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Dr. Javad Sajan & Allure Esthetic Donate Toys To Seattle Area Kids Through Annual 2022 Toy Drive
SEATTLE, Jan. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After a successful toy drive and fundraiser that ran in it's office in November and December, Allure Esthetic in partnership with the Zera Foundation created a toy shop in Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery's downtown Seattle office. At the toy shop event, children and their families could come pick out toys for the holiday season. The event took place on December 23rd, just in time for Christmas and gift giving holidays.
The Zera Foundation worked with several local schools and shelters to find qualifying families for the event. Over one hundred children were signed up to benefit from this event. The toys came from a combination of in-office donations from patients and staff of Allure Esthetic, monetary contributions to the Zera Foundation, and a donation from Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery.
Several of the underprivileged children benefiting from the toy shop event come from single income households, were disproportionately affected by COVID-19, or have parents otherwise unable to work. The Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery toy drive is an annual event during the holiday season that benefits families and children in the Greater Seattle area. With a dedication to community service, Dr. Sajan and Allure Esthetic put on several similar events and fundraisers throughout the year.
The linked video shows the impact the toy drive had on the local community.One of the participants said, "This benefits us so much this year because for the first time I'm a stay-at-home mom. I'm not working, so I wasn't able to get much for my kids this year. This really helps with the extra gifts the kids want during Christmas time."
About Dr. Javad Sajan: Dr. Javad A. Sajan is a plastic surgeon at Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery. With years of surgical and non-surgical experience in the aesthetic field, patients travel from across the world for his expertise. Dr. Sajan frequently partners with the Zera Foundation to give back to the local Seattle community through events such as the annual toy drive and various other community service events throughout the year. Find Dr. Sajan and more information about the fundraiser on Instagram.
Contact: realdrseattle
Phone: 206-787-0784
Email: hello@realdrseattle.com
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SOURCE Allure Esthetic | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2023/01/03/dr-javad-sajan-md-allure-esthetic-plastic-surgery-hosts-free-toy-shop-event/ | 2023-01-03 18:05:07 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2023/01/03/dr-javad-sajan-md-allure-esthetic-plastic-surgery-hosts-free-toy-shop-event/ |
--CHOP will work with the tri-venture to construct new Schuylkill Avenue Research Building—
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to create the pediatric research building of the future, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has joined forces with Gilbane Building Company, Pride Enterprises, and McKissack & McKissack to construct the Schuylkill Avenue Research Building. The tri-venture Gilbane/Pride/McKissack will provide construction management services to build a state-of-the-art research facility, where researchers from different disciplines can collaborate and make discoveries that will define the next century of pediatric healthcare.
"We are delighted to work with Gilbane/Pride/McKissack on this project, as we develop a world-class pediatric research campus," said Donald E. Moore, Senior Vice President of Real Estate, Facilities and Operations at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "This tri-venture is a shining example of CHOP's commitment to work with diverse suppliers, as we strive not only to expand our research capabilities but also to promote economic inclusion. Philadelphia and the surrounding area have amazing diverse talent that we look forward to working with as we continue to grow our footprint."
Situated next to the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, the new 14-story, 350,000-square-foot building will have many spaces designed to encourage scientific collaboration. For example, "wet" labs, where biochemical and molecular studies are done on benches or in hoods, will be located adjacent to "dry" labs, where researchers analyze large data sets, create computational tools, and develop new hypotheses for wet lab studies. The idea is to provide a more seamless experience for researchers, which will accelerate the pace of discoveries that will improve children's health.
The overall layout, created by Cannon Design to be dynamic and flexible, also allows for a variety of outdoor spaces that will engage both employees of the building and the surrounding community. The new facility will enable more foot traffic in the area through parklike spaces and retail space, with the potential for a cafe offering with an entrance near the South Street Bridge. The idea is to create space for the community to gather, providing additional amenities to the surrounding residential area, while also giving employees a broad range of places to meet and collaborate.
"We're honored to be a part of the CHOP Schuylkill Avenue Research Building, which will be a transformational project for our Philadelphia community and also for the future of pediatric research across the globe," said Shawn Carlin, vice president at Gilbane Building Company. "We have already begun leveraging the diverse strengths and skills of our tri-venture. Our approach will create a catalyst for business and workforce development that will create lasting positive impact well beyond the completion of this project."
The tri-venture has committed to achieving more than 50% participation with diverse businesses in the region, in alignment with both the construction management team and CHOP's commitment to the advancement and inclusion of diverse businesses and people in the construction process. CHOP has worked to increase the diversity of its suppliers across the board, achieving 90% diverse participation in its recently launched Center for Advanced Behavioral Healthcare at 4601 Market Street in West Philadelphia and between 20-35% diverse participation in the construction of its new patient tower, a target the institution hopes to exceed by identifying a reliable pipeline of work opportunities that diverse contractors can begin preparing themselves for.
"Pride Enterprises is excited to be a part of the team delivering this landmark project for CHOP," said Craig Williams, president at Pride Enterprises. "As a local, Black-owned business, our involvement will greatly impact our growth and development in the life sciences space, as well as expand and deepen our relationships with Gilbane, McKissack and CHOP."
"As a parent, I know firsthand the benefits of a world class pediatric research facility," said Dean R. Robateau, executive vice president at McKissack & McKissack, the oldest Black- and women-owned professional design and construction firm in the United States. "We're excited to help bring this cutting-edge project to life alongside two quality companies. Gilbane and Pride share both our passion for mentor/protege partnerships and our commitment to building and fostering relationships with emerging firms in the city of Philadelphia."
Together, the tri-venture and CHOP have also prioritized community engagement as construction gets underway.
"In setting an ambitious goal with a clear plan for success, CHOP has signaled to the market that diversity is imperative moving forward," said Harold T. Epps, co-chair of Philadelphia Anchors for Growth and Equity (PAGE) and former Director of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia. "With projects like the Schuylkill Avenue Research Building, CHOP is paving the way for a paradigm shift in the way minority-owned businesses engage in the construction industry, presenting a model for the way responsible institutions should use their purchasing power to build a more equitable Philadelphia."
Construction on the new building comes as CHOP celebrates the 100th anniversary of its first research lab and demonstrates how far pediatric research at CHOP has come over the past 100 years – from the first lab in a single room in the hospital's basement to the construction of a best-in-class research building that will establish a full-fledged pediatric research campus in Philadelphia. The growth over the past century is a testament to CHOP's enduring commitment to discovery and innovation, which has advanced and transformed pediatric healthcare.
Groundbreaking on the Schuylkill Avenue Research Building took place in October 2022, with a grand opening scheduled for 2025.
About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the 595-bed hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as a new inpatient hospital with a dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services – from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services – for clients across various markets. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 45 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit www.gilbaneco.com.
With a local office in the Navy Yard, Gilbane has been "Building Philadelphia" for more than 38 years. Our Philadelphia operation is engaged in a diverse array of construction initiatives: groundbreaking academic and research facilities; healthcare infrastructure improvements; innovative biotechnology and life sciences lab spaces; warehouses and distribution centers; and cultural, sports and public performance venues.
Pride Enterprises, Inc. operates as a General Contractor, Construction Manager, and Preconstruction Consulting firm located in Philadelphia and Norristown, PA. Having established itself as a strong local construction company in the northeastern corridor, our firm is dedicated to providing construction services to the public, private and institutional sectors of the marketplace. Pride has maintained a strong reputation by executing complex projects on time and within budget while adhering to strict quality control and safety measures. In addition, we consider ourselves to be responsible, responsive corporate citizens to the community as well as the environment.
Incorporated in 1996 and under sole Ownership of Craig Williams, Pride has demonstrated its industry expertise through well-established Preconstruction and Construction skills and continues to incorporate state-of-the-art tools such as computer software, project management, administrative technology, and customer service technologies as the core keys to continued growth.
McKissack is the oldest minority-owned professional design and construction services firm in the US. A family-owned business founded in 1905, McKissack has been a leader in the planning, design, and construction of 6,000+ projects, proudly upholding the standards of excellence established by its forefathers. McKissack provides a wide range of services to a variety of government agencies, municipalities, private institutions, industries, designers and developers.
In 2000, President and CEO Cheryl McKissack Daniel purchased and re-established McKissack & McKissack as the sole owner, continuing a long lineage of architects and builders that began over 230 years ago. McKissack has offices in New York and Philadelphia, as well as regional offices across the country including Boston and North Carolina.
CHOP Contact:
Emily DiTomo
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
(267) 426-6063
ditomoe@chop.edu
Gilbane/Pride/McKissack Contact:
Rebecca Starer
Gilbane Building Company
(703) 312-7276
rstarer@gilbaneco.com
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SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/10/13/childrens-hospital-philadelphia-joins-forces-with-gilbane-building-company-pride-enterprises-mckissack-amp-mckissack-create-state-of-the-art-pediatric-research-building/ | 2022-10-13 16:51:28 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/10/13/childrens-hospital-philadelphia-joins-forces-with-gilbane-building-company-pride-enterprises-mckissack-amp-mckissack-create-state-of-the-art-pediatric-research-building/ |
Trump’s 2024 bid hit with immediate challenge from group behind ‘disqualification clause’ lawsuits
Posted/updated on: November 16, 2022 at 5:48 am(WASHINGTON) -- As Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is running again for the White House, two groups are already working behind the scenes to mount a national push to get elections officials to stop him from being on the ballot because of Jan. 6 -- even as similar such efforts have failed against other Republicans.
Free Speech For People and Mi Familia Vota are launching a campaign via TrumpIsDisqualified.org to urge secretaries of state and other chief elections officials to bar the former president from running for office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, known as the disqualification clause.
Enacted after the Civil War, the clause blocks any person from holding federal office who has taken an oath to protect the Constitution -- including a member of Congress -- but who has "engaged in insurrection" against the U.S. or "given aid or comfort" to its "enemies."
Free Speech For People previously filed challenges against other elected Republicans like Reps. Madison Cawthorn and Marjorie Taylor Greene, arguing their actions around Jan. 6 and support for overturning the 2020 election results amounted to the disqualifying behavior. Neither Cawthorn nor Greene participated in the rioting, though Cawthorn spoke at a Trump rally beforehand; Greene has said she was a "victim" along with other lawmakers.
Free Speech For People said it intends to file similar legal challenges against Trump but declined to provide more details to ABC News.
Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong related to Jan. 6. A spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
"I can say that Donald Trump is going to face legal challenges for his eligibility, but he will also face scrutiny from secretaries of state and chief election officials, regardless of whether there will be a legal challenge," said John Bonifaz, co-founder and president for Free Speech For People. "So, it's not required that there be a legal challenge for the secretary of state to hold up his or her responsibility and bar Donald Trump from the ballot."
None of the organization's past suits have resulted in an elected official being barred from office.
The legal challenge that went the furthest was against Greene, resulting in a hearing at which she testified before an administrative law judge in Georgia ruled that she could stay on the ballot.
Nonetheless, both Free Speech For People and Mi Familia Vota insist that Trump's actions surrounding the attack on the Capitol last year require a response like the campaign they are launching.
Bonifaz told ABC News that secretaries of state and other chief elections have a "duty" to stop Trump from running for public office under the disqualification clause.
Héctor Sánchez Barba, the executive director and CEO of Mi Familia Vota, told ABC News that the TrumpIsDisqualified.org campaign aligns with their organization's mission "on the frontlines of protecting democracy and making it a better and more inclusive democracy via civic participation."
There has been only one case where an elected official directly associated with the attack on the Capitol has been stopped from serving in public office on the grounds of the disqualification clause.
A New Mexico federal judge barred Otero County commissioner and "Cowboys for Trump" founder Couy Griffin from office, citing the disqualification clause -- the only time in 150 years that the provision has been used to disqualify an official and the first time that a court ruled the events of Jan. 6 were an "insurrection."
In Greene's case, Judge Charles Beaudrot wrote that the burden of proof was on the challengers and that they "failed to prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence."
Beaudrot also wrote in his 19-page opinion that the evidence in the case was insufficient to establish that Greene "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or [gave] aid or comfort to the enemies thereof under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution."
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1179884 | 2022-11-16 14:28:42 | 0 | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1179884 |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday tried to allay concerns raised by French President Emmanuel Macron about a clean energy law that benefits electric vehicles and other products made in North America. But the U.S. and Europe remain divided over the landmark law.
Hours before hosting Macron at a state dinner. Biden acknowledged that the law contains “glitches,” but said “there are tweaks we can make” to satisfy France and other European allies.
“The United States makes no apology. And I make no apologies,” Biden said, but changes may be needed to the four-month-old law “to make it easier for European countries to participate.”
Macron has made clear that he and other European leaders are concerned about incentives in the law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, that favor clean energy technology made in North America, including electric vehicles.
The U.S. subsidies would be an enormous setback for European companies, the French leader said, but he added that he is hopeful the dispute can be resolved amicably.
Despite Biden’s conciliatory words, several Democratic members of Congress said they have no plans to revisit the question in new legislation.
Here’s a look at the disagreement with France and other allies over clean energy and jobs.
WHAT IS THE MAIN POINT OF CONTENTION?
New and extended tax credits worth about $375 billion are intended to help the the U.S. clean energy industry, as well as buyers of qualifying electric vehicles made in North America. Democrats included the credits in the expansive climate law as a way to encourage domestic battery and electric vehicle production. But manufacturers in Europe and South Korea, who sell millions of vehicles in the U.S., have threatened to lodge legal complaints with the World Trade Organization.
“The choices that have been made … are choices that will fragment the West” and discourage U.S. investments in Europe, Macron said earlier during his visit to Washington. The climate law and major legislation boosting semiconductors were not properly coordinated with Europe and created “the absence of a level playing field,” he said.
Appearing with Biden at the White House Thursday, Macron was more upbeat. He said the U.S. and France would “resynchronize” their clean energy efforts to ensure there’s no “domino effect” that undermines projects in Europe.
WOULD THE EU HAVE A GOOD ARGUMENT AT THE WTO?
The Europeans likely would have a strong case if the dispute went to the World Trade Organization, said Alan Wolff, former WTO deputy director-general.
WTO rules say that countries can’t simply hand out money for the purchase of domestically made products that face competition from abroad. “That’s where they went wrong,’’ said Wolff, now visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “These are prohibited subsidies as far as I can see, and I haven’t met anybody who reads it differently than I do.’’’
Macron did not threaten to go to the WTO during his White House visit, but even if the Europeans took their case to the Geneva-based organization, it might not accomplish anything. The WTO’s appeals process has not been functioning since late 2019 when the U.S. — to protest what it considered unfair treatment by the WTO — blocked the appointment of new judges to replace those whose terms had expired.
While the Europeans could bring a case, if they won the first round, the United States could appeal and the dispute “would just sit there because there’s no appellate level,’’ Wolff said.
The Biden administration could try to slow down some of the clean energy provisions to ease the European objections, but it’s unclear if that would be a long-term solution, Wolff said, adding that he was speaking “as a trade lawyer” while Biden “is looking at it as a president who wants smooth relations with his closest allies.″
There’s no indication that the administration plans to make such an adjustment.
WILL CONGRESS CHANGE THE LAW IT JUST ADOPTED?
Congressional Democrats have said they have no intention of reconsidering the climate law, which passed after more than a year of negotiations without any Republican support.
“Congress passed a law to rev up the American electric automobile industry, create good-paying American jobs and tackle climate change at the same time. I have no intention of reopening it,’’ Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., one of the law’s main architects, said Thursday.
“Congress values America’s partnership with the EU, but that cannot mean undermining one of the signature elements of our landmark bill,’’ Wyden added in a statement emailed to the AP. “And remember, European nations have spent decades subsidizing their own prized domestic industries, from aerospace to clean energy, and passing regulations and taxes targeted solely at U.S. tech firms in an effort to jumpstart their own digital companies. It’s a bit rich for EU politicians to be scandalized now.”
In an interview, Wyden essentially dared Macron and other EU leaders to take the dispute to the WTO. “We put a special focus on creating jobs in America. There isn’t anything in trade laws that says you can’t put a focus on creating jobs in America,’’ he said.
Other Democrats, including Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, have also said they do not intend to reopen the climate law.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., meanwhile, has urged the Treasury Department to use “maximum flexibility” in implementing the tax credit for Americans buying electric vehicles. South Korean automaker Hyundai stands to lose the credit even as it invests billions of dollars to open its first American EV plant in Georgia.
IS THERE ROOM FOR COMPROMISE?
Biden appeared to indicate willingness to make changes in the law to accommodate Europe, saying U.S. lawmakers did not intend to punish France or other allies.
“”When you write a massive piece of legislation that has … the largest investment in climate change in all history … there’s obviously going to be glitches in it and need to reconcile changes in it,” Biden said Thursday at a joint news conference with Macron.
Biden cited a provision that benefits “anyone who has a free trade agreement” with the U.S., including Canada and Mexico. “Well, that was added by a member of the United States Congress who acknowledges that he just meant allies. He didn’t mean literally free trade agreement. So there’s a lot we can work out,” Biden said.
Biden did not mention names, but the provision boosting electric vehicles made in North America was added by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat who has been both a political ally and foe of Biden. Manchin’s vote was crucial to final approval of the climate law.
A Manchin spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday.
___
Associated Press writers Paul Wiseman and Kevin Freking contributed to this story. | https://www.wfla.com/business/ap-business/ap-explainer-us-european-differences-on-climate-law-persist/ | 2022-12-02 20:13:08 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/business/ap-business/ap-explainer-us-european-differences-on-climate-law-persist/ |
SAN ANTONIO – Forty-six people were found dead and 16 others were taken to hospitals after a tractor-trailer rig containing suspected migrants was found Monday on a remote back road in southwest San Antonio, officials said.
A city worker at the scene was alerted to the situation by a cry for help shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, Police Chief William McManus said. Officers arrived to find a body on the ground outside the trailer and a partially opened gate to the trailer, he said.
Of the 16 taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses, 12 were adults and four were children, said Fire Chief Charles Hood. The patients were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer, he said.
Three people were taken into custody, but it was unclear if they were absolutely connected with human trafficking, McManus said.
Those in the trailer were part of a presumed migrant smuggling attempt into the United States, and the investigation was being led by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, McManus said.
Those in the trailer were in a presumed migrant smuggling attempt in South Texas, according to an official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the information had not been authorized for public release.
It may be the deadliest tragedy among thousands who have died attempting to cross the U.S. border from Mexico in recent decades. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck that was parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio.
Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, which were then the busiest corridors for illegal crossings.
Before that, people paid small fees to mom-and-pop operators to get them across a largely unguarded border. As crossing became exponentially more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more dangerous terrain and paid thousands of dollars more.
Heat poses a serious danger, particularly when temperatures can rise severely inside vehicles. Weather in the San Antonio area was mostly cloudy Monday, but temperatures approached 100 degrees.
___
Spagat reported from San Diego, Calif. | https://www.wsls.com/news/2022/06/28/ap-source-at-least-40-found-dead-in-back-of-tractor-trailer/ | 2022-06-28 02:49:35 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/2022/06/28/ap-source-at-least-40-found-dead-in-back-of-tractor-trailer/ |
NASA releases image of the Phantom Galaxy
(CNN) - Stunning new images produced by the Hubble Telescope and the James Webb Telescope showcase the Phantom Galaxy, a spiral of solar systems 32 million light-years away from Earth.
The galaxy is located in the constellation Pisces, according to the European Space Agency (ESA), which collaborates with NASA on both the Hubble Telescope and the James Webb Telescope.
The Phantom Galaxy, formally known as M74, is a kind of spiral galaxy known as a “grand design spiral.” This means that it has well-defined spiral arms, visibly winding out from the center in the newly released images.
The images were created using data from both the Hubble Telescope and the Webb Telescope. The Webb detected “delicate filaments of gas and dust” in the galaxy’s spiral arms, according to the ESA. The images also provide a clear look at the nuclear star cluster at the galaxy’s center, unclouded by gas.
The Webb telescope also used its Mid-InfraRed Instrument to examine the Phantom Galaxy as part of a project to understand the earliest phases of star formation, said the ESA.
While the Webb is best at observing infrared wavelengths, the Hubble has particularly sharp vision at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths, says the agency. This allowed it to reveal particularly bright areas of star formation, known as HII regions, in the Phantom Galaxy images.
The combination of data from both telescopes allowed scientists to gain an even deeper understanding of the Phantom Galaxy and to create spectacular images of the cosmos.
The Webb released its first high-resolution images just weeks ago in July. Bigger than the Hubble, the telescope is capable of observing extremely distant galaxies, allowing scientists to learn about early star formation. Hubble orbits the Earth but Webb orbits the sun, around 1 million miles away from
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/08/30/nasa-releases-image-phantom-galaxy/ | 2022-08-30 19:24:03 | 0 | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/08/30/nasa-releases-image-phantom-galaxy/ |
When the seat belt light blinks on, every passenger buckles up except for one group of fliers: lap-babies. Unrestrained children sharing a seat with their parents are exempt from the safety mandate, presenting a growing concern amid recent incidents of severe turbulence.
The union is pressing for a rule change that would require all passengers, regardless of age, to occupy an airplane seat with a restraint. Currently, children under 2 can fly free on their parents’ laps.
“Sadly this has been more than a 30-year priority for our union.”— Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
The AFA-CWA raised the issue Wednesday at the Federal Aviation Administration safety summit in Northern Virginia and has submitted its list of priorities, including “a seat for every soul,” to Congress. Legislators are in the process of crafting an FAA reauthorization bill, which expires in September. The union submitted the same recommendation during the last round of reauthorization in 2018.
The tragedy that haunts Nelson occurred in 1989, when United Flight 232 crash-landed in Sioux City, Iowa. Following protocol, the flight attendants instructed the parents to wrap their unbuckled babies in blankets and place them on the floor. Three of the infants suffered injuries, and one died.
“Sadly this has been more than a 30-year priority for our union,” Nelson said. “We must have children safe on the plane and in their own seats with a proper restraint device to make sure it never happens again.”
In 1994, the debate reemerged when a little girl sitting on her mother’s lap died in a USAir crash in Charlotte.
“The safest possible thing is for everybody to be restrained,” said Ben Hoffman, president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
According to the FAA’s Civil Air Regulation Section 40.174, “A seat and an individual safety belt are required for each passenger and crew member excluding infants, who are in other than a recumbent position.”
Over the years, a variety of organizations and experts have contested the wisdom of this regulation, including the National Transportation Safety Board and the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security.
On many foreign carriers, parents can (loosely) secure their child with a belly loop belt that wraps around the baby’s torso and attaches to the adult’s seat belt. However, the FAA prohibits this accessory on U.S. carriers because of its potential dangers.
“During dynamic testing, the forward flailing of the adult and the child resulted in severe body impacts against the forward seat,” the agency stated in an advisory circular that addresses the supplemental belt.
Hoffman said the safest option is for parents to purchase a seat for their infant or toddler and secure them in an FAA-approved child restraint system (or car seat, in parenting vernacular). The agency has also certified a harness-like contraption called the Child Aviation Restraint System, or CARES, which the company AmSafe recommends for children weighing 20 to 40 pounds.
Interestingly, the FAA echoes this position. In its “Flying with Children” overview, the agency states: “The safest place for your child under the age of two on a U.S. airplane is in approved child restraint system (CRS) or device, not in your lap. Your arms aren’t capable of holding your in-lap child securely, especially during unexpected turbulence, which is the number one cause of pediatric injuries on an airplane.”
The International Air Transport Association’s Best Practices Guide also recommends that parents tuck their children into a restraining device approved by the country’s safety regulator and the airline. But the association concedes: “If the responsible person does not provide an approved infant restraint system, or if the CRS is not accepted in accordance with the airline’s policy or State regulations, the infant should be held by a responsible person.”
Hoffman recognizes the drawbacks of requiring parents to purchase airplane tickets for their youngsters. The main concern is that families will not be able to afford the airfare and will resort to driving, a more perilous mode of transportation.
“If they travel by car instead, they will actually be putting themselves at a significantly greater risk, because car crashes are so much more common than airplane incidents, whether it’s a crash or turbulence,” Hoffman said.
To emphasize his point, he cited a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics that assessed the risks to children if families switched from air to car travel. The researchers determined that if as few as 5 to 10 percent of travelers hit the road instead of flying, the number of infant deaths caused by car accidents would likely exceed the number of fatalities averted by requiring child restraints on planes.
“Unless space for young children in restraint seats can be provided at low cost to families, with little or no diversion to automobile travel, a policy requiring restraint seat use could cause a net increase in deaths,” the researchers concluded.
Hoffman said the best solution is for airlines to discount tickets for young travelers. “That would be great if the airline provided some mechanism to support the parents and not charge a full fare,” he said. “But the current system is cost prohibitive for many families.”
Colleen Lanin, the founder and editor of TravelMamas.com, flew once with her child on her lap and never again. Concerned about endangering her children, she decided to invest in seats for her daughter and son on subsequent flights.
She first used an FAA-approved car seat, which was safer but not stress-free: On a flight from San Diego to Minneapolis-St. Paul, a helpful passenger had fastened the gear so tightly to the plane seat, she could not remove it at her final destination. The airline had to call security to help. Once her children could sit up independently, she used a CARES harness, which is significantly lighter and less bulky than a car seat, which can be a hassle to drag through the airport.
“Pay for the extra seat. It makes your life so much easier,” said Lanin, whose children are now teenagers. “If you can’t afford that ticket, find a more affordable flight, or fly to a closer destination, or fly during weird times.”
Some parents have discovered temporary reprieves from holding their babies on long-haul flights. When their youngest daughter was a baby, Jolene and Andrzej Ejmont, founders of Wanderlust Storytellers, would reserve a bassinet, an amenity often available on international flights. However, during takeoff, landing and stretches of bumpy air, the Ejmonts would have to hold Avalee-Rose, who is now 7 years old.
“During minor turbulence, the [flight attendants] would take the bassinet off, and we would have to take her out, put her back in, out, in,” Andrej said. “It was very annoying.”
The couple also secured Avalee-Rose in a carrier worn like a chest pack. “That felt safer because she was always on me, strapped in,” said Ejmont, whose family of five is based in Australia and spends about half the year traveling. But like the bassinet, the airline requires parents to remove their babies during certain maneuvers and conditions.
Hoffman warns that the carrier is not foolproof, especially during severe turbulence. “The child can slip out of it because of all of that force. A plane that falls 4,000 feet in seconds — that’s like being shot out of a cannon. A front pack is not going to do the same as a car seat.” | https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/03/16/lap-babies-flight-safety-turbulence/ | 2023-03-16 17:28:16 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/03/16/lap-babies-flight-safety-turbulence/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden hosted Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday for talks at the White House amid deep differences on U.S. drug policy and Venezuela but a shared desire to deepen cooperation on climate change, migration and energy policy.
The leaders, in remarks before reporters at the start of the Oval Office meeting, tried to keep the focus on areas of agreement, including strengthening their democracies and building economies less dependent on carbon sources.
“We are going down the same river, a river that leads us to ever-greater democracy and ever-greater freedom,” Petro said. He added: “We have a common agenda and a lot of work to do.”
Biden said the countries shared a goal to build a “united, equal, democratic and economically prosperous” Western Hemisphere. “Colombia is the key to the hemisphere,” he said.
The two even joked about their ages; Petro turned 63 on Wednesday and Biden, at 80, is the oldest U.S. president in history. But their exchange before the cameras glossed over some of the growing differences between Washington and Bogota.
Petro has sharply criticized U.S.-led efforts to prohibit cocaine, saying at a speech at the United Nations last year that oil consumption promoted by “global powers” is more deadly than cocaine and that the “war on drugs has failed.”
During his White House visit, Petro dialed back the direct criticism of the U.S. After the meeting, he told reporters that the two sides discussed his agricultural reform efforts and shift in drug policy.
As cocaine production in Colombia continues to rise, Petro’s government has been reluctant to eradicate coca fields planted by small farmers. The Colombian president says that he prefers to chase money launderers and large-scale drug traffickers instead of stripping small farmers in isolated areas of their livelihood.
“We framed it in the context of the construction of a drug policy … (in which) peasants can have better guarantees and conditions to produce anything other than the coca leaf,” Petro said.
This new approach has been criticized by U.S. officials who long have advocated for the eradication of coca fields in Colombia as part of the effort to undermine drug trafficking groups and loosen their grip on some parts of the country.
In order to broker peace deals with rebel groups, Colombia will have to lift arrest warrants against rebel leaders who are wanted in the U.S on drug trafficking charges. The South American nation is looking to spend millions of dollars on economic development projects in rural areas that have long been afflicted by violence and is seeking U.S. support on that front.
Petro, who was elected last year, is in the midst of an ambitious effort to bring “total peace” to his nation of 50 million after six decades of conflict.
A 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebel group, known as FARC, reduced violence throughout much of the country. But homicides and forced displacement have increased in some isolated areas, where smaller groups began to fight over drug trafficking routes, illegal mines and other resources abandoned by FARC.
Under Petro, Colombia’s policy toward Venezuela’s authoritarian government has shifted. Colombia no longer backs U.S.-led plans to isolate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and force him to resign or call for new elections. Instead Petro’s administration has engaged the Maduro, held bilateral meetings and resumed diplomatic relations.
Petro has called for sanctions on Venezuelan government companies and officials to be lifted and for talks on democratic reforms in Venezuela to resume. His government will host an international conference on Venezuela next week.
Petro told reporters after the meeting he advocated for “a gradual and progressive deactivation of sanctions” that would allow Venezuelans “to decide freely, without sanctions, without pressure, their own destiny.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said earlier that the Biden administration “would review our sanctions policies in response to constructive steps by the Maduro regime and if the Venezuelan parties can make meaningful progress” in returning to democracy.
Colombia’s government and its largest remaining rebel group — the communist-inspired National Liberation Army, known as ELN — launched talks in November, shortly after Petro was elected president. Petro has called the talks with the ELN a cornerstone of his effort to resolve a conflict that dates back to the 1960s.
Some rural areas of Colombia are still under the grip of drug gangs and rebel groups despite the 2016 peace deal with the larger FARC.
Some U.S. lawmakers have also been critical of Petro’s warming relations with Maduro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel in Cuba.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. in a Medium post before the leftist Colombian president’s visit, argued that Petro is misguided in thinking that the Venezuelan and Cuban leaders will use their influence over ELN to Colombia’s favor. Venezuelan security forces have carried out joint operations with ELN against former members of the FARC rebels on the countries’ shared borders. Cuba has held talks in Havana between Colombian officials and ELN.
“But it’s a fool’s errand, because internationally ostracized dictators have nothing to gain from increasing stability in the region,” Rubio wrote.
The two governments have cooperated on the migration issue.
The United States, Panama and Colombia announced last week that they will begin a 60-day campaign aimed at halting illegal migration through the treacherous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, where the flow of migrants has multiplied this year.
The announcement came as the Biden administration awaits the expected end of a pandemic-related rule May 11 that has suspended rights to seek asylum for many. Without that instrument of dissuasion at the U.S. border, there is concern migrant arrivals could again become unmanageable.
Colombia has seen more than 2.4 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants cross into the country, stretching the capacity of hospitals, educational institutions and other infrastructure, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
Biden thanked Petro “for the hospitality and support Colombia continues to show to Venezuelan refugees.”
___
Suárez reported from Bogotá, Colombia, and Garcia Cano from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/biden-colombias-petro-to-meet-amid-deep-policy-differences/ | 2023-04-21 06:45:21 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/biden-colombias-petro-to-meet-amid-deep-policy-differences/ |
Company launches comprehensive edge platform to integrate operational and information technology into a cloud operating model with an entry-point appealing to a broad array of companies across various industry sectors and sizes.
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedient today announced a comprehensive end-to-end platform combining built-for-purpose hardware with unprecedented visibility and monitoring, designed to integrate remote environments with an organization's central cloud operations. Expedient Edge brings together close to a dozen consumption-based managed services along with remote management. Services include virtual machines, containers, backup, licensing, security, patching and disaster recovery, all in a package built to be set up and deployed by non-IT remote staff.
Expedient Edge is built in partnerships with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE), VMware (NYSE: VMW) and other leading IT innovators. "Data is increasingly being processed and created at the edge, and by collaborating with industry leaders like Expedient, we are helping organizations efficiently and securely manage data in any environment," said Gerald Kleyn, vice president and general manager, HPC Solutions & Hardware Platform Engineering, HPC & AI at HPE. "By delivering the HPE Edgeline EL8000 Converged Edge System in Expedient Edge, Expedient's customers gain a rugged and compact system designed to power a range of workloads in harsh edge environments."
Expedient Edge delivers the following capabilities:
- Highly available – The platform is deployed with a minimum of three nodes for N+1 redundancy, ensuring your workloads will be available when needed.
- Built for anywhere – Smaller than a carry-on suitcase, Expedient Edge is built to drop into clean computer rooms, not-so-clean wiring closets, and anything in between.
- Fully managed – Expedient handles day-to-day maintenance, patching, and break-fix repair of the infrastructure.
- Simplicity – Expedient Edge is simple enough for non-IT staff in remote locations to install with minimal instruction. Smart-hands install is also available to perform deployments. Simply plug in power and internet cable – and remote site is online.
- Single management plane – Manage your sites from one single location to make deploying and maintaining your workloads a breeze.
- Extend your cloud – Expedient services like Multi-Cloud File Storage, Cloud Data Protection, Push Button Disaster Recovery, Multi-Cloud Firewall and Operations CTRL are all available on the Expedient Edge platform.
- Consolidated networking – With integrated switching, your only network requirements are two switch ports and internet connectivity.
- Integrated storage – Shared storage is integrated with the platform, so your workloads are available even in the event of a host failure.
- Multi-Cloud Enabled – As an integral part of the Expedient CTRL family of Universal Multi-Cloud Services, Expedient Edge can integrate with infrastructure across the cloud operating model including On-Prem, Expedient Enterprise Cloud, and Hyperscale Cloud Providers (AWS, Azure, and GCP).
- Powerful – Expedient Edge can be scaled for small deployments for a handful of workloads to powering 100+ servers
Organizations are increasingly looking at edge as a priority for their long-term IT and business strategy. In fact, a recent analyst note published by 451 Research summarizing survey results, cited1 that "almost all respondents (89%) agree with the notion that their digital transformation objectives depend on building efficient and performant edge computing architecture."
"Many organizations that are intrigued by a cloud model at the 'edge' turn to hyperscale cloud providers and are oftentimes shocked at the barriers to entry," said Expedient CEO Bryan Smith. Optimizing the "edge" is an essential element of many organizations' digital transformation initiatives. "But solutions available till now have been too expensive, too complex, or too limited in functionality. With Expedient Edge, we flip the script. At less than a 10th of the entry price of comparable offerings, yet packing the essential cloud service organizations seek, Expedient Edge is poised to reshape the edge, unify OT (Operational Technology) and IT (Information Technology), and help organizations achieve their business outcomes."
Expedient Edge will come to market via direct and indirect channels, the latter offering proven industry expertise to maximize value and impact. "Connection's Manufacturing Practice helps thousands of manufacturing clients integrate, automate, and transform manufacturing processes at the edge every day," said Ryan Spurr, Manufacturing Strategy Director, at Connection. "We're excited to partner with Expedient on their newly released Expedient Edge platform. Through an affordable and simple-to-deploy business model, we'll deliver valuable business outcomes with high performance, low latency, high-resiliency applications, and advanced capabilities. Expedient Edge makes operational business initiatives easy to deploy, scale, and deliver quick time-to-value, a must for modern manufacturers looking to grow, differentiate, and reduce costs."
Expedient Edge is available immediately through Expedient and a national network of value-add solution providers. For more information, visit www.expedient.com/services/edge. Starting at $2,000 per site per month, Expedient Edge is poised to disrupt the market where hyperscale cloud vendors options are priced 10X more.
About Expedient
Expedient is a full stack cloud service provider, helping companies transform their IT operations through award-winning multi-cloud solutions and managed infrastructure services including enterprise cloud, disaster recovery, virtual desktop infrastructure, data center colocation, edge computing, security and compliance, and more. The company's Cloud Different™️ approach provides an on-ramp to the cloud, supporting the optimization and delivery of all applications (both core essential and cloud native). Named VMware's Americas Cloud Partner of the Year and acknowledged in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Disaster Recovery as a Service, Expedient eases a customer's transition to the cloud by providing curated and bundled best of breed solutions backed by "white glove" services and support. Expedient data centers are compliant with a variety of regulatory mandates, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) service.
1 Edge initiatives are driving new spending and new vendor relationships – Highlights from VotE: Edge Infrastructure & Services by Tiny Haynes, Brian Partridge, 451 Research, December 13, 2022
For more information, press only:
Tim Kounadis, SVP Marketing, Expedient
508.962.5100
tim.kounadis@expedient.com
www.expedient.com
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SOURCE Expedient | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2023/02/16/expedient-announces-expedient-edge/ | 2023-02-16 14:33:51 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2023/02/16/expedient-announces-expedient-edge/ |
City of Lufkin invites public to Gattefossé groundbreaking
LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - The City of Lufkin is preparing a ground breaking ceremony for a multi-million dollar manufacturing facility set to be constructed in the Lufkin Business Park.
On June 8 at 11 a.m., the public is invited to attend the ceremony symbolizing the start of construction of Gattefossé's $50 million facility, marking the French company’s first expansion into North America.
“This project has been one with many challenges over the last few years, but Gattefossé's executive team and the City of Lufkin were determined to make this work,” said Lufkin Economic Development Director Bob Samford. “Gattefossé will build a world-class manufacturing facility with Lufkin, Texas being the chosen location.”
Gattefossé's Lufkin site will produce lipid-based specialty ingredients for the personal care and pharmaceutical industries, according to Eric Brun, President and CEO of Gattefossé USA and Canada.
“North America is a leading region for the global pharmaceutical and personal care industries,” Brun said. “The opening of a manufacturing unit represents an essential milestone in our strategy to enhance our local presence and commitment to North American customers. We chose to set up a plant in Lufkin ... because of its central position in North America, close to the important industrial pole in Houston. Lufkin is a dynamic city of 35,000 inhabitants located in the heart of a free trade zone.”
Plant construction is projected to be completed by 2024.
Previous reporting:
French pharmaceutical corporation chooses Lufkin for its first international R&D site
Copyright 2022 KTRE. All rights reserved. | https://www.ktre.com/2022/05/31/city-lufkin-invites-public-gattefoss-groundbreaking/ | 2022-05-31 16:22:31 | 1 | https://www.ktre.com/2022/05/31/city-lufkin-invites-public-gattefoss-groundbreaking/ |
The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia is at its lowest point in decades. But that hasn't stopped Wall Street executives and some of the world's wealthiest investors from gathering in Riyadh for a conference that's nicknamed "Davos in the Desert."
On Tuesday, Jamie Dimon and David Solomon, the CEOs of J.P. Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, respectively, shared a stage with billionaires Stephen Schwarzman, of The Blackstone Group, and Ray Dalio, who founded the world's largest hedge fund.
Former President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also appeared at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference, and former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is scheduled to speak on Wednesday. Both Kushner and Mnuchin now run private equity funds backed by Saudi Arabia.
But no cabinet officials or senior staff from the Biden administration are there, because the White House is currently reevaluating its partnership with Saudi Arabia.
"This is definitely one of the lower points in U.S.-Saudi relations," says Karen Young, a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy.
Biden's disappointment over Saudi oil production cuts
President Biden, who has raised concern over the country's human rights record, is upset Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushed for deep cuts to oil production earlier this month, which has led to higher energy prices.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia has a $600 billion government investment fund, and the country is telegraphing its ambitions beyond traditional energy.
There are panels at the conference on artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, tourism and hospitality, and investing. Other speakers include Sam Bankman-Fried, the CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and Ben Horowitz, one of the world's best-known venture capitalists.
A more assertive and confident Saudi Arabia has emerged
Young says Saudi Arabia is trying to signal to the wider world that it "has changed."
"It's an assertiveness in foreign policy," she observes. "It's a confidence in the Kingdom's ability to attract investment, and to be a player in a much larger field."
This week, there are opportunities to broker deals on the sidelines of the conference, but Young says the conference is above all else a public relations tool.
"This is much more about image," she says. "It's about a kind of ideology of the future of the Kingdom, and frankly, more of a public relations effort than a place where I think we're going to see real commitments of foreign direct investment in building companies in the Kingdom."
Despite its recent reservations about Saudi Arabia, the Biden administration says it did not advise U.S. companies to stay away from the conference, or the country.
"American companies will make their own decisions about their presence and where to invest, taking into account a range of factors including legal constraints, the business environment, and reputational concerns that can arise from public policy choices made by host countries," said Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary.
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Davos in the Desert
The conference, which started in 2017, has had aspirations of competing with the World Economic Forum's annual meetings in Davos, Switzerland, which have been convening for more than half a century. They regularly attract a who's who of global leaders, economists and political scientists, and media personalities.
Saudi Arabia's FII conference has faced setbacks from the start.
In 2018, Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed three weeks before the conference was scheduled to start, and at the last minute, many executives decided not to attend. Since then, the U.S. intelligence community has determined the killing was authorized by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
But in recent years, many CEOs have returned to Riyadh, drawn by the opportunity to mix and mingle, and to land lucrative contracts with the Saudi government.
Someone who never stayed away is Anthony Scaramucci, who is perhaps best known for his days-long tenure as former President Trump's communications director. He is currently a managing partner at SkyBridge, an investment firm he founded.
In an interview before he traveled to Saudi Arabia, Scaramucci said the country is "not perfect." But he suggested its recent efforts to modernize under the crown prince are laudable.
"It's moving in the right direction," he said. "And as business people, I think we have to do our best to help them continue that progress."
Asked about the killing of Khashoggi, Scaramucci called it "a tragedy." But then asked: "Are we capable of moving past that now?"
