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Partnership addresses barriers to clinical trial participation in underserved communities in North Carolina
KINSTON, N.C., May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Principle LTC, a skilled nursing facility (SNF) provider, and Care Access, a leading decentralized research organization, formed today a new partnership to address the challenges often associated with clinical trial access for underserved communities. Care Access' decentralized model helps remove these barriers for participation by bringing clinical research capabilities directly to local communities.
"We joined forces with Care Access early in the pandemic to ensure our vulnerable patient population, as well as their families, our staff and surrounding communities had access to investigational COVID-19 treatments," said Lynn M. Hood, President, CEO of Principle LTC. The nursing home industry is often devalued; however, it is uniquely positioned to serve as a key platform to launch information as it routinely interacts with community stakeholders including hospitals and providers, assisted living facilities, academia, emergency workers, churches, and senior support services. "It is abundantly important that our industry play a larger role in the entire spectrum of the healthcare system— as such, we are expanding our collaboration with Care Access to enable members of the local community to participate in trials of an investigational treatment to prevent or slow down Alzheimer's disease in underserved communities," said Hood.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), patients are often willing to participate in a clinical trial if they believe that they have an opportunity to receive better treatment or if the results can help others. However, Clinical Trials Database reported that globally 80% of trials fail to enroll on time, which results in delays and extensions due to low patient enrollment. "Partnering with local community leaders like Principle is a critical part of our effort at Care Access to ensure that clinical research studies are made more available to underserved communities that have historically been left out of the research process," said Ahmad Namvargolian, CEO and Co-Founder of Care Access. "Achieving that goal will require deep collaborations at the local level and working with community leaders like Principle will help us bring these innovative treatments to people who would normally not have access to them."
To learn more about how you and/or your organization can help improve access to clinical trials in your community, contact patientaccess@careaccess.com.
Principle LTC provides skilled nursing services (short-term, long-term, and memory care) in three states including, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia across forty-five facilities with approved certificates of need (CON's) for construction of four additional facilities in North Carolina. The company also provides hospice services in North Carolina through its subsidiary, Cardinal Hospice Care.
Care Access is a leading decentralized research organization (DRO) that breaks down traditional barriers in clinical research for patients, sponsors, and physicians. Its innovative model brings decentralized trials, Sites On Demand™, Virtual PIs, and Mobile Sites to previously unreachable patient populations to expand the impact of clinical research. Supported by top pharmaceutical and biotech partners across twenty different therapeutic areas, Care Access is scaling and globalizing its new model for clinical trial delivery, where more physicians and patients can engage in life-saving research to develop new therapies faster. To find out how Care Access is transforming the future of clinical trials, visit www.careaccess.com
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SOURCE Principle LTC; Care Access | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/principle-ltc-care-access-partner-alzheimers-prevention-study/ | 2022-05-31 14:29:18 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/principle-ltc-care-access-partner-alzheimers-prevention-study/ |
- Existing, single-family home sales totaled 237,740 in November on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 13.2 percent from October and down 47.7 percent from November 2021.
- November's statewide median home price was $777,500, down 3.0 percent from October and down 0.6 percent from November 2021.
- Year-to-date statewide home sales were down 21.2 percent in November.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Housing demand in California continued to fall as rising interest rates further dampened the state's housing market in November as home sales registered the lowest annualized pace since October 2007 and the largest year-over-year sales drop in at least the past four decades, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.
Infographic: https://www.car.org/Global/Infographics/2022-11-Sales-and-Price
Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 237,740 in November, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2022 if sales maintained the November pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales. November's sales pace was down 13.2 percent on a monthly basis from 274,040 in October and down 47.7 percent from a year ago, when 454,450 homes were sold on an annualized basis. The year-to-year sales decline was the biggest since 1980.
Home sales have been on a downward trend for 17 straight months on a year-over-year basis. It was the fourth time in the last five months that sales dropped more than 30 percent from the year-ago level. The monthly 13.2 percent sales decline was worse than the long-run average of -0.5 percent change recorded between an October and a November in the past 43 years. Sales in all price segments dropped more than 40 percent year-over-year, with the $2 million plus price segment falling the most at 47.7percent. The most affordable market (sub-$300,000) experienced the smallest sales drop at 41.4 percent.
"While interest rates are higher than year-ago levels, they have been declining since early November from the recent peak of over 7 percent," said C.A.R. President Jennifer Branchini, a Bay Area REALTOR®. "With home prices cooling and market competition easing in recent months, some qualified buyers who missed out on the hurried market of the last two years are taking advantage of the shift and finding sellers more willing to negotiate than they have been up to this point."
California's median home price declined for the third straight month, dropping 3.0 percent in November to $777,500 from the $801,190 recorded in October. November's price was 0.6 percent lower than the $782,480 recorded last November and marked the first year-over-year price decline in 30 months. The November 2022 price was also the lowest since February 2022.
"As expected, higher borrowing costs, lower demand, and rising uncertainty finally caused prices to moderate for the first time in more than a decade while home sales dropped further," said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Jordan Levine. "With mortgage rates rising at the fastest pace in years, sales and price growth will likely remain on a downward trend in the short term. However, pending sales suggest that the pace of declines should moderate in the coming months."
Other key points from C.A.R.'s November 2022 resale housing report include:
- At the regional level, all regions except the Far North recorded year-over-year sales drops of more than 40%, with Southern California dipping the most at -46.9 percent, followed by Central Coast (-43.5 percent), the San Francisco Bay Area (-43.0 percent) and Central Valley (-42.3 percent). Southern California saw the biggest year-over-year sales drop again as all six counties within the region marked sales declines of more than 44 percent in November. The Far North region experienced the smallest annual sales decline at 37.7 percent.
- Of all the counties that C.A.R. tracks, only Mendocino experienced a year-over-year sales growth (+4.5 percent) in November, while the other 50 counties all registered sales declines from last year by more than 10 percent. In fact, home sales plummeted by more than 40 percent from last November in 28 counties. San Benito had the biggest drop in home sales at -68.9 percent, followed by Mariposa (-60.0 percent), Amador (-58.3 percent) and Lassen (-58.3 percent). Other counties with sales cut in half or more from last year include San Bernardino (-55.1 percent), San Joaquin (-53.3 percent), San Ventura (-53.2 percent), Solano (-51.2 percent) and El Dorado (-50 percent).
- Sharp declines in housing demand continued to apply downward pressure on home prices as median prices in three of the five major regions dropped mildly from a year ago. San Francisco Bay Area experienced the biggest price decline from last year at -5.8 percent, followed by the Far North (-3.7 percent) and the Central Valley (-1.3 percent). Central Coast (0.1 percent) and Southern California's (0.0 percent) median prices were virtually unchanged or flat on a year-over-year basis, despite having the largest sales drops among all regions in November.
- More counties began to experience negative price growth in November as 33 counties registered median prices declines in November, a jump from 22 counties in the prior month. Mariposa (-27.2 percent) had the biggest price drop of all counties, followed by San Francisco (-21.1 percent) and Lassen (-20.6 percent). Prices were up from last year in 16 counties in November, with three counties gaining by double-digits. Napa posted the biggest price increase of all counties with a 29.4 percent yearly growth, followed by San Luis Obispo (14.8 percent) and Siskiyou (14.4 percent).
- Housing inventory in California continued to rise both month-to-month and year-to-year as the market entered its holiday season and home sellers remained on the sideline. The statewide unsold inventory index (UII) was unchanged from the prior month at 3.3 months in November, but it was more than doubled the level of 1.6 months recorded in the same month of last year. All price ranges posted an increase in their UII from a year ago by 88 percent or more, with unsold inventory in the $1 million+ price range rising the most (128.6 percent), followed by the $500,000-$749,000 price range (113.3 percent), the $750,000- $999,000 (113.3 percent) and the sub-$500,000 (88.9 percent) ranges.
- The significant pullback in housing demand continued to push up inventory as 45 of the 51 counties tracked by C.A.R. registered an increase in active listings from last November. Fourteen counties recorded a triple-digit year-over-year gain in November with Yolo topping the list once again with a yearly growth of 158.5 percent, followed by Sutter (148.0 percent) and Yuba (141.3 percent). Despite an overall improvement in housing supply conditions, six counties registered a contraction in active listings from the same month of last year. Del Norte continued to have the largest decline in November with a drop of 35.6 percent year-over-year, followed by Mono (-33.3 percent) and Glenn (-10.0 percent).
- The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home was 24 days in November and 11 days in November 2021.
- C.A.R.'s statewide sales-price-to-list-price ratio* was 96.7 percent in November 2022 and 101.4 percent in November 2021.
- The statewide average price per square foot** for an existing single-family home was $392, down from $393 in November a year ago.
- The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 6.81 percent in November, up from 3.07 percent in November 2021, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate averaged 6.01 percent, compared to 2.51 percent in November 2021.
Note: The County MLS median price and sales data in the tables are generated from a survey of more than 90 associations of REALTORS® throughout the state and represent statistics of existing single-family detached homes only. County sales data is not adjusted to account for seasonal factors that can influence home sales. Movements in sales prices should not be interpreted as changes in the cost of a standard home. The median price is where half sold for more and half sold for less; medians are more typical than average prices, which are skewed by a relatively small share of transactions at either the lower end or the upper end. Median prices can be influenced by changes in cost, as well as changes in the characteristics and the size of homes sold. The change in median prices should not be construed as actual price changes in specific homes.
*Sales-to-list-price ratio is an indicator that reflects the negotiation power of home buyers and home sellers under current market conditions. The ratio is calculated by dividing the final sales price of a property by its last list price and is expressed as a percentage. A sales-to-list ratio with 100 percent or above suggests that the property sold for more than the list price, and a ratio below 100 percent indicates that the price sold below the asking price.
**Price per square foot is a measure commonly used by real estate agents and brokers to determine how much a square foot of space a buyer will pay for a property. It is calculated as the sale price of the home divided by the number of finished square feet. C.A.R. currently tracks price-per-square foot statistics for 50 counties.
Leading the way…® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with more than 217,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.
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SOURCE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) | https://www.kait8.com/prnewswire/2022/12/16/rapid-interest-rate-increases-continue-depress-california-home-sales-prices-november-car-reports/ | 2022-12-16 16:52:26 | 1 | https://www.kait8.com/prnewswire/2022/12/16/rapid-interest-rate-increases-continue-depress-california-home-sales-prices-november-car-reports/ |
- Taysha Gene Therapies is an emerging leader in the development of AAV gene therapies; new collaboration aimed at enhancing development of two of Taysha's novel product candidates for rare monogenic central nervous system diseases with serious unmet medical needs -
- Astellas to invest a total of $50 million to acquire 15% of the company and to receive an exclusive option to obtain an exclusive license for TSHA-102 for Rett syndrome and TSHA-120 for giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) -
- Astellas to receive certain rights related to any potential change of control of Taysha -
- Astellas to receive one Board observer seat on the Taysha Board of Directors -
TOKYO and DALLAS, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") and Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSHA, CEO: RA Session II, "Taysha") today announced a strategic investment to support the advancement of Taysha's adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy development programs for the treatment of Rett syndrome and GAN. The future options to potentially apply Astellas' global R&D, manufacturing and commercialization capabilities in gene therapy to Taysha's innovative AAV gene therapy development programs for genetic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) create the opportunity for the two companies to enhance the development of novel treatment options for patients with Rett syndrome and GAN, who have serious unmet medical needs.
Under the terms of the agreement, Astellas will invest a total of $50 million to acquire 15% of the outstanding common stock of Taysha and to receive an exclusive option to license two of Taysha's clinical stage programs: TSHA-102 for Rett syndrome and TSHA-120 for GAN. In addition, Taysha has granted Astellas certain rights related to any potential change of control of Taysha. Definitive agreements would be executed upon Astellas' exercise of any such option, and any change of control transaction would require approval by Taysha's stockholders.
Taysha is engaged in the development of intrathecally-delivered AAV gene therapies for monogenic CNS diseases. As a part of this platform approach, Taysha has a promising pipeline, including TSHA-102, which is the first-and-only gene therapy in clinical development for Rett syndrome, and TSHA-120, which is in Phase 1/2 development for the treatment of GAN and awaiting regulatory feedback.
Astellas is continuing to build its capability to bring novel gene therapies to patients, following the acquisition of Audentes (now Astellas Gene Therapies, California) in January 2020 and the construction of a state-of-the-art commercial GMP manufacturing facility in North Carolina, which was opened in June of this year.
"Gene therapy is the corner stone of Astellas' Primary Focus, Genetic Regulation*1; our goal is to bring new transformative treatment options to patients living with serious genetic diseases and limited treatment options," said Naoki Okamura, Chief Strategy Officer, at Astellas. "Taysha is an industry leader in CNS gene therapies and this partnership fits strategically with our long-term vision of expanding Astellas' gene therapy capabilities, allowing the company to impact the lives of a broader range of patients with urgent unmet medical needs."
"We are excited to enter this strategic investment with Astellas, a premier biopharmaceutical company with global R&D, manufacturing and commercial capabilities," said RA Session II, Taysha's Chief Executive Officer. "We believe this investment not only further validates the potential of our technology platform, but also reinforces the therapeutic and market opportunity of our two lead clinical assets."
To further strategically align Astellas and Taysha, in connection with its equity investment, Astellas will receive one Board observer seat on Taysha's Board of Directors, enabling Taysha to leverage Astellas' gene therapy clinical and commercial expertise as Taysha advances TSHA-120 and TSHA-102.
*1: Astellas has established a Focus Area Approach for its research and development strategy. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en/science/focus-area-approach.
About TSHA-102
TSHA-102 is a self-complementary intrathecally delivered AAV9 gene replacement therapy under development for the treatment of Rett syndrome. TSHA-102 utilizes the novel miRNA-Responsive Auto-Regulatory Element (miRARE) platform to regulate transgene expression genotypically on a cell-by-cell basis. The miRARE technology is designed to prevent toxicity associated with transgene overexpression and can be potentially utilized across other indications. TSHA-102 has received Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission.
About Rett Syndrome
Rett syndrome is a severe genetic neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a mutation in the X-linked MECP2 gene essential for neuronal and synaptic function in the brain. Primarily occurring in females, Rett syndrome is one of the most common genetic causes of severe intellectual disability worldwide. Patients have normal early development, with symptom onset typically beginning between 6 to 18 months of age. Rett syndrome is characterized by rapid developmental regression that leads to intellectual disabilities, loss of speech, loss of purposeful use of hands, loss of mobility, seizures, cardiac impairments and breathing issues. Currently, there are no approved therapies that treat the underlying cause of this progressive disease.
About TSHA-120
TSHA-120, an intrathecally dosed AAV9 gene replacement therapy delivering the gene gigaxonin for the treatment of GAN, is currently being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial. TSHA-120 has received Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from FDA and Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission.
About Giant Axonal Neuropathy (GAN)
GAN is rare inherited genetic disorder that is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects both the central and peripheral nervous systems. The disease is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the gene coding for gigaxonin, which results in dysregulation of intermediate filament turnover, an important structural component of the cell. Children with GAN present before the age of five with symptoms including unsteady gait, frequent falls, and motor weakness. Currently, there are no approved treatments for GAN, which results in death for patients in their late teens or early twenties.
About Taysha
Taysha Gene Therapies (Nasdaq: TSHA) is on a mission to eradicate monogenic CNS disease. With a singular focus on developing curative medicines, we aim to rapidly translate our treatments from bench to bedside. We have combined our team's proven experience in gene therapy drug development and commercialization with the world-class UT Southwestern Gene Therapy Program to build an extensive, AAV gene therapy pipeline focused on both rare and large-market indications. Together, we leverage our fully integrated platform—an engine for potential new cures—with a goal of dramatically improving patients' lives. More information is available at www.tayshagtx.com.
Forward-Looking Statements (Taysha)
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "projects," and "future" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning the potential of our product candidates, including TSHA-120 in GAN and TSHA-102 in Rett syndrome, to positively impact quality of life and alter the course of disease in the patients we seek to treat, the potential benefits of Taysha's collaboration with Astellas, the potential for Astellas to exercise any of the options granted to it by Taysha, our research, development and regulatory plans for our product candidates, the potential for these product candidates to receive regulatory approval from the FDA or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies, and whether, if approved, these product candidates will be successfully distributed and marketed, and the potential market opportunity for these product candidates. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Risks regarding our business are described in detail in our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the full-year ended December 31, 2021, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, both of which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will be made available in other filings that we make from time to time with the SEC. Such risks may be amplified by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any obligation to update these statements except as may be required by law.
About Astellas
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are promoting the Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases with high unmet medical needs by focusing on Biology and Modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+® healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology in different fields of external partners. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en.
About Astellas Gene Therapies
Astellas Gene Therapies is an Astellas Center of Excellence developing genetic medicines with the potential to deliver transformative value for patients. Our gene therapy drug discovery engine is built around innovative science, a validated AAV platform, and industry leading internal manufacturing capability with a particular focus on rare diseases of the eye, CNS and neuromuscular system. Astellas Gene Therapies will also be advancing additional Astellas gene therapy programs toward clinical investigation. Astellas Gene Therapies is based in San Francisco, with manufacturing and laboratory facilities in South San Francisco, Calif., and Sanford, N.C.
Astellas Cautionary Notes
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties.
Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.
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SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc. | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/10/24/astellas-taysha-gene-therapies-announce-strategic-investment-support-development-tayshas-aav-based-gene-therapy-programs/ | 2022-10-25 00:13:37 | 1 | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/10/24/astellas-taysha-gene-therapies-announce-strategic-investment-support-development-tayshas-aav-based-gene-therapy-programs/ |
BARCELONA, Spain — Mercedes is hopeful that the step up in performance it made at the Spanish Grand Prix will offer a platform for it to chase down Red Bull and Ferrari at the coming rounds.
George Russell secured the team’s best qualifying result of the season with the fourth fastest time at the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday behind Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. The margin to pole position was also the smallest it has been for either Mercedes driver this year at 0.643s.
The relative improvement came after Mercedes introduced an upgrade package to its car that helped address the bouncing problems it has struggled with since the start of the year. Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton reported no bouncing on the straight, although it was still present in high-speed corners at Turn 3 and Turn 9.
Team principal Toto Wolff hopes that solving the bouncing will allow his engineers to turn their focus towards outright performance at the coming races.
“I think we have done a solid step, whilst we know how to unlock more performance, and we’re not yet there,” Wolff told Sky Sports. “So it’s step by step.
“The other teams have been able to continue to develop their car whilst we have been a little bit in a pause moment to find out about the bouncing.
“As soon as we can pick up the regular development, as soon as we understand the tyres better now the bouncing is gone, I think we will be catching up.”
The bouncing issue is related to the underfloor aerodynamics of the car and the airflow’s tendency to momentarily stall when the downforce acting on the car forces the floor into the track surface. At times the bouncing has been so bad that it has damaged the underside of the car or forced drivers to back off the throttle on the straights.
At previous rounds, Mercedes eased the problem by running a higher rear ride height, but in doing so it sacrificed aerodynamic performance and lap time. However, updates in Spain — which included modified floor edges, deflectors on the inside of the rear wheels, and a new winglet under the car — appear to have reduced the bouncing while allowing the team to run at a lower rear ride height.
“We understand now,” Wolff added. “It’s all an aerodynamic effect from a floor swinging.
“It was difficult to come to that conclusion in a scientific way but the team around [technical director] Mike Elliott and [aerodynamics director] Jarrod Murphy, they’ve done it and that’s great.”
Russell said the step in performance was based on progress and understanding the team made at the previous round in Miami.
“We already felt like we had the solution in hand during the Miami race weekend so we know the direction we need to go,” Russell said. “It has taken time to find what the issue was, develop the tools to solve it and then bring it to make the car go faster. We have done that to a degree.
“Now we know the direction and focus on making the car go quicker rather than problem solving. Through the corners it wasn’t fundamentally different but we just had more grip so we could get the car closer to the ground.”
After the team’s worst performance of the year in Imola, Hamilton wrote off his chances of fighting for this year’s title. He said he had not given any thought to revising that opinion, pointing out that the 0.119s gap to Russell was his biggest concern after Saturday’s qualifying session.
“I am not putting my mind to that,” Hamilton said of his championship chances. “I am still way off. My teammate is fourth so that means the car should be at least third and I am sixth.
“I am still struggling with the car. I don’t know how to get along with that and what to do but we will keep working hard.”
The Spanish Grand Prix is live at 8.55AM Eastern Time on ESPN2.
Read more about NBA MLB, NFL | https://blackchronicle.com/mercedes-makes-a-step-forward-but-insists-theres-more-to-come/ | 2022-05-22 20:55:08 | 1 | https://blackchronicle.com/mercedes-makes-a-step-forward-but-insists-theres-more-to-come/ |
NEWPORT NEWS, VA -- The mother of a 6-year-old boy who allegedly shot a teacher at his Newport News, Virginia, elementary school is now facing charges, prosecutors announced Monday,
A grand jury returned two indictments charging Deja Taylor with felony child neglect and misdemeanor recklessly leaving a loaded firearm as to endanger a child, according to prosecutors.
Investigators said Taylor's 6-year-old son took a handgun from his home on Jan. 6, put it in his backpack and brought it to Richneck Elementary School where he allegedly shot and wounded 25-year-old teacher Abigail Zwerner in a first grade classroom. Zwerner suffered critical injuries but is expected to make a full recovery.
SEE ALSO: Prosecutor won't charge 6-year-old accused of shooting teacher
Zwerner has sued the school's former superintendent, principal and assistant principal for $40 million, alleging negligence.
Zwerner's lawyer, Diane Toscano, said in a statement about the new charges, "There were failures in accountability at multiple levels that led to Abby being shot and almost killed. Today's announcement addresses but one of those failures. It has been three months of investigation and still so many unanswered questions remain."
"Our lawsuit makes clear that we believe the school division violated state law, and we are pursuing this in civil court," Toscano continued. "We will not allow school leaders to escape accountability for their role in this tragedy."
SEE ALSO: School officials were told 1st grader had gun before he shot teacher, $40M lawsuit says
Police said the 9 mm Taurus pistol was legally purchased by the boy's mother.
In the wake of the shooting, the 6-year-old's family said their son "suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day."
"The week of the shooting was the first week when we were not in class with him," the family said. | https://abc7ny.com/virginia-teacher-shot-by-student-deja-taylor-abigail-zwerner/13110082/ | 2023-04-10 20:21:13 | 0 | https://abc7ny.com/virginia-teacher-shot-by-student-deja-taylor-abigail-zwerner/13110082/ |
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 2.2 million sledgehammers that can loosen prematurely and detach unexpectedly during use.
The sledgehammers are made by Stanley Black and Decker and sold under the DeWALT, Stanley and Craftsman brand names.
Stanley Black and Decker said it has received 192 reports of the sledgehammer detaching. There have been two reports of faulty sledgehammers causing injuries to the head and face.
Twenty-five various models are impacted by the recall. The recalled sledgehammers weigh between 2 pounds and 12 pounds and range between 14 inches and 36 inches in length, the CPSC said.
The DeWALT sledgehammers are yellow and black and the model number can be found on the hammerhead. The Craftsman sledgehammers are red and black and the model number can be found on the hammerhead. The Stanley sledgehammers are yellow and black and the model number can be found on the handle.
SEE MORE: Certain smoke and carbon monoxide detectors might not work, feds say
The recalled sledgehammers were sold at retailers nationwide and online from November 2013 through November 2022 for $18 to $26.
The CPSC said users should immediately stop using these sledgehammers. Those with recalled sledgehammers can go to Stanley Black and Decker’s website to request a refund.
A full list of model numbers is available on the CPSC website.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kivitv.com/news/national/sledgehammers-recalled-after-injuring-people-in-the-face | 2023-04-21 16:53:10 | 0 | https://www.kivitv.com/news/national/sledgehammers-recalled-after-injuring-people-in-the-face |
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday evening's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "Badger 5" game were:
02-04-05-11-28
(two, four, five, eleven, twenty-eight)
Estimated jackpot: $10,000
¶ Maximum prize: $45,000
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday evening's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "Badger 5" game were:
02-04-05-11-28
(two, four, five, eleven, twenty-eight)
Estimated jackpot: $10,000
¶ Maximum prize: $45,000 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Badger-5-game-17663255.php | 2022-12-19 04:50:54 | 1 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Badger-5-game-17663255.php |
SOUTHLAKE, Texas, April 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sabre Corporation ("Sabre") (NASDAQ: SABR) today announced plans to host a live webcast of its 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on April 26, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. ET. The webcast will be accessible by visiting the Investor Relations section of Sabre's website at investors.sabre.com, and a replay of the event will be available on the website for at least 90 days following the event.
Sabre also will host a live webcast of its first quarter 2023 earnings conference call on May 4, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Management will discuss the financial results, as well as comment on the forward outlook. The webcast is expected to last approximately one hour and will be accessible by visiting the Investor Relations section of Sabre's website at investors.sabre.com. A replay of the event will be available on the website for at least 90 days following the event.
About Sabre
Sabre Corporation is a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, serving a wide range of travel companies including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers. The company provides retailing, distribution and fulfilment solutions that help its customers operate more efficiently, drive revenue and offer personalized traveler experiences. Through its leading travel marketplace, Sabre connects travel suppliers with buyers from around the globe. Sabre's technology platform manages more than $260B worth of global travel spend annually. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world. For more information visit www.sabre.com.
Website Information
We routinely post important information for investors on the Investor Relations section of our website, investors.sabre.com, and on our Twitter account, @Sabre_Corp. We intend to use the Investor Relations section of our website and our Twitter account as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investor Relations section of our website and our Twitter account, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website or our Twitter account is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.
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SOURCE Sabre Corporation | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2023/04/21/sabre-announces-upcoming-webcasts-its-2023-annual-meeting-stockholders-first-quarter-2023-earnings-conference-call/ | 2023-04-21 19:52:12 | 1 | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2023/04/21/sabre-announces-upcoming-webcasts-its-2023-annual-meeting-stockholders-first-quarter-2023-earnings-conference-call/ |
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pure Storage® (NYSE: PSTG), the IT pioneer that delivers the world's most advanced data storage technology and services, today announced it will host a conference call on Wednesday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m. PT to discuss its financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2023 ended February 5, 2023. This conference call will be held following the release of Pure Storage's financial results.
Fiscal Q4 and Full Year 2023 Conference Call Details
A live audio broadcast of the conference call will be available at the Pure Storage Investor Relations website at investor.purestorage.com. A replay will be available following the call on the Pure Storage Investor Relations website or for two weeks at 1-866-813-9403 (or +44 204 525 0658 for international callers) with passcode 032614.
