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105.9 FM is currently experiencing a degraded signal due to deteriorated antenna connections. We are working to schedule repairs. You can still tune in to WBAA News on AM 920, online at wbaa.org or through the WBAA mobile app. Thank you for your patience.
Is Chicago prepared to handle an influx of migrants? | https://www.wbaa.org/2023-05-28/is-chicago-prepared-to-handle-an-influx-of-migrants | 2023-05-28 23:40:22 | 0 | https://www.wbaa.org/2023-05-28/is-chicago-prepared-to-handle-an-influx-of-migrants |
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real estate market | https://www.wdiy.org/tags/real-estate-market | 2022-07-21 01:13:52 | 1 | https://www.wdiy.org/tags/real-estate-market |
ATLANTA — One of Jamie Foxx's longtime friends has made a public appeal for prayers as the acclaimed actor and singer continues to recover in an Atlanta hospital.
Foxx, 55, was hospitalized April 11 in Atlanta after experiencing a medical complication, according to an Instagram post by his daughter Corinne Foxx.
He has since remained at an undisclosed hospital in Atlanta, according to public reports. Two weekends ago People Magazine reported, citing a source, that he was "awake and alert."
"He's OK, thank God," the source told People in an article published April 21. "He's still in the hospital, and doctors are running tests, but he's awake and alert. They're keeping him under observation."
There have been few public updates from those around Foxx in the days since.
The exact nature of the medical complication has not been made public. It occurred while Foxx was in Atlanta working on his film "Back in Action."
On Monday, hip-hop figure and film producer Charlie Mack posted to Instagram that, "I need you all to constantly keep our beloved brotha @iamjamiefoxx up whom we all love & care for dearly in our hearts, minds & prayers!!!!!"
The full post stated:
Good morning IG, I need you all to constantly keep our beloved brotha @iamjamiefoxx up whom we all lo❤️e & care for dearly in our Hearts, Minds & Prayers!!!! We need you back Bro @iamjamiefoxx you’re fighter, strong & resilient so I know your fortitude. Your not going out like that. As I always state a true champion isn’t the one that wins, it’s the one that meets & overcomes adversity!! You’re test becomes your testimony!! We all can’t wait to receive you back home to celebrate, laugh with and applaud you!! With the mercy from Allah The Creator of the Heavens & Earth!!! Oh Allah I come before you yet once again humbly asking please heal & restore our brotha @iamjamiefoxx stronger & better than before!!! I have absolutely no shame in asking pleading & begging for your merciful healing powers over our brotha now in your time not ours for miracle. I must & will thank you in advance your gracious humble servant Kareem Abdullah aka Charlie Mack Ameen!🙏🏿❤️🌙 #YouraWINNER🙏🏿❤️🖤💚🌟🤲🏿🫡💪🏿 #PrayforFOXX🤲🏿❤️🖤💚🙏🏿 #DontStopPrayin🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
Foxx and Mack have collaborated on occasions in the past, with the actor calling Mack "my brother" in a tease to Mack's movie "Brotherly Love" back in 2015 and in 2021 posting about a publicity appearance for his book "Act Like You Got Some Sense" with Mack in Philadelphia.
Mack is considered a local legend in Philadelphia, a community mainstay and "folk hero" of sorts whose connections to the hip-hop scene date back to their very beginnings. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/entertainment-news/jamie-foxx-update-charlie-mack-asking-prayers/85-fa71c464-ae1d-4346-9f6b-561e06ab286c | 2023-05-02 12:17:11 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/entertainment-news/jamie-foxx-update-charlie-mack-asking-prayers/85-fa71c464-ae1d-4346-9f6b-561e06ab286c |
When the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack gaveled in its first public hearing Thursday night, over a year and a half since the attack occurred, it needed to grab people’s attention.
So it focused on the story of two rival far-right groups, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, joining forces in the hours before riot began, their leaders huddled in a Washington garage to coordinate just blocks from the Capitol.
Enrique Tarrio, 38, a resident of Miami and leader of the Proud Boys on Jan. 6, 2021, was among those in the huddle that featured so prominently in the committee’s debut hearing as it laid out its case that the attack to disrupt certification of the 2020 election was premeditated. | https://www.wlrn.org/news/2022-06-10/enrique-tarrio-former-proud-boys-leader-takes-center-stage-in-jan-6-hearings | 2022-06-10 20:52:46 | 0 | https://www.wlrn.org/news/2022-06-10/enrique-tarrio-former-proud-boys-leader-takes-center-stage-in-jan-6-hearings |
WASHINGTON (AP) — WHY AP CALLED NORTH CAROLINA FOR TED BUDD
Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Budd lagged in early North Carolina vote counts but caught up to Democrat Cheri Beasley when totals from Election Day itself were tallied. That led The Associated Press to call the Senate race for Budd late Tuesday.
Beasley would have needed more than three-quarters of outstanding votes to catch up to Budd, a threshold she didn't reach in early totals.
Beasley served as chief justice of North Carolina's Supreme Court, would have been the state's first Black senator and had been the contest’s top fundraiser. But outside groups in the closing weeks pumped cash into the race, particularly on Budd’s behalf.
While Budd embraced the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, Beasley didn’t campaign with high-profile endorsers like President Joe Biden or former President Barack Obama.
Some saw that move as national Democrats’ concession that the contest might not be as winnable as other close races.
___
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
___
Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Why-AP-called-North-Carolina-Senate-race-for-Ted-17570122.php | 2022-11-09 07:28:05 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Why-AP-called-North-Carolina-Senate-race-for-Ted-17570122.php |
ATLANTA, April 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company announced today it is increasing its dividend by 8 cents per share on an annualized basis to a rate of $2.72 per share.
This marks the 21st consecutive year that Southern Company has raised the dividend on its common stock.
Southern Company also announced today a regular quarterly dividend – including the increase of 2 cents per share over the prior quarter – of 68 cents per share, payable June 6, 2022, to shareholders of record as of May 16, 2022. Today's action by the board ensures Southern Company will have paid a dividend to its shareholders that is equal to or greater than the previous quarter every quarter for the past 75 years.
"The excellent customer service, performance and resilience of Southern Company's superior energy businesses serves as the foundation for our overall shareholder value proposition that for decades has included dividends and dividend growth," said Southern Company chairman, president and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. "Today's action by the board reinforces our objective to provide regular, predictable, sustainable earnings-per-share and dividend growth supported by premier state-regulated utilities and energy infrastructure under long-term contracts."
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy company serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America, a leading distributed energy infrastructure company, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices below the national average. For more than a century, we have been building the future of energy and developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, advanced carbon capture technologies, natural gas, renewables, energy efficiency and storage technology. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation and a low-carbon future, Southern Company and its subsidiaries develop the customized energy solutions our customers and communities require to drive growth and prosperity. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and govern our business to the benefit of our world. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have been recognized nationally. Southern Company was named the No. 2 Best Large Employer in America in Forbes magazine's 2022 rankings. Additional accolades have been received from the U.S. Department of Defense, G.I. Jobs magazine, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, Fortune's "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and the Women's Choice Award, to name a few. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Note: Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning Southern Company's earnings-per-share and dividend growth. Southern Company cautions that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Southern Company; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Southern Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the impact of recent and future federal and state regulatory changes, including tax, environmental, and other laws and regulations to which Southern Company and its subsidiaries are subject, as well as changes in application of existing laws and regulations; the potential effects of the continued COVID-19 pandemic; the extent and timing of costs and legal requirements related to coal combustion residuals; current and future litigation or regulatory investigations, proceedings, or inquiries, including litigation and other disputes related to the Kemper County energy facility; the effects, extent, and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets in which Southern Company's subsidiaries operate, including from the development and deployment of alternative energy sources; variations in demand for electricity and natural gas; available sources and costs of natural gas and other fuels; the ability to complete necessary or desirable pipeline expansion or infrastructure projects, limits on pipeline capacity, and operational interruptions to natural gas distribution and transmission activities; transmission constraints; effects of inflation; the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction, and operation of facilities or other projects, including Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 (which includes components based on new technology that only within the last few years began initial operation in the global nuclear industry at this scale) and Plant Barry Unit 8, due to current and/or future challenges which include, but are not limited to, changes in labor costs, availability, and productivity; challenges with management of contractors or vendors; subcontractor performance; adverse weather conditions; shortages, delays, increased costs, or inconsistent quality of equipment, materials, and labor; contractor or supplier delay; delays due to judicial or regulatory action; nonperformance under construction, operating, or other agreements; operational readiness, including specialized operator training and required site safety programs; engineering or design problems or any remediation related thereto; design and other licensing-based compliance matters, including, for nuclear units, inspections and the timely submittal by Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. of the Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria documentation for each unit and the related investigations, reviews and approvals by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") necessary to support NRC authorization to load fuel; challenges with start-up activities, including major equipment failure, or system integration; and/or operational performance; and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic; the ability to overcome or mitigate the current challenges at Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 that could further impact the cost and schedule for the project; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to construction projects, such as Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, Plant Barry Unit 8, including Public Service Commission approvals and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and NRC actions; under certain specified circumstances, a decision by holders of more than 10% of the ownership interests of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 not to proceed with construction and the ability of other Vogtle owners to tender a portion of their ownership interests to Georgia Power Company ("Georgia Power") following certain construction cost increases; in the event Georgia Power becomes obligated to provide funding to Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia ("MEAG Power") with respect to the portion of MEAG Power's ownership interest in Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 involving Jacksonville Electric Authority, any inability of Georgia Power to receive repayment of such funding; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses (including satisfaction of NRC requirements), to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction; investment performance of the employee and retiree benefit plans and nuclear decommissioning trust funds; advances in technology, including the pace and extent of development of low- to no-carbon energy technologies and negative carbon concepts; performance of counterparties under ongoing renewable energy partnerships and development agreements; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including rate actions relating to return on equity, equity ratios, additional generating capacity, and fuel and other cost recovery mechanisms; the ability to successfully operate the electric utilities' generating, transmission, and distribution facilities, Southern Power's generation facilities and Southern Company Gas' natural gas distribution and storage facilities and the successful performance of necessary corporate functions; the inherent risks involved in operating and constructing nuclear generating facilities; the inherent risks involved in transporting and storing natural gas; the performance of projects undertaken by the non-utility businesses and the success of efforts to invest in and develop new opportunities; internal restructuring or other restructuring options that may be pursued; potential business strategies, including acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, which cannot be assured to be completed or beneficial to Southern Company or its subsidiaries; the ability of counterparties of Southern Company and its subsidiaries to make payments as and when due and to perform as required; the ability to obtain new short- and long-term contracts with wholesale customers; the direct or indirect effect on the Southern Company system's business resulting from cyber intrusion or physical attack and the threat of physical attacks; interest rate fluctuations and financial market conditions and the results of financing efforts; access to capital markets and other financing sources; changes in Southern Company's and any of its subsidiaries' credit ratings; the replacement of the London Interbank Offered Rate with an alternative reference rate; the ability of Southern Company's electric utilities to obtain additional generating capacity (or sell excess generating capacity) at competitive prices; catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events, political unrest, or other similar occurrences; the direct or indirect effects on the Southern Company system's business resulting from incidents affecting the U.S. electric grid, natural gas pipeline infrastructure, or operation of generating or storage resources; impairments of goodwill or long-lived assets; and the effect of accounting pronouncements issued periodically by standard-setting bodies. Southern Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information.
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SOURCE Southern Company | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/19/southern-company-increases-dividend-21st-consecutive-year-annualized-rate-rises-272-per-share/ | 2022-04-19 18:07:27 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/19/southern-company-increases-dividend-21st-consecutive-year-annualized-rate-rises-272-per-share/ |
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ferguson Crest Estate, built by Fergie and her father in 2013, has been listed by Steve Epstein of the Epstein Partners at Keller Williams Realty. Through this home, Fergie helped her dad realize his dream of planting a vineyard and creating his own wine label that provided many years of memories for Fergie, her family, and those surrounding them.
The spa-like estate, with stunning panoramic vistas encompassing The Santa Ynez Mountain Range and much of The Santa Ynez Valley, served as a retreat for family and friends. This beautiful custom estate features a 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom turn-key home, +/-5,456 square feet of single level living and is sited on +/-6.27 acres. The temperature-controlled wine cellar has been home to a variety of wines created under the Ferguson Crest label including Syrah crafted from the vineyard situated on the property.
Large bi-fold doors offer a seamless indoor-outdoor living experience with generous wrap around patios surrounding the home. Ample space for entertaining or relaxing is available in an oversized spa near the fire pit and outdoor kitchen. Inside the home you will find two primary suites, one featuring a bar/kitchenette, an expansive great room, two full laundry facilities, numerous walk-in closets offering bountiful storage, and central air conditioning. The gourmet kitchen features a 6-burner Wolf range with griddle and pot filler, a large island and walk-in pantry. Parking is abundant in one of the four garages as well as the various motor courts.
Fergie's estate encompasses Santa Ynez Valley luxury living at its best!
Contact: Steve Epstein, Epstein Partners, Steve@TheEpsteinPartners.com
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SOURCE Epstein Partners | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/10/14/fergie-lists-her-luxurious-solvang-estate-with-sweeping-valley-vistas-syrah-vineyard/ | 2022-10-14 21:38:18 | 1 | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/10/14/fergie-lists-her-luxurious-solvang-estate-with-sweeping-valley-vistas-syrah-vineyard/ |
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday afternoon's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Daily Three-Midday" game were:
6-1-1, SB: 8
(six, one, one; SB: eight)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday afternoon's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Daily Three-Midday" game were:
6-1-1, SB: 8
(six, one, one; SB: eight) | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Daily-Three-Midday-game-17539103.php | 2022-10-27 18:56:32 | 0 | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Daily-Three-Midday-game-17539103.php |
DETROIT, MI -- As fans celebrated Lou “Sweet Lou” Whitaker’s jersey retirement, the Tigers came in full force in a 9-1 victory in game two of their series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
While Jeimer Candelario, Willi Castro, and Harold Castro contributed two runs each, the Tigers’ Aug. 6 victory was a combined team effort, with Miguel Cabrera, Riley Greene, and Javier Baez scoring as well.
Scroll down to see 15 of our favorite photos from the game or click on the gallery above or here to view all 66 photos from the game.
You can order prints of any of these photos by clicking the “Buy photo” button in the caption of every photo. Subscribers click the “Get photo” link to download high-resolution images right to their device for free as part of their subscription. To subscribe, click this link.
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. | https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2022/08/our-favorite-photos-from-the-detroit-tigers-matchup-with-the-tampa-bay-rays.html | 2022-08-07 13:01:36 | 0 | https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2022/08/our-favorite-photos-from-the-detroit-tigers-matchup-with-the-tampa-bay-rays.html |
- Majority of respondents believe their organizations are prioritizing LGBT+ inclusion and that this is having a positive impact
- Over four in ten have experienced non-inclusive behaviors at work
- Despite steps taken by employers to further LGBT+ inclusion at work, many respondents choose not to share their sexual orientation and/or gender identity at work beyond their closest colleagues
NEW YORK, June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Many organizations are prioritizing LGBT+ inclusion, creating an overall positive impact in the workplace, according to nearly 80% of respondents in the latest Deloitte report, "LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work: A Global Outlook", released today. The research reveals that more than 70% of LGBT+ employees are more inclined to stay with their current employer because of its approach to LGBT+ inclusion and many cited visible allyship and the availability of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as key enablers of an inclusive culture. Yet despite these efforts, 42% of all respondents reported experiencing non-inclusive behaviors at work.
Surveying 600 respondents from organizations across 12 geographies and a range of sectors, the research provides a snapshot of the lived experiences of LGBT+ employees (defined as those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and more) to understand their daily realities, what organizations are getting right, and what can be improved.
"It is clear that employers are taking steps to incorporate LGBT+ inclusion into their DE&I strategies, and that this is regarded positively by their LGBT+ employees," says Emma Codd, Deloitte Global Inclusion Leader. "However, it is also clear that there is much more for these organizations to do to fully embed LGBT+ inclusion into their everyday culture. Organizations need to go beyond programs to embed a truly respectful culture where non-inclusive behaviors are not tolerated and everyone feels able to be out at work."
Many organizations are focusing on LGBT+ inclusion within their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) strategies, with around 80% of respondents reporting that their employers have introduced LGBT+ inclusion actions and initiatives and 95% of those believing that this has led to meaningful support for LGBT+ employees across their respective organizations.
According to respondents, actions taken by organizations vary – nearly 40% say their company leaders speak openly about LGBT+ inclusion within the organization, a third say their organizations have LGBT+ allyship programs, and nearly a third (31%) say their employers discuss LGBT+ inclusion at external forums such as business events.
Almost all (93%) of respondents who work for global organizations also believe that organization-level communications and actions around LGBT+ inclusion are translating into meaningful support in their home countries.
Despite the positive steps organizations are taking to support their LGBT+ employees, 42% of survey respondents reported experiencing non-inclusive behaviors at work. These non-inclusive behaviors included unwanted comments of a sexual nature (33%), unwanted comments on gender identity (25%), and broader unacceptable behavior.
Furthermore, these behaviors are experienced in both office and remote working environments. Nearly half (47%) of those who reported experiencing non-inclusive behaviors said they experienced these in a physical office, while 20% have experienced them in a virtual setting. One-third (33%) experienced such behaviors in both physical and remote environments. Of those who encountered these behaviors, nearly three-quarters reported their experience to their employer, and six in 10 were satisfied with the response.
The rationale as to why respondents didn't report non-inclusive behaviors was generally similar across all gender identities (for example, when it came to concerns as to the perception of colleagues). Women, however, were more concerned than men that their complaints would not be taken seriously (40% vs. 22%) and that the behavior wasn't serious enough to report (33% vs. 16%), while men were more concerned than women that the behavior would get worse (38% vs. 17%) if it was reported.i
Around one in five respondents are not out to anyone at work about their sexual orientation, while 34% are out only to their closest colleagues. Of the latter respondents, 36% reported that while their immediate team/colleagues made them feel comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation at work, the organization at large did not. From a gender identity perspective, nearly one-quarter (23%) who are out to some of their colleagues are worried that being out to the majority of their colleagues will adversely impact their career.
Of those respondents who are out to the majority of their colleagues, nine in 10 agreed that this is because their workplace culture helps them feel comfortable being out.
"It has been encouraging to see a focus on LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace," says Michele Parmelee, Deloitte Global Deputy CEO and Chief People and Purpose Officer. "However, the survey has also shown us that more needs to be done. Looking ahead as companies build future-ready organizations, it will be incumbent upon leaders and colleagues to focus on three critical elements to promote LGBT+ inclusion: enabling employees to feel comfortable being out at work, creating an environment where non-inclusive behavior is not tolerated, and leveraging visible and vocal allyship."
For more information and to view the full results of Deloitte's LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work, visit: https://www2.deloitte.com/LGBTatWork
Conducted in February 2022, Deloitte Global surveyed 600 members of the LGBT+ community currently in employment across 12 geographies and 10 major industry sectors. The LGBT+ acronym (which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and more) is used throughout this survey for consistency and includes anyone who does not identify as heterosexual and/or cisgender. The survey respondents comprised permanent employees on a full-time basis (93%), permanent employees on a part-time basis (5%), and contractor employees (2%). Over half of respondents (55%) identified as male, 39% identified as female, 3% identified as transgender, and 2% identified as non-binary. 43% identified as gay, 34% identified as bisexual, and 14% identified as lesbian. Other sexual orientations and identities represented included pansexual (3%), asexual (3%), queer (2%), and heterosexual (1%). The survey respondents comprised adult LGBT+ employees across age and experience levels; a slight majority were younger than 39. Most employees surveyed have at least six years of workplace experience. Please note that Deloitte employees were not polled as part of this survey.
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited ("DTTL"), its global network of member firms, and their related entities (collectively, the "Deloitte organization"). DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") and each of its member firms and related entities are legally separate and independent entities, which cannot obligate or bind each other in respect of third parties. DTTL and each DTTL member firm and related entity is liable only for its own acts and omissions, and not those of each other. DTTL does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more.
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. Our professionals deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world. Building on its 175-plus year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's more than 345,000 people worldwide make an impact that matters at www.deloitte.com.
i This analysis does not include a comparison of global averages to non-binary responses due to the small non-binary sample size. The analysis of responses from women also includes transgender women.
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SOURCE Deloitte Global | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/15/new-deloitte-report-lgbt-inclusion-efforts-yield-positive-impacts-workplace-yet-challenges-persist/ | 2022-06-15 13:04:50 | 1 | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/15/new-deloitte-report-lgbt-inclusion-efforts-yield-positive-impacts-workplace-yet-challenges-persist/ |
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until November 22, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Yatsen Holding Limited (NYSE: YSG), if they purchased the Company's American Depository Shares ("ADS") between November 19, 2020 and March 10, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period") and/or pursuant to the Company's November 2020 initial public offering (the "IPO"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
If you purchased ADS of Yatsen as above and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ysg/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by November 22, 2022.
Yatsen and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period and/or in the Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in conjunction with the initial public offering, violating federal securities laws.
On March 10, 2022, the Company released its fourth quarter and full year financial results for the period ended December 31, 2021, disclosing declines in both total net revenues for the fourth quarter of 22.1% and in gross sales for the fourth quarter of 17.2% due to "soft consumer demand and intense competition in the color cosmetics segment," including issues with its Perfect Diary brand as well as its Little Ondine brand.
On this news, the price of Yatsen's ADS plummeted, falling 39.5% to close at just over $0.75 per share on March 10, 2022.
The case is Maeshiro v Yatsen Holding Limited, et al., No. 22-cv-08165.
KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients – including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors – in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.
To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.
Contact:
Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner
lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com
1-877-515-1850
1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200
New Orleans, LA 70163
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SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/10/29/yatsen-holding-shareholder-alert-by-former-louisiana-attorney-general-kahn-swick-amp-foti-llc-reminds-investors-with-losses-excess-100000-lead-plaintiff-deadline-class-action-lawsuit-against-yatsen-holding-limited-ysg/ | 2022-10-29 03:49:42 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/10/29/yatsen-holding-shareholder-alert-by-former-louisiana-attorney-general-kahn-swick-amp-foti-llc-reminds-investors-with-losses-excess-100000-lead-plaintiff-deadline-class-action-lawsuit-against-yatsen-holding-limited-ysg/ |
NEW YORK — Twitter is once again adding gray “official” labels to some prominent accounts. The company, in its second chaotic week after billionaire Elon Musk took over, had rolled out the labels earlier this week, only to kill them a few hours later.
But on Thursday night they were back again, at least for some accounts — including Twitter's own, as well as big companies like Amazon, Nike and Coca-Cola. Some media companies, such as The New York Times and The New Yorker also had the labels as of 9 p.m. Pacific time, while others, like The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times, did not.
Celebrities, some of whom have been impersonated this week since Musk began overhauling Twitter's “blue check” verification system, also did not appear to be getting the “official” label.
Twitter began offering a subscription service this week that for $8 a month gets anyone who wants — without actual verification — the blue check mark that previously was given to prominent accounts to prevent impersonation.
Now, there are two categories of "blue checks," and the check marks look identical. One, which includes the accounts that were actually verified before Musk took helm, now note that “This account is verified because it’s notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.” The other notes that the account subscribes to Twitter Blue.
Earlier Thursday, Musk tweeted that “too many corrupt legacy Blue 'verification' checkmarks exist, so no choice but to remove legacy Blue in coming months.”
Twitter Support tweeted Friday morning that "To combat impersonation, we’ve added an “Official” label to some accounts." | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/twitter-gray-official-labels-return-for-some/507-c13e9cf4-0ae2-47fd-a04c-badc0b0eb65d | 2022-11-11 15:19:07 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/twitter-gray-official-labels-return-for-some/507-c13e9cf4-0ae2-47fd-a04c-badc0b0eb65d |
Like Daniel Ellsberg, others who leaked US government secrets have been seen as traitors and heroes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Daniel Ellsberg’s decision to leak a secret Defense Department study of the U.S. war in Vietnam — the Pentagon Papers — made him a traitor in the eyes of the White House and its supporters and an instant hero to opponents of the war.
That’s been true of others who released top-secret information that they felt was evidence of official wrongdoing. While Ellsberg, who died Friday, will be remembered in a largely positive light, the reputations of more recent figures are still contested.
Here are some other examples of people who exposed government secrets:
W. MARK FELT
An associate director at the FBI, Felt was “Deep Throat,” the source who gave information about the Watergate break-in to The Washington Post in the 1970s.
Ellsberg’s release of the Pentagon Papers indirectly led to Watergate. Infuriated at the exposure of the study, Nixon ordered an effort to dig up dirt on Ellsberg. Operatives linked to the White House broke into the office of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist. Months later, five of them would be caught trying to break into Democratic Party offices at the Watergate.
A high-ranking FBI official, Felt provided hints to Post writers Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they investigated the burglary and attempted cover-up. Journalists and congressional investigations eventually implicated Nixon, leading to his resignation.
“Deep Throat” became a shadowy star of the classic film “All the President’s Men.” Felt unmasked himself in 2005, shortly before his death in 2008.
EDWARD SNOWDEN
Snowden, 39, disclosed how U.S. intelligence agencies were secretly collecting massive amounts of Americans’ phone calls, emails, and other data, launching a national debate over privacy and national security.
A contractor and systems engineer at the National Security Agency, Snowden showed how the NSA could seize data from U.S. telecommunications companies and how it spied on leaders allied with Washington, among other programs.
Shortly after the first stories with his cooperation were published in 2013, Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow with plans to eventually travel to Ecuador. The U.S. cancelled his passport and he stayed in a Moscow airport for weeks.
He would eventually settle in Moscow and speak remotely to audiences around the world about civil liberties and privacy. The Justice Department during the administration of former President Barack Obama charged him with espionage and theft in a case that remains active today.
A decade later, he remains in Russia and took Russian citizenship last year. His detractors point to that decision as proof that he damaged national security and should not be considered a hero.
On Twitter Friday, Snowden said Ellsberg had hoped to dedicate his final hours to reducing the risk of a nuclear exchange, calling him a “hero to the end.”
CHELSEA MANNING
Manning, 35, gave more than 700,000 documents to the web site WikiLeaks while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq in 2010.
The documents included State Department cables and classified video of a helicopter attack by U.S. forces gunning down a group of Iraqi men, including two journalists for Reuters.
Manning was convicted in military court of having violated the Espionage Act and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Her sentence was commuted by Obama just before he departed office in January 2017.
She then was jailed for more than a year because she refused to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.
REALITY WINNER
Winner, 31, leaked a classified report on Russian government efforts to penetrate voting software ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. She printed out a copy of the report at an NSA office in Georgia and mailed it to a news outlet.
While authorities never explicitly identified the outlet, the Justice Department announced her arrest in June 2017 on the same day that The Intercept reported on a top secret NSA document about Russian hacking.
She pled guilty in 2018 to a single count of transmitting national security information. Given a five-year sentence, she was eventually released early in June 2021.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kob.com/news/us-and-world-news/like-daniel-ellsberg-others-who-leaked-us-government-secrets-have-been-seen-as-traitors-and-heroes/ | 2023-06-16 21:40:17 | 1 | https://www.kob.com/news/us-and-world-news/like-daniel-ellsberg-others-who-leaked-us-government-secrets-have-been-seen-as-traitors-and-heroes/ |
Which Fisher-Price toys are best?
Traditional toys may appear to be taking a back seat to technology like tablets and smartphones, but they’re much more practical in developing cognitive and motor skills. Fisher-Price is a top toy brand, offering a broad range of fun learning toys.
You can find a Fisher-Price toy of nearly any design, but there are some things to consider before buying your child a new toy.
What to consider before buying a Fisher-Price toy
Your child’s age
Most Fisher-Price toys are geared toward younger children, usually under 8 years old. If your child is any older, they may find them dull or uninspiring. Fisher-Price toys are designed to help children learn and develop essential cognitive and motor skills, so they’re often very simplistic. To determine whether a toy is appropriate for your child, check the product description for an age range.
Playsets vs. plush toys
Playsets are excellent for children ages 2 to 8 as they provide a fun way to learn. However, playsets have many removable parts, so they’re typically unsuitable for younger toddlers.
Plush toys don’t offer as many learning modes, but they make for great nighttime companions. They can comfort your child and engage a baby’s senses with colorful designs and textured surfaces.
Your child’s favorite activities
Fisher-Price makes many playsets with a specific theme. For example, there are cooking, sports, hairdressing and farming playsets. If your little one likes to pretend to cook and make meals, a kitchen play set is a suitable set, so it’s best to determine what they’re into before buying a toy.
What to look for in a quality Fisher-Price toy
Lights, sounds and phrases
Lights, sounds and phrases can help engage your child’s senses and make learning fun. Many toys have built-in parts that deliver catchy phrases, play music and fun sounds. It’s an interactive way for children to engage with their toys while simultaneously learning.
Durability
Fisher-Price is a trusted brand, but it’s best to ensure that any toy you buy for your child can withstand hard impacts and offer at least minimal resistance to spills and splashes. Most Fisher-Price toys are made of plastic, making them safe to use near water. However, some toys with internal electrical parts shouldn’t be used near water and are suitable for older children only.
The best Fisher-Price toys
Best toys under $30
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Slice of Learning Pizza
This learning pizza is an excellent toy to help young children learn counting, opposites and shapes. It has a spinning function and built-in lights and sounds, making learning fun for any child.
Sold by Amazon
Fisher-Price Cuddle and Snuggle Hedgehog Plush Toy
This super-soft and cuddly hedgehog makes for an adorable bedtime companion for your baby. It has eight different textures, a squeaky nose, loops for attaching other plush toys and jingles with music tones when shaken.
Sold by Amazon
Fisher-Price Thomas and Friends TrackMaster Motorized Toy Train
Inspired by the classic children’s series, this Thomas and Friends toy has a built-in motor and is compatible with other TrackMaster train sets. The switch on top of the train activates the engine and sends it on its way down the tracks.
Sold by Kohl’s
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Tablet
Instead of handing your phone over to your toddler, this tablet is durable and helps them learn through three smart levels. It has over 100 songs and 28 app buttons for activating multicolored lights, sounds and phrases.
Sold by Amazon
Fisher-Price Drillin’ Action Tool Set
Your little one will love this drilling tool set that can help them develop motor and early engineering skills. It comes with a toolbox, a drill, three drill bits, three screws and two toy pieces of toy wood that children can put together.
Sold by Kohl’s
Best toys $30-$60
Fisher-Price Little People Sit and Stand Skyway
This play set can be set up as a small town or a skyway where cars can zip down spiral ramps. It has a multicolored palette, stands just over 34 inches tall and comes with two Wheelie cars.
Sold by Amazon
Fisher-Price B.B. Hoopster Motorized Electronic Basketball Goal
Help your little one develop into a young basketball star early on with this motorized basketball goal. It has four interactive play modes, and any time a basket is made, it lights up and delivers announcer-style phrases.
Sold by Amazon
Fisher-Price Little People Surprise and Sounds Home
Full of several learning activities for developing motor skills, this playhouse has a cute pink and white exterior and can deliver over 50 songs, sounds and phrases. Kids can open the oven or flush the toilet to hear fun and silly sounds.
Sold by Amazon
Fisher-Price Deluxe Kick and Play Piano Gym
This piano gym offers four fun ways for your child to learn as they grow from a baby to a toddler. It has three smart stage learning levels, a bonus piano play mode with authentic music notes and five light-up keys.
Sold by Amazon
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Grow-the-Fun Garden to Kitchen
This two-sided interactive play set has 30 play pieces, colorful light and fun music. It’s suitable for children between 18 and 36 months and has adapting smart stages for learning the alphabet, shapes, colors and more.
Sold by Amazon
Best toys over $90
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Servin’ Up Fun Food Truck
If your little one has the makings of a future chef, they’ll love this toy food truck featuring an interactive food prep area and over 20 removable parts. It’s toddler-friendly and has a music playlist of fun learning songs.
Sold by Amazon
Fisher-Price Power Wheels Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler Ride-On Vehicle
This ride-on car can go up to 5 miles per hour and has a stylish paint job inspired by the Jurassic Park films. It has dinosaur sounds, chase sound effects and a light bar with a spacious storage area.
Sold by Kohl’s
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.pahomepage.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/building-sets-blocks-br/12-best-fisher-price-toys/ | 2022-08-31 12:03:33 | 0 | https://www.pahomepage.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/building-sets-blocks-br/12-best-fisher-price-toys/ |
Elon Musk said Saturday his planned $44 billion takeover of Twitter should move forward if the company can confirm some details about how it measures whether user accounts are ‘spam bots’ or real people.
The billionaire and Tesla CEO has been trying to back out of his April agreement to buy the social media company, leading Twitter to sue him last month to complete the acquisition. Musk countersued, accusing Twitter of misleading his team about the true size of its user base and other problems he said amounted to fraud and breach of contract.
Both sides are headed toward an October trial in a Delaware court.
“If Twitter simply provides their method of sampling 100 accounts and how they’re confirmed to be real, the deal should proceed on original terms,” Musk tweeted early Saturday. “However, if it turns out that their SEC filings are materially false, then it should not.”
Musk, who has more than 100 million Twitter followers, went on to challenge Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal to a “public debate about the Twitter bot percentage.”
Twitter declined comment Saturday. The company has repeatedly disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission an estimate that fewer than 5% of user accounts are fake or spam, with a disclaimer that it could be higher. Musk waived his right to further due diligence when he signed the April merger agreement.
Twitter has argued in court that Musk is deliberately trying to tank the deal and using the bot question as an excuse because market conditions have deteriorated and the acquisition no longer serves his interests. In a court filing Thursday, it describes his counterclaims as an imagined story “contradicted by the evidence and common sense.”
“Musk invents representations Twitter never made and then tries to wield, selectively, the extensive confidential data Twitter provided him to conjure a breach of those purported representations,” company attorneys wrote.
While Musk has tried to keep the focus on bot disclosures, Twitter’s legal team has been digging for information about a host of tech investors and entrepreneurs connected to Musk in a wide-ranging subpoena that could net some of their private communications with the Tesla CEO. | https://www.cenlanow.com/technology/ap-technology/musk-says-twitter-deal-could-move-ahead-with-bot-info/ | 2022-08-07 10:50:03 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/technology/ap-technology/musk-says-twitter-deal-could-move-ahead-with-bot-info/ |
Reports: 2 dead, 2 wounded in shooting at Indiana mall
Published: Jul. 17, 2022 at 7:38 PM EDT|Updated: 5 minutes ago
GREENWOOD, Ind. (Gray News) - Two people are dead and two are wounded after a shooting at an Indiana mall, reports say.
The shooting reportedly happened around 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Police responded to the scene and have said there is “no known ongoing threat.”
Authorities are asking people to avoid the area.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2022/07/17/reports-2-dead-2-wounded-shooting-indiana-mall/ | 2022-07-17 23:46:47 | 1 | https://www.wymt.com/2022/07/17/reports-2-dead-2-wounded-shooting-indiana-mall/ |
Leading water heater manufacturer commemorates the success of its milestone 1992 commitment to manufacturing products for professional installation only.