"It's an event that has to be recognized as a tragedy," he continued. "But I think we have to look at the longer-term goals and the longer-term interests of global peace, global prosperity, and frankly, global progress."
The killing didn't come up at a roundtable discussion moderated by CNN's Richard Quest, featuring Dimon, Solomon, Schwarzman, Dalio and a handful of other executives. Several participants said they were glad to be meeting in person again, after years of COVID-related travel restrictions.
Asked about the future of U.S.-Saudi relations, Dimon said he is optimistic.
"Saudi Arabia and the United States have been allies for 75 years," he noted. "I can't imagine any allies agreeing on everything, and not having problems. They'll work it through."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-10-25/wall-street-eager-to-strike-deals-with-saudi-arabia-despite-political-concerns | 2022-10-25 22:37:46 | 0 | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-10-25/wall-street-eager-to-strike-deals-with-saudi-arabia-despite-political-concerns |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Brooks Rehabilitation's first participant in the national stroke recovery trial, EMAGINE, has just completed study participation. The randomized, double-blind study tests whether a non-invasive, wearable device that delivers an electromagnetic field to brain networks can reduce disability and improve recovery following moderate to severe ischemic stroke.
Brooks is one of up to 20 research and medical institutions in the United States who have been selected to participate in this pivotal study, with Clinical Research Scientist and Director of Neuromuscular Research, Emily Fox, PT, DPT, PhD, leading the charge as Site Principal Investigator at Brooks.
The portable and user-friendly device, which received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, is designed to accompany participants throughout their recovery journeys, beginning as early as acute hospitalization, and moving with them to the inpatient rehab facility and eventually home. The EMAGINE study allows participants to use the investigational therapy from their homes with the oversight of a trained caregiver. A study team member joins therapy sessions periodically using a remote computer platform.
"It has been such a pleasure collaborating with Dr. Fox and the research team to determine how the stroke program in the hospital can support the EMAGINE research study. It is wonderful when research and operations can work together to ensure patients have access to opportunities like participating in this trial," said Amanda Osborne, PT, MBA, Vice President of Operations and Administrator for the Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital - University Campus.
The technology utilizes explanatory machine learning to extract biological features found in brainwaves. These features are then used to target networks in the brain via a low-intensity, frequency-tuned electromagnetic field therapy with the goal of facilitating neuro-recovery. The therapy is intended to be used in combination with the current standard of care in physical or occupational therapy.
"Working with industry partners to conduct research offers an outstanding opportunity for Brooks patients," explains Dr. Fox, Site Principal Investigator. "I have been particularly excited about this clinical trial because of the potential advancements in post-stroke rehabilitation. The focus on innovative technology and rehabilitation that transitions from the hospital to the home allows us to support patients and caregivers throughout their recovery."
Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the US and around the world. Every year, one in four people will suffer from a stroke in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, creating a significant burden on their families and friends, and society as a whole.
System Medical Chief Officer at Brooks, Trevor Paris, M.D., FAAPMR, is a great supporter of innovative solutions in rehabilitation.
"Brooks has a long history of providing rehabilitation to patients with stroke and is always looking for cutting-edge technologies that can enhance our patients' outcomes. Participation in the EMAGINE trial is another step in that quest to enable our patients to achieve their highest potential. We see participation in this national trial as a way to not only help our community of stroke survivors, but potentially improve the lives of stroke patients across the country," he said.
The study is funded by BrainQ, the technology company that developed the investigational device.
"With their notable and innovative approach to stroke care and dedication to community outreach, Brooks is a true partner in furthering our mission to redesign what recovery looks for stroke victims," stated Yotam Drechsler, CEO of BrainQ. "We're honored to be working together."
The EMAGINE stroke recovery trial will enroll 150 randomized subjects nationwide 4-21 days following a stroke. Trial participants will undergo 45 sessions over a total of 9 weeks, 5 times a week. Each session will last for 60 minutes.
Eligible participants will be identified through Brooks Rehabilitation, and recruitment is now open. For more information, visit the EMAGINE website.
For more than 50 years, Brooks Rehabilitation, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., has been a comprehensive source for physical rehabilitation services. As a nonprofit organization, Brooks operates one of the nation's largest inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the U.S. with 160 beds, a second 60-bed inpatient hospital that opened in April 2022, and a Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation in partnership with Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Brooks also has one of the region's largest home healthcare agencies, more than 40 outpatient therapy clinics, the Brooks Rehabilitation Medical Group, two skilled nursing facilities, assisted living and memory care. Brooks will treat more than 60,000 patients through its system of care each year. In addition, Brooks operates the Clinical Research Center, which specializes in research to advance the science of rehabilitation. Brooks also provides many low- or no-cost community programs and services to improve the quality of life for people living with physical disabilities.
For more information, visit BrooksRehab.org.
BrainQ, the EMAGINE Stroke Recovery Trial sponsor, is a US and Israel-based company pioneering a novel therapy for reducing disability and maximizing the recovery potential for stroke and other neurodisorder victims. Their investigational device received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation. Their mission is to restore independence for the millions of people suffering from disability worldwide with a home-based accessible solution.
Worldwide, the BrainQ technology is limited to investigational use only and is not approved or available for sale. BrainQ makes no guarantees regarding clinical trial outcomes or regulatory approval for its technology.
Media contacts
Brooks Rehabilitation:
Jill Matejcek
jill.matejcek@brooksrehab.org
BrainQ:
Madeleine Truitt
madeleine.truitt@brainqtech.com
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SOURCE Brooks Rehabilitation | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2022/09/22/brooks-rehabilitation-participates-national-stroke-recovery-trial-using-breakthrough-technology/ | 2022-09-22 21:19:09 | 1 | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2022/09/22/brooks-rehabilitation-participates-national-stroke-recovery-trial-using-breakthrough-technology/ |
Two of the club's former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell and the former refereeing chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira are facing the same charge.
The affair concerns alleged payments Barcelona paid Negreira, the former refereeing technical committee vice-president, for providing the club with verbal advice on topics relating to referees. | https://www.beinsports.com/en/laliga/news/barcelona-charged-with-corruption-over-refere/2052789 | 2023-03-10 16:03:40 | 0 | https://www.beinsports.com/en/laliga/news/barcelona-charged-with-corruption-over-refere/2052789 |
NEW YORK, June 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman of 5WPR, announces today he has joined the Public Relations & Annual Reports/Publications Awards judging committee of the 19th Annual International Business Awards®. The 2022 IBAs will feature one round of judging from June 6th to August 2nd, to determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie® Award winners.
Organized by The Stevie® Awards, The International Business Awards are widely considered the world's premier business awards competition.
"I'm thrilled to return as a judge for the International Business Awards," said 5WPR Founder and Chairman, Ronn Torossian. "It is always a career highlight to be involved in these awards, and each year I look forward to reviewing the innovative campaigns submitted by industry leaders."
This occasion marks the fourth time Ronn Torossian will judge the IBAs Public Relations & Annual Reports/Publications Awards category. Torossian has previously been awarded a Silver Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the Year.
Created in 2002 to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide, The Stevie® Awards are the world's premier business awards. In short order the Stevie has become one of the world's most coveted prizes. There are eight Stevie Awards programs, each with its own focus, list of categories, and schedule. Together they receive more than 12,000 nominations each year.
Ronn Torossian is the Founder and Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the United States. A NYC native, Torossian lives in Manhattan with his children. He is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO).
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SOURCE Ronn Torossian | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/06/10/ronn-torossian-joins-judging-committee-2022-international-business-awards/ | 2022-06-10 21:51:07 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/06/10/ronn-torossian-joins-judging-committee-2022-international-business-awards/ |
(NEXSTAR) – The cost of gasoline has reached a new, unwelcome milestone.
For the first time ever, the national average price of gas has topped $5 per gallon, effectively “crushing” the previous record, according to the data analysts at GasBuddy, a tech firm and fuel-pricing resource.
“It’s been one kink after another this year, and worst of all, demand doesn’t seem to be responding to the surge in gas prices, meaning there is a high probability that prices could go even higher in the weeks ahead,” said Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy in a press release issued Thursday morning.
As of Thursday, however, AAA had recorded a lower national average price for gasoline — albeit only a few cents cheaper at $4.97 per gallon.
Still, analysts at AAA suggest it’s only a matter of time until their national average exceeds $5 as well.
“People are still fueling up, despite these high prices,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said earlier this month.
Gas prices have been on the rise for over a year, but recent developments — increased demand going into the summer, and Russia’s war on Ukraine — have pushed up the price of oil in the last few months. In March of 2022, the national average price of gas exceeded $4 per gallon for the first time in nearly 15 years, and prices have only continued to climb.
Some analysts say rising oil prices — as well as uncertainty over the situation in Russia — could possibly push the country toward a $6 national average, too.
“When we think about $200 a barrel, you are looking at $6 plus a gallon at the pump,” said Michael Tran, an RBC Capital analyst, in an interview with Yahoo Finance Live in March.
Tran said it’s not “unfathomable” that oil could reach $200 per barrel. But he added that such a situation could, in theory, trigger a recession and cause prices to crash — a scenario that RCB does not believe to be likely, but at least possible.
Meanwhile, the average gas price has already surged past $6 per gallon in California, with more than a dozen states following not far behind with prices exceeding $5.
“At some point, drivers may change their daily driving habits or lifestyle due to these high prices,” said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross, “but we are not there yet.” | https://www.cbs42.com/news/national/national-average-gas-price-has-hit-a-new-record-fuel-analysts-say/ | 2022-06-09 16:56:21 | 1 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/national/national-average-gas-price-has-hit-a-new-record-fuel-analysts-say/ |
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday she is stepping down as New Zealand’s leader and will not contest this year’s general elections.
Fighting back tears, Ardern told reporters in Napier that Feb. 7 will be her last day in office.
“I am entering now my sixth year in office, and for each of those years, I have given my absolute all,” she said.
Ardern described her job as among the most privileged but challenging jobs and said doing it required having a reserve to face the unexpected. She said she no longer had that reserve to face another term in office.
She said her time in office has been fulfilling but challenging. “But I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job. I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility, the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not. I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple,” she said.
Ardern had faced a tough election campaign this year. Her liberal Labour Party won reelection two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.
She was lauded globally for her country’s initial handling of the coronavirus pandemic after New Zealand managed for months to stop the virus at its borders. But that zero-tolerance strategy was abandoned once it was challenged by new variants and vaccines became available.
She faced tougher criticism at home that the strategy was too strict.
Ardern in December announced a Royal Commission of Inquiry would look into whether the government made the right decisions in battling COVID-19 and how it can better prepare for future pandemics. Its report is due next year. | https://www.wfla.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-jacinda-ardern-to-step-down-as-new-zealand-prime-minister/ | 2023-01-19 01:43:31 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-jacinda-ardern-to-step-down-as-new-zealand-prime-minister/ |
- Earl Hesterberg to retire at year end
- Daryl Kenningham, current President of US Operations, appointed to Board of Directors and as President and Chief Operating Officer of Group 1 immediately; will assume CEO role on January 1, 2023.
HOUSTON, Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) ("Group 1" or the "Company"), an international, Fortune 300 automotive retailer with 204 dealerships located in the U.S. and U.K., today announced that Earl J. Hesterberg, President and Chief Executive Officer will retire as CEO and from the Board of Directors, effective December 31, 2022. Long-tenured Group 1 executive Daryl Kenningham, currently President of U.S. Operations, has been appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately, and will succeed Hesterberg as CEO effective January 1, 2023, upon Mr. Hesterberg's retirement.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Group 1 employees, we are deeply grateful for Earl's many years of exceptional leadership and strategic vision," said Steve Quinn, Chairman of Group 1's Board of Directors. "As a highly respected international automotive executive, Earl utilized his relationships to expand the Company's U.S. operations and build a significant U.K. business, increasing aggregate Company revenues threefold. His passion for our core values – integrity, transparency, professionalism, teamwork and respect – promotes an invigorating workplace for our associates and drives our commitment to excellent customer service."
"The Board and I are delighted to announce Daryl as Group 1's next CEO," added Quinn. "Over the course of his career, Daryl has developed strong relationships with the automotive manufacturers. He is a proven, strategic operating executive with extensive automotive experience and a deep knowledge of Group 1. His business acumen and experience in the implementation of applied technology are what we need in this fast changing, dynamic marketplace. He has placed great emphasis on all aspects of ESG, and in particular has become a champion in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion."
Hesterberg added "Now is the perfect time to transition to a new generation of leadership at our Company. Daryl's performance throughout his career has been exemplary, and he has driven our U.S. business to record levels. Although I will sorely miss the wonderful people at Group 1, this transition will be seamless and our Company could not be in better hands."
Hesterberg joined Group 1 in April 2005 after a 30-year career with several automotive manufacturers including Ford and Nissan. Kenningham joined Group 1 in 2011 as a Regional Vice President and continually expanded his areas of responsibility since that time to include all of Group 1's U.S. operations as well as many key Company support functions such as marketing, facilities and information technology.
Regarding his appointment as CEO, Kenningham commented, "I am honored and excited to embark on this new role. I thank Earl for his outstanding leadership and the Board for their confidence, guidance and support. We have an outstanding team at Group 1, and I am energized to work alongside them to chart our path forward for the benefit of our employees, customers, communities and stakeholders during this exciting and dynamic time in our industry."
ABOUT DARYL KENNINGHAM
Mr. Kenningham joined Group 1 in 2011 as Regional Vice President. He has over 30 years of automotive industry experience. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Ascent Automotive. From 1998 to 2011, he served in senior executive roles at Gulf States Toyota, including Senior Vice President of Gulf States Toyota, President of Gulf States Financial Services, and as President at USA Logistics (previously known as Gulf States Transportation). He began his career at Nissan Motor Corporation in 1988.
ABOUT EARL HESTERBERG
Mr. Hesterberg has served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Group 1 since 2005. He previously served as Group Vice President for Marketing, Sales, and Service for Ford North America and prior to that held the same position for Ford of Europe, in Cologne, Germany. He also served as President and CEO of Gulf States Toyota and held various senior sales, marketing, general management, and parts and service positions with Nissan Motor Corporation in the U.S. and Nissan Europe, both of which are wholly owned by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Hesterberg is a board member of the Greater Houston Partnership.
ABOUT GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE, INC.
Group 1 owns and operates 204 automotive dealerships, 273 franchises, and 47 collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom that offer 35 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships and omni-channel platform, the Company sells new and used cars and light trucks; arranges related vehicle financing; sells service and insurance contracts; provides automotive maintenance and repair services; and sells vehicle parts.
Group 1 discloses additional information about the Company, its business, and its results of operations at www.group1corp.com, www.group1auto.com, www.group1collision.com, www.acceleride.com, www.facebook.com/group1auto, and www.twitter.com/group1auto.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are statements related to future, not past, events, including statements regarding the planned CEO transition, and are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. In this context, the forward-looking statements often include statements regarding our goals, plans, results of operations and business strategy, and often contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "should," "foresee," "may" or "will" and similar expressions. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate. Any such forward-looking statements are not assurances of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our projected results, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Investor contacts:
Jason Babbitt
Vice President, Treasurer
Group 1 Automotive, Inc.
jbabbitt@group1auto.com
Media contacts:
Pete DeLongchamps
Senior Vice President, Manufacturer Relations, Financial Services and Public Affairs
Group 1 Automotive, Inc.
pdelongchamps@group1auto.com
or
Clint Woods
Pierpont Communications, Inc.
713-627-2223
cwoods@piercom.com
View original content:
SOURCE Group 1 Automotive, Inc. | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/08/24/group-1-automotive-announces-ceo-transition-plans/ | 2022-08-24 11:44:46 | 0 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/08/24/group-1-automotive-announces-ceo-transition-plans/ |
Call it the season of fitful sleep.
At least that’s how Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer describes his nights when it comes to deciding starting rotations. Injuries have mainly forced him to make lineup changes, often giving chances to players who’ve demanded attention on the training field.
Trade pickup Heber, U-22 signing Leo Chu and Sounders academy players Josh Atencio and Jackson Ragen have received the nod to open the season and all have grabbed headlines with their performances. Atencio is the latest, scoring his first MLS goal in Saturday’s 3-0 win against St. Louis City SC at Lumen Field.
Now with the Cascadia derby against Portland this week, Schmetzer can count different lineup choices instead of sheep in hopes of getting to sleep.
“We’re still developing the actual final product. I don’t think this is the final product, there’s a ways to go,” Schmetzer said. “What this group of players gives us as a coaching staff is options … We’ve got a ton of options and that’s credit to the strength of the roster. Heber was a great signing, [Joao Paulo] coming back [from an ACL injury] helps the club, Leo finding his feet gives me a lot of sleepless nights but it’s a really, really good problem to have.”
Heber scored two goals as a starter in the opening two matches of the MLS schedule. Chu has one goal and five assists in three starts. Ragen has helped the Sounders not concede a goal in four home matches, a first since 2015.
And Atencio teamed with Albert Rusnak to be the Joao Paulo replacement the team desperately needed last season. Atencio, who started alongside Joao Paulo the previous two matches, had seven interceptions and won 58.3% of his duels against St. Louis.
The goal in the 65th minute was Atencio’s third attempt in the match. Sounders captain Nico Lodeiro tapped a nice ball to an unmarked Atencio who powered it home from deep.
“I definitely blacked out a little bit right there,” Atencio said of the goal that broke the match open. “It took Jordan [Morris] celebrating and coming over to hug me for me to realize it went in. It was awesome, but more importantly I’m happy we were able to get three points and keep a clean sheet at home.”
Schmetzer said Atencio was in the lineup Saturday because the staff opted to be cautious with Joao Paulo. The midfielder was listed as questionable with hamstring tightness.
“JP could’ve played today but it’s early in the season. We were holding him out just because,” Schmetzer said. “Josh took total advantage of that opportunity. … He struggled a little bit in the first half, there were some moments that he and Albert couldn’t find the game, couldn’t make the game for us. But in the second half, boy [Josh] really turned it around and had one hell of a half.
“I don’t usually do what I did for younger players, subbing him off to let the crowd applaud. But I did because of the quality of that goal. That goal should be goal of the week for sure.”
While Chu and Morris couldn’t connect for a third consecutive match, Schmetzer subbing Chu off in the 61st minute for striker Raul Ruidiaz was a tactical decision. The latter was able to score his first goal since September when he slipped a rebound shot into the net in the 71st minute.
When Heber entered the match in the 82nd minute, it gave the coaching staff a glimpse at a lineup they’ve dreamed about during the preseason. Ruidiaz played up top with Morris and Heber on the wings and Lodeiro orchestrating the attack.
“I loved it, to be quite frank, I loved it,” Schmetzer said. “That’s an attacking, really good soccer possession group.”
One thing Schmetzer said isn’t keeping him awake is the attitude among the team regarding lineup decisions. The Sounders (5-1-1) are on a three-game win streak — a first since 2021 — and lead the Western Conference standings.
Working to maintain that positioning is what’s important.
But for the trip to Portland (1-4-2), there’s now a debate in every part of the field. Joao Paulo is expected to be available to play, Ruidiaz routinely shreds the Timbers’ defense and has Jackson cemented his position alongside the astute Yeimar Gomez Andrade in back?
“[They’re] not trying to prove to me that they deserve to play,” Schmetzer said. “They’re trying to prove to themselves and their teammates that they can help the group win games. That’s why I’m so positive about this group.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sounders/sounders-use-multiple-scoring-options-fueling-run-to-top-of-western-conference-standings/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2023-04-09 18:42:35 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sounders/sounders-use-multiple-scoring-options-fueling-run-to-top-of-western-conference-standings/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Five men have been arrested “on suspicion of aiding and abetting terrorist offenses,” Sweden’s SAPO domestic security agency said Tuesday, adding the case was related to the burning of a Quran in January in Stockholm and that an attack is not imminent.
In a statement, Susanna Trehörning, deputy head of SAPO’ s counterterror unit said that the case had “international links to violent Islamist extremism.” Swedish public radio said the suspects had links to the Islamic State group.
Trehörning said that Tuesday’s arrests came following “extensive intelligence and investigative work “after the protests that were directed at Sweden in connection with the high-profile burning of the Quran in January and where there are international calls for attacks.”
She told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the suspects were in ”a planning phase” and that they “had not immediately thought of doing anything here and now.”
In January, a far-right activist from Denmark received permission from police to stage a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm where he burned the Islamic holy book.
That angered millions of Muslims around the world and triggered protests. NATO-member Turkey said it wouldn’t allow Sweden to join the military alliance as long as the Scandinavian country permits such protests to take place. In Sweden, such demonstrations are protected by freedom of speech.
All NATO members need to ratify in their parliaments the accession requests by Sweden.
Finland which sought NATO membership at the same time as Sweden is expected to join the alliance later Tuesday after all 30 member states ratified the Finns’ accession request, but Turkey is holding out on ratifying Sweden’s membership.
In February, Swedish police denied permission for protests involving the burning of a Quran, fearing they could provoke terror attacks or attacks against Swedish interests.
On Tuesday, Sweden’s Administrative Court ruled that freedom of assembly and demonstration are constitutionally protected rights and overturned the police decision, saying security risk concerns were not enough to limit the right to demonstrate. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/international/swedes-arrest-5-suspected-of-terror-ties-to-quran-burning/ | 2023-04-04 15:17:05 | 0 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/international/swedes-arrest-5-suspected-of-terror-ties-to-quran-burning/ |
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian prosecutors on Wednesday charged a former energy minister in the previous, pro-Western government with mismanagement that allegedly caused losses of 45 million euros ($48 million) to the country’s major state-run gas operator.
Alexander Nikolov was in office when Russia’s Gazprom cut off deliveries to Bulgaria after the country, together with others, refused to start paying for deliveries in Russian currency following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Sofia prosecution office said in a statement that Nikolov and two other energy officials had threatened the operation of the state gas company Bulgargaz concerning public gas supplies in the country.
The office filed charges of intentional mismanagement against the three officials for causing financial damages to the state company. It didn’t provide details.
Nikolov, who was energy minister between Dec. 2021 and Aug. 2022, denied any wrongdoing and told reporters that “the charges boil down to Bulgaria’s decision not to give in to the extortion by Gazprom and Russia”.
One of the investigators, Biserka Stoyanova, said the focus of their efforts has been Bulgaria’s reaction to the proposed new payment scheme for the long-term contract with Gazprom.
Stoyanova told reporters that in addition to causing financial damages to Bulgargaz in April and May 2022, the alleged mismanagement had “put at risk the state company’s remit to act as a public supplier of gas, specifically its duty to ensure secure and uninterrupted deliveries.”
Russia halted natural gas deliveries in April 2022 after the previous government in Sofia refused Gazprom’s demand to pay in rubles. That prompted then-Prime Minister Kiril Petkov to claim that Moscow had used “hybrid war” tactics to bring down his government.
Bulgaria, which ahead of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine was almost fully dependent on Russian gas, has already secured alternative gas supplies from non-Russian sources. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/bulgarias-ex-energy-chief-charged-over-russian-gas-cutoff/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2023-02-08 18:49:53 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/bulgarias-ex-energy-chief-charged-over-russian-gas-cutoff/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
CORUNNA, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan man accused of killing another man and hanging the victim's mutilated body from a ceiling pleaded guilty Thursday to murder, apparently against the advice of his lawyers.
Mark Latunski appeared in Shiawassee County court, nearly three years after Kevin Bacon, 25, was killed in Bennington Township, 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
A judge will hold a hearing on Oct. 18 to determine if the case will be classified as first-degree or second-degree murder. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Police said Latunski, 52, admitted to killing Bacon, whom he had met through the dating app Grindr, and eating parts of his body.
Defense attorney Mary Chartier was interested in pursuing an insanity defense at trial, MLive.com reported.
“While this is not an outcome that Mr. Krause and I think is in Mr. Latunski’s best interest, we do have to follow Mr. Latunski’s wishes,” Chartier said, referring to co-counsel Kurt Krause. “We have discussed this matter and consistently he’s been very clear, more than once, multiple times, on his choice and on his reasoning.”
Latunski initially was found incompetent to stand trial but that status changed after mental health treatment.
“I'm glad we got the plea,” prosecutor Scott Koerner said. | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Man-pleads-guilty-to-murder-mutilation-of-17460624.php | 2022-09-22 23:14:17 | 1 | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Man-pleads-guilty-to-murder-mutilation-of-17460624.php |
New York (CNN) — Linda Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal marketing executive, on Monday officially took over the CEO role at Twitter from Elon Musk, weeks after the billionaire announced hiring her for the top spot at the social media company.
“It happened — first day in the books!,” Yaccarino tweeted late Monday. “Stay tuned…”
A day earlier, Yaccarino had tweeted that Twitter had hired Joe Benarroch, NBCU’s former senior vice president of communications for advertising and partnerships, to join her at the company. Benarroch will work in business operations, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“Let’s get to work @Twitter! #timetofly” Yaccarino said in the tweet.
The New York Times and The Information first reported that Yaccarino was expected to officially start as Twitter CEO on Monday. Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk announced in May that Yaccarino, formerly chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCU, would be taking over as CEO of Twitter with a focus on business operations, after months of suggesting that he planned to find a new top leader for the struggling platform.
In December, Musk ran a poll on the platform asking users whether he should step back as Twitter’s CEO, which ended with the majority of users voting in the affirmative.
A bet on reviving Twitter’s ad business
Musk is likely betting on Yaccarino’s ad industry chops to restore Twitter’s flagging advertising business.
On Monday, the New York Times reported that Twitter’s US advertising revenue from the five weeks from April 1 to the first week of May was down 59% year-over-year, citing an internal presentation. (CNN has not viewed the presentation.)
Just 43% of Twitter’s top 1,000 advertisers as of September, the month before Musk’s takeover, were still advertising on the platform as of April, according to data provided to CNN by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower last month.
Reversing that decline could prove to be an uphill battle: Twitter’s ad business has declined sharply since Musk’s takeover due to advertiser concerns over hate speech on the platform, mass layoffs at the company and general uncertainty about Twitter’s future direction.
Yaccarino’s takeover comes just days after the resignation of Twitter’s head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, who confirmed her exit in a tweet Friday.
Yaccarino may also struggle to rein in Musk, whose tweets and policy decisions often generate controversy.
Musk last month told CNBC he “didn’t care” if his controversial tweets drew the ire of Twitter advertisers or Tesla shareholders. “I’ll say what I want to say, and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it,” he said.
Even without the CEO title, Musk will retain significant control over Twitter as its owner. He has said he will oversee product, technology and software and systems operations, and will also transition to being the company’s executive chairman.
Fighting to break even
Yaccarino’s first day coincided with a Twitter Spaces livestream event Musk hosted with Democratic presidential hopeful and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, after a similar event Musk held with Ron DeSantis last month was largely overshadowed by technical glitches.
At the event, Musk lamented Twitter’s fraught relationship with advertisers. Musk told Kennedy that Twitter had lost billions of dollars in advertising revenue due to Musk’s approach to content moderation on the social platform.
“It’s definitely been extremely difficult,” Musk said. “Basically, our revenue is cut in half because we didn’t toe the line.”
The Spaces conversation, which drew more than 60,000 listeners at its peak, was hosted by Musk, Kennedy and tech investor David Sacks.
Musk discussed the financial toll advertising boycotts have had on his business, saying it’s been a “huge struggle for Twitter to break even.”
“We’re hoping to break even, but we’re not there yet,” he said.
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THE-CNN-WIRE (TM) & © 2023 CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC., A TIME WARNER COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | https://www.channel3000.com/news/money/elon-musk-is-no-longer-the-ceo-of-twitter-linda-yaccarino-officially-starts-in-role/article_df955b53-1747-5683-8f28-57cb2b2dd4b5.html | 2023-06-06 13:39:42 | 1 | https://www.channel3000.com/news/money/elon-musk-is-no-longer-the-ceo-of-twitter-linda-yaccarino-officially-starts-in-role/article_df955b53-1747-5683-8f28-57cb2b2dd4b5.html |
DOVER, Del. — Delaware’s official government revenue forecast has changed little from last month’s projections, but a state panel warned Friday of potentially troubling trends for the year ahead.
The forecast for the fiscal year starting July 1 was basically unchanged from last month. Taking into account other revisions, state lawmakers have $84 million more to work with than they did last month as they put the final touches on budget bills for the upcoming fiscal year.
Officials warned, however, that revenue trends could spell trouble ahead.
“Some of the key revenue sources, … an awful lot of revenue sources, are not looking good for the next two fiscal years,” said David Roose, director of research and tax policy for the state Department of Finance.
Roose noted that estimates for fiscal 2024 fell in virtually every revenue category compared to last month. Current projections show total general fund revenue declining by 3.8% next year, compared to revenue growth of 7.7% this year.
Personal income for Delawareans is expected to grow about 3% next year, compared to more than 5% this year. Wages and salaries also are forecast to increase by about 3%, down sharply from 8% growth this year. Job growth is expected to decline by half.
Forecasters are expecting net personal income tax, the largest general fund revenue source, to decline slightly next year, while corporate franchise taxes, the second-largest revenue source, is projected to decline by about 7%. Net corporate income tax, another significant revenue stream, is expected to drop by 27%.
DEFAC chairman Michael Houghton wondered whether lawmakers are being kept up to date about the implications of the sagging revenue projections as they consider spending initiatives.
“We’ve had conversations over the last few months with leadership to alert them to some of this softening that we’ve been seeing,” replied state budget director Cerron Cade.
He said the discussions have included pressures from increased spending as well. Medicaid expenditures, for example, are expected to top $1 billion for the first time next year.
“A lot of members are starting to bring legislation forward, recognizing that some of the things they want to do are not going to get done this year,” Cade said.
Nevertheless, members of the legislature’s budget-writing committee have added more than $120 million to Gov. John Carney’s proposed operating budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. The revised budget plan, which will be the subject of House and Senate votes in the coming days, is roughly 10% higher than the budget for the current year. This year, meanwhile, spending has increased by $781 million, or more than 15%, compared to last year. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/06/16/state-revenue-budget-delaware/e0349a3a-0c88-11ee-8132-a84600f3bb9b_story.html | 2023-06-16 21:46:35 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/06/16/state-revenue-budget-delaware/e0349a3a-0c88-11ee-8132-a84600f3bb9b_story.html |
PARIS (AP) — Paris prosecutors have opened a rape investigation into accusations that a member of the French government, a woman who worked as a doctor before joining politics, reportedly performed gynecological exams on two women without their consent.
French law defines rape as any act of sexual penetration committed on others by violence, coercion, threat or surprise.
The government member, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, was named secretary of state for development last month. She and her office have not commented publicly on the accusations, which emerged Wednesday.
The first rape complaint was filed in late May, soon after Zacharopoulou’s government appointment, and another was filed last week, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Wednesday. The prosecutor’s office said it ordered an investigation.
Details of the complaints have not been released. French media reports said the women accused Zacharopoulou of penetration during gynecological exams without their consent.
Two men in French President Emmanuel Macron’s government have also been accused of rape, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and Damien Abad, who is in charge of policies for the disabled. Both firmly deny wrongdoing. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/health/top-french-official-accused-of-rape-during-gynecology-exams/ | 2022-06-23 04:52:51 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/health/top-french-official-accused-of-rape-during-gynecology-exams/ |
Tennessee ban on drag shows in front of children temporarily blocked by judge
The judge sided with Friends of George's, the Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theater group that filed a lawsuit challenging the bill
A federal judge in Tennessee temporarily blocked a law that would have restricted drag performances in front of children from going into effect.
The restraining order was issued Friday, with the judge saying the legislation was likely "vague and overly-broad" in its restriction of speech. The bill would have otherwise gone into effect on Saturday.
Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee signed the bill in February after it passed through the state's legislature. The measure was designed to restrict drag performances in public or in front of children, as conservatives across the country argue that the shows are inappropriate for younger audiences.
Lee previously said the law would protect children from potentially being exposed to "sexualized entertainment" or "obscenity."
TENNESSEE BECOMES FIRST STATE TO BAN DRAG SHOWS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY, NEAR SCHOOLS
There have been GOP-led efforts to limit drag in at least 15 states in recent months.
The Memphis, Tennessee, judge sided with Friends of George's, a Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theater group that filed a lawsuit against the state.
"At this point, the court finds that the statute is likely both vague and overly-broad," U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker said in the ruling.
Parker, who former President Donald Trump appointed, said the state had not justified with a compelling interest the restrictions it intended to impose.
The debate about drag shows in Tennessee has largely centered on whether drag is inherently sexually explicit.
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Performers and civil rights groups have criticized the proposed drag restrictions, arguing that such regulations are unconstitutional, redundant under existing obscenity laws and would lead to more harassment and violence against LGBTQ+ people.
Reuters contributed to this report. | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tennessee-ban-drag-shows-children-temporarily-blocked-judge | 2023-04-01 10:10:51 | 0 | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tennessee-ban-drag-shows-children-temporarily-blocked-judge |
First look: Universal Studios Hollywood powers up with Super Nintendo World
In 1981 Shigeru Miyamoto created a video game character whose entire personality was contained in what the designer first described as “16 dots by 16 dots.”
As that character evolved, those pixels would comprise red suspenders, a pouch of a tummy, an oversize nose, a bushy mustache and eventually a whole lot of jumpy pluckiness, making him an unlikely but confident hero as he sought to rescue a damsel in distress. Miyamoto at first called him Mr. Video, a prescient and self-assured designation for a character who by 1985 would come to dominate home television screens.
It wasn’t long before Mr. Video transitioned into Mario, the most recognizable video game character ever created. Mario would become so popular that Miyamoto would look to the Walt Disney Co. and its brand management of Mickey Mouse for direction. “Mickey Mouse sort of grew and evolved alongside cartoons and animation. I felt it would be best for Mario to grow and evolve alongside video games. Whenever we introduced new technology, we always paired that introduction with a new Mario game,” Miyamoto once told The Times.
Today, Mickey Mouse ears are a global symbol for theme parks around the globe. Could Mario’s trademark red newsboy-like cap challenge that dominance? Maybe, but that’s not the bet driving Universal Studios to build multiple Nintendo-inspired lands in its theme parks.
“I think it’s very clear,” says Jon Corfino, vice president at Universal Creative, the division of the company responsible for theme park experiences. “It means that entertainment is not static.”
The colorful ground where Corfino is standing in Universal Studios Hollywood was once home to blocky soundstages. Today, his feet are planted on an oversize yellow star in a space dedicated to Super Nintendo World, the first major video-game-driven land in a United States theme park.
It’s a historical and remarkable shift for a park that has long stood as a temple dedicated to cinema. For nearly six decades now, the backlot Studio Tour has provided fans, tourists and aspiring filmmakers with their first notable glimpse at behind-the-scenes studio magic — the haunted imagery of a Bates Motel, the thrill of a “Jaws"-like shark attack or the ability to imagine the “Back to the Future” clock tower being shocked to life with a lightning bolt.
But on Feb. 17 when Super Nintendo World officially opens to the public, Universal Studios will be making one of the boldest statements yet about the future of entertainment: It will be interactive. Such a belief has been driving the entirety of the theme park industry for much of the last two decades, and Super Nintendo World, a larger version of which opened last year at Universal Studios Japan, will be the most fully realized vision of a living, persistent land designed to respond to — and play with — guests.
“There is a story line behind this whole experience,” Corfino says. Guests, after walking through one of Mario’s hallmark green pipes, will find themselves in the castle of his beloved Princess Peach, who has just had her golden mushroom stolen. “Part of our mission is to help her get it back. That’s the rationale and the purpose behind a lot of the interactive games.”
And with the land, Mario again will be introducing players — now theme park guests — to a new technology.
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, the land’s sole ride, will, in a first for an American theme park, meld physical sets with movement-tracking augmented reality that will respond to guest positions. It’s part old-school, theme park dark ride — guests will board cars and follow a track — and part showcase for a new form of game playing.
Guests will be asked to steer, throw and aim along a predetermined path. The attraction, one that prioritizes gamification, special effects and theme park wizardry over high-speed thrills, will place attendees, four to a car, alongside Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and a host of other recognizable Nintendo characters, all in a highly participatory racing challenge against the demonic, turtle-meets-dragon figure of Bowser, Mario’s longtime archnemesis.
To get to the ride, visitors will first traverse a blazingly vibrant land that will mash up multiple scenes from the popular “Super Mario Bros.” games. One can gaze out of augmented-reality-enhanced telescopes near icy peaks with blue, snow-lined trees or stand below desert vistas in which a Pokey — a cactus-inspired centipede-like creature — stalks from above. Throughout, there is constant movement — Piranha Plants chomp, a stony Thwomp slams with force, and yellow blocks, ripe for punching — or ill-advised head-butting — dot what feels like a lifesize obstacle course.
Gold coins, forever out of reach, spin and glint in the SoCal sun as bouncy-looking mushrooms look eager to be jumped upon. We won’t, however, be able to run and hop through the land like Mario, but we’ll certainly feel like we should; as side-scrolling platforms tempt us to go higher, the turtle-like Koopas will walk back and forth around us, and the mushroom-inspired Goombas will wobble, stack and practically taunt us to pounce on them. But good news: We will be able to play, as dotted throughout the land are four multiplayer challenges — mini-games that will culminate in a group battle against Bowser Jr.
If all goes as planned, Super Nintendo World will be the most participatory theme park universe ever envisioned.
“They could have made Super Nintendo World a big arcade,” says Jesse Schell, a game designer and longtime advocate for interactivity in public spaces, having worked with theme parks around the world.
“But it’s clear the mandate was that this is not going to be a place where you go to play video games. This is a place where you’re going to go to be in a video game.”
A LAND BUILT FOR CREATIVITY
Theme parks, of course, have always been dedicated to interactive play. One can argue that a land such as Super Nintendo World — or the game-filled Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Anaheim’s Disneyland Park — are rooted in this mission.
There is, as we’ve noted before, an aspect of this approach that dates back to Disneyland’s 1955 beginnings, most notably in the staged shootouts and pack mules that brought theatrics and activity to Frontierland. Tom Sawyer Island joined the latter in 1956, allowing guests to run free amid caves, trails and a suspension bridge. The change, however, is how guests are viewed. We were once seen largely as audience members. Today, we’re essentially actors in giant playsets; that is, if we want to be.
A pivotal moment: The 2014 introduction of interactive wands at Universal’s first Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which turned the entire land into a living universe by giving players the illusion of magic-making abilities. Instead of wands, Universal hopes Super Nintendo World guests invest in Power-Up Bands, interactive wristbands available for $40.
The bands will connect with an app, which will allow guests to track their progress in recapturing the golden mushroom, as well as allow them to collect virtual coins throughout the land and keep tally of their Mario Kart ride scores. Corfino says characters in the land — Mario, his brother Luigi and Princess Peach — will be able to respond to guests based on the progress recorded by their bands. More important, the bands and app will prod guests to play the games that dot Super Nintendo World, which will be broad in scope. Most of the games require participation among multiple parties of guests. Some are timed challenges, others are crank-led puzzles, and one is a chaotic, touch-fueled game that has players turning over digital blocks.
“My definition of games is maybe a little bit different,” Corfino says. “I know that some folks like to say if somehow the experience is keeping score, it’s a game. There are other attractions that have, on a one-dimensional level, kept score. But from a complete immersive aspect, everything that you’re doing here is being tied into your Power-Up Band. Then, delving into the reality of the Mario Kart ride experience, where you have AR goggles, physical sets, video mapping, LED projection — you are in a full-blown game that is unique every time based on what you’re doing. It’s pretty next level.”
The theme park industry will be watching.
“I think that this idea of being able to manifest the digital to the physical in a highly interactive, reactive social environment, which embraces a sense of agency, as well as a sense of urgency, is something where I’m seeing the future of theme parks and gaming colliding,” says Margaret Kerrison, author of “Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds” and a former theme park designer with Walt Disney Imagineering.
Kerrison, who worked extensively on Galaxy’s Edge, sees gaming and theme parks continuing to converge “into something that blurs the boundaries between what you do at home versus what you do in a theme park.”
The blending of theme parks and video games hasn’t always been an easy challenge to solve. Games, after all, are individualized experiences, as even multiplayer ones respond to a singular player’s actions. Theme parks, of course, are not that, as attractions are designed to captivate multiple thousands of people per hour. And yet modern attractions are increasingly gamified. The Disneyland Resort has recently opened the arcade-inspired Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, the latter of which turns our hands into a video game controller.
Universal Studios in Florida just launched the Great Movie Escape at its City Walk, escape rooms themed to “Back to the Future” and “Jurassic Park.” This follows Walt Disney World’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a live-in hotel that doubles as a live-action role-playing game. Play can be derided as silly or frivolous, but it also facilitates curiosity. What is that? Why is it this way? And most important: What if I try this? And in a theme park setting, that drives communication among friends, families and even strangers, as play helps lower inhibitions in the name of engagement.
That is, if we believe it.
One of the first major successful implications of video games in a theme park attraction was Disney’s Toy Story Midway Mania!, which opened at Disney California Adventure in 2008. A key to its successes, says recently retired Imagineer Kevin Rafferty, one of the chief designers of the attraction, was to rethink how we view games in all-encompassing, physical settings. “The early video games that you played on your TV set at home always had a score or a number that would flash up,” Rafferty says. “But in a ride-through application, what that does is suddenly tell you it’s fake.
“It’s not a real space. It’s not a real midway game. In a real space, you wouldn’t have digital numbers pop up like you would in a pinball machine. We wanted the experience to feel real. I always like to say it’s OK to make-believe. But you can’t fake-believe. As soon as you break the rule that you’re in a real place in a real time, then suddenly it’s not a real game booth.”
Similarly, Super Nintendo World will treat its mini-games — and its Mario Kart ride — as real places. Games are around a corner, down a path or behind a giant mushroom rather than any particular booth announcing their presence. And the land is filled with hidden nooks — stairs that lead to a second level with augmented reality googles, or darkened, seemingly ominous caves filled instead with blocks to punch and whack.