Investor Conferences
Additionally, Pure is scheduled to participate at the following investor conferences:
Susquehanna 12th Annual Technology Conference
Date: Friday, March 3, 2023
Time: 8:00 a.m. PT/ 11:00 a.m. ET
Ajay Singh, Chief Product Officer (CPO)
The presentation(s) will be webcast live and archived on Pure's Investor Relations website at investor.purestorage.com.
About Pure Storage
Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) uncomplicates data storage, forever. Pure delivers a cloud experience that empowers every organization to get the most from their data while reducing the complexity and expense of managing the infrastructure behind it. Pure's commitment to providing true storage as-a-service gives customers the agility to meet changing data needs at speed and scale, whether they are deploying traditional workloads, modern applications, containers, or more. Pure believes it can make a significant impact in reducing data center emissions worldwide through its environmental sustainability efforts, including designing products and solutions that enable customers to reduce their carbon and energy footprint. And with a certified customer satisfaction score in the top one percent of B2B companies, Pure's ever-expanding list of customers are among the happiest in the world. For more information, visit www.purestorage.com.
Analyst Recognition
Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage
Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Distributed File Systems & Object Storage
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Pure Storage, the "P" Logo and all Pure Storage product and service names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pure Storage. All other trademarks or names referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners.
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SOURCE Pure Storage | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/02/08/pure-storage-announces-date-conference-call-information-fiscal-fourth-quarter-full-year-2023-financial-results/ | 2023-02-08 23:22:13 | 0 | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/02/08/pure-storage-announces-date-conference-call-information-fiscal-fourth-quarter-full-year-2023-financial-results/ |
BETHESDA, Md., July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced today that it completed the sale and acquisition financing for 7 Square, a 402-unit, Class A apartment community in Houston, Texas. Located less than ten miles from Downtown Houston, the property features excellent access to major employment centers, shopping, entertainment, and top-rated schools.
Walker & Dunlop's Ryan Epstein and Jennifer Ray represented the seller in the disposition. The team collaborated with Mark Vinitsky and Harvey Pava of Walker & Dunlop's Capital Markets group to structure acquisition financing for the buyer at closing. The bridge loan features a three-year term with interest-only payments.
"7 Square has an unparalleled location within the Memorial school district. While the property is beautifully appointed, the asset had never gone through a programmatic upgrade and new ownership has the opportunity to make modest upgrades to further improve rental rates and operations," said Managing Director, Ryan Epstein. "The buyer plans on updating both the units and common areas to better compete with newer assets in the area."
Located along Houston's major thoroughfares, 7 Square is perfectly positioned to cater to renters looking to shorten their commute and maintain the benefits and amenities of the city's urban core. The property features upscale interiors in one- and two-bedroom apartment options. Community amenities include two pools, a fitness center, yoga and spin room, private wine room, outdoor grilling stations, and structured parking.
Walker & Dunlop is a leader in multifamily property sales, having completed $19.3 billion in property sales volume in 2021 alone, up 214% from 2020. The firm was also the third largest provider of capital to the U.S. multifamily market, originating $49 billion in transactions and lending over $42 billion for multifamily properties in 2021. For information about multifamily properties available for sale via Walker & Dunlop's investment sales platform, visit our website.
About Walker & Dunlop
Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) is one of the largest providers of capital to the commercial real estate industry, enabling real estate owners and operators to bring their visions of communities — where Americans live, work, shop and play — to life. The power of our people, premier brand, and industry-leading technology makes us more insightful and valuable to our clients, providing an unmatched experience every step of the way. With more than 1,400 employees across every major U.S. market, Walker & Dunlop has consistently been named one of Fortune's Great Places to Work® and is committed to making the commercial real estate industry more inclusive and diverse while creating meaningful social, environmental, and economic change in our communities.
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SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/14/walker-amp-dunlop-completes-sale-financing-apartments-prime-houston-neighborhood/ | 2022-07-14 11:34:50 | 1 | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/14/walker-amp-dunlop-completes-sale-financing-apartments-prime-houston-neighborhood/ |
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Neighbors of refineries can see the glowing flares and visible plumes of air pollution rising into the sky. But water pollution often happens at ground level or below, out of sight of both local residents and environmental regulators.
In a new report, the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project tallied toxic discharges of unregulated pollutants self-reported by refineries and found that seven of the nation’s 10 worst polluters of total dissolved solids operated along the Texas coast. Exxon Mobil’s refinery in Baytown was the top polluter in 2021, followed by a Valero Energy refinery in Corpus Christi.
“Oil refineries are major sources of water pollution that have largely escaped public notice and accountability,” said Eric Schaeffer, the nonprofit’s executive director. “Texas is an industry state. I’m not surprised to see such big discharges.”
On ExpressNews.com: Tomlinson: New research shows Exxon knew about climate change. When will Big Oil put people first?
Texas refineries top pollution list
1. Exxon Mobil Baytown Refinery: Texas
2. Valero Corpus Christi Bill Greehey: Texas
3. Exxon Mobil Beaumont Refinery: Texas
4. Motiva Port Arthur Refinery: Texas
5. Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery: Illinois
6. Exxon Mobil Baton Rouge Refinery: Louisiana
7. Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery: Texas
8. Total Energies Port Arthur Refinery: Texas
9. Shell Norco Refinery: Louisiana
10. Phillips 66 Sweeney Refinery: Texas
Source: Environmental Integrity Project
Schaeffer, a former enforcement director at the Environmental Protection Agency, said federal pollution standards dating to the 1980s allow refineries to dump liquid waste into public waterways. The organization analyzed unregulated discharges that the EPA does not address in its rules for refineries.
According to the EIP report, federal law regulates just 10 pollutants from refineries’ liquid discharge through standards last updated in 1985. EIP called on the EPA to update its rules and reduce water contamination from the refinery sector.
“EPA’s failure to act has exposed public waterways to a witches’ brew of refinery contaminants,” the EIP report said.
Worst: Exxon Baytown
The report named Exxon’s Baytown refinery as the nation’s highest-volume water polluter of total dissolved solids, which include chloride and sulfates. Schaeffer said dissolved solids are highly saline, harmful to aquatic life and taxing on water treatment plants.
Because dissolved solid discharges are not regulated for refineries, none of the pollution broke the law.
Data from the EPA shows that Exxon — which posted a record $58 billion profit last year — also discharges toxins including oil and grease, hexavalent chromium, benzene, chlorine, copper, zinc, sulfide, ammonia and more into Galveston Bay.
Exxon did not respond to a request for comment. The oil giant’s Baytown plant is part of the nation’s largest petrochemical complex, which rings the waterways southeast of Houston, the so-called Bayou City, where more than 2 million people live. Refineries turn oil and petroleum gas into fuels, chemicals and plastics.
While the bayous of West Houston are open for recreation, those in the largely Black and Hispanic neighborhoods of East Houston are walled off by refineries. The public never sees what happens on their banks.
“It’s this complete unawareness that industry is even dumping into the bayous,” said Bryan Parras, an organizer with the Sierra Club who grew up in Houston’s East End. “It’s all ending up in the bay and the Gulf of Mexico where people swim and fish. That’s not talked about a whole lot.”
In order to reduce dumping, Parras said, inspectors could make unannounced visits to refineries, test their waste outflows and apply substantial fines when they violate permits.
“It’s up to the regulators and obviously they haven’t been doing a good job,” Parras said.
Enforcement of federal standards falls to the states. In Texas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issues permits for industrial projects to discharge toxins into air and water. EPA Region 6, based in Dallas, and the TCEQ declined to comment for this report.
Valero in Corpus
Other top polluting refineries for dissolved solids include a Valero facility in Corpus Christi, Exxon’s Beaumont refinery, Motiva and Total Energies at Port Arthur and Marathon on Galveston Bay.
Although most self-reported refinery water pollution is legal, even when operators exceed permit limits for regulated toxins they face slim consequences.
According to the Environmental Integrity Project report, the Phillips 66 Sweeny Refinery south of Houston exceeded its permitted pollution limits 44 times from 2019 to 2021, but was penalized just $30,000. Forty-two of the refinery’s 44 violations were for unpermitted cyanide pollution in the Brazos River, upstream from popular public beaches.
“For far too long, Houston and the Gulf as a whole have been treated like a sacrifice zone, with the greatest burdens falling on low-income Black and brown communities,” said Kristen Schlemmer, legal director for Bayou City Waterkeeper. “The EPA is in the position to take action now.”
Schaeffer said EPA’s effluent regulations for refineries are far out-of-date with existing wastewater treatment technology. He said the technology exists to reduce toxic dumping into waterways, but the EPA must update its regulations to compel companies to improve.
“You’ll find that some refineries do significantly better than others,” Schaeffer said. “What processes are they using and why can’t we use that to set the standards for the whole industry?”
This story is published in partnership with Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. | https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/exxon-s-baytown-and-valero-s-corpus-christi-17747290.php | 2023-01-28 12:07:32 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/exxon-s-baytown-and-valero-s-corpus-christi-17747290.php |
The hundreds of cars sitting idle across the state may finally find their missing puzzle piece with the passage of the Chips and Science Act.
President Joe Biden signed the $280 billion Chips and Science Act on Tuesday. His signature marked a bipartisan effort two years in the making. The focus is to reduce the reliance on Asian manufacturers which currently make up about 75% of global chip manufacturers.
The bill includes $52.7 billion earmarked for semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and workforce development. Within that allotment is $2 billion legacy chips used in automobiles and defense systems, which was advocated for by Michigan Democrats Sen. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow.
The semiconductor investments align with Biden’s push to electrify the auto sector.
During his remarks at the Rose Garden the president opened up by saying: “I’ll tell you what, Detroit is making some really hot vehicles.”
Related: $52B semiconductor package is a ‘big freakin’ deal for Michigan’
Automotive takes up a small share of the global demand for semiconductors, according to the 2021 Semiconductor Industry Association report. It’s estimated chips in cars are only 11% of the overall chip market.
However, the future of auto is relying on chips being in full supply as more technology is added to vehicles and manufacturing shifts to electric and autonomous vehicles.
During his remarks, Biden said the average electric vehicle uses about 3,000 chips, meaning EV will need more than double the amount of what’s in a non-electric car.
AutoForecast Solutions, which tracks global vehicle production cuts due to the chip shortage, increased its estimate of vehicles lost to the chip shortage to 3.3 million vehicles.
Despite the shortage, the EV market saw a record high in sales during the second quarter of 2022. Nearly 200,000 EVs were sold, marking a 66% from last year, according to Cox Automotive.
The EV market was able to keep producing while internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE) stalled out. July forecasts show a 12% decline in ICE sales, according to Cox.
In part this is because automakers are prioritizing chips for more expensive vehicles like trucks, SUVs, EVs and other luxury cars to bolster their return on investment, said Michelle Krebs, Executive Analyst at Cox.
“It’s those kinds of buyers who are demanding those vehicles because a lot of other people have fallen out of the market,” she said.
Adding to the EV buzz were high gas prices. In Michigan, the average price at the pump was $4.82 in July.
“Whenever gas prices go up, we see EV shopping go up,” Krebs said. “When they come back down, we see EV shopping dip, and that’s exactly the trend we’ve seen.”
Those high gas prices were cited as a driving force for 77% of consumers considering switching to EV, according to a 2022 AAA survey.
A quarter of Americans said they will buy an electric vehicle as their next automobile.
Krebs estimates it will take another decade before the average consumer starts seeing EVs in every driveway. Currently, EVs make up a little more than 5% of the overall market. Krebs expects that to inch up to about 10% in the next few years.
The major obstacle is still cost. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average price for a new electric vehicle in June was more than $66,000, well above the industry average and more aligned with luxury prices than mainstream prices.
Other factors are still pushing the EV market forward like the expanding options for drivers. In just one year the market went from 19 to 33 models. This is where electrified options for big sellers, like Ford’s F-150, will make a big dent.
Krebs said she expects to see hundreds of options by 2025.
With all this momentum, will the $52.7 billion in chips funding push even more EVs onto the road?
Maybe, eventually.
Krebs kept the outlook realistic noting that it takes time to build semiconductor foundries and get the equipment necessary to produce semiconductors.
The White House said Tuesday that multiple companies, “spurred” by the chips bill, have announced more than $44 billion in new semiconductor manufacturing investments in the U.S.
Intel will officially break ground in Ohio for a $20 chip factory — an investment the company was holding off on until the Chips Act was passed.
However key ingredients in the semiconductor process remain in “politically challenging” parts of the supply chain, Krebs said.
Neon gas, which is at the heart of semiconductor fabrication, is largely sourced from Ukraine. More than 90% of U.S. semiconductor-grade neon comes from Ukraine, according to estimates from research firm Techcet. Ukraine is also a major supplier of xenon and krypton gases, also critical to chip manufacturing.
Until the supply chain can prove resilient to those “politically challenging” areas, the semiconductor supply will prove to be EV’s biggest question mark, Krebs said.
More on MLive:
Ford unveils electric F-150 pick-up designed for police
General Motors gets $2.5B federal loan to build EV battery plants
Lake Michigan shoreline to become ‘electric Route 66′ with EV charging stations
Tesla’s next competitor? Detroit entrepreneur enters the EV charging arena
Consumers are nervous about personal finances, labor market, UMich survey shows | https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/08/ev-sales-are-hitting-record-highs-will-the-chips-act-continue-momentum.html | 2022-08-09 17:42:51 | 1 | https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/08/ev-sales-are-hitting-record-highs-will-the-chips-act-continue-momentum.html |
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
The Associated Press
Benchmark U.S. crude oil for August delivery fell 70 cents to $104.09 a barrel Monday. Brent crude for September delivery rose 8 cents to $107.10 a barrel.
Wholesale gasoline for August delivery rose 1 cent to $3.46 a gallon. August heating oil rose 10 cents to $3.77 a gallon. August natural gas rose 40 cents to $6.43 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Gold for August delivery fell $10.60 to $1,731.70 an ounce. Silver for September delivery fell 11 cents to $19.13 an ounce and September copper fell 9 cents to $3.43 a pound.
The dollar rose to 137.32 Japanese yen from 136.18 yen. The euro fell to $1.0063 from $1.0173. | https://kion546.com/news/ap-national-business/2022/07/11/closing-prices-for-crude-oil-gold-and-other-commodities-224/ | 2022-07-11 21:17:22 | 0 | https://kion546.com/news/ap-national-business/2022/07/11/closing-prices-for-crude-oil-gold-and-other-commodities-224/ |
By JEFF AMY
Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia will ban most gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies for transgender people younger than 18, under a new law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday.
Legislators gave final approval to the law on Tuesday, despite impassioned pleas from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates against what has become the most fiercely contested bill of Georgia’s 2023 legislative session. The Republican governor signed the bill in private, without the ceremony he sometimes uses to celebrate new laws.
Senate Bill 140 is part of a nationwide effort by conservatives to restrict transgender athletes, gender-affirming care and drag shows. Governors in Mississippi, Utah and South Dakota have signed similar bills.
“I appreciate the many hours of respectful debate and deliberation by members of the General Assembly that resulted in final passage of this bill,” Kemp said in a statement. “As Georgians, parents and elected leaders, it is our highest responsibility to safeguard the bright, promising future of our kids — and SB 140 takes an important step in fulfilling that mission.”
Opponents say they believe the new law is an unconstitutional infringement on parents’ rights. The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia said it would “use every legal means at our disposal” to overturn the law shortly after Kemp signed it. Judges have — at least temporarily — blocked laws limiting gender-affirming treatment of transgender youth in Arkansas and Alabama.
“It’s disturbing how quickly the governor acts to sign bills that take away people’s rights,” ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young said in a statement.
Doctors would still be able to prescribe medicines to block puberty under the Georgia law, which takes effect July 1. It also says that minors who are already receiving hormone therapy will be allowed to continue.
Supporters say the law’s restrictions prevent children from making decisions they might later regret. Cole Muzio, president of the conservative Christian group Frontline Policy Action, had pushed for even stronger prohibitions. While he applauded Kemp signing the measure, he also called it “one of the weakest in the country,” promising more efforts at restrictions.
“Gov. Kemp has never been afraid to protect children and we appreciate his continued commitment to standing against radical and harmful agendas,” Muzio said in a statement.
But opponents say the measure is founded on disinformation and a desire to open a new front in the culture war to please conservative Republican voters, arguing it attacks vulnerable children and intrudes on private medical decisions.
Critics said the measure will require physicians to violate medical standards of care and that Republicans had abandoned their previous support for parents’ rights to make choices.
“This legislation is a clear attack on the rights of transgender children, their parents, and the medical community in Georgia as a whole,” Jeff Graham, the executive director of LGBTQ-rights group Equality Georgia, said in a statement. “Parents, working in collaboration with their medical teams and adhering to standards of care, should be able to make decisions regarding their child’s healthcare.”
The bill was amended to remove a clause that specifically shielded physicians from criminal and civil liability. That change was pushed for by conservative groups that want people to be able to sue their doctor if they later regret their treatment, although it’s unclear how large that group might be.
Transgender youth and parents heavily lobbied against the bill in recent weeks, warning lawmakers were further marginalizing a group already prone to taking their own lives at disturbingly high rates.
Republicans denied they wish anyone harm, saying they had children’s best interest at heart and wanted people to be able to obtain counseling.
___
Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy. | https://wtmj.com/national/2023/03/23/georgia-law-will-ban-most-transgender-care-for-kids-under-18/ | 2023-03-23 21:09:16 | 1 | https://wtmj.com/national/2023/03/23/georgia-law-will-ban-most-transgender-care-for-kids-under-18/ |
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida judge who oversaw the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz should be publicly reprimanded for showing bias toward the prosecution, failing to curtail “vitriolic statements” directed at Cruz’s attorneys by the victims’ families and sometimes allowing “her emotions to overcome her judgement,” a state commission concluded Monday.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission found that Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer violated several rules governing judicial conduct during last year’s trial in her actions toward Cruz’s public defenders. The six-month trial ended with Cruz receiving a receiving a life sentence for the 2018 murder of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after the jury could not unanimously agree that he deserved a death sentence.
The 15-member commission found that Scherer “unduly chastised” lead public defender Melisa McNeill and her team, wrongly accused one Cruz attorney of threatening her child, and improperly embraced members of the prosecution in the courtroom after the trial’s conclusion.
The commission, composed of judges, lawyers and citizens, acknowledged that “the worldwide publicity surrounding the case created stress and tension for all participants.“
Regardless, the commission said, judges are expected to “ensure due process, order and decorum, and act always with dignity and respect to promote the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”
“In limited instances during this unique and lengthy case, Judge Scherer allowed her emotions to overcome her judgement,” the commission said in its report to the Florida Supreme Court, which will make the final decision.
Scherer announced last month that she would be retiring from the bench on June 30. The commission said the resignation was not part of any deal struck with the judge. The commission report said that Scherer acknowledged during her testimony that her conduct during the trial “fell short” of what’s expected of judges and that “her treatment of members of the defense team was at times not patient, dignified or courteous.”
Scherer, a 46-year-old former prosecutor, was appointed to the bench in 2012 and the Cruz case was her first capital murder trial. Broward County’s computerized system randomly assigned her Cruz’s case shortly after the shooting.
Her attorney, Thomas Panza, did not immediately respond to a call or email seeking comment.
Broward County Public Defender Gordon Weekes declined comment.
Scherer’s handling of the case drew frequent praise from the parents and spouses of the victims, who said she treated them with professionalism and kindness, but her clashes with Cruz’s attorneys and others sometimes drew criticism from legal observers.
Before the trial she criticized two reporters from the Sun Sentinel newspaper for publishing a sealed Cruz educational record that they obtained legally. She threatened to tell the paper what it could and couldn’t print, but never did; legal experts say such a move would have been unconstitutional.
Scherer also had frequent heated arguments with McNeill. Those boiled over for the first time when McNeill and her team suddenly rested their case after calling only a small fraction of their expected witnesses. Scherer called it “the most uncalled for, unprofessional way to try a case,” though the defense has no obligation to call all of its witnesses or announce its plans in advance.
McNeill countered angrily, “You are insulting me on the record in front of my client,” before Scherer told her to stop. She then laid into her.
“You’ve been insulting me the entire trial,” Scherer barked at McNeill. “Arguing with me, storming out, coming late intentionally if you don’t like my rulings. So, quite frankly, this has been long overdue. So please be seated.”
The two clashed again during Cruz’s sentencing hearing in November over the verbal attacks some victims’ family members made against the defense team during their courtroom statements. Scherer refused to curtail the statements and ejected one of McNeill’s assistants, David Wheeler, after she wrongly interpreted one of his comments as a threat against her daughter.
After sentencing Cruz, 24, to life without parole as required, Scherer left the bench and hugged members of the prosecution and the victims’ families. She told the commission she offered to also hug the defense team.
That action led the Supreme Court in April to remove her from overseeing post-conviction motions of another defendant, Randy Tundidor, who was sentenced to death for murder in the 2019 killing of his landlord. One of the prosecutors in that case had also been on the Cruz team, and during a hearing in the Tundidor case a few days after the Cruz sentencing, Scherer asked the prosecutor how he was holding up.
The court said Scherer’s actions gave at least the appearance that she could not be fair to Tundidor. | https://cbs4indy.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/commission-florida-judge-should-be-reprimanded-for-conduct-during-parkland-school-shooting-trial/ | 2023-06-06 16:32:14 | 1 | https://cbs4indy.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/commission-florida-judge-should-be-reprimanded-for-conduct-during-parkland-school-shooting-trial/ |
LONDON (AP) — Those at the forefront of the U.K.’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine joined Queen guitarist Brian May and a fashion designer dubbed “the mother of the miniskirt” on the country’s New Year’s Honors list on Friday.
Artists, community leaders and members of England’s award-winning women’s soccer team were also among the more than 1,100 people included in this year’s list, the first to be signed off by King Charles III.
May, who is also an animal welfare campaigner, was appointed a knight bachelor for his services to music and charity. The former Queen guitarist, who also holds a doctorate in astrophysics, said he regarded his new title as “a kind of commission to do the things one would expect a knight to do — to fight for justice, to fight for people who don’t have any voice.”
Mary Quant, the 92-year-old designer best known for popularizing the miniskirt during the 1960s, received the U.K.’s top honor for her services to fashion. Quant’s appointment to the Order of the Companions of Honor, a special status held by no more than 65 people at any one time, came seven years after she was made a dame — the female equivalent of a knight — in recognition of her designs.
Artist Grayson Perry, known for his tapestries and ceramics, was also knighted for services to the arts.
Elsewhere, diplomats shaping the U.K.’s response to the war in Ukraine were recognized, with damehoods for the ambassadors to both Kyiv and Moscow, and a British Empire Medal (BEM) for a campaigner who led donation drives for Ukrainian refugees.
Nanny Louenna Hood, 37, who raised more than 160,000 pounds through online auctions, said she was “completely stunned” to be recognized.
“I started the campaign, but I would never have been able to do it without the community,” she said.
Half of this year’s honors went to women, including members of the England soccer team that won the 2022 Women’s European Championship and the first woman to lead a major U.K bank.
England captain Leah Williamson received an OBE, while teammates Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Ellen White were all made MBEs.
Alison Rose, the chief executive of banking group NatWest and the first woman to run one of the U.K.’s largest banks, was also awarded a damehood.
U.K. monarchs have awarded honors as part of orders of chivalry since the Middle Ages. In modern times, nominations are submitted to the government’s Cabinet Office and vetted by a committee before being passed on to the prime minister and the monarch for approval.
Others honored this year included those campaigning for environmental and climate change action, youth engagement and combating discrimination. Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, who received a knighthood, was among several Jewish community leaders to be recognized. | https://www.localsyr.com/entertainment-news/ap-queen-guitarist-womens-soccer-team-top-uk-honors-list/ | 2022-12-31 00:31:53 | 0 | https://www.localsyr.com/entertainment-news/ap-queen-guitarist-womens-soccer-team-top-uk-honors-list/ |
(NewsNation) — Las Vegas businessman Jay Bloom revealed that he and his son were offered seats on the submersible that went missing on a trip to see the wreckage from the Titanic, but ultimately gave them up.
Bloom shared texts on Facebook he exchanged with Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan submersible. Rush, along with four other passengers, was on the submersible when it embarked June 18 on what was meant to be an eight-hour dive to the Titanic site. Less than two hours in, however, the support vessel Polar Prince lost contact with the Titan.
The U.S. Coast Guard taking the lead on search efforts. On Thursday, officials and OceanGate confirmed that debris found near the Titanic wreckage was from the submersible.
“The debris is consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” Rear Adm. John Mauger with the First Coast Guard District said. All five passengers, including Rush, British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, Dawood’s son Suleman Dawood, and deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, are believed to have died.
Bloom said the tickets he turned down ultimately went to the Dawoods.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Bloom said Friday on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “Every time I see a picture of the people that lost their lives on this tragic event, I look at that picture of the father and son who replaced my son and myself and think just how easily, but for the grace of God, that could have been our picture on the news. It’s really sobering.”
Bloom said that Rush had asked him and his son, Sean, in February to go on a dive to the Titanic scheduled in May. Those May dives were postponed because of the weather.
Bloom texted Rush about safety concerns his son’s friend had brought up about “what could go wrong.”
“He researched the marine life at that depth and perceived threats to the vessel,” Bloom wrote. “A sperm whale attacks the sub or a giant squid grabs it and compromises the hull.”
In response, Rush said that with a pressure of over 100 million pounds, “No sperm whale or squid is ever going to mess with the sub.”
“While there’s obviously risk, it’s way safer than flying in a helicopter or even scuba diving,” Rush wrote.
Rush later offered Bloom a ticket for a “last minute price” of $150,000 (compared to the $250,000 others on the submersible paid) but the businessman ultimately declined. At the time, Bloom told Rush this was because of scheduling issues.
Bloom said he and his son grew concerned about the materials used to build the vessel, as well the off-the-shelf components it was composed of. For example, the submersible was driven using a video game controller, and Rush told CBS News in a previous interview he bought a light from Camping World.
“Stockton was very dismissive about it,” Bloom said.
On Facebook, Bloom said Rush “really believed” what he was saying about the submersible’s safety.
“But he was very wrong,” Bloom said. “He passionately believed in what he was doing.”
Bloom recalled the last time he ever saw Rush in person March 1. After going to the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor in Las Vegas, the two talked about the dive.
“He was absolutely convinced that it was safer than crossing the street,” Bloom said on Facebook. “He gave me a book of photos (1 of 324 produced) signed by him and Paul Henri Nargeolet.”