AMBLER, Pa., July 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of water heaters, boilers and storage tanks, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its commitment to manufacturing its Built to be the Best® products for professional installation only.
In 1992, Bradford White announced a new business model to journey beyond the industry trend of highly competitive retail sales and reaffirmed their commitment to American manufacturing. Throughout 2022, the company will commemorate 30 years of For the Pro® focused engineering, manufacturing, sales and support of their products.
"This year marks an important milestone for our company," said Bruce Carnevale, president and CEO of Bradford White Corp. "Over the last 30 years, Bradford White has stood out for our unique vision of directly supporting the people on the front lines of this essential industry. We've built meaningful relationships with our customers, industry partners and employees, and it's thanks to their loyalty and dedication that we've been able to remain For the Pro® for three decades."
Throughout the last 30 years, Bradford White has demonstrated its dedication to the hard-working professionals who are the foundation of the industry by continually delivering innovative resources to support the sales, distribution, installation, and maintenance of its products.
"Bradford White's 30-year commitment to our professional installation pledge has been a crucial part of our success," Carnevale said. "Our customers expect exceptional quality and service from Bradford White products and our employees. That continues to drive us to innovate and invest in the people and tools that will ensure we meet and exceed our customers' expectations and always offer them a world-class experience."
As part of this year's 30th anniversary, Bradford White will launch its enhanced For the Pro® contractor portal, an exclusive website providing resources supporting professional contractors. The relaunched For the Pro® portal will include added features and modernized functionality to elevate value and user experience. References to Bradford White's 30 years of commitment to professional contractors and the industry at large will be the focus of the company's marketing communications messaging for the balance of 2022.
For more information about Bradford White Corporation, visit https://www.bradfordwhitecorporation.com.
About Bradford White Corporation
Bradford White Corp. is a full-line manufacturer of residential, commercial and industrial water heating, space heating, combination heating and storage products. The company maintains headquarters in Ambler, Pennsylvania, and has manufacturing facilities in Middleville, Michigan; Niles, Michigan; and Rochester, New Hampshire; and distribution and training centers in Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada. For more information, visit www.bradfordwhitecorporation.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Ripley
Ripley PR
(865) 977-1973
hripley@ripleypr.com
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Uncertainty over the timing and location of the Under-20 World Cup continues two days after Indonesian authorities postponed the official draw for the May 20-June 11 tournament because of protests over Israel’s participation.
The draw, scheduled to held in Bali on Friday, was delayed indefinitely by Indonesia’s soccer federation amid backlash from conservative Islamic groups.
Doubt had already been cast on the draw ceremony when the governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, called for a ban on Israel playing there because of Indonesia’s diplomatic support for the Palestinian cause.
FIFA, the sport’s world governing body, has not commented on Indonesia’s status as host or a reported offer from Argentina to stage the event.
Pressure is mounting on Indonesia’s soccer association, the PSSI, and its chairman Erick Thohir, who was planning a trip to Zurich to hold further meetings with FIFA. If local authorities fail to resolve the hosting issues over Israel, Indonesia risks being suspended by FIFA and potentially missing out on Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Thohir is a former owner of major international teams, including Italian soccer giant Inter Milan and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, and has been Indonesia’s minister of state-owned enterprises since 2019.
His sport and political diplomacy skills will be seriously tested. Thohir and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are also both members of the International Olympic Committee.
“ Continue to be passionate about finding solutions to every challenge, for the sake of an increasingly global Indonesia,” Thohir wrote in a Twitter post aimed at resolving the impasse.
Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, said “we are still conducting talks” with FIFA.
“We hope we can find the answer and at least FIFA will understand Indonesia’s position in this problem,” Effendy, who is also serving as the acting minister of youth and sports, said after a cabinet meeting Monday.
Effendy also said that Indonesia submitted conditions to FIFA about the presence of Israel during the tournament, but there was no common ground. He did not elaborate on the conditions.
“This is not merely a rejection or protest, but this is related to our country’s Constitution,” he said in response to questions about the leaders of two provinces selected as tournament venues pushing back against hosting the Israeli team.
The preamble of Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution states: “Whereas Independence is the inalienable right of all nations; therefore, colonialism must be abolished in the world as it is not in conformity with humanity and justice.”
Thohir only took over as leader of the PSSI after a government investigation concluded that the national soccer association had been negligent and ignored safety and security regulations ahead of a deadly stadium crush last October and replaced its chair and executive committee.
The disaster in Kanjuruhan stadium in East Java’s Malang city was among the world’s worst sporting tragedies, with 135 people killed after police fired tear gas inside the venue, setting off a panicked run for the exits.
The Israeli team, which qualified for the Under-20 world tournament for the first time, had been expected to be based in Bali, home to one of the six stadiums scheduled to be used for the tournament, but the governor’s comments have thrown that into doubt.
Then Central Java Gov. Ganjar Pranowo, who is also the frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election, joined calls for the Israeli team to be denied a place in the tournament.
Pranowo said as a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, widely known as PDIP, he would uphold the mandate of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, whose daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri is chair of the party.
“We know Bung Karno’s commitment to Palestine, whether in the Asia-Africa Conference, the Non-Aligned Movement or the Conference of the New Emerging Forces,” he said last week, referring to Sukarno’s popular nickname, “So, we follow his mandate.”
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation with about 277 million people and does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. However, Indonesian soccer and public authorities agreed to FIFA’s hosting requirements in 2019 before being selected to host the 2021 edition of the Under-20 World Cup, which was subsequently postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The participation of an Israel team does have some support in Indonesia.
“The rejection of the Israeli national team by some people in Indonesia, including a number of regional heads and politicians is regrettable,” said Hikmahanto Juwana, a professor of international law at the University of Indonesia, “As long as Indonesia has declared itself willing to be the host, Indonesia must take the risk not to reject any members from international event organizers.”
Even the Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia has said he has no objections to the Israeli national team playing in the tournament.
Noted local soccer commentator Tommy Welly said local organizers should comply with FIFA regulations.
“There is a principle of neutrality and non-discrimination stated very clearly in both statutes of FIFA and PSSI as its member federations,” Welly said. “So, Indonesia’s position must be able to adhere to those principles. Don’t mix or make friction between sport and politics.”
Israel qualified last June by reaching the semifinals of the Under-19 European Championship. The team went on to lose the final to England.
The Israeli football federation plays continental competition under the European soccer umbrella after leaving the Asian Football Confederation in 1974 because of boycotts from the some national teams.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wjhl.com/news/international/indonesias-stance-on-israel-overshadows-world-soccer-event/ | 2023-03-29 04:08:16 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/international/indonesias-stance-on-israel-overshadows-world-soccer-event/ |
NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Discovery, Inc. ("Discovery"), Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. ("WBD") (NASDAQ: WBD), and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 22-cv-09125, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities who: (1) exchanged Discovery common stock for WBD common stock pursuant or traceable to Discovery's February 4, 2022 Registration Statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement") and Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on February 10, 2022 (the "Prospectus"); (2) acquired WBD common stock pursuant or traceable to the Registration Statement and Prospectus, including shareholders of AT&T Inc. ("AT&T") and/or Magallanes, Inc, a Delaware corporation ("Spinco") who acquired WBD common stock as a result of the merger (the "Merger") between Discovery and Spinco; or (3) purchased shares of WBD common stock on the open market traceable to the Prospectus through the date of the filing of the Complaint (the "Section 11 Class").
This class action is also brought on behalf of a subset of the Section 11 Class consisting solely of former Discovery shareholders who exchanged Discovery common shares for WBD common shares pursuant to the Prospectus (the "Section 12(a)(2) Subclass").
Excluded from the Class are the Defendants herein, the officers and directors of Discovery or WBD, from May 17, 2021 to the present (the "Excluded D&Os"), members of Defendants' and Excluded D&Os' immediate families, legal representatives, heirs, successors or assigns, and any entity in which Defendants or the Excluded D&Os have or had a controlling interest.
If you are a shareholder who (1) exchanged Discovery common stock for WBD common stock pursuant or traceable to the Registration Statement and Prospectus, (2) acquired WBD common stock pursuant or traceable to the Registration Statement and Prospectus, including if you are a shareholder of AT&T and/or Spinco who acquired WBD common stock as a result of the Merger, or (3) purchased shares of WBD common stock on the open market traceable to the Prospectus through the date of the filing of the Complaint, you have until November 22, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.
This action relates to the Merger between Discovery and Spinco, a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T organized specifically for the purpose of effecting the separation of the WarnerMedia business from AT&T. The Merger was announced on May 17, 2021 and closed on April 8, 2022.
Prior to the Merger, AT&T transferred its WarnerMedia business to Spinco. In exchange therefor, as contemplated by and required of the Merger, AT&T distributed all of the issued and outstanding shares of Spinco common stock to AT&T stockholders on a pro rata basis.
Pursuant to the Merger, Discovery combined its business with Spinco (including the WarnerMedia business that Spinco had acquired from AT&T) to form WBD. Each Discovery common shareholder received in the Merger one share of WBD common stock for each Discovery common share owned, and each Discovery preferred shareholder received shares of WBD common stock in an agreed ratio. AT&T received directly from WBD the balance of the outstanding and issued WBD common shares and contemporaneously distributed those shares to AT&T's shareholders. Specifically, as a result of the Merger, the shares of Spinco common stock that AT&T stockholders received (in consideration for the separation of the WarnerMedia business from AT&T) were automatically converted into the right to receive shares of WBD common stock registered pursuant to the Registration Statement. Each AT&T shareholder received .241917 shares of WBD for each AT&T share owned.
As a result of the Merger, former Discovery shareholders owned 29% of the equity of WBD, and AT&T's shareholders owned 71% of the equity of WBD.
In addition to the exchange of businesses and shares, pursuant to the Merger, Discovery paid AT&T additional consideration in the form of $40.4 billion in cash and separately the retention of certain WarnerMedia debt.
The Merger was subject to a March 11, 2022 majority vote of Discovery voting shareholders of record as of January 18, 2022 but was not subject to a vote of AT&T shareholders.
The complaint alleges that, at the time of filing the Registration Statement and Prospectus, Discovery and the Individual Defendants either knew or had access to adverse information concerning operations of the WarnerMedia business.
However, that adverse information was not disclosed to Discovery or AT&T shareholders in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or at any time before the vote on the Merger or the effective date of the Merger. As a result, the Registration Statement and Prospectus and certain of the Defendants' other public statements contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state material facts required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in violation of Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act").
This adverse information was known or knowable to Discovery and the Individual Defendants prior to the March 11, 2022 shareholder vote, as they would have, or at a minimum should have, been part of due diligence for the Merger. For example, Defendants acknowledged after the Merger that: (i) WarnerMedia's HBO Max streaming business had a high churn rate that made the business not "viable" unless the churn rate was reversed; (ii) AT&T was overinvesting in WarnerMedia entertainment content for streaming, without sufficient concern for return on investments; (iii) WarnerMedia had a business model to grow the number of subscribers to its streaming service without regard to cost or profitability; (iv) WarnerMedia was improvidently concentrating its investments in streaming and ignoring its other business lines; and (v) WarnerMedia had overstated the number of subscribers to HBO Max by as many as 10 million subscribers, by including as subscribers AT&T customers who had received bundled access to HBO Max, but had not signed onto the service. Each of these facts were known or knowable with the exercise of reasonable care at the time of the filing of the Registration Statement and Prospectus, the shareholder vote, and the Merger.
Discovery and the Individual Defendants misrepresented and omitted from the Registration Statement and Prospectus the foregoing material facts.
On April 21, 2022, prior to the opening of the NASDAQ, AT&T issued a press release reporting its first quarter 2022 results (reflecting WarnerMedia's operations for the quarter) disclosing that WarnerMedia's operating income had fallen 32.7% year over year to $1.3 billion. AT&T also disclosed on a conference call transcribed and made available by Bloomberg that free cash flow had declined $2.6 billion year-over-year and attributed the decline to "$1.2 billion in lower year-over-year securitization of receivables in advance of the transaction, $600 million in higher cash content spend, increased investments in HBO Max global footprint and wrap up with the CNN+ launch as well as NHL right payments and other working capital changes."
On April 21, 2022, it was reported during trading hours by a variety of news services that new WBD management was shutting down CNN+ after it was started up a month earlier. According to published reports, including the Washington Post, CNN+ had drawn modest subscription sign-ups and faced uncertain long-term prospects.
AT&T's earnings release and the sudden news concerning CNN+ caused WBD shares to decline on April 21, 2022 by $1.56 per share, or 6.8%, from $23.01 to $21.45 per share.
On April 26, 2022, prior to the opening of the securities markets, WBD issued a press release and held an investor conference call reporting its first quarter 2022 operating results. The conference call was transcribed and made available on Bloomberg.
Inasmuch as the Merger had only closed on April 8, 2022, the first quarter results only reported Discovery's operations as a stand-alone company.
However, in the conference call following issuance of the press release, also conducted prior to the opening of securities markets, senior WBD management expressed their disappointment with WarnerMedia's first quarter operating results of "more than $40 billion of revenue and really virtually no free cash flow." "[T]he operating results . . . were down in WarnerMedia's first quarter, 33% decline versus prior year to $1.3 billion. Free cash flow declined even more, declining by $2.6 billion versus prior year and more importantly significantly negative in absolute terms." Defendant Gunnar Wiedenfels ("Wiedenfels"), WBD's Chief Financial Officer, stated on the call that WarnerMedia's "Q1 operating profit and cash flow . . . were clearly below my expectations. And given that Q1 performance and previously unplanned projects in sight, I currently estimate the WarnerMedia part of our profit baseline for 2022 will be around $500 million lower than what I had anticipated."
Wiedenfels added WBD was in the process of rectifying "certain [WarnerMedia] investment initiatives underway in plain sight that I don't think have attractive enough return profiles . . . . I feel very confident in our ability to rectify some of the drivers behind the business case deviations and some very quickly, with the CNN+ decision last week being Exhibit A." Wiedenfels repeated that "CNN+ is just one example, and I don't want to go through sort of a list of specific examples, but there's a lot of chunky investments that are lacking what I would view as a solid analytical financial foundation and meeting the ROI hurdles that I would like to see for major investments. 2022 very much looks a little messier than probably what I had hoped for."
Wiedenfels surprised investors on the April 26, 2022 call by saying: "There is meaningful churn on HBO Max, much higher than the churn that we have seen."
Defendant David Zaslav ("Zaslav"), WBD's Chief Executive Officer, also added on the April 26, 2022 call that "a lot of synergy potential is really going to come from cost avoidance and elimination of planned expenses for the streaming business."
Thus, Zaslav revealed that the "synergies" that had been promised through terminating duplicative operations (primarily administration and marketing), that would enable WBD to invest in more content, were going to be achieved through reducing content, such as the cancellation of CNN+.
On April 26, 2022, the price of WBD common stock fell by $1.67 per share, or 7.8%, from a closing price of $21.50 per share on April 25, 2022 to close at $19.83 per share on April 26, 2022.
Then, on August 4, 2022, after the close of the U.S. securities markets, WBD issued a press release and held an investor conference call announcing its second quarter 2022 operating results. The conference call was transcribed and made available on Bloomberg.
The press release revealed that WBD had adjusted its "DTC subscriber definition," and that the new definition "resulted in the exclusion of 10 million legacy Discovery non-core subscribers" and "unactivated AT&T mobility subscribers from the Q1 subscriber count."
On August 5, 2022, the first trading day after release of WBD's second quarter results, and the August 4, 2022 conference call, WBD's common stock fell by $2.89 per share, or 16.5%, from $17.48 per share to $14.59 per share.
WBD common shares have fallen by $12.99, or 52.4%, from $24.78 per share on April 11, 2022, to $11.79 on September 23, 2022.
Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/10/26/pomerantz-law-firm-announces-filing-class-action-against-discovery-inc-warner-bros-discovery-inc-certain-officers-wbd/ | 2022-10-26 01:27:25 | 0 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/10/26/pomerantz-law-firm-announces-filing-class-action-against-discovery-inc-warner-bros-discovery-inc-certain-officers-wbd/ |
25-year healthcare industry veteran brings with him demonstrated expertise
in leadership, revenue management, and strategic alliance partnerships
MINNEAPOLIS, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VigiLanz, a rapidly growing provider of SaaS-based clinical surveillance and patient safety technology, has announced the addition of industry veteran Jamie Dailey to their leadership team. He will serve as the company's new senior vice president of growth.
Jamie has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare, and brings a deep understanding of how to scale healthcare organizations through the development of new markets, territory expansion, and strategic alliance partnerships.
"Jamie has an extensive skillset that, along with his infectious energy, will empower our team to seize growth opportunities to ensure more patients and hospitals are experiencing the benefits of safer care," said Hayley Burgess, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Clinical Officer at VigiLanz. "His extensive expertise and leadership will help to further propel our sales, marketing, and customer service efforts to even greater heights."
Prior to joining VigiLanz, Jamie held leadership roles at organizations such as Wolters Kluwer, Innovatient Solutions, Thomson Reuters, and Cerner. He earned his MBA in economics and finance from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO.
"Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to build sales pipelines, open new markets, expand existing territories, and scale organizations," said Dailey. "I am excited to now be joining one of the industry's most highly respected clinical partners and use my background to foster additional collaborations that will help hospitals streamline workflows and improve the quality of healthcare that is delivered to patients."
About VigiLanz
Founded in 2001, VigiLanz is a privately held, rapidly growing provider of SaaS-based clinical surveillance and patient safety technology. The firm is focused on advancing the delivery of data-driven care by transforming complex patient data into meaningful and actionable alerts in real time, helping clinicians identify opportunities to avoid or minimize harm, improve safety, and provide the highest quality healthcare. VigiLanz is a clinical partner to a large and growing community of hospital CMOs, CMIOs, CIOs, quality and safety teams, infectious disease and control specialists, pharmacists, and other clinicians dedicated to innovative, real-time inpatient and outpatient care.
For More Information
John Gonda
(616)-309-4888
jgonda@sage-growth.com
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SOURCE VigiLanz | https://www.kait8.com/prnewswire/2023/06/08/vigilanz-announces-expansion-leadership-team-with-addition-jamie-dailey-senior-vice-president-growth/ | 2023-06-08 14:00:44 | 1 | https://www.kait8.com/prnewswire/2023/06/08/vigilanz-announces-expansion-leadership-team-with-addition-jamie-dailey-senior-vice-president-growth/ |
BALTIMORE, Dec. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Haystack Oncology ("Haystack"), an oncology company that applies the next generation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection technology to optimize minimal residual disease (MRD) testing and better inform decisions around therapy, today announced the appointment of Joel Kaufman as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Kaufman joins Haystack with over a decade of experience spanning business development, investment banking and finance. Mr. Kaufman will lead Haystack's financial operations and implement strategic initiatives to support the commercialization of the company's best-in-class MRD assay.
"Joel's experience and acumen in the business of clincial diagnostics and biopharma will be invaluable to Haystack at this exciting time of growth and corporate development," said Dan Edelstein, President and CEO of Haystack Oncology. "In the coming year, we will commercialize Haystack's best-in-class MRD assay, which has the potential to dramatically improve the accuracy of treatment decisions for patients with solid tumors. As CFO, Joel will play an instrumental role in our preparation for this milestone and in our overall business development iniatives."
Mr. Kaufman has overseen financial and business operations for multiple life sciences companies. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Finance & Corporate Development at Sema4, an AI-focused precision medicine company. Previously, Mr. Kaufman spent nearly four years in multiple roles, culminating in Chief Business Officer, at Navidea Biopharmaceuticals. He also served as an Equity Research Analyst at Goldman Sachs covering the Life Science Tools, Diagnostics, and Medical Technology sectors. Mr. Kaufman holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.
"I am proud to join the stellar team at Haystack Oncology, as we work together to realize our important mission to provide better MRD testing to improve patient outcomes and enable superior clinical management and therapeutic development," said Mr. Kaufman. "Haystack has demonstrated the potential to make a major impact on treatment optimization for patients living with solid tumors, and I am excited to join the company at this pivotal stage."
Haystack emerged from stealth last month with a $56 million Series A raise led by Catalio Capital Management. The company plans to commercialize its best-in-class diagnostic test in 2023 for use in solid tumors. Haystack also recently announced plans to move into a 20,000-square-foot facility at the City Garage Science & Technology Center in South Baltimore to scale up testing services to meet their commercial goals.
About Haystack Oncology
Haystack Oncology uses the next generation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection technology to see through the noise and uncover the lowest levels of ctDNA in blood to report residual, recurrent, or resistant disease. Founded in 2021 by cancer genomics pioneers Bert Vogelstein, Ken Kinzler, and Nick Papadopoulos of Johns Hopkins University, Haystack's team of liquid biopsy experts have developed a tumor-informed MRD test that is best positioned to deliver the right treatment to the right person at the right time. Haystack is based in Baltimore, MD, USA, and has research facilities in Hamburg, Germany. Learn more at haystackoncology.com.
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SOURCE Haystack Oncology | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/12/01/haystack-oncology-appoints-joel-kaufman-chief-financial-officer/ | 2022-12-01 13:43:13 | 0 | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/12/01/haystack-oncology-appoints-joel-kaufman-chief-financial-officer/ |
CT Albany NY Zone Forecast for Friday, January 27, 2023
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651 FPUS51 KALY 280808
ZFPALY
FPUS51 KALY 280807
ZFPALY
Zone Forecast Product for Eastern New York and Western New England
National Weather Service Albany NY
307 AM EST Sat Jan 28 2023
CTZ001-281600-
Northern Litchfield-
Including the city of Torrington
307 AM EST Sat Jan 28 2023
.TODAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Southwest winds 15 to
20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
.TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Cold with lows in the upper 20s. Southwest
winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming southeast after midnight.
.SUNDAY...Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 40s. Southeast winds 10 to
15 mph, becoming south in the afternoon. Gusts up to 30 mph.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Cloudy, cold with lows in the lower 30s. Southwest
winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly sunny.
Highs in the lower 40s. West winds around 5 mph.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers in
the evening. Cold with lows in the mid 20s. Chance of precipitation
30 percent.
.TUESDAY...Partly sunny. Colder with highs around 30.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...Partly cloudy. Cold. Lows 15 to 20.
Highs in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
partly cloudy. Cold. Near steady temperature in the lower 20s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Cold with highs in the lower 30s.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Cold with lows around 10 above. Wind
chill values as low as zero.
.FRIDAY...Mostly sunny. Colder with highs in the lower 20s. Wind
chill values as low as 5 below.
$$
CTZ013-281600-
Southern Litchfield-
Including the cities of Oakville, New Milford, Terryville,
and Woodbury
307 AM EST Sat Jan 28 2023
.TODAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. Southwest winds 10 to
15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
.TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Cold with lows around 30. Southwest winds
5 to 10 mph, becoming southeast after midnight.
.SUNDAY...Mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 50s. South winds 10 to
15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Cloudy, cold with lows in the lower 30s. Southwest
winds 10 to 15 mph.
.MONDAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. West winds around
5 mph.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain showers in the
evening. Cold with lows in the upper 20s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY...Partly sunny. Cooler with highs in the mid 30s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...Partly cloudy. Cold. Lows around 20.
Highs in the lower 30s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
partly cloudy. Cold with lows in the lower 20s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.
.THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...Mostly clear. Cold. Lows 10 to 15.
Highs in the mid 20s.
$$
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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | https://www.mrt.com/weather/article/ct-albany-ny-zone-forecast-17747907.php | 2023-01-28 08:41:51 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/weather/article/ct-albany-ny-zone-forecast-17747907.php |
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Opendoor Technologies Incorporated (NASDAQ: OPEN) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.
This lawsuit is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired: (a) Opendoor securities between December 21, 2020 and September 16, 2022, both dates inclusive and/or (b) Opendoor common stock pursuant and/or traceable to documents issued in connection with the business combination between the Company and Opendoor Labs Inc. completed on or about December 18, 2020.
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: December 6, 2022
No obligation or cost to you.
Learn more about your recoverable losses in OPEN:
https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/opendoor-technologies-incorporated-loss-submission-form?id=33192&from=4
Opendoor Technologies Incorporated NEWS - OPEN NEWS
CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Opendoor Technologies Incorporated made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the algorithm used by the Company to make offers for homes could not accurately adjust to changing house prices across different market conditions and economic cycles; (ii) as a result, the Company was at an increased risk of sustaining significant and repeated losses due to residential real estate pricing fluctuations; (iii) accordingly, defendants overstated the purported benefits and competitive advantages of the algorithm; (iv) as a result, documents issued in connection with the merger between the Company and Opendoor Labs Inc. and defendants' public statements throughout the class period were materially false and/or misleading and failed to state information required to be stated therein.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Opendoor you have until December 6, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Opendoor securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the OPEN lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/opendoor-technologies-incorporated-loss-submission-form?id=33192&from=4.
ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM
J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
J. Klein, Esq.
535 Fifth Avenue
4th Floor
New York City, NY 10017
jk@kleinstocklaw.com
Telephone: (212) 616-4899
www.kleinstocklaw.com
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SOURCE The Klein Law Firm | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/01/open-alert-klein-law-firm-announces-lead-plaintiff-deadline-december-6-2022-class-action-filed-behalf-opendoor-technologies-incorporated-shareholders/ | 2022-11-01 10:23:52 | 0 | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/01/open-alert-klein-law-firm-announces-lead-plaintiff-deadline-december-6-2022-class-action-filed-behalf-opendoor-technologies-incorporated-shareholders/ |
LeBron James’ inevitable trajectory to becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is setting the stage for sky-high ticket prices.
James is just 63 points away from shattering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387.
Nothing is guaranteed. But James, who's averaging around 30 points per game this season, could have a real shot at breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s mark when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
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There are still plenty of tickets available in the low hundreds as of this writing. But courtside, the price for a pair of corner seats near the purple and gold hardwood are steeper. Way, way steeper.
The listing on the Ticketmaster website, labeled as verified resale tickets, has the two seats priced at $200,000. Then there’s the added $46,000 service fee and $2.95 for order processing.
Forget buyer’s remorse. Once you've purchased the tickets, there’s no going back. "All Sales Final — No refunds or Exchanges," the website says at checkout.
Is a quarter million dollars worth the price of admission to witness King James, maybe, possibly, make history? There’s the very real possibility that he could instead break the record after Tuesday night’s game.
The Lakers play the New Orleans Pelicans in New Orleans Saturday. Should James have an off night scoring-wise against New Orleans, it will become tougher to break the record on Tuesday. And should James sit out of Saturday's game, then he would need a career-best 63-point performance against OKC.
If he comes shy of 63 points by Tuesday night vs. the Thunder, James has another shot at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/200k-for-seats-to-watch-lakers-lebron-james-break-nba-scoring-record-yes-you-read-that-right/3185572/ | 2023-02-03 04:49:33 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/200k-for-seats-to-watch-lakers-lebron-james-break-nba-scoring-record-yes-you-read-that-right/3185572/ |
In a rare move, key European allies — France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom — joined the U.S. on Tuesday in condemning Israel's plans to build 10,000 more housing units in existing settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel's right-wing government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also set to legalize nine smaller Jewish outposts on land the Palestinians want for a future state.
Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a war in 1967 and has since built more than 100 settlements there — which much of the international community opposes. The U.N. Security Council has called settlements a violation of international law, which Israel denies.
The joint U.S. and European statement said the countries "strongly oppose these unilateral actions which will only serve to exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution."
"We were not surprised by the U.S. position," a senior Israeli official said in a statement to reporters. "We have disagreements for tens of years about these issues ... these disagreements did not and will not harm the strong bond between Israel and the U.S."
Some Arab states also condemned the decision. Qatar, which has no formal ties with Israel, called it a flagrant violation of U.N. resolutions and an assault on the rights of Palestinians. Egypt, the first Arab country to establish ties with Israel, said these measures will inflame tensions and violence already spiking in the West Bank.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.knkx.org/2023-02-14/european-allies-condemn-israels-plan-to-build-more-housing-units-in-the-west-bank | 2023-02-18 06:43:43 | 0 | https://www.knkx.org/2023-02-14/european-allies-condemn-israels-plan-to-build-more-housing-units-in-the-west-bank |
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit by imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny contesting prison regulations that allow prison officials to deprive him of stationery and pens.
Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court in a maximum security penal colony in Melekhovo 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Moscow. This week, another trial against the Kremlin’s archfoe began right there in the penal colony on charges of extremism. If convicted, Navalny will remain behind bars for at least two more decades.
In the lawsuit considered by the Supreme Court on Thursday, Navalny complained that prison officials in the restricted housing unit, where he is held in isolation, no longer gave him a pen and paper.
“Some are being given a pen and paper for an hour. In some places, for 15 minutes, and a convict needs a week to finish a letter. In my case, the time for writing materials was removed from my schedule entirely. How come? The prison chief decided so, that’s how,” Navalny wrote in a typically sardonic social media post on the eve of the hearing.
The complaint is one of many the 47-year-old politician has filed against prison officials, alleging multiple violations of his rights as a convict. All of his lawsuits and petitions have been rejected by Russian courts.
Navalny appeared at the Supreme Court hearing via video link from the Melekhovo colony. During the hearing, Russian authorities argued that there was nothing wrong with prison regulations and that Navalny should be given a pen and paper whenever he asked for them, if he was not required to do something else at that time.
Navalny’s arguments that it doesn’t work that way in his prison were brushed off, and the court quashed his lawsuit.
Navalny, who exposed official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
While imprisoned, the anti-corruption crusader has spent months in a tiny one-person cell, also called a “punishment cell,” for purported disciplinary violations such as an alleged failure to properly button his prison robe, properly introduce himself to a guard or to wash his face at a specified time.
Navalny’s associates and supporters have accused prison authorities of failing to provide him with proper medical assistance and voiced concern about his failing health. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/russias-highest-court-quashes-navalnys-lawsuit-over-depriving-him-of-pen-and-paper-in-prison/ | 2023-06-23 04:32:53 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/russias-highest-court-quashes-navalnys-lawsuit-over-depriving-him-of-pen-and-paper-in-prison/ |
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| Las Vegas
For decades, teachers have lamented lackluster pay – often working more than one job to make ends meet.
But pockets of support have emerged lately. As states grapple with teacher shortages and fewer people entering the field, compensation often rises to the top of the concern list. Last year, governors from Florida to New Mexico worked with legislatures to increase educator salaries. And at the end of the last session of Congress, Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat and former teacher from Florida, introduced the American Teacher Act.
Why We Wrote This
The need to attract and retain teachers has sparked some U.S. states to channel more money into salaries. Now, the federal government will consider the question: What’s a fair wage?
Designed as a four-year federal grant program, the bill is set to be reintroduced in Congress on Wednesday, and would help states lift their starting teacher salaries to $60,000. Though it faces an uphill battle, the proposal has helped renew longstanding questions: What’s a fair salary for teachers? And can educators and advocates get lawmakers on board with higher wages?
Cleaning houses after work helps Dawrin Mota’s bank account, but it also means less time the Las Vegas teacher can be physically present with his children.
“Nobody should have to work this hard to have a vacation,” says the Army veteran. “Nobody should have to work this hard ... to afford something like a purse or to go see a concert or whatever.”
On his first day back from winter break, Dawrin Mota leaves the Las Vegas charter school where he works as a literacy strategist and heads to his second job cleaning houses.
The side business he and his wife operate keeps cash flowing in to support discretionary spending. On this January evening, his wife cleans one house solo, they do two together, and they hire people to clean two more. It yields them about $350.
That kind of extra money was especially helpful during last month’s costly holiday season.
Why We Wrote This
The need to attract and retain teachers has sparked some U.S. states to channel more money into salaries. Now, the federal government will consider the question: What’s a fair wage?
“If I didn’t have it, I don’t know that I’d be able to really get my kids anything, honestly,” Mr. Mota says.
For decades, teachers have lamented lackluster pay – giving way to promises and debates on the campaign trail, in state legislatures, and in the hallways of Congress. Pockets of success have emerged along the way. Last year, governors from Florida to New Mexico worked with state legislatures to increase teacher salaries.
Then, in the waning days of the last session of Congress, the conversation took a new turn: A teacher-turned-congresswoman, Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from Florida, introduced the American Teacher Act.
Designed as a four-year federal grant program, the bill, set to be reintroduced in Congress on Wednesday, would help states lift their starting teacher salaries to $60,000, boost pay for veteran teachers, and make cost-of-living adjustments tied to inflation.
The proposal, which faces an uphill battle, has nonetheless renewed longstanding questions that have simmered and, occasionally, boiled over into protests and strikes: What’s a fair salary for teachers? And can educators and advocates get lawmakers on board with higher wages?
As states grapple with teacher shortages and fewer people entering the field, compensation often rises to the top of the concern list.
“It’s the No. 1 issue,” says Sanford Johnson, executive director of Teach Plus Mississippi, a branch of the national, policy-focused organization. “In the conversations that we have with teachers and the conversations we have with people who, you know, are aspiring teachers, a lot of teachers have said that they no longer see the profession as being something that’s sustainable.”
A starting point: $60,000
New teachers entering the workforce earned an average starting salary of $41,770 during the 2020-2021 academic year, according to the National Education Association. The union pegged the average salary for public school teachers – regardless of experience – at $65,293 that same year.
The baseline pay proposed by Representative Wilson’s bill represents a substantial increase over the typical starting salary, but she believes it’s a figure that could garner bipartisan support, says Karol Molinares, a spokesperson for Ms. Wilson.
“The congresswoman likes to say that, you know, this isn’t a ceiling – it’s a floor,” Ms. Molinares says, describing the selection of $60,000.
Representative Wilson plans to refile the bill – the first of its kind at the federal level – with the 118th Congress on Jan. 25. Already, the bill has more than 60 endorsements, including from both major teacher unions, the National PTA, and two former education secretaries, Arne Duncan and John B. King, Jr.
All public school teachers, including those who work in charter schools that receive public funding, would be eligible for the salary bump, Ms. Molinares says. The original bill targets the 2024-’25 academic year as the start date.
Even though Representative Wilson and the original bill’s eight co-sponsors are Democrats, advocates say they see opportunity for Republican support, given teacher shortages and broad public backing for boosting educator income.
Researchers from Kansas State University and the University of Illinois-Champaign published a report in August estimating that at least 36,500 teaching vacancies exist across the nation, representing nearly 1.7% of positions. On top of that, 163,000 people without proper licensure are helping fill those positions.
That means potentially millions of students don’t have a qualified teacher leading their classroom each day – a problem some experts are concerned could worsen over the coming years.
Mississippi, long on the low end of teacher pay scales, was one of the states that started increasing pay last year. Magnolia State lawmakers passed a bill – signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves – that gave teachers an average increase of $5,100 and implemented pay increases throughout a teacher’s career. It also bumped starting teacher pay to $41,500, up from $37,000.
Mr. Johnson says his Teach Plus Mississippi and other advocacy organizations and allies leaned on educators’ personal stories to help their cause. Teachers submitted written testimony to the Legislature and started a social media campaign to share their experiences.