It’s a land, like the best “Super Mario Bros.” games, built on discovery. And that, after all, was Miyamoto’s original mission with the games. Asked once for an explanation for the enduring power of Mario, Miyamoto had a simple yet ambitious answer: “The more creative the player is, the more things that they try, the more fun the game becomes.”
INSIDE THE CASTLE
Universal Studios is counting on players coming to be creative.
Unlike Japan’s version of the land, which is home to a ride inspired by Mario’s dinosaur-like pal Yoshi and has a Donkey Kong attraction currently under construction, Hollywood’s more confined space — this theme park, after all, is still a working studio — will have just a singular ride. But those who come to ride Mario Kart and bolt will be missing the point. Super Nintendo World is an invitation to play.
And yet the byzantine queue for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge certainly indicates that Universal knows what the centerpiece of the land is. The line will take guests through numerous locales, starting with fantastical, forest-like atmospheres — said to be Yoshi’s new island — before transitioning to a second level that leads to Bowser’s castle. Nintendo fans will find numerous nods to the Mario Kart games, still one of Nintendo’s most successful properties. The recent “Mario Kart 8” for the Nintendo Switch has sold more than 48 million copies worldwide.
Screens will double as windows, showing us areas of the castle populated with ghosts. Elsewhere, we’ll see Bob-omb-making machines and we’ll learn of Bowser’s obsessions — mainly Mario and Princess Peach. Self-help books, such as one titled “How to Talk to Princesses,” will nod to the roots of franchise, but in this world Princess Peach is not an oft-kidnapped, damsel-in-distress. “It’s there,” Corfino says of Bowser’s obsession with Princess Peach, “but it’s not a creepy there.”
The ride was not available for media previews. Like most of Universal’s theme park experiences, expect open-to-the-public technical rehearsals for the land to begin well before opening, perhaps as soon as early to mid-January. These, however, can be sporadic and can close at any time. But based on videos of the ride from Japan, as well as interviews and reviews of the attraction, guests should expect Mario Kart to be one of the most ambitious video-game-inspired rides to date. It’s not one, however, that prioritizes speed, as capturing the feel of the games — the wildness of collecting and flinging items and constant turns — was the goal.
“There is a learning curve,” says Corfino, noting that the mechanics are simple — press a button on a steering wheel to toss a shell and aim simply by looking in a certain direction — but mastery will come in time. While there is a track, it’s beneficial to one’s final score to steer in the direction the ride is moving, as the attraction will be asking for guests to fully participate throughout. “It’s a natural extension of evolving from behind the scenes to the immersive environments of films,” Corfino says. “So now we’re putting you inside one of the most popular games of all time and putting you inside that environment. How deep can you go in terms of immersion and, in this case, gamification?”
That’s a question that isn’t just being asked by Universal. Arguably, gaming brands — intellectual property, or IP, in industry speak — are just hitting their mainstream culture stride. In spring, Universal will release a “Super Mario Bros.” film, and gaming properties, including “The Last of Us,” “League of Legends” and “Sonic the Hedgehog,” are increasingly being adopted by Hollywood studios. The industry is also closely watching Netflix’s foray into gaming, as the company has been buying and building a cadre of game developers.
“It’s going to be interesting, as time moves on, to see which IPs end up being really meaningful,” says game and theme park designer Schell. “We see our theme parks moving into a more interactive zone. That implies that video games and video game brands are going to be bigger and bigger. It’s easy to imagine a ‘Fortnite’ theme park.”
Theme parks such as Universal Studios and Disneyland are places the public goes to experience popular myths, from classic fairy tales to more modern franchises such as “Star Wars” or “Jurassic Park.” We get to live in and among them, and experience the stories that help us make sense of the world and our emotions.
With “Super Nintendo World,” games — and play itself — have now entered a new storytelling pantheon. It’s a statement that those weaned on games have long known. We don’t play to win or compete; we play to imagine ourselves in a story.
It may be the most ambitious Disney theme park endeavor since Disneyland: Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a live-action role-playing game for the 1%.
Sit back and enjoy the ride? No more. From Disney’s new Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance to Japan’s upcoming “living video game” Super Nintendo World, theme-park audiences must participate to get the full experience.
Thirty years ago a plump little plumber in red overalls revolutionized gaming.
It’s been almost 30 years since the release of “Super Mario Bros.,” and I still can’t get one voice out of my head.
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You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-12-29/universal-studios-super-nintendo-world-exclusive-early-look | 2022-12-29 14:17:07 | 0 | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-12-29/universal-studios-super-nintendo-world-exclusive-early-look |
Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) announced on Tuesday that she will run for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) Senate seat in 2024.
Porter has previously acknowledged that she was considering a bid for what is expected to be an open Senate seat in deep-blue California. While Feinstein hasn’t yet announced her retirement, she is widely expected to do so in the coming months.
On Tuesday, however, Porter made clear that she’s not willing to wait for the 89-year-old Feinstein to make a formal decision. In a video announcing her campaign, Porter said that “it’s time for new leadership in the U.S. Senate.”
“California needs a warrior in Washington,” Porter said. “That’s exactly why I’m announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate in 2024.”
Porter is fresh off a tough reelection campaign that saw her defeat Republican Scott Baugh by little more than 3 percentage points. She also has a reputation as a prolific fundraiser. As of late November, her campaign had $7.7 million in the bank after raising more than $25 million throughout her 2022 reelection bid.
Of course, she’s not the only prominent California Democrat interested in Feinstein’s Senate seat. Rep. Adam Schiff has also said that he’s weighing a 2024 Senate bid. Two other members of California’s House delegation, Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), are also seen as prospective contenders.
In a statement, Khanna said that he would make a decision about a Senate campaign “in the next few months.”
The Senate primary could grow particularly contentious; no Democrat is seen as the clear favorite to succeed Feinstein, who has served in the Senate for more than three decades.
Still, Porter is likely to be among the best positioned. Within minutes of announcing her campaign, she scored an endorsement from Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), an influential liberal group.
“On a gut level, Katie knows how to challenge power on behalf of families,” Adam Green, the co-founder of the PCCC, said in a statement. “We’ve been fighting alongside Katie from the very beginning as she’s taken on predatory banks, corporate executives, and big-money special interests. Now voters are ready to send her – and her whiteboard – to the U.S. Senate.”
Whoever emerges from the Democratic primary will head into the general as the heavy favorite for the seat. The last Republican to hold one of the state’s two Senate seats was former Sen. John Seymour (R-Calif.), whom Feinstein defeated in 1992.
In a statement, Feinstein said that she would “make an announcement concerning my plans for 2024 at the appropriate time,” adding that her top priority for the time being is handling the deadly storms slamming her home state.
“Right now, I’m focused on ensuring California has all the resources it needs to cope with the devastating storms slamming the state and leaving more than a dozen dead,” she said. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/hill-politics/katie-porter-launches-bid-for-feinsteins-senate-seat/ | 2023-01-10 19:18:08 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/hill-politics/katie-porter-launches-bid-for-feinsteins-senate-seat/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy flipped 15 colleagues to support him in dramatic votes for House speaker on Friday, making extraordinary gains on the fourth day and the 12th and 13th ballots of a historic standoff that was testing American democracy and the GOP majority’s ability to govern.
The switched votes from conservative holdouts, including the chairman of the chamber’s Freedom Caucus, put McCarthy closer to seizing the gavel for the new Congress — but not yet able. Republicans voted to adjourn until 10 p.m. to try again.
“I believe at that time we’ll have the votes to finish this once and for all,” McCarthy told reporters.
The stunning turnaround came after McCarthy agreed to many of the detractors’ demands — including the reinstatement of a longstanding House rule that would allow any single member to call a vote to oust him from office.
Even if McCarthy is able to secure the votes he needs, he will emerge as a weakened speaker, having given away some powers and constantly under the threat of being booted by his detractors.
But he could also be emboldened as a survivor of one of the more brutal fights for the gavel in U.S. history. Not since the Civil War era has a speaker’s vote dragged through so many rounds of voting.
The showdown that has stymied the new Congress came against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which shook the country when a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying the Republican’s 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
At a Capitol event on Friday, some lawmakers, mostly Democrats, observed a moment of silence and praised officers who helped protect Congress on that day. And at the White House, Biden handed out medals to officers and others who fought the attackers.
“America is a land of laws, not chaos,” he said.
At the afternoon speaker’s vote, a number of Republicans tiring of the spectacle temporarily walked out when one of McCarthy’s most ardent challengers railed against the GOP leader.
“We do not trust Mr. McCarthy with power,” said Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida, as colleagues streamed out of the chamber in protest of his remarks.
Contours of a deal with conservative holdouts who have been blocking McCarthy’s rise emerged after three dismal days and 11 failed votes in an intraparty standoff unseen in modern times.
And an upbeat McCarthy told reporters as he arrived at the Capitol, “We’re going to make progress. We’re going to shock you.”
One significant former holdout, Republican Scott Perry, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus who had been a leader of Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election, tweeted after his switched vote for McCarthy: “We’re at a turning point.”
Another Republican holdout, Byron Donalds of Florida, who was repeatedly nominated as an alternative candidate for speaker, switched on Friday, too, voting for the McCarthy.
On the 12th ballot, McCarthy won the most votes for the first time 213. A 13th was swiftly launched, this time, just between McCarthy and the Democratic leader, and he picked up one more detractor, to 214.
With 432 members now voting — including the dramatic return of Democrat David Trone who had been out for surgery — McCarthy still fell short of the majority. Six Republicans cast their ballots for a Republican colleague. McCarthy allies were counting on the return of two absent colleagues to push him even closer to the majority in nighttime voting.
As Rep. Mike Garcia nominated McCarthy for Friday, he also thanked the U.S. Capitol Police who were given a standing ovation for protecting lawmakers and the legislative seat of democracy on Jan. 6.
But in nominating the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat Jim Clyburn recalled the horror of that day and told his colleagues: “The eyes of the country are on us today,” he said.
Without a speaker, the chamber is unable swear in members and begin its 2023-24 session, a sign of the difficulty ahead for the new Republican majority as it tries to govern.
Electing a speaker is normally an easy, joyous task for a party that has just won majority control. But not this time: About 200 Republicans have been stymied by 20 far-right colleagues who said he’s not conservative enough.
The disorganized start to the new Congress pointed to difficulties ahead with Republicans now in control of the House, much the way that some past Republican speakers, including John Boehner, had trouble leading a rebellious right flank. The result: government shutdowns, standoffs and Boehner’s early retirement when conservatives threatened to oust him.
The agreement McCarthy presented to the holdouts from the Freedom Caucus and others centers around rules changes they have been seeking for months. Those changes would shrink the power of the speaker’s office and give rank-and-file lawmakers more influence in drafting and passing legislation.
At the core of the emerging deal is the reinstatement of a House rule that would allow a single lawmaker to make a motion to “vacate the chair,” essentially calling a vote to oust the speaker. McCarthy had resisted allowing a return to the longstanding rule that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had done away with, because it had been held over the head of past Republican Speaker Boehner. But it appears McCarthy had no other choice.
Other wins for the holdouts are more obscure and include provisions in the proposed deal to expand the number of seats available on the House Rules Committee, to mandate 72 hours for bills to be posted before votes and to promise to try for a constitutional amendment that would impose federal limits on the number of terms a person could serve in the House and Senate.
What started as a political novelty, the first time since 1923 a nominee had not won the gavel on the first vote, has devolved into a bitter Republican Party feud and deepening potential crisis.
Before Friday’s ballots, Democratic leader Jeffries of New York had won the most votes on every ballot but also remained short of a majority. McCarthy ran second, gaining no ground.
Pressure has grown with each passing day for McCarthy to somehow find the votes he needs or step aside. Congress cannot fully function, the incoming Republican chairmen of the House’s Foreign Affairs, Armed Services and Intelligence committees all said national security was at risk, staff risk not getting paychecks.
The longest fight for the gavel started in late 1855 and dragged on for two months, with 133 ballots, during debates over slavery in the run-up to the Civil War.
___
AP writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Kevin Freking contributed to this report. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-mccarthy-offers-deal-to-end-standoff-in-house-speaker-fight/ | 2023-01-06 22:26:02 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-mccarthy-offers-deal-to-end-standoff-in-house-speaker-fight/ |
Which decorations for trunk-or-treat are best?
For the uninitiated, trunk-or-treating occurs in a parking lot such as that of a school, church or shopping area, letting parents and children celebrate Halloween in a safe space. Costumed individuals deck out their vehicles in themed decorations and pass out candy to children and families walking from car to car.
The decorations for trunk-or-treat are usually kid-friendly, fun and lighthearted. It’s best to aim for a mix of stand-out items that draw a crowd and kits that give you everything you need in one purchase.
Trunk-or-treat decorating tips
Embellishing your car for trunk-or-treat is similar to decorating your home for Halloween. However, four tips can help you elevate your trunk-or-treating experience:
- Stick to a theme: Pick a single idea, such as monsters and go all out with it. Center your car decorations, table and treats around that idea.
- Dress the part: Match your costume to your theme and have fun with it.
- Sounds: Play music or spooky sounds to match your decorations.
- Games: Add a little fun to your station and incorporate games such as a monster ring toss.
Trunk-or-treat checklist
After you’ve selected your decorations for trunk-or-treat, it can make your life easier to create a checklist of other items you might need on the day of the event. There are 20 for you to consider:
- Table
- Candy
- Chairs
- Signs
- Games
- Balloons
- Glow sticks
- Costumes
- Fog machine
- Decorations
- Welcome mat
- Spooky playlist
- Bottles of water
- Snacks and food
- Candy and bowls
- Trick-or-treat bags
- Fully charged phone
- Blankets and jackets
- Speaker for your music
- Flashlights with extra batteries
Kits
The best decorations for trunk-or-treat can simplify your life by giving you everything you need in one purchase. Standard kits come with the character’s eyes, nose, mouth or teeth and other defining features, such as spider legs or ears, that you can affix to your vehicle’s trunk and elsewhere on its exterior.
Deluxe sets take the embellishments a bit further by adding pieces that cover the inside of your trunk, such as a backdrop or fabric. They also have more character or scene details that can stick to your car. Some deluxe kits have external components you can set on the ground near your station, such as a long tongue that can act as a walkway to your candy station.
Easy to assemble
The best decorations for trunk-or-treat are super easy to assemble and come with everything you need to complete your spooky aesthetic. While some sets have more components than others, affixing each piece should be straightforward and include instructions with clearly mapped out placements.
Adhesives
If you get your decorations for trunk-or-treat in a kit or a set, it could come with an adhesive you can safely affix to your car, such as double-sided foam or glue dots. However, if your decorations don’t come with vehicle-safe adhesives, consider buying automotive masking tape or anything that states directly in its description that it is safe to use on your car and won’t destroy its paint.
What are the best decorations for trunk-or-treat to buy?
AnNido Monster Face Kit Decorations for Trunk-or-Treat
This monster face set is made of high-quality plastic that is nontoxic, waterproof and durable. The kit comes with eyes, nostrils, fangs and foam adhesive to keep everything in place.
Sold by Amazon
Joyin Witch Trunk-or-Treat Decorations
This witch value pack comes with a witch hat, eyes, nose, fangs, legs, cat, broom and 60 adhesive glue dots to keep everything in place. Each piece is waterproof, washable and reusable.
Sold by Amazon
This cartoon spider kit comes with 10 legs, four eyes and two fangs. The spider is orange and black, easy to assemble and comes with peel-and-stick foam adhesives.
Sold by Amazon
Hauntlook Deluxe Trunk-or-Treat Spider Car Decoration Kit
This scary 13-piece spider cavern set comes with a tarantula, spider web, egg sack and six cavern cutouts. There’s also a sticky adhesive that’s easy to remove.
Sold by Amazon
Roberly Monster Face Trunk-or-Treat Decoration Kit
This 18-piece scary dragon kit comes with 14 fangs, eyes, a tongue and a nose. It also includes double-sided stickers that go on easily and don’t leave residue behind.
Sold by Amazon
National Tree Company Mean Streak Car Trunk Decoration Kit
This silly monster kit includes eyes that have attached eyebrows and two rows of sharp teeth. It also has built-in suction cups and magnets that stick to your car for a quick, easy setup.
Sold by Amazon
The Fun Express Deluxe Monster Trunk-or-Treat Decorating Kit
This 32-piece goofy purple monster kit has big googly eyes, a feather boa, pom-pom decorations, several table skirts, foam cones and a long red tablecloth.
Sold by Amazon
Disguise Store “Trolls” Trunk-or-Treat Decoration Kit
This simple kit comes with three sheets that have nine cutouts; one is a larger backdrop, and the others are accent images you can affix to your vehicle. It also includes 24 pieces of double-sided foam adhesives.
Sold by Amazon
Joyin Unicorn Trunk-or-Treat Car Decoration Kit
This washable, durable and reusable nine-piece rainbow unicorn set comes with a flower unicorn horn, ears, eyes, a nose, a goofy smile and rainbow cheeks. It also offers 60 weather-resistant glue dots.
Sold by Amazon
Joyin “Frankenstein” Decorations for Trunk-or-Treat
This silly 12-piece Frankenstein’s monster kit comes with the iconic character’s forehead, bolts, eyes, nose, ears, teeth and hands. The pieces are reusable, washable and durable; it also includes 60 glue dots for quick, easy assembly.
Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wivb.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/holiday-br/10-best-decorations-for-trunk-or-treat/ | 2022-10-28 20:02:22 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/holiday-br/10-best-decorations-for-trunk-or-treat/ |
CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. (WFXR) — There have been wild horses on Assateague Island, a barrier island off the coast of Virginia, for hundreds of years. While there are a number of theories about how they got there, the most prevalent is they are survivors of the shipwreck of a Spanish galleon, America has been in love with the wild herd for nearly eight decades.
The reason?
The Misty of Chincoteague series of books by acclaimed author Marguerite Henry. Henry visited Chincoteague in the 1940s looking for a story idea. She found it in the annual pony swim and penning that the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company conducted to raise funds.
The story focuses on two children, Maureen and Paul Beebe, and their love of the Assateague ponies. The characters in the book are based on real people. The place where much of the Misty story takes place, the Beebe Ranch, is real, too. There was even a feature film made about it in 1961.
“Marguerite Henry writes the book in the 1940s and it sparks this nationwide interest in Chincoteague and pony penning,” said Museum of Chincoteague Curator Theresa Petroni-Conaway. “It’s such a sweet and really inspiring story about these children and about these ponies, and I think a lot of people really connect with that.”
Now, that cherished piece of Virginia heritage and American literary history is in danger of being taken over by developers.
The ranch has been parceled off through the years, and now the Beebe family feels it is best to sell what is left. Developers have offered $625 thousand dollars for the property.
The citizens of Chincoteague, as well as the Museum of Chincoteague, did not want to see the ranch sold to developers. In an attempt to preserve their history, an effort is underway to buy the ranch.
“Chincoteague history is American history,” said Petroni-Conaway. “It is an essential part, the book, of American history.”
So far, $475 thousand dollars has been raised to buy the ranch. The museum has a contract on the property but must come up with the rest of the purchase price by the date of closing, June 30.
A GoFundMe has been set up. The Museum of Chincoteague is also taking donations by mail and over the phone. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company is also getting involved. It will hold a special online auction from June 9 through June 14. All the money raised will go to the effort to save the Beebe Ranch.
“We get so many phone calls from people who are concerned,” said Petroni-Conaway. “They are really inspired and want to contribute to saving the ranch.”
There are actual Misty descendants at the ranch. Billy Beebe still tends to them.
“All of my relatives are in the first Misty of Chincoteague book,” said Beebe.
Beebe wants to see the ranch saved, too. He spent his childhood there and tells story after story about the real Paul and Maureen, as well as the real Misty.
“Grandma actually woke us up over at her house and said she had a premonition, which I found out was a dream, that Misty had her colt,” Beebe said while recounting the story of one of Misty’s more famous offspring. “They had a contest in naming him, and they picked Phantom Wings.”
That contest only furthered the interest America had in the Chincoteague ponies. Marguerite Henry flew to Chincoteague to see the young horse, and a nationwide contest was held by Henry’s publisher to name the foal. Phantom Wings was selected by two sisters from South Dakota. Through the years, the Misty books continue to sell, entertaining generation after generation of people around the world, and bringing international acclaim to Virginia and Chincoteague Island.
“People come here every day, it is their bucket list item to see the place where Misty is from,” Petroni-Conaway said. “We have so many people who are concerned and want to help us save the ranch. We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed.” | https://phl17.com/national-news/horse-ranch-in-danger-triggers-effort-to-save-the-home-of-beloved-misty-of-chincoteague-from-developers/ | 2023-05-18 12:43:42 | 1 | https://phl17.com/national-news/horse-ranch-in-danger-triggers-effort-to-save-the-home-of-beloved-misty-of-chincoteague-from-developers/ |
Built Across a 2 Acre Multi-Level Venue, TRANSFIX Features A Staggering Collection of Over 50 Mind-Bending, Interactive Installations by the World's Most Innovative Artists
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LAS VEGAS, March 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TRANSFIX, the world's largest touring immersive art experience, is pleased to announce its inaugural edition, launching this April on the Las Vegas Strip at Resorts World Las Vegas. TRANSFIX will present over 50 interactive, kinetic, illuminated, and fire-breathing artworks by international artists across a 200,000 square-foot multi-level venue. TRANSFIX will open to the public on April 21, 2023, and will run through Fall 2023. Following its Las Vegas residency, TRANSFIX will roll out globally, with plans to tour across major US cities and abroad.
Designed to be an experience unlike any other, participants are invited to embark on their own 90-120 minute journey through a two-acre labyrinth. The venue, which is located on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, includes 10 artist-designed bars and speakeasies, and provides a thrilling environment for guests to have a unique night out on the town. Tickets will go on sale March 15, 2023, and begin at $59.
Artworks range from monolithic, shapeshifting kinetics, mesmerizing tunnels, and mind-melting video installations to large-scale fire-breathing sculptures, ocular and sonic landscapes, and hidden lounges and speakeasies. Participating artists include Christopher Bauder & KiNK , Marco Cochrane, Foldhaus Collective, Kate Raudenbush, Christopher Schardt, Playmodes, HOTTEA, Kevin Clark, and many more.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with TRANSFIX and for the opportunity to bring such a unique offering to our guests," said Scott Sibella, President of Resorts World Las Vegas. "This experience will truly elevate and redefine the immersive experience approach, and we cannot wait to welcome our guests and visitors alike to this never-before-seen attraction."
Through a myriad of live experiences encompassing art, light, sound, and video works alongside music, food, beverage, and retail offerings, TRANSFIX aims to build future art experiences that foster a global creative economy, form a strong community, and support innovative art and artists of all backgrounds, while encouraging participation and inspiring personal creative discovery. TRANSFIX is co-founded by experiential entrepreneurs Michael Blatter and Tom Stinchfield.
"Our aim is to elevate and redefine 'immersive.' We believe that interacting with art at this large of a scale can change the world by illuminating one mind at a time. If we can inspire even a fraction of our guests to restore their childlike wonder and curiosity—or explore their own personal creativity and expression—we've done our jobs well," said Tom Stinchfield, TRANSFIX Co-Founder and CRO.
"Over the past two years, we've carefully built out the TRANSFIX business model by placing artists at the forefront of what we do. Our goal is to change the way that artists receive recognition and compensation for their work. We founded TRANSFIX to create a platform that funds artists of all backgrounds to develop new large-scale artworks that would have never been realized otherwise, and we're thrilled to present it with the world," added Michael Blatter, TRANSFIX Co-Founder and CEO.
ABOUT TRANSFIX
TRANSFIX is the world's largest immersive art experience, presenting over 50 monumental installations by the most innovative artists of today. Launching April 2023 at Resorts World in Las Vegas, TRANSFIX features a labyrinth of art, light, sound, and video works across a 200,000 square-foot multi-level venue, inviting participants to embark on their own adventure. Co-founded by Michael Blatter and Tom Stinchfield, TRANSFIX aims to build future art experiences that foster a global creative economy, build a strong community, and support innovative art and artists of all backgrounds, while encouraging participation and inspiring personal creative discovery.
CONTACT:
TRANSFIX@culturalcounsel.com
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SOURCE TRANSFIX | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/03/06/announcing-transfix-worlds-largest-touring-immersive-art-experience-launching-resorts-world-las-vegas-this-april-2023/ | 2023-03-06 17:21:46 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/03/06/announcing-transfix-worlds-largest-touring-immersive-art-experience-launching-resorts-world-las-vegas-this-april-2023/ |
Throughout this summer, Ray Mullin and his wife, Tiara Gunstone, have been busy putting back together a little piece of history in the community of Trout Lake.
Trout Lake Hall has had many names in the past, but for over a hundred years, it has been host to parties, banquets, dances, dinners, and any kind of get-together you can think of. When Mullin, a 20-year veteran of the Portland music industry, and Gunstone, an experienced interior designer and owner of Crush Staging, a real estate staging company, saw the opportunity to renew the spirit of the historic building, they jumped on it.
Following the closure of The Historic Trout Lake Country Inn, the couple started a conversation with the building’s owner, Danica Rawlings, and as the conversation evolved, they knew they had struck gold. The couple has decided to lease the building and convert it into a spot for live performances, private events, and more.
Mullin brings decades of experience working as a concert promoter and venue manager in different spots around Portland.
“I got into putting on concerts and running venues as a teenager,” Mullin said. “I was sort of just in a strange headspace as a kid and had some friends that played in bands and wanted to figure out how to book them concerts and shows and I started out helping out with a little punk venue in Southeast Portland.”
The opportunity gave him more connections to the music scene and he worked in different places, later becoming the manager of Satrycon, a now-closed punk club in Portland’s Chinatown, renowned for hosting many of the greatest bands to come out of the Northwest. Following his departure, he became the manager of Mississipi Studios and helped to open Revolution Hall in the Buckman neighborhood of Portland, managing the venue as well. For the past ten years, he has had the responsibility of overseeing most of the departments from operations and security, to booking and ticketing.
“I love music, I love live music,” he said. “I love creativity and community that comes from gatherings and the positive energy that you can kind of feel from a large group of people having a good time.”
That energy lives on in the walls of Trout Lake Hall today.
Built in 1904 by German settlers Henry and Herman Thode, the “Amusement Hall” housed a large dance floor, a stage, a soda fountain and a two-lane handset, candlestick bowling alley, according to a history by Gil Martin, submitted to the National Register of Historic Places.
“Upon its construction, the Hall soon became widely known for its recreational offerings, especially the Saturday night barn dances, which featured music by a variety of talented local artists,” Martin wrote. It later became host to the Trout Lake Bachelor’s Club. Purportedly the first of its kind in the Northwest, the organization took out advertisements in regional newspapers seeking eligible bachelorettes. As the brothers aged, so did their taste in business opportunities as they leased a portion of the property to a gas station nearby, and later sold the business to Josephine Jermanne in 1924. The Jermannes opened The Tourist Club, known affectionately as “Doodle’s Place.” The business offered food, beverage,and nightly pinoche games. While alcohol was prohibited, some male customers hid their stash by stuffing bottles into the snow bank off the porch in winter. Jermanne later installed an addition to the rear portion of the house, which served as a public bath house while the front portion served as a post office, and offered a soda fountain through to the early 60s.
The business was again sold to Bill Morris in 1964, which served as a makeshift hanger for portions of his fragmented airplane, while farmers and loggers still stopped in for the occasional beer. The tavern was the only watering hole for 12 miles in any direction, Martin noted. Weekend music returned in 1975, and stage plays came back in 1980 while summer dinner shows were performed from 1980 to 1998. Since then, the building was used as a bed and breakfast, and rental of the hall for weddings and reunions.
Mullin has always dreamed of owning his own venue — “I tried when I was 16 and I had no idea what I was doing. I was maybe a little bit too ambitious.”
Gunstone and Mullin both grew up in Portland, while Gunstone’s family has owned a house in Trout Lake since she was a kid.
“Since we’ve been together, we’ve been coming to Trout Lake for a long time. Now we’re spending a lot of our free time up here,” he said. They are considering making the move to Trout Lake full time and have their daughter, Odell, start school there.
This summer since leasing the building, they have been hard at work renovating the commercial kitchen, the roof and replacing some of the siding on the exterior walls. The inside will be opened up much more and the bar and kitchen area will be entirely reformulated, he said.
The couple hired a music promoter recently, Lindsie Feathers, who is actively booking talent for a concert series in the fall. No opening date has been set yet as construction is ongoing, but Mullin said the business will be booking six to eight weekends through the rest of the year, and finish out any leftover construction projects in the winter. They plan to be open with regular business hours and to be open for food and drink, with opportunities for entertainment and private events.
“I’m exploring having either food pop-ups with some chefs or some food trucks for the show series. But anytime we’re open, we will have food,” he said. “I’m just over the moon about everything. I’m really, really excited about being able to work to build it an excellent place for the community to come and have a good time.” | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/entertainment/trout-lake-hall-to-reopen-as-music-venue/article_c6c81e12-1d84-11ed-9f2a-47651321244b.html | 2022-08-16 20:45:56 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/entertainment/trout-lake-hall-to-reopen-as-music-venue/article_c6c81e12-1d84-11ed-9f2a-47651321244b.html |
Meeting to be held on June 24th, 2022
NEW YORK, June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern Lights Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: "NLIT") ("Northern Lights"), a special purpose acquisition corporation, announces that it will hold a special meeting of its stockholders (the "Special Meeting") on June 24, 2022 at 2pm ET to approve the business combination whereby NLIT will acquire SHF, LLC, d/b/a Safe Harbor Financial ("Safe Harbor") and other related matters.
The Special Meeting will be exclusively via a live audio webcast at https://www.cstproxy.com/northernlightsacquisitioncorp/2022. Stockholders of record as of May 19, 2022, are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting. Every stockholder's vote is important, regardless of the number of shares held. Accordingly, Northern Lights requests that each stockholder complete, sign, date and return a proxy card (online or by mail) as soon as possible and by no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 23, 2022, to ensure that the stockholder's shares will be represented at the Special Meeting. Stockholders that hold their shares in "street name" (i.e., those stockholders whose shares are held of record by a broker, bank or other nominee) should contact their broker, bank or nominee to ensure that their shares are voted.
If any Northern Lights stockholder does not receive the proxy statement describing the business combination and the other matters to be voted upon at the Special Meeting (the "Proxy Statement") or who may need assistance in completing the proxy card or have questions regarding the Special Meeting, please contact Northern Lights' proxy solicitor, The Laurel Hill Advisory Group by phone at (855) 414-2266 or via email at nlit@laurelhill.com.
If the proposals at the Special Meeting are approved, the parties anticipate that the business combination will close shortly thereafter, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the other closing conditions. As part of the business combination, NLIT intends to change its name to SHF Holdings, Inc. and expects its common stock and warrants to remain listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the new ticker symbols "SHFS" and "SHFSW," respectively.
Safe Harbor, a leading financial services provider to the cannabis industry, was formed to provide an unmet need – compliant banking and financial services to the rapidly expanding U.S. cannabis industry. Over the past seven years (including operations conducted through its parent, Partner Colorado Credit Union, Safe Harbor has processed more than $12 billion in transactions, including approximately $3.6 billion in 2021.
Safe Harbor has grown to nearly 600 clients spanning 20 states, serving both the medical and recreational cannabis markets. As legislative reform unfolds in the U.S., Safe Harbor is uniquely positioned as the trusted, leading standard for cannabis financial services.
To watch Northern Lights' Investor Day, which was held on May 25, 2022, CLICK HERE.
Northern Lights is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. For more information, visit https://northernlightsacquisitioncorp.com/home/default.aspx.
Safe Harbor is one of the first financial services providers to offer reliable access to banking solutions for cannabis, hemp, CBD, and ancillary operators, making communities safer, driving growth in local economies, and fostering long-term partnerships. Safe Harbor, through its partners, serves the regulated cannabis industry and implements the highest standard of accountability, transparency, monitoring, reporting, and risk mitigation measures while meeting BSA obligations in line with FinCEN guidance on CRBs. Over the past seven years, Safe Harbor (including its predecessor) has processed over $12 billion in transactions with operations spanning 20 states with regulated cannabis markets. For more information, visit www.shfinancial.org.
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to (i) trends in the cannabis industry, including changes in U.S and state laws, rules, regulations and guidance relating to Safe Harbor's services; (ii) Safe Harbor's growth prospects and Safe Harbor's market size; (iii) Safe Harbor's projected financial and operational performance, including relative to its competitors; (iv) new product and service offerings Safe Harbor may introduce in the future; (v) the proposed business combination, including the implied enterprise value, the expected post-closing ownership structure and the likelihood and ability of the parties to successfully consummate the potential transaction; (vi) the risk that the proposed business combination may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, whether as a result of recent volatility in the capital markets or otherwise, which may adversely affect the price of Northern Lights' securities; (vii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the proposed business combination, including the approval of the proposed business combination by the stockholders of Northern Lights; (viii) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the proposed business combination on Northern Lights' or Safe Harbor's business relationships, performance, and business generally; (ix) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Northern Lights or Safe Harbor related to the definitive unit purchase agreement or the proposed business combination; (x) the ability to maintain the listing of Northern Lights' securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market; (xi) the price of Northern Lights' securities, including volatility resulting from changes in the competitive and highly regulated industry in which Safe Harbor plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting Safe Harbor's business and changes in the combined capital structure; (xii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the proposed business combination, and identify and realize additional opportunities; and (xiii) other statements regarding Safe Harbor's and Northern Lights' expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intends," "outlook," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "would," and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject, are subject to risks and uncertainties. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Northern Lights' Proxy Statement relating to the proposed business combination, which has been filed with the SEC, other documents filed by Northern Lights from time to time with SEC, and any risk factors made available to you in connection with Northern Lights, Safe Harbor, and the transaction. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of Safe Harbor and Northern Lights), and other assumptions, that may cause the actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
The proposed business combination involving Northern Lights and Safe Harbor will be submitted to the stockholders of Northern Lights for their consideration. Northern Lights filed the Proxy Statement in definitive form with the SEC on June 10, 2022 to be distributed to the stockholders of Northern Lights in connection with Northern Lights' solicitation for proxies for the vote by the stockholders of Northern Lights connection with the proposed business combination and other matters as described in the Proxy Statement. Northern Lights has mailed the Proxy Statement and other relevant documents to its stockholders as of May 19, 2022, the record date established for voting on the proposed business combination. Before making any voting decision, the stockholders of Northern Lights and other interested persons are advised to read the Proxy Statement and any amendments thereto, along with all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed business combination and Northern Lights' solicitation of proxies for its special meeting of stockholders to be held to approve, among other things, the proposed business combination, because these documents will contain important information about Northern Lights, Safe Harbor, and the proposed business combination. Stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement, as well as other documents filed with the SEC regarding the proposed business combination and other documents filed with the SEC by Northern Lights, without charge, at the SEC's website located at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to Northern Lights Acquisition Corporation, 10 East 53rd Street, Suite 3001, New York, NY, 10022, or by telephone at (615) 554-0044.
This press release relates to a proposed business combination between Northern Lights and Safe Harbor and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
Northern Lights and Safe Harbor, and certain of their respective directors and executive officers, under the rules of the SEC, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Northern Lights' stockholders in favor of the approval of the business combination. Information about the directors and officers of Northern Lights and their ownership of Northern Lights Class B common stock can also be found in Northern Lights' registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on June 2, 2021 in connection with its initial public offering, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on March 25, 2022, the Proxy Statement, and other documents subsequently filed by Northern Lights with the SEC. Information about the directors and executive officers of Safe Harbor, as well as information regarding the interests of other persons who may be deemed participants in the transaction, may be obtained by reading the Proxy Statement regarding the business combination when it becomes available. Additional information regarding the interests of these participants will also be included in the proxy statement pertaining to the business combination if and when it becomes available. Free copies of this document may be obtained as described above.
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SOURCE Safe Harbor Financial | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/northern-lights-acquisition-corp-announces-date-of-special-meeting-to-approve-acquisition-of-safe-harbor/article_d0fc455b-9e43-5997-ab38-d245ff6c9d1b.html | 2022-06-14 12:32:58 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/northern-lights-acquisition-corp-announces-date-of-special-meeting-to-approve-acquisition-of-safe-harbor/article_d0fc455b-9e43-5997-ab38-d245ff6c9d1b.html |
Securities Litigation Partner James (Josh) Wilson Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses Exceeding $100,000 In Twist To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options
NEW YORK, Dec. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Twist Bioscience Corporation ("Twist" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: TWST) and reminds investors of the February 10, 2023 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company.
If you suffered losses exceeding $100,000 investing in Twist stock or options between December 13, 2019, and November 14, 2022 and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). You may also click here for additional information: www.faruqilaw.com/TWST.
There is no cost or obligation to you.
Faruqi & Faruqi is a leading minority and Woman-owned national securities law firm with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia.
Twist, a Delaware corporation with its principal executive office in South San Francisco, California, is a biotechnology company that manufactures synthetic DNA and DNA products. Synthetic DNA products allow users to design and modify DNA for the purposes of academic research, enhancing specialty chemical production, and developing healthcare treatments, among other uses.
Throughout the Class Period, Defendants repeatedly assured investors that the company possessed innovative proprietary technology relating to its synthetic DNA products that positioned Twist for significant future growth. Specifically, Defendants claimed that Twist had already achieved substantial growth during the Class Period, growing from a customer base of approximately 1,300 diagnostic companies, hospitals, research institutions, and others at the end of fiscal year 2019, to approximately 2,900 customers at the end of fiscal year 2021.
Similarly, Defendants reported skyrocketing gross margins, which purportedly grew from 12.8% in fiscal year 2019, to 39.1% in fiscal year 2021, with margins projected to reach 40% for fiscal year 2022.
During the Class Period, Defendants also announced plans to build a "Factory of the Future" in Wilsonville, Oregon (the "Oregon Facility"), which would purportedly provide hundreds of jobs and occupy 110,000 square feet. By August 2022, when Twist reported its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2022, Defendants projected annual capital expenditures between $95 million and $100 million, largely attributable to "building out" this new manufacturing facility.
The truth about Twist's actual financial health was revealed on November 15, 2022, when Scorpion Capital ("Scorpion") published a lengthy report (the "Scorpion Report") alleging that Twist is "a cash-burning inferno that is not a going concern." Specifically, Scorpion alleged that, among other things, Twist's purported DNA chip technology is a "farce" comparable to Theranos Inc.'s now infamous non-existent blood-testing technology, and that Twist's growth and revenues are unsustainable, among other issues.
According to the Scorpion Report, Twist is perpetuating its fraud through false reporting of capital expenditures and gross margins—which Scorpion claims are actually negative. Indeed, Scorpion's investigation of the forthcoming Oregon Facility revealed no evidence that Twist is preparing to begin manufacturing there, suggesting that the company is using the facility to hide large operating expenses as fraudulent capital expenditures. Scorpion further alleged that Twist's growth is dependent upon unsustainable pricing strategies, such as using below-cost prices to undercut competitors by as much as 70% to 85%. Ultimately, the Scorpion Report concluded that Twist is "operating a Ponzi-like scheme that will end in bankruptcy."
In response to the revelations in the Scorpion Report, the price of Twist common stock fell $7.57 per share, or nearly 20%, from a close of $38.00 per share on November 14, 2022, to close at $30.43 per share on November 15, 2022.
Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Twist's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others.
Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner.
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SOURCE Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2022/12/23/twist-deadline-alert/ | 2022-12-23 23:19:19 | 0 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2022/12/23/twist-deadline-alert/ |
Sanders signs Arkansas trans care malpractice bill into law
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed into law legislation making it easier to sue providers of gender-affirming care for children, a move that could effectively reinstate a blocked ban on such care.
Sanders on Monday signed the new law, which won’t take effect until this summer. It would allow anyone who received gender-affirming care as a minor to file a malpractice lawsuit against their doctor for up to 15 years after they turn 18. Under current Arkansas law, medical malpractice claims must be filed within two years of an injury.
Legal experts have said the change could close access to gender-affirming care for children by making it nearly impossible for providers to get malpractice insurance.
The new law is among a growing number of bills targeting transgender people, who have faced increasingly hostile rhetoric at statehouses. At least 175 bills targeting trans people have been introduced in statehouses so far this year, the most in a single year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
The bill was signed as a federal judge is considering whether to strike down a 2021 Arkansas law that would prohibit doctors from providing gender-affirming hormone therapy or puberty blockers to anyone under 18 — or referring them to other doctors who can provide that care. No gender-affirming surgery is performed on minors in the state.
U.S. District Judge Jay Moody temporarily blocked the law in 2021. Arkansas was the first state to enact such a ban, and several states have approved similar restrictions. A ban in Alabama has also been blocked by a federal judge.
The new law won’t take effect until 90 days after the Legislature adjourns this year’s session, which isn’t expected to happen until next month at the earliest.
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/sanders-signs-arkansas-trans-care-malpractice-bill-into-law/ | 2023-03-14 16:14:32 | 0 | https://www.kob.com/news/us-and-world-news/sanders-signs-arkansas-trans-care-malpractice-bill-into-law/ |
by: Nichole Niemann Posted: Jun 14, 2023 / 04:21 PM CDT Updated: Jun 14, 2023 / 04:22 PM CDT SHARE Nichole checks out Count Porkula and samples some of their signature drinks like The Piggy Stardust.
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Add style and whimsy to outdoor spaces with the best … Metal wind spinners often come in neutral metal finishes, copper-coated finishes that develop a patina over time, or bright colors that stand out in a garden.