After losing another friend of his, actor Treat Williams, in a motorcycle crash earlier this month, Bloom wrote on social media that he and Sean are “going to take a minute to stop and smell the roses.”
“One last time. RIP Stockton and crew,” Bloom said. “Tomorrow is never promised. Make the most of today.” | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/man-who-gave-up-seats-on-titan-submersible-says-oceangate-ceo-was-dismissive-of-concerns/ | 2023-06-24 15:50:12 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/man-who-gave-up-seats-on-titan-submersible-says-oceangate-ceo-was-dismissive-of-concerns/ |
A tiny world of concrete and stone in Springfield saw growth over the pandemic, and more plans for the space are forming with a $75,000 national arts foundation grant.
The Hartman Rock Garden at 1905 Russell Ave. will receive the unrestricted grant funding from the newly formed Ruth Foundations for the Arts.
The foundation is part of the estate of Wisconsin-born museum director Ruth DeYoung Kohler, who was instrumental in the restoration of the Springfield rock garden in 2008-2009 and remained a supporter of the garden until her death in 2020, said Hartman Rock Garden curator and Springfield Foundation historian Kevin Rose.
“We’re ecstatic,” Rose said. “We had great respect for [Kohler], who really is the reason we’re all here anyway. She was the one who stepped up and committed resources to Hartman.”
Although details are still being finalized for what specific projects will see grant funding, Rose said money will cover conservation of the art, property maintenance and interpretation for the garden.
The grant is coming from the foundation’s legacy fund — a pool of funding for projects that were dear to Kohler.
“We’ve had great support coming in from so many philanthropic partners,” Rose said. “This is able to fill some gaps.”
Hartman, a folk-art garden found in a residential neighborhood in southwest Springfield, saw more than 13,000 visitors in 2022, mostly between the months of March through October, Rose said. The garden uses new technology using motion sensors to help it track attendance.
Attendance remained strong through the pandemic, unlike other attractions, as the garden is outdoors and visitors could properly distance themselves from each other. Interest in the garden has also grown over the past 10 years because of websites like Atlas Obscura, a collection of unique places for curious travelers.
People have traveled from across the country and world to walk around the rock garden. Rose said he has chatted with visitors from India, Japan and Russia.
The Depression-era rock garden is known for its sculptural works, fountains, fishing pond and more surrounded by flowers. The art was created by H.G. Ben Hartman, who constructed each piece by hand with materials like concrete, stone, metal and glass.
Hartman was first and foremost a horticulturist, Rose said, growing many displays of flowers in his garden space before his death in 1944. A large group of volunteers work to keep that tradition alive.
“It’s a labor of love, of maintaining, weeding, planting all of the flowers every year,” Rose said.
A few large projects will be announced for the garden in the summertime, Rose said.
Learn more about the Hartman Rock Garden at http://hartmanrocks.org/.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/hartman-rock-garden-rolling-more-visitors-new-grant-boost-springfield-attraction/AXOQTQ3FFJAE5EQ5BON7FZFK2I/ | 2023-01-13 09:37:07 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/hartman-rock-garden-rolling-more-visitors-new-grant-boost-springfield-attraction/AXOQTQ3FFJAE5EQ5BON7FZFK2I/ |
The high pump prices are hurting small businesses, like landscapers, plumbers and carpet cleaners who often rely on gas guzzling vehicles to serve their customers.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The high pump prices are hurting small businesses, like landscapers, plumbers and carpet cleaners who often rely on gas guzzling vehicles to serve their customers.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.ctpublic.org/2022-06-22/high-gas-prices-are-hurting-small-businesses-that-need-big-vehicles | 2022-06-22 21:25:05 | 1 | https://www.ctpublic.org/2022-06-22/high-gas-prices-are-hurting-small-businesses-that-need-big-vehicles |
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jrue Holiday demonstrated just why he’s heading to the All-Star Game for the first time in a decade.
Holiday matched a career high with 40 points and made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left in overtime as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the short-handed Boston Celtics 131-125 on Tuesday for their 11th consecutive victory.
The 32-year-old Holiday shot 8 of 12 from beyond the arc — including one from behind midcourt that beat the third-quarter buzzer — to set a career high for 3-pointers.
“I don’t really, I guess, care for how I’m playing as long as we’re winning,” said Holiday, who also had seven assists. “For me, as long as we get the win, I’m OK. The only stat I look at is turnovers. That’s kind of how I determine if I had a good or bad game. Tonight, what did I have, five turnovers? To me, that hurts my soul.”
Holiday will join Bucks teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo at Sunday’s All-Star Game at Salt Lake City. It’s the first time Holiday has been selected since he was playing for Philadelphia in 2013, which marks the longest gap between All-Star appearances in league history.
“I’ve said since the season started that he’s an All-Star,” Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo added 36 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as the Bucks (40-17) moved within a half-game of the Celtics (41-17) in the Eastern Conference standings.
Boston was playing without both its All-Stars – Jayson Tatum (non-COVID illness) and Jaylen Brown (facial fracture) – as well as Marcus Smart (sprained right ankle) and Al Horford (swelling in right knee).
The Celtics still nearly earned their fifth straight win.
“We expected to win that game,” said Malcolm Brogdon, who scored 26 points. “We went into that game like we were going to win, like we were supposed to win. We believe we are the best team on the floor every single night.”
Boston’s Sam Hauser, a Wisconsin native who had 40 friends and family members in the stands, made a game-tying 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Boston’s Derrick White then scored the first five points of overtime.
The Celtics still had a five-point lead with two minutes left, but the Bucks scored the final seven points of the game. The game-ending spurt started with Holiday’s go-ahead 3-pointer.
“On both ends of the court, he was phenomenal,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think his ability to create some turnovers and create pressure helped flip it. We went down and he made a few big-time plays that just are very Jrue-like. Special performance by him.”
Grant Williams lost the ball on Boston’s next possession, Grayson Allen got the steal and a clear-path foul was called on the Celtics with 3.2 seconds left.
Antetokounmpo made the ensuing two free throws and capped the scoring with a dunk at the buzzer.
SCARY MOMENT
Antetokounmpo landed awkwardly after an unsuccessful drive to the basket late in the fourth quarter and lay on the floor for a while before walking slowly back to the bench, but he never actually left the game.
“They gave me a quick update just saying that they think he just banged knees with somebody,” Budenholzer said. “We’ll check him in the morning, but I’d say the initial kind of report was positive.”
TIP-INS
Celtics: White, the reigning Eastern Conference player of the week, led Boston with 27 points. … Boston lost despite having a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers. … Mike Muscala got his first career technical foul for saying something to the Bucks bench after dunking in the third quarter.
Bucks: Antetokounmpo’s nine assists increased his career total to 3,271. He’s one behind Paul Pressey for the career franchise lead. … Holiday’s other 40-point game came for the Bucks against New Orleans on Dec. 17, 2021. … Antetokounmpo and Holiday won’t be the only Bucks representatives at the All-Star Game this weekend. Johnny Watson, the Bucks’ executive producer for arena and event presentation, will direct and produce in-game entertainment at the All-Star Game for an eighth time. Bucks disc jockey DJ Shawna and in-game host Melanie Ricks will handle those same roles at the All-Star Game.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Host Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
Bucks: At Chicago on Thursday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-bucks-edge-celtics-131-125-in-ot-for-11th-straight-win/ | 2023-02-15 21:18:36 | 1 | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-bucks-edge-celtics-131-125-in-ot-for-11th-straight-win/ |
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CIANJUR, Indonesia (AP) — On the fourth day of an increasingly urgent search, Indonesian rescuers narrowed their work Thursday to a landslide where dozens are believed trapped after an earthquake that killed at least 271 people, more than a third of them children.
Many of the more than 1,000 rescue personnel are using backhoe loaders, sniffer dogs and life detectors — as well as jackhammers and bare hands — to speed up the search in the worst-hit area of Cijendil village, where a landslide set off by Monday's quake left tons of mud, rocks and trees. Around 40 victims are believed still stuck in the soil and rubble of collapsed buildings in Cugenang sub-district.
Rescuers are also working on other impacted areas to make sure there are no more victims that need to be evacuated, said Henri Alfiandi, chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency.
“We hope all victims can be found soon,” Alfiandi said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, searchers rescued a 6-year-old boy who was trapped for two days under the rubble of his collapsed house.
More than 2,000 people were injured in the quake that displaced at least 61,000 people to evacuation centers and other shelters after at least 56,000 houses were damaged. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has said 171 public facilities were destroyed, including 31 schools.
Suharyanto, chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said 100 of the 271 confirmed deaths were children.
Rescue efforts had been suspended temporarily on Wednesday as heavy monsoon rains fell.
The 5.6 magnitude of Monday’s earthquake would not typically be expected to cause serious damage. But the quake was shallow and shook a densely populated area that lacks earthquake-resistant infrastructure. Weak aftershocks continued until Thursday morning.
More than 2.5 million people live in mountainous Cianjur district, including about 175,000 in its main town, which has the same name.
President Joko Widodo visited Cianjur on Tuesday and pledged to rebuild its infrastructure and provide assistance of up to 50 million rupiah ($3,180) to each resident whose house was damaged.
Indonesia is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin known as the “Ring of Fire.”
___
Associated Press writer Edna Tarigan in Jakarta contributed to this report. | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Indonesian-rescuers-focus-on-landslide-as-quake-17607990.php | 2022-11-24 04:39:34 | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Indonesian-rescuers-focus-on-landslide-as-quake-17607990.php |
RICHMOND — Culture-war issues are heating up at the General Assembly, but fiery debates about abortion, voter access and other topics are leading to few changes in the law as the Republican House of Delegates and Democratic Senate cancel one another out.
Earlier Thursday, a Senate committee killed a slate of Republican-backed bills aimed at limiting access to abortion at various cutoff points — ranging from conception to 24 weeks, with some exceptions. House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) has yet to assign committees to hear any of the abortion access bills filed in that chamber, some of them at the behest of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who made a priority of seeking a 15-week ban on abortions with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.
Gilbert’s inaction has led to speculation that he is holding off on a tough political fight because the outcome is so clear once the bills get to the Senate. A spokesman for Gilbert referred to remarks on the subject the speaker made early in the session: “I know how to count to 51 in the House, and I know how to count to 21 in the Senate,” Gilbert said, referring to the number of votes needed to get a bill passed.
So it goes, day after day, as lawmakers dance around hot topics with the knowledge that none of them is likely to come to fruition. It is an election year, after all, with all 140 seats in the legislature on the ballot this fall in newly drawn districts. With that in mind, many legislators are more interested in making speeches than in taking controversial actions that could come back to bite them on the campaign trail.
“Everybody has to get ready for the election,” said Del. Mark D. Sickles (D-Fairfax).
“I think it is showing the voters where we stand on the issues,” said Del. Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach).
Here are some of the issues that have surfaced but that seem unlikely to survive the session:
Abortion
Virginia allows abortion in the first and second trimesters, until about 26 weeks, and in the third only if the mother’s life or health is at serious risk, as certified by three doctors. Without comment, the Senate Education and Health Committee on Thursday morning voted down three bills that would have further restricted abortion access in the state.
The strictest — Senate Bill 1284, from Sen. Travis Hackworth (R-Tazewell) — declared that life begins at conception and would have banned abortion with two exceptions: to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest if those alleged offenses have been reported to police and the abortion is performed at 20 weeks or earlier.
Sen. Stephen D. Newman (R-Bedford) proposed Senate Bill 1385 at Youngkin’s request to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the mother’s life.
A third bill — Senate Bill 1483, from Sen. Siobhan S. Dunnavant (R-Henrico), a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist — would have shrunk the window for legal abortion to 22 weeks or 24 weeks, depending on the viability of the fetus. Dunnavant described her bill as an update to the current law — written in 1975, at a time when a fetus could not be expected to survive outside the womb before 28 weeks — to reflect the “staggering medical advancements” that have lowered the number of weeks for viability.
“I really think the idea that you would abort a baby that can live if it was given to the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] is unsupportable,” she said.
Her bill provided for one exception after viability: to save the mother’s life. It also specified that abortion laws would not apply to the treatment of a nonviable pregnancy, a provision meant to address concerns that doctors fearful of running afoul of the law would hesitate in emergency situations to perform abortions needed to save the mother’s life.
Democrats were jubilant at a news conference after the votes.
“This is our time in history,” declared Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-Arlington). “We have to fight this fight for our children.”
Senate Democrats also talked up their own measures to protect or expand access to abortion, including one to enshrine broad abortion rights language in the state constitution. But those are not expected to prevail in the House.
Voting access
The House debated a pair of absentee voter-related bills on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s final vote. Del. John J. McGuire III (R-Goochland) said his House Bill 1693 would eliminate ballot drop boxes — first created to make voting safer during the pandemic — because they are an unnecessary expense for local elections officials.
McGuire, a Trump die-hard who attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally on the National Mall but said he didn’t enter the Capitol, said that “a large portion of our population has lost faith in our elections system and by limiting these drop boxes, it would be a step in the right direction toward rebuilding faith in our election system.”
Del. Schuyler T. VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) countered that voter access bills passed by Democratic majorities in 2020, including the one creating ballot drop boxes, had finally broken Virginia’s long-standing reputation as one of the toughest states in which to cast a ballot.
“When we expanded access we also strengthened our election system. There isn’t fraud … these reforms worked,” VanValkenburg said.
Del. Phillip Scott (R-Spotsylvania) argued that his House Bill 1877, which would reduce the period of in-person absentee voting to 14 days from 45, followed the example of states such as Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey that utilize shorter periods.
“None of these states would claim that there is voter suppression with their elections,” Scott said.
Del. Marcia S. “Cia” Price (D-Newport News) noted that voters of both major parties have made heavy use of early balloting since it was enacted. “The attempts to roll back our progress are really highly suspect, because why would you not want all the people who want to vote to be able to vote?” Price said.
Both bills passed Thursday on 51-47, party-line votes.
Car emissions
Republicans in the House passed a bill Wednesday — House Bill 1378 — that prohibits Virginia from following the car emissions standards set by California. Virginia adopted that state’s standards as part of sweeping environmental legislation passed by Democrats two years ago.
Fourteen other states also follow California’s standards, which are stricter than those of the federal Environmental Protection Agency and often influence the practices of the auto industry. But Youngkin has made campaign hay out of bashing Virginia’s reliance on another state’s policies.
The bill faces a grim outlook in the Senate, which has already killed similar measures.
Books in schools
The House banished its army of middle school-age pages from the chamber floor Wednesday for a debate on a bill introduced by Anderson to require school librarians to list books with sexual subject matter and allow parents to prevent their children from checking them out.
Anderson held up graphic illustrations and read aloud passages describing sex acts from books that he said are in high school libraries in places such as Virginia Beach and Loudoun County.
“The reason that I did that is because I want to address the “big lie” that these books don’t exist, because they do,” Anderson explained to lawmakers.
His House Bill 1379 contains no penalties for librarians who “may have missed a book in good faith,” he said, and does not require that such books be removed. “It simply … allows parents to say, ‘I don’t want my children to have access to these books,’” he said.
Democrats argued that the bill’s definition of “graphic sexual content” is so broad that it could include classical paintings. Del. Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler (D-Virginia Beach) said Republicans were “trying to play to their extreme MAGA base.”
That bill and another requiring the Virginia Board of Education to draw up model policies a school could use to remove objectionable library materials passed Thursday on party-line votes.
Afterward, Anderson said he had no illusions about the fate of his bill when it heads to the Democratic-controlled Senate. A Senate committee has already shot down Senate Bill 787, from Sen. Bill DeSteph (R-Virginia Beach), which would have required written parental consent before a student could check out or handle sexually explicit school library books.
“This bill is dead on arrival,” Anderson said. “You saw what happened over here — not one Democrat voted for it.” | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/26/virginia-assembly-abortion-voting-laws/ | 2023-01-26 23:37:21 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/26/virginia-assembly-abortion-voting-laws/ |
Nearly 25,000 teenagers ages 13-17 share how they think, feel, and behave as it relates to Jesus.
DALLAS, Oct. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Barna Group has released the first volume of The Open Generation, a first-of-its-kind international research study to understand the identity, values, and views of teenagers around the world. The first volume, titled "How Teens Around the World Relate to Jesus," explores teens' perceptions of and affections for Jesus.
The Open Generation includes responses from nearly 25,000 teens ages 13-17 across 26 countries. The survey was sent to a cross section of teens, nationally representative of each country, regardless of their faith background or leaning. The study was developed and conducted by Barna Group in 2021, in partnership with Alpha, Biblica, and World Vision, with additional support from Christian Vision, Bible Study Fellowship, Christ In Youth, and the Association of Christian Schools International.
"This study is intended to help us listen to teens today," said David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group. "The impression these voices offer is that this generation is open, inclusive, and curious about different faiths and perspectives. Our data suggests that although this generation may not deeply engage with Jesus, they are open to him, and when they do engage, they experience positive effects. It is our goal to offer a picture of the rising generation to the Global Church so that we may support and engage teens in relevant, meaningful ways."
Key research findings in Volume 1
- Most teens around the world have a positive perception of Jesus. For example, about half of all teens, across faith groups, describe Jesus as "loving" (49%) and believe he offers hope to (46%) and cares about (43%) people.
- Only some core elements of the Christian gospel story come through in teens' perceptions of Jesus. Nearly half of teens overall (47%) believe Jesus was crucified, while one-third of all teens (33%) says Jesus rose again. Teens' perceptions of Jesus are more about the past than the present. There is a common perception that he is not active today.
- There is a gap between the percentage of teens who identify as Christian in a nominal or cultural sense and those who say they have made a personal commitment to follow Jesus. One-third of self-identified Christian teens has not made a personal commitment to follow Jesus.
- Teens do not see Christians nearly as positively as they see Jesus. Teens believe that Jesus is more "loving," "wise," and "peaceful" than the Christians who follow him. And Christians are seen as more "judgmental" or "hypocritical" than Jesus.
- Teens are generally curious about Jesus. Overall, two-fifths of global teens (38%) are very motivated to continue learning about Jesus, and another one-fifth (21%) are somewhat motivated to do so.
- For teens, there is a strong correlation between being committed to following Jesus and experiencing satisfaction, support, and stability. Also, teens with a commitment to follow Jesus tend to have a greater sense of community than peers with other levels of connection to Jesus.
Barna Group will release three volumes as a part of The Open Generation study on the following dates:
- October 5, 2022: How Teens Around the World Relate to Jesus
- October 12, 2022: How Teens Around the World View the Bible
- October 19, 2022: How Teens Around the World Can Make an Impact
Learn more about the study by visiting barna.com/the-open-generation. If you are a reporter seeking access to the full version of Volume 1, contact barna@pinkston.co.
Barna Group is a visionary research and resource company based in Dallas, Texas. Started in 1984, the firm is widely considered to be a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture. Conducting more than two million interviews over the course of thousands of studies, Barna has become a go-to source for insights about faith and culture, leadership and vocation and generations. Barna has worked with thousands of businesses, nonprofit organizations and churches across the U.S. and around the world. Barna is an independent, privately-held, nonpartisan organization based in Dallas, Texas, with offices in Nashville, Tennessee, Ventura, California, and Atlanta, Georgia.
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SOURCE Barna Group | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/05/new-global-study-reveals-how-teens-around-world-relate-jesus/ | 2022-10-05 15:06:01 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/05/new-global-study-reveals-how-teens-around-world-relate-jesus/ |
Board OKs Microsoft data center near Foxconn in Racine County
RACINE, Wis. (AP) - Local leaders have approved plans for a massive Microsoft data center in a southeast Wisconsin village where the world’s largest electronics manufacturer has a huge campus.
The Racine County Board of Supervisors voted 18-1 on Tuesday to approve the software and internet services company’s $1 billion project on 315 acres of land in Mount Pleasant, WDJT-TV reported.
Mount Pleasant is already home to a production site for Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group.
Microsoft must begin the first phase of construction by July 2026 and begin the second phase by July 2033. Microsoft must purchase the land for $50 million by July 31, 2023, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
According to a fact sheet describing the project compiled by southeastern Wisconsin economic development groups, the 315-acre (127-hectare) parcel is part of a tax-increment financing district that includes the Foxconn campus. Property taxes collected in such districts can be used to subsidize development in the district.
Foxconn would receive the proceeds from the land sale to Microsoft as partial reimbursement of what Foxconn spent to acquire land for the district in 2017, according to the fact sheet. Microsoft would be eligible to recoup 42% of property taxes paid on new construction, up to $5 million annually.
The Associated Press left messages in Microsoft’s media relations email inbox as well as voicemail and email messages for Mount Pleasant Village President David DeGroot.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.weau.com/2023/04/19/board-oks-microsoft-data-center-near-foxconn-racine-county/ | 2023-04-19 18:04:47 | 0 | https://www.weau.com/2023/04/19/board-oks-microsoft-data-center-near-foxconn-racine-county/ |
LAVAL, QC, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc. ("Neptune" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: NEPT) (TSX: NEPT), a diversified and fully integrated health and wellness company focused on plant-based, sustainable and purpose-driven lifestyle brands, announced today that it has received conditional approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") with respect to the Company's proposed consolidation of its common shares (the "Common Shares") on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation Common Share for every thirty-five (35) pre-consolidation Common Shares (the "Consolidation"). The Consolidation was previously approved by the board of directors of the Company on June 3, 2022. Each fractional Common Share remaining after completion of the Consolidation that is less than one (1) whole of a Common Share will be increased to one (1) whole Common Share. The Consolidation will reduce the number of Common Shares issued and outstanding from approximately 198 million Common Shares to approximately 5.7 million Common Shares.
The Consolidation is subject to the final approval of the TSX, along with other customary conditions relating to the Consolidation. The precise effective date of the Consolidation and the date upon which the Common Shares will begin trading on the NASDAQ and the TSX on a post-Consolidation basis will be announced at a later date.
The Company's transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc. ("Computershare"), will act as the exchange agent for the Consolidation. In connection with the Consolidation, Computershare will send to registered holders of Common Shares (the "Registered Holders") a letter of transmittal (the "Letter of Transmittal") that may be used by such Registered Holders to exchange their pre-Consolidation Common Share certificates for certificates in the capital of the Company representing the consolidated number of Common Shares. Until surrendered, each certificate representing pre-Consolidation Common Shares will represent the number of whole post-Consolidation Common Shares to which the holder is entitled as a result of the Consolidation. The post-Consolidated Common Shares issued will be done via a push-out to shareholders holding book shares / DRS Advice positions and pre-Consolidated Common Shares will become null and void. Shareholders holding Common Shares by way of a physical share certificate are required to deposit a completed Letter of Transmittal and the physical share certificates for cancellation to receive the applicable post-Consolidated Common Shares.
Non-registered or beneficial holders holding their Common Shares through a bank, broker or other nominee will not need to complete a Letter of Transmittal and should note that such banks, brokers or other nominees may have specific procedures for processing the Consolidation. Shareholders holding their Common Shares with such a bank, broker or nominee and who have any questions in this regard are encouraged to contact their nominee.
A copy of the Letter of Transmittal will be posted on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
The Company's name and trading symbol will remain unchanged on the Nasdaq and the TSX as a consequence of the Consolidation.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other unknown factors that could cause the actual results of Neptune to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements which explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms "believes", "belief", "expects", "intends", "projects", "anticipates", "will", "should" or "plans" to be uncertain and forward-looking. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the completion of the Consolidation, including the timing thereof. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and the "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information" section contained in Neptune's latest Annual Information Form, which also forms part of Neptune's latest annual report on Form 40-F, and which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. All forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Neptune does not undertake to update any such forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Neither NASDAQ nor the Toronto Stock Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
About Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc.
Headquartered in Laval, Quebec, Neptune is a diversified health and wellness company with a mission to redefine health and wellness. Neptune is focused on building a portfolio of high quality, affordable consumer products in response to long-term secular trends and market demand for natural, plant-based, sustainable and purpose-driven lifestyle brands. The Company utilizes a highly flexible, cost-efficient manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure that can be scaled to quickly adapt to consumer demand and bring new products to market through its mass retail partners and e-commerce channels. For additional information, please visit: https://neptunewellness.com/.
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MARIETTA, Ga. — UPDATE: Audrey Sydnor has been found safe, according to Marietta Police.
They add that an officer saw her walking near the intersection of Bells Ferry Road and Cobb Parkway North just before 7 a.m.
--
Marietta Police need help locating a 75-year-old woman who went missing on Monday around 6 p.m.
Audrey Sydnor lives in a private assisted living facility on Dickson Road, according to officers.
They add that she likes to walk to stores in the area of Dickson Road and Canton Road during the day. Though she has medical conditions, officers say she's always managed to return home in the past.
Sydnor was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt with "Miami Florida" on it, jeans, black tennis shoes, and a black leather backpack.
Those with any information on where she is are asked to call 911. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/75-year-old-missing-marietta/85-187f55a2-687a-44f6-a933-f325602e2b3e | 2023-03-07 15:42:39 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/75-year-old-missing-marietta/85-187f55a2-687a-44f6-a933-f325602e2b3e |
Q: My husband and I have three cats. One of them I trapped when we were going through home renovations. That cat has always been somewhat feral. I had him neutered and vaccinated a few years ago when I took him in, but he has never really warmed up to being handled. Despite that he is a sweet cat. As a result, his vaccines are overdue, and he recently developed a badly ingrown nail on his right front foot that I can see causes him pain.
What do you suggest I do to get him in to be seen since he does not let me handle him and the pain in his foot might be making things worse? He has a few extra toes, and this nail is between one of them and the other toes. He is now about 6 years old. Is there any chance the ingrown nail might simply resolve on its own and if not, what could happen?
A: You need to get this cat in to have the ingrown nail addressed, and the sooner the better. By the time this is published, I hope you will have found a way to have done so on your own. If you trapped him once, I am sure you can figure out a way to do it again especially in the confines of your home.
Start by limiting this cat to a small single room or even a bathroom. Place a carrier in the room with food and water inside so he gets comfortable going in it. Also provide a litter box. If that doesn’t work, covering him with a large towel and wrapping him up to get him in a carrier might be necessary.
Be careful not to get bitten since his vaccination status is not current and a bite wound would require reporting by a veterinarian or medical facility as well as a quarantine for the cat. You might want to ask your veterinarian for some kind of mild sedative or anxiolytic drug for the cat, but they might not dispense it if the cat has not been seen for some time. One drug that works well in cats is Gabapentin at a dosage of 100-200 mg to take the edge off. It is an oral medication that you would have to trick the cat to ingest, and you might need to hide it in his food.