Among them was Crystal Jackson, a special education teacher in the Vicksburg Warren School District, near the state’s western border with Louisiana. She moonlights as a bartender and waitress once or twice a week. Many of her co-workers also hold second jobs, she says, whether at a brick-and-mortar business or through a gig economy opportunity such as DoorDash.
Ms. Jackson credits the awareness campaign, especially on social media, with moving state lawmakers to action.
“I think the more voices you have speaking out about something and the more attention you have within the state, the more it just becomes like, ‘Oh, we have to do this,’” she says.
The raise brought her annual salary to roughly $50,000, which she describes as a more livable wage. She no longer works her second job every weekend.
Ms. Jackson, who has a master’s degree, says she is thankful for the increase. But when asked what she considers a fair wage for teachers, she hesitates. This is the most she has ever made.
“I don’t think we value teachers as much as we say we do because they’re still among some of our lowest-paid professionals that we see in the workforce throughout the U.S.,” she says.
A report from the Economic Policy Institute backs up her assertion. Depending on where they live, teachers in the United States earn a weekly wage that is 3.4% to 35.9% less than that of their college-educated peers. In 28 states, that figure – known as a wage penalty – exceeds 20%. Benefits somewhat offset that pay reality, but not enough to level the playing field. The report found that teachers’ total compensation penalty grew by 11.5 percentage points from 1993 to 2021.
“Is this possible?”
Despite the celebratory atmosphere surrounding the Mississippi pay raises last year, Mr. Johnson takes a pragmatic approach. He says it can’t be the endpoint, though he wonders whether the political will exists to jump to $60,000 as the federal bill seeks to do.
“We’re in a divided Congress right now,” he says. “Is this possible?”
With the GOP-led House currently threatening a fight with the White House over raising the debt ceiling to pay existing U.S. debt, the fate of new expenditures is very much up in the air. And, on top of that, concerns have emerged about states’ abilities to sustain the pay increases when the runway of federal funding expires.
The proposed grant program in the bill is essentially bridge funding, says Ellen Sherratt, board president of The Teacher Salary Project, a nonpartisan organization that provided input.
The aim is to get states “to look into how they’re spending their money and how they might be able to move funds around to support a significantly higher teacher salary schedule,” she says.
She acknowledges the federal effort is far from any finish line. It’s an authorizing bill that, if passed, would become an appropriations bill with a price tag attached. She hopes to see parents, teachers, lawmakers, and influential figures – such as celebrities and professional athletes – coalesce around the proposed legislation, providing momentum for moving the pay needle faster.
“We’ve been trying and trying, and states have managed to an extent,” Ms. Sherratt says. “But the increases that we’re seeing in places like Mississippi and Alabama and elsewhere – they’re still quite modest.”
Mr. Mota, an Army veteran, finally eclipsed the $60,000 mark about two years ago when he moved from a traditional public school. His upgraded salary at Odyssey Charter School typically covers the bills, but it leaves little wiggle room for any extras.
Earlier in his career, he juggled teaching elementary students, tutoring after school, and working as an adjunct professor at a local community college to make ends meet. Now, cleaning houses helps his bank account, but it also means less time being physically present with his children, who sometimes ask why he’s so busy or tired.
“Nobody should have to work this hard to have a vacation,” he says. “Nobody should have to work this hard ... to afford something like a purse or to go see a concert or whatever.” | https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2023/0124/Reading-writing-and-paychecks.-What-s-a-teacher-worth | 2023-01-25 00:37:47 | 1 | https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2023/0124/Reading-writing-and-paychecks.-What-s-a-teacher-worth |
Social Security benefits to jump by 8.7% next year
Millions of Social Security recipients will get an 8.7% boost in their benefits in 2023.
That's a historic increase and welcome news for American retirees and others — but it's tempered by the fact that it's fueled by record-high inflation that's raised the cost of everyday living.
The cost-of-living adjustment means the average recipient will receive more than $140 extra a month beginning in January, according to estimates released Thursday by the Social Security Administration.
The boost in benefits will be coupled with a 3% drop in Medicare Part B premiums, meaning retirees will get the full impact of the jump in Social Security benefits.
The Social Security Administration's Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi said that combined with Medicare premiums going down in 2023, the Social Security benefits increase "will give seniors more peace of mind and breathing room."
"This year’s substantial Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is the first time in over a decade that Medicare premiums are not rising and shows that we can provide more support to older Americans who count on the benefits they have earned,” she said.
The announcement comes just weeks before the midterm elections, and at a time when Democrats and Republicans are sparring about high prices now and how best to shore up the program financially in the future.
President Joe Biden has pledged to protect both Social Security and Medicare. "I'll make them stronger," he said last month. "And I'll lower your cost to be able to keep them."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday that the combination of a Social Security benefit boost and a decline in Medicare premiums will give seniors a chance to get ahead of inflation. "We will put more money in their pockets and provide them with a little extra breathing room," she said.
About 70 million people — including retirees, disabled people and children — receive Social Security benefits. This will be the biggest increase in benefits that baby boomers, those born between the years 1946 and 1964, have ever seen.
Willie Clark, 65, of Waukegan, Illinois, says his budget is "real tight" and the increase in his Social Security disability benefits could give him some breathing room to cover the cost of the household expenses he's been holding off on.
Still, he doubts how much of the extra money will end up in his pocket. His rent in an apartment building subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is based on his income, so he expects that will rise, too.
Social Security is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers. Each pays 6.2% on wages up to a cap, which is adjusted each year for inflation. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes for 2023 is $155,100.
The financing setup dates to the 1930s, the brainchild of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who believed a payroll tax would foster among average Americans a sense of ownership that would protect the program from political interference.
Next year's higher payout, without an accompanying increase in Social Security contributions, could put additional pressure on a system that's facing a severe shortfall in coming years.
The annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report released in June says the program's trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035.
If the trust fund is depleted, the government will be able to pay only 80% of scheduled benefits, the report said. Medicare will be able to pay 90% of the total scheduled benefits if the fund is depleted.
In January, a Pew Research Center poll showed 57% of U.S. adults saying that "taking steps to make the Social Security system financially sound" was a top priority for the president and Congress to address this year. Securing Social Security got bipartisan support, with 56% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans calling it a top priority.
Some solutions for reforming Social Security have been proposed — but none has moved forward in a sharply partisan Congress.
Earlier this year, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., issued a detailed plan that would require Congress to come up with a proposal to adequately fund Social Security and Medicare or potentially phase them out.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., publicly rebuked the plan and Biden has used Scott's proposal as a political bludgeon against Republicans ahead of midterm elections.
"If Republicans in Congress have their way, seniors will pay more for prescription drugs and their Social Security benefits will never be secure," Jean-Pierre said.
___
Claire Savage in Chicago contributed to this report. | https://www.wmur.com/article/social-security-benefits-to-jump-by-87-next-year/41610785 | 2022-10-13 13:51:51 | 1 | https://www.wmur.com/article/social-security-benefits-to-jump-by-87-next-year/41610785 |
Which stocking stuffer for dogs is best?
Everyone deserves some holiday goodies, even your dog. Putting up a stocking for your pup is a great way to include them in the holiday fun. There are many items that work great as stocking stuffers. Holiday-themed treats and toys are always a hit, and there are fun items like antlers and holiday bandanas that you’ll love as well.
Stockings for dogs
In order for your dog to get stocking stuffers, they need their very own stocking for you to put their presents in. You can find cute, dog-themed stockings shaped like bones or paws. Some of these have a personalization option when you order and will arrive with your dog’s name stitched on. You can also use any stocking from the store or match your dog’s stocking to the ones you put out for the rest of the family.
Dog stocking stuffer ideas
Dog treats
Holiday treats aren’t just for people. You can find a variety of dog treats shaped like ornaments, gingerbread men, candy canes and Christmas trees. Dogs can even get their own advent calendar. Things to eat always make good gifts for dogs, and they are almost certain to like whatever you select.
Miles Kimball Claudia’s Canine Cuisine Santa Paws Classic Gourmet Dog Cookies
This package of dog treats comes with approximately 50 holiday cookies. The ingredients in the cookies are human-grade, and your dog is sure to find the flavor tasty. The cookies are shaped like Christmas trees, dog bones and paws, and they are red, green and gold.
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Old Mother Hubbard Jingle Jangle P-Nuttier Biscuits
These delicious dog treats contain high-quality ingredients, inducing real peanut butter, cane molasses, carrots and apples, and they have no artificial preservatives. They come in the cute shapes of trees, stockings, stars, gingerbread men, snowmen and ornaments. Their tiny size makes them a great inclusion in your gifts for small dogs.
Sold by Chewy
These dog treats that look just like gingerbread men make a perfect dog stocking stuffer. The ingredients are simple and contain nothing artificial. The soft texture is perfect for small dogs or older dogs who can’t handle big, crunchy treats.
You and your pooch can count down to the holidays with this advent calendar just for dogs. It has 24 days of different treats that come in a variety of flavors, like cheese, peanut butter and bacon. The ingredients in the treats are all-natural.
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Dog toys
If your dog loves to play fetch or tug of war, then a toy makes a perfect stocking stuffer. There are tons of toys that come in fun holiday shapes. You can also find toys that vary in their durability. A softer toy is perfect for a small dog who is gentler when they play, and chew rope toys are great for big dogs.
Frisco Holiday Cactus Plush Squeaky Dog Toy
These squeaky dog toys come in a three pack. The cactus-shaped toys are all decorated for the holidays and covered with soft plush that is easy on your dog’s mouth. The squeaker inside will keep your dog interested and engaged during playtime.
Sold by Chewy
ZippyPaws Holiday Burrow Interactive Squeaky Hide and Seek Plush Dog Toy
This toy presents a stimulating game of hide-and-seek for your pup. Hide the cute reindeer inside the plush box, and let your dog figure out how to get the squeaky toys out. This toy works for dogs of all sizes but not tough chewers.
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Haute Diggity Dog Starbarks Coffee Collection
This holiday toy allows your dog to enjoy their morning “starbarks” with you. The toy looks like a delicious coffee drink, and it comes in two different sizes, 4 inches or 7 inches. Perfect for taking cute holiday pictures, this toy is an instantly recognizable parody of your favorite coffee shop.
Sold by Amazon
A pack of five, these chew toys are the classic holiday colors of red and green. Their material is 100% natural and nontoxic. Great for dogs that love to chew, the fibers on the rope help to scrub tartar off of their teeth. The pack includes a variety of tug ropes and a ball.
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Fun dog holiday items
If you are looking to include in your dog’s stocking some bonus items that you’ll enjoy as much as they will, festive holiday attire and personalized items are a good choice. You can get your pet’s name printed on a variety of holiday items, including stockings and ornaments. There are also fun sweaters, hats and bandanas that will make your holiday pictures with your dog memorable.
This pack comes with two plaid bandanas in red and green. They both read “Merry Christmas” in white letters. Made from 100% cotton, the bandanas are easy to wash and will be comfortable on your dog’s neck. The double layer of fabric makes these durable and long lasting.
Sold by Amazon
BWOGUE Dog Reindeer Antler Headband with Santa Hat
This adorable dog hat features a Santa hat and reindeer antlers. It comes in two different sizes, medium and large. The hat is light so your pet shouldn’t be bothered by the weight. The material is soft and won’t irritate your dog’s skin.
Sold by Amazon
Frisco Plaid Paw Shape Personalized Ornament
You can personalize this ornament with your dog’s picture and name. The ornament is in the shape of a paw and comes in red or green plaid. There is a high-gloss finish over the picture. It comes with a red ribbon for easy hanging.
Sold by Chewy
Yostyle Dog Christmas Stockings
Perfect for a family with more than one dog, this set of dog stockings comes with three. The stockings are shaped like bones and made from burlap and flannel fabric. They are roomy enough to hold lots of goodies and each has a fabric loop that makes them easy to hang. You can wash these stockings.
Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://phl17.com/reviews/best-stocking-stuffers-for-dogs/ | 2022-11-17 02:01:18 | 0 | https://phl17.com/reviews/best-stocking-stuffers-for-dogs/ |
AI Coach helps contact center leaders develop top-performing customer-facing teams with AI Conversation Simulation
PALO ALTO, Calif. and DENVER, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zenarate (https://www.zenarate.com/), the industry's leading AI Conversation Simulation solution, had its AI Coach contact center training platform recognized as a runner-up in the Automation Solution of the Year category at the CCW Excellence Awards in Las Vegas. The CCW Excellence Awards recognize the most innovative companies and top-performing executives for their extraordinary contributions to the customer contact profession.
Zenarate AI Coach helps leading brands develop top-performing customer-facing teams through AI conversation simulation. It simulates any customer engagement scenario immersing customer-facing team members in real-life conversations while providing them real-time coaching. Zenarate AI Coach develops more confident and prepared agents, translating to improved business metrics. Zenarate customers have experienced proven outcomes, including 56% faster Speed to Proficiency, 33% higher CSAT scores, and 32% lower Agent Attrition.
Zenarate AI Coach was recognized as a breakthrough technology that is transforming how contact centers train agents, developing confident prepared new hires before their first call and closing tenured agent call type and skill gaps. It offers human-centered AI coaching to help agents improve performance through realistic, immersive experiences. It creates hyper-realistic simulations of any voice or chat scenario, so agents can learn through practicing, solving problems and making mistakes to build confidence without live customer risk. Natural Language Processing lets agents use their own words without scripting, and Natural Language Understanding generates real-time customer responses simulating a customer on any topic or persona.
Zenarate's AI Coach helps leading brands develop confident top-performing customer-facing teams through AI Conversation Simulation. Zenarate's AI Coach is used worldwide every day in over a dozen countries, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Philippines, India, and Europe and supports 12 languages. Zenarate Customers include 7 of the top 10 U.S. financial institutions, 3 of the top 5 BPOs, and leading companies in the healthcare, travel, technology, and services industries. For more information, visit www.zenarate.com.
Media Contact:
Terri Douglas
Catapult PR
303-808-6820
tdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com
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SOURCE Zenarate | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/zenarate-ai-coach-recognized-leading-contact-center-training-solution-annual-2022-ccw-excellence-awards/ | 2022-06-27 15:52:18 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/zenarate-ai-coach-recognized-leading-contact-center-training-solution-annual-2022-ccw-excellence-awards/ |
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I thought there should be a way to alert communications/operations supervisors every time a law enforcement officer or soldier draws his weapon," said an inventor, from Bronx, N.Y., "so I invented the SMITH HOLSTER. My design would effectively document your actions and it could encourage proper judgment during various incidents."
The invention provides an innovative new holster for handguns. In doing so, it ensures that law enforcement and military agencies are notified each time the weapon is removed. As a result, it improves accountability. The invention features an effective and reliable design that is easy to use so it is ideal for law enforcement, military personnel and private citizens that own firearms. Additionally, it is producible in design variations.
The original design was submitted to the Manhattan sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 21-MBQ-191, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
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SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/11/22/inventhelp-inventor-develops-innovative-new-holster-handguns-mbq-191/ | 2022-11-22 16:29:40 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/11/22/inventhelp-inventor-develops-innovative-new-holster-handguns-mbq-191/ |
LONDON (AP) — Truck drivers and Britons heading off on holiday by ferry faced hours-long waits at the port of Dover on Friday, with authorities blaming French officials for the chaos — a claim France denied.
Dover authorities said a lack of French border officials was leading to waits of up to six hours for border checks at the English Channel port, with queues of tourist and freight traffic snarling roads for miles (kilometers).
Millions of people in Britain are trying to begin vacations this weekend — the start of the summer school holidays — and face disruptions by road, sea, rail and air.
U.K. port authorities said that, despite months of work between the two nations to prepare for peak travel season, the number of French border police “has been insufficient and has fallen far short of what is required to ensure a smooth first weekend of the peak summer getaway period.”
Since Britain left the European Union in 2020, U.K. travelers face stricter border checks when traveling to the continent. At Dover they are performed on the English side of the channel by French staff.
Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister said the port had declared a “critical incident.”
“We’ve been badly let down this morning by the French border,” he said.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the situation “should have been entirely avoidable and is unacceptable.”
“We need action from France to build up capacity at the border to limit any further disruption for British tourists and to ensure this appalling situation is avoided in future,” said Truss, who is running to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and Britain’s next prime minister. “We will be working with the French authorities to find a solution.”
France denied that its border officials were unprepared. Georges-Francois Leclerc, the top official for the Hauts-de-France region, said an unforeseen “technical incident” in the Channel Tunnel prevented some Dover border booths from being staffed as planned Friday morning but insisted the problem was resolved after about 75 minutes.
By Friday afternoon, port authorities said more French staff had arrived “and traffic is slowly beginning to move, but it will take some time to clear the backlog.”
The French Embassy in London said on Twitter that “French border checks in Dover are operating in full capacity,” and French and British officials were “cooperating closely” to get people moving.
Turkish truck driver Muhammet Turker said he began queuing in his rig at Dover on Thursday evening and was still waiting 16 hours later.
“I’ve been in something like this before, but this is the worst,” he said.
The problems follow days of travel disruptions on Britain’s railways after a heat wave brought record-smashing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures to the U.K., buckling rails and starting fires.
Rail workers also plan more walkouts next week in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Air travel has also been hit by disruptions, in Britain and around the world, as airlines and airports struggle to cope with the return of mass travel following two years of pandemic restrictions. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/u-s-world/uk-blames-france-as-travelers-face-hours-long-port-delays/ | 2022-07-23 13:06:26 | 1 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/u-s-world/uk-blames-france-as-travelers-face-hours-long-port-delays/ |
WILMINGTON, Del. — A courtroom drama of epic proportions is set to begin on Tuesday as Fox News defends itself against claims of defamation from Dominion Voting Systems.
The closely watched case will have major implications for defamation law, the intersection of media and politics and the future of the country’s most-watched news network.
Here are some key things to watch for during this week’s trial:
Dominion aims to expose internal crisis at Fox after the 2020 election
The voting systems provider is alleging it knowingly aired false information about its software being promoted by former President Trump and his allies in the days and weeks following now-President Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Dominion has already made public in various court filings a slew of internal communications from leading hosts and executives at Fox showing them privately insulting Trump and his defenders and throwing cold water on claims of voter fraud.
The filings also show Fox’s top talent worrying about how fact-checking Trump’s claims might anger its large audience, much of which remains supportive of the former president.
Look for Dominion’s legal team to highlight those communications and use them to argue to a jury that executives and employees at Fox acted with “actual malice,” or reckless disregard for the truth, in airing Trump’s false claims.
Fox will lean on a First Amendment defense
Fox has countered in public statements and legal filings of its own that the allegations made by Trump and his allies were newsworthy, and the network had a journalistic duty to cover them.
The cable channel has separately argued that a victory for Dominion would set a dangerous precedent in media law, making it easier for plaintiffs to sue news organizations for damages and creating a chilling effect throughout the industry.
Fox’s legal team has also suggested Dominion is inflating its financial valuation and has not suffered the fiduciary losses it says it has as a result of the allegations.
“Dominion’s lawsuit is a political crusade in search of a financial windfall, but the real cost would be cherished First Amendment rights,” the network said in a statement ahead of this week’s trial. “While Dominion has pushed irrelevant and misleading information to generate headlines, Fox News remains steadfast in protecting the rights of a free press, given a verdict for Dominion and its private equity owners would have grave consequences for the entire journalism profession.”
Judge Eric Davis, who is presiding over the case, has already ruled that the statements in question were false. He has also rejected Fox’s attempts to throw out Dominion’s lawsuit ahead of bringing the case before a jury based on First Amendment privileges.
In a statement of its own, Dominion said the company is “a strong believer in the First Amendment and its protections.”
“As long-settled law makes clear, the First Amendment does not shield broadcasters that knowingly or recklessly spread lies,” the company said.
Fox’s biggest stars and top leaders are expected to take the witness stand
Some of Fox’s biggest stars could take the witness stand as early as this week, including prime time hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.
Though cameras will not be allowed in the Delaware courtroom, testimony from Fox’s leading stars would be an unprecedented moment in American media history — would be sure to make headlines.
Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis also indicated during a pretrial hearing last week he was open to compelling owner Rupert Murdoch to testify if the media mogul is issued a subpoena by Dominion’s lawyers.
“Dominion clearly wants to continue generating misleading stories from their friends in the media to distract from their weak case,” a Fox spokesperson said in response to the proposition of Murdoch testifying. “Demanding witnesses who had nothing to do with the challenged broadcasts is just the latest example of their political crusade in search of a financial windfall.”
Trump will likely be watching the proceedings closely, reacting in real time
The former president has been attacking Fox for months over its coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to challenge him for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.
Trump has also blasted Murdoch and Fox more generally regarding revelations made as part of the Dominion case.
In one deposition given to Dominion’s lawyers, Murdoch acknowledged that some Fox News commentators touted Trump’s false assertions of a stolen election. He also cast doubt on the claims being put forth by Trump in private communications made public as part of the suit.
“Fox News is in big trouble if they do not expose the truth on cheating in the 2020 election,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social early Monday morning after a surprise 24 hour delay in the start to the trial had been announced. “They should do what’s right for America. When Rupert Murdoch says that there was no cheating in light of the massive proof that was there, it is ridiculous and very harmful to the fox case. Perhaps he should say that “he just didn’t know,” but that is hard to believe. Rupert, just tell the truth and good things will happen. The election of 2020 was rigged and stollen…you know it, & so does everyone else!”
Media observers will be watching for Trump’s reaction, as his claims about the 2020 election will be a central theme throughout the week’s proceedings.
Updated: 8:21 a.m. | https://www.kxnet.com/hill-politics/what-to-watch-for-in-the-dominion-vs-fox-news-trial/ | 2023-04-18 14:22:57 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/hill-politics/what-to-watch-for-in-the-dominion-vs-fox-news-trial/ |
(The Hill) — More than 500 students are still sick with flu-like symptoms at Stafford High in Fredericksburg, Virginia, according to health officials.
The hundreds of students sick with suspected Influenza A missed classes on both Monday and Tuesday, according to the Virginia Department of Health (DOH).
On Monday, 670 students were absent due to being sick with flu-like symptoms, the DOH reported. On Tuesday, 526 students missed school because they were sick.
Stafford High School said in a Facebook post Monday night that all school activities, with the exception of interscholastic sports matches, would continue.
Last week, about 1,000 students at the high school missed classes because they were sick with flu-like symptoms and all activities were canceled for the weekend. The school re-opened on Monday.
A spokesperson for the Virginia DOH said the first cases were reported last Thursday.
In the midst of flu season and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Virginia DOH is urging students and staff to practice frequent and thorough hand washing and to stay home if they are sick or know someone who has a confirmed or suspected case of the flu.
“The coming months are likely to be a challenging flu season,” the spokesperson said. “If you have not already received your flu shot, we recommend receiving it as soon as possible.” | https://www.ksn.com/news/health/500-still-sick-with-flu-like-symptoms-at-virginia-high-school/ | 2022-10-25 19:29:16 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/health/500-still-sick-with-flu-like-symptoms-at-virginia-high-school/ |
Protesters in China call for the end of the 'zero COVID' policy By John Ruwitch Published November 28, 2022 at 3:25 PM CST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 4:33 Protesters in China have been calling for the end of the country's "zero COVID" policy and political reform. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2022-11-28/protesters-in-china-call-for-the-end-of-the-zero-covid-policy | 2022-11-28 21:38:56 | 0 | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2022-11-28/protesters-in-china-call-for-the-end-of-the-zero-covid-policy |
Gabby Petito’s legacy: $100K gift to domestic abuse hotline
NEW YORK (AP) — Even in hindsight, Nichole Schmidt can’t be sure if anything could have been done to save her daughter Gabby Petito from a messy and violent relationship that ended in murder nearly a year ago in the western wilderness.
But there is work to do, she said, to keep alive the memory of her daughter, who was found strangled last September in the outskirts of Wyoming’s Grand Tetons after a cross-country trip turned into a high-profile missing person’s case, then into tragedy and grief.
Through a $100,000 donation from the Gabby Petito Foundation, Schmidt is now partnering with the National Domestic Violence Hotline to help others survive turbulent and violent relationships.
“I think Gabby’s story touched a lot of people and she’s saving lives. I get people messaging me all the time that they were inspired by her to get out of a relationship,” Schmidt said during an interview with The Associated Press.
The anti-violence hotline takes calls from thousands of people each year, most of them women looking for help leaving physically or emotionally abusive relationships.
To date this year, more than 440,000 callers have sought help from the hotline — up about a third from the same period last year.
The big increase in calls has led to a longer wait time for a counselor, going from 7 minutes to more than 17 minutes, according to Katie Ray-Jones, the hotline’s chief executive officer.
“That is a substantial increase really overwhelming our services,” Ray-Jones said. “We need to increase the number of advocates.”
The Petito Foundation’s donation, as well as a $200,000 gift from another family, will go toward reducing wait times and expanding the hotline’s “Hope Can’t Wait” initiative.
Investigators believe Petito’s boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, killed her in late August last year while the couple were on a cross-country trip in a van.
Petito’s disappearance launched a massive search. Amateur sleuths scoured social media for clues. It also again brought scrutiny of authorities and the news media, both of which have been criticized for focusing more attention on missing white women than on women of color.
“We were seeing a lot of media coverage about a young white woman who had gone missing,” Ray-Jones acknowledged during a joint interview with Schmidt. But she said public response came from diverse groups, including from some families of color.
Laundrie killed himself in a Florida swamp, leaving behind a notebook that authorities said contained a confession.
Earlier this year, an independent investigation found that police in Moab, Utah, made “several unintentional mistakes” when they came across Petito and Laundrie during a traffic stop last summer. Officers investigated a fight between the couple but ultimately let them go under the agreement they spend the night apart.
In the report, police said it was very likely that Petito “was a long-term victim of domestic violence, whether that be physically, mentally, and/or emotionally.”
Schmidt said she still has so many unanswered questions about what went wrong.
“Looking back, I didn’t really see any signs. I think the only two people that will ever know what happened in that relationship was Gabby and Brian. And we can guess and we can make assumptions but we don’t really know what happened,” she added. “Most likely the scenario ended that way because something was happening for a while.”
For now, she said, the work goes on to help others survive domestic violence.
“I know that I can use this tragedy to help save so many,” Schmidt said. “It’s her legacy.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.weau.com/2022/08/04/gabby-petitos-legacy-100k-gift-domestic-abuse-hotline/ | 2022-08-04 12:09:01 | 0 | https://www.weau.com/2022/08/04/gabby-petitos-legacy-100k-gift-domestic-abuse-hotline/ |
(The Hill) — The health insurance of 600,000 Americans is hanging in the balance as part of last-minute negotiations to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.
House Republicans are pushing to include beefed-up work requirements for recipients of federal welfare — now called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid as part of a debt ceiling deal with the White House.
“We can’t be spending more money next year. We have to spend less than we spent the year before. It’s pretty easy,” Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Friday.
Under the GOP proposal, 600,000 Americans — mostly low- and moderate-income people who are capable of working and are between 19 and 56 years old — would lose their health care after being kicked out of federal Medicaid funding, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis from April.
That would save the government $109 billion over the next decade, the CBO estimated, which is just a fraction of the $32 trillion in federal debt amassed by Republican- and Democratic-led administrations.
The White House had repeatedly written off raising the debt ceiling as nonnegotiable before giving in to Republican demands for talks ahead of a potential June 1 run-out-of-money date.
There’s a good chance the people who are about to lose Medicaid coverage, welfare, or SNAP benefits won’t even know they’ve been booted out of these federal programs until it’s too late.
Arkansas approved work requirements for Medicaid in 2017, resulting in tens of thousands of people losing coverage. Legal Aid of Arkansas attorney Trevor Hawkins started canvassing his state to let people know their lives were about to change.
He told The Hill the people he met on the road had no idea what was coming.
“Most people didn’t realize these work requirements were a thing until they started getting notices that there were problems,” he said. “They were getting marks of not complying, but it was just because they didn’t know about it.”
“I literally traveled the whole state, talking to people in libraries, gas stations, barber shops — you name it. I spread flyers all across the state,” he said. “It was a hard time on me personally, just kind of seeing how this was affecting people, doing everything I could to try to spread the word.”
Treda Robinson, a working Arkansas resident who nearly lost her health insurance because of the work requirement law and ended up bringing a lawsuit against the state, said she would have died if she’d lost her coverage because she had a tumor she needed to have removed that was associated with her anemia.
“I would have died. The tumor was causing me to bleed, and it was making my blood count really low,” she told The Hill in an interview. “If I had lost my insurance at that time, how was I going to be able to go to the doctor to even know what was going on with me? Those appointments were $300 and $400 alone.”
Arkansas’s work requirements officially dropped around 18,000 people from their health insurance, but that number is likely significantly higher due to the selective way the state actually tracks the numbers, Hawkins said.
However, many people ended up losing coverage in Arkansas, the total amounts to just a fraction of the number of people who will lose coverage on the national level.
While Republicans and some Democrats have defended work requirements as compelling people who receive government benefits to work for greater levels of remuneration, research out of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has shown that in practice, the requirements in Arkansas did not promote employment.
“Work requirements did not increase employment over eighteen months of follow-up,” the researchers concluded, adding that “awareness of the work requirements remained poor, with more than 70 percent of Arkansans unsure whether the policy was in effect.”
The proposed law is viewed by many researchers as simply a mechanism by which to remove people from government programs and not as a way to encourage people to earn a wage.
As such, the requirements should not be thought of as a “work requirement” so much as a “paperwork requirement,” they say.
“If the goal is to get people who can work into work, the way that this goes about that is saying, ‘Prove it.’ That’s very different from checking on them using the excellent administrative data that many state governments already have,” said Kathryn Anne Edwards, an economist and public policy analyst, in an interview with The Hill.
“It puts the burden of proof on them, and one result that we know this will have is that a lot of people will lose benefits,” Edwards said.
This could be a good outcome if the onerous paperwork prompts Medicaid recipients to find a high-earning job that then makes them ineligible for the program.
“But that is a very rosy picture that we don’t have any evidence to support,” Edwards said. “Instead, it results in people losing benefits.”
The GOP legislation passed in the House does “whenever possible, prioritize the utilization of existing databases or other verification measures” over formally reported work requirements, but experts say this language has little chance of being realized practically.
“Outside of substantial efforts to regularize federal databases to be able to talk to each other, work requirements are going to continue to function as they have in the past,” said Matt Darling, an employment policy fellow at the Niskanen Center, a Washington think tank.
Work requirements, Darling said, are a “program that fails to get people into work while dropping people from Medicaid if they do not fill out the paperwork.”
The Republican targeting of welfare and national health insurance programs comes in the wake of massive tax cut packages passed during the past two Republican administrations that added substantially to the U.S. deficit.
Following the cancellation of the expanded child tax credit in 2022, which lifted millions of American children out of poverty, policy analysts are more frequently noting the lack of political consequences for targeting programs that are geared toward poor and lower-income Americans.
“The poverty rate has remained essentially unchanged for the past 40 years, so I don’t know if [targeting the poor] is necessarily a bad political strategy,” Edwards said.
“It’s not like I can say that there are a lot of bad political outcomes for people who don’t help poor people. We do it all the time.”
Despite regularly arguing a default on U.S. debt would result in an economic catastrophe, the Biden administration hasn’t seriously pursued any legal workarounds.
While progressive Democratic lawmakers are urging Biden to surmount Republican demands for cuts to programs that help low-income Americans, the White House has so far stuck to negotiations with House Republicans.
Such alternatives include proposals to mint additional currency for the express purpose of canceling or reducing the U.S. debt level below its current maximum level.
Biden has expressed a willingness to invoke the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, but U.S. courts and global financial markets may not accept such workarounds. | https://www.localsyr.com/news/national/health-insurance-for-600000-americans-at-stake-in-debt-ceiling-debate/ | 2023-05-23 13:03:16 | 0 | https://www.localsyr.com/news/national/health-insurance-for-600000-americans-at-stake-in-debt-ceiling-debate/ |
Martin Sheen is opening up about one of his biggest regrets. In a recent interview with Closer magazine, the West Wing star is asked about his sons, Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estévez, getting into acting, which leads to him talking about changing his name from Ramón Estévez.
Sheen says he was "so self-involved and trying to be a provider that I wasn’t aware of their inclination to being actors." He adds that "the only influence I had on Emilio was to keep his name."
"When he started out, his agent was advising him to change his name to Sheen and he wouldn’t do it," Sheen recalls. "And I thank God he didn’t."
The 81-year-old actor says changing his name, which he reportedly did because he felt it would earn him more acting roles, is "one of my regrets."
"I never changed my name officially. It’s still Ramón Estévez on my birth certificate. It’s on my marriage license, my passport, driver’s license," he notes. "Sometimes you get persuaded when you don’t have enough insight or even enough courage to stand up for what you believe in, and you pay for it later. But, of course, I’m only speaking for myself."
Born in America to a Spanish father and an Irish mother, Francisco Estévez and Mary Ann Phelan, Sheen is proud of his heritage, and says one of his favorite movie projects was a tribute to his dad.
"The one that fills me with the deepest gratitude and satisfaction is called The Way. We made it in Spain about the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and dedicated it to my father, who was from Galicia," Sheen recalls to the magazine. "It was written, directed and starred my son, Emilio Estévez. It is the best thing I’ve ever done. Thousands of people have seen the film and been inspired to do the pilgrimage. That is a great source of satisfaction and pride."
For more on the Sheen-Estévez family, check out the links below.
RELATED CONTENT: | https://www.kvue.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/martin-sheen-says-he-regrets-changing-his-name-from-ramon-estevez/603-7bd33673-1eb3-406b-874b-a643cde73fc6 | 2022-06-22 02:49:41 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/martin-sheen-says-he-regrets-changing-his-name-from-ramon-estevez/603-7bd33673-1eb3-406b-874b-a643cde73fc6 |
MIAMI (AP) — Reggae musician Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson and Stephen Marley’s son, has died at 31.
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His representative confirmed his death to Rolling Stone on Tuesday but a cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Born in Jamaica and raised in Miami, Marley followed in his family's musical footsteps, taking the stage with his family's band, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He began writing music when in middle school and made his musical debut in 2010 with the release of the single “My Girl,” on which he collaborated with his cousin Daniel Bambaata Marley. In 2016, he collaborated on a song with his father for the latter's album “Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life.”
Marley grew up with his musician father and surrounded by Bob Marley’s other children, including uncle Ziggy and aunts Sharon and Cadella.
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Jo Mersa Marley spoke of how music enveloped his upbringing in a previous interview with Rolling Stone.
“I would come home and try to do homework, but I’d end up getting distracted and go peek in the studio. You would always want to run in and run out to see what was going on," he said.
He was intent on creating his own path, and released his own debut album “Eternal” in 2021. He had studied studio engineering at Miami Dade College.
“I am one of the new generation of Marleys, but I am still experimenting at the same time,” he had told Rolling Stone. “My plan is to do something new with my roots."