Essential products for the perfect at-home summer … Skip the costly visit to the nail salon, and elevate your at-home pedicure routine with some new gadgets and products. | https://www.kark.com/arkansas-style/drinks-as-famous-as-their-food/ | 2023-06-14 21:54:09 | 1 | https://www.kark.com/arkansas-style/drinks-as-famous-as-their-food/ |
WASHINGTON and SEATTLE, Jan. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of tiny holes, Orion's Veil — a bubble of gas and dust — is breaking sooner than expected, and SOFIA was the only observatory that could study why.
Cosmic bubbles are blowing up earlier than expected, and research from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) can help explain why.
During the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society, which will be held at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, WA on Jan 8-12, Umit Kavak will present his work on the role of stellar feedback in breaking up Orion's Veil. His talk, "Protostellar feedback in massive star-forming regions," will be featured in a press conference on Wednesday, Jan 11 at 10:15 AM PT.
In a previous study, Kavak and his collaborators found fossil outflows from the Trapezium Cluster of stars in Orion's Veil — a bubble of dust and gas in our galaxy —suggested the veil might be breaking. Now, they've found outflows actively ejected from protostars that are not as bright as the Trapezium stars. These protostellar outflows are also interacting with the bubble's shell, allowing the researchers to study the process in more depth.
As stars from within the bubble eject material out, this material interacts with the shell. The bubble then becomes something more like a sieve, with tens of thousands of tiny holes from which gas can escape.
"Think of it like shooting a gun from thousands of different protostars, and all of them are just shooting in random directions," Kavak said.
This process is important for astronomers to study because of the role it plays in the dynamics of bubbles like Orion's Veil. Though they know the bubble will eventually blow up, there are many candidate mechanisms that can break it, such as radiation or hot gas from supernovae. This work provides evidence that outflows from massive protostars are a potential middle stage in the bubble's evolution that can break the bubble up earlier than expected.
Furthermore, while ionized carbon has often been used to study outflows from grown stars, the results also show its utility in monitoring the outflows of a star even before it is fully formed, and their impact. However, the Veil is difficult to study because of how thin and dense it is, and its structures can only be traced with ionized carbon observations. SOFIA was therefore unique in its ability to reveal this interaction, thanks to its spectral resolution and its ability to resolve the ionized carbon around protostars.
"There's no way to study this anymore without SOFIA," Kavak said. "We may trace structures perpendicular to our line of sight with other observations, but if the structure illuminated by a massive star is moving towards us, velocity-resolved ionized carbon observations are one-of-a-kind."
SOFIA was a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR. DLR provided the telescope, scheduled aircraft maintenance, and other support for the mission. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley managed the SOFIA program, science, and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft was maintained and operated by NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703, in Palmdale, California. SOFIA achieved full operational capability in 2014 and concluded its final science flight on Sept. 29, 2022.
The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-and aeronautics -related science, technology and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities and conducts other major research and educational programs. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu.
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A majority of children on Dupixent (up to 68% on a higher dose) achieved histological disease remission at week 16
First and only Phase 3 trial to show positive results in this patient population; there are currently no approved treatments specifically indicated for children under 12 years of age with EoE
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and PARIS, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi today presented late-breaking positive results from a Phase 3 trial evaluating the investigational use of Dupixent® (dupilumab) in children aged 1 to 11 years with active eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The data will be shared at United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week 2022 and submitted to regulatory authorities around the world, starting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) next year. In May 2022, Dupixent 300 mg weekly was approved by the FDA to treat EoE in people aged 12 years and older, weighing at least 40 kg.
"Eosinophilic esophagitis impacts a child's fundamental ability to eat, which is especially critical in early childhood when healthy weight gain is vital to long-term health and development," said Mirna Chehade, M.D., Mount Sinai Center for Eosinophilic Disorders, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York and principal investigator of the trial. "These Phase 3 data support the potential of dupilumab to reduce esophageal damage – caused in part by underlying type 2 inflammation – and showed histological disease remission and signs of weight gain impacting the growth percentile for those children on higher dose Dupixent."
As presented at UEG Week 2022, Dupixent led to significant improvements in the primary efficacy measure for higher (n=37) and lower (n=31) dose groups at 16 weeks in the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial. Among children treated with Dupixent, 68% of patients on higher dose and 58% of patients on lower dose achieved the primary endpoint of significant histological disease remission, compared to 3% for placebo (both p<0.0001). Children on the higher dose regimen also experienced significant improvements in abnormal endoscopic findings of their esophagus, with a reduction of 3.5 points compared to an increase of 0.3 points for placebo (p<0.0001). Symptomatically, higher dose Dupixent led to a numerical improvement in the proportion of days children experienced disease symptoms from baseline as reported by their caregivers compared to placebo, though not statistically significant. Additionally, a prespecified exploratory analysis was presented which found higher dose Dupixent led to a 3.09 percentile increase in body weight for age percentile from baseline, compared to 0.29 for placebo.
Safety results were generally consistent with the known safety profile of Dupixent in its approved EoE indication for children and adults aged 12 years and older who weigh at least 40 kg. For the 16-week treatment period, the overall rates of adverse events (AEs) were 79% (higher dose n=27/37, lower dose n=26/30) for Dupixent and 91% (n=31/34) for placebo. AEs most commonly observed with Dupixent (≥5%) compared to placebo included COVID-19 (higher dose n=5/37, lower dose n=9/30, placebo n=0/34; all cases were mild or moderate and did not lead to study discontinuation), rash (higher dose n=3/37, lower dose n=3/30, placebo n=2/34), headache (higher dose n=1/37, lower dose n=4/30, placebo n=1/34), viral gastroenteritis (higher dose n=4/37, lower dose n=0/30, placebo n=1/34), diarrhea (higher dose n=2/37, lower dose n=2/30, placebo n=1/34) and nausea (higher dose n=1/37, lower dose n=3/30, placebo n=0/34). Rates of treatment discontinuation due to AEs prior to week 16 were 0% (higher dose n=0/37, lower dose n=0/30) for Dupixent and 6% (n=2/34) for placebo.
The potential use of Dupixent in children with EoE aged 1 to 11 years is currently under clinical development, and the safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by any regulatory authority.
About Eosinophilic Esophagitis
EoE is a chronic inflammatory disease that damages the esophagus and prevents it from working properly. The results seen with Dupixent in adults and children with EoE demonstrate that IL-4 and IL-13 are key and central drivers of the type 2 inflammation underlying this disease.
In children, common symptoms of EoE include acid reflux, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, trouble swallowing, and a failure to thrive. These symptoms can impact growth, weight gain and development, and can cause food-related fear and anxiety which can persist through adulthood. Diet adjustments, which oftentimes include the elimination of many foods, are the standard treatment for EoE, as well as the use of treatments not approved for the disease in children. These include proton pump inhibitors, swallowed topical corticosteroids, or in severe cases, a feeding tube, which may be used to ensure proper caloric intake and weight gain.
Of the approximately 21,000 children under the age of 12 in the U.S. currently being treated for EoE, about 9,000 do not satisfactorily respond to their current treatment regimen and potentially require advanced therapy.
About the Dupixent Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis Trial
The Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of Dupixent in young children aged 1 to 11 years with EoE, as determined by histological, endoscopic and patient- or caregiver-reported measures. At baseline, 98% of these patients had at least one co-existing type 2 inflammatory disease such as food allergy, allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis.
Patients received Dupixent subcutaneously at either a higher dose or lower dose regimen based on their weight (ranging from ≥5 kg to <60 kg) over a 16-week period, at which point all endpoints were assessed. The dosing frequency ranged between every two weeks and every four weeks, based on weight.
The primary endpoint was histological disease remission, which was defined as peak esophageal intraepithelial eosinophil count of ≤6 eosinophils (eos)/high power field (hpf). Secondary endpoints included abnormal endoscopic findings (EoE Endoscopic Reference Score [EoE-EREFS] on a 0-18 scale), as well as changes in caregiver-reported symptoms (proportion of days with one or more EoE signs [e.g., stomach pain, vomiting, food refusal] by the Pediatric EoE Sign/Symptom Questionnaire-caregiver version [PESQ-C]). The PESQ-C is a novel endpoint developed by Regeneron and Sanofi used for the first time in this trial, designed to assess symptoms in young children through their caregivers (as signs), as children may have difficulty verbalizing their symptoms themselves. An exploratory endpoint assessed change from baseline in body weight for age percentile.
The trial is ongoing with a 36-week extended active treatment period, followed by a 108-week open-label extension to evaluate long-term outcomes. These results, as well as more detailed lower dose results, will be presented or published in the future.
About Dupixent
Dupixent, which was invented using Regeneron's proprietary VelocImmune® technology, is a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) pathways and is not an immunosuppressant. The Dupixent development program has shown significant clinical benefit and a decrease in type 2 inflammation in Phase 3 trials, establishing that IL-4 and IL-13 are key and central drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in multiple related and often co-morbid diseases. These diseases include approved indications for Dupixent such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), EoE and prurigo nodularis (PN).
Dupixent has received regulatory approvals in one or more countries around the world for use in certain patients with atopic dermatitis, asthma, CRSwNP, EoE or PN in different age populations. Dupixent is currently approved across these indications in the U.S. and for one or more of these indications in more than 60 countries, including in the European Union and Japan. More than 500,000 patients have been treated with Dupixent globally.
About Regeneron's VelocImmune Technology
Regeneron's VelocImmune technology utilizes a proprietary genetically engineered mouse platform endowed with a genetically humanized immune system to produce optimized fully human antibodies. When Regeneron's co-Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer George D. Yancopoulos was a graduate student with his mentor Frederick W. Alt in 1985, they were the first to envision making such a genetically humanized mouse, and Regeneron has spent decades inventing and developing VelocImmune and related VelociSuite® technologies. Dr. Yancopoulos and his team have used VelocImmune technology to create approximately one in five of all original, FDA-approved or authorized fully human monoclonal antibodies. This includes REGEN-COV® (casirivimab and imdevimab), Dupixent, Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc), Praluent® (alirocumab), Kevzara® (sarilumab), Evkeeza® (evinacumab-dgnb) and Inmazeb™ (atoltivimab, maftivimab and odesivimab-ebgn).
Dupilumab Development Program
Dupilumab is being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement. To date, dupilumab has been studied across more than 60 clinical trials involving more than 10,000 patients with various chronic diseases driven in part by type 2 inflammation.
In addition to the currently approved indications, Regeneron and Sanofi are studying dupilumab in a broad range of diseases driven by type 2 inflammation or other allergic processes in Phase 3 trials, including pediatric EoE, hand and foot atopic dermatitis, chronic inducible urticaria-cold, chronic spontaneous urticaria, chronic pruritis of unknown origin, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with evidence of type 2 inflammation, chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis, allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and bullous pemphigoid. These potential uses of dupilumab are currently under clinical investigation, and the safety and efficacy in these conditions have not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.
U.S. INDICATIONS
DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used:
- to treat adults and children 6 months of age and older with moderate-to-severe eczema (atopic dermatitis or AD) that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin (topical), or who cannot use topical therapies. DUPIXENT can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with atopic dermatitis under 6 months of age.
- with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in adults and children 6 years of age and older whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medicines. DUPIXENT helps prevent severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) and can improve your breathing. DUPIXENT may also help reduce the amount of oral corticosteroids you need while preventing severe asthma attacks and improving your breathing. DUPIXENT is not used to treat sudden breathing problems. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with asthma under 6 years of age.
- with other medicines for the maintenance treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) in adults whose disease is not controlled. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis under 18 years of age.
- to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 pounds (40 kg), with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with eosinophilic esophagitis under 12 years of age and who weigh at least 88 pounds (40 kg).
- to treat adults with prurigo nodularis (PN). It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with prurigo nodularis under 18 years of age.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT®.
Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:
- have eye problems.
- have a parasitic (helminth) infection.
- are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a "live vaccine" right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT.
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the- counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines; have asthma and use an asthma medicine; or have atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, eosinophilic esophagitis, or prurigo nodularis and also have asthma. Do not change or stop your corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine to come back.
DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including:
- Allergic reactions. DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area.
- Eye problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision, such as blurred vision. Your healthcare provider may send you to an ophthalmologist for an exam if needed.
- Inflammation of your blood vessels. Rarely, this can happen in people with asthma who receive DUPIXENT. This may happen in people who also take a steroid medicine by mouth that is being stopped or the dose is being lowered. It is not known whether this is caused by DUPIXENT. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have: rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of your arms or legs, or persistent fever.
- Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms.
The most common side effects include:
- Atopic Dermatitis: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, cold sores in your mouth or on your lips, and high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia).
- Asthma: injection site reactions, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), and parasitic (helminth) infections.
- Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyposis: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), gastritis, joint pain (arthralgia), trouble sleeping (insomnia), and toothache.
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis: injection site reactions, upper respiratory tract infections, cold sores in your mouth or on your lips, and joint pain (arthralgia).
- Prurigo Nodularis: eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, herpes virus infections, common cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis), dizziness, muscle pain, and diarrhea.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It's an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it's recommended DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children under 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver.
Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.
About Regeneron
Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for nearly 35 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to nine FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in development, almost all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pain, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases and rare diseases.
Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuite® technologies, such as VelocImmune®, which uses unique genetically humanized mice to produce optimized fully human antibodies and bispecific antibodies, and through ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center®, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.
For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.
About Sanofi
We are an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people's lives. Our team, across some 100 countries, is dedicated to transforming the practice of medicine by working to turn the impossible into the possible. We provide potentially life-changing treatment options and life-saving vaccine protection to millions of people globally, while putting sustainability and social responsibility at the center of our ambitions.
Sanofi is listed on EURONEXT: SAN and NASDAQ: SNY.
Regeneron Forward-Looking Statements and Use of Digital Media
This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties relating to future events and the future performance of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Regeneron" or the "Company"), and actual events or results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "estimate," variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements concern, and these risks and uncertainties include, among others, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic) on Regeneron's business and its employees, collaborators, and suppliers and other third parties on which Regeneron relies, Regeneron's and its collaborators' ability to continue to conduct research and clinical programs, Regeneron's ability to manage its supply chain, net product sales of products marketed or otherwise commercialized by Regeneron and/or its collaborators or licensees (collectively, "Regeneron's Products"), and the global economy; the nature, timing, and possible success and therapeutic applications of Regeneron's Products and product candidates being developed by Regeneron and/or its collaborators or licensees (collectively, "Regeneron's Product Candidates") and research and clinical programs now underway or planned, including without limitation Dupixent® (dupilumab); the likelihood, timing, and scope of possible regulatory approval and commercial launch of Regeneron's Product Candidates and new indications for Regeneron's Products, such as Dupixent for the treatment of children aged 1 to 11 years with active eosinophilic esophagitis as discussed in this press release as well as for the treatment of hand and foot atopic dermatitis, chronic inducible urticaria-cold, chronic spontaneous urticaria, chronic pruritis of unknown origin, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with evidence of type 2 inflammation, chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis, allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, bullous pemphigoid, and other potential indications; uncertainty of the utilization, market acceptance, and commercial success of Regeneron's Products and Regeneron's Product Candidates and the impact of studies (whether conducted by Regeneron or others and whether mandated or voluntary), including the studies discussed or referenced in this press release, on any of the foregoing or any potential regulatory approval of Regeneron's Products and Regeneron's Product Candidates (such as Dupixent for the treatment of children aged 1 to 11 years with active eosinophilic esophagitis); the ability of Regeneron's collaborators, licensees, suppliers, or other third parties (as applicable) to perform manufacturing, filling, finishing, packaging, labeling, distribution, and other steps related to Regeneron's Products and Regeneron's Product Candidates; the ability of Regeneron to manage supply chains for multiple products and product candidates; safety issues resulting from the administration of Regeneron's Products (such as Dupixent) and Regeneron's Product Candidates in patients, including serious complications or side effects in connection with the use of Regeneron's Products and Regeneron's Product Candidates in clinical trials; determinations by regulatory and administrative governmental authorities which may delay or restrict Regeneron's ability to continue to develop or commercialize Regeneron's Products and Regeneron's Product Candidates, including without limitation Dupixent; ongoing regulatory obligations and oversight impacting Regeneron's Products, research and clinical programs, and business, including those relating to patient privacy; the availability and extent of reimbursement of Regeneron's Products from third-party payers, including private payer healthcare and insurance programs, health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit management companies, and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid; coverage and reimbursement determinations by such payers and new policies and procedures adopted by such payers; competing drugs and product candidates that may be superior to, or more cost effective than, Regeneron's Products and Regeneron's Product Candidates; the extent to which the results from the research and development programs conducted by Regeneron and/or its collaborators or licensees may be replicated in other studies and/or lead to advancement of product candidates to clinical trials, therapeutic applications, or regulatory approval; unanticipated expenses; the costs of developing, producing, and selling products; the ability of Regeneron to meet any of its financial projections or guidance and changes to the assumptions underlying those projections or guidance; the potential for any license, collaboration, or supply agreement, including Regeneron's agreements with Sanofi and Bayer (or their respective affiliated companies, as applicable) to be cancelled or terminated; and risks associated with intellectual property of other parties and pending or future litigation relating thereto (including without limitation the patent litigation and other related proceedings relating to EYLEA® (aflibercept) Injection, Praluent® (alirocumab), and REGEN-COV® (casirivimab and imdevimab)), other litigation and other proceedings and government investigations relating to the Company and/or its operations, the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings and investigations, and the impact any of the foregoing may have on Regeneron's business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition. A more complete description of these and other material risks can be found in Regeneron's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and its Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2022. Any forward-looking statements are made based on management's current beliefs and judgment, and the reader is cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements made by Regeneron. Regeneron does not undertake any obligation to update (publicly or otherwise) any forward-looking statement, including without limitation any financial projection or guidance, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Regeneron uses its media and investor relations website and social media outlets to publish important information about the Company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Regeneron is routinely posted and is accessible on Regeneron's media and investor relations website (http://newsroom.regeneron.com) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/regeneron).
Sanofi Disclaimers or Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates regarding the marketing and other potential of the product, or regarding potential future revenues from the product. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans" and similar expressions. Although Sanofi's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays, or government regulation generally, that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the product, the fact that product may not be commercially successful, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including future clinical data and analysis of existing clinical data relating to the product, including post marketing, unexpected safety, quality or manufacturing issues, competition in general, risks associated with intellectual property and any related future litigation and the ultimate outcome of such litigation, and volatile economic and market conditions, and the impact that COVID-19 will have on us, our customers, suppliers, vendors, and other business partners, and the financial condition of any one of them, as well as on our employees and on the global economy as a whole. Any material effect of COVID-19 on any of the foregoing could also adversely impact us. This situation is changing rapidly and additional impacts may arise of which we are not currently aware and may exacerbate other previously identified risks. The risks and uncertainties also include the uncertainties discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including those listed under "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in Sanofi's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021. Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements.
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SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/10/11/dupixent-dupilumab-late-breaking-phase-3-data-presented-ueg-week-2022-showed-significant-histological-remission-eosinophilic-esophagitis-eoe-children-1-11-years-old/ | 2022-10-11 06:37:32 | 0 | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/10/11/dupixent-dupilumab-late-breaking-phase-3-data-presented-ueg-week-2022-showed-significant-histological-remission-eosinophilic-esophagitis-eoe-children-1-11-years-old/ |
Vigneron calls on faithful to defeat abortion-rights ballot measure
Catholic followers in the Archdiocese of Detroit marked Respect Life Month on Sunday with a sermon led by Archbishop Vigneron celebrating the ruling that overturned a national right to an abortion. Respect Life Month was established in the U.S. Catholic Church in 1972, months before the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide. Sunday's church service was one of two special Masses coordinated by the archdiocese this year.
At the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, the archbishop called for congregants to vote against "Proposal 3’s 'anything goes' approach to abortion and a redoubling of efforts to support women, children and families in need."
"It's good that we thank the Lord that it was on ... the sacred garden of Jesus earlier this year that we learned about the overcoming of Roe v. Wade decision. The victory on behalf of the innocent Lord. The victory of life," Vigneron said.
"The challenge that we face very directly in the election Oct. 8, because then the citizens of Michigan will decide an issue of paramount importance in order to protect the inherent God-given dignity of all people," Vigneron said. "God invites us to say 'No,' to Proposition 3. A proposition that would enshrine a radical anti-life regime in the Michigan Constitution."
He called the proposal "dangerous" and with "vast, extreme consequences" because its "vague wording would result in elimination of dozens of publicly supported laws," like those that prohibit taxpayer-funded abortion, parental consent of abortion procedures for minors and more.
Proposal 3 calls for enshrining a state constitutional right to "reproductive freedom." The Michigan Supreme Court in September ordered the proposal on the Nov. 8 ballot, overruling a deadlocked Board of State Canvassers, ordering the four-member panel to certify the ballot proposal as Prop 3.
Laura Marie Kendrick, a member of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, who attended church Sunday, said she supported the archbishop's comments. "It was an excellent homily," adding that she has already voted against Proposal 3.
The service included several other anti-abortion prayers led by the priests.
"I really appreciate the archbishop celebrating the Mass today for Respect Life Sunday, he was here for a moment, and that was wonderful. He's been a pro-life supporter since ... the 90s ...," said Deborah Bloomfield, Life Chain in Michigan volunteer director.
Bloomfield and about 10 other members of the organization stood outside of the cathedral with anti-abortion signs saying, "Abortion Kills Children," and "Pregnant? Need Help?" facing east and westbound traffic on Woodward Avenue.
Bloomfield has been in support of the organization for over 12 years along with her six children.
"The Life Chain is really a prayer opportunity and we ask people to be praying as the cars drive by that hearts will be changed and softened," Bloomfield said. "We were really pleased that the archbishop was preaching on the topic of protecting life and defeating Proposal 3."
Planned Parenthood on Sunday said it was working to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
“We know that a clear majority of Michiganders – including 57% of Michigan Catholics – support Proposal 3 and want abortion to remain safe and legal in our state," said Ashlea Phenicie, communications director at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan. "When it comes to deeply personal decisions about pregnancy, we all deserve to make our own decisions with the advice of our doctors, our loved ones and the faith leaders we trust, not politicians. From now until Election Day, we will be working with Michiganders from every corner of the state, every walk of life and every faith tradition to ensure supporters of Proposal 3 make their voices heard at the ballot box and restore the protections of Roe in Michigan.”
A poll commissioned by The Detroit News and WDIV-TV (Channel 4) and conducted Aug. 29 through Sept. 1 found that 60% of likely Michigan voters support the proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights in Michigan. The poll also found that the state should maintain its law requiring girls under the age of 18 seeking an abortion to have written approval from a parent or guardian.
The poll by Glengariff Group has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The poll also found that 49% of respondents said the overall question of abortion rights, rather than ensuring parental consent, would be more important. 4% said both would be factors in their vote, and 9% were undecided. Independent voters said guaranteeing a constitutional right to an abortion would be more important by 45% to 38% who said parental consent was more important.
Michigan's 1931 abortion law, which faces challenge in the courts, finds no exceptions for rape or incest and bans abortion unless to save the mother's life. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/religion/2022/10/02/vigneron-calls-on-faithful-to-defeat-abortion-rights-ballot-measure/69528916007/ | 2022-10-03 00:31:54 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/religion/2022/10/02/vigneron-calls-on-faithful-to-defeat-abortion-rights-ballot-measure/69528916007/ |
(NEXSTAR) – Residents of 32 states who rely on federal assistance to buy food are about to see their benefits shrink at the end of the month.
An emergency increase to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called the Food Stamp Program) was approved at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For most recipients, that increase amounted to an extra $95 monthly over the past three years.
Starting March 1, those emergency COVID-era benefits will end across all states.
Seventeen states already saw those benefits expire as of January 2023. One state, South Carolina, ended the emergency allotment at the start of February.
In the remaining 32 states, plus Washington, D.C., Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the extra money will dry up starting with the March 2023 benefit month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.
Those 32 states are Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
In 2021, more than 41 million Americans were using SNAP benefits to help afford food.
“We know that these increased benefits have been important to so many Oklahomans over the last three years and that this change will impact some SNAP users harder than others, particularly our senior and disabled neighbors,” said Chris Bernard, President/CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is one of the states that will see the extra benefits dry up next month as food prices remain high nationwide. Groceries were about 10% more expensive at the start of January than they were one year prior, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Undoubtedly, this will create an increased demand on our charitable organizations across the state and an increased need for Oklahomans to support their local food pantries and food banks,” said Bernard.
SNAP recipients who also get Social Security may see their SNAP benefits shrink even more than $95. That’s because as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2023 kicks in, it increases those households’ incomes and may reduce the amount of SNAP help for which they are eligible.
However, FNS says the changes should still be an overall net gain. Even as SNAP benefits are adjusted downward, the 8.7% boost in Social Security should make up for it. | https://cbs4indy.com/news/national-world/extra-snap-benefits-set-to-expire-for-millions-nationwide/ | 2023-02-09 17:18:20 | 0 | https://cbs4indy.com/news/national-world/extra-snap-benefits-set-to-expire-for-millions-nationwide/ |
MNA Brigham nurses negotiated significant investments in their nursing workforce and remain actively involved in addressing serious ED staffing, equipment, and patient boarding issues amid a COVID-19 surge
BOSTON, May 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nurses from Brigham and Women's Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, have voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with the hospital, securing a strong compensation and benefits package aimed at valuing the dedication of nurses who faced enormous challenges through the pandemic and helping recruit and retain the nurses necessary to provide high-quality patient care.
"Brigham nurses fight hard every day for our patients and it's no different when we're at the bargaining table," said Trish Powers, OR nurse and MNA Chair at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Our contract is about protecting and investing in Brigham nurses so we can give our patients the very best care they deserve. I am incredibly proud to be a Brigham nurse and to represent the nearly 4,000 nurses who keep our hospital running."
Brigham nurses voted to ratify their new contract by mail after a tentative agreement was reached on April 18, following nine months of negotiations. The vote was counted on May 24 and was overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying the agreement.
As the nurses' tentative agreement was being ratified, long simmering problems in the Brigham's emergency department worsened into a crisis. Nurses are regularly faced with trying to care for 50 or more patients boarding in ED hallways without basic equipment such as monitors and electrical outlets. More than 50 experienced nurses have left the ED in the past nine months. The hospital has not back filled these positions with experienced nurses and there are multiple holes on nurse schedules every day.
"There were 50+ boarders," Amanda Haimaidi, a Brigham ED nurse wrote to the hospital administration about a May 11 shift. "As you know, we have 65 rooms in the ED, 20 of those for observation. This leaves boarder patients, who belong in rooms, in hallways of the ED. It also leaves no space to care for ED patients. By afternoon we end up with 30-40 patients in the waiting room, sick patients, septic patients, oncology patients, patients with abnormal vital signs, all waiting for hours on end with no end in sight."
"It is unsafe because there are 50+ boarders EVERY DAY, without any type of emergency plan in place," ED nurse Kelly Greenwood wrote to the administration about the conditions. "It is unsafe because I have to care for critically ill patients (I.e STEMI, STROKE, patients on PCA pumps) IN THE HALLWAY WITHOUT ANY MONITORS."
Emergency department boarding of patients in hallways, and in particular long waits for those experiencing mental health issues, is a recognized crisis in Massachusetts. At the Brigham, nurses flagged the ED boarding issue in December 2021 when they called for a Department of Public Health investigation into whether the hospital was violating an emergency pandemic order restricting non-emergent surgeries. Recently, nurses have seen the problem worsen and held a meeting with hospital administrators on May 17 urging them to act quickly.
"The dedication of our nurses and the tremendous need to recruit and retain nurses to care for our patients motivated us to stand strong together," said Kelly Morgan, labor & delivery nurse and MNA Vice Chair at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "It is important that the hospital recognized that we have gone through some of the most difficult days of our nursing lives. Our contract is an investment in Brigham nurses and our ability to provide quality patient care."
Wages
- Effective 10/3/21 – retroactive pay – add a new Step 20 that is 5% above the current top Step 19.
- Effective 10/3/21 – retroactive pay – increase the salary scale for all nurses by 5%.
- Effective 10/2/22 – increase the salary scale for all nurses by 5%.
- Nurses at the top of the scale receive a total 15% increase or an approximately $12 per hour increase by 10/2/22.
- Over the course of the two-year contract, nurses still advancing on the existing wage step scale receive a 20% overall increase.
PACU Staffing
- To address PACU staffing issues, the hospital agreed to conduct an HR assessment in the PACU and that PACU nurses will rotate through all five areas (PACU, Pre-Op, Day Surgery, ERU and Boarders) on a fair and equitable basis. Nurses newly hired or transferred into the PACU will be added to the rotation for Pre-Op, Day Surgery, ERU and Boarders no later than six months after orientation is complete.
OR Staffing/AORN Guidelines
- To address OR staffing issues, management agreed to meet with up to four MNA-selected nurses from the Operating Room to address the policies and procedures which guide staffing practices consistent with the AORN guidelines. Meetings will continue regularly until the staffing in all service areas has been addressed. Both sides will upon request meet to discuss on-call as well, but no changes will be made without the agreement of the MNA.
Pandemic Committee Participation
- Pandemic preparedness will be a standing agenda item for the Advisory Committee once per quarter and the hospital will meet weekly in the event of a pandemic or surge event upon request of the MNA.
Holidays
- Add Juneteenth as an additional holiday without giving up any other holidays.
Ratification Bonus
- $2,000 bonus on ratification to full- and part-time nurses, and per diem nurses who worked at least 1,040 hours.
- Per diem nurses who worked less than 1,040 hours but at least 208 hours receive $1,000.
Shift Differentials
- Evening rotator increase to $2.50
- Permanent evening to $4.00
- Night rotator to $4.00
- Permanent night to $6.00
- Established a $2.00 differential for time spent precepting for any nurse precepting a newly hired nurse, a nurse transferred to a new unit or an agency nurse during the preceptees' orientation period.
Shift Incentive Bonus
- To address ongoing staffing shortages, a shift incentive bonus program nurses originally negotiated last fall was extended through 9/17/2022.
Bereavement
- Add great grandparents, stepchildren, stepsiblings, stepparents, and step in laws to the existing bereavement list.
The need for better staffing, wages and benefits for nurses in the wake of the pandemic expressed by the nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital is an issue shared by all nurses in the state who are feeling devalued and disrespected by an industry more focused on profit margins and the bottom line as opposed to worker safety and patient care, according to the annual "State of Nurses in Massachusetts" survey conducted by Boston-based Beacon Research and commissioned by the MNA.
More than 8 in 10 registered nurses in Massachusetts say the quality of patient care in hospitals has gotten significantly worse over the last two years as the COVID-19 pandemic careened into a fragile healthcare system already burdened by profit-driven staffing shortages and high-risk conditions for patients and nurses. 55% of nurses said understaffing is the biggest obstacle to providing quality care. The number of RNs who said they do not feel that they have enough time to provide patients with the care and attention each one needs jumped to a record high of 71%, up from 60% last year.
Almost two-thirds (64%) of nurses said inadequate pay or benefits is a major challenge. This response is up from 48% reporting lack of pay or benefits in 2021 and 27% in 2019 – a 37-point increase in nurses having a concern about pay and benefits over just three years. Over the last two-years, most nurses have seen RN positions being left vacant (84%). In 2019, just 50% of RNs saw positions left vacant.
The failure to address nurses' concerns over these issues have dire consequences for the system, as more nurses consider leaving not only their positions, but the profession altogether. Fully 33% of RNs reported planning to leave nursing sooner than originally planned. Among newer nurses with 0 to 5 years of experience, 37% are planning to leave sooner – the highest percentage of any experience group. Another 25% of nurses said they plan to reduce their hours because of their experience with the COVID pandemic and 25% of nurses think they will leave the field of nursing in two years or less.
Read more about the survey at www.massnurses.org/StateofNursing.
MassNurses.org │ Facebook.com/MassNurses │ Twitter.com/MassNurses │ Instagram.com/MassNurses
Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/05/24/brigham-womens-hospital-nurses-vote-ratify-strong-mna-contract-covid-surges-call-immediate-fixes-emergency-department-problems-impacting-patient-care-quality/ | 2022-05-24 20:23:28 | 0 | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/05/24/brigham-womens-hospital-nurses-vote-ratify-strong-mna-contract-covid-surges-call-immediate-fixes-emergency-department-problems-impacting-patient-care-quality/ |
BLANTYRE, Malawi — The devastating Tropical Cyclone Freddy which has ripped through southern Africa in a rare second landfall has killed at least 216 people in Malawi and Mozambique since Saturday night, with the death toll expected to rise.
Heavy rains that triggered floods and mudslides have killed 199 people in Malawi, authorities said Tuesday. President Lazarus Chakwera declared a "state of disaster" in the country's southern region and the now-ravaged commercial capital, Blantyre. Some 19,000 people in the south of the nation have been displaced, according to Malawi's disaster management directorate.
"Power and communications are down in many affected areas, hindering aid operations," said Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. Secretary General's spokesperson at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon. The most affected regions remain inaccessible so the full extent of the damage is so far unknown.
Reports from Mozambique's disaster institute on Tuesday confirmed that 17 people have died in the country and 1,900 homes have been destroyed in the coastal Zambezia province. Tens of thousands of people are still holed up in storm shelters and accommodation centers.
Freddy will continue to thump central Mozambique and southern Malawi with extreme rainfall before it exits back to the sea late Wednesday afternoon, the U.N.'s meteorological center on the island of Réunion projected.
Human rights group Amnesty International has called on the international community to mobilize resources and boost aid and rescue efforts in the two countries. Relief efforts in the nations are strained and were already battling a cholera outbreak when Freddy struck.
"It is clear that the official death toll will rise in both Malawi and Mozambique, as will reports of wrecked infrastructure," saidTigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's east and southern Africa director. "The affected countries must also be compensated for loss and damage caused by the cyclone."
In November last year, nations agreed to compensate countries affected by extreme weather exacerbated by human-caused climate change. Cyclones are wetter, more frequent and more intense as the planet heats up, scientists say.
"Mozambique and Malawi are among the countries least responsible for climate change, yet they are facing the full force of storms that are intensifying due to global warming driven mostly by carbon emissions from the world's richest nations," Chagutah added.
Cyclone Freddy has been causing destruction in southern Africa since late February. It also pummeled the island states of Madagascar and Réunion last month as it traversed across the Indian Ocean.
The cyclone has intensified a record seven times and has the highest-ever recorded accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, which is a measurement of how much energy a cyclone has released over time. Freddy recorded more energy over its lifetime than an entire typical U.S. hurricane season.
Freddy first developed near Australia in early February and is set to be the longest-ever recorded tropical cyclone. The U.N.'s weather agency has convened an expert panel to determine whether it has broken the record set by Hurricane John in 1994 of 31 days.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.apr.org/2023-03-14/cyclone-freddy-wrecks-malawi-and-mozambique-killing-more-than-200-people | 2023-03-14 18:52:04 | 0 | https://www.apr.org/2023-03-14/cyclone-freddy-wrecks-malawi-and-mozambique-killing-more-than-200-people |
GREENSBORO, N.C., Jan. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE:SKT) announced today that its 2022 dividend distributions should be treated as follows for income tax purposes.
Common Shares: 100% as ordinary income
Detailed information regarding each distribution for 2022 is below. Shareholders are encouraged to consult with their personal tax advisors as to their specific tax treatment of the Company's dividend distributions.
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. - Common Stock (Symbol SKT) (CUSIP No. 875465106)
About Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT) is a leading operator of upscale open-air outlet centers that owns (or has an ownership interest in) and/or manages a portfolio of 36 centers with an additional center currently under development. Tanger's operating properties are located in 20 states and in Canada, totaling approximately 13.9 million square feet, leased to over 2,700 stores operated by more than 600 different brand name companies. The Company has more than 42 years of experience in the outlet industry and is a publicly-traded REIT. For more information on Tanger Outlet Centers, call 1-800-4TANGER or visit the Company's website at www.tangeroutlets.com.
Investor Contact
Doug McDonald
SVP, Finance and Capital Markets
T: (336) 856-6066
tangerir@tangeroutlets.com
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SOURCE Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/01/20/tanger-factory-outlet-centers-inc-2022-tax-reporting-information-distribution-form-1099/ | 2023-01-20 23:55:04 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/01/20/tanger-factory-outlet-centers-inc-2022-tax-reporting-information-distribution-form-1099/ |
DETROIT, Sept. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Urban Science® today announced the launch of MarketGrowth™, a first-of-its-kind, best-in-class solution that taps the company's unrivaled near-real-time industry sales* data to empower dealership groups – and the marketing agencies and consultants that support them – to better understand market performance and potential across all brands and geographies. By delivering the industry's fastest and most complete sales data to the fingertips of dealership groups evaluating and making high-stakes merger and acquisition decisions, MarketGrowth empowers dealership leaders to gain competitive advantage within and outside their current networks – and to achieve business certainty – by helping them:
- Better understand market positions by identifying brand and model performance in near-real time.
- Identify shifts in sales patterns and performance strengths to efficiently focus marketing efforts and grow market share. This includes trends towards electrification and high-spec models.
- Know where to grow by visualizing brand and dealership performance data in potential growth markets – whether in DMAs they already occupy or new territories, all geographies and segments are available.
Through MarketGrowth, dealership groups now have access to near-real-time industry sales data for all brands and across all designated market areas (DMA) for the first time ever, unlocking a unique chance to understand detailed market dynamics and identify growth opportunities – both within their current dealership network and across new geographies. Doing so allows dealership groups to root critical M&A-related decisions in science, not speculation, through past, current and prospective market performance insights.
"For more than 40 years, Urban Science has helped dealers and nearly every global OEM enhance efficiency and profitability through the power of our near-real-time sales data, and our proven scientific processes and methodologies – especially in the most dynamic market conditions," said Tom Longo, executive vice president, Urban Science. "By delivering the power of our science directly to automotive retailers through an affordable, turnkey solution, MarketGrowth marks a new era of opportunity. Our clients can make more accurate and informed business decisions, and our organization has a new opportunity to continue to leverage and deploy the power of our science in new ways, to new audiences."
In addition to delivering Urban Science's powerful near-real time sales data directly to dealership groups, MarketGrowth's user-friendly interface displays data through intuitive dashboards and enhanced mapping. This allows dealers to visualize market performance, identify risks and opportunities, and make science-driven business decisions while avoiding costly missteps.
Visit the Urban Science MarketGrowth page for additional information about this new solution and its unique ability to empower dealership groups to understand in- and out-of-market brand performance, market potential and expansion opportunities, and to set their organizations up to thrive in the short and long terms.
*Sales refers to vehicle unit sales and does not represent vehicle price or revenue.
About Urban Science
Urban Science is a leading automotive consultancy and technology firm that serves automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and dealers, and the advertising technology companies that support them, around the world. Headquartered in Detroit and operating in 21 office locations globally, Urban Science taps the power of its science – and its unrivaled data, solution offerings and industry expertise – to create clarity and business certainty for clients in even the most chaotic market conditions. Visit UrbanScience.com for more information about how Urban Science helps automotive manufacturers and dealers gain competitive edges by taking the guesswork out of critical business decisions, and in turn drives improved efficiency and profitability industrywide.
Contact: Colleen Robar
+1 313 207 5960
crobar@robarpr.com
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SOURCE Urban Science | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/28/urban-science-launches-industry-first-solution-help-dealership-groups-inform-high-stakes-mampa-decisions-with-near-real-time-industry-sales-data-scientific-precision/ | 2022-09-28 15:39:08 | 1 | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/28/urban-science-launches-industry-first-solution-help-dealership-groups-inform-high-stakes-mampa-decisions-with-near-real-time-industry-sales-data-scientific-precision/ |
Giuliani associate Lev Parnas sentenced to 20 months in prison
NEW YORK (AP) — Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani who was a figure in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment investigation, was sentenced Wednesday to a year and eight months in prison for fraud and campaign finance crimes.
Parnas, who had helped Giuliani connect with Ukrainian figures as part of a campaign to dig up dirt on President Joe Biden’s son, had sought leniency on the grounds that he’d helped the Congressional probe.
But prosecutors said the Soviet-born businessman’s aid was in response to a subpoena and deserved little credit.
Instead, they asked the judge to focus on a jury’s finding that Parnas used the riches of a wealthy Russian to make illegal donations to politicians who might aid the launch of a legal recreational-marijuana business.
Prosecutors had asked that Parnas be sentenced to more than six years.
An October conviction also supported a finding that he made illegal donations in 2018 to jump-start a new energy company.
In March, Parnas pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud, admitting that between 2012 and 2019 he conspired with another person to give investors false information about a Florida-based business, Fraud Guarantee.
Fraud Guarantee was promoted as a company that could protect investors against fraud. Giuliani accepted $500,000 from the company to act as a consultant, but was not accused of wrongdoing or charged with any crimes.
At the emotional sentencing hearing, several individuals who lost money investing in Parnas’ business ventures gave statements. Mineola, New York, attorney Charles Gucciardo said he sent the $500,000 to a Giuliani bank account to support the Fraud Guarantee business.
He said he doesn’t blame Giuliani for his connection to a business that never seemed to get off the ground, but instead blames Parnas, saying Parnas “ran out of money and needed to keep his relationship with Giuliani alive.” Gucciardo said that instead of working on the Fraud Guarantee business, Parnas “left to do marijuana work in Las Vegas.”
Dianne Pues said Parnas “destroyed my life.” Pues and her husband weren’t part of the campaign finance case, but they had pursued Parnas in civil court for years after he failed to repay money they had loaned him to produce a movie called “Anatomy of an Assassin.”
Then a sobbing Parnas, who shook his head as some of the victims spoke, cried as he apologized to his victims, sometimes turning around to try to look at them as he spoke.
“I want to apologize to all the victims that I hurt. These are all people who are my friends, all people who trusted me, and I lied to them to further my personal agenda,” Parnas said.
Then, turning around to face Gucciardo, Parnas offered a direct apology.
“I’d like to apologize to Mr. Gucciardo. Even though I never spent a dollar of his money. I lied to him and used our friendship. Charles, I am sorry,” he said.