The ingrown nail will not likely resolve on its own so having it attended to is important! Not only do these nails get painful but they often get infected, might bleed from time to time, and cause lameness. Since this is a nail between extra digits, you might want to consult your veterinarian about removing that nail in its entirety to prevent a recurrence later, especially if you cannot handle the cat and do nail trims. This should be considered because these kinds of nails typically do not have the same floor exposure as other nails and can tend to get ingrown.
Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic. He can be reached at 781-899-9994.
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GASTONIA, N.C. (WJZY) – A manhunt is underway in North Carolina for a man accused of shooting his neighbors, one of whom is a 6-year-old girl.
Robert Louis Singletary, 24, is believed to be responsible for shooting and injuring several people around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Gaston County Police Department. He should be considered “armed and dangerous,” the department said.
The mother of the 6-year-old victim told Nexstar’s WJZY that the suspect started shooting after a child walked into his yard to retrieve a basketball that a group of kids had been playing with nearby.
“I heard the ‘pow, pow, pow, pow,’ and I thought it was fireworks,” said Ashley Hilderbrand, the mother of a shooting victim. “Then I heard the ‘pow, pow, pow,’ and everybody started yelling, ‘Get in the house!'”
Hilderbrand’s daughter Kinsley White was struck in the cheek, and White’s father William was shot multiple times.
“And when [William] went to the ground, the guy continued to shoot,” Hilderbrand said. “He didn’t care who he shot, who he killed.”
Authorities said the adult victim was rushed to the CaroMont Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. The other shooting victims were later taken to hospitals in Charlotte for further treatment.
“The juvenile that was shot, as well as the second adult that was grazed by a bullet, have been treated and released,” Gaston County Police Chief Stephen M. Zill said Wednesday.
Kinsley White spoke with WJZY after her release from the hospital.
“He came out with a gun, he started shooting,” she said. “Hope my daddy is okay.”
Gaston County Police have obtained warrants on Singletary. He’s facing several charges: four counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and a count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police helicopter was searching the area in what is considered to be an “extensive search.” Authorities were asking neighbors to stay indoors.
“I want to say to the people of Gaston County — this sort of violence will not stand,” Chief Zill said.
Singletary is described as a 6-foot-2 man with brown eyes and black hair, weighing 223 pounds.
In December, Gastonia Police charged Singletary in the brutal assault of his 21-year-old girlfriend with a mini sledgehammer. They also said Singletary kept the victim inside his apartment and did not allow her to leave for over two hours. At that time, the man faced charges of assault with intent to inflict serious injury, kidnapping, and communicating threats. He was in the Gaston County jail on a $250,000 bond.
“My number one priority as chief is to make sure each and every one of our citizens are safe,” Zill continued. “Every person in every part of our county deserves that same opportunity, and it is our priority to make that a reality.”
The Gaston County Police had not yet disclosed whether the suspect had been located as of Thursday morning. Anyone with further information is asked to contact Det. J. Brienza at 704-866-3320 or Crimestoppers at 704-861-8000. A Crimestoppers reward of up to $1,000 is available for information pertinent to the investigation. | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/girl-6-shot-after-basketball-rolls-into-neighbors-yard-in-north-carolina/ | 2023-04-20 17:47:45 | 1 | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/girl-6-shot-after-basketball-rolls-into-neighbors-yard-in-north-carolina/ |
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A helicopter pilot and a meteorologist who worked for a North Carolina television station died Tuesday when a news helicopter crashed along a Charlotte-area interstate, with police praising the pilot for heroically avoiding the roadway in his final moments.
Meteorologist Jason Myers and pilot Chip Tayag were identified as the people killed in the crash in a statement by WBTV — and by coworkers who’d been reporting on the crash live from the station’s studio.
Fighting back tears, anchors Jamie Boll and Molly Grantham mourned their colleagues while providing updates during a broadcast that carried on uninterrupted for hours. They included witness reports that Tayag prevented the helicopter from crashing onto Interstate-77 during a busy week of holiday travel.
“Jamie and I are learning it here as our newsroom is learning it and trying to figure it out while deeply grieving …,” Grantham said during the broadcast. “We’re giving the news and we’re all — all — of our WBTV family grieving Chip and Jason because we love them.”
The Robinson R44 helicopter crashed shortly after noon local time with two people on board, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The Mecklenburg County EMS Agency said the two were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said that no vehicles on the ground were involved in the crash, which still snarled traffic on the major highway.
“The pilot is a hero in my eyes,” tweeted Johnny Jennings, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. “Witnesses indicated that the pilot made diversionary moves away from the highway to save lives. Because of his heroic acts, there were no further injuries or vehicles on the highway involved in the incident.”
The chief also told reporters: “We’re looking at going into the holiday season where we’re supposed to be spending time with our loved ones. And tragically, there are two people involved in this crash that will not be going home and will not be spending the holidays with their family.”
Anchors Boll and Grantham spent at least 90 minutes providing live coverage before halting to confirm the deaths of Myers and Tayag, having made sure their families were notified.
“The words are hard to come by folks, we’ve been holding on to this for a while,” Boll said, his voice wavering before he cleared his throat.
Boll had seen Tayag at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning as the pilot sat in the helicopter, preparing to pick up Myers, the meteorologist.
“Those smiles you see right there on your screen, those are those two people,” Boll said from the anchor desk.
“Every single day in this newsroom, Chip would wave at you say hello, ask you how you’re doing. He’d wave from behind the pilot’s chair of the helicopter,” Boll said. “Jason Myers — I could go on and on. He would bound through this newsroom with incredible energy and smiles and just cared about everybody here.”
Myers was raised in North Carolina’s Union and Catawba counties and worked in the city of Raleigh, and in Texas and Virginia before returning to the Charlotte area where he grew up, WBTV said. He and his wife Jillian have four children.
Tayag had been a pilot for more than 20 years, the station said. He began working for WBTV in 2017 and celebrated his three-year wedding anniversary in August, according to his Instagram page.
Gov. Roy Cooper offered his condolences to the station and the North Carolina press corps at large.
“This is a terrible tragedy for the WBTV family and we are praying for them and all of those in the media who work so hard to keep the public informed,” Cooper wrote in a tweet.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead an investigation into the crash along with the FAA.
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Finley reported from Norfolk, Va. | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/ap-health/ap-tv-meteorologist-pilot-die-in-news-helicopter-crash/ | 2022-11-23 01:18:25 | 0 | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/ap-health/ap-tv-meteorologist-pilot-die-in-news-helicopter-crash/ |
How to Watch the Astros vs. Giants Game: Streaming & TV Channel Info for May 1
Published: May. 1, 2023 at 1:10 PM CDT|Updated: 55 minutes ago
Jeremy Pena and the Houston Astros will try to defeat Thairo Estrada and the San Francisco Giants at Minute Maid Park on Monday at 8:10 PM ET.
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Astros vs. Giants Live Stream, TV Channel and Game Info:
- Date: Monday, May 1, 2023
- Time: 8:10 PM ET
- TV Channel: Fox Sports 1
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Venue: Minute Maid Park
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
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Astros Batting & Pitching Performance
- The Astros rank 22nd in baseball with 26 total home runs.
- Houston is 23rd in baseball, slugging .375.
- The Astros have the 17th-ranked batting average in the majors (.244).
- Houston has the No. 16 offense in MLB play, scoring 4.6 runs per game (124 total runs).
- The Astros are 18th in MLB with an on-base percentage of .318.
- The Astros strike out 8.3 times per game to rank eighth in the majors.
- Houston's pitching staff is sixth in the majors with a collective 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
- Houston's 3.27 team ERA ranks second across all MLB pitching staffs.
- Pitchers for the Astros combine for the No. 8-ranked WHIP in the majors (1.206).
Astros Probable Starting Pitcher
- Luis Garcia (2-2) gets the starting nod for the Astros in his sixth start of the season. He's put together a 4.00 ERA in 27 2/3 innings pitched, with 31 strikeouts.
- The right-hander's last appearance was on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he threw six scoreless innings while allowing three hits.
- Garcia is aiming to record his third straight quality start in this game.
- Garcia is seeking his fourth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 5.4 innings per appearance on the mound.
Astros Schedule
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.kalb.com/sports/betting/2023/05/01/astros-vs-giants-mlb-live-stream-tv/ | 2023-05-01 19:05:51 | 0 | https://www.kalb.com/sports/betting/2023/05/01/astros-vs-giants-mlb-live-stream-tv/ |
PORTSMOUTH — Roger Taylor, 80, of Portsmouth passed away June 24, 2023. Arrangements are being handled by the D.W. SWICK FUNERAL HOME IN Wheelersburg.
PORTSMOUTH — Roger Taylor, 80, of Portsmouth passed away June 24, 2023. Arrangements are being handled by the D.W. SWICK FUNERAL HOME IN Wheelersburg. | https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/2023/06/26/taylor/ | 2023-06-27 09:34:27 | 1 | https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/2023/06/26/taylor/ |
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Electric vehicles took two of three categories for the first time in this year’s North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards.
Ford’s F-150 Lightning electric pickup won the truck category, while Kia’s EV6 battery-powered EV was named the top SUV. The Integra, a small sedan from Honda’s Acura performance brand, won car of the year.
Six of the nine finalists were powered by batteries, and analysts say the more of the awards are likely to go to electric vehicles in the future as the industry spends billions to roll out multiple new EV models.
Fifty automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada are judges for the three awards, which are announced every January. They’re chosen from dozens of candidates and must be new or substantially changed for the current model year. Automakers often use the awards in advertising.
The judges evaluate finalists on innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, user experience and value. The selection process started last summer.
In addition to the Integra, finalists for the car of the year included the Genesis G80 electric sedan, and the Nissan Z sports car.
The Lightning’s finalist competitors were the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 off-road pickup and the Lordstown Motors Endurance electric commercial pickup.
Utility vehicle finalists included the Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV and the Genesis GV60 electric SUV. | https://cbs4indy.com/business/ap-business/ap-electric-vehicles-win-truck-utility-of-the-year-awards/ | 2023-01-12 20:44:38 | 1 | https://cbs4indy.com/business/ap-business/ap-electric-vehicles-win-truck-utility-of-the-year-awards/ |
PoliticsStoltenberg: 'Finland now has the strongest friends and allies in the world'To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoPolitics42 minutes ago42 minutes agohttps://p.dw.com/p/4PgzWAdvertisement | https://www.dw.com/en/stoltenberg-finland-now-has-the-strongest-friends-and-allies-in-the-world/video-65228806 | 2023-04-04 15:40:25 | 0 | https://www.dw.com/en/stoltenberg-finland-now-has-the-strongest-friends-and-allies-in-the-world/video-65228806 |
After hot start to career, Lions rookie Kerby Joseph wants first interception
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions were never expecting to force rookie safety Kerby Joseph into action so soon, but after his performance against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, they're pretty encouraged by what they see.
Moments after nearly picking off the first pass of his career in the second quarter, Joseph made up for the dropped pick by laying the wood on CeeDee Lamb in the red zone to force a turnover before halftime. Though it’s still very early in Joseph’s career, the turnover potential he brings to the Lions’ secondary is undeniable — and has not gone unnoticed.
“He’s this close. He’s this close. Every game, he gets this much closer to getting (an interception). It’s one of the reasons we liked him; he’s a ball guy,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “He’s got instincts back there, he’s got range, and he’s this close. … We preached takeaways last week and he came up with a big one in the red zone, so he’s trending the right way.”
After going the first three weeks without landing any defensive snaps, Joseph has been asked to shoulder all of the load left behind by injured defensive captain Tracy Walker. He played 100% of defensive snaps against Seattle and Dallas and 95% of defensive snaps against New England in Week 5, a game in which he temporarily exited with an injury.
"I'm a baller, you feel me? I feel like I'm a playmaker and playmakers make plays. ... That's what I'm gonna do. Any way I can get it, any way how it happens, I'm gonna make plays," Joseph said. "You gonna see something you ain't never seen before from me, but I'm not surprised from it, you feel me? Because I know who I am."
The Lions knew Joseph, who was drafted in the third round out of Illinois this past spring, excelled at locating passes and breaking on them. He had five interceptions in his senior year at Illinois. So far, that’s shown through — per Pro Football Focus, he’s Detroit’s highest-rated (83.3) man in coverage by a long shot; he’s even surpassed the grade of Walker (75.4), the veteran he replaced.
Joseph attributed his early success to the number of people that "poured into" him when he arrived in Detroit, including Walker.
"Tracy's my dog. I feel like all the DBs have poured into me and helped me with my game ... so, I just wanna say thank you to those guys," Joseph said. "I look up to them for it, because I really appreciate that."
What the Lions didn’t know, however, was how much he loved to hit people — and how good he was at it. Joseph had a career-best five tackles in the game against Dallas to go along with a tackle-for-loss — the first of his career — and the forced fumble, also his first.
“The thing that he’s doing a really good job also is tackling. I mean, you saw the cost-fumble that he had,’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “He’s a more physical player than we saw in college. That’s what we need of our safeties, and he’s just starting to understand the game of football. It’s totally different than it is in college, so it took him some time, and it’s still going to take him some time to totally just grasp how the NFL operates, but I’m pleased, very pleased with that player.”
Joseph is confident that his first pick is coming soon. He's growing more comfortable with the speed of the game, and as he gets more time on task, is starting to pick up tendencies that allow him to put his ball-hawking skills to use. Joseph said that on the play where he almost intercepted the pass to Lamb, he "had a flashback" from a play call Seattle had a few weeks prior.
"The older guys told me, the more I play, the more you start to pick up on things like experience and stuff like that," Joseph said. "Like, I (saw) it, because when I saw that play, I had a flashback from Seattle and I was like, man, that looks the same. ... So, like, I understand where they're coming from, you feel me? Cause I'm actually witnessing it, and I'm actually going through it."
Glenn, a former defensive back himself, said just as much when talking about Joseph Thursday. He knows from experience that once Joseph gets his first, the floodgates will open.
“He hasn’t caught them, which he did a good job in college of doing that, and I’ll tell you what: It’s going to break through for that player at some point. And when he gets one, it’s going to be like a domino effect," Glenn said.
"And I can guarantee it’s going to be a couple of him getting behind that, so he just has to break through."
Twitter: @nolanbianchi
nbianchi@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2022/10/28/after-hot-start-to-career-lions-rookie-kerby-joseph-looking-for-first-interception/69596729007/ | 2022-10-28 15:54:09 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2022/10/28/after-hot-start-to-career-lions-rookie-kerby-joseph-looking-for-first-interception/69596729007/ |
KINGSTON, R.I. (AP) — Ishmael Leggett scored 19 points, including five in the overtime, as Rhode Island knocked off UMass-Lowell 77-75 on Tuesday night.
Brayon Freeman scored in the final second for Rhode Island to force overtime tied at 64. Leggett made a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining in overtime to cap the scoring. Ayinde Hikim missed a layup to end it.
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Leggett added seven rebounds for the Rams (4-7). Freeman scored 17 points while going 6 of 17 (4 for 5 from distance). Malik Martin shot 4 of 7 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line to finish with 12 points, while adding seven rebounds and four steals.
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly led the River Hawks (11-2) in scoring, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds. Max Brooks added 15 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and four blocks for UMass-Lowell. In addition, Everette Hammond finished with 11 points and five assists. The River Hawks ended a nine-game winning streak with the loss.
Josaphat Bilau put up five points in the first half for Rhode Island, who trailed 26-22 at halftime. Rhode Island outscored UMass-Lowell by four points in the second half and the teams finished regulation tied 64-64. Leggett scored his five overtime points while finishing 1 of 2 from the floor.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Leggett-and-Rhode-Island-earn-77-75-OT-win-over-17652571.php | 2022-12-14 03:36:24 | 0 | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Leggett-and-Rhode-Island-earn-77-75-OT-win-over-17652571.php |
WASHINGTON, May 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new poll released today by the National Parents Union (NPU), parents are in wide agreement that the state of America's education system is in despair.
- When asked, after learning about student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the nation's report card), to describe how they feel about students still being behind academically after learning, 81% of parents labeled that a major problem, including 34% who say it's a crisis.
- Parents had a similar sentiment on mental health challenges among children with 76% of those surveyed agreeing it is a major problem, and again, 34% saying it's a crisis.
NPU also surveyed parents on the issue of student assessment and found that 69% support continuing to use statewide tests to understand how well students are learning compared to previous years, the strongest level of support since NPU began asking this question in its polls. Just 26% of parents want to pause statewide testing.
"The more parents learn about the state of America's education system, the more concerned they become and for good reason… the kids are not alright," said Keri Rodrigues, President of the National Parents Union. "Parents are sending a message loud and clear: We want more information, we want better, more accurate information, and we want a reimagined experience for our children that puts them on the path to economic mobility instead of teetering on the edge of educational disaster."
Parents Provide Solutions
- 64% say schools should do more to ensure college-bound students and students who choose a different pathway have equally good opportunities to prepare for their future while in high school
- 62% say schools should do more to ensure all students with learning disabilities receive the support they need to get a high-quality education
- 57% say schools should do more to have school schedules and calendars reflect research on how and when kids learn best
- 56% say schools should do more to provide opportunities for additional learning time, such as after school or summer academic programs
- 53% say schools should do more to ensure all students have access to technology that supports their learning (e.g., laptops or other educational technology)
Meanwhile American Families are Bracing for Recession
Only 41% of parents surveyed say they have money left over to save, invest, or afford non-essential things. Despite the struggles that tens of millions of American families are going through, Congress failed to address the issue by not reinstating the child tax credit, which remains popular across party lines. The Child Tax Credit would give eligible families monthly checks of $300 per month per child under the age of 6 and $250 per child ages 6-17.
- 81% of parents overall support reinstating the child tax credit, including 71% of Republicans
- 86% of parents say the child tax credit would help their family's financial situation, including 81% of Republicans
Ariel Smith, Senior Director of the NPU Center for Policy and Action, added, "If Members of Congress that blocked the Child Tax Credit from being reinstated want to know why their approval rating is a pathetic 16%, they should look no further than how they treat American families. The tax credit is a solution that is strongly supported by both parties and is proven to help keep families out of poverty. Inaction on such a measure is nothing less than punitive."
National Parents Union Survey
N=1,036 parents of public school students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade
Sample from online web panels
Field Dates: May 1–3, 2023
Margin of sampling error: ± 3.9 percentage points
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARENTS UNION
With more than 1,000 affiliated parent organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, the National Parents Union is the united, independent voice of modern American families. We channel the power of parents into powerful policies that improve the lives of children, families and communities across the United States. https://nationalparentsunion.org/
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SOURCE National Parents Union | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2023/05/11/new-poll-shows-nations-education-system-american-families-are-crisis/ | 2023-05-11 19:36:10 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2023/05/11/new-poll-shows-nations-education-system-american-families-are-crisis/ |
SUPERIOR, Ariz. — (AP) — Growing up in a mining family that that goes back generations, Mayor Mila Besich knew Oak Flat as the place where she attended union picnics as a girl and stood in a clearing to hear the World Series on her radio.
Now, Besich is overseeing Superior’s fight to build a new copper project at Oak Flat amid worries about the town’s economic future.
Today, the national forest land in the heart of Arizona’s “Copper Corridor” is scattered with 20 rustic campsites amid ancient oaks and a hand-painted sign that reads: “Protect Oak Flat, Holy Land.” Buried deep underground is the world’s third-largest deposit of copper ore, big enough to yield 40 billion pounds (18 billion kilograms) of the metal over 60 years.
Competing interests have ignited a tug of war between the town of about 3,000 people who want a huge copper mine built there for its economic benefits, and Native American groups that consider the land sacred and are fighting to protect it from disturbance.
“Our town is going to be the most affected,” said the mayor. “What about our culture?”
Resolution Copper Mining, a joint subsidiary of UK and Australian mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP, hopes to build one of the world's largest underground copper mines at the site outside Superior, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) east of Phoenix. Managing partner Rio Tinto says the mine could satisfy a quarter of growing U.S. demand for copper used in electric vehicles and smartphones.
Resolution began the permitting process nearly a decade ago, but the project has been delayed amid legal and political wrangling between U.S. agencies and the nonprofit Apache Stronghold, which challenges a planned land swap that would make the project possible. The full U.S. 9th District Court of Appeals is considering Apache Stronghold's request to permanently halt the project, but the only thing stopping it now is the lack of a new environmental impact statement.
Two other lawsuits challenging the initial environmental review, one filed by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the other by environmental groups, have gone nowhere since the U.S. government pulled the impact statement for more consultations.
Oak Flat is on Tonto National Forest property to be conveyed to Resolution under a land exchange Congress approved in a 2014 rider to a must-pass defense bill.
The congressional vote sparked outrage among some Apaches over the site that features ancient Emory oaks and their acorns and other plants they consider important to their culture and religion. Called Chi’chil Bildagoteel, the site is about an hour’s drive from the San Carlos Apache Reservation and has been used for girls’ coming-of-age celebrations.
Rio Tinto has said it would keep the campground open during the mine’s first decades of operation. But Oak Flat could eventually collapse into a 1.8-mile (2.8-kilometer) crater when massive amounts of rock are removed from below.
Wendsler Nosie, a former San Carlos Apache tribal chairman and longtime activist, is the face of the Save Oak Flat campaign. He earlier fought unsuccessfully to stop a major telescope project on a site in southeastern Arizona that Apaches consider sacred: Mount Graham, or Dzil Nchaa Sí’an.
Nosie said he believes many townspeople quietly back his fight, but “they cannot openly show their support for me.”
When he was recently confronted in an area restaurant by a mining company employee who accused him of endangering jobs, development and good schools, “I stood up and talked about how I’m fighting for land, the water, the earth, religion and our children,” he said, prompting a group of diners to applaud and pay for his dinner.
While the San Carlos Apache leadership opposes the mine, some tribe members support it for the jobs it could generate amid high unemployment on the reservation.
“Oak Flat is not sacred,” said Karen Kitcheyan-Jones, 64, a member who lives on the reservation. “There are many places on the reservation where we can gather acorns and have ceremonies.”
Brenda Astor, Resolution’s principal adviser for Native affairs and a San Carlos Apache member, noted that dozens of other enrolled members also work for the mining company.
Amid strong opposition to the project by some tribes and others, the Forest Service withdrew Resolution’s original environmental impact statement for Oak Flat two years ago for additional consultations. No time frame has been announced. But once a new review is published, the formal transfer process can begin unless a federal court halts it.
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona reintroduced legislation in March seeking to stop the land transfer, but it has not gained traction in Congress.
Rio Tinto says the mine woul help create 3,700 jobs over the course of the project and boost state and local tax revenues by $88 million to $113 million a year.
That’s a lot for a town still clawing back economically after the Magma copper mine first shut down in 1982, later opened for a few years, then closed for good in 1996. The closure devastated a community so small that it has no stoplight and can be traversed by car in just over three minutes.
Superior was originally established in 1882 as the town of Hastings when the big mine was the Silver King, producing silver. The former mining towns of Globe and Miami are nearby, burrowed into mountains studded with saguaro cactus.
Today, Superior still embraces its labor roots, a Democratic island in predominantly Republican Pinal County, said Besich, herself a Democrat.
More than a quarter of the town’s residents live below the poverty line. Nearly 70% of the population is Hispanic, largely descendants of mining families who immigrated from Mexico or already worked in the area when it was still part of Mexico until the mid-1800s.
“We didn’t cross the border, it crossed us,” said Manny Guzman, whose family in the area goes back seven generations. His ancestor Manuelita Guzman (1844–1916) is buried in the Historic Pinal Cemetery, also the resting place of Wyatt Earp’s common-law wife, Mattie Earp.
Guzman, president of the nonprofit economic development corporation Rebuild Superior, said he remains hopeful the mine will prevail, but finds the delays frustrating after spending innumerable hours debating the environmental review.
“There have been so many studies, so many roundtables,” he said.
The talks have secured important gains for Superior, like ensuring protection of the town’s water supply and guaranteeing a minimum of $120 million in revenue to pay for police and fire services over the course of the project if it goes forward.
“We have seen some pretty dramatic changes to the plan,” said Vicky Peacey, Resolution’s president and general manager. “It’s important that a lot of voices are heard.”
Rio Tinto also agreed to permanently protect Apache Leap, the town’s backdrop where local legend says some 75 Apaches leapt 400 feet (122 meters) to their death in the early 1870s rather than surrender to the U.S. cavalry.
Town manager Todd Pryor said Resolution provided $2.25 million to help buy the old brick Superior High School that's being renovated to house the town hall, a library and activities for seniors, and threw in another $1.29 million for an enterprise center to develop future entrepreneurs and teach people trades like welding.
Officials in a town used to boom and bust cycles say they know they need to diversify their economy and can’t count only on Resolution and its mine for their future.
They are developing local tourism, every March hosting a popular Apache Leap Mining Festival that includes a parade, chihuahua races and a mining competition with hand-sawing and jackleg drilling contests. Hundreds visit the town each August for the Prickly Pear Festival, with cactus fruit ice cream and margaritas.
But in a state the produces 70% of the nation’s copper, and in a town where nearly everyone’s parents and grandparents worked for the mines, the biggest bets for the future are on the extraction of ore.
“It’s in our DNA,” said Rick Cartier, the chamber of commerce president.
——
AP writer Deepa Bharath reported from Oak Flat, Arizona.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.wftv.com/news/national/historic-arizona/Z4BWWFM5DCKPFZTXILIGFIROVA/ | 2023-06-29 13:33:14 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/national/historic-arizona/Z4BWWFM5DCKPFZTXILIGFIROVA/ |
Protests continue in Iran after the death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of the country's so-called morality police. Mahsa Amini, also known to family by her Kurdish name, Jina, was detained for apparently violating the police's standards for modesty. Reports vary on whether they objected to how she wore her hijab or the style of her pants.
In either case, the morality police have been known for their seemingly arbitrary standards and punishment of women for decades. Iranian American scholar Pardis Mahdavi says the current protests are built on the resistance of the previous generations.
Mahdavi's 2008 book, Passionate Uprisings, chronicles a recent sexual revolution among Iranian youth, in defiance of the country's conservative regime. Fifteen years ago the morality police — a branch of the Islamic regime's police charged with upholding conservative dress code and behavioral norms — barged in while she was giving a lecture in Tehran.
"I began my lecture on Iran's sexual revolution, and 13 minutes into my lecture the auditorium doors banged open, and roughly a dozen members of the morality police came clanking in," she says. "I should have been shredding my lecture notes — that's what I should have been doing, but I was just gripping the podium in sort of this state of suspended animation."
Mahdavi was dragged out of the classroom and spent 33 days under house arrest, during which she was asked repeatedly about her research and her intentions. Eventually, the police blindfolded her and drove her to the airport, where she was sent back to the U.S.