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News of Marley's death elicited mourning on social media, including a post from Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
“My heartfelt sympathies to Joseph’s friends and associates and to the Reggae music fraternity and fans everywhere," Holness tweeted Tuesday. “His untimely passing at the young age of 31y.o. is a huge loss to the music as we look to the next generation.” | https://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/article/Joe-Mersa-Marley-Bob-Marley-s-grandson-dies-at-17681362.php | 2022-12-28 19:24:03 | 1 | https://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/article/Joe-Mersa-Marley-Bob-Marley-s-grandson-dies-at-17681362.php |
DALLAS, July 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today announced the promotion of Dean Jenkins from Assistant Treasurer to Vice President Treasurer, effective immediately. Jenkins's promotion follows Chris Monroe's recent departure from the Company, and he will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tammy Romo.
Since joining Southwest® in 2008, Jenkins has established himself as a well-respected voice within the investment banking and credit agency communities. His extensive knowledge and expertise in the fields of capital structure strategy, cash management, and risk management will be integral to serving the Company in his new role.
Prior to joining Southwest, Jenkins began his career as a Financial Analyst and has since served in roles such as an Audit Manager, Finance Manager, Financial Consultant, and Assistant Treasurer. Jenkins received his bachelor's degree in business administration from University of Texas at San Antonio, followed by his MBA from the University of North Texas. He is also a Certified Public Accountant with the state of Texas.
"I am delighted for Dean to step into the Vice President Treasurer role," said Romo. "I would like to congratulate him and thank him for the 15 years of dedication he has already shown Southwest. We're fortunate to have Leaders such as Dean and look forward to seeing him excel during this new chapter with the Company."
Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline1. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering its nearly 70,0002 People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among more than 126 million Customers carried in 2022. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity and 47 consecutive years3 of profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. As the airline with Heart, Southwest has set a goal to work toward achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Southwest has also set near-term targets and a four-pillar strategy to achieve its environmental goals. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/planet.
1U.S. Dept. of Transportation most recent reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded
2Fulltime-equivalent active Employees
31973-2019 annual profitability
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co. | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/12/southwest-airlines-announces-leadership-promotion/ | 2023-07-12 23:14:07 | 1 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/12/southwest-airlines-announces-leadership-promotion/ |
By PAUL BYRNE
KYIV (AP) — A team from the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Monday started its journey to the Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant at the heart of fighting in Ukraine, a long-awaited mission to inspect crucial safety systems that the world hopes will help avoid a catastrophe.
Offsetting that rare ray of hope, Ukraine and Russia again accused each other of stoking the conflict by shelling the wider region around the plant, which had already been briefly knocked offline last week.
That incident heightened dread of a nuclear disaster in a country still haunted by the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl, and officials began handing out anti-radiation iodine tablets shortly after.
To avoid such a disaster, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi has for months sought access to the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s biggest, which has been occupied by Russian forces and run by Ukrainian workers since the early days of the six-month-old war.
“The day has come,” Grossi tweeted, adding that the Vienna-based IAEA’s “Support and Assistance Mission … is now on its way.” It is slated to arrive later this week. Grossi didn’t provide a more precise timeline or give further details beyond posting a picture of himself with 13 other experts.
His announcement came as Ukraine accused Russia of new rocket and artillery strikes at or near the plant, intensifying fears that the fighting could cause a massive radiation leak. The facility, which has six reactors, was already temporarily knocked offline under the barrage of shelling last week.
Ukraine has alleged that Russia is essentially holding the plant hostage, storing weapons there and launching attacks from around it, while Moscow accuses Ukraine of recklessly firing on the facility.
Ukraine reported shelling in Nikopol, the city across the Dnieper river from the nuclear power plant, and said one person was killed and five others were wounded. In Enerhodar, just a few kilometers from the plant, the city’s Ukrainian mayor, Dmytro Orlov, blamed Russian shelling for injuries to at least 10 residents.
“Apparently, (the Russians) have rehearsed their scenario ahead of the arrival of the IAEA mission,” Orlov said on Telegram.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that it is “without an exaggeration, this mission will be the hardest in the history of IAEA.”
“We expect from the mission a clear statement of facts, of violation of all nuclear, of nuclear safety protocols. We know that Russia is putting not only Ukraine, but also the entire world at threat at the risk of nuclear accident,” Kuleba said in Stockholm.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of shelling in and around the plant.
“We believe that all countries must raise pressure on the Ukrainian side to force it to stop threatening the European continent by shelling the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and surrounding areas,” he said.
Peskov noted that Russia will ensure security of the IAEA mission “in view of the constant threats linked to the relentless shelling by the Ukrainian side.”
Ukraine’s atomic energy agency has painted an ominous picture of the threat by issuing a map forecasting where radiation could spread from the Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russian forces have controlled since soon after the war began.
Away from Zaporizhzhia, the Ukraine military claimed it had breached Russia’s first line of defence in some sections near Kherson just north of the Crimean Peninsula, an advance that would represent a strategic breakthrough if confirmed.
Reports about Ukrainian forces preparing for the counteroffensive in the south of the country, namely in the Russian-occupied Kherson region, have circulated for weeks. Russian-installed officials in the region on Monday announced the evacuation of residents of nearby Nova Kakhovka, a city frequently targeted by Kyiv’s forces, to bomb shelters from their workplaces. The officials citied Ukrainian rocket strikes on the city.
But in a war rife with claims and counterclaims that are hard to independently verify, the Moscow-appointed regional leader of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, dismissed the Ukrainian assertion of a counteroffensive in the Kherson region as false, noting that the Ukrainian forces have suffered heavy losses in the south and elsewhere.
The highest number of casualties — eight civilians killed and seven wounded — over the past 24 hours was reported in the eastern Donetsk region. The Russian forces carried out strikes on the cities of Sloviansk and Kostyantynivka overnight and Ukrainian governor of the region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, urged the remaining residents to evacuate immediately.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was hit with cluster munitions on Monday morning, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Ukraine’s presidential office also reported heavy fighting and multiple Ukrainian strikes in the southern Kherson region, most of which is occupied by the Russians. Ukrainian forces have recently been carrying out strikes on ammunition depots and Russian military positions there.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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MUNICH, July 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The BMW Group celebrated its corporate headquarters as an internationally renowned architectural icon today with over 200 international guests in attendance. The keynote speech by Pritzker Prize winner Francis Kéré and the appearance by Nihal Saad, Chief of Cabinet of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, made the ceremony a special event. In addition to the performance by star tenor Jonas Kaufmann the festivities concluded with a special highlight: With twelve vertical dancers, the US dance project BANDALOOP transformed the BMW Headquarters into a stage in its German premiere. The ensemble created a weightless synthesis for an interplay of architecture and dance. Along with music by Ben Juodvalkis, the façade dancers presented "Momentum Curve", an exclusive performance as a tribute to the unique architecture.
The BMW Group Headquarters, with its suspended construction, is one of the most innovative engineering buildings of the post-war period. In the process, upper floors were first manufactured on the ground, then moved upwards hydraulically on the massive "tower shaft" made of reinforced concrete and completed in several segments. In August 1972, the BMW Group Headquarters was completed. Designed by Austrian architect Professor Karl Schwanzer, the administrative building has since become an icon with global appeal for Munich and the company. The innovative power of Schwanzer's design stands for the BMW Group then as now, making the company headquarters a beacon of sustainable mobility for tomorrow. It is not only a symbol of economic success but also stands for international exchange, peace and interculturalism. Today, the "built communication" implemented by Schwanzer points the way to a new era of electrification, digitalization, and circularity.
Further information: BMW PressClub
Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com)
Prof. Dr Thomas Girst
Head of BMW Group Cultural Engagement
Telephone: +49 89 382 24753
Email: thomas.girst@bmwgroup.com
SOURCE BMW Group | https://www.kait8.com/prnewswire/2022/07/22/built-shape-tomorrow-bmw-headquarters-celebrates-its-50th-birthday-spectacular-performance-by-us-vertical-dancers-bandaloop/ | 2022-07-22 10:00:28 | 0 | https://www.kait8.com/prnewswire/2022/07/22/built-shape-tomorrow-bmw-headquarters-celebrates-its-50th-birthday-spectacular-performance-by-us-vertical-dancers-bandaloop/ |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the sport’s treatment of minor leaguers, prompting immediate criticism from the players’ advocacy group.
“I kind of reject the premise of the question that minor league players are not paid a living wage,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America before Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
“I think that we’ve made real strides in the last few years in terms of what minor league players are paid, even putting to one side the signing bonuses that many of them have already received. They receive housing, which obviously is another form of compensation.”
MLB raised minimum salaries in 2021, increasing Class A pay from $290 to $500 per week, Double-A from $350 to $600, and Triple-A from $502 to $700 over the roughly five-month season. Players are only paid in-season.
Amateur players residing in the United States and Canada who are selected in this week’s amateur draft have slot values for their signing bonuses, which clubs use as guidelines, ranging from $8.8 million for the first pick to just under $150,000 for the last selections of the 10th and final round.
Last November, MLB announced it was requiring teams to provide furnished accommodations, with a single bed per player and no more than two players per bedroom. Teams are responsible for basic utility bills.
“Most minor league baseball players work second jobs because their annual salaries are insufficient to make ends meet,” Harry Marino, executive director of Advocates for Minor Leaguers, said in a statement responding to Manfred. “His suggestion that minor league pay is acceptable is both callous and false.”
Papers filed Friday in federal court revealed MLB agreed to pay $185 million to settle a lawsuit by minor leaguers. MLB agreed in the deal to rescind any prohibitions against teams paying wages to minor league players outside of the season.
An early estimate is that perhaps 23,000 players could share the money with an average payment of $5,000 to $5,500, with $55.5 million going to the players’ lawyers.
Leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee have asked Manfred to explain by next Tuesday the impact of potential legislation stripping the sport’s antitrust exemption from covering the sport’s relationship with minor league players.
While players with major league contracts are unionized, players with minor league contracts are not. The Major League Baseball Players Association gave Advocates for Minor Leaguers $50,000 last November, according to a federal disclosure statement.
“It is exciting to see players recognizing and appreciating the power of their collective voice in effecting positive change in things that they live day to day,” union head Tony Clark, a former first baseman, told the BBWAA in a question-and-answer session prior to Manfred’s. “Harry Marino and the Advocates for Minor Leaguers have done a tremendous job in engaging and educating the the minor leaguers and helping them to find their voice. … We are watching. We are providing support when and where possible.”
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mlb/manfred-rejects-that-minor-leaguers-not-paid-living-wage/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2022-07-19 22:14:35 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mlb/manfred-rejects-that-minor-leaguers-not-paid-living-wage/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
OK DHS opens new, smaller facility in Lawton
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The Oklahoma Department of Human Services will soon be opening the first of three other, smaller, locations in Lawton.
On Friday, they held their ribbon cutting ceremony, and let us take a look inside.
The new center is located at 10 Southwest 2nd street in Lawton.
It’ll begin serving families on Tuesday at 8 a.m.
At just under 3,600 square feet, the change from larger office type buildings into smaller facilities represents a change in how DHS serves the community.
“They’re not super convenient for the people that we serve,” Oklahoma Department of Human Services Secretary Justin Brown said. “So now we’re leaving those big old government buildings and moving into much smaller locations but spread out so we have a better opportunity of meeting people really where they are, we’re removing barriers that keep them from engaging with government and really getting them the resources they need to lift themselves out of poverty.”
Brown said, despite the smaller buildings, they plan on providing the same type of assistance families across Oklahoma have grown to count on.
“So you can come in here, receive SNAP benefits, or child care subsidies, you can be introduced to a work program. Whatever your family needs to support yourself, but also to promote independence and potentially move out of poverty,” Brown said.
The facility will also help elderly, blind, and disabled Oklahomans apply for SoonerCare, as well as other social safety net programs.
Two other Lawton locations are slated to open sometime next year, that include additional workforce development resources, as well as child welfare.
Copyright 2022 KSWO. All rights reserved. | https://www.kswo.com/2022/12/16/ok-dhs-opens-new-smaller-facility-lawton/ | 2022-12-16 22:26:02 | 1 | https://www.kswo.com/2022/12/16/ok-dhs-opens-new-smaller-facility-lawton/ |
Published: Aug. 31, 2022 at 3:15 PM CDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
DELAWARE, Ohio, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Greif, Inc. (NYSE: GEF, GEF.B), a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, today announced third quarter 2022 results.
Third Quarter Financial Highlights include (all results compared to the third quarter of 2021 unless otherwise noted):
Net income of $141.8 million or $2.36 per diluted Class A share increased compared to net income of $113.0 million or $1.89 per diluted Class A share. Net income, excluding the impact of adjustments(1), of $141.7 million or $2.35 per diluted Class A share increased compared to net income, excluding the impact of adjustments, of $115.9 million or $1.93 per diluted Class A share.
Adjusted EBITDA(2) of $251.0 million, an increase of $13.2 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $237.8 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $114.4 million to $209.3 million. Record adjusted free cash flow(3) increased by $111.7 million to a source of $175.8 million.
Total debt decreased by $208.9 million to $2,058.7 million. Net debt(4) decreased by $236.6 million to $1,931.2 million. The Company's leverage ratio(5) decreased to 1.99x from 2.12x sequentially and from 2.80x in the prior year quarter.
Strategic Actions and Announcements
Held Investor Day 2022 in New York City on June 23, 2022. A key area of discussion was the new Build to Last strategy, which included capital allocation priorities and long-term growth expectations under this strategy.
Initiated $150.0 million share repurchase program.
CEO Commentary
"Our team delivered an outstanding third quarter financial result, remaining steadfast and execution-focused during a time of macroeconomic uncertainty," said Ole Rosgaard, President and Chief Executive Officer. "This commitment has led to a rock-solid balance sheet, record free cash flow generation, and EBITDA growth. Our team has done an outstanding job transforming our business, as evidenced by volume growth compared to pre-pandemic 2019 volume levels, despite sequential declines from higher volumes last year. In addition to financial success, our teams have continued to deliver Legendary Customer Service, and made notable progress to further foster Thriving Communities at Greif and Protect Our Future through industry-leading sustainability practice."
Build to Last Mission Progress
Building upon our Investor Day discussion, in addition to the quarterly releases which support our Build to Last mission of Ensuring Financial Strength, we will continue to update the investment community quarterly regarding key progress on our additional three Build to Last missions.
Customer satisfaction surveys are a key component of our mission to deliver Legendary Customer Service. Our long-term objective is a trailing twelve-month CSI(6) score of 95.0 or greater. Our consolidated CSI score was 94.3 at the end of the third quarter 2022. CSI for the Global Industrial Packaging segment was 94.1. CSI for the Paper Packaging & Services segment was 95.1.
Towards our mission of Creating Thriving Communities, during the third quarter, we have complemented our continuing efforts by signing the Columbus Commitment, a pledge to close the wage gap and achieve gender pay equity at Greif.
Lastly, as we continue to make steps to Protect Our Future, during the third quarter, we advanced our progress toward setting 2030 ESG targets, which will be announced during our fourth quarter 2022.
Note: A reconciliation of the differences between all non-GAAP financial measures used in this release with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the financial schedules that are a part of this release. These non-GAAP financial measures are intended to supplement and should be read together with our financial results. They should not be considered an alternative or substitute for, and should not be considered superior to, our reported financial results. Accordingly, users of this financial information should not place undue reliance on these non-GAAP financial measures.
Segment Results (all results compared to the third quarter of 2021 unless otherwise noted)
Net sales are impacted mainly by the volume of primary products(7) sold, selling prices, product mix and the impact of changes in foreign currencies against the U.S. Dollar. The table below shows the percentage impact of each of these items on net sales for our primary products for the third quarter of 2022 as compared to the prior year quarter for the business segments with manufacturing operations.
Global Industrial Packaging
Net sales decreased by $1.1 million to $906.7 million primarily due to approximately $82.0 million of prior year net sales attributable to the Flexibles Products & Services business that was sold on April 1, 2022, negative foreign currency translation impacts of $69.7 million and lower volumes, offset by higher average selling prices.
Gross profit decreased by $21.7 million to $177.7 million. The decrease in gross profit was primarily due to the same factors that impacted net sales and higher raw material costs, partially offset by lower labor costs.
Operating profit decreased by $14.8 million to $107.2 million primarily due to the same factors that impacted gross profit, partially offset by lower SG&A expenses. Adjusted EBITDA decreased by $29.1 million to $117.1 million primarily due to the same factors that impacted operating profit.
Paper Packaging & Services
Net sales increased by $131.4 million to $710.2 million primarily due to higher published containerboard and boxboard prices, partially offset by lower volumes.
Gross profit increased by $49.3 million to $167.3 million. The increase in gross profit was primarily due to the same factors that impacted net sales, partially offset by higher raw material, transportation, labor and utility costs.
Operating profit increased by $49.2 million to $96.7 million primarily due to the same factors that impacted gross profit. Adjusted EBITDA increased by $41.9 million to $131.8 million primarily due to the same factors that impacted operating profit, partially offset by higher SG&A expenses.
Tax Summary
During the third quarter, we recorded an income tax rate of 21.6 percent and a tax rate excluding the impact of adjustments of 21.5 percent. Note that the application of FIN 18 frequently causes fluctuations in our quarterly effective tax rates. For fiscal 2022, we expect our tax rate to range between 27.0 and 31.0 percent and our tax rate excluding adjustments to range between 22.0 and 25.0 percent.
Dividend Summary
On August 30, 2022, the Board of Directors declared quarterly cash dividends of $0.50 per share of Class A Common Stock and $0.75 per share of Class B Common Stock. Dividends are payable on October 1, 2022, to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 16, 2022.
Company Outlook
Note: Fiscal 2022 Class A earnings per share guidance on a GAAP basis is not provided in this release due to the potential for one or more of the following, the timing and magnitude of which we are unable to reliably forecast: restructuring-related activities; integration related costs; non-cash pension settlement charges; non-cash asset impairment charges due to unanticipated changes in the business; gains or losses on the disposal of businesses or properties, plants and equipment, net and the income tax effects of these items and other income tax-related events. No reconciliation of the fiscal 2022 Class A earnings per share before adjustments guidance, a non-GAAP financial measure which excludes restructuring charges, integration costs, non-cash asset impairment charges, non-cash pension settlement charges, (gain) loss on the disposal of properties, plants, equipment and businesses, net, is included in this release because, due to the high variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections of some of the excluded information, together with some of the excluded information not being ascertainable or accessible, we are unable to quantify certain amounts that would be required to be included in the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure without unreasonable efforts. A reconciliation of 2022 adjusted free cash flow guidance to forecasted net cash provided by operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, is included in this release.
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call to discuss third quarter 2022 results on September 1, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). Participants may access the call using the following online registration link: https://conferencingportals.com/event/BDwosPDa. Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing dial in details and a unique conference call code for entry. Phone lines will open at 8:00 a.m. ET on September 1, 2022. A digital replay of the conference call will be available two hours following the call on the Company's web site at http://investor.greif.com. To access the recording, guests can call (888) 330-2413 or (240) 789-2721 and use the conference ID 32605.
Investor Relations contact information
Matt Leahy, Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations, 740-549-6158. Matthew.Leahy@Greif.com
About Greif
Greif is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services and is pursuing its vision: to be the best performing customer service company in the world. The Company produces steel, plastic and fibre drums, intermediate bulk containers, reconditioned containers, containerboard, uncoated recycled paperboard, coated recycled paperboard, tubes and cores and a diverse mix of specialty products. The Company also manufactures packaging accessories and provides filling, packaging and other services for a wide range of industries. In addition, Greif manages timber properties in the southeastern United States. The Company is strategically positioned in over 35 countries to serve global as well as regional customers. Additional information is on the Company's website at www.greif.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "aspiration," "objective," "project," "believe," "continue," "on track" or "target" or the negative thereof and similar expressions, among others, identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, expectations and other information currently available to management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those forecasted, projected or anticipated, whether expressed or implied. The most significant of these risks and uncertainties are described in Part I of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2021. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements have a reasonable basis, the Company can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those forecasted, projected or anticipated, whether expressed in or implied by the statements. Such risks and uncertainties that might cause a difference include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) historically, our business has been sensitive to changes in general economic or business conditions, (ii) our global operations subject us to political risks, instability and currency exchange that could adversely affect our results of operations, (iii) the COVID-19 pandemic could continue to impact any combination of our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, (iv) the current and future challenging global economy and disruption and volatility of the financial and credit markets may adversely affect our business, (v) the continuing consolidation of our customer base and suppliers may intensify pricing pressure, (vi) we operate in highly competitive industries, (vii) our business is sensitive to changes in industry demands and customer preferences, (viii) raw material, price fluctuations, global supply chain disruptions and inflation may adversely impact our results of operations, (ix) energy and transportation price fluctuations and shortages may adversely impact our manufacturing operations and costs, (x) the frequency and volume of our timber and timberland sales will impact our financial performance, (xi) we may not successfully implement our business strategies, including achieving our growth objectives, (xii) we may encounter difficulties or liabilities arising from acquisitions or divestitures, (xiii) we may incur additional rationalization costs and there is no guarantee that our efforts to reduce costs will be successful, (xiv) several operations are conducted by joint ventures that we cannot operate solely for our benefit, (xv) certain of the agreements that govern our joint ventures provide our partners with put or call options, (xvi) our ability to attract, develop and retain talented and qualified employees, managers and executives is critical to our success, (xvii) our business may be adversely impacted by work stoppages and other labor relations matters, (xviii) we may be subject to losses that might not be covered in whole or in part by existing insurance reserves or insurance coverage and general insurance premium and deductible increases, (xix) our business depends on the uninterrupted operations of our facilities, systems and business functions, including our information technology and other business systems, (xx) a security breach of customer, employee, supplier or Company information and data privacy risks and costs of compliance with new regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, (xxi) we could be subject to changes to our tax rates, the adoption of new U.S. or foreign tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities, (xxii) full realization of our deferred tax assets may be affected by a number of factors, (xxiii) we have a significant amount of goodwill and long-lived assets which, if impaired in the future, would adversely impact our results of operations, (xxiv) our pension and post-retirement plans are underfunded and will require future cash contributions and our required future cash contributions could be higher than we expect, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and liquidity, (xxv) legislation/regulation related to environmental and health and safety matters and corporate social responsibility could negatively impact our operations and financial performance, (xxvi) product liability claims and other legal proceedings could adversely affect our operations and financial performance, (xxvii) we may incur fines or penalties, damage to our reputation or other adverse consequences if our employees, agents or business partners violate, or are alleged to have violated, anti-bribery, competition or other laws, (xxviii) changing climate, global climate change regulations and greenhouse gas effects may adversely affect our operations and financial performance, (xxix) we may be unable to achieve our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 2030.
The risks described above are not all-inclusive, and given these and other possible risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. For a detailed discussion of the most significant risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forecasted, projected or anticipated, see "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A of our most recently filed Form 10-K and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
All forward-looking statements made in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to such risk factors. Except to the limited extent required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc. | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/greif-reports-third-quarter-2022-results/ | 2022-08-31 21:59:27 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/greif-reports-third-quarter-2022-results/ |
WAUKEGAN, Illinois, July 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- US based Henry Broch Foods (HBF) and UK based JDM Food Group (JDM) today announced a merger creating a new parent company, Jardins and Broch.
HBF, with headquarters in Waukegan, Illinois USA, is a prominent spice, dry-blending and co-packing company, specializing in tailored formulations and seasonings. JDM, headquartered in Bicker, Lincolnshire UK, is an innovator in value-added vegetables, sauces, dips and purees to the retail, manufacturing, recipe box and foodservice markets.
Jardins and Broch brings together two market leading ingredients companies and will create a team of international flavor experts across both wet and dry products. The newly formed partnership is an industry leading player with significant production capacity, complementary R&D capabilities and outstanding worldwide supply chain networks.
The two companies will continue to operate independently in their home markets and will now be backed by the expert knowledge and skills from the other party to grow a global presence. Greg Antonetti will remain CEO of HBF and Aisling Kemp will continue to lead as CEO of JDM, with both taking an active role in the integration, growth, and future success of the combined group.
Greg Antonetti, CEO of HBF, said: "This partnership will be a win for our customers, suppliers, team members and other partners. Our aim has always been to build a leading value-added ingredients business and alongside our long serving and dedicated team members, we have worked tirelessly towards this goal. We are thrilled to bring JDM's capabilities, especially in wet ingredients to our customers in North America. The JDM team brings unparalleled expertise, strong production and innovation capabilities, and the ability to serve a wide range of customers across the UK and beyond."
Aisling Kemp, CEO of JDM, said: "The combined expertise and knowledge within the two companies creates a flavor powerhouse with global ambitions. Working with the team at HBF who share our strong ethics, values and focus on sustainability is incredibly exciting. Trends in this market are ever changing and we are now better able to develop solutions with our culinary teams that deliver on flavor, health, and functionality to ensure we evolve alongside consumer demand. Working with Sunridge the last 2 years has been transformational. Their investment has allowed us to accelerate our product capabilities and channel growth. We believe the partnership with HBF will cement that work and create long term sustainable growth as a true ingredients innovator."
Jardins and Broch is backed by UK based Sunridge Partners (Sunridge), a private investment group committed to creating leaders in food, beverage, and agribusiness.
Philipp Saumweber, Managing Partner of Sunridge, said: "Since partnering with JDM in 2021, we have invested considerably in building a word-class ingredients team, expanding our operations, and improving capabilities. We are very much looking forward to working with like-minded friends at HBF and jointly executing on group investment and growth plans to build a leading international ingredients and flavor formulation company."
For further information on Jardins and Broch please take a look at the new website: www.jardinsandbroch.com.
About Henry Broch Foods
Established in 1941 and based in Waukegan, Illinois, Henry Broch Foods is a leading spice and dry blending company offering innovative seasonings and packing solutions. Operating out of a 360k sqft state-of-the-art manufacturing campus, as well as two further dedicated sites in Waukegan, HBF employs more than 400 team members. HBF offers innovative blending, flavor and packing solutions, superior customer service and turnaround times and prides itself on a culture of product quality and safety.
For more information, please see www.hbroch.com.
About JDM Food Group
Founded in 1999 and based in Bicker, Lincolnshire, UK, JDM Food Group is the largest supplier of garlic and ginger into the UK retail market and has over 20 years' experience sourcing, creating, processing, and distributing a range of fresh and natural products. Operating out of a newly expanded facility, JDM employs more than 350 team members. The company's commitment to providing high quality, innovative and differentiated products, while maintaining rigorous operating standards and sustainability, makes JDM a trusted supplier of choice.
For more information, please see www.jdmfoodgroup.co.uk.
About Sunridge Partners
Sunridge Partners ("Sunridge") is a specialist food, beverage, and agribusiness investment group that partners with exceptional companies to guide them through rapid yet sustainable growth. The team is composed of innovators and entrepreneurs, with deep expertise in operations, investment and business development, who work to create sector leaders. Sunridge is values driven, guided by a shared responsibility for its portfolio companies, the environment, health and well-being, communities, and its investors' capital.
For more information, please see www.sunridgepartners.com.
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SOURCE Henry Broch Foods | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2023/07/24/henry-broch-foods-jdm-food-group-merge-create-international-flavor-powerhouse-jardins-broch/ | 2023-07-24 15:55:38 | 1 | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2023/07/24/henry-broch-foods-jdm-food-group-merge-create-international-flavor-powerhouse-jardins-broch/ |
Peoria Richwoods got no credit and no consideration from Lewistown, which slammed the door 19-10 in an Illinois high school softball matchup.
In recent action on April 22, Peoria Richwoods faced off against Danville.
You're reading a news brief powered by ScoreStream, a world leader in fan-driven sports results and conversation. Help us collect and deliver more game results from your favorite teams and players by downloading the ScoreStream app. Nearly a million users nationwide share team scores and player performance stats with this convenient free app. | https://pantagraph.com/sports/high-school/softball/girls/lewistown-staggers-peoria-richwoods-with-resounding-performance-19-10/article_699f6e2a-68de-50dd-8ec2-c49f14453c58.html | 2023-05-03 04:21:48 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/sports/high-school/softball/girls/lewistown-staggers-peoria-richwoods-with-resounding-performance-19-10/article_699f6e2a-68de-50dd-8ec2-c49f14453c58.html |
Medford’s Chevalier Theatre boomed with the sound of a one-man orchestra earlier this month, as the Chevalier Organ Society debuted its restored Wurlitzer theater pipe organ — 100 years since the first time it was played.
The organ, built in 1922 for a theater in Dayton, Ohio, has been under repair since 2002, when it was delivered in pieces to the theater by a collector from Maine. The 40-member organ society, headed by president Ken Krause, has spent the last two decades bending pipes back into shape, replacing worn wood and leather valves, and installing a new relay system, which allows the keyboard console to be isolated from the organ chamber.
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Krause said when the organ was first gifted, “nothing was in usable shape.”
“It was 80 years old at that time,” he said. “It had been moved three times. Moved out of its original home to the Dayton owner’s building; then it was moved to Maine, where it sat in a barn that was not climate controlled; then it was moved to Chevalier Theatre in Medford, and it was basically stored in the gym.”
On top of holiday classics and an audience sing-a-long, for its debut organist Peter Krasinski played improvised accompaniment to a 1910 silent film version of “A Christmas Carol” produced by Thomas Edison.
Unlike a church organ, which creates a rich but limited harmonic range, theater pipe organs like Chevalier’s Wurlitzer were designed to accompany silent movies with emulations of orchestral strings, woodwinds, and brasses, as well as a collection of real drums, bells, and even an old-fashioned car horn.
“It’s a power trip,” Krasinski said. “It’s an incredibly powerful instrument musically. It can express a whisper and a roar.”
He also gave a soundtrack to a live recitation of Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known as “The Night Before Christmas,” read aloud by May Marquebeck, founder of the Friends of the Chevalier Theatre restoration group and a Medford High alum, who graduated on that same stage decades earlier.
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“I could practically start crying, because this is such a momentous occasion,” she told the Globe, adding that at times, the restoration felt like it would never end. “Don’t ever underestimate a small group of people.”
In the weeks leading up to the concert, Krasinski spent hours learning the particularities of the instrument, including which components were still out of commission. Every organ has a slightly different character — “they all have something to say, just like people” — Krasinski said.
By the debut, six of the organ’s nine ranks of pipes were operational, plus the “toy counter,” which contains percussive elements like a glockenspiel and xylophone. They rang out from a tightly packed, triangular room behind the stage-right balcony seats.
The theater, originally built in 1939 as an extension to the original Medford High School, was never designed to house an organ, so the chamber had to be carved out during a renovation in the 1990s. It sits in a tightly packed, triangular room behind the stage-right balcony seats, with the volume controlled by a series of wooden slats that seal and open the chamber.
“It’s almost like packing a moving truck,” Krause said. “We’re trying to get everything as far forward as we can so it sounds good, but you also have to be able to get everything to work on it.”
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So far, the renovation has cost just over $175,000, but raised just shy of $250,000 through private donations, a $1 charge to Chevalier ticket sales, and a handful of large grants.
“It’s 20 years of people giving 10 bucks, 20 bucks, 100 bucks,” Krause said.
Krause estimates that the organ was about 60 percent completed by the holiday concert. He said most of the remaining work — including tuning and installing the largest pipes, which are responsible for the thick, resonant bass often associated with pipe organs — will need to be done by professionals, a dwindling field of experts.
He said he aims to have the organ fully operational by June and hopes the theater can offer it to visiting performers, in addition to hosting solo organ shows and silent film screenings. Down the line, he said, he hopes to find a house organist.
Krause said the debut concert would never have been possible without the organ society’s small army of members, who continued providing volunteer support for two decades, even as life outside the theater — career changes, movements in and out of town, personal losses — threatened to get in the way.
“People have stayed with this project for 20 years,” Krause said. “I’ve never seen anything like this, in terms of the dedication and commitment to this project, that they just would not let go of it until we got this thing done.”
Daniel Kool can be reached at daniel.kool@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @dekool01. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/22/metro/100-year-old-pipe-organ-roars-back-life-medford/ | 2022-12-23 01:52:59 | 1 | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/22/metro/100-year-old-pipe-organ-roars-back-life-medford/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is crediting help from community members as playing a crucial role in a recent arrest.
According to police, community cooperation, investigative tools and technology, and work by IMPD’s Violent Crimes Task Force detectives combined to help solve a case and lead to the arrest of a teenage boy Monday night.
Neighbors in the Emerson Heights neighborhood on Indy’s east side said they were experiencing repeated incidents of shots fired and told police it was happening “night after night.” They told CBS4 they were fed up and decided to do something about it.
“We have our Emerson Heights neighborhood page, so we communicate a little bit, drop ideas and things that we hear and see through that,” said resident Heather Keeney.
Keeney said neighbors began to realize they had videos and photos showing the exact make and model of a vehicle in the area as shots were fired.
“So we had this great eyewitness account of it, but that’s where we were. We were stuck there,” said Keeney.
She said, residents worked to gather their videos and photos and provide the information to IMPD. Police said they received calls, emails and people spoke with officers at a recent public meeting to help share information.
“We’ve had community meetings; actually one of our neighbors just hosted a roll call lunch, recently on Sunday, and so we got to talk with a few people there. We also have a NESCO (Near East Side Community Organization) representative for crime prevention who came out at that point,” said Keeney. “Everybody has been in contact with the detectives and they’ve kind of weaved their webs together on their end, we’ve continued to communicate whatever we say, whatever we hear, and really be as open to them as possible.”
According to police, they began to receive reports last month about the shots fired and investigated several incidents.
IMPD said it was the help of residents sharing video feeds and photos of the potential suspect vehicle as well as providing accurate and detailed information when calling 911, emailing police or speaking with officers, that helped the detective on the case put together pieces of the puzzle and develop a suspect.
“Whenever there’s a particular area with a strong community base, we get more done,” said Sgt. Genae Cook. “The people that live in that community, they work together; they get to know who is familiar with that area, who’s not familiar with that area, so when they see something, they say something.”
According to IMPD, the suspect vehicle was observed by officers in the Irvington area Monday night and officers initiated a traffic stop. Detectives said a teenage boy was the only person in the vehicle.
IMPD said officers located a gun in the vehicle and it was determined that the person was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
“Teenagers shouldn’t be worried about a gun charge. What they should be worried about is what their homework is that night. That should be their biggest worry,” said Cook.
“Everybody needs to step up and be that example to the youth, who need to look for a role model,” said Cook. “Look for someone who is a good example in your life and talk to them, follow them.”
Police said the suspect was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm and the investigation into the circumstances surrounding this case continues.
Cook said this case serves as a reminder of how important it is for residents, who are the eyes and ears of their community, to understand the value they have when it comes to keeping their community safe along with police.
“It’s a big city and we can only be in so many places at so many times, so we rely on the community to come forward,” Cook said.
Neighbors told CBS4 it was not a question that they were going to step up rather than sitting back. The feeling of what they called repeated gunfire left many feeling uneasy and wanting to do something to stop it.
“It was hard. There wasn’t a lot that we could do until they were apprehended. It is scary. I think I’m a little lucky, I’m just on the other side of 9th Street, so I feel like it was a little bit more detached,” said Keeney. “Going to sleep with the windows open with a little bit cooler weather and for people who it was right in their backyard, it would’ve been even more terrifying.”