The criminal case against Parnas was not directly related to his work acting as a fixer for Giuliani as the former New York City mayor tried to get Ukrainian officials to investigate Biden’s son, Hunter, before he was elected president.
Giuliani, who was working at the time as a personal lawyer for then-President Donald Trump, has said he knew nothing about the crimes of Parnas and others.
The former New York City mayor has not been criminally charged but he is being investigated to determine whether he violated a federal law that governs lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities.
In presentence papers, defense lawyers criticized prosecutors for rejecting attempts by Parnas to cooperate in return for leniency at sentencing, saying the government used statements from Parnas only to “thwart his potential trial testimony.”
In a submission of their own, prosecutors said they rejected Parnas as a potential cooperator because his information “was not fully credible and in material respects was plainly contradicted by the evidence.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kmvt.com/2022/06/29/giuliani-associate-lev-parnas-sentenced-20-months-prison/ | 2022-06-29 17:40:20 | 1 | https://www.kmvt.com/2022/06/29/giuliani-associate-lev-parnas-sentenced-20-months-prison/ |
Girl, 8, targeted by child predator on Roblox, mom says
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) – Roblox is a popular game among the younger generation, but many people have had problems with their children running into inappropriate content while using the app.
According to WECT, an 8-year-old girl in North Carolina was targeted by an online predator.
They asked for the girl’s phone number over the chat feature on Roblox, and the conversation got worse over text messaging.
The girl’s mother said she has parental controls on all the electronic devices her kids use, but it was a shock when she discovered the messages on her daughter’s phone.
“He kept asking her for hot videos, and I mean, she would send just like an innocent picture of herself or like an innocent video,” said Kaitlin Clarke, the girl’s mother. “But you could tell, like, he kept saying more, that wasn’t what he was looking for.”
Clarke said she hadn’t planned to get her daughter a cell phone at such a young age but decided to in an effort to keep her safe if she was in a scary situation.
“With the way everything in the world is these days, it’s like she needs a way to contact me or her dad or somebody if something happens,” Clarke said.
Experts with the FBI Charlotte Division said that it comes down to being aware of what your child is doing at all times.
Authorities advise putting strict privacy settings on their phones and tablets in addition to disabling any chat features on apps like Roblox.
“Inappropriate photos are not taken in the living room. They’re not taken in the bonus room,” said FBI Charlotte Division Public Affairs Specialist Shelley Lynch. “They’re taken in a child’s bedroom, or in the bathroom. Children really have to understand that they don’t know who they’re really talking to online.”
Experts recommend speaking with your child about the dangers of online predators so they are aware and can alert you if a problem arises online.
Copyright 2022 WECT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/07/11/girl-8-targeted-by-child-predator-roblox-mom-says/ | 2022-07-11 14:19:03 | 0 | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/07/11/girl-8-targeted-by-child-predator-roblox-mom-says/ |
The Delaware Climate Change Solutions Act of 2023 is being sent to the Governor. It sets a planning process for the state to meet goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Delaware's net greenhouse gas emission reduction targets would be set at 50% by 2030.
Discussion strayed from the bill at times as it was debated in the Senate Tuesday.
"We've educated our kids to the point to be scared of everything - everything," State Senator David Lawson, R-Marydel said. "And, 'oh my goodness we get a little smoke in here and we have to shut down this and shut down that.' It's just a bit too far for me."
Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D- Newark, Bear, spoke in favor of House Bill 99.
"We cannot get this wrong. As a state that has some of the most to lose from this we should lead in getting it right and that's what this represents," Townsend said.
Under the bill, the state's climate action plan would be updated every five years. Key cabinet level departments would appoint climate officers to work with a chief climate officer to update and implement the plan.
According to the sponsors of the bill, reduction strategies would be required to be "equitable, complement federal efforts, maintain an adequate and reliable energy supply for Delaware, and not disproportionately impact overburdened and underserved communities."
At least one annual public meeting would be required.
“Just as greenhouse gases pose a threat to our entire state by contributing to rising sea levels and worsening air quality, it’s going to take a whole-of-government approach to reverse the long-term harm of our reliance on fossil fuels," State Senator Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown said. "While our work is far from complete, our votes today on these bills mark a significant step forward in our progress.” | https://www.wdel.com/news/del-senate-gives-final-approval-to-greenhouse-gas-reduction-bill/article_a4b1f254-15a8-11ee-a2ca-1f612850fbac.html | 2023-06-28 17:48:46 | 1 | https://www.wdel.com/news/del-senate-gives-final-approval-to-greenhouse-gas-reduction-bill/article_a4b1f254-15a8-11ee-a2ca-1f612850fbac.html |
ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor is teaming up with Webster Township to permanently protect two more farm properties totaling nearly 50 acres just northwest of the city.
City Council voted unanimously Monday night, Jan. 9, to join the township in purchasing conservation easements on 30 acres off Joy Road near Stein Road and 19 acres at the southeast corner of Farrell and Zeeb roads.
The purchase prices total nearly $400,000 and are to be split between the city, township, federal grants and landowner donations, records show.
The larger property is owned by the Dale and Marilyn Larson Trust and scored in the 80th percentile of agricultural applications received by the city’s greenbelt program, Rosie Pahl Donaldson, the city’s land acquisition supervisor, told council in a memo.
The partially forested property is a priority for acquisition due to its wetlands and Huron River tributary resources, she said, noting it’s also within a half mile of multiple conservation easements held by the Legacy Land Conservancy.
The city is agreeing to put $81,000 of its greenbelt millage funds toward the $243,000 purchase, with the township paying $56,700 and federal grants covering $81,000, while the landowners are making a $24,300 donation to knock down the cost.
For the smaller property owned by John and Jean Cares, the city is contributing $54,000 toward the $154,000 purchase, with the township paying $15,200 and federal grants covering $54,000, while the landowners are making a $30,800 donation.
In both cases, the landowners applied to the township’s preservation program and the township has been the lead agency in negotiations. The township will cover additional due diligence and closing costs and will be the holder of the conservation easements, records indicate.
The city considers the smaller property a priority for acquisition due to its proximity to other protected properties.
It scored in the 63rd percentile of agricultural applications received by the city’s greenbelt program, Pahl Donaldson said, noting the entire property is actively farmed and is next to over 180 acres preserved under the greenbelt via a conservation easement with the same family. With several other surrounding properties, they form a 976-acre protected block of land.
Buying a property’s development rights through a conservation easement keeps the land in private hands and on the tax rolls, allowing it to continue to be farmed, while ensuring it can never be developed.
Ann Arbor voters approved a 30-year tax in 2003 to launch the greenbelt program to combat sprawl, preserve local agriculture and natural areas, and protect the watershed. It has since helped preserve several thousand acres of land.
MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:
Ann Arbor Public Schools no longer purchasing 52 acres near Arborland
New model for Ann Arbor greenbelt could make land more affordable to new farmers
See the 500 projects Ann Arbor aims to tackle under new $1.2B plan
Ann Arbor to undo funky new zigzag sidewalks after negative feedback
Firefighters revive pedestrian hit by car outside Ann Arbor’s Veterans Park | https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/01/ann-arbor-oks-adding-nearly-50-more-acres-to-greenbelt.html | 2023-01-10 01:48:36 | 1 | https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/01/ann-arbor-oks-adding-nearly-50-more-acres-to-greenbelt.html |
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WASHINGTON — Inflation is cooling, and parts of the economy appear to be weakening. But Chair Jerome Powell is likely Wednesday to underscore that the Federal Reserve's primary focus remains the need to fight surging prices with still-higher interest rates.
With financial markets anticipating that the Fed will stop raising rates soon and possibly even cut them later this year, analysts say Powell will need to push back against such optimism. If financial markets expect lower rates than what the Fed plans to deliver, the central bank's already treacherous task can become even harder.
Powell's tough message will likely emerge at a news conference after the Fed's 19-member policy committee announces its latest action. The policymakers are set to raise their benchmark rate by a quarter-point to a range of 4.5% to 4.75%, its highest level in about 15 years. The move could further increase borrowing rates for consumers as well as companies, ranging from mortgages to auto and business loans.
In some ways, the Fed's challenge is trickier than it was last year, when inflation accelerated much faster than officials had expected. After being caught off guard — Powell had initially characterized high inflation as only a temporary phenomenon — officials developed a clear view of what was needed: An aggressive series of rate hikes to slow borrowing and spending, cool growth and curb high inflation.
Now, though, inflation has weakened since the fall. As a result, the risks that the Fed’s rate hikes could send the economy into a painful recession, with waves of job losses, are rising. Consumer prices, by the Fed's preferred measure, have risen at just a 2.9% annual rate in the past three months. Yet Fed officials have said they would need to see further evidence that inflation was declining closer to its 2% target before they would consider suspending their rate hikes.
The latest sign that inflation is cooling came Tuesday in a report that showed wage growth slowed in the final three months of last year for a third straight quarter. That report could reassure Fed officials that rising paychecks are now less likely to fuel inflation.
Over the past year, with businesses offering healthy raises to try to attract and keep enough workers, Powell has expressed concern that hefty pay growth in the labor-intensive service sector would keep inflation too high. Businesses typically pass their increased labor costs on to their customers by charging higher prices, thereby perpetuating inflation pressures.
Some economists think the Fed doesn't need to push rates much higher — and that doing so would heighten the risk of a deep recession. Economists at Morgan Stanley suggest that as inflation continues to ease in the coming months, Wednesday's rate hike will end up being the last one this year.
The Fed could signal that a pause in rate hikes is on the horizon by changing some language in the statement it issues after each policy meeting.
Since March, the statement has said that “ongoing increases in the (interest rate) target range will be appropriate.” Some economists expect officials to slightly alter that part of the statement to make it a less specific commitment and give the Fed more flexibility.
Still, Powell isn't likely to signal that a pause in rate increases will occur anytime soon, out of concern that such a message could touch off rallies in stocks and bonds. Those trends could boost the economy — and inflation — by giving consumers more money to spend and encouraging people and businesses to borrow more. That's just the opposite of what the Fed wants.
“He's got to put a hawkish tint to everything he says,” said Vincent Reinhart, chief economist at Dreyfus and Mellon and a former top Fed staffer. (In Fed parlance, "hawks" typically favor higher rates to control inflation, while “doves” often lean toward lower rates to support employment.)
“Everybody is basically saying, ‘Hey, Chair Powell, let’s do your victory lap,' ''Reinhart said. “And he's like, 'We're only where we are because of our vigilance, and we can't let it down now.' ”
Financial markets have strengthened in anticipation of lower rates ahead. In December, Fed officials had forecast that they would raise their key rate above 5%. Investors, though, expect them to stop at a range of 4.75% to 5% and to end up cutting rates before the year is out. That's true even though Powell has gone out of his way to stress that the Fed doesn't expect to cut rates this year.
The divide between the Fed and financial markets is important because rate hikes need to work through markets to affect the economy. The Fed directly controls its key short-term rate. But it has only indirect control over the borrowing rates that people and businesses actually pay — for mortgages, corporate bonds, auto loans and many others.
The consequences can be seen in housing. The average fixed rate on a 30-year mortgage soared after the Fed first began hiking rates. Eventually, it topped 7%, more than twice where it had stood before the hiking began.
Yet since the fall, the average mortgage rate has eased to 6.13%, the lowest level since September. And while home sales fell further in December, a measure of signed contracts to buy homes actually rose. That suggested that lower rates might be luring some home buyers back to the market.
Broader measures of so-called “financial conditions,” which include things like corporate borrowing costs, also show looser credit. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/nation-world/federal-reserve-inflation-fight-far-from-over/507-2ce240a1-d152-454e-a833-dd68d4a2e547 | 2023-02-01 07:04:23 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/nation-world/federal-reserve-inflation-fight-far-from-over/507-2ce240a1-d152-454e-a833-dd68d4a2e547 |
New Link in Bio App Gives Creators the Ability to Launch a Travel Shop
SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Thatch, an e-commerce platform focused on helping creators curate and sell multimedia travel guides and services, today announced the launch of the Thatch app on Koji, the world's most powerful Link in Bio platform and the leading app store for social media.
Thatch is a new app that lets travel creators monetize their travel knowledge by making and selling interactive travel guides, maps, and planning services in a dedicated travel shop. Using Thatch, creators like Max Reisinger, Misha Martin, and Michaela Rabinov, can collect and organize their favorite spots around the world, then build maps, guides, and itineraries that their audiences can purchase and use for their next trip. Thatch content offers complete creative control, allowing creators to add places, upload photos, drop in GIFs, videos, TikToks, and more.
"We are thrilled to launch Thatch on the Koji app store. So many travel creators already link to their Thatch stores in their link in bio - so making that faster and more streamlined for their audiences through Koji just made sense. Plus, we know their app store will also help us reach even more creators." said West Askew, Thatch co-founder and CEO.
The new app is free to use and available today on the Koji App Store.
Thatch is an e-commerce platform that makes it remarkably easy for Travel Creators to curate, share and sell interactive travel guides and planning services. Backed by top Silicon Valley VCs, Thatch aims to unlock the full potential of every travel creator on the planet with simple, modern tools built for the way they want to work. To learn more or download the app, visit
Koji is the world's most powerful Link in Bio platform. With hundreds of free apps created by Koji and its community of independent developers, the Koji Link in Bio gives leading Creators on TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, and other social media platforms new ways to engage audiences, connect with supporters, and monetize. Koji launched in March 2021 and has raised $36 million in venture capital.
PRESS CONTACT
Sean Thielen
sean@withkoji.com
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Thatch on the Koji App Store
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SOURCE Koji | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/travel-creator-platform-thatch-announces-thatch-app-creator-economy-platform-koji/ | 2022-07-21 15:36:09 | 1 | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/travel-creator-platform-thatch-announces-thatch-app-creator-economy-platform-koji/ |
WHL
All Times Local
Western Conference
B.C. Division
U.S. Division
Eastern Conference
East Division
Central Division
Note: Two points for a team winning in overtime or shootout; the team losing in overtime or shootout receives one which is registered in the OTL or SOL columns.
Friday's results
Swift Current 5 Edmonton 2
Winnipeg 6 Saskatoon 3
Lethbridge 4 Brandon 3
Medicine Hat 3 Red Deer 2 (SO)
Prince Albert 5 Calgary 2
Moose Jaw 3 Kamloops 2
Seattle 6 Portland 1
Kelowna 4 Everett 2
Regina 3 Vancouver 0
Saturday's results
Lethbridge 6 Brandon 4
Swift Current 5 Edmonton 3
Saskatoon 5 Winnipeg 2
Red Deer 6 Prince Albert 1
Kamloops 4 Prince George 1
Calgary 5 Medicine Hat 2
Regina 9 Victoria 5
Tri-City 4 Spokane 2
Moose Jaw 4 Kelowna 3
Sunday's results
Vancouver 3 Portland 1
Prince Albert 4 Medicine Hat 2
Tri-City 4 Seattle 3
Red Deer 3 Calgary 2 (OT)
Everett 8 Spokane 3
Tuesday's games
Moose Jaw at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday's games
Saskatoon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Portland, 7 p.m.
Regina at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Friday's games
Prince Albert at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Winnipeg, 7:05 p.m.
Saskatoon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Regina at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Portland, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Spokane, 7:05 p.m. | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/HKO-WHL-Standings-17614760.php | 2022-11-28 06:17:10 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/HKO-WHL-Standings-17614760.php |
XIAMEN, China, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qudian Inc. ("Qudian" or the "Company") (NYSE: QD), a consumer-oriented technology company in China, today announced that the Company has regained compliance with the New York Stock Exchange's ("NYSE") continued listing standard for share prices as confirmed by a notification letter from the NYSE on August 1, 2022.
On May 25, 2022, the NYSE notified the Company of its non-compliance with the exchange's continued listing standards because the average closing price of its American depositary shares ("ADSs") had fallen below $1.00 over a period of 30 consecutive trading days.
On August 1, 2022, the NYSE confirmed to Qudian that a calculation of the average closing price of the Company's ADSs over the 30-trading day period ended July 29, 2022 indicated that such price exceeded the NYSE's minimum requirement of $1.00. Accordingly, the Company is no longer considered below the $1.00 continued listing criterion.
About Qudian Inc.
Qudian Inc. ("Qudian") is a consumer-oriented technology company in China. The Company historically focused on providing credit solutions to consumers. Qudian is exploring innovative consumer products and services to satisfy Chinese consumers' fundamental and daily needs by leveraging its technology capabilities. In March 2022, it launched a ready-to-cook meal business catering to working-class consumers in China.
For more information, please visit https://ir.qudian.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the expectation of its collection efficiency and delinquency, contains forward-looking statements. Qudian may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the SEC, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Qudian's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Qudian's goal and strategies; Qudian's expansion plans; Qudian's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Qudian's expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, its products; Qudian's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with customers, business partners and other parties it collaborates with; general economic and business conditions; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Qudian's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Qudian does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
In China:
Qudian Inc.
IR team
Tel: +86-592-596-8208
E-mail: ir@qudian.com
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Jenny Cai
Tel: +86 (10) 6508-0677
E-mail: qudian@tpg-ir.com
In the United States:
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
E-mail: qudian@tpg-ir.com
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SOURCE Qudian Inc. | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/02/qudian-inc-regains-compliance-with-nyse-minimum-price-requirement/ | 2022-08-02 10:47:25 | 0 | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/02/qudian-inc-regains-compliance-with-nyse-minimum-price-requirement/ |
FALLS CHURCH, Va. , June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IntelliDyne, LLC, a market-leading Government Information Technology firm, has been named one of The Washington Post's 2022 Top Workplaces in the Washington, D.C. area. Selection is based solely on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC, which measured several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection. This year's honorees include government contractors, real estate firms, health service providers, and tech companies.
"The Post's Top Workplaces list is now in its ninth year and continues to highlight the companies in the Washington-area that employees deem to be leaders in company satisfaction and engagement," said Washington Post Top Workplaces editor Dion Haynes. "Each year, the leaders at these companies are commended for their leadership and collegiality, qualities which have increased in importance to employees with the last few years of heightened transition and change."
"IntelliDyne truly takes a people-first approach to our culture, which translates to the exceptional service we provide to our clients," said Chief Human Resources Officer, Marisa Krafsig . "As we continue to navigate through this challenging period of time, we are absolutely humbled to be selected as a Top Workplace by the Washington Post as a direct result of the input and experience of our employees."
The Washington Post hosted an awards ceremony on Thursday, June 16 to recognize the top-ranked companies. More information about The Washington Post's Top Workplaces including the full list of this year's honorees, can be found here.
IntelliDyne, LLC is a market-leading Government Information Technology firm enabling better mission performance through innovative technology solutions. We manage public sector programs that deliver higher operational efficiency and measurable value to clients. We advise, develop, and execute effective solutions in Enterprise IT Management, Analytics, Cyber Security & Information Assurance, Application Development, and Cloud Computing. Learn more at intellidyne-llc.com.
The Washington Post is an award-winning news leader whose mission is to connect, inform, and enlighten local, national and global readers with trustworthy reporting, in-depth analysis and engaging opinions. It combines world-class journalism with the latest technology and tools so readers can interact with The Post anytime, anywhere.
Headquartered in Exton, Pa., Energage (formerly known as WorkplaceDynamics) is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools that help leaders to unlock potential, inspire performance, and achieve amazing results within their organizations. The research partner behind the Top Workplaces program, Energage has surveyed more than 47,000 organizations representing well over 16 million employees in the United States.
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SOURCE IntelliDyne | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/06/21/washington-post-names-intellidyne-llc-2022-top-washington-area-workplace/ | 2022-06-21 12:52:24 | 1 | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/06/21/washington-post-names-intellidyne-llc-2022-top-washington-area-workplace/ |
Medical device company Pristine Surgical has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market Summit, its single-use arthroscope used for minimally invasive surgeries in sports medicine.
The Manchester-based company says its 4K digital device, which is paired with cloud-based software, improves the efficiency, consistency, and safety of arthroscopic procedures practiced by orthopedic surgeons examining joints that need repair.
The FDA clearance means the company can bring its platform to more than 125 million endoscopy patients treated worldwide each year, said CEO Bryan Lord, who is headquartered in the Brady Sullivan Tower.
“Clearly this is the most significant milestone in the company’s history. What this does is it gives us the clearance from the FDA to sell our high-volume, production-ready device to ambulatory surgery centers throughout the country,” Lord said Wednesday.
Pristine Surgical, which uses a subscription model, says it can save its customers 5% to 10% of their hardware costs and as much as 25% per procedure once “soft” costs are included, Lord said.
“We’ll be working with each one of our customers individually about how to look at what their current costs are and how we can save them money with this new device,” he said.
Pristine Surgical employs 25 people, including eight in New Hampshire. It works with manufacturing partners in North America and South Korea.
Dr. Stephen Snyder, the company’s chief medical officer, said the Summit improves a procedure that hasn’t changed much in his more than 40 years of practice.
“We’re removing the well-known barriers of legacy, reusable systems that eventually become obsolete by offering a new 4K single-use scope that improves safety and reliability while decreasing room turnover time and the cost of arthroscopic treatment,” he said in a statement.
Mike Cote is senior editor for news and business. Contact him at mcote@unionleader.com or 206-7724. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/pristine-surgical-received-fda-clearance-for-single-use-arthroscope/article_427a156d-8691-5afe-a0f6-39e6df30742b.html | 2023-01-05 18:52:17 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/pristine-surgical-received-fda-clearance-for-single-use-arthroscope/article_427a156d-8691-5afe-a0f6-39e6df30742b.html |
The fund is designed to deliver in today's volatile market conditions, working to capture gains while limiting losses through a mechanical stop-loss measure
DAYTON, Ohio, April 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Beacon Capital Management (www.BeaconInvesting.com), a registered investment adviser (RIA) firm that seeks to offer long-term investors innovative portfolio management solutions, announces the launch of its new exchange-traded fund (ETF), Beacon Tactical Risk (BTR), trading on the New York Stock Exchange Arca. With the launch of this ETF, Beacon Capital Management makes its popular investment philosophy accessible to a broad market of investors, working to capture gains while limiting losses in order to deliver consistent returns in today's volatile market conditions. The first day of trading is set for April 18, 2023.
BTR uses an equal sector allocation across 11 sectors as a first line of defense and a mechanical stop-loss as a secondary defense to limit losses before they become too catastrophic. When the stop-loss is triggered, equity positions are sold, and portfolio assets are repositioned into fixed income. The BTR fund has been designed to deliver on its core objective in both bear and bull market conditions.
"We are thrilled to bring our award-winning investment management approach to more investors through this new ETF," said Chris Cook, president and Chief Investment Officer of Beacon Capital Management. "In today's environment where persistent market volatility is now the norm, sharp declines in daily market value are not only more frequent*, but more concentrated as well as powerful. After experiencing a catastrophic loss to their portfolio value, the average investor simply does not have the time often required just to get back to where they started. This is why we designed our investment strategy to have mechanical stop-loss measures—to limit losses before they become too catastrophic."
At the core of Beacon Capital Management's investment philosophy are several key fundamental principles, including the belief that investing is a science, not a state of mind. As a research-driven RIA that prioritizes discipline, reactions to changing markets occur only when the firm's predetermined rules dictate. Utilizing a proprietary index, the Vantage 2.0 Benchmark Index, Beacon's team determines when traditional diversification may not be enough to protect investors from persistent market downturns. This approach automatically withdraws investors' funds from equity positions to provide a safety valve helping minimize losses during volatile market periods.
Beacon Capital Management has also made a second ETF available to investors: Beacon Selective Risk (NYSE Arca: BSR). The first day of trading for the BSR fund is also set for April 17, 2023. When fully invested in equities, the BSR fund looks identical to the flagship BTR fund; however, how they respond to volatility differs and means the funds can work well together as a complementary duo. The BSR fund operates with targeted loss-reduction protections at the sector level and has been designed as a supplement to BTR to help capture gains in sideways market conditions. By utilizing both funds together, with BTR typically as the primary holding, investors can add an additional layer of risk management style diversification to their portfolio.
For more information about Beacon Capital Management's ETF offerings, visit www.BeaconInvestingETFs.com.
About Beacon Capital Management
Beacon Capital Management is a next-generation registered investment adviser (RIA) firm and turnkey asset management program (TAMP) dedicated to fundamentally improving the science of investing. The firm has experienced significant growth in recent years as more investors have become dissatisfied with the emotional rollercoaster of market extremes. With more than $5 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2022, the firm has been named^ to the CNBC FA 100 list three years in a row now (2020, 2021 and 2022), Financial Advisor magazine's "Fastest Growing RIAs," and The Financial Times newspaper's "Top Registered Investment Adviser". Beacon Capital Management was founded in July 2000 with the goal of providing long-term investors with innovative portfolio management solutions that work to capture gains while seeking to limit losses from market volatility. In addition to investment management services, the firm seeks to empower advisors with turnkey marketing, operational and account management support. For more information about Beacon Capital Management, please visit BeaconInvesting.com or email ContactUs@BeaconInvesting.com.
* Source: S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. Data measured from January 1, 1950 through December 31, 2022, demonstrating that the S&P 500® Index has lost more than 2% of its daily value for 272 days since the year 2000, as compared to only 160 days between years 1950 and 1999.
^ The CNBC FA 100 List is based on proprietary methodology developed by CNBC, in partnership with data provider AccuPoint Solutions. The Financial Times' 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers (FT 300) is an independent listing produced annually by Ignites Research, a division of Money-Media, Inc., on behalf of the Financial Times. Financial Advisor's (FA) magazine's RIA Survey and Ranking list is FA's annual ranking of registered investment advisers (RIAs). The listings are based on data gathered from RIA firms via surveys, regulatory disclosures (e.g., form ADV filings), and research conducted by the listing firms. These listings do not evaluate the quality of services provided to our clients, is not representative of any one client's experience, and are not indicative of future results. No payment was required for nomination or inclusion in any of these listings.
All investing involves risk, and asset allocation and diversification do not guarantee a profit or protection against a loss. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, might be worth more or less than their original cost. ETFs are subject to risks similar to those of stocks, as well as other risks specific to the particular ETF.
ETF shares are traded on exchanges, and are traded and priced throughout the trading day. ETFs permit an investor to purchase a selling interest in a portfolio of stocks throughout the trading day. Because ETFs trade on an exchange, ETF shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV). The prices of ETFs may sometimes vary significantly from the NAVs of a ETFs' underlying securities. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
The Beacon Tactical Risk and Beacon Selective Risk ETFs (collectively, "Beacon ETFs") are offered by prospectus. Carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. This and other important information can be found in each of the Beacon ETF prospectuses, which should be read carefully before investing and can be obtained here or by calling 866.439.9093.
Benchmark indices provide the standards against which investment performance is measured. The Beacon ETFs' investment objectives and strategies differs substantially from the benchmark indices. The S&P 500® Index is a market-capitalization-weighted equity index tracking the performance of the 500 largest U.S.-traded stocks (by market value), which represent about 80% of all U.S incorporated equity securities. The Vantage 2.0 Benchmark Index is a custom blended index developed by Beacon Capital Management, Inc. and is composed of the following 11 Vanguard sector ETFs, each equally weighted at 9.09% (Percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding): Energy ETF (VDE), Materials ETF (VAW), Industrials ETF (VIS), Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR), Consumer Staples ETF (VDC), Health Care ETF (VHT), Financials ETF (VFH), Information Technology ETF (VGT), Communication Services ETF (VOX), Utilities ETF (VPU), and Real Estate ETF (VNQ). Benchmark indices are neither managed, nor accessible through direct investment, nor subject to advisory fees, transaction costs or other expenses; it is assumed distributions are reinvested back into the index.
Beacon Capital Management, Inc. is an investment advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Sammons Financial® is the marketing name for Sammons® Financial Group, Inc.'s member companies, including Beacon Capital ManagementSM
# AD2023-25568
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SOURCE Beacon Capital Management | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/04/14/beacon-capital-management-launches-beacon-tactical-risk-btr-etf-based-its-flagship-portfolio/ | 2023-04-14 13:05:56 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/04/14/beacon-capital-management-launches-beacon-tactical-risk-btr-etf-based-its-flagship-portfolio/ |
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
Rick Thoman, University of Alaska Fairbanks
(THE CONVERSATION) Alaska is on pace for another historic wildfire year, with its fastest start to the fire season on record. By mid-June 2022, over 1 million acres had burned. By early July, that number was well over 2 million acres, more than twice the acreage of a typical Alaska fire season.
Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks, explains why Alaska is seeing so many large, intense fires this year and how the region’s fire season is changing.
Why is Alaska seeing so many fires this year?
There isn’t one simple answer.
Early in the season, southwest Alaska was one of the few areas in the state with below normal snowpack. Then we had a warm spring, and southwest Alaska dried out. An outbreak of thunderstorms there in late May and early June provided the spark.
Global warming has also increased the amount of fuels – the plants and trees that are available to burn. More fuel means more intense fires.
So, the weather factors – the warm spring, low snowpack and unusual thunderstorm activity – combined with multidecade warming that has allowed vegetation to grow in southwest Alaska, together fuel an active fire season.
In Alaska’s interior, much of the area has been abnormally dry since late April. So, with the lightning storms, it’s no surprise that we’re now seeing many fires in the region. The interior had about 18,000 strikes over two days in early July.
Are lightning storms like this becoming more frequent?
That’s the million-dollar question.
It’s actually a two-part question: Are thunderstorms occurring more often now in places that used to rarely get them? I think the answer is unequivocally “yes.” Is the total number of strikes increasing? We don’t know, because the networks tracking lightning strikes today are far more sensitive than in the past.
Thunderstorms in Alaska are different from in most of the lower 48 in the sense that they tend to not be associated with weather fronts. They’re what meteorologists call air mass or pulse thunderstorms. They’re driven by two factors: the available moisture in the lower atmosphere and the temperature difference between the lower and middle atmospheres.
In a warming world, air can hold more moisture, so you can get intense storms. In interior Alaska, we’re getting thunderstorms more frequently. For example, the number of days with thunderstorms recorded at the Fairbanks Airport show a clear increase. Indigenous elders also agree that they’re seeing thunderstorms more often.
You mentioned hotter fires. How are wildfires changing?
Wildfire is part of the natural ecosystem in the Boreal north, but the fires we’re getting now are not the same as the fires that were burning 150 years ago.
More fuel, more lightning strikes, higher temperatures, lower humidity – they combine to fuel fires that burn hotter and burn deeper into the ground, so rather than just scorching the trees and burning the undergrowth, they’re consuming everything, and you’re left with this moonscape of ash.
Spruce trees that rely on fire to burst open their cones can’t reproduce when the fire turns those cones to ash. People who have been out in the field fighting fire for decades say they’re amazed at the amount of destruction they see now.
So while fire has been natural here for tens of thousands of years, the fire situation has changed. The frequency of million-acre fires in Alaska has doubled since before 1990.
What impact are these fires having on the population?
The most common impact on humans is smoke.
Most wildfires in Alaska aren’t burning through heavily populated areas, though that does happen. When you’re burning 2 million acres, you’re burning a lot of trees, and so you’re putting a lot of smoke into the air, and it travels long distances.
In early July, we saw explosive wildfire activity north of Lake Iliamna in southwest Alaska. The winds were blowing from the southeast then, and dense smoke was transported hundreds of miles. In Nome, 400 miles away, the air quality index at the hospital exceeded 600 parts per million for PM2.5, fine particulate matter that can trigger asthma and harm the lungs. Anything over 150 ppm is unhealthy, and over 400 ppm is considered hazardous.
There are other risks. When fires threaten rural Alaska communities, as one did near St. Mary’s in June 2022, evacuating can mean flying people out.
Worsening fire seasons also put pressure on firefighting resources everywhere. Firefighting is expensive, and Alaska counts on fire crews, planes and equipment from the lower 48 states and other countries. In the past, when Alaska had a big fire season, crews would come up from the lower 48 because their fire season was typically much later. Now, wildfire season there is all year, and there are fewer movable resources available.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/alaska-on-fire-thousands-of-lightning-strikes-and-a-warming-climate-put-alaska-on-pace-for-another-historic-fire-season-186453. | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Alaska-on-fire-Thousands-of-lightning-strikes-17287165.php | 2022-07-06 14:36:37 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Alaska-on-fire-Thousands-of-lightning-strikes-17287165.php |
BEIJING, Oct. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The ongoing 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has grabbed the headlines of the global media outlets in recent days and while the international community is paying close attention to China's blueprint for the next five years, more people from developing countries and emerging economies have showed great interests in decoding how China successfully eradicated poverty and now ranks among strong countries.
While delivering the report to the 20th CPC National Congress on Sunday, Xi Jinping underscored the "central task" of the Party, calling for efforts to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts "through a Chinese path to modernization."
Chinese modernization, a key term defining China's journey to rejuvenation, has for the first time been written into a report to the National Congress of the CPC -- the world's largest Marxist governing party and analysts said Chinese modernization, based on exploration by generations of Chinese people and unique to the country's context, presents a correct path to realizing the Chinese dream and offers humanity a new choice for achieving modernization.
China's exploration to achieve modernization and its glorious achievements in the past decade have also intrigued other countries especially developing ones, with leaders, scholars and media of these countries widely discussing China's top event.
For example, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the people of Pakistan deeply appreciate CPC's people-centric governance model, its success for China's socio-economic development and meaningful contribution to the evolution of the world's political and governance philosophy, adding that he is confident that the Chinese leadership, with foresight and wisdom, would chart a new road-map for the progress and prosperity of the Chinese nation during the Congress, according to Pakistan's Daily Time.
As strong CPC leadership, rapid economic developments, effective poverty alleviation efforts, top-level design and full implementations are the topics overseas observers and scholars are discussing, they're also speaking highly of the country's insistence to develop its own way that fits its own conditions for development as such practice has not only defied the "West-centered theory" to offer a brand new way for independent development, but also brings hope for emerging countries to realize modernization amid increasing geopolitical risks, analysts said.
Unique path to modernization
The 20th CPC National Congress and its agenda are looked at with great expectations by the world, especially developing countries, Syrian Ambassador to China Mhd. Hasanein Khaddam told the Global Times. He noted that Syrian people wish all the success to the Congress.
"We are looking for changes in the current world order that will give space to third world countries to be heard and participate in global governance. All developing countries look to China for inspiration and an expectation for a fairer world," he said.
Khaddam said that many other policies promoted by Chinese President Xi have attracted the attention of the whole world, which include building confidence in China's cultural and social heritage, focusing on scientific approaches in learning and building the country, and preserving the environment and green ecology.
The main focus for most developing countries is China's fast economic development in the past decades - how it transformed from an agricultural country into the No.2 economy in the world with the largest manufacturing sector, Yang Xiyu, senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.
China's gross domestic product has risen to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy, up 7.2 percentage points over the past 10 years. The world's second largest economy has become a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions, leading the world in total volume of trade in goods.
Insisting on independent policy, China has explored a very unique way for modernization thereby increasing its national wealth, eradicating poverty, and completing industrialization and realizing all-round developments in society, Yang said, noting that such changes within a short period in a country with the largest population in the world have attracted attention from countries with similar backgrounds.
The 20th CPC National Congress report has summarized China's experience in the past decades in developing its own path with its own context - it has made market to fully play in the distribution of resources and let the government make better service. The socialist economy has overcome the economic development cycle without recession and realized rapid and high-quality development and at the same time brought great benefits to the people's livelihoods, said Yang.
Moreover, the report gives an answer on how to balance efficiency and equality in order to realize common prosperity. China's achievement in poverty alleviation is a good example on how to create wealth and increase social equality.
Danilo Türk, former president of Slovenia, told the Global Times that Chinese concepts and practices of "dual circulation" and "common prosperity" demonstrate the capacity to adjust.
"The resilience and determination of the people of China to strive toward new levels of development is the most impressive feature for a foreign observer like me. Clearly, this requires strong leadership that the CPC has provided," Türk said.
While delivering the report to the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi also pointed out that there has never been an instruction manual or ready-made solution for the Chinese people and the Chinese nation to turn to as they fought to end the great sufferings endured since the advent of modern times.
The Party has led the people in independently blazing the path to success over the past century, and the success of Marxism in China has been realized by Chinese Communists through our own endeavors. One point underpinning these successes is that China's issues must be dealt with by Chinese people in light of the Chinese context, said the report.
Ejaz Akram, a Pakistani scholar, also professor of Religion & World Politics in Southwestern University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing, carefully read Xi's report to the congress.
Speaking highly of China's achievements in the past decade, the Pakistani scholar believes that an indigenously developed political system that is increasingly relying on its millennia old wisdom was major cause of China's success story.
"China has espoused new paradigms of development, new philosophy of governance and envisions a common future for humanity. It has chosen to tread off the beaten track of path dependency," said Akram, noting that one thing that Pakistan can take away from the 20th CPC National Congress is that roads to development and modernization are many and Pakistan must chart out its own course of development using its own civilization wisdom.
New choice for prosperity
Stressing that human society faces unprecedented challenges, Xi on Sunday called upon all countries to hold dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and promote mutual understanding and forge closer bonds with other peoples.
Analysts said that as the 20th CPC National Congress noted that Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all and of peaceful development, China also offered a brand-new development path for emerging economies that shows modernization by no means is equal to Westernization and there has never been a one-size-fits-all approach to modernization.
China's unique way to modernization sets an example to more emerging economies that any development pattern should fit the context of a country and merely copying other countries' experience will lead to failure, analysts said.
The 20th CPC National Congress is held at a very important juncture in the history of our world when the news is dominated by the military situation in Ukraine, whose impact has been felt throughout the world. In addition, global inflation is sending more people into poverty and human degradation. All of these issues cry out for urgent attention and this is why the eyes of the world will be on China and the CPC's congress, Donald Ramotar, Guyana's former President, told the Global Times.
Ramotar said that China's relations with the developing world are qualitatively different. China's ties have no strings attached and no onerous conditionality.
But China's relations with poor countries are helping to promote prosperity.
For developing countries, China represents the political will and commitment to promote relations of a new kind, based on mutual respect, sovereign equality of states, preservation of peace and mutually beneficial international cooperation. It is also a symbol of the transition to a new international order that is more just, democratic and humanistic, where consultation and understanding among states replaces coercion, confrontation and zero-sum geopolitical games, Cuban Ambassador to China Carlos Miguel Pereira, told the Global Times.
Ebrahim Hashem, former adviser to the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, an authority responsible for Abu Dhabi's long-term strategies, and Asia Global fellow at the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong, told the Global Times that the Chinese development success story has been a source of inspiration to many Arab people and states, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an excellent opportunity for the Arabs to achieve strategic goals of their national development plans.
Also the innovative BRICS+ structure has started to attract attention from many observers viewing it as a potential nucleus for the new multipolar world that's emerging, and many Arab countries view BRICS+ positively, hoping to contribute to and benefit from it, Hashem said.
Many international observers also expressed their anticipation of China's future role of continuing being a cornerstone of world stability and peaceful development after the congress.
Ei Sun OH, a senior fellow at Singapore Institute of International Affairs and principal adviser of the Pacific Research Center of Malaysia, said for most Southeast Asian countries, "we would like to see China's future development goals bring about a higher and broader level of prosperity and stability to the region. This includes trading more with and investing more in the region, and strengthening the people-to-people bonds by means of more cultural and educational exchanges."
Rahamtalla M. Osman, the Permanent Representative of the African Union (AU) to China, told the Global Times that the 20th CPC National Congress will have profound implications for China's trajectory in the coming five to 10 years as the Party pursues its 2035 goals. In the African context, it is hoped that there will be continuity in China-Africa relations.
We hope we can build on the progress of the BRI and the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2021 to generate long-term, sustainable development to support the continent in attaining AU Agenda 2063, Osman said.
At a time when many developing countries are encountering development headwinds, China's approach for development is needed more than ever and analysts said that aside from continuing to be one anchor of global stability, China and more emerging markets will work together to defend peace and global development and prosperity.
Ali el-Hefny, Egypt's former ambassador to China and former deputy foreign minister, expected China to help recover stability, peace and security in the Middle East where the situation is chaotic and volatile.
El-Hefny said the region needs greater engagement to help find political settlements to regional crises, to encourage regional and external powers to halt their attempts to further destabilize the region and to halt their hegemony and their expansionist policies.
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SOURCE Global Times | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/10/20/global-times-chinas-path-enlightens-more-developing-nations/ | 2022-10-20 15:50:51 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/10/20/global-times-chinas-path-enlightens-more-developing-nations/ |
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SOURCE InvestorsObserver | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/29/thinking-about-trading-options-or-stock-sarepta-therapeutics-apple-general-electric-microsoft-or-meta-platforms/ | 2022-07-29 15:12:10 | 0 | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/29/thinking-about-trading-options-or-stock-sarepta-therapeutics-apple-general-electric-microsoft-or-meta-platforms/ |
CHRISTIANSTED, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — President Joe Biden and top administration officials will open a new year of divided government by fanning out across the country to talk about how the economy is benefiting from his work with Democrats and Republicans.
As part of the pitch, Biden and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will make a rare joint appearance in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky on Wednesday to highlight nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure spending that lawmakers approved on a bipartisan basis in 2021.
The Democratic president will also be joined by a bipartisan group of elected officials when he visits the Kentucky side of the Cincinnati area, including Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, the White House said.
Biden’s bipartisanship blitz was announced two days before Republicans retake control of the House from Democrats on Tuesday following GOP gains in the November elections. The shift ends unified political control of Congress by Democrats and complicates Biden’s future legislative agenda. Democrats will remain in charge in the Senate.
Before he departed Washington for vacation at the end of last year, Biden appealed for less partisanship, saying he hoped everyone will see each other “not as Democrats or Republicans, not as members of ‘Team Red’ or ‘Team Blue,’ but as who we really are, fellow Americans.”