"I was told that I was stripped of my Iranian citizenship and that if I ever came back to Iran, that would be a one-way ticket to Evin [a prison in Tehran] and that I should just be grateful that they were sending me back to the Great Satan, which is the United States," Mahdavi says.
Now provost of the University of Montana, Mahdavi wonders if the current wave of protests might result in lasting change in Iran.
"I think many of us are wondering if what we're seeing today in Iran might actually overthrow the regime, which would mean we would get to go home," she says. "This is a new generation that has been born into and come of age under a moment of resistance, and they are showing incredible courage by speaking out despite the high stakes."
Interview highlights
On the impact of the government's violent crackdown on protesters
The protests are actually growing despite the violent crackdowns. ... The protests not only show no sign of decreasing, but what we're seeing actually are increased generations out there protesting. Some of the images that we were seeing yesterday are of young schoolgirls, even, resisting, protesting, adding their voice to the protests. And to me, it's interesting to see this generation, this is the generation born after the 2000s who were born into resistance, these are young people who are building on the decades' worth of work that ... feminists, women and men, have been doing since the revolution.
For the past 44 years, you've seen resistance brewing. But this is a generation that was born into an atmosphere where the resistance was really taking root, and so as long as they have been alive they have seen people speaking out against the regime, which I think has emboldened them to protest in the way that they're doing today.
On the Islamist regime rejecting the West and installing a morality police
The Islamist regime that came to power under Ayatollah Khomeini [in 1979], this regime ran on a platform and really took power by promising to bring about moral order for Iran. They accused Iran under the shah, under the monarchy, of becoming overly infatuated with the West, and this is what we call the "westoxication." They accused the shah of having lavish and ornate tastes and of leading the Iranian people into an immoral westoxication, where women were seen on the streets of Tehran and Iran wearing miniskirts. People were drinking alcohol, violating Islamic tenets. So you have an Islamist regime that came to power under a fabric of morality, promising to bring back ... an old Iran and "Iranianness" that harkens back to a time of pre-westoxication, pre-fascination and overindulgence and an overt deference to the West.
They believe that they are upholding God's will, and so one of the things that the Islamist regime did when they came to power is that they created a few different arms of the police. ... They ... created a group called the "morality police" or "guidance patrol," and this body was charged with upholding right and forbidding wrong. And now today, we're seeing a lot more discussions outside of Iran about the morality police. But it's important to contextualize that this group, this body, was created by the Ayatollah Khomeini when the Islamist regime came to power in 1979.
On how the morality police work
They're charged with upholding right and forbidding wrong. Now, how that is interpreted, that leaves a lot of room for interpretation, so morality police, they walk the streets looking for any signs of what they would deem immorality. So in the case of Mahsa Amini, it is wearing a headscarf or hijab [in a way] that is improper. So the Islamist regime mandates that the proper wearing of a headscarf for a woman is where all of the hair is covered and only the oval part of the face is showing, no strands of hair. ...
Now, if women were seen with a headscarf that was loose or pushed back with strands of hair coming forward, that was seen as immoral behavior and thus they could be subject to arrest. Other signs of immorality might be red shellacked nails, makeup. Again, these are for women.
For men, these would include eye-catching hairstyles, such as faux hawks, accessories, large jewelry and accessories, blinged-out watches, etc. And then they're also policing the streets for immoral behavior, such as young men and women holding hands, maybe making out in the park. All of these behaviors could be subject to arrest from the morality police.
Morality police are also known to raid private parties, to raid homes. And in that instance, they round up everybody who's there drinking, dancing, smoking, engaging in heterosexual behaviors that they deem immoral. So in the case of a party raid, they would arrest everybody, men and women. In terms of on the street, I would say, roughly for every three women who are taken in, it would be one man. And that's really since 2000.
On the day-to-day stress caused by living with the morality police
I would have nightmares that I was out in the street without a headscarf or that my headscarf had blown away. And then I was going to get either taken in by the morality police or I would get chastised by people who saw themselves as an extension of that.
It's not so surprising then that people would rebel against that. That weight is so heavy. If you're living under that constant stress day in and day out, it makes sense that you would start to push back, that you would start to rebel, especially if you felt that the government did not have your interest at heart. ... For me, one of the most salient things I would hear from young people is a frustration that here was a regime that focused more on what they were wearing — Was the headscarf slipping? Did they have makeup on? — ... than they did on solving the country's unemployment crisis or infrastructure issues like traffic.
On the Iranian sexual revolution in the 1990s and early 2000s
I initially went to study feminism in Iran. I went to study the different forms of feminism happening, taking place, and Iranian women's movements. And then I became introduced to what young people called the sexual revolution and this entailed resisting the regime by resisting that fabric of morality. So in public it meant headscarves slipping back and, you know, eye-catching outerwear.
And in private, it meant these very elaborate parties. ... What I observed were parties among all different socioeconomic classes. So I observed very lavish parties that included different forms of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. ... I also would go to raves or parties that were just outside of Tehran. They were in the mountains. They were in the forests. I would attend parties at warehouses where, again, sex, drugs, music, alcohol was flowing. And this was a way for young people born into the frustration of a regime that they did not see as aligned with their interests, this is a part of how they negotiated their identity, was this pent-up frustration, and so the parties were a way to kind of let that out and to kind of resist that there's no fun to be had in the Islamic Republic. ... This was a way to pour out their frustration.
But the parties were also used as spaces for organizing. ... One of the things that stays with me to this day is also the fact that at every one of these parties you would have people sitting in circles discussing the political situation, the political system, the sociopolitical system, and how they might organize, how they might come together to push back against the regime. So, yes, they were drinking, dancing, partying, but they're also resisting and organizing.
Amy Salit and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Larry Kaplow adapted it for the web.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2022-10-06/why-a-scholar-banished-from-iran-15-years-ago-is-hopeful-about-the-current-protests | 2022-10-06 18:15:17 | 1 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2022-10-06/why-a-scholar-banished-from-iran-15-years-ago-is-hopeful-about-the-current-protests |
(TSX-V: ASTR, OTCQB: ATEPF)
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Astra Exploration Inc. (TSXV: ASTR) (OTCQB: ATEPF) ("Astra" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed 3,976 metres of RC drilling in 15 holes at its Pampa Paciencia Project located in Northern Chile.
Highlights
- 100% of holes intersected quartz veins, stockworks or veinlets close to target depths
- 11 holes were drilled to expand mineralization beneath the Phase I program
- 4 holes into blind geophysical targets including the newly discovered Tormenta Vein
- Tormenta Vein is a splay off the main Paciencia Vein with two holes returning 6 and 28 metre-wide downhole intervals (5 and 10 metres estimated true widths, respectively)
Brian Miller, CEO of Astra commented:
"The Phase II drilling program has delivered a significant increase in vein strike from 1.4 to 2.1 kilometres with the discovery of new veins including the Tormenta Vein. The continuity of veins in the Paciencia Vein System was confirmed at depths of 100 metres below previous drilling, where Company geologists believe some of the best drill targets exist, and further confirms our view that we are only just starting to define the mineralized footprint of the Paciencia Vein Field. Further, Astra's team has completed another campaign of drilling on time and budget with an estimated all-in drill cost of approximately CAD$200 per metre."
Drilling Details
The Phase II program consisted of 3,976 metres of RC drilling in 15 holes, all in the North Zone target area (Figure 1).
The primary focus was to test the Paciencia Vein System at depth in the two defined high-grade zones defined earlier this year in the Phase I drill program (Figure 2). Eleven holes were drilled into known veins, with 4 holes directed to Paciencia Oeste vein segment, 3 to Paciencia and 4 to Paciencia Este segment.
Drill results from the Phase II program confirm the continuity of the quartz veins at depth in the Paciencia Vein System, which is a low-sulphidation epithermal (LSE) vein structure averaging 10-15 metres thickness over a strike length of approximately 1.4 kilometres. Some deeper holes in the Paciencia and Paciencia Este vein segments are showing a change in the dip and thickness of the vein.
Secondary targets consisted of other vein structures discovered during the Phase I drill program. These include blind magnetic low anomalies and newly interpreted vein structures from other geophysical targets, in particular WNW, E-W to ENE-striking magnetic lineaments related with low magnetic regional anomalies (Figure 1). All holes intersected quartz veins, stockworks or veinlets at depth in agreement with the magnetic low anomalies. A new WNW-ESE vein (Tormenta vein) was intersected in hole PPRC22-46 with a 28 metre-thick downhole interval (10 metres estimated true width) and is interpreted to extend west to a six metre-thick downhole interval (5 metres estimated true width) at hole PPRC22-55. Hole PPRC22-54 intersected quartz veinlets and is interpreted to extend west to hole PPRC-22-38 (discovered in Phase I) in a new ENE-WSW vein structure.
About Pampa Paciencia
Pampa Paciencia is a 3,840 hectare road-access LSE gold-silver project located within an active mining district less than 15 kilometres from two major mines (Sierra Gorda and Spence) and five kilometres from the Faride LSE mine (Figure 3).
Astra has completed property wide mapping and sampling, geophysical surveys, and localized trenching, and in doing so has defined a vein boulder field over approximately 75% of the project area. The veins do not outcrop as the majority of the project area is covered by a thin layer of gravels and caliche but the vein float can be used to identify areas of high prospectivity.
About the Company
Astra Exploration Inc. is an exploration company based out of Vancouver, BC. Astra is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of epithermal gold-silver properties in Chile and is building a portfolio of high-quality projects. Astra's current focus is the development of the Pampa Paciencia Project.
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby and/or geologically similar properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties.
This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to the Company's business activities; exploration on the Company's properties; and marketing initiatives. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation: development of the industry in which the Company operates; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's business activities; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; laws and regulations governing the industry in which the Company operates; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and other risk factors disclosed in the Company's public disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
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SOURCE Astra Exploration Limited | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/08/23/astra-exploration-completes-phase-ii-drilling-extends-pacienca-vein-21km-with-assays-expected-september/ | 2022-08-23 22:00:02 | 0 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/08/23/astra-exploration-completes-phase-ii-drilling-extends-pacienca-vein-21km-with-assays-expected-september/ |
Country Jam Colorado on Thursday announced its lineup for next year’s festival, with Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and Cody Johnson headlining the festival.
The 31st Country Jam will be held June 22-24 on the Country Jam Ranch in Mack. The three-day live music and camping event that serves as Colorado’s largest annual country music festival will once again be emceed by Caleb Lee Hutchinson, a country music singer who finished as a runner-up on “American Idol” during its 16th season in 2018.
Beyond Shelton, Aldean and Johnson serving as the festival’s headliners, the 2023 festival’s main stage will also feature acts such as Dustin Lynch, Lainey Wilson, Whiskey Myers, Morgan Wade, Ian Munsick, Runaway June, Eddie Montgomery, Randall King, Tracy Byrd and Shane Profitt.
Shelton and Aldean have more than 50 combined No. 1 country songs in their careers.
Shelton gained notoriety for his role as a judge on the popular TV show “The Voice,” which he recently announced that he was departing.
Lynch is fairly new to country music stardom and has eight No. 1 songs. He also performed at Las Colonias Amphitheater last month.
Once again this year’s Country Jam lineup reflects some of the biggest names in the industry.
Last year’s lineup was headlined by Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith and Luke Combs.
Underwood and Keith were supposed to perform at the festival in 2020, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What festival organizers decided for the 2021 event was make it a three-night event instead of four nights, which as the way the festival was organized before COVID. The 2023 sticks to the three-night format —Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Country Jam Colorado 2023 tickets will go on sale to the public at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 21 at countryjam.com.
More information will be released at a later date about the lineup on the Next from Nashville Stage, the other stage where acts perform at Country Jam each year. | https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/blake-shelton-jason-aldean-and-cody-johnson-headlining-2023-country-jam-festival/article_2bfd732e-4b32-11ed-9997-ebff79b3b640.html | 2022-10-14 10:09:17 | 0 | https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/blake-shelton-jason-aldean-and-cody-johnson-headlining-2023-country-jam-festival/article_2bfd732e-4b32-11ed-9997-ebff79b3b640.html |
Musk ordered to abide by SEC settlement over 2018 tweets
DETROIT (AP) — A federal judge has rejected Elon Musk’s bid to throw out a securities fraud settlement over tweets claiming that Musk had the funding to take Tesla private in 2018.
Judge Lewis Liman on Wednesday also denied a motion to nullify a subpoena of Musk seeking information about possible violations of his settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Musk had asked the Manhattan federal court to scrap the settlement, which required that his tweets be approved by a Tesla attorney before being published. The SEC is investigating whether the Tesla CEO violated the settlement with tweets last November asking Twitter followers if he should sell 10% of his Tesla stock. Limon’s ruling said that Musk made the tweets without getting pre-approval.
The whole dispute stems from an October 2018 agreement with the SEC that Musk signed. He and Tesla each agreed to pay $20 million in civil fines over Musk’s tweets about having the “funding secured” to take Tesla private at $420 per share.
The funding was far from locked up, and the electric vehicle company remains public, but Tesla’s stock price jumped. The settlement specified governance changes, including Musk’s ouster as board chairman, as well as pre-approval of his tweets.
Limon’s ruling clears the way for the SEC to seek a court order enforcing the subpoena, and for an investigation into another possible violation of the settlement by Musk.
Musk attorney Alex Spiro contended the SEC is using the settlement and “near limitless resources” to chill Musk’s speech. He wrote in court documents that Musk signed the settlement when Tesla was a less mature company and SEC action jeopardized the company’s financing at a critical time.
He also alleged that the subpoena from the SEC is illegal, and that the agency can’t take action about Musk’s tweets without court authorization.
But in a 22-page ruling, Liman wrote that Musk’s claim that economic duress caused him to sign the settlement is “wholly unpersuasive.”
Even if Musk was worried that litigation with the SEC would ruin Tesla financially, “that does not establish a basis for him to get out of the judgment he voluntarily signed,” Liman wrote.
The judge also said the argument that the SEC had used the settlement order to harass Musk and launch investigations was “meritless.”
“Musk could hardly have thought that at the time he entered the decree (settlement) he would have been immune from non-public SEC investigations,” Liman wrote. “It is unsurprising that when Musk tweeted that he was thinking about selling 10% of his interest in Tesla ... that the SEC would have some questions.”
Now the SEC could ask Liman to enforce the subpoena, which Liman wrote is the proper legal forum for Musk to challenge it. In the settlement, Musk also agreed not to deny the SEC’s allegations in the 2018 securities fraud complaint. The SEC also could investigate Musk’s recent denials.
Musk has contended in a recent interview that he did indeed have the funding lined up in 2018. But a judge in a separate case ruled that his tweets about that were false.
An SEC spokesman didn’t respond to a message asking whether it would try to enforce the subpoena. A message was left Wednesday seeking comment from Spiro about whether Musk will appeal Liman’s order.
Liman wrote in his ruling that the “funding secured” tweet allegedly was false. “Musk had not discussed specific deal terms with any potential financing partners, and he knew the potential transaction was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies,” Liman wrote.
He also agreed with the SEC that Congress gave it broad powers to investigate if someone has violated federal securities laws. “Musk may wish it were otherwise, but he remains subject to the same enforcement authority - and has the same means to challenge the exercise of that authority - as any other citizen,” Liman wrote.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.ktre.com/2022/04/27/elon-musk-quest-scrap-deal-over-2018-tweets-is-rejected/ | 2022-04-27 19:19:10 | 1 | https://www.ktre.com/2022/04/27/elon-musk-quest-scrap-deal-over-2018-tweets-is-rejected/ |
RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the tenth consecutive year, North Carolina-headquartered First Citizens Bank continues to be recognized by Coalition Greenwich with several national and regional awards for small business and middle market banking.
First Citizens ranked fourth in overall recognition out of the more than 500 banks surveyed and garnered 20 awards—11 in the Small Business Banking category (nine national and two regional), and nine in the Middle Market Banking category (five national and four regional).
"The depth and breadth of services and capabilities our combined organization can provide customers has never been greater," said Patrick Noble, business services executive for First Citizens Bank. "The fact that our recognition from Coalition Greenwich remained consistent to pre-pandemic levels speaks to the quality of service that we have consistently provided to business owners year over year. These awards are a testament to our focus on sound business practices, lifelong relationships and uncompromising integrity, all of which ultimately help our customers succeed."
First Citizens was recognized for its ability to combine high quality day-to-day service, innovative digital banking tools and insights that help optimize business performance. It also received awards for overall client satisfaction and highly engaged and talented relationship managers.
"First Citizens has the expertise, services and financial strength to take businesses to the next level," said Brendan Chambers, middle market banking executive for First Citizens Bank. "Once again, our clients have given us high marks for making it easy to do business with them and providing high-quality, tailored services that satisfy their business needs."
The complete list of awards received by First Citizens follows:
11 Small Business Banking Awards (Nine National / Two Regional)
2022 National Small Business Banking Awards:
- Best Brand - Ease of Doing Business
- Best Brand - Trust
- Best Brand - Values Long-Term Relationships
- Cash Management - Customer Service
- Cash Management - Ease of Product Implementation
- Cash Management - Overall Satisfaction
- Industry Understanding
- Likelihood to Recommend
- Overall Satisfaction with RM (Relationship Manager)
2022 Regional Small Business Banking Awards (of four regions in the U.S.):
- Likelihood to Recommend - South region
- Cash Management - Overall Satisfaction - South region
Nine Middle Market Banking Awards (Five National / Four Regional)
2022 National Middle Market Banking Awards:
- Best Brand – Ease of Doing Business
- Best Brand – Values Long-Term Relationships
- Cash Management – Overall Satisfaction
- Likelihood to Recommend
- Overall Satisfaction
2022 Regional Middle Market Banking Awards (of four regions in the U.S.):
- Likelihood to Recommend - South region
- Cash Management - Overall Satisfaction - South region
- Overall Satisfaction - South region
- Relationship Manager Proactively Provides Advice - South region
About the Greenwich Excellence Awards
Coalition Greenwich is the leading global provider of data, analytics and insights to the financial services industry. For 2022 honors, Coalition Greenwich evaluated the small business banking and middle market platforms of more than 500 banks. Of these, only 21 have the distinctive quality required to win a Greenwich Excellence Award for small business; 23 for middle market. Awards in the small business category are based on interviews with businesses with sales of $1-10 million across the country. Awards in the middle market category are based on interviews with businesses with sales of $10–500 million across the country.
About First Citizens Bank
First Citizens Bank helps personal, business, commercial and wealth clients build financial strength that lasts. Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., First Citizens is the largest family-controlled bank in the United States, providing a unique legacy of strength, stability and long-term thinking that has spanned generations. We offer an array of general banking services including a network of 500-plus branches in 22 states; commercial banking expertise delivering best-in-class lending, leasing and other financial services coast to coast; and a nationwide direct bank. Parent company First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCNCA) is a top 20 U.S. financial institution with more than $100 billion in assets. First Citizens Bank, Member FDIC. Discover more at firstcitizens.com.
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NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until November 1, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Kohl's Corporation (NYSE: KSS), if they purchased the Company's securities between October 20, 2020 and May 19, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Get Help
Kohl's investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-kss-1/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.
About the Lawsuit
Kohl's and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.
On May 19, 2022, the Company disclosed disappointing 1Q2022 fiscal results including net sales growth and earnings per share below analyst expectations, as well as a cut to its full year earnings forecast, due to "macro headwinds related to lapping last year's stimulus and an inflationary consumer environment." Then, on May 20, 2022, Macellum Advisors GP, LLC, "a long-term holder of nearly 5% of the outstanding common shares of Kohl's," issued a statement addressing "[t]his quarter's extremely disappointing results," which it attributed to a "flawed strategic plan and an inability to execute," and that "the current Board appears to have withheld material information from shareholders about the state of Kohl's in the lead-up to this year's pivotal annual meeting," which "suggests to us a clear breach of fiduciary duty."
On this news, shares of Kohl's declined $5.84 per share, or 12.97%, to close at $39.20 per share on May 20, 2022.
The case is Shanaphy v. Kohl's Corporation, et al., No. 22-cv-01016.
About ClaimsFiler
ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.
To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
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SOURCE ClaimsFiler | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/22/kohls-shareholder-alert-claimsfiler-reminds-investors-with-losses-excess-100000-lead-plaintiff-deadline-class-action-lawsuit-against-kohls-corporation-kss/ | 2022-10-22 03:15:04 | 0 | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/22/kohls-shareholder-alert-claimsfiler-reminds-investors-with-losses-excess-100000-lead-plaintiff-deadline-class-action-lawsuit-against-kohls-corporation-kss/ |
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (AP) — New York's recreational marijuana market is beginning to sprout, literally, with thin-leafed plants stretching toward the sun in farms around the state.
In a novel move, New York gave 203 hemp growers first shot at cultivating marijuana destined for legal sales, which could start by the end of the year. Big indoor growers are expected to join later.
But for now, the field is clear for growers like Frank Popolizio of Homestead Farms and Ranch, where a small crew north of Albany earlier this month dug out shallow holes for seedlings before packing them in by hand.
“It is an opportunity, there’s obviously going to be a demand for it,” Popolizio said during a break in planting. “And hopefully it benefits the farmers. Been a long time since there’s been a real cash crop.”
Popolizio is tending to a half-acre plot that will grow upward of a 1,000 plants surrounded by a tall electrified fence. He and other “conditional cultivator” license holders can grow up to an acre of marijuana outdoors. They can grow all or some of their crop in greenhouses, though in smaller areas, and use limited lighting.
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The license is good for two years, and holders will be able to distribute cannabis flower products to retail dispensaries.
The head start for hemp growers is an unusual way to gear up a marijuana market. Heather Trela, a marijuana policy expert at the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, said states typically rely initially on their existing medical growers. New Jersey, for instance, launched sales this year with cannabis grown indoors and sold by companies involved in the medical marijuana market.
But New York’s move is a potential lifeline for farmers growing their crop for CDB during a slump in prices. They have a chance to make much more money growing what is essentially the same plant, but with higher levels of THC — the compound that makes people feel high. Popolizio sees it as his “next logical step.”
A lifelong athlete, Popolizio seems like an unlikely cannabis farmer. He has never puffed a joint or chewed an edible. But the amateur wrestling coach and promoter added cannabis to the mix at Homestead along with beef, turkeys and chickens. And he’s begun to appreciate the potential benefits of cannabis for adults.
“I’m open minded and I’ve come to understand that there is value,” he said.
The inclusion of smaller farmers also helps the state meet its mandate to create an economically and demographically diverse marijuana industry. Similarly, the first licenses to sell recreational marijuana in New York will go to those with marijuana-related convictions or their relatives.
“There’s a market that we’re building for small players, for big players, for medium-sized players, for family businesses, for big corporations as well,” said Chris Alexander, executive director of state’s Office of Cannabis Management.
The first-wave growers this year are projected to produce a couple of hundred thousand pounds of product. That would be a fraction of the projected demand in New York, which could eventually be well over a million pounds annually. But state regulators say their launch plan is to balance supply and demand, expanding cultivation as more dispensaries open.
“We do think it will be sufficient to provide that initial supply to our our dispensary locations that we get up and running,” Alexander said.
Statewide, the large majority of cannabis grown outdoors and in greenhouses is expected to be processed for products like edibles and vapes, with the rest to be sold as smokable flower, said Allan Gandelman, president of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association.
Cannabis grown outdoors can often have lower THC than plants grown indoors under lights. That makes it less desirable to some consumers, though others appreciate its nuanced characteristics, comparing it to garden-grown tomatoes or a complex glass of wine.
“It’s called sun-grown marijuana,” said grower Moke Mokotoff of Claverack Creek Farm in the Hudson Valley. “And a lot of aficionados just like the way it smokes better.”
Growing weed under the sun with sustainable practices also requires far less energy than electricity-hungry indoor grows. Bridge West Consulting chief executive officer Ari Hoffnung said that could translate into lower prices.
Aside from pests and bad weather, a big challenge to growing weed outdoors is the threat of thievery. Homestead’s half acre is not only surrounded by an electrified fence, but he has motion detectors and other security features.
About an hour south, Mokotoff is taking similar security precautions and plans to step them up just before harvest, when plants' THC content will be at its highest.
“We plan to have people sleeping in the field,” Mokotoff said.
The turbo boost in production is expected to come from indoor growers, in particular the companies that already produce medical marijuana. With regulations still pending, Alexander expects more licenses to be offered early next year.
Major industry players are already poised to take advantage of an expanded market.
Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries is building a growing and manufacturing facility that will cover more than 4.5 acres (18,210 square meters) at the site of a former prison north of New York City. The Warwick facility is expected to be operating next year, producing a wide array of Green Thumb products.
The company sells its brands in 15 states and owns a company providing medical cannabis in New York.
“New Yorkers have been watching the industry flourish from the sidelines,” CEO Ben Kovler said, “and have high expectations for the forthcoming adult-use market.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://wcfcourier.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/new-yorks-1st-legal-marijuana-crop-sprouts-under-the-sun/article_dbfa0cf0-84be-5a39-a2b5-399499140ad1.html | 2022-06-29 08:29:36 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/new-yorks-1st-legal-marijuana-crop-sprouts-under-the-sun/article_dbfa0cf0-84be-5a39-a2b5-399499140ad1.html |
SC state legislation could restrict drag performances
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - After Tennessee’s governor signed a bill into law restricting drag shows from taking place in public and in front of kids, some South Carolina legislators want to impose more restrictions on drag shows in the state.
State Senate Bill 585 was introduced last week, which would prohibit “adult cabaret performances” on public property and in places where the performances could be viewed by minors. The bill defines an adult cabaret performance “...as a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features entertainment of an exotic nature featuring topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, or male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers.”
If violated, fines and jail time could be on the table.
State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, is a sponsor of the bill. He said he was inspired to craft the bill last year after an event in Columbia. He said a young child was brought on stage during a cabaret style program at a drag queen program and was exposed to content he calls “inappropriate” and “repulsive.” After seeing Tennessee’s aggressive legislation, he modeled a bill off theirs.
“It’s really inappropriate to have a venue where there’s a drag cabaret event taking place where children are exposed to this, and that’s in public or in private,” Kimbrell said.
In the house, a bill also known as The Defense of Children’s Innocence Act, was introduced in January. The bill says any business where drag shows are held are deemed to be a sexually oriented business, and any entity supported by public funds, like state agencies or school districts, are banned from using public funds to host a drag show. The bill also would ban minors from attending a drag show performance.
For some members of the drag community like Caleb Coker, who performs under the name Ebony Wood, the recent legislation around the country is sparking fears about violent pushback towards the community.