Even still, Keeney said hearing it from any distance, was enough to leave an unsettling feeling.
“The sound, it just vibrates your house windows, and you don’t know, like is this something at us or is this around us again? Even then, everything that goes up, must come down,” said Keeney.
Investigators said shell casings were recovered, but fortunately no people or property were reportedly hit.
Both IMPD and residents said they are glad there was a resolution to the case before the situation had the opportunity to get worse.
“Some people think, well it’s just a shot fired. When that bullet comes down, it’s going to hit something whether it’s a house, a vehicle, or a person,” said Cook.
Emerson Heights residents said that’s what they were afraid of.
“It was very close. About three or four or five shots. I just hit the floor,” said Tasha Fultz, whose mother lives in the neighborhood. “It was too close. I don’t want to get shot. I just dropped to the floor.”
Fultz lost her own son to gunfire and said she wants people to think about the repercussions that shooting a gun can have, especially when innocent lives are at stake.
“It can go through a home; it could hit innocent people. It’s the stray bullet you know. It can hit anybody,” said Fultz.
“On the last night, which was Sunday, they did it twice. To have guts like, this neighborhood doesn’t mean anything and nobody’s going to do anything about it, and you know what, we did,” said Keeney.
Keeney said she’s proud to live in the neighborhood she does. It’s a place of people who she said want to keep their community a safe place to live and work, and she hopes this never happens again. She also encourages anyone else that may have a concern where they live, to speak up and work with neighbors and police to accomplish a common goal.
Keeney said, “We talked to one another, we videoed, we communicated the times, the places, we turned it into the police; we made sure that all those steps were being followed and then the end result was, we gotcha!”
The investigation into these incidents continues, police said. They encourage anyone else with information to reach out to IMPD or Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS (8477). | https://cbs4indy.com/news/impd-community-cooperation-from-emerson-heights-residents-leads-to-arrest/ | 2022-10-05 03:37:02 | 1 | https://cbs4indy.com/news/impd-community-cooperation-from-emerson-heights-residents-leads-to-arrest/ |
The ultimate prize in the 2023 girls golf season was at stake Tuesday when the state’s best competed in the NJSIAA State Championships at Raritan Valley Country Club in Bridgewater.
Stay here for all the results.
NJSIAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Raritan Valley Country Club, 11 a.m.
- Recap
- 📷 Photo gallery
- Box score
The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here. | https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/05/girls-golf-state-championships-2023-results-recaps-and-links-for-mon-may-16.html | 2023-05-16 12:02:49 | 0 | https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/05/girls-golf-state-championships-2023-results-recaps-and-links-for-mon-may-16.html |
House Republicans’ new energy bill — which they’ve labeled H.R.1 and slated for a vote at the end of the month — is helping fuel the GOP’s political messaging against President Biden and giving the party a major piece of legislation to unite around.
But Republicans say it could also lay a marker for future negotiations on potential permitting reform and even the debt ceiling.
Given the designation of H.R. 1 — a symbolic marker of being a top priority for the GOP majority — the “Lower Energy Costs Act” aims to boost domestic oil and gas production, speed up the approval process for energy and infrastructure permits, and repeal several programs that were approved in Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act package of climate, tax and health care measures last year.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), lead sponsor of the bill, said in an interview the H.R. 1 designation “shows the country how important smart energy policy is.” And he took aim at Biden, who he alleged had “declared war on American energy.”
“Frankly, it’s following through on our promises that we made and the commitment to America,” Scalise said. “We told the country, ‘If you give us the majority, we will go bring forward good, smart policies that focus on helping families who are struggling from the Biden agenda.’ So let’s lower costs for families, both at the pump and in their household electricity bills, which both are up dramatically since Joe Biden took office.”
The bill is not likely to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate or get support from Biden. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Wednesday that the “partisan” and “unserious” proposal would be “dead on arrival” in the upper chamber.
Scalise brushed off Schumer’s comments.
“They said that the D.C. crime bill, too,” Scalise said, referring to the resolution disapproving of changes to the District of Columbia’s criminal code that Biden reversed course to support after its passage in the House — blindsiding House Democrats who voted against the measure. The measure ultimately passed the Senate by a wide margin.
“I think when Schumer starts hearing from people in New York who are tired of paying incredibly high prices for energy and realizes that people don’t like buying our energy from countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela when we can make it here at home a lot cleaner and a lot less expensive, then hopefully he’ll come around,” Scalise said. “I’m an optimist.”
Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) chalked Schumer’s comments up to “stock talking points.”
“Let’s keep in mind this bill was designed to pass the House,” Graves said. “Is this the opening salvo on negotiations? Yeah, I think that’s fair to say.”
Permitting reform is one major subject in the bill that is the subject of ongoing bipartisan negotiations. Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.V.) efforts to pass a permitting form proposal failed last year and Schumer said Thursday that he supported ongoing talks about a permitting reform deal.
But Graves said the bill might also play into Republicans’ demands for spending cuts and other measures as a condition of raising the debt ceiling, which Congress will have to take action on later this year in order to avoid default and severe economic consequences.
“In my mind, this is part of [the] debt ceiling, because this bill turns the spigot back on for billions of dollars in revenue to the United States Treasury,” Graves said. “This bill checks so many boxes.”
Though Graves acknowledged that there are still some details to hammer out before Republicans bring the bill for a vote with a slim five-seat majority, the bill is likely to get wide support in the House GOP Conference.
“It’s an appropriately placed priority for the Republican Party, and it does show a very stark contrast between the hard left and the reasonable right,” said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), chair of the hardline House Freedom Caucus.
“But I would also say this,” Perry added. “We want all voices to be heard. And there’s some things that I’d like to see included as well.”
Scalise said leaders will discuss later this month whether the bill would be considered under any kind of open rule that could allow amendments on the floor, a process Republicans clamored for during several years of the Democratic-led House and has the potential to complicate major legislative packages.
Perry, for his part, said that he hopes several of his own amendments will be considered, either in the House Rules Committee or elsewhere.
One of those amendments, Perry said, would eliminate the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s renewable energy program, linking an offshore wind farm in New Jersey to marine life washing up dead on beaches. Federal authorities have said they have found no credible evidence linking the wind program to the phenomenon, but are monitoring the situation. | https://fox59.com/hill-politics/gop-hopes-energy-bill-hits-biden-lays-marker-on-future-negotiations/ | 2023-03-17 23:38:35 | 1 | https://fox59.com/hill-politics/gop-hopes-energy-bill-hits-biden-lays-marker-on-future-negotiations/ |
For the second straight year, we’re asking the same question: What is going on with Michigan football’s recruiting?
It’s mid-May and the defending Big Ten champions only have six committed players for the 2023 class, one of which is a non-scholarship punter. None of them are five-star recruits.
Jim Harbaugh’s team is coming off its best year yet, an improbable 12-2 season that saw the Wolverines (finally) get over the hump and beat Ohio State, win the league championship and reach the College Football Playoff.
But, more coaching changes and outside influences (NIL?) appear to be slowing any progress.
On the latest “Wolverine Confidential” podcast from MLive, we discuss that, the interesting development involving Caleb Houstan and the NBA combine, the Michigan softball team’s NCAA tournament and draw and much more.
You can listen to the episode via the embedded player below, or search for us on your preferred podcasting platform. (Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!) | https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2022/05/podcast-another-slow-start-for-michigan-football-on-recruiting-trail.html | 2022-05-18 00:11:35 | 0 | https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2022/05/podcast-another-slow-start-for-michigan-football-on-recruiting-trail.html |
A father-daughter duo from New Jersey has their own YouTube channel with some videos getting millions of views.
They want everyone to know the possibilities are endless for kids of all abilities.
Their YouTube show is called ToyQuest101.
Illiana and her dad, Miguel, are from Cumberland County, New Jersey. This all started five years ago in 2017 when Illiana said she wanted to be on YouTube. She went on to say she knew that wasn't possible because she has autism.
Miguel says hearing his daughter say that and knowing she believed it was heartbreaking. He wanted her to know she was capable of doing anything she set her mind to, so he set up a table in their basement and started filming videos with her that they posted on social media.
At first, Miguel says Illiana was shy, not really sure of her words, but now she's hosting the show alongside her dad. They interview celebrity guests and make fun videos, mostly about cool toys and comics.
They now have more than 150 subscribers with more than 75 million views.
They have partnered with the Eagles Autism Foundation and they speak at schools, inspiring kids to pursue their dreams and let them know that autism doesn't have to be a road block. They even created their own special Olympics swim team called the Blue Krakens.
They have a new video every week. You can also follow them on social media -- Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are all under ToyQuest101. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/good-news/nj-father-daughter-team-start-pop-culture-youtube-channel/article_f9e71136-d459-11ed-8f18-4f635103a901.html | 2023-04-06 11:24:24 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/good-news/nj-father-daughter-team-start-pop-culture-youtube-channel/article_f9e71136-d459-11ed-8f18-4f635103a901.html |
BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s federal and state leaders agreed Thursday to try to avoid closing schools and child care facilities if there is another surge in coronavirus cases this fall.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after meeting with the governors of Germany’s 16 states that the goal would be to prevent “another blanket closure” of schools and kindergartens like what happened during previous waves of the pandemic.
Scholz said while the situation is expected to further ease during the summer months, authorities are preparing for a possible rise in cases this fall.
Germany has seen a steady decline in newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in recent weeks, but still reported almost 50,000 new infections Thursday.
The country’s disease control agency says it is increasingly recording a new subtype of the omicron variant previously detected in South Africa and Portugal.
The Robert Koch Agency has urged people over 70 to get a second booster shot of the vaccine to prevent serious illness if they contract COVID-19.
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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/germany-seeks-to-avoid-school-closures-if-covid-surges-again/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news | 2022-06-02 20:15:55 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/germany-seeks-to-avoid-school-closures-if-covid-surges-again/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi officials set up emergency distribution centers for handouts of water and hand sanitizer Thursday in the capital city of Jackson, as efforts to restore a flood-impaired, long-troubled water system continued.
Jackson’s residents were already under a boil-water order before flooding from the Pearl River exacerbated long-standing problems at one of the city’s two water treatment plants.
Officials said they made progress overnight in refilling tanks, treating water and increasing pressure at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant, the facility at the root of the latest water woes in Jackson. Residents closer to the facility had pressure approaching normal levels, the city said in a news release, but added that many in the city still had little or no water pressure.
At a midday news conference with Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and other officials, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced the opening of seven sites for distributing drinking water, non-drinking water and hand sanitizer. He said 600 National Guard members were aiding the response. The seven new “mega-sites” follow smaller scale distribution efforts at city fire stations, churches, nonprofits and businesses.
“To everyone in the city: I know that you are dealing with a profoundly unfair situation,” Reeves said in remarks aimed at city residents. “It’s frustrating, it’s wrong and it needs to be fixed.”
Reeves and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency director Stephen McCraney stressed that the state would look for long-term solutions to the city’s water problems.
The water crisis affects the city’s 150,000 residents — many of whom were unable to take showers or flush toilets — plus an estimated 30,000 who come into the city to work at businesses without water pressure, Reeves said.
Reeves said those businesses are suffering major economic harm because of the crisis. McCraney said the state will look into the availability of federal Small Business Administration loans to aid them.
Figures on how many residents or businesses were directly affected by a loss of water at any given time were not available Thursday.
Jackson schools held classes online Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and some restaurants closed. Portable toilets are parked outside the Capitol. Jackson State University brought in temporary restrooms for students.
Lisa Jones filled empty paint buckets with water at a distribution site in south Jackson on Wednesday. She said her family would use the water for bathing. She said she’s frustrated by paying for water service she’s not receiving.
“Every week you have to beg somebody to go to their house and ask if you and your children can take a bath. And then you’re running their bills up,” Jones said. “If we can’t fix it, we need to get someone who can. … Fix what’s broke. Enough is enough.”
Reeves declared a state of emergency Monday night after excessive rainfall and flooding from the Pearl River exacerbated problems at the treatment plant. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state. Biden called Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba on Wednesday to discuss response efforts, including support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Thursday morning, the city reported “significant progress” in restoration efforts at the treatment plant, with output measuring 78 pounds per square inch, approaching a goal of 87 PSI.
“There are still challenges to navigate as the intake water source changes chemistry again. Operator schedules have been adjusted to increase coordination between shifts,” the city statement said.
In addition to on-site repairs, the city is working to obtain more chemicals needed for treatment.
___
Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikergoldberg.
____
Associated Press writer Kevin McGill in New Orleans contributed to this report. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/u-s-world/ap-jackson-sees-some-improvement-in-its-damaged-water-system/ | 2022-09-02 00:05:46 | 1 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/u-s-world/ap-jackson-sees-some-improvement-in-its-damaged-water-system/ |
TYLER, Texas , June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bethesda Health Clinic, a nonprofit organization that provides healthcare services to the uninsured and underinsured residents of the Tyler East Texas community, successfully implemented AEYE-DS, an autonomous diabetic retinopathy screening solution developed by AEYE Health, to provide free diabetic retinopathy screenings to its patients.
AEYE-DS uses FDA-cleared AI technology to provide instant diagnostic results instead of referring patients to a specialist. The screening procedure takes less than two minutes to perform and rarely requires dilation.
Local retinal specialist Dr. Ming Lu and the Bethesda Health Clinic initiated this program to evaluate both the logistical implications and health benefits that AI-based diabetic eye exams can have on this specific patient population. A total of 126 patients were screened over the course of the three-week program, with 19 (15%) found positive for referable diabetic retinopathy. Retinal images were obtained using the Topcon NW400, a non-mydriatic, fully automated retinal camera. Images were uploaded to AEYE-DS and a diagnostic result was provided on the spot. A PDF report with the result was printed out and provided to patients along with recommendations for a follow-up screening in 12 months or a referral to an eye specialist for further treatment.
The screening procedure does not require a doctor to perform or interpret. Following basic training, clinic staff were able to operate the retinal camera and upload images to the AI system for analysis. Some patients were scheduled for screening due to open care gaps, while others underwent screening while awaiting their doctor's appointment.
"I am excited by the idea that AI can make healthcare more accessible to underserved communities. As a retina specialist, I am a big advocate of AI technology taking over the task of screening patients. This will allow me to spend more time with patients that actually need my expertise in treating their disease, rather than screening many patients, most of which do not need treatment," said Dr. Ming Lu, the chief of ophthalmology at Christus Trinity Clinic Eye Center in Tyler who sponsored the pilot project at The Bethesda Health Clinic. "I was amazed to see that most patients could get a reading in 1 to 2 minutes. The outcomes of this pilot are fantastic and I hope to leverage them to secure funding to permanently deploy the technology at The Bethesda Health Clinic and also at Christus Health."
"We are very pleased to see another successful implementation of our unique solution, and that our efforts to develop a practical solution that can perform screenings quickly and accurately are paying off." said Zack Dvey-Aharon, Ph.D., Founder & CEO of AEYE Health.
About The Bethesda Health Clinic
The Bethesda Health Clinic is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing healthcare services to the uninsured and underinsured in the Tyler community. The clinic offers a range of healthcare services, including primary care, chronic disease management, preventive care, mental health services, women's health, and limited dental services. The clinic relies heavily on the support of volunteer healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and other medical staff, who generously donate their time and expertise to serve patients. The Bethesda Health Clinic is supported by community donations, grants, and partnerships with local healthcare providers and organizations to help fulfill their mission.
About AEYE Health
AEYE Health is a technology company specializing in the development of AI solutions for diagnosing a broad range of diseases using retinal images. Its screening solution for diabetic retinopathy is FDA-cleared in 2022 and designed to allow primary care providers to perform diabetic eye exams in their clinics instead of referring to specialists.
About Dr. Ming Lu
Dr. Lu is a magna cum laude graduate from Harvard Medical School, a retina specialist and chief of ophthalmology at Christus Trinity Clinic Eye Center in Tyler, Texas. He sponsored the free screening for diabetic retinopathy at the Bethesda Clinic. In 1994 Dr. Lu proposed the VEGF hypothesis for diabetic retinopathy after learning the concept of tumor angiogenesis as a medical student, in hope for a restorative treatment of the bleeding retina rather than the conventional destructive laser therapy. After sleeping with experimental animals for 5 years, Dr. Lu won the Nesmith Award from Schepens International Society in 1999 for his discovery of the central role of VEGF in diabetic retinopathy, providing the scientific basis for anti-VEGF therapy. Since 2004 anti-VEGFs such as Avastin, Lucentis, Eylea, and Vabysmo have become the mainstay treatment for retinopathy due to diabetes, macular degeneration, vascular occlusions, neovascular glaucoma and prematurity, much more effective than the traditional laser burns. Since 2010 he has championed the free digital screening and AI-based screening of diabetic retinopathy at all 89 Christus Trinity Clinic satellites (47,380 diabetic patients), improving the screening rate from 27% in remote East Texas 13 years ago to 61% now.
CONTACT:
Amit Wohl
amit@aeyehealth.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE AEYE Health | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2023/06/21/bethesda-health-clinic-implements-aeye-healths-ai-based-screening-technology-provide-working-uninsured-east-texans-with-free-diabetic-retinopathy-screenings/ | 2023-06-21 19:22:28 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2023/06/21/bethesda-health-clinic-implements-aeye-healths-ai-based-screening-technology-provide-working-uninsured-east-texans-with-free-diabetic-retinopathy-screenings/ |
The word “unique” gets thrown around a lot, but it definitely applies to The Beast, which packs a 27.0-liter Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 aircraft engine into a custom chassis and body. Built by British mechanic John Dodd, it’s being auctioned off online by Car and Classic. Bidding opens March 9.
Aircraft engine swaps had been done before, especially during the prewar period, but the The Beast took things to another level by harnessing the legendary Merlin. Developed by Rolls-Royce, but also manufactured under license in the U.S. by Packard, it powered some of the most successful World War II fighter planes, including the Superman Spitfire and North American P-51 Mustang.
The naturally aspirated engine is thought to produce 750 hp, which the listing notes is reasonable considering that production versions of the Meteor engine were rated at 1,500 hp with a supercharger. Dodd also once claimed 950 hp and 760 lb-ft of torque. A transmission specialist by trade, he also modified a General Motors Turbo 400 3-speed automatic to work with the massive V-12. It originally sent power to a Jaguar rear axle, but a sturdier Currie unit now handles the power.
The Beast is no longer the only Merlin-powered car around. Jay Leno has a 1934 Rolls-Royce powered the historic engine, estimated to make about 1,000 hp and 1,750 lb-ft. But while Leno’s car has never been top-speed tested, The Beast reached 183 mph in a 1973 Royal Automobile Club (RAC) test.
The Beast’s story starts in 1966 when Paul Jameson constructed the frame and sourced a variant of the Merlin engine called the Meteor that was designed for use in tanks. He never finished the project, eventually selling the engine and chassis to Dodd, who completed it with a fiberglass body in 1972.
The car was damaged in a fire at one point, after which the original engine was replaced with a new one of identical spec, and the original body was replaced with the current shooting-brake version.
The Beast once had a Rolls-Royce grille in homage to the engine, something that didn’t amuse the company, according to the auction listing. Rolls sued and won, although Dodd reportedly didn’t change the grille until a few years after the lawsuit concluded. The car is listed as a Rolls-Royce on its U.K. registration, however.
The car has had four owners over the years, all thought to be members of Dodd’s family. The listing claims it’s still in running condition, although where anyone would drive this aptly named creation is unclear.
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- First 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi surfaces for sale | https://www.kxnet.com/automotive/internet-brands/the-beast-from-1972-with-27-0-liter-merlin-engine-up-for-auction/ | 2023-03-08 21:33:52 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/automotive/internet-brands/the-beast-from-1972-with-27-0-liter-merlin-engine-up-for-auction/ |
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The World Cup stadium was designed to leave a minimal footprint in the Qatari sand. It’s now due to be dismantled.
Stadium 974 played host to seven matches, the last of which was Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea in the round of 16 on Monday.
The Qataris say the stadium will disappear, but it isn’t clear when that will happen. The Gulf country will soon stage an Asian Cup, the multi-sport Asian Games and maybe even an Olympics.
A look at FIFA requirements for World Cup stadiums and what happens next for Qatar’s venues.
WHAT DID QATAR NEED?
FIFA has clear specifications for a World Cup host’s venues plan.
A main stadium holding at least 80,000 people to stage the final, at least one more of 60,000 capacity that must host a semifinal, and several more of at least 40,000 — though FIFA let Russia have two that dipped below 35,000 four years ago.
Qatar had a 12-stadium plan when it bid for and won the hosting rights in 2010.
About three years into its long preparations for the 2022 tournament, that project plan was cut to eight stadiums. Seven of them were built from scratch, and the Khalifa International Stadium was renovated before hosting the 2019 world championships in track and field.
FIFA accepted this because Qatari soccer simply didn’t need so many new venues. Nor did Qatar need such big venues for its domestic games in the 12-team Qatar Stars League, where games typically draw crowds of a few thousand.
The long-term promise during bidding was to cut back one tier from some venues after the tournament. The steel and seats would be donated to less wealthy countries needing stadium infrastructure.
WHAT WAS BUILT IN QATAR?
The exact cost of Qatar’s stadiums is unclear. The total spending on projects that were tied to preparing for the World Cup is estimated at about $200 billion.
What Qatar got for its money was seven new and distinctive arenas with strong themes taking inspiration from local culture.
The 89,000-capacity Lusail Stadium is modeled after a hand-crafted bowl; the 69,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium resembles a nomad’s desert tent; the Al Thumama Stadium is like a woven cap.
Al Janoub Stadium designed by the late Zaha Hadid, then the world’s most famous woman architect, is said to be inspired by the sails of a pearl fishing boat. Many observers saw feminine finesse in the sweeping curves of its roof.
WHO BUILT THEM?
Tens of thousands of migrant workers were brought mostly from South Asia to labor in conditions that are the main controversy of this World Cup.
The exact number of workers who died or were injured on projects related to the tournament is unclear, in part because Qatar didn’t collect data or investigate the deaths.
Qatar reformed the so-called kafala system that tied workers to their employers, including European construction firms, and adopted a monthly minimum wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals ($275).
However, rights activists claim Qatar doesn’t enforce its laws with enough rigor.
FIFA has shown some willingness to heed calls to create a compensation fund for the families of dead and injured migrant workers.
The Qatari government has dismissed the calls as a publicity stunt, and notes its own efforts to ensure workers get their unpaid salary.
POST-WORLD CUP PLAN?
Much of the detail is unclear such as where the stadium parts will go, but several will be scaled back.
Lusail Stadium will incorporate “a community space of schools, shops, cafés, sporting facilities and health clinics,” Qatari World Cup organizers have said. Al Bayt will have a five-star hotel, shopping mall and sports medicine clinic.
Two of the stadiums will be used by local soccer clubs. Ahmad bin Ali Stadium is home for the Al Rayyan club and Al Wakrah will play at Al Janoub.
Khalifa International Stadium should still host Qatar national team games, including in qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup.
MORE BIG EVENTS
Some of the stadiums can be reused for the next Asian Cup scheduled in January 2024.
Qatar officially picked up the hosting rights one month before the World Cup started, replacing China, which cited the COVID-19 pandemic for handing back the tournament it was due to stage in June 2023.
Maybe Stadium 974 could be reprieved for the Asian championship starting in 13 months’ time? The venue was constructed in the Doha Port area to a Lego-like design with the same amount of shipping containers as the number in Qatar’s international telephone code.
Qatar also needs venues to host the 2030 Asian Games, a multi-sports championships that has more athletes competing than the Olympics.
Then there is the big Olympic prize Qatar wants: the Summer Games as soon as 2036.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://pix11.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-explainer-whats-post-world-cup-future-for-qatars-stadiums/ | 2022-12-06 19:24:20 | 0 | https://pix11.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-explainer-whats-post-world-cup-future-for-qatars-stadiums/ |
LONDON (AP) — A man who was taken into custody after his car crashed into the gates of the British prime minister’s residence in central London was released in that case — but then immediately rearrested on charges of making indecent images of children, police said Saturday.
The 43-year-old suspect was arrested for the unrelated offense shortly after he was released pending further investigation into the crash, the Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement.
The collision Thursday afternoon outside the prime minister’s official residence and offices at 10 Downing St. set off an intense security response.
Authorities later said the incident wasn’t believed to be terror-related. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and criminal damage.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the crash was deliberate. Video posted on social media showed a silver hatchback car heading straight for the gates at low speed across Whitehall, the main thoroughfare in London’s government district.
No one was injured.
The man will appear in Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday in relation to the unrelated charge of making indecent images of children. | https://fox59.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-uk-police-free-man-involved-in-downing-street-collision-then-arrest-him-on-unrelated-charge/ | 2023-05-27 16:42:24 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-uk-police-free-man-involved-in-downing-street-collision-then-arrest-him-on-unrelated-charge/ |
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Kyle Huckstorf had a two-run triple and an RBI single, Connor Shultz struck out the side in the eighth to end a Michigan threat and No. 3 seed Iowa eliminated the fifth-seeded Wolverines 7-3 in the first semifinal of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday night.
Iowa (36-18) will play the winner of the semifinal nightcap between second-seeded Rutgers and No. 8 seed Indiana in Sunday's championship game.
Keaton Anthony drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the fifth inning to give the Hawkeyes a 1-0 lead. Huckstorf drove in a pair with his triple in the sixth to make it 3-0,
Michigan (30-26) answered with two runs in its half of the sixth on a two-run single by Jordon Rogers to get within a run.
Iowa scored four times in the seventh to take a 7-2 lead. Sam Petersen drove in two with a single and Cade Moss and Huckstorf added RBI base hits.
Jimmy Obertop homered off Hawkeyes reliever Ben Beufel leading off the bottom of the eighth to make it 7-3. A walk to Tito Flores and a bunt single by Riley Bertram spelled the end for Beufel. Connor Schultz came in and struck out Ted Burton, Rogers and Jake Marti to end the threat.
Schultz yielded a lead-off double to Joe Stewart in the ninth but stranded him at third base for his first save. Starter Cam Baumann allowed two runs on five hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five in his first decision of the season.
Chase Allen (7-2) took the loss for the Wolverines.
___
More AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 | https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Iowa-tops-Michigan-7-3-to-advance-to-Big-Ten-17206168.php | 2022-05-29 04:47:33 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Iowa-tops-Michigan-7-3-to-advance-to-Big-Ten-17206168.php |
NEW YORK (AP) — The Pulitzer Prize for fiction was awarded Monday to two class-conscious novels: “Demon Copperhead,” Barbara Kingsolver’s modern recasting of the Dickens classic “David Copperfield,” and Hernan Diaz’s “Trust,” an innovative narrative of wealth and deceit set in 1920s New York.
It’s the first time the Pulitzers have awarded two fiction books in the category’s 105-year history. Officials have declined to name a fiction winner several times, mostly recently in 2012.
“Trust” won the Kirkus Prize for fiction, was on the long list for the Booker Prize and was named by The New York Times and The Washington Post as one of the year’s best books. Kingsolver’s novel, the story of a young boy’s struggles and persistence as he grows up in southern Appalachia, was chosen by Oprah Winfrey last fall for her book club and named by The Washington Post as a top release of 2022.
The 68-year-old Kingsolver has long woven social issues into her novels, which also include “The Bean Trees” and the Winfrey choice “The Poisonwood Bible,” and helped establish the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. Speaking by phone Monday, the author said she regards the Pulitzer as an affirmation not just of her novel, but of a misunderstood and overlooked part of the country. Kingsolver is a longtime resident of Appalachia who currently lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia, and set “Demon Copperhead” close by.
“I wrote this book for my people because we are so invisible to the rest of the world and so persistently misrepresented,” Kingsolver said. “I couldn’t be happier (about the Pulitzer) for this reason.
Diaz, also interviewed by phone, sees his book and Kingsolver’s novel approaching a similar subject, class, from different perspectives. “Demon Copperhead” dramatizes life on the lower end of the extreme divide between rich and poor. “Trust,” which begins with a novel-within-the novel about a financial tycoon and his daughter, explores how such a world is created.
“I wanted to talk about the process itself of the accumulation of wealth,” said Diaz, 49, whose debut novel “In the Distance” was a Pulitzer finalist. “I wanted to deal with class and money, and how money is really made.”
Several works with racial themes were honored Monday. Beverly Gage’s “G-Man,” her widely acclaimed book on longtime FBI leader J. Edgar Hoover, was given the Pulitzer for biography after previously receiving the Bancroft Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize from the New-York Historical Society. It was the first major Hoover biography in decades and was cited by Pulitzer judges for its “deeply researched and nuanced look” at Hoover’s “monumental achievements and crippling flaws,” including his persecution of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice,” by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, won for general nonfiction, and Jefferson Cowie’s “Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power” was honored for history. The Pulitzer for music was given to Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels for the opera “Omar,” about an Islamic scholar captured and sold into slavery.
Sanaz Toossi’s play “English” won for drama. The Pulitzer board hailed “English” as “a quietly powerful play about four Iranian adults preparing for an English language exam in a storefront school near Tehran, where family separations and travel restrictions drive them to learn a new language that may alter their identities and also represent a new life.”
Finalists included “On Sugarland,” by Aleshea Harris, “an ambitious drama inspired by Sophocles of a community shaped by the trauma of a nameless war” and “The Far Country,” by Lloyd Suh, “an account of emigrants who traveled from China to San Francisco and suffered in the shadows of a strange new world.”
The one-act play “English” premiered off-Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company. Toossi is an Iranian American playwright from Orange County, California, who graduated with a master’s from New York University. Her other works include “Wish You Were Here.”
The Pulitzer for memoir or autobiography was given to Hua Hsu’s “Stay True,” which judges praised as “an elegant and poignant coming of age account that considers intense, youthful friendships but also random violence.” One of the country’s most highly regarded poets, Carl Phillips, won in poetry for “Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020.”
__ AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy contributed to this report. | https://www.wfla.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/barbara-kingsolver-hernan-diaz-share-fiction-pulitzer-prize/ | 2023-05-09 03:05:49 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/barbara-kingsolver-hernan-diaz-share-fiction-pulitzer-prize/ |
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Elon Musk has reportedly sent a company email to the Twitter engineering team asking anyone who writes software to report to Twitter HQ in San Francisco Friday by 2 p.m. The email was reported by Platformer editor Zoë Schiffer and corroborated by a report in Fortune. The Fortune report also cites a source indicating that between 1,000 to 1,200 employees effectively resigned Thursday by declining to click “yes” on a form Musk sent out requiring employees to commit to working long hours at intense pace if they wished to remain at Twitter.
Musk’s demand that Twitter staff go ‘hardcore,’ or leave was apparently not well received by Twitter’s remaining employees. The employees who declined to click yes had effectively submitted their resignation, according to the terms laid out by Musk.
The mass resignations follow mass layoffs two weeks ago, in which the Tesla CEO and self-proclaimed “Chief Twit” laid off half of the company’s staff, about 3,700 people. It’s currently unclear how many people remain at Twitter.
Musk’s call out to coders and the reported resignations come amid speculation that Twitter could be dangerously understaffed. On the eve of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there is speculation that Twitter may not be able to handle the surge in use and could go dark at a time when it’s not clear if there are enough remaining staff members to fix it.
KRON On is streaming live news now
On Thursday, many Twitter users took to the platform to say their goodbyes to other users, using the hashtag #RIPTwitter. The reported resignations are the latest episode in what’s been a short, but chaotic tenure in charge of the social media platform for Musk.
The backlash against Musk’s takeover of the company has included someone projecting anti-Musk messaging on the exterior of Twitter HQ, labeling the billionaire a “space Karen,” a “lawless oligarch” and a “bankruptcy baby,” among other insults. | https://www.kron4.com/news/elon-musk-reportedly-calls-all-coders-to-twitter-hq-after-1200-employees-resign/ | 2022-11-18 19:58:14 | 1 | https://www.kron4.com/news/elon-musk-reportedly-calls-all-coders-to-twitter-hq-after-1200-employees-resign/ |
MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Tropical Cyclone Freddy dumped “dangerous and exceptional rainfall levels” over Mozambique Friday as the long-lasting weather system continued to wreak havoc across southern Africa, the United Nations weather agency said.
Freddy made landfall in the coastal town of Vilanculos with wind speeds of 113 kilometers (70 miles) and is now classified as an “intense tropical cyclone” after picking up speed over the Mozambique channel.
The cyclone is projected to weaken as it barrels through southern Africa but still poses serious risk of heavy rainfall to the neighboring nations of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana, according to the regional weather center in Reunion.
“There is a potential risk that months’ worth of rainfall may fall in the space of a few days, causing widespread flooding in an area which already has saturated soils and high river basin levels from unusually heavy seasonal rains,” The U.N. weather agency warned in a statement.
Anne-Claire Fontan, a tropical cyclone scientist at the U.N. weather agency, said Mozambique is already reeling from floods and the cyclone will compound an already volatile scenario.
Freddy had waned slightly when it plowed through Madagascar on Tuesday night, killing at least four people and displacing more than 16,000, before regaining strength over the ocean on Wednesday night and on Thursday.
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-cyclone-freddy-slams-mozambique-with-dangerous-rainfall/ | 2023-02-24 14:00:28 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-cyclone-freddy-slams-mozambique-with-dangerous-rainfall/ |
In this Financial Quick Hits with Kevin McDermott, we talk about Jobs in the Financial Industry. Kevin explains the difference between a financial analyst, an investment banker, and a financial advisor. Watch to learn more.
Financial Quick Hits is sponsored by Morgan Stanley
© 2023 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated. | https://kobi5.com/features/financial-quick-hits/financial-quick-hits-jobs-in-the-financial-industry-211879/ | 2023-07-18 20:13:36 | 1 | https://kobi5.com/features/financial-quick-hits/financial-quick-hits-jobs-in-the-financial-industry-211879/ |
Upstart menstrual care brand questions what constitutes "indecent, obscene, profane" content on TV with billboards near D.C. federal buildings.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Menstrual care brand MOONS launched their "Our Bodies Are Not Indecent" campaign this week, calling attention to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) prohibition of menstrual blood on broadcast television as "obscene, indecent, profane content."
Images of menstruators with the FCC seal as a censorship device over blood stains is making waves in Washington, D.C. this week as the billboard truck drives around the FCC building and prominent media organizations. Campaign copy explains that "Our blood is not obscene. Our bodies are not indecent. Our experiences are not profane. Our cycles are powerful and they deserve respect."
Viewers are invited to sign a petition encouraging the FCC to end its outdated censorship policies around menstruation.
At a moment in the public consciousness when bodily autonomy is at risk and women's experiences are being ignored, MOONS hopes to raise awareness around the importance of normalizing menstruators' bodies and realities, in part through representation in media.
The campaign also questions the acceptance of violence-based blood in media, but not the blood of natural experiences.
"The more comfortable we become talking about bodies, cycles, and women's health, the more understanding there will be. And with understanding comes attention and respect," said CEO and co-founder Rachel Donovan Geller.
