extension drilling and exploration drilling planned for the Manfo project
- Record Gold is expected to complete $250,000 of exploration at Pelangio's Grenfell property under the terms of the option agreement
- First Mining will complete further exploration at Pelangio's Birch Lake under the terms of the option agreement
- Barrick is continuing exploration on Hemlo's Pic Project including a 2,500 m drill program
- Pelangio is considering strategic opportunities for Canadian properties which are prospective for silver, zinc, nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, and platinum group elements (PGEs)
"2023 provided very positive developments for Pelangio in Ghana and Canada," comments Ingrid Hibbard, President and CEO of Pelangio. "We're pleased to resume exploration at our Obuasi Project following settlement of outstanding litigation between vendors of two of the four concessions of the Obuasi property. We entered into an agreement with TuNya, which provides both exploration funding and access to a technical team with over 125 years of combined experience on the extremely prolific Ashanti gold belt, including significant experience at the Obuasi mine itself. We anticipate this additional knowledge to provide real value to the development of the next phase of exploration at Obuasi."
"In addition, our drill program at our Manfo Project on the Sefwi Belt in Ghana extended known mineralization at the southern ends of both the Pokukrom East and West deposits. Potential remains to establish additional extensions to the mineralization and to grow the Manfo resource with continued drilling at a number of the targets yet to be drilled around these deposits, plus exploration drill testing of multiple targets across the property.
"In Canada, several of our properties are benefitting from exploration completed by others. We anticipate exploration at both our Birch Lake and Grenfell properties to be completed by our option partners, First Mining and Record Gold, in 2024. Our Seeley property near Hemlo will benefit from exploration, including 2,500 m of drilling completed by Barrick on Hemlo Explorer's Pic Project. Our Mann property has benefitted from new data provided by the significant discovery made by Canada Nickel on its adjacent Mann Northwest Project."
GHANA
Manfo Project
The 96 km² Manfo project, located in the Sefwi-Bibiani Belts 15 km southeast of Newmont's Ahafo gold mine and 40 km north of Asante Gold's Bibiani gold mine, has recently been Pelangio's exploration focus in Ghana. Refer to Figure 1. In 2013, SRK Consulting estimated the project hosts a gold mineral resource of 195,000 oz (at 1.52 g/t Au) Indicated and 298,000 oz (at 0.96 g/t Au) Inferred with the bulk of the resource contained in the two Pokukrom deposits.¹
In 2021, Pelangio identified opportunities to grow the project through step-out drill testing of open-ended mineralization in the known deposits to demonstrate possible extensions that would be further drilled for potential resource addition, plus drill testing of multiple exploration targets along and near the 9 km of mineralized structures within the property. A multi-phase 3,700 m diamond drill program was planned of which
1,423 m has been drilled to date.
The 2023 drill program, detailed in Pelangio's July 24, 2023 news release, tested for strike and down-dip extensions in select areas of both Pokukrom East and West deposits, in addition to a soil plus auger gold geochemical target sitting on the western flank of Pokukrom East. The drill hole south of Pokukrom West returned an intercept of 1.88 g/t Au over 13 m, including 4.01 g/t over 4 m. The shallow oxide mineralization is still open further to the south and the potential remains to expand the Pokukrom West resource with further drilling to the south. The down-dip drill test at the shallower southern end of Pokukrom East intercepted 0.71 g/t Au over 20 m plus 1.66 g/t Au over 7 m, including 1 m of 8.43 g/t Au. The mineralization remains open down-dip in this area and there is potential to expand the resource to depth here.
The 2023 program followed the 2021 program at Pokukrom West. The first hole of the 2021 program was drilled in the midst of previous drilling to gain a better understanding of the structural controls on the mineralization. It returned an intercept of 3.81 g/t Au over 15 m, including 5.65 g/t Au over 7 m - better than surrounding holes. The second hole tested for the down-plunge continuation of the Pokukrom West lode. It returned an encouraging intercept of 3.19 g/t Au over 12 m, including 6.85 g/t Au over 3 m, demonstrating that the Pokukrom West deposit does in fact continue down-plunge. Table 1 summarizes the significant drill intercepts at Pokukrom from the 2021 and 2023 programs, and Figure 2 illustrates the drill hole locations.