“Kind of what we’re seeing from legislation is that drag is inherently a sexual or dangerous thing for children, and that’s been something that’s been trying to be pushed on the community since the 1950s, that children need to be protected from the LGBTQ community and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Coker said.
Coker has been performing in Charleston area shows for almost a decade. For the tourism-fueled city that sees many bachelorette parties, Coker thinks the legislation could be detrimental to the economy. But overall, Coker says Charleston has been a supportive community.
“It’s important for kids whether they’re LGBTQ or not to realize that you can dress how you want, you can express yourself how you want, and not have to feel what’s going to happen to me,” Coker said. “Am I going to be arrested and called a felon for wearing a dress to school?”
Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2023/03/08/sc-state-legislation-could-restrict-drag-performances/ | 2023-03-08 03:50:34 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2023/03/08/sc-state-legislation-could-restrict-drag-performances/ |
Stimulus fund for W.Va. charter schools
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Supporters say charter schools are a new, innovative way to educate students, but the costs to start a charter school can far exceed what many organizers have on hand.
Thus, Sen. Patricia Rucker ‘s idea of a stimulus, funded in part with your taxpayer dollars.
“Unfortunately, the cost of starting it is keeping some of those folks who are interested in starting a local, innovative school from doing it in the state of West Virginia,” she said in committee Wednesday.
Rucker, R-Jefferson, says the result can be more charter schools managed from out-of-state.
Her solution is the Charter Schools Stimulus Fund. The proposal, which passed its first committee Wednesday, would create a fund in name only.
Rucker said the legislation -- by itself -- does not dedicate any taxpayer dollars. Instead, it creates an account for future deposits, whether that be tax dollars or gifts and donations from non-government sources.
New charter schools would be eligible for an initial grant of up to $300,000 with an option for an additional $100,000 thereafter.
Those funds would pay start-up costs and expenses associated with renovation and remodeling of existing buildings.
“There are public schools that don’t have the money to construct mantraps. Should any public funds be devoted to that first,” asked WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Investigative/Political Reporter Curtis Johnson.
“It shouldn’t be either or,” Rucker replied. “We have students attending the public charter schools and we want to make certain they get everything they can so that they’re successful there too.”
Taking money away from traditional schools is a concern for Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell. His bigger issue, in committee, was a perceived weakness in the state’s ability to claw back money for schools that never open.
“Let’s go just put $300,000 here and there,” Woelfel said in committee. “I’ve got to tell you, this is the most liberal, waste, I mean potential lack of accountability that I’ve seen since I got here.”
Other committee members disagreed saying other aspects of state law would protect against waste.
Out-of-state management companies would not be eligible for the grants.
The legislation now heads to the Senate Finance Committee before it can be considered by the full Senate.
Copyright 2023 WSAZ. All rights reserved. | https://www.wsaz.com/2023/01/26/stimulus-fund-wva-charter-schools/ | 2023-01-26 23:29:20 | 0 | https://www.wsaz.com/2023/01/26/stimulus-fund-wva-charter-schools/ |
The House Jan. 6 panel has issued a subpoena for former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone. The committee is asking him to appear for a deposition next week.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The House Jan. 6 panel has issued a subpoena for former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone. The committee is asking him to appear for a deposition next week.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.mainepublic.org/2022-06-30/jan-6-committee-subpoenas-trumps-former-white-house-counsel-pat-cipollone | 2022-06-30 10:16:20 | 0 | https://www.mainepublic.org/2022-06-30/jan-6-committee-subpoenas-trumps-former-white-house-counsel-pat-cipollone |
Consulting firm recognized for inclusive recruiting
MENLO PARK, Calif., June 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm Protiviti has again been named to the Seramount list of Best Companies for Multicultural Women. The annual list, which is based on in-depth demographic data gathered from participating organizations via an application comprised of nearly 600 questions, honors 80 top companies in the United States that create and use best practices in hiring, retaining and advancing multicultural women.
"We understand the importance of providing an equitable and supportive workplace that offers opportunities for all people within our firm to learn, express their individual perspectives and grow in their careers," said Susan Haseley, Protiviti's executive vice president, global diversity, equity and inclusion. "This recognition validates our focus on fostering long-lasting positive change through our commitment to strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion via a growing number of initiatives focused on education; communication; recruitment, retention and advancement; mentorship and sponsorship; and community outreach."
According to Seramount, multicultural women make up 25% of the U.S. workforce. Seramount's Best Companies for Multicultural Women tracks corporations' progress in creating cultures that encourage multicultural women to join and rise through the ranks. Its questionnaire assesses progress for women by specific racial/ethnic group as well as factors influencing that progress, including mental health and anti-racism initiatives, corporate culture, and mentoring and sponsorship participation.
"Protiviti's multiple employee network groups for women and our multicultural communities provide a nurturing and growth-oriented workplace for women from diverse cultures," said Shelley Metz-Galloway, a Protiviti managing director and leader of the firm's Multicultural ENG (employee network group) and Racial Equity Council. "Led by our employees, our ENGs are an integral part of our culture and provide our people with the chance to make a meaningful impact in their jobs and communities."
Protiviti also has alliances with diversity related professional organizations, including the Ascend global network for Pan-Asian professionals, Association of Latino Professionals for America, and the National Association of Black Accountants, to expand its pool of diverse candidates.
"Corporations continue to make progress in recruiting, retaining and promoting multicultural women," said Subha V. Barry, president of Seramount. "While there is still work to be done to increase representation numbers, we applaud the efforts made in building inclusive workplaces through the implementation of strong career pathing initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. These policies will enable organizations to attract this critical talent pool."
In 2022, Protiviti was recognized by Seramount as a Best Company for Dads and one of the 75 Top Companies for Executive Women. Additionally, Protiviti was named one of the 2022 PEOPLE Companies That Care®.
To learn more about Protiviti's focus on DEI and workplace culture, visit its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion site.
About Protiviti
Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, digital, legal, HR, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries.
Named to the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list, Protiviti has served more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 and nearly 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.
Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.
All trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Editor's note: Protiviti photos available upon request.
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The research-based assessment organization embarks on a new project to innovate in science education.
PORTLAND, Ore., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA – a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students – announced today its new initiative focused on collaborative and immersive education opportunities on Roblox – a global platform bringing millions of people together through shared experiences. Utilizing a Roblox Community Fund grant, the organization will explore innovative ways to use 3D immersive experiences to engage students in the study of science and assess their achievements in the subject.
While assessments are vital in traditional coursework, the results only demonstrate one small piece of a larger puzzle of what students know and are capable of achieving. Current assessments often leave out non-academic skills like student-decision making or progress toward reaching a goal. This is especially true when exploring Next Generation Science Standards.
"This collaboration allows us to explore science as a verb by looking at how students engage in solving science instead of science as a noun," said Dr. Abby Andres, Vice President of the Future Impact and Growth team at NWEA. "We're excited to create high quality science experiences that can lead to new (and richer) data, new measurement opportunities that are both academic and non-academic, and ultimately better insights for teachers."
As part of the Roblox Community Fund, Roblox has provided a grant to NWEA to work with Filament Games, an educational game developer known for such projects as the Mission: Mars designed for the Museum of Science, Boston and launched on the Roblox platform. Filament will build the unique science experience for NWEA to be launched on the Roblox platform.
NWEA Science content and measurement experts are providing the vision, direction, assessment, and research expertise for the project, which is set to begin this spring with the potential of a prototype available to Roblox participants in late 2023.
About NWEA
NWEA® (formerly known as Northwest Evaluation Association) is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy services, professional learning and school improvement services that fight for equity, drive classroom impact and push for systemic change in our educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we're partnering with educators to help all kids learn.
Contact: Simona Beattie, Sr. Manager, Public Relations, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526
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SOURCE NWEA | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2023/04/04/nwea-explore-new-science-experiences-students-roblox/ | 2023-04-04 10:38:16 | 1 | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2023/04/04/nwea-explore-new-science-experiences-students-roblox/ |
Small Equity Gain Results in Nearly Half of U.S. Mortgaged Homes Now Considered Equity-Rich;
Seriously Underwater Portion of Mortgages Stays Just Below 3 Percent;
Seventeen Times as Many Mortgages are Equity Rich versus Seriously Underwater
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ATTOM, a leading curator of real estate data nationwide for land and property data, today released its third-quarter 2022 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report, which shows that 48.5 percent of mortgaged residential properties in the United States were considered equity-rich in the third quarter, meaning that the combined estimated amount of loan balances secured by those properties was no more than 50 percent of their estimated market values.
The portion of mortgaged homes that were equity-rich in the third quarter of 2022 increased from 48.1 percent in the second quarter of 2022 and from 39.5 percent in the third quarter of 2021. The latest increase fell below other gains in recent years. But it still marked the 10th straight quarterly rise, and resulted in virtually half of all mortgage payers landing in equity-rich territory. The report found that at least half of all mortgage-payers in 20 states were equity-rich in the third quarter, compared to only seven states a year earlier.
"Even though home price appreciation has slowed down dramatically in recent months, homeowners have continued to build equity," said Rick Sharga, executive vice president of market intelligence at ATTOM. "And it appears that many of those homeowners have decided to stay where they are rather than purchase a new home, and are beginning to tap into that equity, as the number of home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) issued in the second quarter of 2022 rose by 43 percent from the prior year."
The report also shows that just 2.9 percent of mortgaged homes, or one in 35, were considered seriously underwater in the third quarter of 2022, with a combined estimated balance of loans secured by the property of at least 25 percent more than the property's estimated market value. The latest seriously underwater figure was the same as the 2.9 percent recorded in the prior quarter, but down from 3.4 percent, or one in 29 properties, in the third quarter of 2021.
Overall, 94.3 homeowners paying off mortgages had at least some equity built up in the third quarter of this year, compared to 92.9 percent a year earlier and 87.7 percent in the third quarter of 2020. That level rises further when accounting for homeowners who have paid off their mortgages.
Across the country, 39 states saw equity-rich levels increase from the second quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2022, while seriously underwater percentages dipped in 38 states. Year over year, equity-rich levels rose in all 50 states and seriously underwater portions dropped in 43 states.
The ongoing, but relatively small, improvement in home equity during the third quarter of 2022 came as the U.S. housing market cooled considerably amid multiple forces that threaten to stifle or reverse an 11-year run of nearly uninterrupted price spikes and equity gains.
Nine of the 10 states where the equity-rich share of mortgaged homes increased most from the second quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2022 were in the Midwest, Northeast and South regions of the U.S. The biggest increases were in South Dakota, where the portion of mortgaged homes considered equity-rich rose from 36.7 percent in the second quarter to 41.8 percent in the third quarter, Vermont (up from 71.4 percent to 75.9 percent), Montana (up from 48.1 percent to 51.5 percent), Indiana (up from 43 percent to 46.2 percent) and Mississippi (up from 29.1 percent to 31.5 percent).
The top five states where the equity-rich share of mortgaged homes decreased the most from the second quarter to the third quarter of this year were all in the West, led by Idaho (down from 69.5 percent to 65.8 percent), California (down from 63.1 percent to 60.6 percent), Utah (down from 64.3 percent to 62 percent), Washington (down from 63.2 percent to 61 percent) and Arizona (down from 64.8 percent to 63.4 percent).
The top 10 states with the biggest decreases in the percentage of mortgaged homes considered seriously underwater from the second quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2022 were spread across the Midwest, Northeast and West. They were led by Wyoming (share of mortgaged homes seriously underwater down from 7 percent to 2.9 percent), Montana (down from 3.9 percent to 3 percent), Kansas (down from 5.7 percent to 4.9 percent), Indiana (down from 3.8 percent to 3.1 percent) and Connecticut (down from 3.3 percent to 2.8 percent).
States where the percentage of seriously underwater homes increased the most from the second quarter to the third quarter of this year were concentrated in the West. While most of the increases were minimal, the largest were in Mississippi (up from 8.1 percent to 9 percent), California (up from 1 percent to 1.4 percent), Idaho (up from 1.6 percent to 1.9 percent), Hawaii (up from 1.3 percent to 1.5 percent) and Washington (up from 1 percent to 1.2 percent).
The highest levels of equity-rich properties around the U.S. remained in the West during the third quarter of 2022, with six of the top 10 states located in that region. The top states were Vermont (75.9 percent of mortgaged homes were equity-rich), Idaho (65.8 percent), Arizona (63.4 percent), Florida (62.8 percent) and Utah (62 percent).
Nine of the 10 states with the lowest percentages of equity-rich properties in the third quarter of 2022 were in the Midwest and South. The smallest portions were in Louisiana (24.5 percent of mortgaged homes), Illinois (26.3 percent), Alaska (26.7 percent), West Virginia (29.3 percent) and North Dakota (30.9 percent).
Among 107 metropolitan statistical areas around the nation with a population greater than 500,000, both the West and South dominated the list with the highest portion of mortgaged properties that were equity-rich in the third quarter of 2022. All but one of the top 25 were in those regions, led by Austin, TX (71.6 percent equity-rich); Sarasota-Bradenton, FL (71.6 percent); San Jose, CA (70.6 percent); Fort Myers, FL (68.5 percent) and Tampa, FL (68.3 percent). The leader in the Northeast region again was Portland, ME (63 percent) while the top metro in the Midwest continued to be Grand Rapids, MI (51.9 percent).
Eighteen of the 20 metro areas with the lowest percentages of equity-rich properties in the third quarter of 2022 were in the Midwest and South. The smallest levels were in Baton Rouge, LA (20.6 percent of mortgage homes were equity-rich); Jackson, MS (23.4 percent); Wichita, KS (26.1 percent); Little Rock, AR (27.4 percent) and Virginia Beach, VA (27.9 percent).
The portion of mortgaged homes considered equity rich rose from the second quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2022 in 72 of the 107 metro areas with sufficient data (68 percent), while the level of mortgaged homes considered equity rich rose annually in 105 of the 107 (99 percent).
Among 1,627 counties that had at least 2,500 homes with mortgages in the third quarter of 2022, 47 of the top 50 equity-rich locations were in the Northeast, South and West.
Counties with the highest share of equity-rich properties were Chittenden County (Burlington), VT (85.2 percent equity-rich); Dukes County (Martha's Vineyard), MA (84.7 percent); Blaine County, ID (outside Boise) (84.4 percent); Portage County, WI (west of Green Bay) (84.3 percent) and Nantucket County, MA (80.2 percent).
Counties with populations of at least 500,000 and the highest equity-rich rates were Travis County (Austin), TX (74.1 percent equity-rich); Pinellas County (Tampa), FL (72.6 percent); Santa Clara County (San Jose), CA (71.5 percent); San Mateo County, CA (outside San Francisco) (69.6 percent) and Williamson County, TX (outside Austin) (69.6 percent).
Counties with the smallest share of equity-rich homes in the third quarter of 2022 were Geary County (Junction City), KS (7.3 percent equity rich); Vernon Parish, LA (northwest of Lafayette) (9.2 percent); Iberville Parish, LA (outside Baton Rouge) (12.9 percent); Cumberland County (Fayetteville), NC (12.9 percent) and Lowndes County, MS (west of Birmingham, AL) (13.1 percent).
Counties with populations of at least 500,000 and the smallest equity-rich portions were Lake County, IL (outside Chicago) (25.4 percent equity-rich); Cook County (Chicago), IL (26.6 percent); Sedgwick County (Wichita), KS (27.1 percent equity-rich); Baltimore County, MD (27.3 percent) and Kane County, IL (outside Chicago (27.4 percent).
Among 8,716 U.S. zip codes that had at least 2,000 residential properties with mortgages in the third quarter of 2022, there were 4,014 (46 percent) where at least half the mortgaged properties were equity-rich.
Thirty-two of the top 50 were in Florida and Texas, with six of the top 10 in Dukes County, MA, and Collier County, TX. They were led by zip codes 83333 in Hailey, ID (87.7 percent of mortgaged properties were equity-rich); 02539 in Edgartown, MA (86.9 percent); 34108 in Naples, FL (85.2 percent); 02568 in Vineyard Haven, MA (84.9 percent) and 34102 in Naples, FL (84.9 percent).
The top 10 states with the highest shares of mortgages that were seriously underwater in the third quarter of 2022 were in the South and Midwest. The top five were Louisiana (10.8 percent seriously underwater), Mississippi (9 percent), Iowa (6.5 percent), Illinois (6.2 percent) and Kentucky (6 percent).
The smallest shares were in Vermont (0.9 percent seriously underwater), Rhode Island (1.1 percent), Florida (1.2 percent), Washington (1.2 percent) and New Hampshire (1.2 percent).
Among 107 metropolitan statistical areas with a population greater than 500,000, those with the largest shares of mortgages that were seriously underwater in the third quarter of 2022 were Baton Rouge, LA (10.7 percent); Jackson, MS (8.9 percent); New Orleans, LA (7.8 percent); Syracuse, NY (6.3 percent) and Scranton, PA (6.2 percent).
The portion of mortgages that were seriously underwater nationwide declined from the second quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2022 declined in 58, or 55 percent, of the 107 metro areas with enough data to analyze. Seriously underwater rates decreased, year over year, in 91 of those 107 metros (86 percent).
Among 8,716 U.S. zip codes that had at least 2,000 homes with mortgages in the third quarter of 2022, there were only 24 locations where more than 25 percent of mortgaged properties were seriously underwater. Of those, nine were in Cleveland, OH, and Philadelphia, PA.
The top five zip codes with the largest shares of seriously underwater properties in the third quarter of 2022 were 66441 in Junction City, KS (46.7 percent of mortgaged homes were seriously underwater); 39702 in Columbus, MS (45.7 percent); 10570 in Pleasantville, NY (45.1 percent); 44108 in Cleveland, OH (43.1 percent) and 44112 in Cleveland, OH (38.7 percent).
Only about 227,100 homeowners were facing possible foreclosure in the third quarter of 2022, or just four-tenths of one percent of the 58.1 million outstanding mortgages in the U.S. Of those facing foreclosure, about 208,700, or 92 percent, had at least some equity built up in their homes.
"One of the reasons we don't believe there will be another huge wave of foreclosures is that the overwhelming majority of financially-distressed homeowners do have positive equity," Sharga noted. "If these borrowers can't leverage the equity to refinance their current mortgage, they at least have the option of selling the property rather than losing their equity to a foreclosure auction. This option wasn't available to distressed borrowers during the Great Recession, when many borrowers were underwater on their loans."
States where the largest portion of homeowners facing possible foreclose had equity in their properties in the third quarter of 2022 included Utah (98 percent with equity), Washington (97 percent), Colorado (97 percent), Nevada (97 percent) and Arizona (97 percent). States with the lowest percentages included Mississippi (75 percent with equity), Louisiana (80 percent), Illinois (85 percent), Maryland (85 percent) and Missouri (87 percent).
The ATTOM U.S. Home Equity & Underwater report provides counts of properties based on several categories of equity — or loan to value (LTV) — at the state, metro, county and zip code level, along with the percentage of total properties with a mortgage that each equity category represents. The equity/LTV is calculated based on record-level loan model estimating position and amount of loans secured by a property and a record-level automated valuation model (AVM) derived from publicly recorded mortgage and deed of trust data collected and licensed by ATTOM nationwide for more than 155 million U.S. properties. The ATTOM Home Equity and Underwater report has been updated and modified to better reflect a housing market focused on the traditional home buying process. ATTOM found that markets where investors were more prominent, they would offset the loan to value ratio due to sales involving multiple properties with a single jumbo loan encompassing all of the properties. Therefore, going forward such activity is now excluded from the reports in order to provide traditional consumer home purchase and loan activity.
Seriously underwater: Loan to value ratio of 125 percent or above, meaning the property owner owed at least 25 percent more than the estimated market value of the property.
Equity-rich: Loan to value ratio of 50 percent or lower, meaning the property owner had at least 50 percent equity.
ATTOM provides premium property data to power products that improve transparency, innovation, efficiency and disruption in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation's population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes, and enhances the real estate data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID — the ATTOM ID. The 30TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include bulk file licenses, property data APIs, real estate market trends, property reports and more. Also, introducing our newest innovative solution, that offers immediate access and streamlines data management – ATTOM Cloud.
Media Contact:
Christine Stricker
949.748.8428
christine.stricker@attomdata.com
Data and Report Licensing:
949.502.8313
datareports@attomdata.com
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SOURCE ATTOM | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/11/03/homeowner-equity-keeps-growing-across-us-third-quarter-despite-housing-market-slowdown/ | 2022-11-03 05:40:57 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/11/03/homeowner-equity-keeps-growing-across-us-third-quarter-despite-housing-market-slowdown/ |
‘First of its kind’ Illinois law will penalize libraries that ban books
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday signed into law a bill that he says will make Illinois the first state in the nation to outlaw book bans.
Illinois public libraries that restrict or ban materials because of “partisan or doctrinal” disapproval will be ineligible for state funding as of Jan. 1, 2024, when the new law goes into effect.
“We are not saying that every book should be in every single library,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is also the state librarian and was the driving force behind the legislation. “What this law does is it says, let’s trust our experience and education of our librarians to decide what books should be in circulation.”
The new law comes into play as states across the U.S. push to remove certain books in schools and libraries, especially those about LGBTQ+ themes and by people of color. The American Library Association in March announced that attempts to censor books in schools and public libraries reached a 20-year high in 2022 — twice as many as 2021, the previous record.
“Illinois legislation responds to disturbing circumstances of censorship and an environment of suspicion,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation.
To be eligible for state funds, Illinois public libraries must adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which holds that “materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation,” or subscribe to a similar pledge.
Downers Grove Democrat Rep. Anne Stava-Murray sponsored the legislation in the Illinois House of Representatives after a school board in her district was subject to pressure to ban certain content from school libraries.
“While it’s true that kids need guidance, and that some ideas can be objectionable, trying to weaponize local government to force one-size-fits-all standards onto the entire community for reasons of bigotry, or as a substitute for active and involved parenting, is wrong,” Stava-Murray said Monday at the bill’s signing, which took place at a children’s library in downtown Chicago.
Despite Giannoulias’ assertion that “this should not be a Democrat or Republican issue,” lawmakers’ approval of the bill splintered across party lines, with Republicans in opposition.
“I support local control,” said House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, a Republican who voted against the measure, in an emailed statement. “Our caucus does not believe in banning books, but we do believe that the content of books should be considered in their placement on the shelves.”
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Savage is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2023/06/12/first-its-kind-illinois-law-will-penalize-libraries-that-ban-books/ | 2023-06-12 22:43:03 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2023/06/12/first-its-kind-illinois-law-will-penalize-libraries-that-ban-books/ |
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, December 11, 2022
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SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service San Angelo TX
704 AM CST Sun Dec 11 2022
Patchy dense fog has developed this morning mainly across
portions of the Big Country, Concho Valley and Heartland.
Visibilities may drop to a quarter to a half a mile at times in
the heaviest fog. This will result in hazardous driving
conditions. If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave
plenty of distance ahead of you.
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Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | https://www.mrt.com/weather/article/TX-WFO-SAN-ANGELO-Warnings-Watches-and-17646240.php | 2022-12-11 14:40:19 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/weather/article/TX-WFO-SAN-ANGELO-Warnings-Watches-and-17646240.php |
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are having a moment of agreement during the midterm elections.
Both put out statements urging voters to wait it out in long lines and make sure their votes are cast.
Biden wrote on Twitter late on Tuesday evening imploring voters who are facing long lines in many areas to wait to cast their ballots.
“If you’re in line to vote, remember to stay in line!” Biden said.
As polls begin to close in certain parts of the country, if you’re in line at your polling place before it closes—stay in line.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 8, 2022
Make your voice heard.
His tweet came hours after Trump went onto his social media startup Truth Social to say to “The Great People of Arizona,” do not leave the line “until you VOTE.” | https://www.kbzk.com/news/national/president-biden-and-trump-both-urge-voters-to-stay-in-line-cast-your-vote | 2022-11-09 04:53:27 | 0 | https://www.kbzk.com/news/national/president-biden-and-trump-both-urge-voters-to-stay-in-line-cast-your-vote |
Compassion International highlights global food crisis, shares sustainable solutions
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. , May 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow is World Hunger Day, when we take time aside to reflect on the global crisis of hunger – recognizing as much as 10 percent of the world's population goes to bed hungry every night – and highlight sustainable solutions.
Over the past two years, the pandemic created a dire situation regarding hunger and malnutrition, reversing decades of progress made in the fight against poverty and hunger in low and middle-income countries around the world.
Unfortunately, the world didn't have much time to recover. Conflict, political instability, economic shocks, and weather extremes led to even greater food insecurity in 2021. According to the "2022 Global Report on Food Crises," 193 million people experienced acute (or crisis-level) food insecurity – an increase of nearly 40 million people since 2020. And more than 26 million children suffered from wasting due to acute malnutrition, leaving them vulnerable to stunted growth, disease, and death.
Compassion International found hunger and malnutrition to be a significant issue for the children in its program and their families. Although some of Compassion's field countries could easily be identified in the UN's most recent "hunger hotspots" list – including Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Myanmar, and Colombia – food insecurity continues to impact each country and region where the international child development organization works.
Palamanga Ouali, Compassion's regional vice president for Africa, says, "Our church partners on the front lines of poverty are seeing rising food costs, failing crops, and malnourished children. They're seeing it before it's in the news. Because our staff are serving children before disasters. During disasters. And they stay after the disaster."
Eunice, a widowed mother in Kenya, faced one such disaster. Her community hadn't seen rain in 17 months, and families like Eunice's, who rely on livestock, were highly affected. Her family lost 12 sheep and three goats to the drought, from their original 40 animals. She couldn't provide milk or meat for her children, and she couldn't sell milk or meat to meet their basic needs. Her son, a participant in Compassion's child development program, explains, "We went to school knowing there is no food at home."
Knowing the community, Compassion's local church partner immediately responded to the need. Emma, the center director, shares, "We acted directly and promptly to the actual needs of families, with the foremost need being food. We are assured that our families are not going to bed hungry." Through intervention funds, the church provided 284 families with unconditional cash transfers to help parents and caregivers buy food and meet immediate needs. Before the support, most families did not have enough to eat. Eunice says, "If Compassion had not provided the food money, I would have been chancing every day, hoping for a miracle."
While Eunice's story took an encouraging turn, the war in Ukraine is worsening an existing global food crisis. Together, Russia and Ukraine supply almost 30% of the world's wheat (plus barley, sunflower seed oil, and corn), feeding billions of people. With Russia's exports hit by strict sanctions and Ukraine's planting season disrupted by the fighting, a huge source of the world's food supply remains trapped. Combined with the skyrocketing costs of fuel and fertilizer, the conflict has sent global food prices, already high post-covid, soaring. Without urgent support, other stories might take a turn towards malnutrition or starvation.