Co-founder Kaity Potak adds, "Dismantling stigma is the heart of MOONS, and this campaign aims to do so at a higher level. Banning menstrual blood sends the message that it's bad or shameful. It's time to send a new message."
The campaign was developed with agency BCW, led by CCO Fede Garcia. To learn more about MOONS and the #NotIndecent campaign, please visit www.ourmoons.com
About MOONS
Founded in 2021, MOONS is changing the language, culture, and experience surrounding menstruation and other key phases of menstruators' lives. Their first product, duets™, combines a compact tampon + slim liner in one convenient pouch, making it the first-ever product system designed by women to end period stains. MOONS is proud to have an all female executive team led by CEO and Co-Founder, Rachel Donovan Geller and CCO & Co-Founder, Kaity Potak. MOONS is headquartered in New York's Hudson Valley.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE MOONS | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/08/moons-challenges-censorship-menstrual-blood-media-with-our-bodies-are-not-indecent-stunt-campaign/ | 2022-08-08 15:30:18 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/08/moons-challenges-censorship-menstrual-blood-media-with-our-bodies-are-not-indecent-stunt-campaign/ |
LONDON (AP) — Pfizer and BioNTech have asked the European Medicines Agency to authorize their updated coronavirus booster vaccine that includes the most recent omicron subvariants.
In a statement Friday, Pfizer said it is requesting that the EU drug regulator OK its combination COVID-19 vaccine that targets the original coronavirus and BA.4 and BA.5, the latest versions of omicron, which are causing the vast majority of infections globally now. Pfizer and BioNTech are asking that the vaccine be given the green light for people aged 12 and over.
The European Medicines Agency is currently reviewing whether to clear updated versions of vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer that target the subvariant BA.1, an earlier version of the virus that has since been overtaken by BA.4 and BA.5; that decision is expected next week.
If both of Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 boosters are authorized, the company said its adapted vaccines would be available in Europe “as early as September.”
Last week, the U.K. cleared Moderna’s updated COVID-19 booster targeting the BA.1 version of omicron and said it would be included in the country’s vaccination campaign for people aged 50 and over beginning next month.
Pfizer and rival Moderna both asked U.S. regulators this week to authorize modified versions of their booster vaccine — shots that are half the original recipe and half protection against BA.4 and BA.5.
Health authorities hope that the tweaked boosters might blunt the expected surge of COVID-19 this winter, but it’s still unclear how effective they might be. The gamble is that BA.5, or something similar, still will be circulating this the winter and that immunization with these latest vaccines will still offer significant protection.
___
Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/pfizer-asks-eu-drug-regulator-to-ok-tweaked-covid-vaccine/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2022-08-26 16:32:26 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/pfizer-asks-eu-drug-regulator-to-ok-tweaked-covid-vaccine/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
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PL Update: Wolves edge Leeds for back-to-back wins
February 19, 2021 06:00 PM
Robbie Mustoe and Tim Howard recap the opening fixture of Matchweek 25, as Wolves ran their win streak to four matches with three hard-earned points against Leeds.
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Close Ad | https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/soccer/premier-league/pl-update-wolves-edge-leeds-for-back-to-back-wins | 2023-06-28 20:40:29 | 0 | https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/soccer/premier-league/pl-update-wolves-edge-leeds-for-back-to-back-wins |
Keystone pipeline faces new rules after major oil spill
Posted/updated on: March 9, 2023 at 12:32 pm(WASHINGTON) -- Oil spills along the Keystone pipeline that runs from Canada to Texas have become more frequent and severe, prompting stricter regulations for a 1,200-mile stretch of the pipeline, a federal agency said on Tuesday.
TC Energy, the company that operates the Keystone pipeline, must lower the operating pressure for crude oil on the targeted stretch, which makes up nearly half of the pipeline, the agency said.
"We are currently reviewing the Amended Corrective Action Order (ACAO) issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration," TC Energy said in a statement to ABC News. "Our commitment to the safe operations of our system is unwavering, and we will comply with the ACAO. The Keystone Pipeline System has been operating under operational mitigations, within the pressure restrictions applied in the PHMSA ACAO, since it was returned to service."
The federal order follows a major pipeline rupture on Dec. 7 near Washington, Kansas, a town at the state's northern border with Nebraska, where about 13,000 barrels or 550,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from the Keystone pipeline, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said.
The pipeline failure occurred at a girth weld, a point that adjoins two pipes, the agency said.
Since 2009, the Keystone pipeline has experienced three failures at girth welds and at least three additional accidents that occurred for other reasons, the agency said. In all, those accidents resulted in spills totaling about 25,200 barrels of crude oil, the agency said.
Operation of the pipeline under current procedures "is or would be hazardous to life, property, or the environment," the agency said.
In a statement to ABC News, TC Energy said it is investigating and addressing the issues with the pipeline following the accident in December.
"We continue to progress our remediation and the root cause investigation at our Keystone Milepost-14 incident site in Washington County, Kansas," the company said. "Our commitment to the safe operations of our system is unwavering."
The Keystone pipeline runs from oil sand fields in Alberta, Canada through the midwestern U.S. to oil refineries in Texas.
The Keystone XL pipeline, a proposed 1,179-mile pipeline mirroring the Keystone pipeline, shuttered after President Joe Biden canceled the pipeline's border crossing permit in January 2021, days after taking office.
The move was applauded by environmental groups but drew sharp criticism from some Republican lawmakers, who decried the move for placing an unnecessary restriction on the U.S. oil supply.
Oil production in the U.S. in 2021 was nearly identical to that seen over the final year of the Trump administration, in 2020, and greater than the amount produced in 2017 or 2018, according to data from the Energy Information Administration, a federal agency.
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1208810 | 2023-03-09 20:44:49 | 0 | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1208810 |
For the first time since NBC acquired the rights to broadcast Sunday Night Football games in the 2006 season, the Miami Dolphins will be making multiple appearances in the same season.
The team announced Tuesday that the December 11 game against the Los Angeles Chargers has been flexed from 4:05 p.m. EST to 8:20 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on NBC.
The game will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
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Miami defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-10 in a Week 7 game on Sunday Night Football. It was the Dolphins' first win in the team's four games all-time since NBC acquired the rights.
Miami opens a three-game road trip this Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chargers are currently second in the AFC West, sitting at six wins and five losses. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/dolphins-chargers-game-flexed-to-nbcs-sunday-night-football/3438039/ | 2022-11-30 02:59:55 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/dolphins-chargers-game-flexed-to-nbcs-sunday-night-football/3438039/ |
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday evening's drawing of the Illinois Lottery's "Lucky Day Lotto" game were:
06-10-14-35-42
(six, ten, fourteen, thirty-five, forty-two)
Estimated jackpot: $1,000,000
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday evening's drawing of the Illinois Lottery's "Lucky Day Lotto" game were:
06-10-14-35-42
(six, ten, fourteen, thirty-five, forty-two)
Estimated jackpot: $1,000,000 | https://www.seattlepi.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Lucky-Day-Lotto-game-17544402.php | 2022-10-30 03:42:12 | 0 | https://www.seattlepi.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Lucky-Day-Lotto-game-17544402.php |
Investigators conclude search in connection with Maura Murray’s disappearance
Massachusetts college student disappeared in New Hampshire in 2004
Massachusetts college student disappeared in New Hampshire in 2004
Massachusetts college student disappeared in New Hampshire in 2004
A ground search Wednesday in connection with the 2004 disappearance of a Massachusetts college student has concluded, officials with the New Hampshire attorney general’s office told WMUR.
The search in connection with the Maura Murray investigation was conducted Wednesday off Route 112 in Landaff and Easton, about four miles from where her car was found abandoned in 2004.
Officials did not release any information about what, if anything, was found.
While the search is over, officials in the attorney general's office said, "Our active, ongoing investigation continues."
>> Case file: Maura Murray's disappearance
Associate Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin told WMUR on Wednesday that officials typically don't notify the public of searches like this, but in this case, the search was so large it would raise public curiosity or alarm, so a release went out after the family was notified.
>> Maura Murray's sister reacts to search
Teams walked into the woods in a line, fanning out and poking into the brush. Dogs were also used in the search operation.
"The goal is to cover ground that has been previously covered, but to do a more extensive search," Strelzin said Wednesday. "Obviously, the hope with any of these searches is to find any evidence that might be relevant to this case."
Officials said there was no new information that prompted the operation.
Maura Murray was last seen on Feb. 9, 2004, when her vehicle was involved in a single-car crash on Route 112 in North Haverhill.
After the crash, police received two calls from two residents reporting a car off the road. The first call came at 7:27 p.m. A local bus driver later told investigators he saw a woman standing outside the black Saturn. An officer arrived at 7:46 p.m. and found the car locked with nobody around.
She was never seen again.
Maura Murray had driven to northern New Hampshire from her college, where she was a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. It's not clear why she left, but the day before she left campus, she searched for directions to Burlington, Vermont, which were found in the car. On Feb. 9, the day she vanished, she sent an email to teachers saying there had been a death in the family and she would be away.
She made a call to Stowe, Vermont, but never made reservations. She also called for information on a condominium in Bartlett where she had stayed with her family. Her father thinks that's why she was on Route 112, which connects to Route 16 and 302 in the direction of Bartlett.
--
DEVELOPMENTS IN RECENT YEARS
On April 3, 2019, investigators dug up part of the basement of a home on Route 112 in an attempt to find evidence in the search for Maura Murray.
Strelzin said the home had been a target of increased speculation by private citizens who thought there might be a body in the basement. Ground-penetrating radar used by private citizens indicated that the ground under the basement had been disturbed, Strelzin said. Search dogs also indicated there might be something in the area, but Strelzin said law enforcement officials did not believe there was enough credible evidence to get a search warrant.
The current homeowners allowed state police and FBI agents to search the basement, but Strelzin said they found no remains.
Then, in January of this year, the FBI created a Violent Criminal Apprehension Profile for Maura Murray.
>> Hometown Tragedy: The mysterious disappearance of Maura Murray
See the trailer below. The full documentary can be seen streaming on Very Local. | https://www.wmur.com/article/maura-murray-search-new-hampshire-71422/40613277 | 2022-07-14 15:46:07 | 0 | https://www.wmur.com/article/maura-murray-search-new-hampshire-71422/40613277 |
Officials from Topeka nonprofits discuss recent donation trends
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Angel Romero with the United Way of Kaw Valley said the 2022 donation data from the Giving USA Foundation isn’t too surprising.
“What really is happening over the last couple of years, we’ve really seen giving across the country at really record high levels. So, of course as giving kind of returns to maybe more of a normal level, we’re gonna see a decline and a drop from there,” said Romero.
He also said the economic climate has contributed to the drop in charitable giving.
“I think the economy is one of the bigger factors too that’s happening. With the stock market and with inflation and things like that, people are making decisions about how to use their money in the best way and so as those economic pressures bare on people, sometimes it causes people to think differently about they might want to spend their money.”
President of the Topeka Community Foundation Marsha Pope said the way people contribute to charity has changed over the years.
“While it used to be that people wrote multiple checks to maybe national organizations and made that their charitable giving plan. Now, people really wanna know what kind of impact they have, and so they might combine a charitable gift, along with volunteer time and another tangible donation,” said Pope.
Romero said volunteer time adds up. It’s worth an estimated $30 per hour.
Whether giving time or money, both are grateful for Topekans’ generosity.
“Charitable giving is important at lots of different levels. Of course at a basic needs, human services level. Organizations and our nonprofit friends depend on contributions in order to support the programs and the projects that they have that are so important in the areas of hunger and education and health care,” Pope explained.
Copyright 2023 WIBW. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2023/06/22/officials-topeka-nonprofits-discuss-recent-donation-trends/ | 2023-06-22 04:08:55 | 1 | https://www.wibw.com/2023/06/22/officials-topeka-nonprofits-discuss-recent-donation-trends/ |
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin circuit court judge ruled Wednesday that it was legal for private grants from a group funded by Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg to be sent to the Democratic stronghold of Madison to help it run the 2020 election during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ruling from Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke affirmed an earlier decision by the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission rejecting a complaint challenging the grant money from the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life to the state's five largest cities.
The lawsuit challenging that ruling as it pertained to Madison was brought on behalf of five voters by Erick Kaardal, a former secretary and treasurer for the Republican Party of Minnesota, who is an attorney for the conservative Thomas More Society. Kaardal also filed four nearly identical lawsuits challenging the grant money being awarded in four other heavily Democratic cities: Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha and Green Bay. Those cases are all pending. The one targeting the grant money in Madison is the first to have a ruling.
President Joe Biden won battleground Wisconsin over Donald Trump by just under 21,000 votes. That victory has been upheld by numerous courts, survived recounts ordered by Trump as well as independent and partisan reviews. Much of the attention from Republicans since Trump's loss has focused on the propriety of the Zuckerberg-funded grant money.
Ehlke ruled that nothing in Wisconsin law prohibited the acceptance of private funding to help run elections. He also rejected arguments that the money went to communities to help Democrats, noting that the grant money went to any community that applied for it, regardless of how its residents tend to vote.
The Center for Tech and Civic Life gave $8.8 million in grants to Wisconsin’s five largest cities — all Democratic strongholds that voted for Biden over Trump — as part of more than $10 million it gave to over 200 communities statewide. No community that applied for a grant in Wisconsin was turned down.
“There is nothing in the record demonstrating that the CTCL money was used to disadvantage certain populations over others," the judge said in delivering his ruling orally from the bench two weeks after arguments were held. He noted that numerous federal courts have rejected similar arguments, including a court in Wisconsin that denied a lawsuit filed by Kaardal seeking to block the use of the money prior to the 2020 election.
Ehlke, in rejecting arguments that Democratic cities were targeted for the money, said the reason Madison received more money than other communities is “driven by the fact that Madison is the second largest city in the state.”
The Republican-controlled Legislature passed a bill this year to make it illegal for private grant money to be used to help run elections, but Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed it. Ehlke noted the introduction of the bill in his ruling to buttress his finding that the law allowed for the acceptance of the grant money.
“Quite obviously, the Legislature introduced this bill because nothing in existing Wisconsin law prohibited these things," he said.
Kaardal has been an active force among those who are trying to sow doubt about Biden's victory over Trump in Wisconsin. Kaardal has also worked with former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman on his taxpayer-funded investigation into the election. Kaardal also sued unsuccessfully in 2021 to overturn Biden’s win in Wisconsin. | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Wisconsin-judge-upholds-legality-of-private-17212274.php | 2022-06-01 17:00:17 | 1 | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Wisconsin-judge-upholds-legality-of-private-17212274.php |
Expert tips to make the most of your tax refund
Two out of three taxpayers received a refund last year
InvestigateTV - More than 63 million taxpayers have already filed their return this year, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Around 80% of those filers should expect to receive a refund of just under $3,000, on average.
Nathan Grant, a senior finance industry analyst with MoneyTips, said if you’re expecting to receive a refund from the government, you should start planning on how you’re going to spend the money now.
Grant recommended using the money to pay off high interest debt, like a credit card, or to replenish your emergency savings account.
Another option, Grant added, is using the money for a home improvement project.
“It might prevent future headaches, because it might be one of those things that as you put it off, the risks get higher,” Grant said.
Grant said it’s okay to let yourself do something fun with your tax return, or maybe use some of it to buy a “want,” instead of a need.
“Sometimes it’s nice to use a tax refund for something like fun and travel,” he said. “Or getting, maybe like replacing a phone or a computer that’s old, where it’s like, ‘yeah, you need to replace it,’ but it’s kind of more of a want than a need.”
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2023/03/21/expert-tips-make-most-your-tax-refund/ | 2023-03-21 21:34:23 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2023/03/21/expert-tips-make-most-your-tax-refund/ |
A 10-year-old girl was arrested after police say she fatally shot a woman arguing with her mom
By Amanda Musa, CNN
A 10-year-old girl was arrested Tuesday after authorities say she fatally shot a woman who was arguing with her mother, according to the Orlando Police Department.
The child was placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families, according to police.
In a statement following the shooting, State Attorney for Orange and Osceola Counties Monique H. Worrell said her office has began reviewing the case and will “consider all of the facts, including the age of the child, and all of the surrounding circumstances, when making a charging decision.”
“We want to be clear in stating that no charging decision has been made by our office,” the state attorney’s statement said, adding the incident was “one of the most tragic cases I have seen in my 22-year career.”
The child’s mother is also in custody, according to Orlando police.
Witnesses told police the shooting occurred on the night of May 30, when the child’s mother and the victim, Lashun Denise Rodgers, 41, began arguing outside an apartment complex, according to an arrest report.
The child was with her mother at the time of the argument, according to the arrest report, which cited witnesses.
The mother allegedly initiated a physical altercation by punching Rodgers, who retaliated by punching her back, the arrest report says, citing Rodgers’ boyfriend as one witness.
The boyfriend told authorities he attempted to break up the fight, but the victim tried to “re-engage” with the mother, according to the report. He then allegedly saw the child holding a black firearm before firing “one to two shots” at Rodgers, an arrest report shows. The child then allegedly yelled “she shouldn’t have hit my momma,” the boyfriend told police.
Rodgers was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center where she later died, according to police spokesperson Heidi Rodriguez.
The girl’s mother was taken into custody and the child was placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families, police said.
CNN has reached out to the attorney for the child’s mother, but has not received a response. CNN has not been able to obtain attorney information for the child involved.
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/06/07/a-10-year-old-girl-was-arrested-after-police-say-she-fatally-shot-a-woman-arguing-with-her-mom/ | 2022-06-08 05:51:30 | 1 | https://kion546.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/06/07/a-10-year-old-girl-was-arrested-after-police-say-she-fatally-shot-a-woman-arguing-with-her-mom/ |
Police were told a Mississippi man had killed himself in 2018, but five years later, his 75-year-old widow has been arrested and charged with murder in the death.
The Forrest County Sheriff's Office arrested Harriet Howe on Thursday.
She remained jailed Monday in Hattiesburg, with bail set at $1 million. It's unclear whether she has a lawyer representing her.
George Howe of Dixie died from a single gunshot, and investigators were told he had killed himself. But Forrest County Sheriff Charlie Sims told WDAM-TV that investigators never entirely believed that.
Crime and Courts
“John Tryner, who is now captain over investigations, was actually the investigator on that case,” Sims said. “He had some doubts about that story, was working that case, ran into some dead ends.
Investigators were unable to unlock an electronic device that they believed would show “conclusively” what had happened, Sims said. But in recent months, the sheriff's office joined a task force with another agency that had the technology needed to access the data.
“We took the device down, they downloaded it, and sure enough, it gave us the evidence that was needed to get the warrant to substantiate the charge of murder,” Sims said. “And so she was arrested, and hopefully we are on the way to bringing closure to that family.” | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/police-were-told-a-mississippi-man-killed-himself-but-his-widow-faces-a-murder-charge-5-years-later/3302346/ | 2023-07-25 05:06:50 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/police-were-told-a-mississippi-man-killed-himself-but-his-widow-faces-a-murder-charge-5-years-later/3302346/ |
Conference USA’s new media rights deal with ESPN and CBS steals a page from the Mid-American Conference’s playbook, with the new-look league agreeing to play midweek football games throughout October to try to increase visibility and build its brand.
“We obviously had an example to look at and ratings from how the MAC has done,” C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod told The Associated Press on Thursday. “Really, this is a membership decision. And if they’re not going to buy in and commit to it, then we would not have done it. I can’t give enough credit to the football coaches, who understood the importance of exposure.”
The five-year deal starts next season as Conference USA goes through extensive membership turnover.
Six current C-USA members are leaving after this season to join the American Athletic Conference. Liberty, Jacksonville State, New Mexico State and Sam Houston State are joining C-USA next year and Kennesaw State is scheduled to join in 2024.
C-USA will eventually be a 10-school conference, keeping UTEP, Florida International, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky.
“It’s almost like a brand-new entity,” MacLeod said. “And that did absolutely play into the exposure piece. Plus, sometimes our programs are better than maybe the perception is out there because not enough people are seeing them.”
Financial terms were not announced.
The new deal keeps CBS Sports Network as the primary home for C-USA’s top football and men’s basketball games.
CBS Sports Network will also air the C-USA football championship, the men’s basketball tournament semifinals and championship game, the women’s basketball championship game and conference title games for baseball and softball.
The new agreement guarantees C-USA football games will be on ESPN cable networks, something the soon-to-be expiring contracts did not. C-USA’s last deal often sent fans scrambling to figure out where to watch their teams — including Facebook streams and the NFL Network.
“We listened to our fans, quite honestly,” MacLeod said.
All October conference games will be played midweek. ESPN networks will carry eight of those games a year.
The MAC began using a midweek-heavy football schedule about 10 years ago and now plays all of its games before Saturday throughout November. MACtion has become a popular brand, though playing Tuesday and Wednesday nights is not always easy for players and coaches and fans who want to attend the games.
“All of those concerns are legitimate,” MacLeod said. “It’s a little bit of a disruption to campus to have a midweek football game. So it was a lengthy process. But the group was together and ready to go.”
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://bit.ly/3pqZVaF | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/ap-new-c-usa-tv-deal-to-shift-october-games-to-weeknights/ | 2022-11-11 04:29:21 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/ap-new-c-usa-tv-deal-to-shift-october-games-to-weeknights/ |
HELENA, Mont. — Montana became the latest state to ban or restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender kids Friday when its Republican governor signed legislation that exiled transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr told fellow lawmakers would leave "blood" on their hands.
Montana is one of at least 15 states with laws to ban such care despite protests from the families of transgender youth that the care is essential.
Debate over Montana's bill drew national attention after Republicans punished Zephyr for her remarks, saying her words were personally offensive. House Speaker Matt Regier refused to let Zephyr speak on the House floor until she apologized. She has not.
Zephyr decried the bill's signing, saying "it is unconscionable to deprive Montanans of the care that we need."
"I know that this is an unconstitutional bill. It is as cruel as it is unconstitutional. And it will go down in the courts," Zephyr said. To trans youth she added: "There's an understandable inclination towards despair in these moments, but know that we are going to win and until then, lean on community, because we will have one another's backs."
On Monday, Zephyr had stood defiantly on the House floor with her microphone raised as protesters shouted "Let her speak," disrupting House proceedings for at least 30 minutes. Zephyr was then banned from the House and its gallery and voted on bills from a bench in the hallway outside the House on Thursday and Friday.
Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Montana have said they would file a court challenge against the ban, which is set to take effect on Oct. 1, starting a five-month clock in which Montana youth can try to find a way to work around the ban or to transition off of hormone treatment.
"This bill is an overly broad blanket ban that takes decisions that should be made by families and physicians and puts them in the hands of politicians," the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has said.
Gov. Greg Gianforte signaled his willingness to sign the bill on April 17 when he offered some amendments to make it clear that public funds could not be used to pay for hormone blockers, cross-sex hormones or surgical procedures.
The bill "protects Montana children from permanent, life-altering medical procedures until they are adults, mature enough to make such serious decisions," Gianforte wrote in his letter accompanying the amendments.
Debate over the amendments led Zephyr to admonish supporters the following day. House Majority Leader Sue Vinton said Zephyr's language was "entirely inappropriate, disrespectful and uncalled for."
The Montana Freedom Caucus deliberately misgendered Zephyr, using male pronouns in a letter saying she should be censured. After Monday's protest, the caucus said she should be further disciplined.
Under the new law, health professionals who provide care banned by the measure could have their medical licenses suspended for at least a year. They could also be sued in the 25 years following a banned procedure if a patient suffers physical, psychological, emotional or physiological harm. Physicians could not hold malpractice insurance against such lawsuits. The law also prohibits public property and employees from being involved in gender-affirming treatment.
During hours of emotional committee hearings, opponents testified that hormone treatments, and in some cases, surgery, are evidence-based care, supported by numerous medical associations and can be life-saving for someone with gender dysphoria — the clinically significant distress or impairment caused by feeling that one's gender identity does not match one's biological sex.
Parents of transgender children testified that the bill infringed on their parental rights to seek medical care for their children.
Opponents also noted that treatments such as puberty-blockers and breast-reduction surgery would still be legal for minors who are not suffering from gender dysphoria, a difference they argue is unconstitutional.
In the letter to legislative leaders accompanying his proposed amendments, Gianforte said he met with transgender residents, understands that their struggles are real and said Montanans who struggle with gender identity deserve love, compassion and respect.
"That's not what trans Montanans need from you," Zephyr said as the House considered his amendments. "We need access to the medical care that saves our lives."
This was the second legislative session in which Sen. John Fuller brought the bill to ban gender-affirming care for transgender children. In 2021, when he was a member of the House, he brought a bill to ban surgical and hormone treatments for transgender children, which was voted down. He brought a second bill to ban surgical treatments which was also rejected. He was successful in 2021 in passing a bill to ban transgender females from participating in girls and women's sports. The part of the bill that applied to colleges was ruled unconstitutional.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wunc.org/2023-04-28/montana-is-the-latest-state-to-ban-gender-affirming-care-for-trans-minors | 2023-04-29 11:50:04 | 0 | https://www.wunc.org/2023-04-28/montana-is-the-latest-state-to-ban-gender-affirming-care-for-trans-minors |
HOUSTON — One of the primary talking points during the 2022-23 college basketball season was the lack of elite, dominant teams.
North Carolina began the season as the number one ranked team, but quickly fell out of the top 25 and didn't even make the NCAA Tournament. Other teams took over the mantle at times, including Purdue, Houston, and Alabama, but it felt like a year with a lot of parity rather than a year full of dominance.
And yet, when the dust settled on the season and One Shining Moment blared through TV screens across the country, we had collectively witnessed one of the most dominant runs through the NCAA Tournament in the modern era.
Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies became the first-ever champion to win all six of their games by 13 or more points, and joined an exclusive club of teams to win every game by double-digits: Michigan State in 2000, Duke in 2001, North Carolina in 2009 and Villanova in 2018.
In fact, UConn did not lose a single game to a non-conference opponent, and their closest margin of victory outside of Big East play was a ten point win over Oklahoma State early in the season.
Locked on College Basketball hosts Isaac Schade and Andy Patton broke down UConn's national championship as well as their excellent run from the four seed in the west region all the way to their fifth title in the past 25 years.
The term blue blood is intentionally undefined, leaving interpretation up to each individual. Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas are never left out of this conversation, but the rest of the group tends to create more divisiveness. UCLA? Indiana? Michigan State? What about 'new bloods' like Gonzaga or Baylor?
UConn finds themselves in the midst of this conversation as well, joining an extremely select group of programs to win five titles in a 25 year period: Duke and UCLA.
But UConn's performance outside of the championships doesn't compare as favorably to the traditional blue blood programs, and movement from the Big East to the AAC and back to the Big East likely isn't helping them from a reputation standpoint either.
Still, the Huskies are the only team to win three consecutive titles under three different head coaches, having won under Jim Calhoun in 2011 (and 1999 and 2004) followed by Kevin Ollie in 2014 and now Hurley in 2023.
That kind of success is very hard to ignore, and puts UConn in the conversation as one of the best programs in college basketball history. Blue Blood? That's the unsolvable debate, but one UConn certainly made a strong case for on Monday. | https://www.11alive.com/article/sports/locked-on/lo-national/college-basketball-show/after-fifth-title-in-last-25-years-are-the-uconn-huskies-a-true-blue-blood/535-38ef359b-c3d2-451c-9e2d-fa9e5bf261b1 | 2023-04-05 03:37:17 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/sports/locked-on/lo-national/college-basketball-show/after-fifth-title-in-last-25-years-are-the-uconn-huskies-a-true-blue-blood/535-38ef359b-c3d2-451c-9e2d-fa9e5bf261b1 |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Civil rights activists cheered when Ron DeSantis pardoned four Black men wrongfully convicted of rape as one of his first actions as Florida’s governor. But four years later, as DeSantis eyes the presidency, their hope that the Republican would be an ally on racial justice has long faded.
Instead, African American leaders decry what they call a pattern of “policy violence” against people of color imposed by the DeSantis administration that reached a low point after the recent release of an “anti-woke” public school curriculum on Black history. Specifically, Florida’s teachers are now required to instruct middle-school students that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
DeSantis has repeatedly defended the new language while insisting that his critics, who include Vice President Kamala Harris and at least one high-profile Republican congressman, are intentionally misinterpreting one line of the sweeping curriculum. Civil rights leaders who have watched DeSantis closely dismiss such explanations.
“DeSantis has perfected the art of using policy violence that we must stop,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. His organization issued a travel advisory for Florida in May warning African Americans against DeSantis’ “aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.”
The divisive debate highlights the political and practical risks of DeSantis’ approach to racial issues as he seeks to reset his struggling campaign and the Republican Party works to strengthen its dismal standing with voters of color.
Ambitious Republican leaders have long seized on white grievance to animate the party’s most passionate voters, who are almost exclusively white. But DeSantis, a combative conservative who leads one of the nation’s largest states, has embraced far-right positions on race perhaps more aggressively than anyone in the 2024 presidential contest as he tries to position himself to the right of Trump.
The 44-year-old governor was as defiant as ever on Thursday when asked about the critics within his own party who echoed the Democratic vice president’s concerns.
“At the end of the day, you got to choose: Are you going to side with Kamala Harris and liberal media outlets or are you going to side with the state of Florida?” DeSantis told reporters as he campaigned in Iowa. “I think it’s very clear that these guys did a good job on those standards. It wasn’t anything that was politically motivated.”
DeSantis is now facing criticism from Florida teachers, civil rights leaders and the Biden White House. Harris, the nation’s first Black vice president, traveled to Florida last week to condemn the curriculum. Many of DeSantis’ GOP presidential opponents have stayed silent, including Tim Scott, who is the Senate’s sole Black Republican member. He declined to comment for this story.
Other Black conservatives have begun to speak out. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., one of the most powerful Black Republicans in the state, said he has a problem with the part of the curriculum that suggests enslaved people derived any benefit from their situation.
“To me, yes, that section needs some adjustments,” he told southwest Florida’s WINK News this week.
“The talking point narrative around it, yeah, it sounds awful,” said Donalds, who, like almost every Republican in Florida’s congressional delegation, has endorsed Trump over DeSantis in the primary. “Nobody should be accepting of that. But when you read through the standards, they actually did a very good job in covering all aspects of Black history in the United States.”
Donalds said he planned to work with the State Board of Education to “bring refinement” to that topic.
The DeSantis administration later went on the attack against Donalds, a popular conservative seen as a rising star in the GOP.
The state’s education commissioner, Manny Diaz Jr., vowed on social media Wednesday not to change the teaching standards “at the behest of a woke @WhiteHouse, nor at the behest of a supposedly conservative congressman.” DeSantis’ spokesperson, Jeremy Redfern, piled on, posting that “supposed conservatives in the federal government are pushing the same false narrative that originated from the @WhiteHouse.”
As the dynamic unfolds under the bright spotlight of presidential politics, DeSantis’ approach risks alienating would-be conservative supporters while undermining his core message to Republican voters, which relies on the notion that he is more electable than Trump against President Joe Biden in the general election.
Republican strategists acknowledge that the curriculum fight could undermine the party’s modest gains with some voters of color in recent elections. African Americans and Latinos, particularly young men, have shifted slightly toward the GOP, although both groups still overwhelmingly backed Democrats.
“There are much more valuable issues that DeSantis should focus on,” said Republican strategist Alice Stewart, who added that the current debate could “absolutely” alienate voters of color and suburban whites alike.
Still, she suggested DeSantis was being unfairly criticized.
“It’s important as always to make sure that you read everything before you take one part and blow it up,” Stewart said. “This is one part of a larger curriculum. And this was written and approved and signed off by an African American scholar.”
The group that revised the Black history curriculum included William B. Allen, a Black professor emeritus at Michigan State University who has defended the wording about slavery.
Former Republican strategist Tara Setmayer, now an adviser with the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, said the debate reflects an unfortunate political reality in today’s GOP: Far-right positions on race have become incredibly popular since Trump’s rise. She argued there is virtually no short-term downside to emphasizing the issue for candidates running in Republican primaries, which are dominated by the party’s white base.
“I was a Republican for 27 years, and at no time did the Republican Party try to whitewash American history,” she said. “Now, that’s a mainstream Republican talking point.”
DeSantis is far from alone in pushing the limits of the GOP’s rightward shift on race.
Trump dined last fall with noted white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. spoke at a gathering of white supremacists in Florida earlier in the year. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has repeatedly refused to denounce white nationalists serving in the U.S. military in recent weeks. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz. referred to Black people as “colored people” on the House floor this month.
In the GOP’s presidential primary, all the candidates have come out against critical race theory, the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions, which function to maintain the dominance of white people in society. They regularly insist that America is not a racist nation, accusing Democrats of perpetuating that notion to score political points.
In many cases, however, DeSantis has gone further than his 2024 rivals in using the levers of government to enshrine the conservative position — much of it coming after his presidential ambitions came into view.
Even before he was sworn in, DeSantis faced allegations of racism for saying Florida voters would not “monkey” up the election by voting for his Black Democratic opponent in 2018. But DeSantis then drew praise for opening his governorship by pardoning the Groveland Four, a group of four Black men convicted of a 1949 rape they did not commit.
The praise didn’t last.
In 2020, DeSantis pushed the Florida Legislature to approve the so-called anti-riot act, which was designed to crack down on violence associated with African American demonstrations against police violence. That’s even as he’s downplayed the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
More recently, DeSantis pushed through the Stop WOKE (Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees) Act, a law that limits discussions on race in schools and by corporations. The law was intended, at least in part, to prevent white people from feeling guilty or uncomfortable about racial injustices committed by other white people.
DeSantis has also banned state universities from using state or federal money for diversity programs.
In a move that has not gained as much attention, he has declined to select individuals for the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame in four years, despite a state law that requires nominees to be submitted to him annually. He has continued to name people to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame and the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame.
DeSantis also demanded that former Democratic Rep. Al Lawson’s congressional district be redrawn to dilute the influence of Black voters in north Florida. As a result, Florida no longer has Black representation in Washington for an area stretching about 360 miles (580 kilometers) from the Alabama line to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Georgia line south to Orlando.
Still, Black Republican activist Quisha King of Jacksonville says she’s been thrilled by DeSantis’ leadership, especially on education.
King said it’s “ignorant” and “simple-minded” to condemn the provision of Florida’s new education curriculum related to slavery.
“My great, great, grandfather was born a slave. He bought his freedom. How do they think he was able to buy his freedom?” she asked. “They used the skills that they had to make some money and save it up and buy their freedom.”
The Department of Education said Wednesday that it released a statement on the new Black history curriculum last week and would not comment further.
Meanwhile, state Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is Black, said that painting a rosier picture of atrocities does not benefit anyone.
“Their idea is to teach history in a way to make white people not be looked at in a bad light,” Jones said. “There’s no silver bow that you can tie around the history of Black people. You can’t make lynching look good, you can’t make the raping of women look good.”
“There’s no benefit to that,” he added. “There was nothing right about that. There was nothing just about that. It was torture.”