With a number of targets yet to be drilled in the planned resource step-out diamond drilling program around the Pokukrom deposits, potential remains to establish additional extensions to mineralization and potentially grow the resource with infill drilling. This would be followed with a resource estimation update for Manfo which, at a higher gold price than the US$1,450/oz used in the 2013 MRE, is expected to result in some addition to the Manfo project gold resource. In addition, a 7,000 m exploration air-core drilling program is planned to test up to 21 previously untested geological, geochemical, and structural targets along and near the 9 km long main structural corridor, which could yield satellite deposit discoveries that might also add significantly to the project. With a defined gold mineral resource and a number of opportunities remaining to add to it, Manfo continues to be Pelangio's priority in Ghana.
- The Manfo mineral resource estimation was conducted by SRK Consulting and published in June 2013. (Refer to the Mineral Resource Evaluation Technical Report, Manfo Gold Project, by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., released on June 21, 2013 and available on Pelangio's website). The resource estimation was made in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects at the time of the mineral resource estimation in 2013. NI 43-101 standards for disclosure have been amended multiple times since 2013 and as a result, Pelangio's 2013 resource estimate is no longer NI 43-101 compliant under the current standards.
Obuasi Project
Pelangio's 100% owned Obuasi project covers 284 km² immediately adjacent to and on geological strike with AngloGold Ashanti's 25 Moz Obuasi Mine. Refer to Figures 1 and 3. The Obuasi project is also immediately adjacent to TuNya's property, which hosts the Kyereboso deposit. Obuasi was Pelangio's flagship project in Ghana from 2007 to 2011. With the recent litigation settlement and a recently signed binding letter of intent ("LOI") to option a portion of the Obuasi property to TuNya Mineral Resources, Pelangio is turning new focus to the Obuasi project.
Early exploration activity plus subsequent and more recent data reanalysis, prospectivity and targeting exercises prioritized two large principal target areas for follow-up exploration situated in the southwestern corner of the property closest to the Obuasi Mine property. The Obuasi Targets area covers the strike extension of geological stratigraphy along which the Obuasi deposits lie. The NGA Targets area straddles the main Birimian-Tarkwaian metasedimentary contact and has seen minimal drill testing by Pelangio, although two drill holes returned high grades over narrow widths, including 24.50 g/t Au over 1 m and 11.28 g/t Au over 2 m. This high-grade prospect will likely be one of the first revisited after completion of the work by TuNya.
Ongoing work on the Obuasi project will continue the desktop target development and ranking exercise, augmented by fieldwork to include a comprehensive review of drill core, detailed field mapping and a structural study. This effort will be conducted largely by TuNya's "Obuasi experts." Pelangio and TuNya's LOI includes an option for TuNya to earn into an 80% interest on the southern portion of Pelangio's Obuasi project covering principally Tarkwaian geology. For details, refer to Pelangio's July 31, 2023 news release. This allows TuNya to explore the Tarkwaian for extensions and additions to their Kyereboso deposit that could result in a more robust project for them, while Pelangio maintains a 20% interest in ground that was unlikely to be explored by Pelangio over the near term. In exchange, TuNya will undertake a comprehensive review of Pelangio's Obuasi property prospects, focusing on the Obuasi and NGA Target areas and utilizing their personnel who have considerable senior technical and management experience at the Obuasi Mine and elsewhere along the Ashanti Belt.
Working with TuNya and their new products, Pelangio expects to be able to develop a more informed ranked target list for ongoing Obuasi exploration. At the same time, Pelangio plans to enhance this with improved geochemical and geophysical datasets through targeted auger drilling programs plus a high resolution airborne aeromagnetic survey covering the western third of the Obuasi property. As has been done in the past at Obuasi, upon completion of these programs, an AI (artificial intelligence) prospectivity platform can be utilized to generate smarter exploration targets with better, more detailed datasets. This work will be guided by the Obuasi expertise of TuNya's technical people, including a structural geologist, a geophysicist, and a GIS specialist. These efforts should ultimately delineate the very best targets for drill testing. Drill testing will initially be performed at shallow depths, followed by deeper probes as and where warranted.