The president’s trip appeared tied to a recent announcement by Kentucky and Ohio that they will receive more than $1.63 billion in federal grants to help build a new Ohio River bridge near Cincinnati and improve the existing overloaded span there, a heavily used freight route linking the Midwest and the South.
Congestion at the Brent Spence Bridge on Interstates 75 and 71 has for years been a frustrating bottleneck on a key shipping corridor and a symbol of the nation’s growing infrastructure needs. Officials say the bridge was built in the 1960s to carry around 80,000 vehicles a day but has seen double that traffic load on its narrow lanes, leading the Federal Highway Administration to declare it functionally obsolete.
The planned project covers about 8 miles (12 kilometers) and includes improvements to the bridge and some connecting roads and construction of a companion span nearby. Both states coordinated to request funding under the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal signed in 2021 by Biden, who had highlighted the project as the legislation moved through Congress.
McConnell said the companion bridge “will be one of the bill’s crowning accomplishments.”
DeWine said both states have been discussing the project for almost two decades “and now, we can finally move beyond the talk and get to work.”
Officials hope to break ground later this year and complete much of the work by 2029.
Biden’s visit could also provide a political boost to Beshear, who is seeking reelection this year in his overwhelmingly Republican state.
In a December 2022 interview with The Associated Press, Beshear gave a mixed review of Biden’s job performance. Biden had joined Beshear to tour tornado- and flood-stricken regions of Kentucky last year.
“There are things that I think have been done well, and there are things that I wish would have been done better,” Beshear said of Biden.
Other top administration officials will also help promote Biden’s economic policies this week.
In Chicago on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris will discuss “how the President’s economic plan is rebuilding our infrastructure, creating good-paying jobs – jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, and revitalizing communities left behind,” the White House said in its announcement.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was delivering the same message in New London, Connecticut, also on Wednesday.
Mitch Landrieu, the White House official tasked with promoting infrastructure spending, will join soon-to-be former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday in San Francisco, which she represents in Congress.
Biden was scheduled to return to the White House on Monday after spending nearly a week with family on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The president opened New Year’s Day on Sunday by watching the first sunrise of 2023 and attending Mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Christiansted, where he has attended religious services during his past visits to the island. | https://www.kron4.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-biden-watches-sunrise-attends-church-to-open-2023-in-usvi/ | 2023-01-01 22:54:31 | 0 | https://www.kron4.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-biden-watches-sunrise-attends-church-to-open-2023-in-usvi/ |
Social Worker Remained the Top Telehealth Specialty Two Months in a Row Nationally and in All Regions, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker
NEW YORK, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2022, telehealth utilization, as measured by telehealth's share of all medical claim lines, fell nationally for the second straight month, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.1 Following a drop of 9.3 percent in February, telehealth utilization decreased 6.1 percent in March, declining from 4.9 percent of all medical claim lines in February to 4.6 percent in March. Telehealth utilization also decreased in February in every US census region (Midwest, Northeast, South and West), with the greatest decrease (8.1 percent) in the South, followed closely by the West (7.8 percent). The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid.
The drop in telehealth utilization was likely due to continuing reduction in the reported number and severity of COVID-19 infections, which may have led more patients to return to in-person healthcare services. Data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the number of reported cases of COVID-19 continued to fall in March.
The rankings of the top five telehealth diagnoses did not change nationally in March 2022, but there were some changes at the regional level. In the Northeast, acute respiratory diseases and infections rose from fifth place to second place in the rankings. In the South, encounter for examination fell off the list and urinary tract infections rejoined the list (in fifth place) for the first time since December 2021. In all regions and nationally, mental health conditions remained the top-ranking telehealth diagnosis.
The rankings of the top five telehealth specialties did not change nationally or in most regions in March 2022. But in the Midwest, psychiatrist and primary care nonphysician switched places, with the former rising to fourth place in March and the latter dropping to fifth place. In all regions and nationally, for the second month in a row, social worker remained the top-ranking telehealth specialty.
In March 2022, the rankings of the top five telehealth procedure codes did not change nationally or in any region. The number one telehealth procedure code nationally and in every region remained CPT®2 90837, one-hour psychotherapy.
For March 2022, the Telehealth Cost Corner spotlighted the cost of CPT 97803, therapy procedure reassessment for nutrition management, each 15 minutes. Nationally, the median charge amount for this service when rendered via telehealth was $49.97, and the median allowed amount was $31.58.3
Launched in May 2020 as a free service, the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker uses FAIR Health data to track how telehealth is evolving from month to month. An interactive map of the four US census regions allows the user to view an infographic on telehealth in a specific month in the nation as a whole or in individual regions. Each infographic shows month-to-month changes in telehealth's percentage of medical claim lines, as well as that month's top five telehealth procedure codes, diagnoses and specialties. Additionally, in the Telehealth Cost Corner, a specific telehealth procedure code is featured, with its median charge amount and median allowed amount.
FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "As the COVID-19 pandemic and telehealth utilization continue to evolve, FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker serves as a window into that evolution. This is one of the many ways we pursue our healthcare transparency mission."
On Wednesday, June 22, from 2 to 3 pm ET, Ms. Gelburd will host a webinar entitled "Telehealth Utilization Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Two-Year Retrospective," which will provide insights on telehealth's evolution since winter 2020 using FAIR Health's comprehensive collection of telehealth data. Click here to register for the free, one-hour webinar.
For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click here.
Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth
FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 36 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 2 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data products—including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care—and How to Fix It and Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.
Contact:
Rachel Kent
Senior Director of Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
rkent@fairhealth.org
1 A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim.
2 CPT © 2021 American Medical Association (AMA). All rights reserved.
3 A charge amount is the provider's undiscounted fee, which a patient may have to pay when the patient is uninsured, or when the patient chooses to go to a provider who does not belong to the patient's plan's network. An allowed amount is the total fee paid to the provider under an insurance plan. It includes the amount that the health plan pays and the part the patient pays under the plan's in-network cost-sharing provisions (e.g., copay or coinsurance if the patient has met the deductible).
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SOURCE FAIR Health | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/march-2022-telehealth-utilization-fell-nationally-second-straight-month/ | 2022-06-02 12:41:54 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/march-2022-telehealth-utilization-fell-nationally-second-straight-month/ |
Report: NBA opens investigation into Sixers' free-agent moves originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The NBA has reportedly opened an investigation into the Sixers' moves during free agency.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday night that the league is investigating “possible tampering and early contact centered on the franchise’s summer free agency class of James Harden, P.J. Tucker and Danuel House." Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and the team have begun cooperating with the league, Wojnarowski reported.
Free-agent negotiations were officially permitted to begin at 6 p.m. ET on June 30. Within 15 minutes, the Sixers were expected to finalize a three-year, $33.2 million deal with Tucker and had a two-year, $8.5 million agreement with House, a source confirmed that night to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
It’s not unusual for rumors of mutual interest between a team and free agent to leak before negotiations can technically start. The expected Tucker-Sixers pairing was widely reported in the week before free agency. Jalen Brunson to the Knicks was another such example this year.
Wojnarowski reported the NBA's investigation “is expected to include interviews with team personnel and the organization turning over electronic correspondence and phone records to league investigators."
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
After a draft-night deal to acquire De’Anthony Melton from the Grizzlies, Morey emphasized the Sixers did not have anything set in stone for free agency.
“We’re excited for free agency,” Morey said. “Don’t know how it’ll play out, but (managing partner Josh Harris and co-managing partner David Blitzer) have given us every ability to do whatever we need to do in free agency to make the team better now. Add hopefully another rotation piece.
“That’s a little ways away and who knows how it’ll play out. But people want to play here, people love our team, people love playing with Joel (Embiid), love playing with James, love playing with Tobias (Harris). We’re optimistic about free agency but have no idea how that one’s going to play out.”
Morey did sound quite confident that Harden would remain a Sixer, a consistent message from all parties since the 10-time All-Star arrived in Philadelphia.
“Well, we can’t talk yet. I would expect … actually, I don’t know,” Morey said. “We’ll have conversations with him. As you guys have heard, it’s a mutual lovefest, so we feel like we’ll work it out.”
Harden ultimately declined his player option of $47.4 million, eventually signing a new contract that will pay him $33 million next season and has a $35.6 million player option for 2023-24.
By taking a substantial pay cut, Harden enabled the Sixers to sign former Rockets teammates Tucker and House with the standard mid-level exception and bi-annual exception, respectively.
“I had conversations with Daryl, and it was explained how we could get better and what the market value was for certain players. I told Daryl to improve the roster, sign who we needed to sign and give me whatever is left over,” Harden told Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes on July 17. “This is how bad I want to win. I want to compete for a championship. That’s all that matters to me at this stage. I’m willing to take less to put us in position to accomplish that.”
ESPN reported Harden's pay cut is “one of the central elements" of the league's investigation and that “around the league, there have been questions about whether there's already a handshake agreement in place on a future contract -- which would be in violation of collective bargaining rules."
The Bucks, Heat and Bulls were penalized for violating NBA rules “governing the timing of this season’s free agency discussions” last year. Each team lost its next second-round pick. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/nba-opens-investigation-into-sixers-free-agency-james-hardens-pay-cut-per-report/3320404/ | 2022-07-30 01:57:53 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/nba-opens-investigation-into-sixers-free-agency-james-hardens-pay-cut-per-report/3320404/ |
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") announces that investors with substantial losses have opportunity to lead the securities fraud class action lawsuit against Coupang, Inc. ("Coupang" or the "Company") (NYSE: CPNG).
Class Period: March 2021 IPO
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: October 25, 2022
If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Coupang lawsuit, you can submit your contact information at www.glancylaw.com/cases/coupang-inc/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at shareholders@glancylaw.com to learn more about your rights.
The complaint filed alleges that Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that Coupang was engaged in improper anti-competitive practices with its suppliers and other third parties in violation of applicable regulations, including: (i) pressuring suppliers to raise prices of products on competing e-commerce platforms in order to ensure Coupang's prices would be more competitive; (ii) coercing suppliers into purchasing advertisements that would benefit Coupang financially; (iii) forcing suppliers to shoulder all expenses from sales promotions; and (iv) requesting wholesale rebates from suppliers without specifying any terms relating to rebate programs, all of which served to artificially maintain the Company's lower prices and artificially inflate the Company's historical revenues and market share; (2) that Coupang had improperly adjusted search algorithms and manipulated product reviews on its marketplace platform in order to prioritize its own private-label branded products over those of other sellers and merchants, to the detriment of consumers, merchants, and suppliers; (3) that, unbeknownst to its Rocket WOW members, Coupang was selling products to non-member customers at lower prices than those offered to its Rocket WOW members; (4) that Coupang subjected its workforce to extreme, unsafe, and unhealthy working conditions; (5) that all of the above illicit practices exposed the Company to a heightened, but undisclosed, risk of reputational and regulatory scrutiny that would harm the Company's critical relationships with consumers, merchants, suppliers, and the workforce; (6) that Coupang's lower prices, historical revenues, competitive advantages, and growing market share were the result of systemic, improper, unethical, and/or illegal practices, and, thus, unsustainable; and (7) as a result, Defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.
To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Charles Linehan, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to shareholders@glancylaw.com, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
Contacts
Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, Los Angeles
Charles Linehan, 310-201-9150 or 888-773-9224
shareholders@glancylaw.com
www.glancylaw.com
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SOURCE Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/cpng-investors-have-opportunity-lead-coupang-inc-securities-fraud-lawsuit/ | 2022-09-14 15:42:19 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/cpng-investors-have-opportunity-lead-coupang-inc-securities-fraud-lawsuit/ |
Cuellar, lone anti-abortion Democrat in House, faces third showdown with progressive Cisneros
By Eric Bradner and Gregory Krieg, CNN
Rep. Henry Cuellar, the long-time Laredo congressman backed by House leaders despite his status as the last Democratic opponent of abortion rights in the House, faces progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros for the third time Tuesday in a primary runoff in South Texas.
Cisneros, who turns 29 on Tuesday, nearly defeated Cuellar in 2020. This year, backed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a long list of leading progressive organizations, Democratic women’s groups and labor unions, she again came close, finishing less than two percentage points behind Cuellar in the March primary. Since neither candidate topped 50%, they advanced to Tuesday’s head-to-head runoff to represent Texas’ 28th Congressional District.
The race is the clearest test to date of whether the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade will motivate voters and push abortion rights to the forefront of the 2022 midterm election.
But it’s also playing out in South Texas, in a district that stretches from San Antonio, a liberal area that makes up Cisneros’ base, to more moderate Laredo and its surrounding Rio Grande Valley counties, where support for Cuellar runs deep. Democratic voters there are largely Latino and historically more culturally conservative — a reality that partially explains Cuellar’s success there. It’s also a region where Republicans made major gains with Latino voters in the 2020 election, offering a window into a trend that could carry major implications across the national political map if it continues.
Another complicating factor is the FBI search of Cuellar’s home in January, weeks before the March primary. Cuellar has insisted he has done nothing wrong, and his attorney said Cuellar is not the target of the FBI investigation.
Still, Cisneros — an immigration attorney who interned in Cuellar’s Washington office as a college student — has used it to make the case that Cuellar isn’t focused on the interests of his district.
“It took me having to be in Congressman Cuellar’s office to find out that was anti-labor, to find out he was anti-choice, to find out he had lobbyist after lobbyist after lobbyist go through his office, and never really hosted families that looked like mine,” she said at a rally Friday with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The runoff also marks the latest in a series of increasingly expensive clashes — following last week’s primaries in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Oregon — between progressive and moderate forces within the Democratic Party.
Big-dollar outside groups aligned with the moderates spent heavily, as they’ve done in Texas, but received only a modest return on their investment: In Oregon’s 5th District, Rep. Kurt Schrader, despite support from national Democrats and a PAC aligned with the pharmaceutical industry, is trailing primary challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner. Pennsylvania state Rep. Summer Lee also appears to have overcome more than $3 million in super PAC spending to edge out her moderate rival for the nomination in the commonwealth’s open 12th District race.
In North Carolina, though, progressive favorites Nida Allam, the Durham County commissioner running in the 4th Congressional District, and former state Sen. Erica Smith, vying for a nomination in the 1st District, were handily defeated by moderate candidates bolstered by significant spending from dark money groups.
The showdown in South Texas, in one of the most closely watched Democratic primaries of the cycle, has attracted a variety of big spenders, with a late push for Cisneros from EMILY’s List following the Supreme Court leak.
Divisions along ideological lines and the contentious relations between progressive groups and Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill have been cast in sharp relief by the clash over the Texas district.
Cisneros called on Democratic congressional leaders to drop their support for Cuellar after the high court draft was first reported. Instead, they reaffirmed their support.
Pelosi earlier this month called Cuellar a “valued member of our caucus.” And House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland similarly defended Cuellar this month.
“We’re a diverse party and we have diverse opinions,” Hoyer told reporters. “We are overwhelmingly in our platform sense, a pro-choice party. …That does not mean there’s not room in our party for alternative voices.”
“I believe that Mr. Cuellar has represented his district well, his state well, I think he’s a valuable member of our Congress, and I’m supporting him for reelection,” Hoyer said.
Their continued support for Cuellar could help him avert disaster, but it has also reinforced Cisneros’ outsider image.
“The entire establishment in Washington — from Speaker Pelosi to (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) — has supported an anti-choice extremist and tried to stop Cisneros every step of the way,” Justice Democrats communications director Waleed Shahid said. “This election is about sending a message to Washington that South Texas deserves a representative who isn’t beholden to the corporate donors, super PACs and powers that be.”
Cuellar has been boosted by nearly $2 million alone from the United Democracy Project, which is funded by AIPAC.
UDP spokesman Patrick Dorton said the group’s message is unchanged from past primaries and made no apologies for its involvement.
“The pro-Israel community will stand by its friends who support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship,” he said, “and confront those who are detractors of that relationship and would seek to undermine it.”
The new Mainstream Democrats PAC, which is backed LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, has also spent more than $750,000 to support Cuellar.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://localnews8.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2022/05/23/cuellar-lone-anti-abortion-democrat-in-house-faces-third-showdown-with-progressive-cisneros/ | 2022-05-23 22:39:15 | 0 | https://localnews8.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2022/05/23/cuellar-lone-anti-abortion-democrat-in-house-faces-third-showdown-with-progressive-cisneros/ |
Meet our Mid-Valley: Milan Davis is the man in charge of Salem's trees
This is part of a weekly series introducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley community.
An estimated 50,000 to 70,000 trees line Salem’s streets, and even more fill the city’s 90 parks.
It’s Milan Davis’ job to ensure they’re all safe and healthy.
Davis is Salem’s urban forester.
It was early 2020 when he accepted the job and moved here from Alabama, with plans to modernize the city’s tree inventory and maintenance workflow.
But within a month, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
And in February 2021, a historic ice storm leveled about 1,200 city trees, and damaged at least 5,000 more. It was a forester’s nightmare.
After working through that night, he got a few hours sleep and then drove back to work. His second-in-command was out with COVID.
“I only live a mile from the office, but still, weaving around trees that had fallen, branches that were down. It was devastating,” he said. “I sort of have some PTSD still from the ice storm.”
Keeping Salem safe
Davis was born in Kentucky and grew up around trees.
“My mom’s side of the family were all nurserymen,” he said.
He studied landscape architecture at Virginia Tech, then went to Alaska, where he worked for the state doing trail design and trailblazing.
Davis said most of his experience in municipal trees comes from his time in Washington, D.C.
He worked first for the nonprofit Casey Trees, working with high school students planting and watering trees. Then, he moved to the District Department of Transportation’s urban forestry division.
Most recently, he had a go at being an organic farmer.
“I don’t know if I’d say Is failed, but it was just really hard,” he said.
Davis decided to return to trees, but this time in a management position. Salem had just what he was looking for. After a pandemic-related delay, he was joined here by his wife, Jeannine, a stepson, 14, and stepdaughter, 11, and 5-year old daughter.
Now, a typical day starts with answering emails, getting crews out for the day, and dealing with phone calls.
But he also might find himself doing aerial rescue training with the fire department in Bush’s Pasture Park, or trimming branches away from the city’s large water tanks.
“Our focus is to keep the general public safe,” he said. “That would be our number one goal when we’re out actively trying to maintain the urban forest.”
Tracking the trees
Today, about 90% of tree work related to the ice storm is completed, Davis said.
That includes the initial emergency response, cleanup, completing hazardous tree assessments and replanting trees.
The city’s insurance provided about $700,000 to grind more than 1,200 stumps and plant new trees, Davis said.
“Once that’s completed, that will end our association with the ice storm,” he said.
Now, Davis is working on his top goal: Creating an inventory of all the city’s trees, and their conditions, using Geographic Information System Mapping, or GIS.
Two years ago, the city had inventoried about 1,000 trees, without using GIS, he said. Now about 34,000 street trees are in the inventory.
As part of the inventory, the city focused on finding and removing dead trees, and logging and monitoring trees that are in poor condition.
After completing street trees, the city will inventory trees in parks. There's no estimate of how many that will be.
Davis also has revamped the system used for work orders, from paper to electronic orders that workers can receive and log on their phones.
His team also is focusing on planting more trees in lower-income areas.“We’re trying to lower the heat island effect in some of those neighborhoods that are more concrete than they are green space,” he said.
Right tree in the right place
Davis doesn’t have a favorite tree. Instead, he advocates for the right tree in the right place.
“We don’t want to give more work to the sidewalk crew than they need, blowing up city sidewalks with the wrong tree,” he said. “It’s finding that right, happy medium of a tree that’s going to fit in that space and not get too big.”
The best-performing trees in Salem are maples, he said. But cities have to be careful to have a diverse mix of trees that won’t be wiped out by a fungus or disease.
“The Asian longhorned beetle could come to Salem and our street tree population of maples could be devastated, which is a large percentage of our trees,” he said.
Davis recognizes how controversial trees can be, in Salem and elsewhere. People tend to feel strongly certain trees should either be saved or come down, he said.
Sentimental for sequoias:Property owner gets approval to remove sequoia trees in Court-Chemeketa Historic District
What does he want people to know about trees?
“Just that the benefits they provide are contributing to our livability as it gets hotter,” he said. “Think about what it feels like standing where there aren’t trees on a hundred-degree day, and what it feels like sitting in the shade.”
If you have an idea for someone we should profile for this series, please email Statesman Journal senior news editor Alia Beard Rau at arau@gannett.com
Tracy Loew is a reporter at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779 or on Twitter at@Tracy_Loew. | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2022/08/14/whos-in-charge-of-salem-oregon-city-trees-meet-mid-willamette-valley-urban-forest-keeper-milan-davis/65392334007/ | 2022-08-14 14:25:01 | 1 | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2022/08/14/whos-in-charge-of-salem-oregon-city-trees-meet-mid-willamette-valley-urban-forest-keeper-milan-davis/65392334007/ |
By CAROLYN THOMPSON and JOHN WAWROW
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who is still recovering after going into cardiac arrest on the field in Cincinnati two weeks ago, cheered via Twitter from home Sunday during Buffalo’s wild-card playoff home game against the Miami Dolphins.
“My heart is with my guys as they compete today!” Hamlin tweeted less than hour before kickoff.
“Supporting from home as I focus on my recovery. Nothing I want more than to be out there with them!” Hamlin posted, along with a video of himself greeting fans during the Bills’ last game against Miami, which was on Dec. 17.
A person with direct knowledge of the player’s schedule had told The Associated Press on Sunday that Hamlin planned to attend the game in person. He later said those “plans may have changed.”
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Hamlin has kept his schedule and recovery private since being released from a Buffalo hospital on Wednesday.
Hamlin visited teammates at the Bills’ stadium on Saturday but has not been seen in public since being rushed off the field in Cincinnati in an ambulance on Jan. 2. He spent more than a week in the hospital, much of the time in critical condition.
His occasional tweets during the game Sunday included a first-half shoutout to his replacement, Dean Marlowe, after he intercepted a pass from Miami quarterback Skylar Thompson.
Charged up fans were eager to blunt the memory of Hamlin’s collapse, when the 24-year-old from the Pittsburgh exurb of McKees Rocks stood up after making a tackle against the Bengals, then fell backwards, landing motionless on the turf at Paycor Stadium.
___
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://wtmj.com/sports/2023/01/15/hamlin-cheers-on-bills-from-home-says-heart-is-with-team/ | 2023-01-16 08:24:46 | 0 | https://wtmj.com/sports/2023/01/15/hamlin-cheers-on-bills-from-home-says-heart-is-with-team/ |
California bill would eventually ban all tobacco sales
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Some California lawmakers want to eventually ban all tobacco sales in the nation’s most populous state, filing legislation to make it illegal to sell cigarettes and other products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007.
If signed into law, it would mean by 2073 people wanting to buy cigarettes would have to show ID to prove they are at least 67 years old.
"We can ensure that the next generation of children in California do not become addicted to smoking," said Assemblymember Damon Connolly, a Democrat from San Rafael and the author of the bill.
The proposal is likely to face strong opposition from the tobacco industry, which would fight to maintain access to its largest U.S. market. If the ban were to become law, the industry could sue to block it. It could also challenge the ban at the ballot box, asking voters to stop it from taking effect.
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"(The ban) will impact a lot of jobs and it will have a repercussion throughout the economy of California," said Charles Janigian, president of the California Association of Retail Tobacconists.
Connolly and others are confident the ban would survive if they can get it passed the Legislature. It’s modeled after a similar law New Zealand enacted last year that bans the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009. In the U.S., the city of Brookline, Massachusetts, passed a local law banning the sale of tobacco products within its borders to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2000 — a law that so far the courts have allowed to remain in effect.
In 2020, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law banning the sale of most flavored tobacco products in the state. The tobacco industry asked voters to block the law, but in November voters allowed it to take effect.
"This is a logical next step of that," Connolly said. "The goal here is to lead, to actually change the conversation beyond our state’s borders and really try to move the needle forward in the direction that favors public health."
The bill would not penalize people for using or possessing tobacco products. Instead, it would fine retailers for selling to them. Connolly said he’s open to amendments that might create an exemption for religious and cultural uses. But he said the ban would not impact marijuana, which is legal to smoke recreationally in California.
"Tobacco products and marijuana are not an apples to apples comparison," he said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says smoking marijuana includes many of the same toxins and cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. The agency says more research is needed, but said limited evidence has shown a connection between chronic marijuana smoking and testicular cancer.
The ban could also eliminate income for the state, as California collected more than $1.5 billion in tobacco taxes in 2021, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Regulation.
"At the end of the day, the state is the net loser," Janigian said.
Connolly said the ban would save taxpayers money, citing the "tremendous impacts of nicotine and tobacco on our public health system."
"Preventing the next generation of Californians from becoming addicted to smoking should be a priority for anyone who cares about the public health of our state and the well being of our children," Connolly said. | https://www.fox5ny.com/news/california-bill-would-eventually-ban-all-tobacco-sales | 2023-02-25 04:04:16 | 0 | https://www.fox5ny.com/news/california-bill-would-eventually-ban-all-tobacco-sales |
BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – A relic of Greater Binghamton’s past history of single screen movie houses is being considered for a historical designation.
The Cameo Theatre on Robinson Street on Binghamton’s Eastside has been added to New York State’s Register of Historic Places and nominated for the National Register.
The theater was built in 1928 and designed by architect Gerald Schenck.
Schenck was a well-known local architect and protege of Binghamton master architect Sanford Lacey.
As recently as the early 90’s, there were still a number of neighborhood movie houses operating in Greater Binghamton, but the Cameo is the last one still standing.
It’s currently owned by Binghamton businessman Damien Cornwell who has announced plans to convert the theater into a community arts center.
Cornwell tells NewsChannel 34 that the project is applying for state grants and other funding sources with hopes of starting rehabilitation work in the spring. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/broome-county/cameo-theatre-receives-historic-designation-2/ | 2022-09-13 02:02:55 | 0 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/broome-county/cameo-theatre-receives-historic-designation-2/ |
Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, is reportedly suspending the company's work-from-home policy, which was implemented during the height of the pandemic.
According to The Verge, which obtained a copy of the email, employees are required to work in the office for a minimum of 40 hours a week. Remote work would only be allowed on a case-by-case basis, The Verge reports.
Elon Musk's $44 billion purchase of Twitter has been anything but smooth sailing. He has gotten into numerous spats over a plan to charge $8 for a subscription service that will provide users with a blue verification checkmark. Critics have claimed that anyone can buy an account for $8 and pose as someone else.
In the email to employees, Musk said Twitter may not survive without "significant subscription revenue."
He warned that the "economic picture ahead is dire" for a company like Twitter.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced this week that it was laying off 11,000 people as it deals with slowing revenue. | https://www.wtvr.com/news/national/elon-musk-ends-remote-work-for-twitter-employees | 2022-11-10 20:04:02 | 0 | https://www.wtvr.com/news/national/elon-musk-ends-remote-work-for-twitter-employees |
Did you know that LANTA is the third-largest transit company in Pennsylvania? And that LANTA uses 100% alternative fuels – the only bus company to do so in PA (and maybe the US)? Guest host Sally Handlon welcomes co-hosts Becky Bradley, Executive Director and Matt Assad, Managing Editor from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission as they talk with LANTA Executive Director Owen O’Neil about the new rapid transit system, EBS (Enhanced Bus Service).
Tune in to new episodes of Plan Lehigh Valley the first Monday of every month from 6:30 to 7:00 PM following The Inside Dish.
(Original air-date: 8/1/22) | https://www.wdiy.org/podcast/plan-lehigh-valley/2022-08-02/lanta-alternative-fuels-and-the-ebs-rapid-transit-system-with-owen-oneil-plan-lehigh-valley | 2022-08-02 16:00:37 | 1 | https://www.wdiy.org/podcast/plan-lehigh-valley/2022-08-02/lanta-alternative-fuels-and-the-ebs-rapid-transit-system-with-owen-oneil-plan-lehigh-valley |
US reopening visa and consular services at embassy in Cuba
HAVANA (AP) — The United States Embassy in Cuba is reopening visa and consular services Wednesday, the first time it has done so since a spate of unexplained health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017 slashed the American presence in Havana.
The Embassy confirmed this week it will begin processing immigrant visas, with a priority placed on permits to reunite Cubans with family in the U.S., and others like the diversity visa lottery.
The resumption comes amid the greatest migratory flight from Cuba in decades, which has placed pressure on the Biden administration to open more legal pathways to Cubans and start a dialogue with the Cuban government, despite a historically tense relationship.
They are anticipated to give out at least 20,000 visas a year, though it’s just a drop in the bucket of the migratory tide, which is fueled by intensifying economic and political crises on the island.
In late December, U.S. authorities reported stopping Cubans 34,675 times along the Mexico border in November, up 21% from 28,848 times in October.
Month-to-month, that number has gradually risen. Cubans are now the second-largest nationality after Mexicans appearing on the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows.
The growing migration is due to a complex array of factors, including economic, energy and political crises, as well deep discontent among Cubans.
While the vast majority of Cuban migrants head to the U.S. via flights to Nicaragua and cross by land at the U.S. border with Mexico, thousands more have also taken a dangerous voyage by sea. They travel 90 miles to the Florida coast, often arriving in rickety, precariously constructed boats packed with migrants.
The exodus from Cuba is also compounded by rising migration to the U.S. from other countries like Haiti and Venezuela, forcing the U.S. government to grapple with a growingly complex situation on its southern border.
The renewal of visa work at the embassy comes after a series of migration talks and visits by U.S. officials to Havana in recent months, and may also be the sign of a slow thawing between the two governments.
“Engaging in these talks underscores our commitment to pursuing constructive discussions with the government of Cuba where appropriate to advance U.S. interests,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement in November following an American delegation’s visit to Cuba.
The small steps are far cry from relations under President Barack Obama, who eased many American Cold War-era sanctions during his time in office and made a historic visit to the island in 2016.
Visa and consular services were closed on the island in 2017 after embassy staff were afflicted in a series of health incidents, alleged sonic attacks that remain largely unexplained.
As a result, many Cubans who wanted to legally migrate to the U.S. have had to fly to places like Guyana to do so before migrating or reuniting with family.
While relations have always been tense between Cuba and the U.S., they were heightened following the embassy closure and the Trump administration’s tightening of sanctions on Cuba.
Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. has eased some restrictions on things like remittances and family travel from Miami to Cuba, but has fallen short of hopes by many in Cuba that a Biden presidency would return the island to its “Obama era.”
Restrictions on tourist travel to Cuba, and imports and exports of many goods, remain in place.
Also kindling tensions has been the Cuban government’s harsh treatment of participants in the island’s 2021 protests, including hefty prison sentences doled out to minors, a constant point of criticism by the Biden administration.
Cuban officials have repeatedly expressed optimism about talks with the U.S. and steps to reopen visa services. Cuban Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Cossio said in November that ensuring migration through safe and legal pathways is a “mutual objective” by both countries.
But Cossio also blamed the flight of tens of thousands from the island on U.S. sanctions, saying that “there’s no doubt that a policy meant to depress the living standards of a population is a direct driver of migration.”
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kbtx.com/2023/01/04/us-reopening-visa-consular-services-embassy-cuba/ | 2023-01-04 14:22:28 | 0 | https://www.kbtx.com/2023/01/04/us-reopening-visa-consular-services-embassy-cuba/ |
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Natural gas from undersea deposits in the eastern Mediterranean can help replace Russia’s diminished supply of the fossil fuel to Europe at an “accelerated pace,” the European Union’s energy commissioner said Friday.
Commissioner Kadri Simson told the East Mediterranean Gas Forum conference in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, that the region can play an increasingly important role as a short- to medium-term supplier of gas, either in liquefied form or through pipelines to EU markets.
She pointed to a June deal for Israel to send more gas to EU countries through Egypt, which has facilities to liquefy it for export by sea.
The EU has already been successful in recent months in weaning itself off Russian gas, which from as much as 40% of its supply now amounts to less than 10%, Simson said.
But the commissioner said the only lasting solution to the EU’s conundrum amid the energy crunch brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a speedy transition to renewables.
“We can never be so dependent on one supplier ever again,” Simson said. “The era of cheap fossil fuels is over and the faster we move to cheap, clean, and home-grown renewables, the sooner we will be immune to Russia’s energy blackmail and anybody else who may think they can blackmail us with energy.”
Simson said the Mediterranean region has a “high potential” to generate renewable hydrogen and that the EU is looking to build partnerships with countries in the region. She said negotiations with Egypt on the issue are already at an advanced stage and an agreement could be finalized during the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cairo next month.
Hydrogen can be generated by using renewable electricity to extract it from water.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades also hailed the start of work to build a 2,000-megawatt undersea electricity cable that will link the power grids of Israel, Cyprus and Greece.
The “EuroAsia Interconnector” is touted as the world’s longest and deepest subsea electricity cable, at 1,208 km (750 miles) and 3,000 m (1.9 miles) respectively.
The cable will cost roughly 1.6 billion euros ($1.56 billion) with the EU providing a little under half of that in funding.
Anastasiades said Cyprus can contribute excess renewable energy through the cable ranging from 120 Gigawatt hours at the end of 2027 to 1,000 in 2030 and over 1,800 in 2033.
The East Mediterranean Gas Forum was established three years ago by Greece, Egypt, Italy, Israel, Cyprus, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan as a vehicle to promote energy cooperation. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/eu-official-east-med-gas-can-wean-bloc-off-russian-energy/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2022-10-14 16:10:01 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/eu-official-east-med-gas-can-wean-bloc-off-russian-energy/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
Oklahoma murder conviction reversed due to sexual relationship between judge, prosecutor
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma appeals court on Thursday threw out a first-degree murder conviction because of a sexual relationship between the judge and a prosecutor in the case.
In a 3-2 decision, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ordered a new trial for defendant Robert Leon Hashagen III, who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in 2021. Hashagen’s attorneys later appealed after new evidence emerged of an undisclosed sexual relationship between the trial court judge, Timothy Henderson, and one of the prosecutors in the case.
The majority opinion found that “the undisclosed relationship violated Hashagen’s due process rights.”
Henderson resigned in March 2021 after three female attorneys came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Henderson was never charged and has described the sexual involvement with two of the women as consensual.
“My rulings were fair and supported by the evidence and facts presented by the attorneys,” Henderson said at an evidentiary hearing in November 2021.
Henderson presided over a number of high-profile criminal trials as a judge, including that of ex-Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw, who Henderson sentenced to life in prison in 2016 after he was convicted of raping and sexually victimizing women while on his beat in Oklahoma City.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2023/07/13/oklahoma-murder-conviction-reversed-due-sexual-relationship-between-judge-prosecutor/ | 2023-07-13 22:18:44 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2023/07/13/oklahoma-murder-conviction-reversed-due-sexual-relationship-between-judge-prosecutor/ |
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Four years ago, Jason Peters saw the Dallas Cowboys as arrogant.
Now that the two-time All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles has joined the Cowboys, Peters calls it “swagger.”
Hey, a guy can change, particularly with the ever-evolving rosters of the NFL.
“You can’t blame me,” Peters said Monday after signing a one-year contract with a club needing help at left tackle. “We were rivals.”
Dallas is hoping the 40-year-old Peters can help make up for the loss of eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith, who is likely out until at least December with a torn hamstring. Peters is joining the team’s practice squad and probably won’t be ready for the opener Sunday night against Tampa Bay.
The Cowboys released defensive end Mika Tafua to make room for Peters.
Rookie Tyler Smith, who played left tackle at Tulsa, worked almost all of the offseason and training camp at left guard with the idea of getting the first-round pick in the lineup. After Tyron Smith’s hamstring tear that also fractured his left knee in practice two weeks ago, Smith moved back to his college position.
Tyler Smith said he was getting first-team reps at left tackle Monday, which means he should start against the Buccaneers, but Peters will get strong consideration for that spot once the 40-year-old Texas native is ready to play in a game.
“Just having him in the building was great for me,” Tyler Smith said. “We’re all geared toward one goal, and that’s winning. We’re competing against those other teams. We’re competing against each other every day, but it’s always good to have guys like that in the building.”
Peters didn’t say he expected to start once he was ready, which he said would take a “couple of weeks.”
“If Smith gets in there and starts rolling and they want to keep him. I am just going to help him,” said Peters, who has started 218 of 228 games in his career. “I ain’t no guy who is going to feel some way if I don’t start.”
Coach Mike McCarthy declined to address how the addition of Peters will affect the the makeup of the offensive line.
“This is about adding depth and bringing another excellent player into your program,” McCarthy said. “This is more about adding a future Hall of Fame player to your lineup — to your football team.”
Peters spent 11 of his first 16 seasons with Philadelphia before starting 15 games with Chicago last season. The nine-time Pro Bowler from Arkansas started his career as an undrafted free agent with Buffalo.
He was born, raised and still lives in East Texas, but Peters said he grew up a Bills fans, which is why he signed with them out of college. He wasn’t going to pretend it was different to put on Cowboys blue after a decade in Eagles green.
“Umm, yeah, a little bit,” Peters said when asked if it was weird. “Like I said, that was our rivalry. You know the Dallas and Eagle rivalry go deep, so it’s kinda weird. But I’m here in my home state and ready to roll.”
While five-time All-Pro right guard Zack Martin anchors the Dallas offensive line, none of the other four expected starters on opening day has played more than three years. Connor McGovern, who missed his entire rookie year win 2019 with an arm injury, is at left guard with third-year players at center (Tyler Biadasz) and right tackle (Terence Steele).
“What (Peters) brings to the table, what he brings to the offensive line room, all of that is part of his value,” McCarthy said. “That’s why this is just such a great fit for us and for him. So we do have a lot of young offensive linemen that will benefit.”
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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-ap-source-cowboys-add-lt-peters-with-tyron-smith-sidelined/ | 2022-09-05 21:38:03 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-ap-source-cowboys-add-lt-peters-with-tyron-smith-sidelined/ |
With multiple rotation players sitting or playing limited minutes on the final day of the regular season, the Orlando Magic fell to Miami Heat 123-108 Sunday in Miami, finishing with a 34-48 record.
After being eliminated from contending for a spot in the play-in tournament with their Tuesday loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Magic shifted their focus to trying out different rotations to close out the season.
Orlando started with the lineup of Markelle Fultz (7 points in 11 minutes), Jalen Suggs (8 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 15 minutes), Caleb Houstan, Franz Wagner (10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 15 minutes) and Wendell Carter Jr. for the first time, with most of the starting lineup playing 16 or fewer minutes.
Houstan scored a career-high 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting (5 of 11 on 3-pointers).
Kevon Harris had a career-high 22 points (7-of-12 shooting, 4-of-7 on 3s) and 8 rebounds off the bench. Chuma Okeke had 14 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 33 minutes.
“Whoever puts on that jersey and steps on the floor, they’re going to compete,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s what that group did.”
Forward Paolo Banchero (back tightness), forward Jonathan Isaac (season-ending left inner thigh surgery on March 3), guard Jay Scrubb (ineligible to play) and forward Moe Wagner (sprained right ankle) sat.
Udonis Haslem, who played in his final regular season game with the Heat after a 20-year career in Miami, led his team with a game-high 24 points — his highest-scoring game since having 28 on Nov. 14, 2009 and tied for the second-most points he scored during his NBA career.
“I just have to give him so much respect for what he’s done for this franchise, this Heat organization,” Mosley said. “Him being able to talk about the respect he has for our team says a lot because he’s seen a lot.”
The Heat (44-38) were already locked in at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, the top spot to qualify for the postseason play-in tournament.
Sentinel Sports Final
They sat Jimmy Butler (rest) and Nikola Jovic (back spasms). Most of the Heat’s regular rotation played limited minutes, including none in the second half.
Miami will host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday at the newly-named Kaseya Center to determine who’ll be the No. 7 seed for the East’s playoff bracket and play the Boston Celtics in the first round. The loser will host the conference’s concluding play-in game on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the playoffs.
The Magic’s 12-win improvement from last season was the most in the East and the third-most in the league behind the Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-sp-orlando-magic-miami-heat-sunday-20230409-mahiuqarevernejmug5y7rypaa-story.html | 2023-04-09 21:05:49 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-sp-orlando-magic-miami-heat-sunday-20230409-mahiuqarevernejmug5y7rypaa-story.html |
Florida officials are facing potential legal peril over GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis’s migrant relocation moves.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and Bexar County (Texas) Sheriff Javier Salazar, whose jurisdiction encompasses San Antonio, are focusing their criminal and civil investigations on whether migrants were lured onto flights under false pretenses.
Salazar’s office filed charges with the local district attorney Monday after a nine-month investigation into a Florida-run operation that transported 49 migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. Bonta announced his own investigation over the weekend.
“I think deception is a key part of what’s happened here,” he told The Hill.
Both those investigations orbit DeSantis, former President Trump’s leading competitor for the 2024 GOP nomination, whose hard-line stance on immigration is a keystone of his campaign.
“Gov. DeSantis is abusing Florida taxpayer dollars. We welcome the federal government or other states to help us challenge these dangerous political stunts,” said Florida Rep. Darren Soto (D).
After remaining uncharacteristically quiet on the issue for days, DeSantis’s office Tuesday took ownership of the latest flights, which carried migrants from Texas to Sacramento, Calif.
“From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new,” division of emergency management spokesperson Alecia Collins said in a statement. “But suddenly, when Florida sends illegal aliens to a sanctuary city, it’s false imprisonment and kidnapping.”
Collins’s statement and a video released by DeSantis’s office characterized the flights as voluntary — a rare defensive move from the Republican presidential candidate — amid increasingly vocal challenges from the West.
Bonta said he’s “glad the state of Florida is accepting blame for what they’ve done.”
“They have no choice but to – all the evidence pointed that way. It was obvious that it was them. They have a $10 [million] to $12 million budget outlay to pay for this program.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) panned DeSantis for the flights in a tweet Monday, calling him a “small, pathetic man” and floating the idea of leveling kidnapping charges over the flights.