___
Peoples reported from New York and Stafford from Detroit. | https://www.pahomepage.com/news/national/ap-desantis-is-defending-new-slavery-teachings-civil-rights-leaders-see-a-pattern-of-policy-violence/ | 2023-07-27 21:22:13 | 1 | https://www.pahomepage.com/news/national/ap-desantis-is-defending-new-slavery-teachings-civil-rights-leaders-see-a-pattern-of-policy-violence/ |
Fuel leak interrupts launch countdown of NASA moon rocket
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A fuel leak interrupted NASA’s launch countdown for its new moon rocket early Monday, reappearing in the same place that saw seepage during a dress rehearsal back in the spring.
Launch controllers halted the tanking operation, which already was running an hour late because of thunderstorms offshore. They slowly resumed the process to confirm that it was, indeed, a hydrogen fuel leak and not faulty sensors, but alarms forced another temporary pause as precious minutes in the countdown ticked away.
The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket is the most powerful ever built my NASA, out-muscling even the Saturn V that carried astronauts to the moon a half-century ago.
This test flight, if successful, would put a crew capsule into lunar orbit for the first time in 50 years.
No astronauts were inside the Orion capsule atop the rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Instead, three test dummies were strapped in for the lunar-orbiting mission, expected to last six weeks.
Even with no one on board, thousands of people jammed the coast to see the Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket soar. Vice President Kamala Harris flew into Orlando with her husband, but had yet to make the hourlong drive to Cape Canaveral for the planned liftoff.
The next launch attempt wouldn’t be until Friday at the earliest.
Hydrogen fuel leaks marred NASA’s countdown test back in April, prompting a slew of repairs. The demo was repeated with more success in June, but that, too, experienced some leakage. Managers said they would not know for certain whether the fixes were good until attempting to load the rocket’s tanks with nearly 1 million gallons of super-cold fuel on Monday.
Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson and her team also had to deal with a communication issue involving the Orion capsule.
Engineers scrambled to understand an 11-minute delay in the communication lines between Launch Control and Orion that cropped up late Sunday. Although the problem had cleared by Monday morning, NASA needed to know why it occurred before committing to launch.
This first flight of NASA’s 21st-century moon-exploration program, named Artemis after Apollo’s mythological twin sister, is years overdue. Repeated delays have led to billions in budget overruns; this demo alone costs $4.1 billion.
Assuming the test goes well, astronauts would climb aboard for the second flight and fly around the moon and back as soon as 2024. A two-person lunar landing could follow by the end of 2025. NASA is targeting the moon’s south pole.
During Apollo, 12 astronauts landed on the moon from 1969 through 1972, with stays of no more than a few days. NASA is looking to establish a lunar base during Artemis, with astronauts rotating in and out for weeks at a time. The next step would be Mars, possibly in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
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Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/08/29/fuel-leak-interrupts-launch-countdown-nasa-moon-rocket/ | 2022-08-29 09:52:05 | 1 | https://www.kxii.com/2022/08/29/fuel-leak-interrupts-launch-countdown-nasa-moon-rocket/ |
RESTON, Va., Dec. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bechtel announced today that Ailie MacAdam, president of Bechtel's Mining and Metals business, has been elected to the Bechtel Group Inc. Board of Directors. Ailie has been with the company 37 years, serving in leadership and operational roles across industries and geographies.
"Ailie is widely recognized not only for her outstanding technical ability to solve some of the world's most complex engineering and construction challenges, but also for her extraordinary skills managing large and diverse teams and building relationships of trust with our customers," said Brendan Bechtel, Chairman and CEO of Bechtel.
"This is an incredibly exciting and dynamic time for Bechtel as we broaden our markets, support our customers to responsibly unlock the resources needed for a cleaner, greener future, and grow and diversify our workforce," said Ailie MacAdam, president of Bechtel's Mining and Metals business. "I look forward to contributing to the Board and working to build on Bechtel's long track record of leadership and success."
Since 2020, Ailie has been serving as the president of Bechtel's Mining and Metals (M&M) business, with responsibility for all aspects of M&M's worldwide portfolio. During her time at M&M, Ailie has positioned the business unit to deliver significant value to our customers preparing for the next commodities cycle, including in vital strategic minerals such as copper, lithium and rare earths needed to transition to a net zero future.
Previously, Ailie held a number of leadership assignments within Bechtel's Infrastructure business where she was instrumental in growing the company's portfolio in the rail and aviation sectors. From 2017, Ailie served as general manager for Infrastructure's Asia-Pacific region based in Sydney, Australia. In 2019, Ailie was also called upon to serve as the acting president of the Infrastructure business.
Ailie is a visible role model for women in engineering and construction. In 2008, Ailie received the U.K. Institution of Civil Engineers' "inspirational leader" award recognizing women in the built environment, and in 2016, she was named one of the Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering by the U.K. Women's Engineering Society.
Ailie holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Bradford University. She is a chartered member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers and a fellow of the U.K. Institution of Civil Engineers.
For Ailie's full biography, please see here.
Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.
Bechtel serves the Energy; Infrastructure; Manufacturing & Technology; Mining & Metals; and Nuclear, Security & Environmental markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.bechtel.com
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Iva Zagar
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SOURCE Bechtel | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/12/01/ailie-macadam-elected-bechtel-group-inc-board-directors/ | 2022-12-01 20:49:19 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/12/01/ailie-macadam-elected-bechtel-group-inc-board-directors/ |
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Like a growing number of people in Portugal, Georgina Simoes no longer earns enough money to afford a place to live.
The 57-year-old nursing home carer earns less than 800 euros ($845) a month, as do about a fourth of the country’s workforce. For the last decade, she got by because she’s been paying just 300 euros a month for her one-bedroom apartment in an undistinguished Lisbon neighborhood.
Now, with rents soaring in the capital, her landlord is evicting her. She says she’s not budging because finding another place near work will be too expensive.
“You live in this state of anxiety,” she says in her apartment with its partial view of the River Tagus. “Every day you wake up thinking, ‘Am I staying here or do I have to leave?”
Simoes and many others, increasingly including the middle class, are being priced out of Portugal’s property market by rising rents, surging home prices and climbing mortgage rates, fueled by factors including the growing influx of foreign investors and tourists seeking short-term rentals. Deepening fears in recent days about the health of financial institutions, as well as the prospect of continuing high inflation, have added more uncertainty.
Portugal’s center-left Socialist government last month unveiled a package of measures to address the problem, and some of them are set to be approved by the Cabinet on Thursday.
Between 2020 and 2021, house prices in Portugal shot up by 157%. From 2015 to 2021, rents jumped by 112%, according the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat.
But the rising cost of real estate tells only part of the story.
Portugal is one of Western Europe’s poorest countries and has long pursued investment on the back of a low-wage economy. Just over half of Portuguese workers earned less than 1,000 euros ($1,054) a month last year, according to Labor Ministry statistics.
Across the EU, the recent spike in inflation, especially rising food and energy prices, and the lingering economic and labor consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have aggravated the housing dilemma in the 27-nation bloc.
More than 82 million households in the EU have difficulty paying their rent, 17% of people live in overcrowded accommodations and just over 10% spend more than 40% of their income on rent, the the bloc says.
Hit hardest by unequal access to decent, affordable housing are young people, families with children, the elderly, those with disabilities and migrants.
In Portugal, the problem has been magnified by tourism, whose robust growth before the pandemic has come roaring back, as well as an influx of foreign investors who found relatively low real estate prices in Lisbon and have been driving up prices that force local people out of their neighborhoods.
After attracting a record 25 million foreign tourists in 2019, Portugal drew 15.3 million last year — a 158% rise after the previous year of pandemic restrictions. Analysts expect a 33% rise this year.
For some people, that long-awaited national success with foreign vacationers is a case of being careful what you wish for.
Rosa Santos, a 59-year-old born and raised close to Lisbon’s 14th-century St. George’s Castle overlooking the port city, says most homes in her neighborhood are occupied by short-term vacation rentals, largely for foreign tourists. It’s common to see and hear visitors dragging suitcases over the cobblestones.
The locals’ rich traditions are gone, and there’s not even a bakery or grocery store there now, Santos says.
“It’s not a neighborhood anymore,” she said. “This isn’t a city, it’s an amusement park.”
Activists are fighting back against the trend that is robbing the capital of its charm. Santos is part of a growing movement that is calling for a referendum to stop short-term vacation rentals in Lisbon. They gather every weekend in one of the city’s neighborhoods to collect signatures supporting their goal. They need at least 5,000 signatures to start the referendum process at city hall.
On a recent rainy day, police helped municipal workers using backhoes demolish several illegal makeshift dwellings on Lisbon’s outskirts with no power or running water. The families forced by necessity to live in them pleaded for them to stop.
The shacks stood just a few kilometers (miles) from luxury condominiums being built on the Lisbon waterfront, where a four-bedroom apartment sells for 2.4 million euros.
Not far away, in the Camarate low-income district close to Lisbon airport, missionary worker Jose Manuel helps needy families, some of whom can’t afford to pay for a room, let alone a house, and are consequently being pushed out of the city.
“We are talking already of a room in Camarate for 400 euros, a house for 600 or 700 euros,” he said. “Those who are on a minimum wage cannot afford a house.”
Grassroot housing rights groups have sprung up and are helping people struggling to keep a roof over their head. One of them, Habita, is pushing authorities to stop encouraging premium developments that are by, and for, wealthy foreigners.
For Habita’s Rita Silva, the government must also introduce tighter rents controls and “stop evictions if there are no suitable housing alternatives.”
Prime Minister Antonio Costa says cities that lose their inhabitants forfeit their “authenticity” and become “a Disneyland” for tourists.
Among the measures that his government hopes will bring about a market correction:
— Forcing the owners of unoccupied properties to rent them out, granting priority to renters under 35, single-parent families or families whose income has dropped by more than 20%.
— Capping increases in new rental contracts to 2% above the previous contract.
— Ending the government’s “golden visa” program, which grants residence permits to wealthy foreign investors who buy property in Portugal.
— Halting new licenses, except in rural areas, for short-term vacation rentals through tourist accommodation platforms.
— Switching commercial property to housing use.
The proposals have stirred controversy: Some see them as heavy-handed and misguided, others say they lack detail on how they will work. And some are angry.
Hugo Ferreira Santos of the Portuguese Association of Real Estate Developers and Investors said foreign investment has ground to a halt as people wait to see how the golden visa changes shape up.
“What I have been hearing from international investors is that Portugal is not a credible country,” he said. “It is a country that changes the rules of the game halfway through and a country where foreign investment is not welcome.”
Small-time investors in apartments for short-term vacation rentals also are aggrieved.
“There are people that left their lives, set up their own businesses, generated jobs, have workers and suddenly one day they are knocked down without any prospect,” said Eduardo Miranda, head of a Portuguese association representing their interests.
Some measures will require parliament’s approval, and others could be sent to the Constitutional Court for vetting.
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This story has been corrected to show that at least 5,000 signatures are needed for a referendum, not 7,500. | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/international/in-low-wage-portugal-europes-housing-crisis-bites-deep/ | 2023-03-16 20:06:46 | 0 | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/international/in-low-wage-portugal-europes-housing-crisis-bites-deep/ |
PITTSBURGH (AP) — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room.
They stayed with their daughter around the clock when she was moved to a rehab center to regain her strength. Finally, the 8-month-old stopped batting away her bottles and started putting on weight again.
“She was doing well and we started to ask when can she go home,” Lauren Hackney said. “And then from that moment on, at the time, they completely stonewalled us and never said anything.”
The couple was stunned when child welfare officials showed up, told them they were negligent and took their daughter away.
“They had custody papers and they took her right there and then,” Lauren Hackney recalled. “And we started crying.”
More than a year later, their daughter, now 2, remains in foster care. The Hackneys, who have developmental disabilities, are struggling to understand how taking their daughter to the hospital when she refused to eat could be seen as so neglectful that she’d need to be taken from her home.
They wonder if an artificial intelligence tool that the Allegheny County Department of Human Services uses to predict which children could be at risk of harm singled them out because of their disabilities.
The U.S. Justice Department is asking the same question. The agency is investigating the county’s child welfare system to determine whether its use of the influential algorithm discriminates against people with disabilities or other protected groups, The Associated Press has learned. Later this month, federal civil rights attorneys will interview the Hackneys and Andrew Hackney’s mother, Cynde Hackney-Fierro, the grandmother said.
Lauren Hackney has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that affects her memory, and her husband, Andrew, has a comprehension disorder and nerve damage from a stroke suffered in his 20s. Their baby girl was just 7 months old when she began refusing to drink her bottles. Facing a nationwide shortage of formula, they traveled from Pennsylvania to West Virginia looking for some and were forced to change brands. The baby didn’t seem to like it.
Her pediatrician first reassured them that babies sometimes can be fickle with feeding and offered ideas to help her get back her appetite, they said.
When she grew lethargic days later, they said, the same doctor told them to take her to the emergency room. The Hackneys believe medical staff alerted child protective services after they showed up with a baby who was dehydrated and malnourished.
That’s when they believe their information was fed into the Allegheny Family Screening Tool, which county officials say is standard procedure for neglect allegations. Soon, a social worker appeared to question them, and their daughter was sent to foster care.
Over the past six years, Allegheny County has served as a real-world laboratory for testing AI-driven child welfare tools that crunch reams of data about local families to try to predict which children are likely to face danger in their homes. Today, child welfare agencies in at least 26 states and Washington, D.C., have considered using algorithmic tools, and jurisdictions in at least 11 have deployed them, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Hackneys’ story — based on interviews, internal emails and legal documents — illustrates the opacity surrounding these algorithms. Even as they fight to regain custody of their daughter, they can’t question the “risk score” Allegheny County’s tool may have assigned to her case because officials won’t disclose it to them. And neither the county nor the people who built the tool have ever explained which variables may have been used to measure the Hackneys’ abilities as parents.
“It’s like you have an issue with someone who has a disability,” Andrew Hackney said in an interview from their apartment in suburban Pittsburgh. “In that case … you probably end up going after everyone who has kids and has a disability.”
As part of a yearlong investigation, the AP obtained the data points underpinning several algorithms deployed by child welfare agencies, including some marked “CONFIDENTIAL,” offering rare insight into the mechanics driving these emerging technologies. Among the factors they have used to calculate a family’s risk, whether outright or by proxy: race, poverty rates, disability status and family size. They include whether a mother smoked before she was pregnant and whether a family had previous child abuse or neglect complaints.
What they measure matters. A recent analysis by ACLU researchers found that when Allegheny’s algorithm flagged people who accessed county services for mental health and other behavioral health programs, that could add up to three points to a child’s risk score, a significant increase on a scale of 20.
Allegheny County spokesman Mark Bertolet declined to address the Hackney case and did not answer detailed questions about the status of the federal probe or critiques of the data powering the tool, including by the ACLU.
“As a matter of policy, we do not comment on lawsuits or legal matters,” Bertolet said in an email.
Justice Department spokeswoman Aryele Bradford declined to comment.
NOT MAGIC
Child welfare algorithms plug vast amounts of public data about local families into complex statistical models to calculate what they call a risk score. The number that’s generated is then used to advise social workers as they decide which families should be investigated, or which families need additional attention — a weighty decision that can sometimes mean life or death.
A number of local leaders have tapped into AI technology while under pressure to make systemic changes, such as in Oregon during a foster care crisis and in Los Angeles County after a series of high-profile child deaths in one of the nation’s largest county child welfare systems.
LA County’s Department of Children and Family Services Director Brandon Nichols says algorithms can help identify high-risk families and improve outcomes in a deeply strained system. Yet he could not explain how the screening tool his agency uses works.
“We’re sort of the social work side of the house, not the IT side of the house,” Nichols said in an interview. “How the algorithm functions, in some ways is, I don’t want to say is magic to us, but it’s beyond our expertise and experience.”
Nichols and officials at two other child welfare agencies referred detailed questions about their AI tools to the outside developers who created them.
In Larimer County, Colorado, one official acknowledged she didn’t know what variables were used to assess local families.
“The variables and weights used by the Larimer Decision Aide Tool are part of the code developed by Auckland and thus we do not have this level of detail,” Jill Maasch, a Larimer County Human Services spokeswoman said in an email, referring to the developers.
In Pennsylvania, California and Colorado, county officials have opened up their data systems to the two academic developers who select data points to build their algorithms. Rhema Vaithianathan, a professor of health economics at New Zealand’s Auckland University of Technology, and Emily Putnam-Hornstein, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work, said in an email that their work is transparent and that they make their computer models public.
“In each jurisdiction in which a model has been fully implemented we have released a description of fields that were used to build the tool, along with information as to the methods used,” they said by email.
A 241-page report on the Allegheny County website includes pages of coded variables and statistical calculations.
Vaithianathan and Putnam-Hornstein’s work has been hailed in reports published by UNICEF and the Biden administration alike for devising computer models that promise to lighten caseworkers’ loads by drawing from a set of simple factors. They have described using such tools as a moral imperative, insisting that child welfare officials should draw from all data at their disposal to make sure children aren’t maltreated.
Through tracking their work across the country, however, the AP found their tools can set families up for separation by rating their risk based on personal characteristics they cannot change or control, such as race or disability, rather than just their actions as parents.
In Allegheny County, a sprawling county of 1.2 million near the Ohio border, the algorithm has accessed an array of external data, including jail, juvenile probation, Medicaid, welfare, health and birth records, all held in a vast countywide “data warehouse.” The tool uses that information to predict the risk that a child will be placed in foster care two years after a family is first investigated.
County officials have told the AP they’re proud of their cutting-edge approach, and even expanded their work to build another algorithm focused on newborns. They have said they monitor their risk scoring tool closely and update it over time, including removing variables such as welfare benefits and birth records.
Vaithianathan and Putnam-Hornstein declined the AP’s repeated interview requests to discuss how they choose the specific data that powers their models. But in a 2017 report, they detailed the methods used to build the first version of Allegheny’s tool, including a footnote that described a statistical cutoff as “rather arbitrary but based on trial and error.”
“This footnote refers to our exploration of more than 800 features from Allegheny’s data warehouse more than five years ago,” the developers said by email.
That approach is borne out in their design choices, which differ from county to county.
In the same 2017 report, the developers acknowledged that using race data didn’t substantively improve the model’s accuracy, but they continued to study it in Douglas County, Colorado, though they ultimately opted against including it in that model. To address community concerns that a tool could harden racial bias in Los Angeles County, the developers excluded people’s criminal history, ZIP code and geographic indicators, but have continued to use those data points in the Pittsburgh area.
When asked about the inconsistencies, the developers pointed to their published methodology documents.
“We detail various metrics used to assess accuracy — while also detailing ‘external validations,’” the developers said via email.
When Oregon’s Department of Human Services built an algorithm inspired by Allegheny’s, it factored in a child’s race as it predicted a family’s risk, and also applied a “fairness correction” to mitigate racial bias. Last June, the tool was dropped entirely due to equity concerns after an AP investigation in April revealed potential racial bias in such tools.
Justice Department attorneys cited the same AP story last fall when federal civil rights attorneys started inquiring about additional discrimination concerns in Allegheny’s tool, three sources told the AP. They spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying the Justice Department asked them not to discuss the confidential conversations. Two said they also feared professional retaliation.
IQ TESTS, PARENTING CLASS
With no answers on when they could get their daughter home, the Hackneys’ lawyer in October filed a federal civil rights complaint on their behalf that questioned how the screening tool was used in their case.
Over time, Allegheny’s tool has tracked if members of the family have diagnoses for schizophrenia or mood disorders. It’s also measured if parents or other children in the household have disabilities, by noting whether any family members received Supplemental Security Income, a federal benefit for people with disabilities. The county said that it factors in SSI payments in part because children with disabilities are more likely to be abused or neglected.
The county also said disabilities-aligned data can be “predictive of the outcomes” and it “should come as no surprise that parents with disabilities … may also have a need for additional supports and services.” In an emailed statement, the county added that elsewhere in the country, social workers also draw on data about mental health and other conditions that may affect a parent’s ability to safely care for a child.
The Hackneys have been ordered to take parenting classes and say they have been taxed by all of the child welfare system’s demands, including IQ tests and downtown court hearings.
People with disabilities are overrepresented in the child welfare system, yet there’s no evidence that they harm their children at higher rates, said Traci LaLiberte, a University of Minnesota expert on child welfare and disabilities.
Including data points related to disabilities in an algorithm is problematic because it perpetuates historic biases in the system and it focuses on people’s physiological traits rather than behavior that social workers are brought in to address, LaLiberte said.
The Los Angeles tool weighs if any children in the family have ever gotten special education services, have had prior developmental or mental health referrals or used drugs to treat mental health.
“This is not unique to caseworkers who use this tool; it is common for caseworkers to consider these factors when determining possible supports and services,” the developers said by email.
Before algorithms were in use, the child welfare system had long distrusted parents with disabilities. Into the 1970s, they were regularly sterilized and institutionalized, LaLiberte said. A landmark federal report in 2012 noted parents with psychiatric or intellectual disabilities lost custody of their children as much as 80 percent of the time.
Across the U.S., it’s extremely rare for any child welfare agencies to require disabilities training for social workers, LaLiberte’s research has found. The result: Parents with disabilities are often judged by a system that doesn’t understand how to assess their capacity as caregivers, she said.
The Hackneys experienced this firsthand. When a social worker asked Andrew Hackney how often he fed the baby, he answered literally: two times a day. The worker seemed appalled, he said, and scolded him, saying babies must eat more frequently. He struggled to explain that the girl’s mother, grandmother and aunt also took turns feeding her each day.
FOREVER FLAGGED
Officials in Allegheny County have said that building AI into their processes helps them “make decisions based on as much information as possible,” and noted that the algorithm merely harnesses data social workers can already access.
That can include decades-old records. The Pittsburgh-area tool has tracked whether parents were ever on public benefits or had a history with the criminal justice system — even if they were minors at the time, or if it never resulted in charges or convictions.
The AP found those design choices can stack the deck against people who grew up in poverty, hardening historical inequities that persist in the data, or against people with records in the juvenile or criminal justice systems, long after society has granted redemption. And critics say that algorithms can create a self-fulfilling prophecy by influencing which families are targeted in the first place.
“These predictors have the effect of casting permanent suspicion and offer no means of recourse for families marked by these indicators,” according to the analysis from researchers at the ACLU and the nonprofit Human Rights Data Analysis Group. “They are forever seen as riskier to their children.”
As child welfare algorithms become more common, parents who have experienced social workers’ scrutiny fear the models won’t let them escape their pasts, no matter how old or irrelevant their previous scrapes with the system may have been.
Charity Chandler-Cole, who serves on the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families, is one of them. She landed in foster care as a teen after being arrested for shoplifting underwear for her younger sister. Then as an adult, she said, social workers once showed up at her apartment after someone spuriously reported that a grand piano was thrown at her nephew who was living at her home — even though they didn’t own such an instrument.
The local algorithm could tag her for her prior experiences in foster care and juvenile probation, as well as the unfounded child abuse allegation, Chandler-Cole says. She wonders if AI could also properly assess that she was quickly cleared of any maltreatment concerns, or that her nonviolent offense as a teen was legally expunged.
“A lot of these reports lack common sense,” said Chandler-Cole, now the mother of four and CEO of an organization that works with the court system to help children in foster care. “You are automatically putting us in these spaces to be judged with these labels. It just perpetuates additional harm.”
Chandler-Cole’s fellow commissioner Wendy Garen, by contrast, argues “more is better” and that by drawing on all available data, risk scoring tools can help make the agency’s work more thorough and effective.
GLOBAL INFLUENCE
Even as their models have come under scrutiny for their accuracy and fairness, the developers have started new projects with child welfare agencies in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and Arapahoe County, Colorado. The states of California and Pennsylvania, as well as New Zealand and Chile, have also asked them to do preliminary work.
And as word of their methods has spread in recent years, Vaithianathan has given lectures highlighting screening tools in Colombia and Australia. She also recently advised researchers in Denmark and officials in the United Arab Emirates on how to use technology to target child services.
“Rhema is one of the world leaders and her research can help to shape the debate in Denmark,” a Danish researcher said on LinkedIn last year, regarding Vaithianathan’s advisory role related to a local child welfare tool that was being piloted.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded a national study, co-authored by Vaithianathan and Putnam-Hornstein, that concluded that their overall approach in Allegheny could be a model for other places.
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families spokeswoman Debra Johnson declined to say whether the Justice Department’s probe would influence her agency’s future support for an AI-driven approach to child welfare.
Especially as budgets tighten, cash-strapped agencies are desperate to find more efficient ways for social workers to focus on children who truly need protection. At a 2021 panel, Putnam-Hornstein acknowledged that “the overall screen-in rate remained totally flat” in Allegheny since their tool had been implemented.
Meanwhile, foster care and the separation of families can have lifelong developmental consequences for the child.
A 2012 HHS study found 95% of babies who are reported to child welfare agencies go through more than one caregiver and household change during their time in foster care, instability that researchers noted can itself be a form of trauma.
The Hackneys’ daughter already has been placed in two foster homes and has now spent more than half of her short life away from her parents as they try to convince social workers they are worthy.
Meanwhile, they say they’re running out of money in the fight for their daughter. With barely enough left for food from Andrew Hackney’s wages at a local grocery store, he had to shut off his monthly cell phone service. They’re struggling to pay for the legal fees and gas money needed to attend appointments required of them.
In February, their daughter was diagnosed with a disorder that can disrupt her sense of taste, according to Andrew Hackney’s lawyer, Robin Frank, who added that the girl has continued to struggle to eat, even in foster care.
All they have for now are twice-weekly visits that last a few hours before she’s taken away again. Lauren Hackney’s voice breaks as she worries her daughter may be adopted and soon forget her own family. They say they yearn to do what many parents take for granted — put their child to sleep at night in her own bed.
“I really want to get my kid back. I miss her, and especially holding her. And of course, I miss that little giggly laugh,” Andrew Hackney said, as his daughter sprang toward him with excitement during a recent visit. “It hurts a lot. You have no idea how bad.” | https://www.wivb.com/news/national/ai-child-welfare-tool-may-flag-parents-with-disabilities/ | 2023-03-15 11:03:17 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/national/ai-child-welfare-tool-may-flag-parents-with-disabilities/ |
**Related Video Above: Women’s group weighs in after Deshaun Watson decision.**
CLEVELAND (WJW) – The I-Team with Nexstar’s WJW has confirmed National Football League officials have decided to appeal a six-game suspension a disciplinary officer imposed on Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson and the NFL players union have stated they do not plan to appeal the suspension. NFL officials had until Thursday to decide to appeal.
A spokesperson for the NFL released the following statement regarding the decision to appeal:
On Monday, Judge Sue L. Robinson, the independent Disciplinary Officer jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association, issued her ruling in the Personal Conduct Policy matter regarding Deshaun Watson.
Under the 2020 NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”), the factual findings of the Disciplinary Officer are binding and may not be appealed. Judge Robinson found that Mr. Watson violated the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy on multiple occasions and suspended him for six games. The CBA affords the NFL or NFLPA the right to appeal the discipline imposed by the Disciplinary Officer. Such an appeal must be filed within three days and would be heard by the Commissioner or his designee.
The NFL notified the NFLPA that it will appeal Judge Robinson’s disciplinary decision and filed its brief this afternoon. Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine who will hear the appeal.
NOTE ON THE APPEAL PROCESS
Any response to the appeal by the NFLPA must be filed in writing within two business days. According to Article 46 of the CBA, “the Commissioner or his designee will issue a written decision that will constitute full, final and complete disposition of the dispute and will be binding upon the player(s), Club(s) and the parties to this Agreement.”
According to the Personal Conduct Policy, the appeal will be: (i) processed on an expedited basis; (ii) limited to consideration of the terms of discipline imposed; and (iii) based upon a review of the existing record without reference to evidence or testimony not previously considered. No additional evidence or testimony shall be presented to or accepted by the Commissioner or his designee. Any factual findings and evidentiary determinations of the Disciplinary Officer will be binding to the parties on appeal, and the decision of the Commissioner or his designee, which may overturn, reduce, modify or increase the discipline previously issued, will be final and binding on all parties.”
The hearing officer, retired Federal Judge Sue L. Robinson, ruled Monday that Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy, based on allegations of sexual misconduct.
With NFL officials appealing, Commissioner Roger Goodell or person he designates, will hear that appeal. Whoever hears the appeal could decide to increase or decrease the discipline. Goodell’s office said he was unavailable for comment.
A league official told The Associated Press before Watson’s three-day disciplinary hearing concluded in June that the NFL wanted to avoid an appeal. But the league proceeded with one amid a backlash from some fans and intense public pressure in the media. Other factors include Watson’s lack of remorse, which Robinson noted in her report.
During Watson’s three-day disciplinary hearing, the NFL asked for an indefinite suspension of at least a year. The NFL argued for an unprecedented punishment and wanted to fine Watson at least $5 million, a person familiar with the discussions told the AP on condition of anonymity because the hearing was private.
In her 16-page report, Robinson described Watson’s behavior as “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.” Watson was sued by 24 women who claimed sexual misconduct during massages. All but one of the women have settled.
The quarterback has denied the allegations.
The union and Watson could file a lawsuit if the suspension is increased.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/national/nfl-appealing-deshaun-watsons-suspension/ | 2022-08-03 22:13:56 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/national/nfl-appealing-deshaun-watsons-suspension/ |
FARGO, N.D. — In the final years of their daughter’s life, Tim and Dawn Bowman spent many weekends on Interstate 94, driving four hours each way from St. Paul, Minnesota to Fargo, North Dakota.
That’s what it took to see Rachel.
“For the severe eating disorder portion of it," said Tim Bowman, "there really is nothing out there - I mean, in our region anyway."
When Rachel was nearing her teens, her parents noticed she was eating less and less. To this day, they can’t fully explain why. But within months, she would travel for treatment for anorexia nervosa.
“It really takes a toll and then it doesn’t stop," said her dad. "It takes, and it takes, and it takes."
The latest reports estimate nearly one in 10 Americans will experience an eating disorder. Mortality rates for those with anorexia nervosa are nearly six times higher than for those without. And when disorders become severe, options for treatment often require long drives or flights.
Dr. Stephen Wonderlich is the vice president of research for Sanford Health in Fargo. It holds the only major eating disorder treatment facility for hundreds of miles.
“There’s more and more treatment available, but sometimes they can’t take severe cases, or sometimes they might not take somebody who has public insurance like Medicaid or Medicare,” Wonderlich said.
The Bowmans sought help for Rachel near St. Paul. When she needed higher care, they flew her first to a center in Arizona, then one in Colorado. Only in the final stretch of an 18-year fight did they find Sanford, a four-hour drive down I-94.
“It was just the care that they gave Rachel, and the hope, and the fight," said Dawn. "That’s why Rachel fought too, you know, because they were in her corner."
Research and investment in eating disorders are strikingly low compared to other diseases. Recent years have brought signs of change. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency room visits for eating disorders have doubled. Colorado and Kentucky are among the states whose legislatures have passed measures to address an issue that goes far beyond the disease.
“That’s the whole deal," said Dawn. "You have to call, and unfortunately, maybe be on this waiting list and this waiting list … and, you know, see if insurance covers it. We took a second mortgage out on the house. But I’d take a third and fourth and fifth, whatever it would take for that care.”
Rachel fought for more than half her life before passing in her parents’ company at the age of 30. Today in the Bowman house, photo albums on Tim and Dawn’s table display a journey filled with smiles. Those smiles were forged through valleys, often in those final years in Fargo. | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/two-americas/for-some-with-severe-eating-disorders-treatment-requires-long-flights-and-longer-drives | 2023-06-01 22:32:26 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/two-americas/for-some-with-severe-eating-disorders-treatment-requires-long-flights-and-longer-drives |
Several booked into Noble County Jail
ALBION — Several people were booked into the Noble County Jail from Friday morning through Monday morning, according to jail records.
Brooke R. Farlow, 31, of the 900 block of East U.S. 6, Ligonier, was arrested at 3 p.m. Friday by Ligonier police on charges of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 5 felony; possession of marijuana, hash oil, hashish or salvia, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. Farlow was held without bond.
Jeremy Fugate, 47, of the 200 block of South Main Street, Wolcottville, was arrested at 5:07 p.m. Friday by Wolcottville police on charges of disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor; and public indecency-public nudity, a Class B misdemeanor. Fugate was released on his own recognizance.
Ronald L. Williams, 55, of the 6300 block of Avon Lake Road, Spencer, Ohio, was arrested at 3:31 p.m. Friday by Noble County police on a warrant charging a Level 5 felony. No further charging information provided. Williams was held on $5,000 cash bond.
Bernard L. Fischer, 52, of the 300 block of Harris Street, Kendallville, was arrested at 7:24 p.m. Saturday by the Indiana State Police on charges of simple assault-battery against a public safety official, a Level 6 felony; interfering with public safety, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle while intoxicated-endangerment, a Class A misdemeanor; and violation of condition, modification or revocation of specialized driving privileges, a Class C misdemeanor. Fischer was held without bond.
Juan S. Flores, 56, of the 600 block of North Main Street, Goshen, was arrested at 11:33 p.m. Saturday by Kendallville police. No charging information provided. No bond information provided.
Mary E. Gibson, 26, of the 700 block of Lincolnway West, Ligonier, was arrested at 1:58 a.m. Sunday by Ligonier police on charges of possession of a hypodermic syringe or needed, a Level 6 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. No bond information provided.
John C. Costanzo, 59, of the 7600 block of South C.R. 795E, Wolcottville, was arrested at 7:48 a.m. Sunday by Noble County police on charges of aggressive driving, a Class A misdemeanor; and false informing/reporting, a Class B misdemeanor. Costanzo was held on $2,500 bond.
Alexis J. Marshall, 20, of the 100 block of Walnut Street, Bronson, Michigan, was arrested at 2:07 a.m. Monday by Kendallville police on charges of possession of cocaine or narcotic drug, a Level 6 felony; and possession of marijuana, hash oil, hashish or salvia, a Class B misdemeanor. Marshall was held on $2,500 bond.
Richard D. Meyers, 38, of the 400 block of State Street, Elkhart, was booked at 9:38 a.m. Sunday to serve a sentence relating to a court order on a Level 6 felony charge. No further charging information provided.
Shella J. Polly, 52, of the 300 block of Gertrude Street, Kendallville, was arrested at 11 p.m. Sunday by Kendallville police on a warrant. No charging information provided. Polly was released on her own recognizance.
Josefina B. Quintanilla, 40, of the 1200 block of E. U.S. 6, Wawaka, was arrested at 11:33 p.m. Sunday by Noble County police on charges of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. No bond information provided.
Krista S. Reynolds, 28, of the 600 block of East Mitchell Street, Kendallville, was arrested at 11:12 p.m. Sunday by Kendallville police on charges of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; and possession of marijuana, hash oil, hashish or salvia, a Class B misdemeanor. Reynolds was held on $2,500 bond. | https://www.kpcnews.com/newssun/article_ba8e7e1d-1d6d-5baa-9287-ae8d2dd34673.html | 2023-06-06 05:50:07 | 0 | https://www.kpcnews.com/newssun/article_ba8e7e1d-1d6d-5baa-9287-ae8d2dd34673.html |
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott kept his legs churning to turn a quarterback sneak into a 25-yard gain.