Dankran Project
Pelangio entered into an option agreement to acquire the Dankran property adjacent to the Obuom mine and contiguous to the northeast corner of Pelangio's Obuasi property in late 2020.Refer to Figure 3. The Dankran project, which is now 100% owned by Pelangio, has shown evidence of high-grade gold potential on the Obuasi-Obuom trend from limited, shallow (<70 m vertical) RC drill testing, which warrants follow up drilling. While currently a lower priority than Pelangio's Manfo and Obuasi projects, the Dankran project represents an early-stage, high-grade gold exploration opportunity hosting 7 km of underexplored strike of the Ashanti Belt, 25 km away from the world-class Obuasi Mine.
CANADA
Birch Lake Project
Pelangio's 100% owned Birch Lake Project is located within the Birch-Uchi Belt, 120 km northeast of Red Lake and contiguous with First Mining Gold's claims covering the Springpole deposit, approximately 3 km from the proposed open pit. See Figure 4. First Mining has an initial option to earn a 51% interest in the project by paying Pelangio $220,000, issuing 2,100,000 shares and spending $1,500,000 in exploration over seven years, since the signing of their earn-in agreement in 2021. First Mining has an additional option to increase its interest to 80% by spending an additional $1,750,000 in exploration and paying $400,000 in cash or shares over two years.
During 2022-2023, First Mining conducted mapping and geochemical sampling and flew the Birch Lake property with an electromagnetic and magnetic survey as part of an extensive district-wide airborne survey. One target was drilled and additional drilling is anticipated in 2024, dependent on weather conditions and permitting.
Grenfell Project
Pelangio's Grenfell property is located 10 km northwest of the Macassa Mine owned by Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited. In 2022, Pelangio granted Record Gold the option to acquire an 80% interest in the Grenfell property by paying Pelangio $60,000 and incurring $2,000,000 in exploration expenditures over five years. To maintain the option, Record Gold shall pay $60,000 and complete $250,000 of exploration expenditures by August 19, 2024.
Pelangio conducted two diamond drilling programs in 2020 and 2021 with notable drilling results of
1.32 g/t Au over 26.0m including 314 g/t Au over 1.74 m (uncut) and 10.95 g/t Au over 3.00 m including 23.40 g/t Au over 1.00 m.
Seeley Project
Pelangio's 100% owned Seeley Project located near Hemlo, Ontario, is surrounded by the Pic Project owned by Hemlo Explorers. See Figure 5. Previous work on the project by Pelangio in 1997 and 2008 included gold results of 4.71 g Au/t over 1 m and 4.85 g Au/t over 2 m, associated with anomalous copper and zinc values, and indicated alteration and a geologic setting similar to that found with volcanic-associated massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, which are frequently sources of metals such as copper, lead, and zinc. In 2009 mapping, prospecting and soil sampling resulted in seven anomalies around previous Pelangio drilling. The geological mapping and whole rock analysis indicated potential for gold deposits and identified ultramafic rocks anomolous in nickel. Notably, Barrick is completing a 2,500 m drill program on Hemlo Explorer's Pic project.
Mann Project
Pelangio's 100% owned Mann project has come to the forefront with a recent nearby discovery by Canada Nickel Company. Canada Nickel is advancing their 2 billion tonne Crawford nickel project and aggressively exploring multiple properties in the district. The Mann Property is located in Mann Township, 50 km northeast of the City of Timmins, and covers an area of approximately 2 km². Pelangio's patented claims (mining and surface rights) cover a portion of a large ultramafic intrusive complex that is prospective for nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium and PGEs close to where Canada Nickel has just reported assays from a significant new discovery on their Mann Northwest Property surrounding Pelangio's patented claims (see Canada Nickel's August 22, 2023 release). See Figure 6.
Canada Nickel drilled eight holes from May to July 2023, testing 2.7 km of strike. Each hole returned multi-hundred-meter-wide intersections of "strongly serpentinized peridotite, dunite and pyroxenite with fine mineralization throughout." Canada Nickel reported assays from five of the eight holes drilled which were all mineralized with significant nickel, platinum and palladium values returning up to 348.5 m of 0.23% Ni and 0.04 g/t Pt+Pd including 33 m of 0.31% Ni and 0.057 g/t Pt+Pd. This hole also ended with 28.9 m of 0.52 g/t Pt+Pd. Canada Nickel's drill holes are located 2.2 km from Pelangio's Mann property boundary. The Mann patents cover historical airborne electromagnetic anomalies that experienced limited shallow drill testing by Inco from 1948 to 1951 and returned significant nickel values over narrow widths. Given the very significant nearby discovery by Canada Nickel, Pelangio is currently considering exploration programs to evaluate the potential of the property.