At a Wednesday roundtable event on the border in Arizona, DeSantis declined to address either the migrant flights or Newsom’s criticism, but did assail so-called “sanctuary” cities and states on immigration.
“That’s the policies that they’ve staken out,” he said. “And then what? When they have to deal with some of the fruits of that, they all of a sudden become very, very upset about that.”
Bonta, who met Saturday with a group of migrants from the flights, said his investigation would cast a wide net.
“Everyone involved, anyone involved in the scheme and the movement of the 36 asylum seekers from El Paso to Sacramento with New Mexico in between, and that includes the state of Florida and its employees who are involved, and that includes any private entity,” he said.
Though Bonta and Newsom are the highest-profile Democrats to raise criminal charges as a possible counterpunch to migrant relocations, Salazar has for months been pursuing an investigation into the first Florida-related migrant flight.
“[DeSantis] took these people from my hometown of San Antonio. So, San Antonio was always going to have some kind of jurisdiction because of that, and the sheriff indicated a few months ago that he was going to do a full investigation,” said Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas).
“Our district attorney, I believe, will take a close look at [the investigation,] and if DeSantis and his crew committed what they’re accused of committing, then the district attorney will prosecute him.”
According to Salazar’s office, the recommended charges include several counts of unlawful restraint, some of which are misdemeanors and others felonies.
Gerardo Menchaca, an immigration lawyer in San Antonio who has advised some of the migrants who boarded the flights, said he believes the alleged deception amounts to kidnapping.
“It’s kidnapping if you lie to somebody to get them in the car with you and then take them to a place where it’s totally different than what you told them it was going to be,” he said.
“These people were told, ‘Come on, and we’re going to get you a job.’ And then there’s an allegation of somebody being told, ‘We’ll expedite your work permit.’ So that is kidnapping, and also, there’s minors involved, so minors can’t even consent.”
Reactions from Bexar County and California stand in contrast to those of some big-city mayors including New York City’s Eric Adams (D), who condemned the practice of shipping migrants north but also butted heads with the Biden administration over funding for new arrivals.
“Whether it’s [former Chicago Mayor] Lori Lightfoot or Eric Adams, they turn around and say, ‘This is a stunt’ and then they say ‘We can’t take any more,'” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist.
“And when they say they can’t take any more, that’s when the Western Governors jump in. The Western Governors weren’t gonna say anything. This is their way of trying to stop the bleeding by turning the subject back on the Republicans, but when you look at the polling, more Americans are waking up.”
Polls on immigration issues generally show a deep partisan divide, though key polls have found large majorities of Americans disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the issue.
Many Democrats, though, push back on the Republican idea that disapproval of Biden’s handling of immigration equates to approval of hard-line policies such as migrant relocations.
“Democrats are rightly taking a stand on this because it’s disgusting,” said Kristian Ramos, a Democratic strategist.
“What’s particularly stupid about all of this is, in a general election, Democrats, moderate Democrats and independents are solidly pro-immigrant, so once the general election rolls around for these Republican candidates, they’re going to stop talking about this stuff.”
—Updated at 4:23 p.m. | https://www.yourbasin.com/hill-politics/california-texas-make-legal-moves-against-florida-migrant-flights/ | 2023-06-07 21:11:07 | 1 | https://www.yourbasin.com/hill-politics/california-texas-make-legal-moves-against-florida-migrant-flights/ |
The brand also unveils its latest cordless wet/dry vacuum, the Dyad Pro
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Roborock, creator of ultra-intelligent home robotics engineered to simplify life, today launches the Roborock S8 Series, its new flagship robot vacuum lineup consisting of three models, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, Roborock S8+, and the Roborock S8. Roborock also introduces Dyad Pro, the brand's new cordless wet-dry vacuum.
"Home cleaning appliances such as robot vacuums and wet-dry vacuums are increasingly sophisticated, but cleaning effectiveness can still be a hit or miss. With the S8 Series and the Dyad Pro, we are introducing complete, one-stop solutions to customers around the world." Says Richard Chang, founder and CEO of Roborock.
"The S8 Series uses the most powerful cleaning system we have developed to date on a robot vacuum, paired with the ability to maneuver around objects and maintain itself, customers can now enjoy a more hands-off deep clean than ever before. While the Dyad Pro brings wet-dry cleaning up a notch with unmatched cleaning power, intelligence, and self-maintenance options."
Roborock S8 Series: Forget About Cleaning, Really
- Introducing Roborock's Most Convenient Dock Yet
Roborock's new RockDock™ Ultra system is introduced on the S8 Pro Ultra, allowing for automatic mop washing, dust emptying, refilling, and self-cleaning. A new warm air-drying feature prevents the growth of mold and odors on the mop pad and the dock.
- Enhanced Cleaning Performance
The S8 Series is powered by Roborock's strongest suction ever, at 6,000Pa[1]. A newly introduced dual rubber roller brush improves dirt pick up and is more effective in resisting hair tangles, making it especially convenient for those with pets.
The brush on the S8 Pro Ultra is automatically lifted for up to 6mm[2] under the mop-only mode and when the robot vacuum returns to the dock, preventing cross-contamination in both instances. This liftable brush also allows users to mop up spills without damaging the robot vacuum.
- VibraRise® 2.0 Mopping System
The mop automatically lifts when cleaning on carpets, and scrubs against floors with sonic mopping technology at a frequency of 3000 times per min[3]. On the S8 Pro Ultra, there are now two vibration modules, providing better efficiency compared to the original mopping system.
- Reactive 3D Obstacle Avoidance System
Readied with Roborock's latest obstacle recognition & avoidance system, the S8 Series can identify various objects on its path and maneuver around them.
The S8 Series will be available for purchase on Amazon and Roborock Official Store in the United States beginning in April of 2023 and will retail starting at $749.99.
Roborock Dyad Pro: A Clean Sweep for Both Wet And Dry Messes
The Dyad Pro brings breakthrough performance, packed into a one-stop, cordless solution.
- Powerful Wet Dry Cleaning Performance
With DyadPower™, the Dyad Pro's extremely powerful 17,000Pa suction and the ability to vacuum and wash at once, users can tackle a controlled and flexible deep clean with one tool, even getting into smaller corners and difficult areas of the home, reaching as close as 1mm[4] to the wall. The Dyad Pro also intelligently adapts cleaning power, water flow and dispenses cleaning solution accordingly for a better clean.
- Automatic Self-Maintenance Capabilities
The Dyad Pro will automatically clean its rollers using a bi-directional motion when docked, followed by automatic self-drying, preventing odors and bacteria build-up.
The Dyad Pro will be available for purchase on Amazon and Roborock Official Store in the United States beginning in January of 2023, for an MSRP of $449.99.
CES 2023 attendees may experience the S8 Series and Dyad Pro vacuums firsthand at Roborock's booth 9835, AI & Robotics Area, North Hall LVCC.
About Roborock
Roborock is committed to innovation in researching, developing, and producing home cleaning devices, particularly robotic, cordless, and wet/ dry vacuum cleaners. Every Roborock product has been designed with an eye on solving genuine problems, so Roborock customers can live better lives. Currently, Roborock is available in more than 40 countries, including the U.S., Germany, France, and Spain. The company operates out of four locations, with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. For more information visit https://us.roborock.com/.
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CHICAGO (WGN) — Surveillance footage shows an inmate being beaten for nearly a minute at Illinois’ Cook County Jail last year. The correctional officer accused of the beating has been charged.
Richard Smith, 44, was charged with official misconduct and aggravated battery following the incident at the jail on Sept. 20, 2022.
In the video, a 24-year-old inmate is seen speaking with two guards for about 40 seconds in the jail’s residential treatment unit.
Video shows the confrontation turn violent with a correctional officer seeming to throw the first punch. After a few seconds of the man defending himself with some punches back, Smith allegedly started to knee him while throwing uppercuts as the other correctional officer, who has not been identified, held him.
The inmate then falls to the ground as Smith is shown continuing to beat the man.
Multiple correctional officers then move in to try to break up the incident. Police said the inmate was beaten “more than 30 times.”
The condition of the 24-year-old was not given, but a press release states he was “treated for his injuries.”
Sheriff Tom Dart’s office said cameras were the reason Smith was arrested. A supervisor reviewing camera footage noticed the incident and reported it, authorities said prior to the video being released.
Smith was issued a $50,000 bond Tuesday.
“Excessive or unlawful force is not tolerated,” Sheriff Dart said. “We have instituted a nationally
recognized system to help prevent such abuse and prosecute it when it happens. Those who engage in this abuse completely disregarded their training, and they disparage the hardworking men and women who keep the jail safe and secure.”
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said they are seeking to suspend Smith without pay and will recommend his termination to the Sheriff’s Merit Board. | https://www.kark.com/news/national-news/video-shows-correctional-officer-beating-inmate-more-than-30-times-in-illinois/ | 2023-04-20 17:19:51 | 1 | https://www.kark.com/news/national-news/video-shows-correctional-officer-beating-inmate-more-than-30-times-in-illinois/ |
Betty the blind black bear gains celebrity status on military base
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - A female black bear is attracting a crowd wherever she goes in an Alaska military base to the point where she’s on a first-name basis with the military community that she routinely sees on the base.
Betty is an imposing figure weighing in at around 250 pounds who has become Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s neighborhood blind black bear.
Because she lacks sight, Betty often pops up in public areas where lots of people can see and interact with her, such as beneath a playground slide or on someone’s front doorstep.
James Wendland, chief officer with the JBER Conservation Law Enforcement Office, said Betty is like a celebrity on the base.
“Everybody that knows of her wants to take a look and see her and get good pictures,” he said.
KTUU reports that bears are a popular sight on base. Wendland said his team often handles one or two situations involving bears a day. However, he said they always know when the bear is Betty.
“She kind of feels her way around,” Wendland said. “But the big thing is, if she is going over something, she will always turn around and come over backward to where she can put her feet down first. Doesn’t matter if it’s a jersey barrier or by a dumpster. So it’s very easy for us to identify her by just her movements.”
Wendland first noticed Betty in 2018 walking around the base with her two cubs. That’s when he saw she was starting to lose her eyesight.
Over the past half a decade, his team has worked to help keep her safe on base.
“We have to deal with her totally different than any other bear because she can’t see,” Wendland said. “So, we have to get others to help us. Primarily to make sure we have traffic stopped so we don’t have her get hit by a car or have a car accident. We also have to be real careful about where we let her sleep for the day.”
It’s anyone’s guess where Betty will end up each day, having to rely mostly on her hearing to navigate the base.
“(When) she’s not hearing a lot people around her, that’s where she will lay down for the day and she will just take a nap right out in the open,” Wendland said.
Wendland warns that residents should still give her space when she makes a guest appearance.
“Don’t get too close. It’s still not the neighborhood dog that you can go up and get a selfie with. They are still bears. Give them plenty of room, plenty of space,” Wendland said.
Copyright 2023 KTUU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2023/05/04/betty-blind-black-bear-gains-celebrity-status-military-base/ | 2023-05-04 19:08:30 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2023/05/04/betty-blind-black-bear-gains-celebrity-status-military-base/ |
NEW YORK – July's jobs report was a stunner, in more ways than one. Despite raging inflation and anxiety about a possible recession, employers created 528,000 jobs last month, more than double market expectations. That's the fastest pace of hiring since February.
While the monthly jobs report is always highly anticipated, the July report was even more closely watched by investors, policymakers and the public. There have been increasing signs that the U.S. economy is heading into a recession. The strong job market may diminish those fears for now. But with inflation stubbornly high, the Federal Reserve may need to take additional measures to slow down the economy.
Here are five takeaways from the July jobs report:
HIRING: ZERO SIGNS OF SLOWING
Economists and policymakers had expected hiring to slow in July due to recession worries, rising interest rates and high inflation, with forecasts of 250,000 jobs created versus 372,000 in June.
Not only did job creation blow past those expectations, but the pace of hiring was back to levels not seen since the beginning of the year. Unemployment is at a 50-year low, and wages grew by 0.5% last month. Further, the Labor Department revised its May and June reports to show stronger hiring in those months.
“The report throws cold water on a significant cooling in labor demand, but it’s a good sign for the broader U.S. economy and worker,” wrote Stephen Juneau, an economist with Bank of America Securities.
STEP ON THE BRAKES HARDER?
With July’s strong jobs report, the market now expects the Fed to apply more pressure on the economy in its effort to cool inflation.
Fed fund futures, which are securities that bet on which way the Fed will move interest rates, now show there’s a 70% chance the central bank will raise interest rates by 0.75 percentage points at its September meeting. Before the jobs report came out, that figure was 34%.
“This remains one of the strongest job markets in the past 50 years, no comfort for those hoping for a slowdown which would reduce inflation and lead to a less aggressive path of rate hikes from the Federal Reserve,” said Mike Fratantoni, chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association, in an email.
The hope inside the Fed and on Wall Street is that the central bank can get inflation in check without causing a recession, in what’s known as a “soft landing” for the economy.
Investors get the next inflation reading on Wednesday. With the recent decline in gas prices, there are some hopes that the worst of the inflationary issues are in the rearview mirror. In June, consumer prices jumped 9.1% from a year earlier — the biggest increase since 1981.
JOBS CONTRAST OTHER ECONOMIC SIGNS
Without this blockbuster jobs report, most signs would point to the U.S. economy being in a recession or heading into one.
Last week the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy contracted for a second consecutive quarter, meeting the informal definition of a recession. The report showed Americans bought fewer goods, while business investment fell. Inventories tumbled as businesses slowed their restocking of their shelves.
This comes on the back of the recent inflation reports that show prices are rising at their fastest pace in 40 years, weighing on consumer confidence. Lastly the Labor Department reported Tuesday that employers posted the lowest number of job openings in nearly a year.
BACK TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS
For the labor market, it’s February 2020.
Overall, the number of employed Americans is now above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Labor Department. But the degree of the economic recovery varies dramatically by sector or industry. There are now nearly 1 million more jobs in the professional and business services sector and roughly 41,000 more jobs in manufacturing than there were before the pandemic hit.
The recovery in manufacturing is notable, since manufacturing jobs have been a big push for Democrats and the White House. Congress recently passed a law to promote domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and the spending package backed by Democrats would have additional funds for construction and energy projects.
There are political implications in the jobs numbers Friday: Americans have grown increasingly anxious about rising prices and the risk of recession. It most certainly will be at the forefront of the minds of voters during November’s midterm elections as the Democrats seek to maintain control of Congress.
President Joe Biden took credit for the resilient labor market Friday, saying “it’s the result of my economic plan.”
The leisure and hospitality sector created 96,000 jobs last month, but that sector remains the most negatively impacted by the pandemic— it's still short roughly 1.2 million jobs compared to pre-pandemic levels. Government jobs also remain below their levels before the pandemic by roughly half a million positions.
TIME FOR A RAISE
While the jobs report showed widespread gains, for millions of Americans it is the fading power of the paycheck that remains front and center.
Hourly earnings posted a healthy 0.5% gain last month and are up 5.2% over the past year. That still is not enough to keep up with inflation, which means many Americans, especially the poorest, are having to scrimp in the face of high prices for groceries, gasoline and basic needs.
There have been some concerns among economists about what’s known as a wage-price spiral when it comes to inflation, which is when workers require higher wages to keep up with the cost of living, which in turn causes companies to raise prices to cover those higher costs, which then circles back to workers yet again. If inflation continues to remain high along with rising wages, investors will get increasingly concerned because wage-price spirals cut into corporate profits. | https://www.clickorlando.com/business/2022/08/05/5-key-takeaways-from-the-july-jobs-report/ | 2022-08-05 18:12:16 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/business/2022/08/05/5-key-takeaways-from-the-july-jobs-report/ |
Can help deliver up to 10% medical cost reduction for employers, empowers employees with informed health benefits decisions
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb Workplace Benefits (CWB), a Chubb business that partners with benefits brokers and consultants to offer voluntary benefits to the employees of middle-market and large companies in the U.S., has announced it is the first voluntary benefits carrier to offer the Benefit Resource Genie™* service, alongside its voluntary benefits portfolio, to employer clients. The service provides a personalized, hands-on approach in helping employees understand and select health benefit options that best fit their needs. It also reduces employer medical costs, which often are eclipsed only by payroll as an organization's second-largest expense.
The Benefit Resource Genie™ service can help save employers up to 10% of their employee health care spend.** The service does so by helping employees identify optimal health plan coverage to minimize out-of-pocket costs. Coverage options may include those that are not employer-sponsored — such as ACA plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits — and may better suit the employee's unique needs.
"At this critical economic juncture for employers, we're pleased to make available this leading-edge, personalized service alongside our portfolio of voluntary benefit solutions and support," said Alex Faynberg, Chubb Workplace Benefits' Division President. "Businesses are doing their best to meet the diverse benefits needs of employees while also trying to slow medical costs. The opportunity to support team members in making important choices about their coverage is a win-win for both the employer and the employee."
Benefit Resource Genie™ is delivered via a three-phased approach:
- Resource Impact Analysis: Provides the employer with an overview of the service's potential financial impact for the business using employee census data.
- Household Study: Specialists speak with employees to better understand their individual and/or family health and financial circumstances.
- Member Support and Alignment: With the information compiled during the Household Study, specialists educate employees on the best options for healthcare coverage. That may include plans outside those offered by the employer.
Benefit Resource Genie™ was developed, and is provided, by risk management firm Benefits All In, LLC (BAI). In a recent case study of a 1,200-employee residential care organization, more than one-third of the staff was alerted to alternative health care coverage options to best fit their individual needs. The results saved the employer nearly $500,000 in a six-month period.
Chubb Workplace Benefits is one of the nation's fastest-growing voluntary benefits worksite carriers over the last several years, according to Eastbridge Consulting.
* Benefit Resource Genie™ and Benefits All In are Trademarks of Benefits All In, LLC
**Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
About Chubb
Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Lucinda Williams is returning to the spotlight this spring with an autobiography, a new album and concert appearances around the world. Less than three years ago, there was real worry that her creative voice would be stilled.
In November 2020, the singer-songwriter suffered a stroke while getting ready to take a shower in her Nashville home. Her husband, Tom Overby, discovered her on the bathroom floor. Williams was rushed to the hospital.
Her recovery has been grueling and not yet complete.
“I’m doing really well,” she told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I can walk again, I don’t have to use a cane or anything. I wasn’t sure about that for a while.”
She’s fragile and moves slowly. She’s unable to play the guitar, as continued weakness in her left side makes it too painful to grip the fret. It’s hard not to wonder if Williams, who turned 70 in January, is pushing things.
Talk to her, and her husband-manager, and it’s apparent how much she needs to be back, how they consider it part of her rehabilitation. Music was once a teenager’s escape from a troubled home life, and she’s not about to let go. The songs haven’t stopped flowing.
Retire? “No,” she said. “The thought would kind of flash through my head and I would think, I’m just not ready for that.”
Williams’ singing voice emerged unscathed from the stroke, as some critics noticed when she began performing again last summer. “Williams had an amazing stage presence, told wonderful stories about what she was singing and her voice was nothing short of magnificent,” Tom Joens wrote in American Blues Scene following a concert last September.
Her autobiography, “Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You,” was written prior to her stroke, and marks her first time writing a book.
“It’s partly because so many of my songs tell stories, and people are always wanting to find out the stories behind the songs,” Williams said. “I feel like the book is almost my gift to fans.”
When Williams met and married Overby, there were followers who seriously wondered if it would hurt her songwriting, since her trail of failed relationships and fleeting crushes provided uncommon fodder. The idea sounded insulting, even sexist.
Yet seeing it all outlined in print is frankly breathtaking. Her taste in men — poets on a motorcycle, she describes it — didn’t lend itself to slow and steady relationships.
One can construct a bingo card of past boyfriends, or near boyfriends, and the memorable songs those personal stories inspired: “Lake Charles,” “Pineola,” “Joy,” “Passionate Kisses,” “Still I Long for Your Kiss,” “Right in Time,” “Those Three Days,” “Wakin’ Up,” “Real Live Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings” and so on.
There’s some bold-face rock ‘n’ roll names, too. Readers will find out the songs that are about Ryan Adams and Paul Westerberg.
The meat of her story, however, is of surviving mental illness.
Williams’ mother was sexually molested as a young girl and spent years in and out of mental institutions. Williams’ father would say, “it’s not her fault, she’s not well.” The singer and two younger siblings grew up with a mother who was only half there.
Her father, poet Miller Williams, was an itinerant college professor constantly moving the family to different towns. He apologized to his daughter when he first heard the line about a young girl in a back seat, “little bit of dirt mixed with tears,” in the song “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.” She hadn’t recognized she was writing about herself.
It wasn’t all bad; Williams said the parties her father’s literary friends had put rock ‘n’ rollers to shame.
An undergrad in one of her father’s classes moved into their home as a “guardian” when she was about 12. “I just tried to be as respectful as possible and ignore the questions turning over in my head,” she wrote. “But it wasn’t easy.”
That’s about when her own obsessive-compulsive disorder emerged. She began playing music, describing it as “the world I wanted to be in, a better world than the one I was in.”
Williams hopes that telling her story will mean something to people whose loved ones had mental health issues or who have their own.
“I was tired of tiptoeing around and walking on eggshells about mental health,” she said. “I wanted to talk about it more openly and not feel self-conscious talking about it.”
Williams was the classic late bloomer musically, told for years that she was too rock for country, too country for rock ‘n’ roll. She was 45 when her breakthrough and still bestselling album, “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” was released in 1998. She cycled through plenty of odd jobs — one of them, giving out sausage samples in a supermarket, is the straight line for a wicked comment in the book about all the men who thought they knew better what to do with her career.
Williams writes that she wanted to be like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, artists that can do pretty much what they want creatively. Not many women are given that opportunity.
“I’m starting to reach it,” she said. “If I haven’t reached it yet. I hope that I will reach it.”
Her upcoming album, “Stories From a Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart,” is in some ways a love letter to a musical life, fond reminiscences of old bands, great jukeboxes, the corner bar and two late rockers — Tom Petty and the Replacements’ Bob Stinson.
The songwriting was more difficult because Williams always worked out melodies on guitar. She had to accept help, in part from musician Jesse Malin. Her husband, who had generally stuck to the business side of music, is a co-writer on each song and road manager Travis Stephens on six of them.
“At first I was a little bit hesitant,” Williams said. “But then I saw Tom Waits and his wife had collaborated as songwriters. That made me feel more comfortable about it.”
The album also includes vocal contributions from Bruce Springsteen and his wife, Patti Scialfa. The two hosted a dinner party that Williams and Overby attended on their second date in 2007.
“He has that Bruce sound that’s so unique and it’s on my record,” she said. “I’m still starstruck.” | https://cbs4indy.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/following-stroke-lucinda-williams-back-with-book-and-album/ | 2023-04-19 10:21:05 | 1 | https://cbs4indy.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/following-stroke-lucinda-williams-back-with-book-and-album/ |
Illinois investigating drugmaker Akorn’s abrupt closure
CHICAGO (AP) — State labor officials are investigating an Illinois-based pharmaceutical company’s decision to abruptly close all of its operations, including its out-of-state locations in New Jersey, New York and Switzerland, and to lay off hundreds of workers with almost no warning. The Chicago Tribune reports that Gurnee-based Akorn Operating Co. told its 400 workers on Wednesday that it planned to file for bankruptcy and that they would be laid off within 24 hours. CEO Douglas Boothe told employees that the company made the move after failing to find a buyer. An Illinois Department of Labor spokesperson said Thursday that the agency is investigating the situation because Akorn didn’t file the required 60-day notice of mass layoffs or plant closures until Wednesday. | https://localnews8.com/news/ap-national/2023/02/24/illinois-investigating-drugmaker-akorns-abrupt-closure/ | 2023-02-24 17:20:14 | 0 | https://localnews8.com/news/ap-national/2023/02/24/illinois-investigating-drugmaker-akorns-abrupt-closure/ |
CHICAGO (AP) — The voting precinct could have been any one of hundreds throughout Chicago, except that these voters in the first round of the mayoral election were all wearing the same beige smocks. And the security at this polling place wasn’t intended to keep disrupters and campaigners out, but the voters in.
When first-time voter Tykarri Skillon finished studying the list of nine candidates, looking for those who shared his priorities on jobs and affordable housing, he marked his ballot and then was escorted with other voters back to their cells in the Cook County Jail.
The 25-year-old, awaiting trial on a weapons charge, is part of a group not always mentioned in discussions about voting disenfranchisement. People serving sentences for felony convictions lose their right to vote. Detainees awaiting trial or serving misdemeanor sentences do retain that right, but face barriers to exercising it in many parts of the United States.
The Cook County Jail, with more than 5,500 inmates and detainees, is one of the largest such facilities in the nation. It is one of several lockups where voting rights advocates have worked with local election and jail officials to offer voting for those held there. The list includes jails in Denver; Harris County, Texas; Los Angeles County; and the District of Columbia.
Expanding jailhouse voting is one of the latest steps to combine voting rights with criminal justice changes.
“It feels good to have a voice,” Skillon said after casting his ballot during early voting, before the race went to an April 4 runoff. “We’re going home someday, so we should have a voice in our community.”
Candidates he chose from included the current mayor, Democrat Lori Lightfoot. Among the issues that damaged her politically was rising crime. She eventually came in third in the election, bumping her from an April 4 runoff between the two top vote-getters, also Democrats.
The most recent survey from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, released last December, showed that 451,400 of the 636,300 people held in jails across the country had not been convicted and thus should retain their right to vote.
Voting rights for pretrial detainees and inmates serving sentences for misdemeanors were upheld in a U.S. Supreme Court decision from 1974, in a case from New York, O'Brien v. Skinner.
Despite that ruling, voting rights advocates say a “de facto disenfranchisement” exists because of mistakes over eligibility and the difficulties that detainees and prisoners face in registering or voting.
In a 2020 report, the Prison Policy Initiative focused on three main reasons: registration is difficult due to issues such as mail-in ballot deadlines and voter ID laws; detention does not meet the criteria for absentee voting in some jurisdictions; and the churn of the jail populations.
At least one state, Tennessee, had a bill introduced this year to address one of the barriers. Being in jail as a pretrial detainee is not one of the reasons considered valid for granting a mail ballot request, said Democratic state Sen. Jeff Yarbro, the bill's sponsor. Yabro, who recently announced he was running for mayor of Nashville, wants that changed.
“Being a full citizen should be the default," he said. "Everybody ought to have the expectation of fully participating in a democracy."
In Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, about 75% of the nearly 10,000 people held in jail are pretrial. The sheriff's department established a polling place there in 2019, working with the county elections office, and has allowed voting during the past two election cycles. Before that, detainees voted only by mail.
The move started in 2017 with the Houston Justice Coalition and an initiative known as Project Orange that has helped register thousands of detainees and taught them how to navigate the mail ballot process, Nadia Hakim, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Elections Administration, said in an email.
“Previously if detainees wanted to vote, they had to do the legwork,” she said. “They had to know their registration status and make the request for the mail ballot application.”
In-person voting has multiple advantages. The mail ballot application deadline is April 25 for this year's May 6 election. Someone booked after the deadline would not be able to request a mail ballot, Hakim said. With the in-jail polling place, all detainees can vote, as well as members of the staff and public because machines are available in secure and public spaces. In last November's election, 528 people checked in to vote there, including detainees, employees and members of the public, she said.
In California, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Capt. Roel Garcia said staff members let pretrial detainees know they can register and vote and hold voter registration drives. Garcia, who oversees the inmate reception center, said the department works with groups such as the League of Women Voters to get information to the detainees about candidates and issues on the ballot.
The department and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk have teamed up on a pilot program since 2020 that allows voting in two jails. There are plans to expand it to all eight county jails in 2024.
Registrar Dean Logan said as many as 11,700 people could be eligible at a given time when the voting goes countywide. He said it could serve as a model for other counties.
“I think the in-person vote centers is something where people are watching to see how that’s going to work and whether or not they have the infrastructure, the equipment and the capacity to offer that,” Logan said.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said in an interview that giving detainees a sense of empowerment and finding ways to get them to rethink their place in the world and to inspire them to change are constant challenges. He said engaging them as elections approach presents an opportunity to accomplish that.
“If you are trying to get inside someone’s head … what better way to do that than to say we want you to be a real decision-maker?" he said. “I’m not saying it is magic fairy dust. … But all (these) things start moving the dial.”
A 2019 state law required that jails take steps to enable voting by detainees who have not been convicted. Smaller jails aren't required to have polling stations but must arrange for absentee ballots.
Dart said the jail helps organize classes overseen by university staff and other organizations to instruct inmates and detainees, before they vote, on everything from the electoral process to the rationale behind judicial elections. Detainees also are able to tune into televised debates between candidates.
“Their election IQ is off the charts,” Dart said. “Participation level, turnout — is higher than it is outside.”
The sheriff's office said about 1,500 inmates and detainees — or roughly 27% of the jail's population — voted during the first round of the Chicago mayoral primary.
The Chicago Board of Elections brought in several voting booths for the primaries this year along with a large ballot-collection machine and put them in a section of the jail called “the chapel,” which is normally used for religious services and small concerts.
With just a few guards looking on, half a dozen board of elections staff managed the jail polling stations, first helping with registration.
Among the voters was 20-year-old Tony Simmons, who marked his ballot while a dozen others sat in an adjoining room, waiting their turn. For safety reasons, just four were brought into the polling station at a time.
Simmons, who is awaiting trial on burglary, robbery and other charges in Cook County, said he had seen campaign ads on jail televisions featuring tough-on-crime messages. It didn’t bother him, he said, adding that crimes rates should come down.
Asked what kinds of candidates he voted for, he answered: “Ones who were more lenient” on issues surrounding the law and crime.
First-time voter Skillon, the one awaiting trial on a weapons charge, said he believed what many jaded voters outside the walls don't.
“Your vote matters," he said. "One vote can most definitely make a difference.”
___ Fields reported from Washington.
___
Associated Press coverage of democracy receives support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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Credit: AP | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/push-to-expand-voting-rights-in-us-for-those-held-in-jails/NDLTHDHEENGADC3KOKW4BSALNE/ | 2023-03-25 16:46:26 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/push-to-expand-voting-rights-in-us-for-those-held-in-jails/NDLTHDHEENGADC3KOKW4BSALNE/ |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration announced Monday that it is ramping up efforts to help house people now sleeping on sidewalks and in tents and cars as a new federal report confirms what’s obvious to people in many cities: Homelessness is persisting despite increased local efforts.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that in federally required tallies taken across the country earlier this year, about 582,000 people were counted as homeless — a number that misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they do not have a place of their own.
The figure was nearly the same as it was in a survey conducted in early 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit the nation hard. It was up by about 2,000 people — an increase of less than 1%.
The administration aims to lower that by 25% by 2025.
“My plan offers a roadmap for not only getting people into housing but also ensuring that they have access to the support, services, and income that allow them to thrive,” Biden said in a statement.
The 2022 All In strategy roadmap made public Monday follows a 2010 effort called Opening Doors, which was the nation’s first comprehensive strategy seeking to prevent and end homelessness.
Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness and a former HUD executive who worked on the first roadmap, said the federal government can influence local action with financial incentives, streamlined processes and strong policies.
Homelessness among veterans, for example, has plummeted as a result of federal leadership, and the country has also made inroads among youth, she said.
“What they’re trying to do here is to show, as a federal government, we are going to work across agencies, we’re going to break down silos, we’re going to lead with equity, we are going to talk about upstream prevention and work on those issues,” Oliva said.
The federal plan highlights racial and other disparities that have led to inequity in homelessness. It seeks to expand the supply of affordable housing and improve on ways to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place.
Potential steps include a campaign to encourage more landlords to accept government housing vouchers and encourage local governments to build more apartment complexes that are affordable for working families.
The administration also announced a program to have federal agencies work with local officials to reduce unsheltered homelessness in select cities that have not yet been named.
Homelessness has become a major political issue, especially in the nation’s biggest cities and on the West Coast.
The new survey finds that Los Angeles has overtaken New York as the city with the largest homeless population. In New York, where most people experiencing homelessness are in shelters, the total number declined to less than 62,000 this year from nearly 78,000 in 2020. Homelessness grew more slowly in Los Angeles, but still edged up to more than 65,000 from under 64,000 two years earlier.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass took office this month and promptly declared a state of emergency. New York Mayor Eric Adams last month announced a plan to treat mentally ill people and remove them from the streets and subways, even against their will.
This year’s Point in Time survey reflected a balancing of opposing forces. The pandemic brought massive job losses, particularly for lower-income people, and higher rents. It also spurred an eviction moratorium and temporary federal aid, including tax credits for families that helped keep people housed.
The count found homelessness declined among veterans, families, children and young adults. Most were staying in shelters, though the number of those sleeping in places not intended for habitation rose. More people had been homeless for more than a year. Black people continued to be disproportionately likely to be homeless.
The new count was heavily anticipated because the 2021 survey was incomplete due to the pandemic. This year’s survey wasn’t a full return to normal, however. While the individual tallies normally take place in late January, many were pushed back to February or March because of the pandemic. The local reports compiled into the national data showed the numbers rose in some places and fell in others.
___
Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-us-homeless-numbers-stay-about-the-same-as-before-pandemic/ | 2022-12-19 16:00:16 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-us-homeless-numbers-stay-about-the-same-as-before-pandemic/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Luke Jackson, sidelined for the season by Tommy John surgery, lost his salary arbitration hearing with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.
Jackson was awarded the team's $3.6 million offer rather than his $4 million request by Robert Herzog, Richard Bloch and Scott Buchheit, who heard the case a day earlier.
A 30-year-old right-hander, Jackson had surgery on April 13 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
No statistics or evidence from after March 1 are admissible other than contract and salary comparisons, timing set when Major League Baseball and the players’ association agreed to the deal that ended the lockout.
Jackson had 18 saves in 2019 and had served as a top setup man the past two years. He was 2-2 with a career-best 1.98 ERA in 71 games in 2021, helping the Braves win their first World Series title since 1995. He had a 0.00 ERA in three Series games against Houston, allowing one hit in 3 2/3 innings.
He earned $1.9 million last year.
Team have a 3-2 lead in decisions: Seattle second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier ($8 million) and Kansas City outfielder Andrew Benintendi ($8.5 million) won and Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley ($3.95 million) and St. Louis outfielder Tyler O’Neill ($3.4 million) also lost.
A decision remains pending for Milwaukee right-hander Adrian Houser.
Arbitration hearings usually are held during the first three weeks of February but were delayed by the lockout.
Hearings scheduled through June 24. Players scheduled for hearings include Atlanta outfielder Adam Duvall, pitcher Max Fried and Dansby Swanson, along with New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt, Minnesota catcher Gary Sánchez and Philadelphia pitcher Zach Eflin.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/injured-reliever-luke-jackson-loses-arbitration-vs-braves/NZVFLGCMLRFUBPND6FYOOEPAWI/ | 2022-05-19 18:51:52 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/injured-reliever-luke-jackson-loses-arbitration-vs-braves/NZVFLGCMLRFUBPND6FYOOEPAWI/ |
BEIJING, Dec. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pintec Technology Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: PT) ("PINTEC" or the "Company"), a leading independent technology platform enabling financial services in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
First Half 2022 Financial Highlights
- Total revenues were RMB39.82 million (US$5.93 million) for the first half of 2022 compared to total revenues of RMB91.6 million for the same period of 2021.
- Gross profit decreased by 51.14 % to RMB20.51 million (US$3.06 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB41.98 million for the same period of 2021. Gross margin was 51.50% for the first half of 2022 compared to 45.82% for the same period of 2021.
- Loss from operations decreased by 30.89% to RMB23.49 million (US$3.50 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB33.99 million for the same period of 2021.
- Net loss increased by 201.79% to RMB123.60 million (US$18.42 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB40.96 million for the same period of 2021.
First Half 2022 Operating Highlights
- Total loans facilitated decreased by 71.78% to RMB115.30 million (US$17.18 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB0.4 billion for the same period of 2021.
- Loan outstanding balance decreased by 73.32% to RMB92.78 million (US$13.82 million) as of June 30, 2022 from RMB0.3 billion as of December 31, 2021.
- The following table provides delinquency rates by balance for all loans facilitated by the Company as of the dates indicated:
Mr. Victor Li, Chief Executive Officer and acting Chief Financial Officer of PINTEC, commented, "In terms of our current development strategy, we will continue to further focus on empowering small and medium economics. We launched the small and medium enterprise ("SME") technical services last year, which specifically, was to utilize our proven "SaaS + Fintech" model as a total solution in order to accelerate the digitization of SMEs, encompassing technology-based credit services and solutions to the manufacturing process and operations of these SMEs. In 2022, our efforts are focused on the development and expansion of various areas based on our SME strategy, which includes but not limited to technology empowerment, big data credit collection, and digital smart credit. As usual, we will continue to solidify our capabilities in data analytics and technology innovation, strengthen our other core competencies and improve our process of our daily operations. Besides, we are continuously devoted to initiating innovative business while optimizing out cost structure to achieve break-even. We are committed to cautious and sustainable growth, and always prepare for any potential uncertainty.
We continue to provide superior digital services and best-in-class solutions with innovative technology, thereby strengthening our relationship with our business partners, satisfying the requirement of our customers, and improving our overall delinquency rate. We will continue to prudently review our cost measures, financial leverage and liquidity position to ensure the successful execution of our future growth plans. We are pleased with the progress we have made so far in 2022 and are committed to achieving the goals we previously set for our business transformation."
First Half 2022 Financial Results
Total Revenues
Total revenues decreased by 56.53% to RMB39.82 million (US$5.93 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB91.61 million for the same period of 2021. This decrease was mainly due to the impact of Covid-19 resulting in industry downturn, as well as the Company's overall business transformation efforts.
- Revenues from technical service fees decreased by 60.24% to RMB24.16 million (US$3.60 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB60.76 million for the same period of 2021. This decrease was mainly due to the reduction of risk-sharing loan facilitation business, which in turn resulted in the decrease of off-balance sheet loans facilitated in the first half of 2022.
- Revenues from installment service fees increased by 4.62% to RMB9.02 million (US$1.34 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB8.62 million for the same period of 2021. This increase was mainly due to an additional volume of SMEs loans on the Company's books in the first half of 2022.
- Revenues from wealth management service fees decreased by 70.12% to RMB6.64 million (US$0.99 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB22.2 million for the same period of 2021. The decrease in revenue of the wealth management was mainly due to the Company's initiative to cease from providing distribution service for insurance products with low profit margin in the first half of 2022.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues decreased by 61.09% to RMB19.31 million (US$2.88 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB49.63 million for the same period of 2021. This decrease was mainly attributable to:
(1) a decrease in funding cost from RMB2.00 million for the first half of 2021 to RMB0.03 million (US$5,000) for the same period of 2022, primarily due to maturity of the funding debts resulting in a significant interest expense reduction;
(2) the provision of credit losses in the first half of 2022 was RMB0.94 million (US$0.14 million), compared to reversal of credit losses of RMB7.49 million in the first half of 2021, which was mainly due to the adjustment of the types of credit loan products that resulted in different provisions for credit losses.
(3) a decrease in origination and servicing cost from RMB54.23million for the first half of 2021 to RMB18.67 million (US$2.78 million) for the same period of 2022, primarily attributable to a reduction in collection expenses and user acquisition costs;
(4) a decrease in guarantee recoveries from RMB0.62 million in the first half of 2021 to RMB0.36 million (US$0.05 million) in the same period of 2022 which was mainly due to the decreasing amount of assets being guaranteed;
(5) a decrease in price split cost to Jimu Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries and variable interest entities ("Jimu Group") from RMB1.52 million for the first half of 2021 to RMB0.03 million (US$5,000) for the same period of 2022, primarily attributable to the expiration of the loan facilitated under risk-sharing model with Jimu Group.
Gross Profit
Gross profit decreased to RMB20.51 million (US$3.06 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB41.98 million for the same period of 2021. Gross margin was 51.50% in the first half of 2022 compared to 45.82% in the same period of 2021.
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses decreased by 42.08% to RMB44.00 million (US$6.56 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB75.97 million for the same period of 2021. The Company has been continuously optimizing and refining its organizational structure, marketing strategies and product matrix since the beginning of 2021.
- Sales and marketing expenses in the first half of 2022 decreased by 30.11% to RMB13.89 million (US$2.07 million) from RMB19.87 million in the same period of 2021. This decrease was primarily driven by the decrease in payroll cost.
- General and administrative expenses in the first half of 2022 decreased by 48.39% to RMB19.57 million (US$2.92 million) from RMB37.9 million in the same period of 2021. This decrease was primarily driven by strict overall cost control for the reduction of various items including, among other things, professional services fees and payroll cost.
- Research and development expenses in the first half of 2022 decreased by 34.89% to RMB10.54 million (US$1.57 million) from RMB16.19 million in the same period of 2021, primarily driven by personnel structure optimization as part of the business transformation.
Loss from operations
Loss from operations decreased by 30.89% to RMB23.49 million (US$3.50 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB33.99 million for the same period of 2021.
Other income and expenses
Other income and expenses increased by 1042.37% to RMB98.70 million (US$14.71 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB8.64 million for the same period of 2021. The increase was primarily driven by impairment provided to long-term investments in the first half of 2022. In accordance with market changes, and after reviewing the investee's cash position, the financial and business performance, the Company assessed that impairment exists and the fair value of the long-term investments was lower than the carrying value. Therefore, the Company made impairment of the long-term investments in the amount of RMB86.60 million (US$12.90 million) in the first half of 2022, including equity investments without readily determinable fair values of RMB50.00 million and available for sale investment of RMB36.60 million.
Net Loss
Net loss increased by 201.79% to RMB123.60 million (US$18.42 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB40.96 million for the same period of 2021.
Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders increased by 214.80% to RMB122.04 million (US$18.18 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB38.77 million for the same period of 2021.