Maybe young standout Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons was taking a cue from his leader.
Parsons got up and rumbled to the end zone on a fumble return for his first NFL touchdown after Chicago quarterback Justin Fields failed to touch him down, and the Cowboys beat the Bears 49-29 on Sunday.
“I kind of popped up ready to celebrate with the team and I thought I was down,” the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year said. “And everyone’s like, ‘Go, go, go,’ and I went, went, went.”
Prescott threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score, and Tony Pollard had 131 yards rushing and a career-best three touchdowns with Ezekiel Elliott sidelined by a right knee injury.
Fields rallied the Bears (3-5) within five after trailing 28-7, but they had already given the momentum back when the second-year pro leapt into the wrong kind of Chicago lore.
David Montgomery fumbled in the open field after a catch in the third quarter, and Parsons fell on the loose ball. Instead of touching Parsons down, Fields jumped over him.
Parsons got up, took off when he heard that “go” signal, stumbled toward the goal line and rolled over in the end zone on the 36-yard return.
Officials didn’t even stop the game for a review.
“You’re always gonna have ups and downs in the game,” Fields said while acknowledging he should have simply touched Parsons. “You’ve just got to keep fighting.”
The Cowboys (6-2) scored touchdowns on their first four possessions for the first time since 2014, two years before Prescott and Elliott arrived as dynamic rookies leading the team to the top seed in the NFC.
Prescott opened the scoring with a 7-yard run on a nifty play design by offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Prescott’s two TD passes, including one to CeeDee Lamb, came on either side of Pollard’s first score.
“Obviously we’ve got to do a better job getting off the field,” said first-year Bears coach Matt Eberflus, who was on the Dallas defensive staff for seven seasons before spending the past four as defensive coordinator in Indianapolis. “We didn’t do a very good job really all day on run defense.”
Fields threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score. His 10-yard toss to Cole Kmet got Chicago back within 13 after his gaffe on Parsons put Dallas up 42-23.
Pollard answered with a 54-yard touchdown on his final carry to get the lead back to 20 and keep the Bears from rallying despite their fourth 200-yard rushing game of the season (240).
“The last one was tough,” said Pollard who tied his career high in yards and carries (14) while averaging 9.4 yards per carry. “I was winded. But I got in there.”
Khalil Herbert, who had what appeared to be a third-quarter fumble overturned on review to help Chicago to stay close, finished with 99 yards and a TD. Fields added 60 and Montgomery 53.
Prescott was 21 of 27 for 250 yards with an interception in his second game back after missing five with a fractured right thumb.
The 25-yard sneak, which led to the third Dallas TD, boosted Prescott to 34 yards with just the second rushing score since the start of 2021 for the franchise leader in rushing touchdowns for a QB (26).
Dallas was 30th in the NFL in third down conversions before getting the first six on the four TD drives to start the game. The Cowboys finished 9 of 11 on third down and had by far their best yardage total (442).
After leaning on defense to stay afloat during Prescott’s absence, Dallas had its most points in a game this season with 6:48 left in the second quarter.
“It’s a huge step … especially going into the bye week,” Prescott said. “That confidence heading into the bye week that we can win any way that we need to.”
FIELDS SOLID AGAIN
The Chicago QB was 17 of 23 without an interception (one was negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty) for a career-best 120 passer rating. Both of the 100-plus ratings of his career have come in the past four games.
MAYBE NEXT TIME, ROOKIE
Malik Davis appeared to have an 11-yard touchdown catch in the undrafted rookie running back’s NFL debut for the Cowboys. It was overturned on review, and Prescott’s second TD pass was a 1-yarder to tight end Jake Ferguson instead. Ferguson and Dalton Schultz followed with quite the roping celebration.
INJURIES
Dallas LB Anthony Barr injured his left hamstring pursuing Fields on a first-half run, and rookie fifth-round pick Damone Clark replaced him. Clark was making his NFL debut seven months after spinal fusion surgery.
UP NEXT
Bears: Miami at home next Sunday.
Cowboys: Open week before trip to Green Bay on Nov. 13.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-prescott-parsons-rumble-stumble-to-49-29-win-over-bears/ | 2022-10-31 08:02:29 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-prescott-parsons-rumble-stumble-to-49-29-win-over-bears/ |
Hamstring pulls, ligament tears and ankle sprains can be as formidable an opponent for NFL teams as a high-scoring offense or stingy defense.
“There’s a 100% injury rate in the NFL,” seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady once said.
Navigating those injuries could make the difference between a squad seeing its season sink or beating the odds and making the playoffs.
Here's a look at some of the most common injuries suffered by NFL players throughout the season:
ACHILLES TENDON RUPTURES
The Achilles is the longest and strongest tendon in the body and stretches from the heel to the calf. It's a springy band located behind the ankle and just above the heel that helps players push off their feet, jump and accelerate.
Due to overuse or excessive force placed on the tendon, it can tear or rupture. Surgery is typically necessary to reconnect the ends, sidelining a player for several months due to the extensive rehabilitation needed.
ACL/PCL/MCL/LCL TEARS
The anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate, medial collateral and lateral collateral ligaments are all located in the knee and serve different purposes.
The ACL connects the thigh bone to the shin bone in the front of the knee. While a sprain could sideline a player for a few weeks, a tear can end a season.
The PCL is located behind the ACL, crisscrossing it to form an "X" in the center of the knee. The MCL connects the thigh bone to the shin bone on the inner side of the knee, while the LCL connects the thigh bone to the top of the lower leg, or fibula, and is located on the outer side of the knee.
CONCUSSIONS
A concussion is a brain injury caused by a hit to the head or a sudden movement that causes the head and brain to shake violently. Symptoms may include headaches, neck pain, nausea, dizziness and feeling sluggish.
The NFL has been regularly testing helmets for players to help reduce the risk of concussions. In April, the league and the NFL Players Association approved the use of a helmet specifically for quarterbacks to reduce the severity of helmet-to-ground impacts, which the NFL says accounts for half of quarterback concussions.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to concussions and can only be diagnosed posthumously. It can cause memory loss, depression and violent mood swings.
HAMSTRING INJURIES
The hamstring is a group of four muscles that run along the back of the thigh, stretching from the hip to the knee, and they help a person bend their leg at the knee. These injuries vary in severity, and in turn, their timetable in sidelining a player.
A mild pull of one of the muscles, commonly referred to as a Grade I injury, can sideline a player for a few days to a couple of weeks and can be a lingering condition if not sufficiently rested and healed. A Grade II hamstring injury involves a partial tear, while a Grade III injury is a complete tear of the hamstring that could require surgery and is likely season ending.
HIGH ANKLE SPRAINS
When a player suffers a high ankle sprain, the ligaments above the ankle -- which connect the tibia to the fibula -- are affected rather than the ligaments outside the ankle in a low ankle sprain.
High ankle sprains take much longer to recover from -- six to eight weeks, and sometimes longer -- than a classic ankle sprain, which might sideline a player for several days to a couple weeks.
HIP POINTERS
It could sideline a player for a week or a couple of months, depending on the severity. A hip pointer is bruising in the pelvis and abdomen area, usually caused by blunt force, such as a hard tackle. The bleeding can affect several other muscles in the area, making it difficult for a person to run or even walk.
LISFRANC INJURIES
A serious foot injury that can be career-threatening because of its complexity. A Lisfranc sprain or fracture is an injury in the middle of the foot in which at least one (or sometimes, all) of the small bones (or metatarsals) is broken or the ligaments that support the foot in that area are torn. Even a minor sprain not requiring surgical repair could take six to eight weeks to heal.
MENISCUS TEARS
The meniscus is a crescent-shaped rubbery disc of cartilage that serves as a shock absorber on the inside and outer edges of the knee. Both help a person balance weight across the knee. When a meniscus is torn, the knee can lock up and swell. A minor tear can be treated with rest, but a severe tear could require surgery that may sideline an athlete for several weeks or months.
OBLIQUE STRAINS
An oblique strain involves the muscles on the side of the body between the ribs and pelvis. This type of injury can occur when a player takes a hard hit to the waist area, or from overuse or sudden use of the muscles — for instance, a quarterback throwing a pass or a defensive back turning to defend a receiver. Oblique strains are usually treated with rest and could take a few weeks to heal, or could become a lingering issue otherwise.
PATELLAR TENDON INJURIES
The patellar tendon allows a person to straighten a leg by acting with the quadriceps. Technically, it’s a ligament because it connects the kneecap to the shin bone. Complete tears or ruptures often need to be surgically sewn back together and recovery is typically at least four to six months.
PLANTAR FASCIITIS
An injury that affects the bottom of the foot and can lead to intense heel pain. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the ligament supporting the arch of the foot — the plantar fascia — is strained and worsens when small tears develop in the ligament. The injury can sap players of speed while they deal with it. Rest, icing of the arch and finding new footwear are among the typical treatments. It can linger for months.
TURF TOE
An extremely painful injury that can sideline players for a few months. It occurs when the ligaments under the joint of the big toe are sprained or ruptured as a result of the toe being hyperextended. It makes it extremely difficult to push off and cut while running.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.wftv.com/news/health/sprains-strains-acl/ENLW5V4OQLK3NWAXRXS6IRBRRU/ | 2023-07-28 03:56:20 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/health/sprains-strains-acl/ENLW5V4OQLK3NWAXRXS6IRBRRU/ |
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP)Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed has agreed to become the football coach at Bethune-Cookman and is leaving his job with the Miami Hurricanes, the schools announced Tuesday night.
Reed played at Miami and spent the last three years in an administrative role with the Hurricanes, first as chief of staff under former coach Manny Diaz for two years and this past year as a senior advisor under coach Mario Cristobal.
”We are excited to hear that Ed has been named the head football coach at Bethune-Cookman,” Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich said. ”Ed is one of the best to ever wear a Miami Hurricanes uniform and he has served as a great mentor to our student-athletes the past three years. He will do a tremendous job leading the Wildcats program and the entire Miami family wishes him all the best.”
Reed will replace Terry Sims at Bethune-Cookman. Sims was fired after going 38-39 in seven seasons, and when the school made that move Wildcats athletic director Reggie Theus – the longtime NBA player – said he would be looking to hire someone who can ”ensure that we not only build a championship culture on the field, but also aspire to academic excellence and career achievement off the field.”
About a month later, he struck a deal with Reed.
The move will inevitably spark comparisons to the move Jackson State – like Bethune-Cookman, a historically Black college and university – made when it brought in Deion Sanders to lead its program. Sanders went 27-6 in three seasons at Jackson State before getting hired earlier this month to take over at Colorado.
There are no shortage of parallels: Sanders and Reed are both Super Bowl champions, both won NFL defensive player of the year awards, both were two-time consensus All-Americans in college, both are members of the College Football Hall of Fame and both have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And now, Reed will get his chance to lead an HBCU back to prominence. Bethune-Cookman claims three HBCU national championships, the last of those coming in 2013.
Reed was a five-time All-Pro safety, a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year and made nine Pro Bowls. He had 64 career interceptions, led the league in that stat three times and scored 13 non-offense touchdowns in his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
”It would be hard to argue that he’s not the greatest safety in the history of football, right?” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in 2019. ”He’s one of the top 10 players maybe in the history of the game.”
At Miami, Reed was part of the Hurricanes’ most recent national title team in 2001. He set school records for career interceptions (21) and interception return yards (369), won a Big East championship in javelin in 1999 and graduated with a degree in liberal arts.
—
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap-top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2 | https://www.kxnet.com/scoreboard/ed-reed-agrees-to-become-bethune-cookmans-football-coach/ | 2022-12-28 19:10:03 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/scoreboard/ed-reed-agrees-to-become-bethune-cookmans-football-coach/ |
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Vegas Golden Knights have been making history since they broke into the league, and they made some more Sunday night.
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In defeating Edmonton 5-2 to win their playoff series in six games, the Golden Knights became the third team in NHL playoffs history to make the conference final four times in their first six seasons.
The New York Rangers advanced at least that far their first seven seasons (1926-27 to 1932-33) and won the Stanley Cup twice. The St. Louis Blues made it four of their first five seasons (1967-68 to 1971-72).
“I think Vegas is the most impressive of those,” Ontario-based hockey historian Eric Zweig said. “The fact that they’ve had to do it in a salary-cap era with a 32-team NHL and they’ve still done it. They’ve even had a couple setbacks. They haven’t just been onward and up. I still don’t know how they did it the first year. That's miraculous to me that they actually kept up that 100-point pace all year long and made the Stanley Cup Final.”
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The major hole in the Knights' resume is not winning the Stanley Cup, and they haven't been back to the championship round since losing in five games that first season to Washington.
That team dubbed itself the “Golden Misfits,” and three of the remaining players from that club scored all five goals in the clincher against the Oilers.
“It's been a roller coaster of a six years for sure,” said Jonathan Marchessault, who had a natural hat trick Sunday. "I'm definitely really proud of that (Misfits) term. It was something that we started, and we were a bunch of nobodies. We have six left right now, and we definitely still have a chip on our shoulder.”
Dallas or Seattle will stand in the Knights' way of reaching the cup final when the Western Conference-deciding series begins this week.
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Even if the Knights fall short, what they have accomplished is nothing short of remarkable, even at a time when expansion rules were loosened to give them, and the now second-year Kraken, more of a chance to win.
But the Rangers and Blues had their advantages as well.
New York and two other teams were expansion entrants in 1926 as the NHL became a 10-team league.
When St. Louis entered in 1967, the league doubled its size to 12 teams by adding a new division made up only of first-year clubs. An expansion team would make the postseason by default, the Blues appeared in the Stanley Cup Final each of their first three seasons before losing each time.
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“It was an impressive feat for the Rangers,” Zweig said. “It’s a slightly less impressive feat for the Blues, though they were the team that did it. Nobody else did. They came in cheap and had to build the old-fashioned crappy way, except the fact that there were only six NHL teams and dozens and dozens and dozens of top players buried in the minors for years. So they had a decent field to build their team from, but they still built the best one.”
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/golden-knights-joins-rangers-blues-for-historic-18100931.php | 2023-05-15 22:43:18 | 0 | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/golden-knights-joins-rangers-blues-for-historic-18100931.php |
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Maine's plan to provide two years of free community college is going into effect.
The Maine Legislature approved a plan backed by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills to provide free community college to students who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program applies to high school graduates from the classes of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The community college system said in a statement that the program also applies to students who recently earned the equivalent of a high school diploma, such as a High School Equivalency Test. It pays for up to two years of tuition and fees at Maine's seven community colleges after federal and state grant aid has been applied.
The system said students who qualify for maximum grant aid are allowed to use additional grant money to pay for expenses such as books and supplies. | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Maine-now-offering-free-community-college-for-17219572.php | 2022-06-04 15:04:49 | 0 | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Maine-now-offering-free-community-college-for-17219572.php |
BENGALURU, India (AP) — The U.S. wants to see tougher and more effectively enforced sanctions against Russia and additional support for Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday during meetings of the Group of 20 leading economies in the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru.
Speaking on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Yellen said sanctions against Moscow were working but more needed to be done to hobble the Russian war effort while supporting Ukraine.
“We are seeking to strengthen sanctions and make sure that we address violations of sanctions,” she said, noting that the Russians were seeking alternative ways to “backfill” parts and equipment to replace and repair weapons damaged in the war.
“We have deprived them of many channels they can obtain material that is critical for their defense efforts,” Yellen told reporters. “That is a particular focus we have in mind in respect to enforcement of existing sanctions and perhaps with respect to further sanctions.”
Yellen said the U.S. expects to provide another $10 billion in assistance to Ukraine on top of more than $46 billion already given. She commended allies for their direct aid and said the role of the International Monetary Fund in those efforts is “critical.”
“We very much want to see the IMF negotiate an agreement to lend to Ukraine,” she said, noting that the fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, hopes to work out a full program by the end of March.
Yellen said that work “could not come soon enough,” also, on extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative and other efforts to improve food security.
Given the “strong language” on the war included in the G-20’s final statement at summit meetings in Indonesia in November, Yellen said she believed a strong condemnation of the war and its impact on the world economy is achievable in Bengaluru, though the issue is still under discussion.
In Bali, G-20 leaders declared that most strongly condemned the war, warning that the conflict is intensifying fragilities in the world’s economy. They finessed divisions among them given that the group includes Russia and also countries like China and India that have significant trade ties with Moscow and have stopped short of outright criticism of the war.
Overall, the G-20 is a forum focused on economic rather than security concerns. In Bengaluru, finance ministers, central bank governors and other leaders are due to discuss a range of issues, including climate finance, regulating digital currencies, global taxation efforts and other financial priorities.
Turning to such topics, Yellen said the global economy was “in a better place” than several months ago as inflation eases and supply disruptions ease, but “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
She spoke with reporters after meeting with India’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, whom she thanked for India’s help in trying to resolve debt crises, particularly for its neighbor, Sri Lanka. The Indian Ocean nation is embroiled in a humanitarian catastrophe, strapped by shortages of food, fuel and medicines, among many things.
Yellen urged China to work with other donor countries in addressing the problem.
Many countries face daunting debt “overhangs,” Yellen said, after costly efforts to cushion the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such woes have deepened as countries’ import bills surged due to sustained higher prices for food, oil and fertilizers and weakening currencies.
Yellen visited Zambia in January, in part to discuss the African country’s $6 billion debt to China, its biggest creditor. Zambia became Africa’s first coronavirus pandemic-era nation to default when it failed to make a $42.5 million bond payment in November 2020.
But a slew of other countries, from Laos and Afghanistan to Venezuela and Argentina, have seen their finances deteriorate in the past year. The IMF estimates that about 55% of all low-income countries are near or in debt distress.
China is one of Sri Lanka’s biggest creditors after extending it loans to build a port and other facilities. It has offered a two-year suspension of repayments but balked at reducing the amount owed. The IMF has set a reduction in debt as a condition for an emergency loan.
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AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok contributed to this report. | https://www.localsyr.com/news/international/ap-yellen-affirms-push-for-stronger-russia-sanctions-at-g-20/ | 2023-02-23 13:24:37 | 1 | https://www.localsyr.com/news/international/ap-yellen-affirms-push-for-stronger-russia-sanctions-at-g-20/ |
Terrell Bradley repaints mural calling for justice after swastika was painted on top
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - The man mauled by a Gainesville Police Department K-9 repainted a mural calling for justice after it was painted over with a swastika.
The mural initially read, “Gainesville Police Department release the camera footage, fire the officers #JusticeForTerrellBradley.” It was painted over in black on Thursday.
RELATED: Mural demands release of GPD body camera video of K-9 mauling
The wall was repainted with the message, “You can cover up our message but you can’t stop our movement it’s #JusticeForTerrellBradley Every. Damn. Day.”
Family members confirm the new message was crossed out with blue lines and a swastika. People, including Terrell Bradley, quickly repainted the mural on Friday morning.
On July 10, Gainesville Police officers say they pulled over Bradley for failing to stop at a stop sign in the Village Forrest Green Apartments. He ran from officers and was tracked by a K-9.
The dog mauled Bradley causing the loss of his eye.
RELATED: Man mauled by GPD K-9 appears in court
Chief Lonnie Scott confirmed to TV20 that the body camera footage of the incident will be released only after the investigation is complete.
Copyright 2022 WCJB. All rights reserved. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. | https://www.wcjb.com/2022/08/12/terrell-bradley-repaints-mural-calling-justice-after-swastika-was-painted-top/ | 2022-08-12 15:51:20 | 1 | https://www.wcjb.com/2022/08/12/terrell-bradley-repaints-mural-calling-justice-after-swastika-was-painted-top/ |
CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Monday afternoon's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 3 Midday" game were:
5-6-0
(five, six, zero)
CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Monday afternoon's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 3 Midday" game were:
5-6-0
(five, six, zero) | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/winning-numbers-drawn-in-pick-3-midday-game/HY3BVJGIN5FXBDVZJHGVVTQTUQ/ | 2022-06-27 18:13:43 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/winning-numbers-drawn-in-pick-3-midday-game/HY3BVJGIN5FXBDVZJHGVVTQTUQ/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at increasing the flow of information to families of Americans detained abroad and at imposing sanctions on the criminals, terrorists or government officials who hold them captive.
It is unclear if the new order will result in bringing home more Americans jailed in foreign countries, but senior Biden administration officials who previewed the action to reporters said they regard it as an important way to raise the cost of hostage-taking and to punish captors.
The executive order is being announced as the administration faces criticism from some families over a perceived lack of creativity and aggressiveness in getting their loved ones home. It also comes as the ongoing detention in Russia of WNBA star Brittney Griner has brought increased attention to the population of Americans who are jailed abroad and designated by the U.S. as wrongfully detained.
The action relies on a section of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act — named after a retired FBI agent who vanished in Iran 15 years ago and is now presumed dead — that authorizes the president to impose sanctions, including visa revocations, on people believed to be involved in the wrongful detention of Americans.
In this case, officials said, that could apply to government officials or to criminals or terrorists unaffiliated with a government. Since sanctions may not always help facilitate a jailed American’s release — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for instance, has proceeded despite a wave of economic sanctions from Western allies — such punishment is expected to be used judiciously, according to one official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the administration.
Another element of the order will direct federal agencies to do better at sharing information and intelligence with families of detainees about the latest status of their case and efforts to get their loved one home.
In addition, the State Department is adding a new risk indicator to its country-specific travel advisories to warn travelers about nations where there’s believed to be an elevated risk of detention.
The department already uses foreign travel risk indicators for categories including crime, health and kidnapping. Officials said the new risk indicator, marked as “D” for detention, will be applied at least initially to the following countries: Burma, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.
Relatives of jailed Americans are gathering in Washington, D.C., this week for the unveiling of a mural to honor the detainees. Administration officials would not say whether Biden would meet with the families.
Jonathan Franks, a spokesman for the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, a group that advocates for the interests of hostages and detainees, said in a statement that the “families continue to await a reply to their requests for meetings with President Biden.”
Franks said that rather than engaging with the families in a meaningful way, “the White House is taking executive action to direct itself to follow existing law.”
___
Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/sports/biden-order-aims-to-punish-captors-of-americans-held-abroad/ | 2022-07-19 18:44:21 | 0 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/sports/biden-order-aims-to-punish-captors-of-americans-held-abroad/ |
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning people about MyTechBestFriend (MTBF), a company that advertises a virtual boot-camp-style training for the tech industry.
The BBB lists the company with an Austin address but said upon further investigating MTBF seems to be based in Houston.
There are 25 complaints and 10 reviews about the company over 2022 from people across the country, the BBB said.
Modelyne Saintelus is one of those complainants.
“I said, ‘If no one’s willing to help me, I have to go to Better Business Bureau to try to… get some justice for this or at least help someone else,'” she said.
She started looking into the program after graduating college during COVID and realizing she couldn’t use her degree involving international work because borders were closed.
She found out about MTBF on social media.
“It’s a program that… takes about six months or less, and you can land a six-figure role… before six months,” Saintelus said.
So, she said she paid about $3,000 to enroll.
MTBF also sounded appealing to Charlie Howell, who already had a job in tech.
“I was actually looking to upskill so that I could get more money or in case I wanted to leave my company and go to another company for different roles,” Howell said.
She said a friend vouched for the CEO, so she went for it and paid $3,700.
Jason Meza, senior regional director for the BBB, said the average complainant paid MTBF between $2,000 and $5,000.
“Consumers are telling us it’s difficult to work alongside this company, to get refunds, to get work, or to get the services that were promised from this company,” he said.
Meza said the agency started looking into MTBF in November.
“Just about every healthy business will receive complaints or negative reviews at some point, but we’re looking for that pattern of negativity that might indicate a substandard business practice or a model,” he said.
Meza said the CEO did not respond to the BBB until KXAN made contact with her this week.
“They’ve indicated they will respond to their patterns and the pattern of concerns that we have and their customer complaints,” he said.
The BBB also found MTBF is not a licensed educational institute in Texas.
MTBF is working with the BBB to resolve all consumer complaints as well as the TWC to get in compliance with the Texas Education Code and any other relevant laws. As far as refunds, refunds have been processed for most complaints and we are working to have that reflected on our BBB profile.
MyTechBestFriend CEO
KXAN reached out to the Texas Workforce Commission, which said it is addressing the company’s failure to register to operate in the state.
TWC said it issued an unlicensed school notice to MTBF on Nov. 17, 2022, and spoke to company representatives over the phone.
“Following the call, TWC received notice that the school will seek licensure,” a spokesperson wrote to KXAN. “To date, MyTechBestFriend has not begun the registration process.”
Meza said at this point, it is yet to be determined if further investigation will be needed by another entity, like the Office of the Attorney General or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
So far, no charges were filed against the company by enforcement authorities.
For now, the BBB’s rating for the company is an ‘F,’ meaning consumers should be cautious before buying services.
“Based on this information submitted to us, consumers are telling us the coursework, the materials — everything that this boot camp promises — is not happening,” Meza said. “For future students… they should consider doing their homework first. And this is just one piece of the puzzle.”
MyTechBestFriend’s response
KXAN contacted MTBF’s CEO, who said most, if not all, allegations are wrong.
“MTBF is working with the BBB to resolve all consumer complaints as well as the TWC to get in compliance with the Texas Education Code and any other relevant laws. As far as refunds, refunds have been processed for most complaints and we are working to have that reflected on our BBB profile,” the statement said.
The CEO refused an interview but said her company never promises students a job placement, but simply lists companies on her website as examples of where her graduates have gone on to work. She also said she does not promote any partnership with those companies.
MTBF’s Twitter account indicates the company is “rebranding” in 2023.
The CEO said while they have been in touch with the TWC, they have decided to stop operating in Texas “until we decide which direction that we want to go.”
Questionable tech training programs: How you can avoid falling victim to a growing problem
The BBB said it has seen an increase in virtual tech training boot camps since the pandemic and a corresponding increase in complaints.
The agency said people should carefully read the fine print of their course contracts, which can include clauses that hamper students’ ability to get refunds.
They also suggest fully vetting the company before submitting any payment.
“We’re talking references, licenses, anything that they’re advertising their services, look for who’s who’s providing that information, the resources, the bookwork the coursework,” Meza said.
One resource is public colleges.
Gretchen Riehl, associate vice chancellor of Workforce Education at Austin Community College, said the first thing students should look for is the company’s certification or accreditation.
“Who is giving you authority to offer the training and how do you ensure quality?” she said.
Riehl explained ACC has two oversight organizations: the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which have strict and detailed standards.
She also pointed out their tuition for short courses, like boot camps, are usually more affordable, too.
“Look around. Who else is offering it? What is their track record? Can they tell you about placement rates?” Riehl said.
She said ACC has a lot of partnerships with specific companies and can help obtain valuable internships that often lead to jobs.
Saintelus and Howell said they’re still waiting on their refunds from their unlicensed education and have learned one thing.
“Do your due diligence, do your research; if you look up a company and you cannot find any negative reviews, or you can’t find out any reviews on the company, then your best bet is to not go forward with the company,” Saintelus said.
Howell agreed.
“I have taken an apprenticeship before where the apprenticeship actually paid me to learn. So for me to not do my due diligence, looking for all resources across the board. definitely made me feel a bit dumb,” Howell said. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/texas/the-better-business-bureau-is-warning-people-about-this-texas-company/ | 2023-02-17 19:59:53 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/texas/the-better-business-bureau-is-warning-people-about-this-texas-company/ |
The Los Angeles Sparks have been on roll lately, battling their way to just below .500 after a slow start to the season.
Los Angeles (10-11) has won four of its past five games and a big reason why is the play of All-Star Nneka Ogwumike and free agent signee Liz Cambage.
“I’m happy we’re on a little streak and hope to keep it rolling in July,” Cambage said.
The 6-foot-8 Australian struggled for most of June but os playing much better during the Sparks’ recent run. She has scored in double figures the past four games — something she hadn’t done once since May 31.
During their current winning stretch, the Sparks earned the 500th win in franchise history. The most by any WNBA organization.
The Sparks have also had time over the last few weeks to adjust to interim coach Fred Williams, who took over for Derek Fisher when he was let go on June 7.
“Each game is a step in the right direction,” Ogwumike said, adding that the coaching changes have helped the team and players find their identity individually and collectively. “The coaching staff lets us understand what we’re great at.”
It also has helped that the Sparks have been able to play many of their games at home lately after starting the season with nine of 12 on the road.
“Looking at May, you just got to get to July,” Cambage said. “I was like if we could survive May it would be cool. …I’m proud for us staying together. That first month could have seen teams go the other way.”
Cambage is proving to be a solid complement to Ogwumike, who is having another stellar season. She’s averaging 18.8 points — tied for second most in her career.
The Sparks moved up three spots to No. 6 in the AP WNBA power poll this week.
POWER POLL
This week’s WNBA poll:
1. Chicago (15-5): The Sky have won five straight and eight of nine and are the top team in the league right now with so many offensive options.
2. Las Vegas (15-6): The Aces have dropped four of six after starting the season 13-2. They need to get more consistent play off the bench to help give their starters some rest. Las Vegas’ reserves are averaging about 11 points a game.
3. Connecticut (14-7): The Sun are looking to get off to better starts after being outscored 58-35 in the first quarter in their last two games. .
4. Seattle (13-8): Newly signed post Tina Charles got off to a slow start averaging 5 points and 5 rebounds in her first three games with the Storm.
5. Washington (13-10): The Mystics have gone 3-4 in their past seven games and are winless in the three games that Elena Delle Donne sat out to rest her back during that stretch.
6. Los Angeles (10-11): Lexie Brown has provided stability in the backcourt for the Sparks this season and is averaging a career-best 7.6 points a game.
7. Atlanta (10-11): The Dream are getting healthy and had wins over New York and Seattle last week. Tiffany Hayes played for the first time this season after recovering from a knee injury for the first two months of the season.
8. Minnesota (7-15): The Lynx have been playing better lately and their depth has been a reason why. Five different players have led Minnesota in scoring in the Lynx’s past six games. The Lynx are 4-2 in that stretch.
9. Phoenix (9-14): Skylar Diggins-Smith has had an All-Star season averaging 19.1 points, but the Mercury have had little consistency on offense besides her.
10. New York (8-12): After a solid June, the Liberty have struggled dropping two in a row. New York has two more road games (at Las Vegas and at Phoenix) before the All-Star break.
11. Dallas (9-12): The Wings have struggled with four losses in their last five games; their lone victory was against last-place Indiana.
12. Indiana (5-17): The Fever are getting valuable experience for their rookies and Queen Egbo and NaLyssa Smith have shown flashes of excellence.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ogwumike of Los Angeles was voted the AP Player of the Week. She averaged 21.7 points, 6 rebounds and 2.3 assists to help the Sparks go 3-0. Candace Parker of Chicago, Diggins-Smith of Phoenix and Aerial Powers of Minnesota also received votes.
GRINER UPDATE
Brittney Griner’s trial in Russia began last week and on Monday she sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him not to “forget about me and the other American Detainees.” The trial will resume Thursday.
MAKING A COMEBACK
Three-time All-Star 3-point champion Allie Quigley left the door open to potentially returning to defend her title in Chicago this weekend.
“I don’t think so, but never say never,” she recently told The AP. “We’ll see. Chicago definitely makes you think a little bit more about it. I haven’t been asked yet.”
Quigley said last year after she won in Las Vegas that she wasn’t going to compete in the contest anymore.
GAME OF THE WEEK:
Team Stewart vs Team Wilson, Sunday. It will be the last All-Star Game for Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles when the league plays its midseason showcase in Chicago.
___
More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.fox16.com/sports/surging-sparks-on-roll-behind-play-of-ogwumike-cambage/ | 2022-07-05 23:48:04 | 1 | https://www.fox16.com/sports/surging-sparks-on-roll-behind-play-of-ogwumike-cambage/ |
"The Five" co-host Geraldo Rivera joined "Fox & Friends" to discuss how NYC is experiencing a crisis as the city struggles to find room for the migrants entering the city. Rivera was asked about a warning from city business leaders about summer tourist season as migrants occupy New York City hotel rooms normally booked by visitors.
NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SUSPENDS LAND REVIEW PROCESS, NIXES PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR MOVING MIGRANTS INTO NEIGHBORHOODS
GERALDO RIVERA: It is no doubt a legitimate crisis in New York. 3,500 hotel rooms are being occupied currently by migrants. Governor Hochul wants to help Mayor Adams. The city is taking most of the burden. It's been almost 70,000 have arrived since this crisis began. There are 40,000 now, right now that need housing. Hotel rooms are being taken up. So the city, in its desperation, has turned to the state. The state says, well, maybe use our old psychiatric hospitals that have been closed or maybe the dorms of the State University of New York, SUNY New York, because now the semester is ending. But, you know, Lawrence, there's a problem. We've got to deal with the problem. What do you do about the problem? The solution, I believe, is to give expedited work permits to these migrants, bypass some of the red tape, and let them work so they can pay for their own hotels.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said this week that migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border should be sent to every city "throughout the entire country."
"We have 108,000 cities, villages, towns. If everyone takes a small portion of that, and if it's coordinated at the border, to ensure that those who are coming here to this country in a lawful manner is actually moved throughout the entire country, it is not a burden on one city," Adams said in an appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday.
"And the numbers need to be clear. We received over 70,000 migrant asylum seekers in our city, 42,000 are still in our care. If this is properly handled at the border level, this issue can be resolved while we finally get Congress, particularly the Republican Party, to deal with a comprehensive immigration policy."
Amid reports that the White House and fellow Democrat Adams have butted heads over the migrant crisis, notably as the mayor of New York City stepped away from President Joe Biden's reelection advisory board, CBS host Margaret Brennan on Sunday asked about whether, in Adams' view, the supposed $30 million in federal funding to address the influx into the Big Apple was enough.
Adams said that New York City has already spent more than $1 billion in addressing the migrant crisis and is projected to need more than $4 billion more in funding. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/national/geraldo-rivera-says-nyc-migrant-influx-becoming-legitimate-crisis-as-businesses-warn-of-tourism-mess/article_d43c5c7b-fdab-579e-8448-bf614544c4c3.html | 2023-05-26 19:45:28 | 0 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/national/geraldo-rivera-says-nyc-migrant-influx-becoming-legitimate-crisis-as-businesses-warn-of-tourism-mess/article_d43c5c7b-fdab-579e-8448-bf614544c4c3.html |
WFO HOUSTON/GALVESTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, January 20, 2023
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RIP CURRENT STATEMENT
Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
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204 PM CST Fri Jan 20 2023
...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS
EVENING...
* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents.
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* WHERE...Matagorda Islands, Brazoria Islands, Galveston Island
and Bolivar Peninsula Counties.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.
* IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away
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from shore into deeper water.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and
float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a
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direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the
shore and call or wave for help.
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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | https://www.seattlepi.com/weather/article/TX-WFO-HOUSTON-GALVESTON-Warnings-Watches-and-17731352.php | 2023-01-20 20:40:25 | 0 | https://www.seattlepi.com/weather/article/TX-WFO-HOUSTON-GALVESTON-Warnings-Watches-and-17731352.php |
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