Qualified Person
Mr. Kevin Thomson, P.Geo. (Ontario, #0191), is a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Thomson approved the technical data disclosed in this release.
About Pelangio
Pelangio acquires and explores world-class land packages on strategic gold belts in Ghana, West Africa, and Canada. In Ghana, the Company is exploring its two 100% owned camp-sized properties: the 100 km2 Manfo property, the site of seven near-surface gold discoveries, and the 284 km2 Obuasi property, located 4 km on strike and adjacent to AngloGold Ashanti's prolific high-grade Obuasi Mine, as well as its Dankran property located adjacent to its Obuasi property. In Canada, the company has several gold properties and two critical minerals properties. See www.pelangio.com for further details.
For additional information, please visit our website at www.pelangio.com, or contact:
Ingrid Hibbard, President and CEO
Tel: 905-336-3828 / Toll-free: 1-877-746-1632 / Email: info@pelangio.com
Appendix
Figure 1. Location of Pelangio's Gold Projects in southwest Ghana
Table 1: Significant Results of the 2021 and 2023 Diamond Drilling Programs at Manfo
* Assay composites using a 0.4 g/t Au cut-off. Intervals of internal dilution do not exceed 2m < 0.4 g/t Au.
Figure 2. 2021 and 2023 Drilling on the Pokukrom Deposits, Manfo Project
Figure 3. Location of Pelangio's Obuasi and Dankran Projects in Relation to AngloGold Ashanti's Obuasi Mine
Figure 4. Pelangio Birch Lake Project
Figure 5. Pelangio's Seeley Lake Project
Figure 6. Location of Pelangio's Mann Property in Relation to Canada Nickel's New Mann Northwest Discovery
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements herein may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements or information appear in a number of places and can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information include statements regarding the Company's strategy of acquiring large land packages in areas of sizeable gold mineralization, and the Company's ability to complete the planned exploration programs. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, we have made numerous assumptions, including assumptions about the state of the equity markets. Such forward-looking statements and information are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement or information. Such risks include the changes in equity markets, share price volatility, volatility of global and local economic climate, gold price volatility, political developments in Ghana and Canada, increases in costs, exchange rate fluctuations, speculative nature of gold exploration, including the risk that favourable exploration results may not be obtained, delays due to COVID-19 safety protocols, and other risks involved in the gold exploration industry. See the Company's annual and quarterly financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statement and information. There can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information referenced herein will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Also, many of the factors are beyond the control of the Company. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward- looking statements or information. We undertake no obligation to reissue or update any forward-looking statements or information except as required by law. All forward-looking statements and information herein are qualified by this cautionary statement.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE: Pelangio Exploration Inc.
View the original press release on accesswire.com
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| 2024-01-31T23:21:20Z
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CHICAGO — (AP) — Chicago's City Council narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday calling for a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas, with Mayor Brandon Johnson casting the tiebreaking vote.
The symbolic declaration in the nation's third-largest city follows weeks of rowdy public meetings with disruptions from demonstrators, including on Wednesday when things became so boisterous the first-term mayor had to temporarily clear the council chambers. The resolution, approved 24-23, includes a call for humanitarian aid and the the release of all hostages. Supporters in the chambers included the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Chicago is latest U.S. city to approve such a non-binding resolution, following Atlanta, Detroit and San Francisco in recent months.
“Do I believe that the words that we speak today, how we vote today influences directly international policy? I don’t. I don’t have those illusions," said Alderman Daniel La Spata, one of the resolution's sponsors. "But we vote with hope. We vote with solidarity. We vote to help people feel heard in a world of silence.”
The ordinance remained largely unchanged over the past few months despite urging from the council's sole Jewish member, Alderwoman Debra Silverstein, who sought more support of Israel and criticism of Hamas.
“We all want an end to the bloodshed and an end to the war. But it is vital to understand what caused the conflict, and we should pass a resolution that addresses the issue responsibly,” she said during the meeting. “We should not pass a resolution unless it makes clear that Hamas cannot and should not attack again.”