Adjusted net loss increased by 207.63% to RMB119.22 million (US$17.76 million) for the first half of 2022 from RMB38.75 million for the same period of 2021.
Net Loss Per Share
Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share in the first half of 2022 were both RMB0.41 (US$0.06). Basic and diluted net loss per American Depositary Share ("ADS") in the first half of 2022 were both RMB14.35 (US$2.10). Each ADS represents thirty-five of the Company's Class A ordinary shares.
Adjusted basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share in the first half of 2022 were both RMB0.39 (US$0.06). Adjusted basic and diluted net loss per ADS in the first half of 2022 were both RMB13.65 (US$2.10).
Balance Sheet
The Company has combined cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term restricted cash of RMB293.21 million (US$43.69 million) as of June 30, 2022, compared to RMB224.79 million as of December 31, 2021.
Liquidity
There were recurring losses from operation since the year of 2019, and for the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company reported a net loss of RMB123.60 million (US$18.42 million). In addition, as of June 30, 2022, the Company reported a negative working capital of RMB50 million (US$7.45 million) and had an accumulated deficit of RMB2,381.23 million (US$354.80 million). The Company's operating results in future periods are subject to numerous uncertainties, and it is uncertain whether the Company will be able to reduce or eliminate its net loss in the foreseeable future. If the management is unable to generate significant revenues from its current services provided and further reduce its expenditures, the Company may not be able to achieve profitability, and if the Company fails to achieve these goals, the Company needs additional financing to execute its business plans and maintain its operations. Substantial doubt is probable without regard to the management's plan. The Company has reached agreements with certain third parties to obtain: 1) a line of credit facility with an amount up to RMB306 million (US$45.59 million) and 2) a HKD 300 million (US$38.46 million) long-term loan, through which the substantial doubt is alleviated.
The Company believes that available cash, together with the efforts from management plan and actions, should enable the Company to meet current anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months after the date that the interim financial statements are issued, and the Company has prepared the consolidated financial statements on a going concern basis.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In evaluating its business, the Company considers and uses adjusted net income/loss as a supplemental measure to review and assess its operating performance. The presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company defines adjusted net income/loss as net income/loss excluding share-based compensation expenses.
The Company believes that this non-GAAP financial measure can help management evaluate the Company's operating performance and formulate business plans. Adjusted net income/loss enables management to assess operating results without considering the impact of share-based compensation expenses. The Company also believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides useful information about its operating results, enhance the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allows for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by management in their financial and operational decision-making.
This non-GAAP financial measure is not defined under U.S. GAAP and is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This non-GAAP financial measure has limitations as an analytical tool. One of the key limitations of using adjusted net income/loss is that it does not reflect all items of income and expenses that affect the Company's operations. The Company will continue to incur share-based compensation expenses in its business, which are reflected in the presentation of its adjusted net income/loss. Further, this non-GAAP financial measure may differ from non-GAAP financial information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore its comparability may be limited.
The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure, net income/loss, which should be considered when evaluating the Company's performance. The Company encourages you to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
Exchange Rate
This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("USD") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to USD were made at the rate of RMB6.7114 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on June 30, 2022, in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or USD amounts referred to could be converted into USD or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. For analytical presentation, all percentages are calculated using the numbers presented in the financial statements contained in this earnings release.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "confident" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this announcement, as well as PINTEC's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. PINTEC may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions, and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's limited operating history, regulatory uncertainties relating to the markets and industries where the Company operates, and the need to further diversify its financial partners, the Company's reliance on a limited number of business partners, the impact of current or future PRC laws or regulations on wealth management financial products, and the Company's ability to meet the standards necessary to maintain the listing of its ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market, including its ability to cure any non-compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing criteria. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.
About PINTEC
PINTEC is a leading independent technology platform enabling financial services in China. By connecting business and financial partners on its open platform, PINTEC enables them to provide financial services to end users efficiently and effectively. The Company offers its partners a full suite of customized solutions, ranging from digital retail lending, digital business lending, robotic process automation, to wealth management and insurance products. Leveraging its scalable and reliable technology infrastructure, PINTEC serves a wide range of industry verticals covering online travel, e-commerce, telecommunications, online education, SaaS platforms, financial technology, internet search, and online classifieds and listings, as well as various types of financial partners including banks, brokers, insurance companies, investment funds and trusts, consumer finance companies and other similar institutions. For more information, please visit ir.pintec.com.
For further information, please contact:
Pintec Technology Holdings Ltd.
Phone: +86 (10) 8564-3600
E-mail: ir@pintec.com
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SOURCE Pintec Technology Holdings Limited | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/12/23/pintec-announces-unaudited-financial-results-first-half-2022/ | 2022-12-23 22:48:20 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/12/23/pintec-announces-unaudited-financial-results-first-half-2022/ |
Ahead of a "major announcement" in his hometown of North Charleston, S.C., on Monday, Republican Sen. Tim Scott has quietly made his run for president official. In a filing with the Federal Election Commission Friday, Scott filed a Statement of Candidacy as a member of the Republican Party. The office sought? President.
This filing comes after months of speculation about Scott's political ambitions. He previously announced a presidential exploratory committee in April which allowed him to raise money without the strict scrutiny of the FEC. A little over a month later, he is now poised to make that exploratory committee a conventional campaign.
This filing and the upcoming announcement also come after Scott's "Faith in America" tour, where he traveled the country — particularly early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire — sharing his vision for America, leaning heavily into cultural war issues including education.
At a Faith and Freedom event in Iowa, Scott compelled a crowd of conservative Christian voters in the style of an Southern preacher — a job he said his mother wanted him to have.
"If you believe we need a little more A-B-Cs and a little less C-R-T, let me hear you scream!" Scott said. "Hallelujah."
The comment about CRT, or Critical Race Theory, highlights the lane that Scott will take as a candidate. He is the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate and has long espoused conservative views while talking frankly about race and his experiences as a Black man in America.
Scott will be the second South Carolina Republican to jump into the race; former Gov. Nikki Haley announced her candidacy in February. South Carolina is an early voting state for both Republicans and Democrats in 2024.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wlrn.org/national-politics/2023-05-19/sen-tim-scott-files-paperwork-to-run-for-president-in-the-2024-election | 2023-05-19 16:29:28 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/national-politics/2023-05-19/sen-tim-scott-files-paperwork-to-run-for-president-in-the-2024-election |
The last act of the 2022 midterms plays out on Tuesday, when voters in Georgia go to the polls in the Senate runoff election.
More than 1.8 million Georgians have cast their ballots prior to Election Day as Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and former football star Herschel Walker (R) duke it out.
The runoff was required because, under Georgia law, a candidate needs to win more than 50 percent of all votes cast in order to be elected.
Warnock topped the poll on Nov. 8 but fell just short of 50 percent in a field that included a Libertarian candidate.
What are the things to watch on Tuesday?
Can Election Day turnout save Walker?
Early voting turnout for the runoff has been exceptionally strong — something that almost certainly benefits Warnock.
The state repeatedly broke its one-day record for early voting in recent days, topping things off with a turnout of more than 350,000 voters last Friday.
That’s important for Warnock for several reasons.
First, Democrats generally benefit from high turnout.
Second, there have been long lines in the heavily Democratic counties in the Atlanta area.
Third, Democrats cast about 52 percent of early ballots whereas Republicans cast only 39 percent, according to data provided by TargetSmart to NBC News.
Those figures suggest Walker has a significant hill to climb.
On the other hand, the same-day vote tends to favor Republicans.
The former University of Georgia football star will be desperately hoping for a big turnout on Tuesday.
Are the polls wrong, again?
Opinion polls taken since the Nov. 8 general election clearly point to a Warnock victory, albeit a narrow one.
There have been five major polls released since the start of December. Walker has not led in any of them.
A poll for The Hill from Emerson College, released Dec. 1, put Warnock up by 2 percentage points.
The same survey also pointed to pessimism among Georgia Republicans.
Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, said at the time that despite Warnock’s advantage “being well within the poll’s margin of error, a Walker win would surprise the majority of voters. About 1 in 5 Republicans expect their nominee to lose.”
The four other major polls put Warnock ahead by between 3 and 5 points.
All of that being said, pollsters have hardly had a stellar record in recent years, missing former President Trump’s 2016 victory, overestimating President Biden’s likely 2020 margin and, just last month, pointing to a better Election Day for the GOP than what actually materialized.
The same goes for the Georgia contest.
Right before the first round of voting, data and polling site FiveThirtyEight gave Walker a 63 percent chance of prevailing, while the RealClearPolitics polling average had the Republican up by 1.4 percentage points.
When the votes were counted, Warnock had an advantage of about 1 point.
Walker needs the polls to be wrong again — this time in the opposite direction — on Tuesday.
How does Trump react?
Trump had a very disappointing midterm elections, with many of his most high-profile endorsees losing.
The poor performance began a cascade of events that have left the former president looking weaker than he has for some time.
First, Trump-skeptical Republicans were newly emboldened to argue he was hurting the party. Next, Trump delivered an underwhelming speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Nov. 15 to launch his 2024 candidacy. Then, he was enmeshed in controversy for a full week after having dinner with two prominent antisemites: Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and Nick Fuentes.
On Saturday, Trump incited yet more controversy with a social media posting calling for his own reinstatement as president and the “termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
In Georgia, Trump prodded Walker to run in the first place and endorsed him.
But Walker’s many weaknesses as a candidate are a problem.
The Republican nominee has been accused of encouraging two ex-girlfriends to have abortions despite his public anti-abortion position, as well as exaggerating his business successes and ties to law enforcement.
If he loses, watch whether Trump disowns him, tries to place the blame elsewhere or simply goes quiet.
Either way, such an outcome would again strengthen the case of those Republicans arguing the party needs to move on from the 45th president.
Of course, if Walker wins, Trump can draw a belated measure of vindication from the result.
Has Walker lost the middle?
One data point from Nov. 8 was especially stark: Walker won roughly 200,000 fewer votes than his party colleague in the state, Gov. Brian Kemp.
Kemp won reelection comfortably over Democrat Stacey Abrams.
That pointed to a potentially grave problem for Walker — a seeming inability to connect with moderate Republicans and independent voters.
Exit polls indicate that Warnock bested Walker by 11 points among the roughly one-in-four voters who consider themselves independent. Among self-described “moderates,” Warnock’s margin was much larger again — more than 30 points.
Since then, Walker has been caught up in yet another furor, this time amid reports that he got a tax break on a property in Texas that is only intended to be used for someone’s primary residence.
Again, it is possible that Walker pulls out a surprise on Tuesday. But that scenario requires a significant improvement among independent voters
Does Warnock thank Biden?
Warnock has played a shrewd political game in a state where Biden’s approval ratings are well underwater.
The incumbent Democrat has stressed his efforts to reach across the aisle, working with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on highway improvements and maternal mortality, respectively,
He has also been more eager to stress local, practical gains, like securing investments in the port of Savannah, than to wrap himself in the Democratic flag.
Biden, for his part, has also kept his distance. The president on Friday showed up to support volunteers making phone calls to help Warnock — from Massachusetts.
If Warnock wins, it’ll be worth noting whether he name-checks Biden in a victory speech or tries to maintain his independent image. | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/hill-politics/five-things-to-watch-in-the-georgia-senate-runoff/ | 2022-12-06 15:11:25 | 0 | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/hill-politics/five-things-to-watch-in-the-georgia-senate-runoff/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Love her or loathe her, Barbie has been transformed again, this time into a version for children as young as 3.
Gone is the contentious hourglass figure for My First Barbie, which launched Thursday ahead of July's live-action film about the icon starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
The slightly softer-bodied Barbie follows on the high heels of tall, petite and curvy iterations that were released five years ago in a massive makeover.
My First Barbie is 13.5 inches tall, 2 inches taller than traditional Babs, with a larger waist that de-emphasizes the bust line (it remains in place, however), and flesh-tone modesty undergarments permanently attached.
Her fashion is more kid-like, with playful heart, star and flower designs on jammies and flouncy preschool-friendly dresses and swim gear. Her accessories are larger for littler hands, and her hair is extra long for easier brushing.
My First Barbie's limbs are moveable, like some past versions of the doll, and her facial features remain recognizable. A huge milestone: Her fingers and thumbs are connected, eliminating a frequent complaint that Barbie's hands get caught in her clothes when children try to put them on.
Lisa McKnight, a Mattel executive vice president and global head of Barbie and dolls, told The Associated Press the company created the new version in response to feedback from parents.
“We talk to parents and kids almost 365 days a year,” she said. “We started hearing a theme around younger kids wanting to play with Barbie. Parents were concerned that their children at the preschool age didn’t have the fine motor skills to have a positive play experience with our traditional fashion doll.”
The first rollout of the new doll includes four diverse skin tones and hair textures.
Critics of 63-year-old Barbie, intended to symbolize a girl in her late teens, have long cited her dimensions as promoting unattainable, sexualized body standards for girls. My First Barbie, at a price point of $19.99, goes a long way in eliminating that issue.
McKnight wouldn’t directly address the criticism or whether My First Barbie has a place in turning around that negative view.
Research is mixed on whether Barbie's bad rap on body issues and her adult-leaning fashion sense have any impact on children, said Jody LeVos, once a leader of Mattel's child development and learning team and now chief learning officer for Begin, a company that creates learning apps and other educational fare for kids.
Among parents, she said, “there's a big nostalgia factor” when it comes to Barbie.
“I don’t think there's one specific doll that’s most appropriate. I think doll play allows children to really practice storytelling skills, perspective taking and social interactions,” LeVos said.
The Barbie line’s overall sales have soared in recent years after a period of decline in 2013.
Joaniko Kohchi, director for Adelphi University’s Institute for Parenting, questioned Mattel's motives.
“If we’re going to think about Mattel guiding our choices then we have already kind of limited them,” she said.
McKnight made it clear that My First Barbie will not be a separate, parallel Barbie universe. She said new content featuring the doll will hit Barbie's YouTube channel later this month, with an animated special about the planning of a surprise party.
Andrea Werner, a pediatric occupational therapist in West Hartford, Connecticut, and mother of a preschooler and an infant, supports doll play as developmentally valuable.
“There are plenty of dolls on the market,” she said. “Companies will always be trying to sell consumers the next best thing.”
Kohchi isn't entirely sold on My First Barbie as appropriate.
“We know that if you’re going to hand a child an image and say, this is beauty or this is wonderful or look how pretty that is, it should resemble the child a little bit more closely,” she said. “It’s certainly still a little older than a preschooler.” | https://www.ksby.com/news/national/new-taller-barbie-doll-is-aimed-at-kids-as-young-as-3 | 2023-01-12 16:30:28 | 1 | https://www.ksby.com/news/national/new-taller-barbie-doll-is-aimed-at-kids-as-young-as-3 |
Scolari aims for perfect sendoff in Copa Libertadores final
By MAURICIO SAVARESE
AP Sports Writer
SAO PAULO (AP) — The final of the Copa Libertadores on Saturday will feature two Brazilian teams for the third consecutive edition and is likely to either boost the chances for a Flamengo striker to attend the World Cup in Qatar or give a memorable send off for Athletico coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Unbeaten Flamengo seeks its third trophy of South America’s most prestigious club tournament. Underdog Athletico wants a memorable first title which could end 73-year-old Scolari’s 40-year career at the Metropolitano Stadium in Guayaquil, Ecuador. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/10/27/scolari-aims-for-perfect-sendoff-in-copa-libertadores-final/ | 2022-10-28 00:13:11 | 0 | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/10/27/scolari-aims-for-perfect-sendoff-in-copa-libertadores-final/ |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A new round of U.S. sanctions targeting Russian elites includes a woman named in news reports as Vladimir Putin’s longtime romantic partner.
The Treasury Department said Tuesday that the government has frozen the visa of Alina Kabaeva, an Olympic gymnast in her youth and former member of the state Duma, and imposed other property restrictions. The department said she is also head of a Russian national media company that promotes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Critics of the Kremlin and imprisoned Russian rights campaigner Alexey Navalny have been calling for sanctions against Kabaeva, saying her news outlet took the lead in portraying Western commentary on the invasion as a disinformation campaign.
The U.K. sanctioned Kabaeva in May and the EU imposed travel and asset restrictions on her in June.
Also named in Treasury's latest sanctions package is Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev, an oligarch who owns the Witanhurst estate, a 25-bedroom mansion that is the second-largest estate in London after Buckingham Palace.
His $120 million yacht, the Alfa Nero, was also identified as blocked property. Also sanctioned was his son Andrey Andreevich Guryev and his son's Russian investment firm Dzhi AI Invest OOO.
“As innocent people suffer from Russia’s illegal war of aggression, Putin’s allies have enriched themselves and funded opulent lifestyles,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
“Together with our allies, the United States will also continue to choke off revenue and equipment underpinning Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine.”
The State Department also imposed additional visa restrictions and other sanctions.
In April, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Putin’s adult daughters Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova. | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Putin-s-rumored-girlfriend-hit-with-latest-U-S-17345620.php | 2022-08-02 17:26:43 | 1 | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Putin-s-rumored-girlfriend-hit-with-latest-U-S-17345620.php |
Results Show Sentiment Towards Investing, Emerging Technologies & Areas of Impact
SEATTLE, June 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PitchBook, the premier data provider for the private and public equity markets, today released the findings from a new survey conducted in partnership with Collision Conference, a Web Summit event and North America's fastest growing technology conference taking place in Toronto June 20-23, 2022. The survey was administered to 105 venture capital (VC) investors attending Collision. This is the fifth survey PitchBook and Web Summit have partnered on and offers a glimpse at how investment activity has fared compared to 2021, investor sentiment towards technology and focus areas for impact. At Collision, PitchBook is sponsoring the Investor Lounge where investors in attendance can work, take meetings and network. PitchBook senior VC analyst, Kyle Stanford, is a keynote speaker presenting global VC trends at the conference on June 21 at 11:45 AM EDT.
The global VC industry has more than $500 billion in dry powder available with VC consistently showing best returns of private investment strategies, driving more interest and capital. European VC deal value started 2022 with strong momentum reaching €27.5 billion invested in the first quarter of the year while U.S. investment activity did not maintain its pace after a record-setting 2021, reaching $70 billion invested during the same timeframe. The VC industry overall has displayed unwavering resilience throughout the pandemic.
"It is a strong signal of market stability that nearly half of investors polled do not plan on slowing down investment activity. Recent fundraising records have driven dry powder levels to new heights, which can provide short-term insulation from global market headwinds," said Kyle Stanford, senior VC analyst at PitchBook. "It's encouraging to see the majority of survey respondents have made first-time investments over the past twelve months – an area of the market that slowed during the pandemic – and we expect to continue to see a strong startup ecosystem."
"Despite a decrease in startup valuations, venture capital deal making remains strong — especially if VC dry powder stays robust — and potentially makes smaller cheques at lower valuations more available," said Paddy Cosgrave, founder and CEO at Collision and Web Summit. "Alternatively, many less renowned venture funds might simply shutter because the actual pool of viable startups available for them to invest in may be significantly lower than the outsized amount of capital available in the broader market."
Key findings and comparisons with 2021's Web Summit survey include:
Investment
- In the past twelve months, over half of investors (53%) have made between one and five investments, down from two thirds of respondents in 2021. 30% of respondents have made between six and ten investments. Out of those investments, nearly one third of investors said at least 75% of their investments were first-time financings.
- First-financings have continued to close at a historically high rate in 2022 following 2021's momentum. With more than 1,000 deals closed, Q1 finished with more companies raising their first institutional capital than any quarter prior to 2021.
- Considering nontraditional investments, 59% of respondents agreed record levels of capital from nontraditional sources including corporate venture capital (CVC) and financial institutions has been the main driving force behind increased deal sizes. A quarter (26%) of respondents disagreed with this sentiment, which is an 8% increase from 2021.
Evaluation
- When asked what the most important criterion respondents look at when evaluating investment opportunity, executive team pedigree moved to the top (26%) followed by business model (25%). In 2021, the two were swapped with business model ranked first (30%) followed by executive team pedigree (22%).
- Half of respondents agreed that growth must come before profit for VC-backed technology startups while nearly one third disagreed.
- Majority of respondents (83%) either agreed or strongly agreed increased deal sizes across financing stages are pushing up valuations and making it harder to find good value-for-money investments.
- When evaluating external pressures facing the VC ecosystem such as public market volatility, increasing interest rates and talent market shifts, nearly half (45%) of respondents disagreed that their investment activity will markedly decrease from recent years.
Opportunity
- Emerging technologies continues to attract capital from investors and when asked what category has the potential to be most disruptive in the next five to ten years, fintech remained at the top at 30%. Artificial intelligence and machine learning came in second (27%) over taking climate tech (15%), which came second in 2021.
- According to respondents, over half (58%) selected North America as the most exciting region to invest in right now. After North America, Africa and Asia Pacific tied for second.
- When asked where VC investors should focus their attention to have the most impact, improved long-term investment moved to the top (26%). In 2021, environmental and social concerns was the top choice, which moved to second.
For more information about PitchBook, click here.
About PitchBook
PitchBook is a financial data and software company that provides transparency into the capital markets to help professionals discover and execute opportunities with confidence and efficiency. PitchBook collects and analyzes detailed data on the entire venture capital, private equity and M&A landscape—including public and private companies, investors, funds, investments, exits and people. The company's data and analysis are available through the PitchBook Platform, industry news and in-depth reports. Founded in 2007, PitchBook has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, New York, London and Hong Kong and serves more than 70,000 professionals around the world. In 2016, Morningstar acquired PitchBook, which now operates as an independent subsidiary.
About Collision
When Collision, North America's fastest growing technology event, moved online, the pivot to host thousands of attendees online was coined by the Sunday Times as a "pretty big experiment". For the second year in a row, Collision will host attendees online on its proprietary software. After hosting 32,000 attendees at its first online event in June 2020, the Collision platform was called "the stunning future of online events" by Digital Trends. This year, the platform will host more than 40,000 attendees for the three days of the conference.
About Web Summit
In the words of Inc. Magazine, "Web Summit is the largest technology conference in the world". Forbes says Web Summit is "the best tech conference on the planet", Bloomberg calls it "Davos for geeks", Politico "the Olympics of tech", and the Guardian "Glastonbury for geeks".
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SOURCE PitchBook | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/06/20/pitchbook-collision-unveil-fifth-venture-investor-survey-2022-conference/ | 2022-06-20 14:45:17 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/06/20/pitchbook-collision-unveil-fifth-venture-investor-survey-2022-conference/ |
In a worrying sign for the state’s recovery, hiring in Washington stalled last month amid fears over inflation and consumer spending, even as big players like Boeing stepped up their recruitment campaigns.
Washington lost 2,300 jobs in May, the first month in the red since January 2021, according to data posted Wednesday by the state Employment Security Department.
Although May’s figures will likely be revised upward slightly in future reports, the overall trend suggests “you’re probably seeing the economy transition into a slower growth” trajectory, said Paul Turek, the ESD’s state economist.
Washington’s unemployment rate for May was 3.9%, down from 4.1% in April. The U.S. unemployment rate in May was 3.6%.
Several factors are driving the slowdown, including the absence of the federal pandemic stimulus that had buoyed consumer spending, and rising interest rates as the Federal Reserve tries to rein in inflation, Turek said. On Wednesday, the Fed announced an interest rate hike of 0.75%, the biggest increase since 1994.
As a result, even as Washington saw solid gains by tech and and manufacturing employers — Boeing actually overtook Amazon in the number of posted job openings — hiring went the other way for employers that rely on consumer spending.
The state’s biggest job losses came in retail, which shed 6,600 jobs in May, the most since the first big pandemic-related layoffs in April 2020.
A retail slowdown often signals falling consumer confidence as “people are making adjustments due to the higher prices,” said Turek.
Retailers’ woes were also reflected Wednesday by the federal government’s monthly report on retail and food service sales for May, which were down 0.3% compared to April.
“The retail industry has been shaken up by changes in shopping and location patterns ever since the pandemic,” said Jacob Vigdor, an economist with the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy who has studied state and local job markets. “A stroll around downtown Seattle is all you really need to conclude that this sector hasn’t found its new normal yet.”
Although tourism and foot traffic downtown has steadily risen in recent months, downtown offices are still only a third full, according to cellphone location data from Placer.ai posted by the Downtown Seattle Association.
Big job losses were also posted by professional and business services companies, which gave up 3,800 jobs in May. That drop could be a sign of the accumulated economic damage caused by the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and now inflation and the war in Ukraine, Vigdor said.
Because many professional and business services companies rely heavily on contracts from other firms, the sector “can be a good leading indicator of optimism or pessimism of the business community at large,” added Anneliese Vance-Sherman, an ESD regional economist who covers the Seattle area.
Although a single month’s job losses could be an aberration, Vance-Sherman said, “this is a sector I will be watching carefully over the next several months.”
Another mixed result: Leisure and hospitality businesses added more jobs than any other sector — 2,400 — but are still nearly 22,000 jobs, or 6%, below pre-pandemic employment levels.
May’s jobs report had a few bright spots. The state’s tech industry is still adding jobs. And manufacturing continues to bounce back.
Boeing is trying to add so many engineers and machinists that the company actually posted more job openings statewide than Amazon did February through May (26,759 to 19,290) to take over the top spot on the state’s employer demand chart.
Boeing has also stepped up efforts to keep existing workers. Engineers and technical workers have seen increases in raises, retention bonuses and other compensation, according to the workers’ union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees. This year, SPEEA-represented workers received $21 million in raises, or about $15 million more than union contracts require, the union said.
“Boeing is doing everything they can to keep engineering and technical talent.” said SPEEA spokesperson Bill Dugovich.
More broadly, despite May’s losses, the state’s job market is still relatively healthy. The total workforce is larger and the number of people collecting unemployment benefits fell slightly. May’s unemployment rate of 3.9% is the same as it was right before the pandemic.
But the potential for a recession remains high if the Federal Reserve’s efforts to curb inflation by raising interest rates hit the economy too hard, Turek said. That would mean pain not only for slowing sectors, such as retail, but also for sectors that are still doing well.
If a worldwide recession hits, he said, “people are going to quit buying airliners.”
Seattle Times aerospace reporter Dominic Gates contributed to this article. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/retail-slump-hammers-washingtons-job-market-even-as-boeing-and-amazon-push-hiring/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2022-06-16 01:08:15 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/retail-slump-hammers-washingtons-job-market-even-as-boeing-and-amazon-push-hiring/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
Always Fresh and Never Blended, Graza's First-to-Market Squeeze Bottles Will Be Available in Whole Foods Stores Throughout the Northeast and Southern Pacific
NEW YORK, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Graza, the widely acclaimed single-origin extra virgin olive oil brand that launched direct-to-consumer in January 2022, today announced its launch into 116 Whole Foods stores throughout the Northeast and Southern Pacific beginning this month. The expansion into Whole Foods comes on the heels of Graza's April 2022 debut at major retailers via Foxtrot stores across the country.
Using Picual olives from Andalusia, Spain, a prosperous agricultural region, Graza delivers an extra virgin olive oil that's always fresh, extra nutritious and never blended. The brand launched with two products in proprietary first-to-market squeeze bottles, Sizzle and Drizzle, and has quickly become a favorite of chefs, home cooks, and kitchen novices alike.
"After selling out on our online store numerous times, the first within 24 hours of launching, we are thrilled to offer Whole Foods shoppers another opportunity to get their hands on Graza," said Andrew Benin, CEO and Co-Founder of Graza. "Whole Foods is a valued and integral piece of our retail expansion plan, and we cannot wait until Graza is available in more brick and mortar retailers throughout the country."
Additional product details include:
- Drizzle: Harvested during the first week of October, these olives produce a super flavorful, punchy oil packed with polyphenols and antioxidants. Best consumed raw for an optimal experience and can be drizzled on anything – think pasta, salads, or avocado toast. Available in 16.9 FL OZ for $20.
- Sizzle: Sizzle is harvested at peak season in December when the olives begin their shift from green into a beautiful purple and green color, yielding a greater amount of oil. Extremely flavorful on its own, but a workhouse that works best in high levels of heat. Great for searing, roasting, and frying. Available in 25.3 FL OZ for $15.
The smaller bottle of finishing oil comes in at $20, while the larger, more versatile bottle of cooking oil is $15. Both products come from the same tree and olive varietal, but the differing harvest times yield distinctive oils that serve diverse purposes. Graza believes in having both products readily available in the kitchen, and keeps the prices top of mind to ensure the masses have access to both bottles for less than leading competitors.
Drizzle and Sizzle can be purchased at www.graza.co, Foxtrot stores, and Whole Foods, with additional retailers to follow. To learn more about Graza, please visit www.graza.co or follow their journey on Instagram @getgraza.com.
About Graza:
Graza makes top-notch, super-fresh, extra virgin olive oil more accessible, affordable, and easier to use. Using Picual olives from Spain, Graza produces high quality olive oil that's never blended, always fresh, and tastes delicious. Unlike other brands in the market that are either prohibitively expensive, or low quality and blended, Graza is committed to providing exceptional olive oil at an accessible price point. Graza believes that olive oil and simple ingredients can make any dish wonderful, and seeks to embrace the imperfect nature of cooking to help people find more confidence and joy in the kitchen. First of its kind, Graza launched with two product lines: Drizzle and Sizzle, available in proprietary squeeze bottles and inspired by the tools of our favorite chefs. To learn more about Graza, please visit www.graza.co or follow on Instagram (@getgraza).
Media Contact
Nicole Greco
graza@powerdigitalmarketinginc.com
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SOURCE Graza | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/06/08/cult-favorite-olive-oil-brand-graza-hit-whole-foods-shelves-this-summer/ | 2022-06-08 14:40:38 | 1 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/06/08/cult-favorite-olive-oil-brand-graza-hit-whole-foods-shelves-this-summer/ |
VIDEO: Man appears to try to run over Black kids on bikes while using racial slurs
RIPLEY, Miss. (WHBQ) – A Mississippi man is facing charges after he was accused of trying to run over a group of Black teenagers on their bikes.
The white driver, identified as Mark Hall, posted a video of himself on social media using racial slurs while speeding toward the group of teens.
In the video, Hall can be heard saying “50 points” as he drives at them. He also can be heard calling them the N-word.
Dozens of parents and family members showed up at the Ripley Police Department to make sure that stiff charges were made against Hall.
Miriam Simelton Anderson represents the parents and says simple assault charges and more are coming.
“We are exuberant that they have included the crime of hate, because there will be another body of persons to investigate this and make sure that he comes to justice like he should be,” Simelton Anderson said.
Hall was booked into the Tippah County Jail Monday on nine counts of simple assault and attempt of physical menace to create fear. His bond was set at $45,000.
Clarence Holmes’ son was one of the kids on the bikes.
“He could have hurt those guys. He could have killed somebody or anything, but he had no regard for those Black lives that were out there,” Holmes said.
Willie Hill’s son was also among the group of teens in the video.
“We are living in a time that is supposed to be progressive. We are supposed to be progressive people, but we are still dealing with the same things that we were dealing with back when my grandparents and great grandparents were around,” Hill said.
Copyright 2022 WHBQ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/07/27/video-man-appears-try-run-over-black-kids-bikes-while-using-racial-slurs/ | 2022-07-27 19:06:58 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/07/27/video-man-appears-try-run-over-black-kids-bikes-while-using-racial-slurs/ |
Oil rig worker dies after falling into pit
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A worker from Texas is dead after falling at an oil rig site in North Dakota.
Daniel Navarrete, 42, of New Braunfels, Texas, fell through an open hatch Thursday in a pit at a Nabors Industries rig north of New Town, according to Mountrail County Sheriff Corey Bristol.
Other workers tried to rescue Navarrete and even drained the pit, the Bismarck Tribune reported Friday, but Navarrete died at the scene.
Nabors Industries spokesperson Robin Davidson said a different entity — Devon Energy — owns and operates the site.
“Please know our hearts go out to the family and crews. We are supporting Devon to understand what occurred and what lessons can be learned from this tragic incident,” Davidson told The Associated Press.
Devon Energy spokesperson Lisa Adams said the company is “devastated” by the death of Navarrete, who was a contractor.
“Safety is Devon’s priority and we have shut down drilling operations while we work with local law enforcement, OSHA and Nabors,” Adams added.
Several workers have died or been injured in Mountrail County’s oil patch in recent years.
Last September an oil rig exploded at a well site owned by Chord Energy, sending three workers to a burn center.
In 2021 another explosion occurred at JM Oilfield Services when a water tanker blew out, killing a 33-year-old worker and injuring another.
Mountrail County is one of the state’s largest oil-producing counties, and North Dakota is one of the nation’s largest oil-producing states.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kswo.com/2023/01/09/oil-rig-worker-dies-after-falling-into-pit/ | 2023-01-09 17:06:44 | 0 | https://www.kswo.com/2023/01/09/oil-rig-worker-dies-after-falling-into-pit/ |
Two months after firing former general manager and president of hockey operations Chuck Fletcher, the Flyers have found their next president of hockey operations.
The Flyers are set to hire former player Keith Jones to the role, a source confirmed to The Inquirer Wednesday. Former Flyers defenseman Chris Therien, who now co-hosts the Snow The Goalie podcast, broke the initial news on Twitter after multiple reports on Wednesday stated that Jones was a finalist for the position.
Jones, 54, most recently served as the Flyers’ color analyst on NBC Sports Philadelphia and previously played for the team from 1998-2001. He suited up in the NHL for a total of nine seasons before transitioning to a career in radio and television, which included co-hosting 94.1 WIP’s morning show.
A native of Brantford, Ontario, Jones played four seasons at Western Michigan University from 1988-1992 and was selected No. 141 overall by the Washington Capitals in 1988. He played a total of 491 NHL games with three different teams, including the Flyers, the Capitals (1992-96), and the Colorado Avalanche (1996-99). Jones collected 117 goals and 141 assists for 258 points over the course of his career.
Throughout the NHL playoffs, Jones has been a part of Turner Sports’ broadcast team. He does not have any prior experience working in an NHL front office.
The Flyers’ president of hockey operations role was previously held by Fletcher, who simultaneously served as general manager. Fletcher was fired on March 10 and Danny Brière assumed the general manager position on an interim basis. Prior to becoming the interim general manager, Brière was the Flyers’ assistant to the general manager for roughly two seasons.
After firing Fletcher, the Flyers revealed that they would be looking to separate the general manager and president of hockey operations roles into two separate hires. With Jones set to assume the president of hockey ops job, attention now turns to GM where Brière is widely tipped to be hired on a full-time basis.
Mike Sielski contributed to the reporting for this article.
Olivia Reiner is a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer | https://www.mcall.com/2023/05/10/source-flyers-to-hire-former-player-keith-jones-as-president-of-hockey-operations/ | 2023-05-11 16:30:44 | 0 | https://www.mcall.com/2023/05/10/source-flyers-to-hire-former-player-keith-jones-as-president-of-hockey-operations/ |
At Stud Country, a weekly queer country and western line dancing class, there are no drinks allowed on the dance floor. To the couples and friends gathered for a night out under the glitter of a giant disco ball, this may seem counterintuitive. But once hundreds of boots start stomping and Wrangler-clad hips begin shaking, it starts to make sense.
Every Monday night, Stud Country draws a community of queer Angelenos and allies who pay $20 to line dance. Onstage at Club Bahia, founders Bailey Salisbury and Sean Monaghan — best friends who met 20 years ago in the punk scene at California College of the Arts in Oakland — wear popstar microphones as they teach moves from a raised platform. Below them, dancers follow along, hooting and hollering every time they master even the simplest of steps.
While catering country and western line dancing to a queer crowd may seem like a novel concept to some, it’s anything but. In Los Angeles, queer line dancing has a long history rooted in the now defunct Studio City bar Oil Can Harry’s. In 2017, Salisbury, who was raised by a dance teacher mother in San Luis Obispo, and Monaghan, who grew up Irish dancing in the Bay Area, began attending line dancing nights several times per week at Oil Can Harry’s. Both country music lovers, they were hooked.
“Oil Can Harry’s was the first place in L.A. I found a community,” says Monaghan.
Where to hang out in Los Angeles when you want to meet queer folks but don’t want to roll up to the usual gay bars and clubs.
During the pandemic, the best friends scratched their Oil Can itch by teaching line dancing classes to friends via Zoom. Once it was safe, the duo’s dance classes shifted from online to in person. In 2021, when the 52-year-old bar announced its closure due to new building ownership, Monaghan and Salisbury were just two of the many line dancers in Los Angeles without a queer-friendly space to convene.
“Starting Stud Country wasn’t a business move at all, we were just grieving and we needed to dance again,” says Salisbury.
Half dance-class, half dance-party, Stud Country took its official form when the lessons moved to Plaza, a gay bar in West Hollywood, a setting better suited for social dance. In October 2022, Stud Country found its current home at Club Bahia, a large Latin music club in Echo Park.
“We thought, ‘What if we do it our way, with our music?’” says Monaghan. “A lot of contemporary line dancing isn’t to country music. We wanted to bring it back and strike that balance at Stud Country.”
Trixie Mattel of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the Gay Desert Guide’s Brad Fuhr share their favorite queer-friendly things to do in the beloved desert town.
While there are plenty of other places to line dance in Los Angeles, Stud Country is unique in its queer experience, where same-sex couples can dance in peace — something that was illegal for much of the 20th century. Instagram videos have brought a younger crowd in velvet tops and furry cowboy hats who share the dance floor with Oil Can Harry’s veterans in simple flannel shirts and jeans.
Every Monday, the night kicks off with free time to partner dance, where gender is disregarded as couples decide who leads and who follows in a two-step. After a few songs, count-by-count line dance instruction begins. Once a dance has been explained and practiced several times, it’s time for music.
“The feeling when you finally get the dance makes you feel very connected with the people around you. You feel like you have succeeded when you’re in lockstep with everyone else. It’s a feeling of unity,” says Imogene Strauss, a creative director and Stud Country regular. She’s started practicing the dances on off nights in her basement.
After a few simple dance lessons, seasoned dancers are invited to jump into line dances they know by name — either from a past Stud Country event or elsewhere. While Stud Country is for everyone, novice dancers know that’s the time for them to grab a drink or people watch. The night does its best to accommodate those ready to break into music video mode and those who aren’t familiar with a jazz square or grapevine, a balance that may grow increasingly difficult as attendance rises.
Club Tempo in Hollywood caters to the queer vaquero community. It’s where they can show off their pride in both who they are and where they come from.
Despite the art-school aesthetics of the night’s merchandise and branding, Stud Country is more about honoring tradition than being trendy. Most dances taught at Stud Country aren’t unique to the event or to queer dance nights. The majority are classic dances learned by the founders at Oil Can Harry’s; others were picked up at events across the country. A few are Stud Country originals, with choreography by Monaghan — a rarity in line dancing, which is made up of a core group of dances that have traveled by oral instruction for decades.
“Line dancing is folk dancing, it’s storytelling,” explains Salisbury.
To the average Stud Country attendee, the history of line dance may not be apparent, and that’s OK. A good time is likely whether you view the night as a fun Monday or a part of queer history. But to the founders, creating a space that is as authentic as it is camp is serious business.
Shane Kirkpatrick, who danced at Oil Can Harry’s for 13 years, has been attending Stud Country for just over a month. A member of the L.A. Wranglers, a gay country-western performance group and nonprofit organization, he was inspired by seeing Stud Country continuing the tradition.
What: Queer-led line dancing with Stud Country
Where: Club Bahia, 1130 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (through April)
When: Mondays, doors open at 8 p.m., lessons start at 8:30 p.m.
How much: $20
“Country dance in the gay community is the last bastion of social dancing where you have physical contact with another person, converse with another person, and make a connection that’s not anything other than dancing,” he says.
As soon as word of mouth caused attendance to quadruple, the founders received news that Club Bahia’s building was sold for possible redevelopment. It is set to close sometime this spring. With independent venues being swallowed by corporate promoters and a lack of large enough dance floors, the founders anticipate a challenge finding a new home and hope to follow Club Bahia wherever it moves next. Stud Country pop-up events are set to launch in San Francisco, where Salisbury now lives, and New York City. The founders dream of going on tour and even opening their own dive bar with a dance floor. But in the meantime, the Bahia dance floor will do.
If you show up next Monday, by March you can help a new Stud when they ask what a “kick-ball-change” is.
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You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2023-02-10/stud-country-line-dancing-in-los-angeles | 2023-02-10 13:28:47 | 1 | https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2023-02-10/stud-country-line-dancing-in-los-angeles |
Urban Wine Walk
Saturday, April 22CityScape, 1 East Washington Street It's hard to believe it but, downtown Phoenix's Urban Wine Walk is turning 11 years old. The self-guided wine tasting tour starts at CityScape and extends to more than 25 restaurants and bars. Each location will offer $5 wine samples, including a snack. The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. and the first 300 people to start at CityScape will get a commemorative wine glass.
Pop-Up Shop at Carcara
Saturday, April 22
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, 340 North Third Street
The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown and The Merchantile, a popular marketplace with more than 80 local businesses, are coming together for a series of pop-up shops, with the first one taking place on April 22 during Carcara's boozy brunch. Guests can enjoy some grub while shopping for unique goods and listening to live music, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The events will continue in May and June.
Latha, the newest restaurant to join the mix at downtown Phoenix's Heritage Square, is hosting a grand opening event on Saturday. The new concept celebrates the cultures and foods of Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil, and the southern U.S. The opening event, which requires tickets that start at $200, will include a cocktail hour with appetizers and a seated dinner prepared by Chef Digby Stridiron, an acclaimed chef and native of St. Croix. There are two seatings, one from 4 to 7 p.m. and another from 7 to 10 p.m. | https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/food-and-drinks-events-in-phoenix-this-weekend-april-21-23-16059369 | 2023-04-22 00:10:49 | 1 | https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/food-and-drinks-events-in-phoenix-this-weekend-april-21-23-16059369 |
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