So, on this World Hunger Day, how can you make a difference for hungry children and families? Compassion shares three ways:
Get the facts on hunger. Learn how hunger affects children and their families. Explore how conflict creates chronic hunger. Watch this urgent video message from Compassion's church partners. Educate yourself on the link between poverty and hunger. Read up on topics like food security or malnutrition. Share what you learned with those in your sphere of influence and spread the word about the growing food crisis.
Become part of the solution through support. Find humanitarian organizations that work with developing nations and support them. Compassion's response to the global food crisis is two-fold: providing food parcels and cash transfers to stop hunger in the short term – and empowering families with seeds, fertilizer, livestock, and training so they'll have sustainable food supplies in the long term. Each of these solutions is made possible through financial support. (You can donate here to provide both immediate and long-term support to malnourished children and families through Compassion.) As Emma reflects on the aid distributed in her community, she notes, "We have demonstrated God's love to families who have felt the Lord working in their lives through our supporters."
Pray for Compassion's local church partners. Compassion works with more than 8,500 frontline church partners all over the globe, and each church partner is trained to identify malnutrition and hunger and take immediate action to address it, like Emma did for Eunice and her family. Pray that God would equip these churches and staff members with wisdom, protection, endurance, and the resources to fight hunger and provide food security to children and families in their communities.
To learn more about poverty, hunger, and Compassion's solutions, visit compassion.com/worldhungerday.
About Compassion International
Compassion International is a Christian child development organization working to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. Founded in 1952, Compassion partners with more than 8,500 local churches in 27 program countries to deliver spiritual, economic, social, and physical care to over two million babies, children, and young adults in poverty. Ranked No. 10 in Forbes' America's Top Charities List in 2021, Compassion is a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. For more information, visit compassion.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Allison Wilburn
219-384-8177
awilburn@compassion.com
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SOURCE Compassion International | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/05/27/three-ways-you-can-make-difference-world-hunger-day/ | 2022-05-27 14:52:23 | 0 | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/05/27/three-ways-you-can-make-difference-world-hunger-day/ |
GUANGZHOU, China (AP) — GUANGZHOU, China (AP) — Fanhua Inc. (FANH) on Monday reported fourth-quarter earnings of $10.2 million.
The Guangzhou, China-based company said it had profit of 19 cents per share.
The insurance company posted revenue of $111.3 million in the period.
For the year, the company reported profit of $14.5 million, or 27 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $403.3 million.
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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on FANH at https://www.zacks.com/ap/FANH | https://www.mrt.com/business/article/fanhua-q4-earnings-snapshot-17837260.php | 2023-03-13 22:22:28 | 1 | https://www.mrt.com/business/article/fanhua-q4-earnings-snapshot-17837260.php |
LONDON (AP) — The OPEC oil cartel and allied producing countries including Russia will raise production by 648,000 barrels per day in July and August, offering modest relief for a global economy suffering from soaring energy prices.
The cost of oil, which began to rise sharply to start of the year, spiked after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. U.S. crude prices are now up 54% since the beginning of the year, and international crude prices are up almost 40% in that time.
Gasoline prices have risen in tandem and hit another all-time high in the U.S. Thursday.
That’s become a potential problem for U.S. President Joe Biden in mid-term Congressional elections this fall.
Elevated prices are also a threat to the global economy as it emerges from the pandemic, with both companies and families potentially reducing activity to deflect those costs.
OPEC, whose de facto leader is Saudi Arabia, had for months resisted pressure from the White House to increase oil supply more quickly. That stance, along with a European Union agreement to end most oil imports from Russia, has pushed prices higher. Gasoline and diesel prices have also been rising due to a lack of refining capacity to turn crude into motor fuel.
The US “welcomes” the increased production, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a prepared statement. “The United States will continue to use all tools at our disposal to address energy prices pressures.”
Biden administration officials have recently visited Saudi Arabia for talks on energy supplies and regional security issues.
The decision Thursday steps up the pace by the alliance, known as OPEC+, in restoring cuts made during the worst of the pandemic recession. The group had been adding a steady 432,000 barrels per day each month to gradually restore production cuts from 2020.
The increase did not appear to ease concerns about tight supply and oil prices actually rose after the decision was announced Thursday.
U.S. crude, which had fallen by as much as $3 per barrel early in the day, reversing course and traded up almost 2% at $117.15. International benchmark Brent rose 0.7% at $117.02. Market traders may have expected more from the meeting, such as an indication from Saudis that they could make up for any shortfall due to sanctions against Russia.
Instead the alliance’s statement merely mentioned reopening from COVID-19 lockdowns in “major global economic centers” and the end of seasonal maintenance work at refineries as justifications for the incremental increase. Lockdowns in Shanghai and Beijing have sapped fuel demand in China.
OPEC+ decisions have been complicated by the group’s failure to meet its production targets due to underinvestment and other roadblocks in some member countries. Actual production has lagged the scheduled increases.
The U.S. saw a record high average gasoline pump price on Thursday of $4.71 per gallon, according to AAA. The price of crude makes up about half the price of gasoline at the pump in the U.S., and prices could go even higher as the summer driving season gets under way. High gas prices for drivers are a potential factor in U.S. politics with mid-term Congressional elections approaching later this year.
In Germany, the government has sought to soften the blow to consumer finances from energy inflation by launching deeply discounted transit passes that enable unlimited use of local trains, subways and buses for 9 euros ($10) per month. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/us-pump-prices-hit-record-as-opec-producers-gather/ | 2022-06-02 22:42:29 | 1 | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/us-pump-prices-hit-record-as-opec-producers-gather/ |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Pro tennis player Jessica Pegula has Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on her mind — and his No. 3 jersey number on her outfit — at the Australian Open.
Pegula, whose parents own the NFL’s Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, is wearing a white screen-printed patch with Hamlin’s uniform number on her black skirt while she competes at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field when he collapsed after making a tackle during a game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2. He spent more than a week in the hospital, part of that time in critical condition, before being able to go home.
“I definitely wanted to do something,” Pegula said Wednesday after reaching the third round at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
“We were kind of figuring out what the Bills and the Sabres were doing, just as far as what was the message. I knew they would probably do something and what message were they trying to send. It ended up being kind of the ‘3’ was the symbol,” said Pegula, a 28-year-old who was born in New York and now is based in Florida.
“I just thought it would be cool to put on my outfit here. I thought it would be a fun way to kind of connect with the team and then also just show my support,” she said. “I felt like it was such a global event.”
Pegula reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open each of the past two years, equaling her best result at any Grand Slam tournament.
She is currently a career-best No. 3 in the rankings — a coincidence that drew some reactions Pegula found amusing.
“I saw someone tweet that: ‘Why would you put your ranking on your skirt?’ I’m, like, ‘No, that’s not why,’” Pegula said with a laugh.
She said she watched the Bills’ win over the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card round on TV before playing her first match in Melbourne. Buffalo’s next playoff game is Sunday against the visiting Bengals.
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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.myarklamiss.com/local-news/ap-pegula-whose-family-owns-bills-honors-hamlin-in-australia/ | 2023-01-19 00:24:20 | 0 | https://www.myarklamiss.com/local-news/ap-pegula-whose-family-owns-bills-honors-hamlin-in-australia/ |
The ACLU of Wyoming, Riverton Peace Mission and other state nonprofits will host a free, day-long civil rights workshop on Saturday in Washakie.
The workshop, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. at the Frank B. Wise Business Center, will cover topics ranging from voting rights and voter suppression tactics, rights regarding interactions with law enforcement, fair housing law and rights for victims of sexual assault.
Speakers will include:
- Angie Dorsch, executive director of Equal Justice Wyoming;
- Sara Robinson, program attorney for the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence Sexual Assault; and
- Antonio Serrano, advocacy director for the ACLU of Wyoming.
“Know this for sure: Your rights aren’t going anywhere. But we must each remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our rights in this country and arm ourselves with the skills and education to do so,” Serrano said in a Monday news release. “By knowing your rights, you’ll better prepared to advocate for yourself, your family and your neighbors. Don’t allow anyone to take advantage of your uncertainty and anxiety.”
People are also reading…
To register, visit the Riverton Peace Mission's website. Lunch will be provided. | https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/state-nonprofits-to-host-free-civil-rights-workshop-in-washakie/article_999cf918-4ff1-11ed-994b-5b42870c5663.html | 2022-10-20 00:00:26 | 1 | https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/state-nonprofits-to-host-free-civil-rights-workshop-in-washakie/article_999cf918-4ff1-11ed-994b-5b42870c5663.html |
No. 9 Alabama gymnastics scores two perfect 10s, continues hot streak despite loss to No. 8 LSU
No. 9 Alabama gymnastics continued its hot streak Friday, but it was eighth-ranked LSU that got the win, 197.975-197.925 at Coleman Coliseum.
It was the fifth straight meet where the Crimson Tide (6-4, 4-3 SEC) scored a 197 or better and its second-highest score this season behind only the Metroplex Challenge. It was also Alabama's highest home score of the season.
"Meets like this are fantastic for us as we prepare for the postseason," said Alabama coach Ashley Johnston. "LSU has an incredible team. It's close meets like this that really fuel us."
Despite trailing early, the Tigers (4-5, 4-3) mounted a comeback thanks to its high scores on the last two rotations, with three gymnasts scoring a 9.9 or better on the floor exercise and four breaking that barrier on the balance beam.
Here's what we learned:
Back-to-back 10s on balance beam
Sophomore Lilly Hudson had a night to forget her first two rotations, scoring 9.6 on the vault and 9.775 on the uneven parallel bars, but she more than made up for it on the balance beam.
Hudson scored a perfect 10 for her routine, the first of her career.
"It's indescribable," said Hudson. "Especially going back-to-back. But for me, I'm just doing my thing."
Senior Luisa Blanco, a former national champion on the beam, followed with a second consecutive perfect 10, her second of the season, giving Alabama its first time in program history where two gymnasts scored 10s on the balance beam.
Johnston praised both gymnasts."I have never gotten to see that before," the coach said. "It was great to see all their hard work pay off for those two, but also for the entire team."
LSU also scored two 10s, with Haleigh Bryant scoring hers on vault and Aleah Finnegan with hers on floor exercise.
Shallon Olsen continues hot streak on vault
Coming off a career high last week, the fifth-year senior helped the Crimson Tide get going on Friday night. While she was the third routine of the meet for Alabama, her 9.9 was the first 9.9 score for either team. Olsen helped the Crimson Tide capitalize on Tigers mistakes to take the lead after the first rotation.
Freshmen make an impact
Gabby Gladieux and Rachel Rybicki both stepped up in big situations, with each freshman scoring a season high in her respective first event. Gladieux helped Alabama take the lead on vault with a 9.925 in the anchor spot. Rybicki scored a 9.9 on balance beam, the first of her career, and received a 10 from one judge.
What's next
Alabama travels to face no.15 Missouri on Friday, March 3, at 7 p.m. | https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/sports/college/2023/02/24/alabama-gymnastics-falls-to-lsu-despite-scoring-two-perfect-10s/69917204007/ | 2023-02-25 08:47:43 | 1 | https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/sports/college/2023/02/24/alabama-gymnastics-falls-to-lsu-despite-scoring-two-perfect-10s/69917204007/ |
Leading cloud-based billing and monetization platform receives the highest score possible (5 out of 5) in nine criteria including product configuration, usage rating & pricing calculation, security & reliability and configurability & extensibility amongst others
DENVER, March 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BillingPlatform, the enterprise monetization platform for today's innovative business models, today announced that Forrester Research, a leading global research and advisory firm, has ranked BillingPlatform as the Leader in its "The Forrester Wave™: SaaS Recurring Billing Solutions, Q1 2023" report (Forrester Research, Inc., March 13, 2023, Lily Varon). In a detailed market analysis evaluating 10 vendors, Forrester writes, "BillingPlatform is a rapidly growing company with a strong engineering backbone and a growing portfolio of solutions….[it] dedicates significantly more resources to innovation than its peers and has some unique products and services…."
In this Wave, Forrester evaluated 10 vendors against 26 criteria, grouped into three high-level categories: Current Offering, Strategy and Market Presence. BillingPlatform received the highest score possible (5 out of 5) in nine criteria, including product configuration, usage data transformation, usage rating and pricing calculation, customers and accounts, dunning and collections, configurability and extensibility, and security and reliability. In its vendor profile of the company, Forrester writes, "[BillingPlatform] has an ambitious vision that focuses on steadily building more applications to manage the entire accounts receivables lifecycle."
"At BillingPlatform we're on a mission to help companies reimagine the way they go to market and monetize their products and services by optimizing the entire revenue management lifecycle to maximize profitability and improve the customer experience," said Dennis Wall, CEO at BillingPlatform. "We believe our position as the Leader in this Forrester Wave validates our vision, strategy and investment in innovation for today's digital enterprises and hybrid business models – and, most importantly, highlights the tremendous business value our customers achieve with our solutions."
In analyzing BillingPlatform, the Wave also notes:
- "Extensibility is the strength of the platform. It supports a broad set of use cases out of the box. If a use case isn't supported, users at customers' businesses can build it with tools to create custom user interfaces, data models, and workflows."
- "[The platform is] very good at processing usage data and rating it for billing purposes. Reference customers say that BillingPlatform has 'been able to handle anything we've thrown at them' for product and pricing configurations."
"The growth of digital payments represents a huge opportunity for us," said Alon Binyamin, Financial Processes Development Lead at GoCardless. "As more businesses demand faster, safer and more cost-effective payments for everything from subscriptions to e-commerce, we believe interest will grow in account-to-account payments – a method that ticks all those boxes. But the billing structures are as diverse as the use cases, and that's where BillingPlatform comes in. Its flexible billing models enable us to serve a wide range of customers, providing businesses a better way to pay."
Working with customers including CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc., InComm Payments, Vantage Towers and Emburse, BillingPlatform is the only enterprise billing and monetization solution on the market that enables enterprises to monetize any type of product offering, from simple subscriptions to sophisticated usage-based pricing models and everything in between. BillingPlatform provides full lifecycle support of the quote-to-cash process – all on a secure, next-generation cloud platform. The unparalleled flexibility of the platform puts enterprises in control of how they differentiate in the market, maximize profitability, reduce operational costs and improve the customer experience.
BillingPlatform has earned many accolades this year, including being recognized for a third year in a row as a fast-growing company on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™, honored by Best in Biz Awards for its third consecutive year and listed on the 2022 Inc. 5000.
For more information about BillingPlatform and the SaaS recurring billing market, download "The Forrester Wave™: SaaS Recurring Billing Solutions, Q1 2023" report.
About BillingPlatform, Corp.
BillingPlatform's agile revenue management platform gives innovative enterprises the freedom to effectively monetize and deliver products and services that result in growth and competitive differentiation. Our industry-leading, cloud-based platform adapts to every unique business model and pricing structure. With global customers across multiple industries, including communications, transportation, manufacturing, banking, technology, energy, media and software, BillingPlatform processes billions of transactions and dollars every year, enabling enterprises to grow revenue, reduce costs and improve overall customer experience. To learn more, visit billingplatform.com.
Press Contact:
Abigail Souza
BillingPlatform
billingplatform@threeringsinc.com
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SOURCE BillingPlatform | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/03/13/billingplatform-named-leader-saas-recurring-billing-solutions-report-by-independent-research-firm/ | 2023-03-13 17:05:39 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/03/13/billingplatform-named-leader-saas-recurring-billing-solutions-report-by-independent-research-firm/ |
NORTHWOOD, Iowa - For some rural counties that don't have their own in-county ambulance service, or a hospital, distance is key when it comes to emergency response. Worth County is taking another step forward in addressing an issue of their own.
At their Monday meeting, the Worth County Board of Supervisors voted to declare EMS an essential service in the county. The plan would allow a contracted ambulance from Mason City to be stationed in the county around the clock.
Supervisor AJ Stone, who is also a member of the Manly Fire Department, is leading the efforts. He says this is a major step forward.
"We didn't have any kickback or negative comments from the public. I'm real fortunate, This is a big step here, we need to do this. We need to continue to do it. EMS is struggling bad and volunteers are thin."
And it's an issue that's not exclusive to Worth County; there are other counties across the state that have the same issues. Stone has reached out to state representatives about funding proposals to help address funding and shortfalls.
"I've talked with some of our local legislators, and they're trying to get some of the sports betting money. They're trying to see if they can get some of that to help these counties with their EMS situations, as far as whether it's training, volunteers. I know that's been discussed down there, but I haven't heard anything come forward on that."
Stone tells me that a committee will be formed that will evaluate logistical issues for the plan, such as where the ambulance will be housed. Voters will decide on the plan in November. | https://www.kimt.com/news/iowa/worth-co-supervisors-approve-declaration-of-ems-an-essential-service-heads-to-november-ballot/article_48a9000c-db15-11ec-ac84-c30c5bffa70c.html | 2022-05-24 17:09:26 | 1 | https://www.kimt.com/news/iowa/worth-co-supervisors-approve-declaration-of-ems-an-essential-service-heads-to-november-ballot/article_48a9000c-db15-11ec-ac84-c30c5bffa70c.html |
Federal authorities expect to return a 13-year-old boy’s remains to his Native American tribe in South Dakota this fall, they said Friday. The statement comes days after the tribe urged for a faster return of the child who died at a federal boarding school for Indigenous children in 1879.
The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate wrote to the head of the U.S. Army’s cemetery office this week, demanding movement on their effort to have the remains of Amos LaFromboise repatriated from a graveyard at the Carlisle Barracks, a military facility in Pennsylvania.
The letter from three lawyers with the Native American Rights Fund to Army Cemeteries Executive Director Karen Durham-Aguilera describes the child as the son of one of the tribe’s most celebrated leaders, Chief Joseph LaFromboise, who signed an 1867 treaty that established their current reservation boundaries.
The Office of Army Cemeteries emailed a statement saying that Amos LaFromboise’s disinterment was approved a year ago and that the Army also told the boy’s family and the tribe’s chair last summer that his remains will be returned in 2023. His disinterment will be entirely at the Army’s expense, the office said.
“The Army currently plans to conduct the disinterment of Amos this September and the required Federal Register Notice will be published in the next 60 days,” according to the statement.
The tribe argues that the Army has been requiring repatriation standards that are more demanding than those in the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, mandating a signed affidavit from the child’s closest living relative, which can be difficult or impossible for 19th century remains.
“Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate expected Amos to return home from Carlisle Indian Industrial School,” they wrote, “to lead his people like his father and serve as a model for future generations of Tribal leaders.”
Lawyers for the tribe said Friday their request stands to have Amos LaFromboise repatriated under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and that the tribe is willing to discuss the next steps.
Amos LaFromboise died 20 days after his arrival at Carlisle the year the school opened. The tribe’s letter says the Army has previously dug up and reburied his remains at least three times in three different locations. The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate want to bury him next to his father on the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeast South Dakota.
Tribe historians say six children of tribal leaders were sent to Carlisle in 1879. Three of the boys died there and a fourth passed away shortly after he returned home.
At a ceremony two years ago to return nine disinterred remains of Rosebud Sioux children, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said forced assimilation practices at Indian schools stripped away the children’s clothing, language and culture.
The Carlisle school put children through harsh conditions that sometimes resulted in their deaths. Founded by an Army officer, the school cut their braids, dressed them in military-style uniforms and punished them for speaking their native languages. European names were forced upon them.
More than 10,000 Native American children were taught there and endured harsh conditions that sometimes led to death from such diseases as tuberculosis. There have been several rounds of disinterment and repatriation at Carlisle in recent years. | https://www.kark.com/news/national/tribe-urges-army-to-speed-up-return-of-childs-1879-remains/ | 2023-03-25 00:53:07 | 0 | https://www.kark.com/news/national/tribe-urges-army-to-speed-up-return-of-childs-1879-remains/ |
WFO LAS VEGAS Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, August 13, 2022
_____
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has extended the
* Flash Flood Warning for...
San Bernardino County in southern California...
* Until 330 AM PDT.
* At 217 AM PDT, Local law enforcement and emergency management
reported continued flooding impacts over Amboy Road and Highway 62
east of Twentynine Palms. While the heavy rainfall has ended,
excessive runoff continues to result in flooding conditions in
this area.
HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by excessive runoff from
previous thunderstorms.
SOURCE...Emergency management and local law enforcement
reported.
IMPACT...Flash flooding of washes, highways, and secondary
roads as well as other poor drainage and low-lying
areas.
* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Amboy Road and Highway 62 east of Twentynine Palms.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles. Be especially cautious at night when it is
harder to recognize the dangers of flooding.
Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law
enforcement and request they pass this information to the National
Weather Service when you can do so safely.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-LAS-VEGAS-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17371310.php | 2022-08-13 09:45:55 | 1 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-LAS-VEGAS-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17371310.php |
Company encourages everyone to join fundraiser to provide children of military families with school supplies
BOCA RATON, Fla., June 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Freedom Mortgage, one of the largest full-service independent mortgage companies and the top VA and top Federal Housing Administration (FHA) (government-insured) lender in the U.S. in 2021, announced the start of its annual Rucksacks to Backpacks campaign to provide school supplies for the children of active-duty military, National Guard members, and Reservists. Money raised from the campaign, now in its 10th year, will enable children in grades K-8 to pick the school supplies they need at distribution events through nine USO (United Service Organizations) centers across the country.
"It is very fulfilling to support the USO and give back, especially when we see the excitement and smiles while children pick up their school supplies," said Stanley C. Middleman, president and CEO of Freedom Mortgage. "We are so proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Freedom Mortgage Rucksacks to Backpacks campaign and provide necessary supplies to thousands of students from military families so they will be ready for a new school year."
Money raised from the fundraiser will benefit USO locations across the U.S., including Arizona, southern and central California, northern Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Washington, DC, Baltimore, South Carolina, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas.
Each USO will provide the most-needed back-to-school supplies from the money raised and distribute them locally this July and August to meet the needs of their military communities. Since the start of the Rucksacks to Backpacks campaign, Freedom Mortgage has donated nearly 22,000 backpacks and over 57,000 school supplies, including pens, notebooks, and folders.
"We are grateful to Freedom Mortgage for their support and partnership with the USO," said USO Northeast Region President Rebecca Parkes. "Together, we bring great joy to military kids and families across the United States as they get ready for a great start to the school year. The USO thanks the employees, customers, and leadership of Freedom Mortgage for their support of service members and their families."
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Freedom Mortgage gathered school supplies through collection bins placed throughout the company's offices across the country. In 2020, the company switched to a virtual campaign in which employees purchased backpacks and school supplies online and shipped them directly to individual USO centers. Backpacks were then assembled and distributed at drive-through events at each location.
Last year, Freedom Mortgage only accepted monetary donations and allocated the funds to USO centers to purchase the most needed school supplies. This year, the company will continue to accept monetary donations and also offer employees in three states the option to drop off school supplies in collection bins in their offices.
Freedom Mortgage invites everyone to join in and make an online donation to the Rucksacks to Backpacks campaign (which runs until July 15) to enable USO centers to purchase the exact items that children in their communities need by visiting one.bidpal.net/fmrucksacks22/browse/donation.
Click here to see a short video highlighting this year's fundraiser and moments from the Rucksacks to Backpacks program over the years.
Team Freedom Cares provides Freedom Mortgage employees, family members, friends and customers with opportunities to support their local communities as well as veterans and those currently serving in all branches of the U.S. military and their families. For more information, visit www.teamfreedomcares.org.
The USO strengthens America's military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. At hundreds of locations worldwide, we are united in our commitment to connect our service members and their families through countless acts of caring, comfort and support. The USO is a private nonprofit organization, not a government agency. Our programs, services and entertainment tours are made possible by the American people, support of our corporate partners and the dedication of our volunteers and staff. To join us in this important mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit USO.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, Freedom Mortgage is a full-service independent mortgage company that provides mortgage loans through retail, wholesale, and correspondent channels. One of the nation's largest non-bank mortgage lenders/services, the company is licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Freedom Mortgage was the #1 VA and #1 FHA (government-insured) lender in the U.S. in 2021 (Inside Mortgage Finance, 2021) and one of the mortgage industry's largest philanthropic supporters of the USO of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The company is also renowned for its vibrant work environment where all team members can thrive. In 2021, Freedom Mortgage was named one of Newsweek's Most Loved Workplaces as well as Top Workplaces USA. Additionally, the company recently joined the Inc. 5000 Honor Roll for being recognized for the seventh time as one of the fastest-growing companies across the country. Freedom Mortgage's mission is to foster homeownership for all consumers across America. For more information, please visit Freedom Mortgage.
FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION CONTACTS:
Audrey Shapiro
856-380-9073
Audrey.Shapiro@FreedomMortgage.com
Ellen Longo
609-678-0968
Ellen.Longo@FreedomMortgage.com
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SOURCE Freedom Mortgage Corporation | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/06/13/freedom-mortgage-kicks-off-10th-anniversary-rucksacks-backpacks-campaign/ | 2022-06-13 18:48:01 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/06/13/freedom-mortgage-kicks-off-10th-anniversary-rucksacks-backpacks-campaign/ |
While public safety commissioner Bull Connor's police dogs in 1963 attacked civil rights protesters in Birmingham, Ala., leaders in Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown of Atlanta were burnishing its reputation as "the city too busy to hate."
Yet 50 years after the civil rights leader was killed, some public health leaders in Atlanta wonder whether the city is failing to live up to King's call for justice in health care. They point to substantial disparities, particularly in preventive care.
"We have world-class health care facilities in Atlanta, but the challenge is that we're still seeing worse outcomes" for African-Americans, says Kathryn Lawler, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement. That group includes representatives of more than 100 nonprofit organizations, governments, hospital systems and other health care providers working to improve access and care for minority communities.
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.
"We did certain things here, we went through the civil rights era, and we did things like desegregation, but we just over the years never kept the conversation going," says Tom Andrews, president of Mercy Care, a health center that serves mainly homeless Atlantans, the vast majority of whom are African-American.
Among the problems:
-- Atlanta has the widest gap in breast cancer mortality rates between African-American women and white women of any U.S. city, with 44 black patients per 100,000 residents dying compared with 20 per 100,000 white women, according to a study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology in 2016.
-- It is the city with the nation's highest death rate for black men with prostate cancer — 49.7 deaths per 100,000 residents. The mortality rate for white men in Atlanta is 19.3, the National Cancer Institute reports.
-- There's a 12-year or greater difference in life span among neighborhoods in Fulton County, of which Atlanta is the county seat. Those living in the city's Bankhead or Northwest neighborhoods, which are predominantly black, fare worse when compared to those who live in affluent, mainly white Buckhead, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University found.