The war began with Hamas attacking Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 26,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million others from their homes.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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| 2024-01-31T23:21:22Z
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Do Man City even need Erling Haaland?! Norwegian hitman returns from injury with Pep Guardiola's side cruising against BurnleyJames HunsleyGetty ImagesErling HaalandManchester CityManchester City vs BurnleyPremier LeagueErling Haaland made a welcome return from injury on Wednesday, with Pep Guardiola bringing him on during Manchester City's win over Burnley.Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues belowHaaland had been sidelined with injuryBrought on against BurnleyCity already cruising in PL clash
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| 2024-01-31T23:21:23Z
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Lawmakers grilled the CEOs of top social media companies in a hearing today By Dara Kerr Published January 31, 2024 at 3:21 PM MST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Flipboard Listen • 3:45 During a contentious hearing, lawmakers demanded that social media companies do better to protect children online. Copyright 2024 NPR
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| 2024-01-31T23:21:24Z
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Drugmaker Biogen is pulling the plug on its controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm, following disappointing sales. It had been expected to be a blockbuster product.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Drugmaker Biogen is pulling the plug on its controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm, following disappointing sales. It had been expected to be a blockbuster product.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kuaf.com/npr-news/2024-01-31/expected-to-be-a-big-deal-alzheimers-drug-is-pulled-after-disappointing-sales
| 2024-01-31T23:21:25Z
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New reports show a big academic recovery after schools reopened. But not for all students. Stanford professor Sean Reardon tells NPR's Mary Louise Kelly how the pandemic worsened education inequality.
Copyright 2024 NPR
New reports show a big academic recovery after schools reopened. But not for all students. Stanford professor Sean Reardon tells NPR's Mary Louise Kelly how the pandemic worsened education inequality.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/2024-01-31/u-s-students-are-starting-to-catch-up-in-school-unless-theyre-from-a-poor-area
| 2024-01-31T23:21:26Z
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PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / January 31, 2024 / The abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds (NYSE:ASGI)(NYSE American:THQ, THW), (the "Funds" or individually the "Fund"), today announced that the Funds paid the distributions noted in the table below on January 31, 2024, on a per share basis to all shareholders of record as of January 24, 2024 (ex-dividend date January 23, 2024).
Each Fund has adopted a distribution policy to provide investors with a stable distribution out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital.
Under applicable U.S. tax rules, the amount and character of distributable income for each Fund's fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related rules, the Funds may be required to indicate to shareholders the estimated source of certain distributions to shareholders.
The following tables set forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distributions for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the rules adopted thereunder. The tables have been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The tables include estimated amounts and percentages for the current distributions paid this month as well as for the cumulative distributions paid relating to fiscal year to date, from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated compositions of the distributions may vary because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies.
The Funds' estimated sources of the current distribution paid this month and for its current fiscal year to date are as follows:
* ASGI, THQ and THW have a 9/30 fiscal year end.
**includes currency gains
Where the estimated amounts above show a portion of the distribution to be a "Return of Capital," it means that Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all the money that you invested in a Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income."
The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions for the current year will only be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. After the end of each calendar year, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders for the prior calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.
The following table provides the Funds' total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Funds' annualized and cumulative distribution rates.
1 Return data is net of all Fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan.
2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of December 31, 2023.
3 The Fund launched within the past 5 years; the performance and distribution rate information presented reflects data from inception (July 29, 2020) through December 31, 2023.
Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about a Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy").
While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market.
Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Funds may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Funds during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Funds, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received.
The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. Each Fund's Board has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances.
Circular 230 disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the U.S. Treasury, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.
In the United States, abrdn is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., abrdn Investments Limited, abrdn Asia Limited, abrdn Private Equity (Europe) Limited, and abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC.
Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. A Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
https://www.abrdn.com/en-us/cefinvestorcenter#
For More Information Contact:
abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds
Investor Relations
1-800-522-5465
Investor.Relations@abrdn.com
SOURCE: abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds
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| 2024-01-31T23:21:26Z
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Everyone is aging. Right now, as you read this, you are aging. Regardless of external factors like socioeconomic status or personal factors like gender or sexual orientation, everyone is getting older all the time.
Pew Research Center found that depending on what stage of life someone is in, the perception of what is considered old changes. Respondents 18 to 29 consider 60 to be old; 60-year-olds, however, think it happens in the mid-70s.
For content creator Jordan Howlett, 26, "looking old" for his age means looking like he's in his mid-30s — which is what he talks about in his viral TikTok video that has over 22 million views.
“We live in a time nowadays where millennials look way younger for their age, while Gen Z looks way older,” Howlett claims in the video. “It is mainly because of the stress.”
Howlett does not specify what “stress” could be causing increased physical aging for this age demographic or even what stress is impacting him specifically.
Raghu Kiran Appasani, a San Francisco-based psychiatrist, told Yahoo News that there could be a connection between Gen Z and the generation's chronic stress, fueled by overexposure to breaking news and tragic events. A 2021 study from Google found that not only does Gen Z have lots of exposure to news, but they have exposure to different sources and opinions too.
“There's a lot more information overload at their fingertips,” Appasani explained. “What I would say is that they probably have a much higher degree of exposure to chronic stress than any prior generation has had.”
Stress can cause inflammation which can turn into accelerated aging. Although Appasani did not outright confirm that Gen Z is aging faster than other generations, he did say "it's not great."
“If you have a high level of stress, you're at higher risk for cardiac issues, for health issues,” he said.
But to Appasani, accelerated aging might not be the main issue for Gen Z. Instead, he argues that there’s a more internal issue at hand that should be addressed first.
The video that spawned a thousand think pieces.
Howlett told Yahoo News that he thought the somewhat self-deprecating commentary on aging would just be funny.
“I had no idea it was going to reach the magnitude that it did,” he said. “I had no idea it was going to then start a grander conversation about millennials and Gen Z aging.”
Howlett's video opened up a conversationaboutwhether all of Gen Z is "aging like milk" and aging faster than previous generations. The Gen Z age range is considered to be between 11 and 27 years old.
There was already a spark of discourse surrounding whether Gen Z's concerns with aging were valid when tweens and teenagers were filmed shopping for retinol — an anti-aging product — at Sephora. Howlett's video coincided with the internet's debate about how young is too young for anti-aging skin care — and if it's actually one of the perceived problem's causes.
“Just from my own determination, I genuinely feel like I look in my mid-30s,” Howlett told Yahoo News. “I have more wrinkles on my face than maybe the average 26-year-old. Also, I would say my beard does add a bit more age to my aesthetic.”
In terms of his day-to-day look, Howlett explained that, in addition to his beard and glasses, he dresses comfortably and prefers wearing thermal sweaters and sweatpants — clothing items he says he can understand someone associating with an older person.
Writer Ryan Broderick made a similar argument in his Garbage Day newsletter. He argues that Gen Z leans into what he's dubbed "Boca Raton-core."
“Millennials dress young and Gen Z dresses old,” Broderick writes. “[Gen Z] gravitates towards styles that are both comfortable — they are the Zoom school generation — and also flashy. They either didn’t live through or don’t remember the recession, so they don’t have the same hangups millennials do about showing off wealth.”
Outfits and facial hair aside, is there real proof that Gen Z is aging at an accelerated rate that no other generation has ever dealt with?
According to Appasani, whether Gen Z’s aging is real or imagined is beside the point. The conversation is focusing on the wrong problem.
Physical aging shouldn’t be the main concern.
What Appasani and his colleagues are actually concerned about with this generation is their mental development.
“Psychologically, the developmental stages are actually being a little bit more extended,” Appasani explained, referring to Gen Z patients. “So normally, what we would see as a normal stage as a young adult or teen is kind of extending a little bit more into their 20s.”
Appasani argues that older members of Gen Z being so preoccupied with how old they appear to other people is in fact a juvenile concern. It’s just now being experienced in their late 20s.
“It doesn't allow for them to actually dive into that developmental aspect of life, of really diving into identity and independence,” he added. “That comes back to what I was seeing initially about that stage of identity versus role, which typically happens when you're a teenager, has been extended out now into their 20s.”
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https://www.wdbo.com/news/national/discourse-around-gen/ISN7URAN44F5VIFZMJVZ3ABEHQ/
| 2024-01-31T23:21:28Z
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