-- Large gaps in mortality exist between African-Americans and whites in such diseases as HIV, stroke and diabetes, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
African-Americans make up just over half of the city's residents. But a recent study found that 80 percent of black children here live in neighborhoods with high concentrations of poverty, which often have poor access to quality medical care, while 6 percent of white children do. Several of the neighborhoods with predominately minority communities have poverty rates higher than 40 percent.
"I think we should be further along in Atlanta, but I think we should be further along in all cities in this country," says Dr. David Satcher, a former U.S. surgeon general and now senior adviser at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine here.
The health gaps between African-Americans and whites in Atlanta and other cities aren't because of shortcomings in the health care system alone, according to people who have studied the issue. They are also the result of decades of discrimination.
"It's a constellation of things," says Thomas LaVeist, chairman of the department of health policy and management at the George Washington University's school of public health in Washington, D.C. "African-Americans couldn't own land, wealth couldn't transfer from one generation to the next. Those were advantages [for whites] that were formed decades ago."
"The disparities are really national problems," he adds, "and there really is not a city that's spared."
The result has been, public health officials say, lower incomes, lower levels of education, higher stress, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of insurance and a host of other social factors that combine, over the years, to create differences in quality of health.
It starts with a lack of preventive care, says Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society and a longtime Atlanta resident. In addition to not having insurance or money for care, many African-Americans lack trust in the health care system and see it as another part of American life that has let them down.
Ricardo Farmer, 57, has not been to a doctor for a checkup in almost 30 years, he says. He is uninsured, and his funds are limited. More than anything, however, Farmer says he does not trust the health care system.
"If I don't have any symptoms, I feel like I don't need to go," says the tile setter.
Yet he has a back problem that causes him to miss work occasionally. He also has high blood pressure, which he has self-treated by reducing his salt intake and giving up meat. Asthma attacks sometimes force him to the emergency room.
An Abundance Of Health Care, For Some
Atlanta is a major health care hub, home to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Cancer Society, Arthritis Foundation, two schools of medicine and several universities that offer degrees in public health.
Yet health care is still scarce in many poor neighborhoods.
"Atlanta spends $11 billion on health care in a given year, but much of that is misspent," says Lawler with the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement. Too many patients end up in emergency rooms, for example, because they don't have a primary care doctor or seek treatment after their illnesses are much more advanced, she added.
In addition, after being diagnosed, getting treatment can be difficult for some, says American Cancer Society's Brawley. African-American women are nearly four times more likely than whites to forgo treatment for breast cancer, which can include a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, he says.
Those involved in seeking better care for Atlanta's poor say the lack of insurance coverage also plays a huge role in the problem. Yet, that, too, is tied to race, since twice as many African-Americans than whites are uninsured in Georgia.
"One of the greatest barriers to care in all these states that didn't expand Medicaid [under the Affordable Care Act] is lack of insurance," says Brawley. "And it happened in all of the states of the 'Old Confederacy.' This is a huge racial insult."
But State Rep. Jason Spencer says Republicans' opposition to Medicaid expansion "had nothing to do with race." He says whites living in parts of northern Georgia also have higher mortality rates. "The common denominator is education and finances. The race card is a worn-out, tiresome excuse."
"I Didn't Want To Think About Bad Things"
Austin Gilmore, 60, is emblematic of the patients who don't have a regular physician.
He had a roofing business and lived with his wife in a four-bedroom house with two bathrooms. But he lost his bearings when she died in 2011 from kidney disease.
"I didn't even know I was depressed," says Gilmore. He started drinking and eventually lost his house and his business."I had no livelihood, no job, no place to live. I didn't want to think about bad things, so I drank," Gilmore says. He knew he was harming his health. But without insurance and with few economic resources, he didn't know where to turn for help.
In September 2016, Gilmore decided he couldn't ignore his health issues any longer. He went to an emergency room and after several days of treatment was referred to Mercy Care for longer-term care. He has been sober for 19 months.
"I thank God for Mercy Care," Gilmore says. "I can't think of where I'd be without them."
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation that isn't affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
Copyright 2023 Kaiser Health News. To see more, visit Kaiser Health News. | https://www.wboi.org/npr-news/2018-04-04/atlanta-struggles-to-fulfill-mlks-legacy-in-health-care | 2023-05-27 23:51:33 | 0 | https://www.wboi.org/npr-news/2018-04-04/atlanta-struggles-to-fulfill-mlks-legacy-in-health-care |
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (hereinafter, 'the Alliance'), the nation's largest automobile association in the U.S., announces that Envision AESC has become the new member of it with BASF, LG Energy Solution, McLaren Automotive, and Qualcomm, jointly to drive innovation advancement that helps guide the industry's transition for a cleaner, safer, and smarter future.
Japan-based AESC, is recognized by the Alliance as a global leading battery technology company with a strong commitment to investment as part of its growing footprint in the U.S.. In 2022, Envision AESC announced to build two gigafactories in Kentucky and South Carolina, to provide advanced battery solutions for BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz and other leading automotive manufacturers. Together with the existing plant in Tennessee, the company is committed to achieving a total output of 70 GWh/year in the U.S., helping accelerate the country's transition to electric vehicles. As a world-leading pioneer in advanced battery technology, AESC is on track to achieve global battery manufacturing capacity of 300 GWh by 2026, powered by net-zero energy.
Shoichi Matsumoto, CEO of AESC, said: "The US is one of our most important global markets and presents enormous opportunities for technology advancement to support transformation of transport systems and the e-mobility sector. We are delighted to partner with members of the Alliance to continually drive innovation and jointly create an electrification ecosystem, encouraging growth of the whole value chain and creating thousands of high value jobs in the U.S..'
John Bozzella, President and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, welcomed AESC as a new member of the alliance: 'Our association represents the entire automotive industry – automakers, innovators, semiconductor and battery manufacturers and a range of suppliers. Each of these new members adds valuable perspective to our collective work on the future of mobility.'
Founded in 2020, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation is comprised of the manufacturers producing nearly 98% of new cars and light trucks sold in the U.S., including BMW Group, BOSCH, Ford, GM Motors and Volvo. It also includes motor vehicle manufacturers, original equipment suppliers, technology and other automotive-related companies and trade associations.
About Envision AESC
Envision AESC is a global battery technology company headquartered in Zama, Japan, and committed to research, development, design, manufacturing and sales of power batteries for EVs and energy storage batteries. AESC has 5,600 employees and 12 manufacturing sites in Japan, U.S., U.K., France, Spain and China. In the past 12 years, AESC has produced power batteries for more than 800,000 electric vehicles in 59 countries, achieving a record of 'zero critical battery malfunction.'
Its teams work to continuously improve the company's global leadership in product development, quality and sustainable processes. In June 2021, AESC was again named 'Global Tier 1 Battery Companies' by Benchmark, a leading UK-based lithium-ion battery supply chain research organization. Visit https://www.envision-aesc.com/jp/.
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SOURCE Envision AESC | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/01/18/joining-alliance-automotive-innovation-envision-aesc-propels-technology-breakthrough-automobile-industry-with-leading-partners/ | 2023-01-18 19:42:01 | 0 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/01/18/joining-alliance-automotive-innovation-envision-aesc-propels-technology-breakthrough-automobile-industry-with-leading-partners/ |
How to Watch the Hurricanes vs. Devils Game: Streaming & TV Channel Info for NHL Playoffs Second Round Game 1
Published: May. 2, 2023 at 7:20 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
The Carolina Hurricanes ready for the opening game of the NHL Playoffs Second Round Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils, beginning at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, and TVAS.
Catch over 1,000 out of market NHL games, plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle. Click here to sign up!
You can tune in to see the Hurricanes try to beat the the Devils on ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, and TVAS.
Hurricanes Live Stream, TV Channel and Game Info
- When: Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
- TV Channel: ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, and TVAS
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Where: PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
Watch live sports and more without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
Hurricanes vs Devils Additional Info
Hurricanes vs. Devils Head-to-Head
Hurricanes Stats & Trends
- The Hurricanes have given up 210 total goals (2.6 per game), the second-fewest in league play.
- The Hurricanes' 262 total goals (3.2 per game) rank 15th in the league.
- In the last 10 contests, the Hurricanes are 6-4-0 (80.0% of possible points).
- On the defensive side, the Hurricanes have given up 26 goals (2.6 per game) over those 10 outings.
- They have scored 31 goals during that span.
Hurricanes Key Players
Devils Stats & Trends
- The Devils have one of the top defenses in the NHL, giving up 222 total goals (2.7 per game), eighth in the league.
- With 289 goals (3.5 per game), the Devils have the NHL's fourth-best offense.
- Over the past 10 contests, the Devils have claimed 80.0% of the possible points with a 6-4-0 record.
- On the defensive end, the Devils have allowed 24 goals (2.4 per game) over those 10 matchups.
- They have averaged 2.9 goals per game (29 total) during that stretch.
Devils Key Players
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbtv.com/sports/betting/2023/05/03/hurricanes-devils-nhl-nhl-playoffs-second-round-game-1-live-stream-tv-15/ | 2023-05-03 14:23:54 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/sports/betting/2023/05/03/hurricanes-devils-nhl-nhl-playoffs-second-round-game-1-live-stream-tv-15/ |
A West Virginia woman recovered her lost wallet after 54 years Published January 2, 2023 at 4:16 AM PST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 0:27 Sharon Day dropped her wallet at a high school dance in 1968. It was recovered when construction crews renovating the building found it and returned it. Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.kvpr.org/2023-01-02/a-west-virginia-woman-recovered-her-lost-wallet-after-54-years | 2023-01-02 13:48:58 | 0 | https://www.kvpr.org/2023-01-02/a-west-virginia-woman-recovered-her-lost-wallet-after-54-years |
Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader long banned by MLB for betting on games, returned to the field Sunday in Philadelphia as part of the Phillies’ celebration of their 1980 World Series win and quickly found himself at the epicenter of controversy.
“No, I’m not here to talk about that,” Rose said when Alex Coffey, a female baseball reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, asked him about it. “Sorry about that. It was 55 years ago, babe.”
Rose briefly told reporters (via the Associated Press): “I’m here for the Philly fans, I’m here for my teammates, I’m here for the Philly organization. And who cares what happened 50 years ago? You weren’t even born. So you shouldn’t be talking about it, because you weren’t born. If you don’t know a damn thing about it, don’t talk about it.”
In testimony in federal court in 2017, a woman alleged she had a sexual relationship with Rose that began when she was below the age of consent. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, said in a sworn statement in court filings that the relationship started in 1973 and continued for a few years.
“Sometime after that, Pete Rose and I began meeting at a house in Cincinnati,” the woman said. “It was at that house where, before my 16th birthday, Pete Rose began a sexual relationship with me. This sexual relationship lasted for several years. Pete Rose also met me in locations outside of Ohio where we had sex.”
In court filings, Rose admitted to having sex with the woman but said he believed she was 16, the age of consent in Ohio, and that their relationship began “sometime in 1975,” when he was 34. The statute of limitations had expired, so he could not be charged with statutory rape.
The testimony emerged during Rose’s 2017 defamation lawsuit against attorney John Dowd, who led the MLB investigation that resulted in Rose’s lifetime ban for gambling on the Cincinnati Reds as a player and manager. The lawsuit was filed after a 2015 radio interview in which Dowd said Rose had committed statutory rape by routinely having sex with underage girls. Rose denied the accusation.
On Sunday, Rose was greeted warmly by Phillies fans when he walked onto the field at Citizens Bank Park before a 13-1 win over the Washington Nationals.
Here’s the reception Pete Rose got at Citizens Bank Park. pic.twitter.com/2uQwOsZ0LT
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) August 7, 2022
Rose “was made available after the ceremony,” Coffey tweeted. “Someone, maybe an agent, said he had something to say to me, but he didn’t seem to know he was expected to say anything. He asked if he’d offended me, and said, ‘will you forgive me if I sign 1,000 baseballs for you’ before saying, ‘sorry.’ ” | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/07/pete-rose-phillies-comments/ | 2022-08-07 21:51:04 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/07/pete-rose-phillies-comments/ |
WFO SAN DIEGO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, August 7, 2022
_____
AREAL FLOOD ADVISORY
Flood Advisory
National Weather Service San Diego CA
335 PM PDT Sun Aug 7 2022
...FLOOD ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON...
* WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues.
* WHERE...A portion of Southern California, including the following
county, Riverside.
* WHEN...Until 400 PM PDT.
* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
Water over roadways.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 335 PM PDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to
thunderstorms. Minor flooding is ongoing or expected to begin
shortly in the advisory area.
- Some locations that will experience flooding include...
Idyllwild-Pine Cove, Anza, Mountain Center, Hwy 74 Between
Hemet And Mountain Center, Hwy 74 Between Mountain Center And
Anza, Lake Hemet and Cahuilla Indian Reservation.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | https://www.expressnews.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-SAN-DIEGO-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17357921.php | 2022-08-07 23:28:09 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-SAN-DIEGO-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17357921.php |
MOSCOW (AP) — One of Russia’s largest airlines, with an extensive network throughout Siberia, may have to take a third of its helicopter fleet out of service because of trouble getting parts, the airline’s head said Thursday.
The statement by Utair chief executive office Andrei Martirosov at an aviation trade show indicates that sanctions imposed by the West after Russia sent troops into Ukraine are making a dent in Russia’s economy.
Russian officials have claimed that the country can find substitutes for foreign parts and other other items.
“Of the helicopters in circulation, the fleet may be reduced by 30%. This is mainly due, of course, to engines for both foreign-made helicopters and domestic helicopters, in which the engines are not of domestic production,” Martirosov was quoted as saying by state news agency Tass.
Utair is Russia’s fourth-largest airline, with both fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter fleet of more than 200 that provides both scheduled service and charter flights, focusing on the extensive oil fields and mining areas of Siberia. | https://www.krqe.com/news/business/ap-major-russian-airline-could-idle-30-of-helicopter-fleet-as-part-supplies-dry-up/ | 2023-05-19 07:04:07 | 0 | https://www.krqe.com/news/business/ap-major-russian-airline-could-idle-30-of-helicopter-fleet-as-part-supplies-dry-up/ |
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive branch recommended Sunday that the bloc suspend around 7.5 billion euros ($7.5 billion) in funding to Hungary over concerns about democratic backsliding and the possible mismanagement of EU money.
EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that despite measures Hungary has proposed to address the deficiencies, the European Commission is recommending the suspension of funds “amounting to an estimated amount of 7.5 billion euros.”
The money would come from “cohesion funds” granted to Hungary. This envelope of money, one of the biggest slices of the bloc’s budget, helps countries to bring their economies and infrastructure up to EU standards.
Hahn said that Hungary has until Nov. 19 to address the concerns. Any action to suspend the funds must be approved by EU’s 27 member countries, and this requires a “qualified majority,” which amounts to 55% of the 27 members representing at least 65% of the total EU population.
The European Commission has for nearly a decade accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of dismantling democratic institutions, taking control of the media and infringing on minority rights. Orban, who has been in office since 2010, denies the accusations.
Speaking after a meeting of EU commissioners in Brussels, which unanimously endorsed the move, Hahn welcomed Hungary’s offer to fix the problem, saying that its proposed remedial action goes “in the right direction.”
He said the measures could address some of the commission’s concerns if they are followed up, and properly acted upon. But he said that “a risk for the budget at this stage remains, therefore we cannot conclude that the EU budget is sufficiently protected.”
Hungarian media has reported that Orban’s nationalist government is set to announce new legislation as soon as Monday. EU lawmakers expressed concern last week that this may just be a ploy to gain time.
In a resolution on Thursday, the lawmakers said that Hungary’s nationalist government is deliberately trying to undermine the bloc’s democratic values.
They said that the government in Budapest — which Orban characterizes as an “illiberal democracy” — has become “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.” In part, they blame EU member countries for this, for turning a blind eye to possible abuses.
The French Greens parliamentarian who chaperoned the resolution through the assembly, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, said that “for the first time, an EU institution is stating the sad truth, that Hungary is no longer a democracy.” | https://phl17.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-eu-recommends-suspending-billions-in-funding-to-hungary/ | 2022-09-18 10:03:00 | 0 | https://phl17.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-eu-recommends-suspending-billions-in-funding-to-hungary/ |
HAIFA, Israel (AP) — Curators at an Israeli museum have discovered three previously unknown sketches by celebrated 20th-century artist Amedeo Modigliani hiding beneath the surface of one of his paintings.
The unfinished works by Modigliani, an Italian-born artist who worked in Paris before his death in 1920, came to light after the canvas of “Nude with a Hat” at the University of Haifa’s Hecht Museum was X-rayed as part of a sweeping forensic study of his work for an upcoming exhibit in Philadelphia.
Inna Berkowits, an art historian at the Hecht Museum, said it was “quite an amazing discovery.”
“Through the X-rays, we are really able to make this inanimate object speak,” she told The Associated Press.
Modigliani is considered one of the 20th century’s great Modernist artists. His lived a short, turbulent, Bohemian life in France, where his nude paintings were controversial. His work is typified by slender, elongated necks and faces, a signature style influenced by African and Cycladic Greek art that was just starting to arrive in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Jewish artist died aged 35, penniless.
One of his paintings, “Reclining Nude,” fetched over $170 million when it was sold at auction in 2015, making it one of the most expensive paintings ever sold. Another was sold in 2018 for $157 million at auction.
The high demand for authentic Modigliani works has generated a thriving market for fakes and forgeries.
The last time Italy staged a big Modigliani show, a 2017 exhibit at Genoa’s Palazzo Ducale, museum officials closed the show early after experts alleged that many of the works on display were fakes. A criminal trial has been underway for over a year.
In 2018, X-ray technology revealed a previously unknown Modigliani portrait beneath one of his paintings at London’s Tate Gallery.
Modigliani’s 1908 “Nude with a Hat” is already an unusual painting. Both sides of the canvas have portraits that are painted in opposite directions. Visitors entering the Hecht Museum’s galleries are met by an upside down nude portrait. A likeness of Maud Abrantes, a female friend of the artist, on the reverse side is right-side up.
In 2010, the museum’s curator noticed the eyes of a third figure peeking from beneath Abrantes’ collar. But only this year was the hidden image brought into focus.
“When we decided to do the X-ray, we were only looking to learn a little bit more about the hidden figure underneath Maud Abrantes,” Berkowits said. In addition to a hidden woman wearing a hat, they found two more portraits on the opposite side that were completely invisible to the naked eye: one of a man, and another of a woman with her hair pulled up in a bun.
The “Nude with a Hat” dates from early in Modigliani’s career, not long after he moved to Paris from Italy, when he was struggling to find buyers for his art. The painting was purchased by the museum’s founder in 1983.
The canvas is now known to contain five of his paintings, likely painted one atop the other out of necessity to save money on new canvases. X-ray photography and other noninvasive technologies have found hidden works by other artists such as Degas and Rembrandt.
Berkowits called the artwork “a sketchbook on a canvas,” showing Modigliani’s repeated tries and “never-ending search for artistic expression.” She said there is “no doubt at all” that the painting is authentic.
“He was one of the very first multicultural artists who pulled inspiration from different sources,” said Kenneth Wayne, director of the Modigliani Project, an organization that is working to compile an authenticated collection of the artist’s works. He cited Modigliani’s contemporaries Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse as other examples.
Modigliani sought “an air of the strange and beauty” and achieved that through the incorporation of those foreign styles in his art, Wayne added. Wayne and his colleagues use scientific methods and art expertise to weed out fakes.
The X-ray photography was conducted ahead of a sweeping exhibition of Modigliani’s works at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
Wayne said a growing number of technical studies like that by the Barnes Foundation have increased confidence in confirming genuine Modiglianis.
The foundation museum said the exhibit opens Oct. 16 and will explore the artist’s working methods and materials based on forensic study of dozens of Modigliani’s paintings and sculptures loaned from collections around the world. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/israeli-museum-finds-sketches-hidden-in-modigliani-painting/ | 2022-07-13 20:51:00 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/israeli-museum-finds-sketches-hidden-in-modigliani-painting/ |
Thousands flee, several hurt as wildfire scorches California
WEED, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of people remained under evacuation orders Saturday after a wind-whipped wildfire raged through rural Northern California, injuring people and torching an unknown number of homes.
The fire that began Friday afternoon on or near a wood-products plant quickly blew into a neighborhood on the northern edge of Weed but then carried the flames away from the city of about 2,600.
Evacuees described heavy smoke and chunks of ash raining down.
Annie Peterson said she was sitting on the porch of her home near Roseburg Forest Products, which manufactures wood veneers, when “all of a sudden we heard a big boom and all that smoke was just rolling over toward us.”
Very quickly her home and about a dozen others were on fire. She said members of her church helped evacuate her and her son, who is immobile. She said the scene of smoke and flames looked like “the world was coming to an end.”
Suzi Brady, a Cal Fire spokeswoman, said several people were injured.
Allison Hendrickson, spokeswoman for Dignity Health North State hospitals, said two people were brought to Mercy Medical Center Mount Shasta. One was in stable condition and the other was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center, which has a burn unit.
Rebecca Taylor, communications director for Roseburg Forest Products based in Springfield, Oregon, said it is unclear if the fire started near or on company property. A large empty building at the edge of company property burned she said. All employees were evacuated, and none have reported injuries, she said.
The blaze, dubbed the Mill Fire, was pushed by 35-mph (56-kph) winds, and quickly engulfed 4 square miles (10.3 square kilometers) of ground.
The flames raced through tinder-dry grass, brush and timber. About 7,500 people in Weed and several nearby communities were under evacuation orders.
Dr. Deborah Higer, medical director at the Shasta View Nursing Center, said all 23 patients at the facility were evacuated, with 20 going to local hospitals and three staying at her own home, where hospital beds were set up.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Siskyou County and said a federal grant had been received “to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppressthe fire.”
At about the time the blaze started, power outages were reported that affected some 9,000 customers, and several thousand remained without electricity late into the night, according to an outage website for power company PacifiCorp, which said they were due to the wildfire.
It was the third large wildfire in as many days in California, which has been in the grip of a prolonged drought and is now sweltering under a heat wave that was expected to push temperatures past the 100-degree mark in many areas through Labor Day.
Thousands also were ordered to flee on Wednesday from a fire in Castaic north of Los Angeles and a blaze in eastern San Diego County near the Mexican border, where two people were severely burned and several homes were destroyed. Those blazes were 56% and 65% contained, respectively, and all evacuations had been lifted.
The heat taxed the state’s power grid as people tried to stay cool. For a fourth day, residents were asked to conserve power Saturday during late afternoon and evening hours.
The Mill Fire was burning about an hour’s drive from the Oregon state line. A few miles north of the blaze, a second fire erupted Friday near the community of Gazelle. The Mountain Fire has burned more than 2 square miles (6 square kilometers) but no injuries or building damage was reported.
The whole region has faced repeated devastating wildfires in recent years. The Mill Fire was only about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of where the McKinney Fire — the state’s deadliest of the year — erupted in late July. It killed four people and destroyed dozens of homes.
Olga Hood fled her Weed home on Friday as smoke was blowing over the next hill.
With the notorious gusts that tear through the town at the base of Mount Shasta, she didn’t wait for an evacuation order. She packed up her documents, medication and little else, said her granddaughter, Cynthia Jones.
“With the wind in Weed everything like that moves quickly. It’s bad,” her granddaughter, Cynthia Jones, said by phone from her home in Medford, Oregon. “It’s not uncommon to have 50 to 60 mph gusts on a normal day. I got blown into a creek as a kid.”
Hood’s home of nearly three decades was spared from a blaze last year and from the devastating Boles Fire that tore through town eight years ago, destroying more than 160 buildings, mostly homes.
Hood wept as she discussed the fire from a relative’s house in the hamlet of Granada, Jones said. She wasn’t able to gather photos that had been important to her late husband.
Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. In the last five years, California has experienced the largest and most destructive fires in state history.
___
Associated Press reporters Olga R. Rodriguez and Janie Har in San Francisco and Stefanie Dazio and Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this article.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kbtx.com/2022/09/03/thousands-flee-several-hurt-wildfire-scorches-california/ | 2022-09-03 06:57:38 | 0 | https://www.kbtx.com/2022/09/03/thousands-flee-several-hurt-wildfire-scorches-california/ |
BLOOMFIELD, Conn., July 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to recent media misrepresentations, Cigna Healthcare, the health benefits provider of The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI), today shared information about one of its processes used to expedite payments to health care clinicians for a small number of relatively low-cost procedures. Cigna believes that the inaccurate portrayal of the PxDx – or "procedure to diagnosis" – process may lead to confusion or misunderstanding about how it works and how it is used.
Here are the facts about this claims review process:
- PxDx is a simple process that has successfully helped accelerate payments to physicians for common, relatively low-cost tests and treatments over the last several years. The post-treatment review process works through software (not artificial intelligence or an algorithm) that matches the codes submitted by the physician with diagnosis codes that are considered medically necessary for a procedure under Cigna's publicly posted clinical coverage policies.
- Patients are not denied care through this review in any way – it occurs after the patient has received treatment and once their physician bills for the treatment.
- Most individuals do not experience any additional costs if their claim is denied via PxDx. If a patient received care from an in-network provider, the provider should not bill them if payment on a specific service is not paid via PxDx.
- This process is used for approximately 50 low-cost tests and procedures that are only covered for specific diagnoses – such as dermabrasion, chemical peels, or vitamin D screenings.
- The vast majority of claims reviewed through this process are automatically paid. Claims that are denied for payment through this process represent less than 1% of Cigna Healthcare's total volume of claims.
- Similar versions of this process are used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other health insurers.
More information about this claims review process is available here.
About Cigna Healthcare
Cigna Healthcare is a health benefits provider that advocates for better health through every stage of life. We guide our customers through the health care system, empowering them with the information and insight they need to make the best choices for improving their health and vitality. Products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI), including Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Evernorth Health companies or their affiliates and Express Scripts companies or their affiliates. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and others. Learn more at cignahealthcare.com.
Media contact:
Justine Sessions
Justine.Sessions@cigna.com
860-810-6523
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Cigna Healthcare | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2023/07/27/cigna-healthcare-affirms-its-approach-expediting-physician-payments/ | 2023-07-27 12:30:56 | 1 | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2023/07/27/cigna-healthcare-affirms-its-approach-expediting-physician-payments/ |
The search for the missing submersible on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic neared the critical 96-hour mark Thursday when breathable air is expected to run out, reaching a vital moment in the intense effort to save the five people aboard.
The Titan submersible was estimated to have a 96-hour supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic. That means the deadline to find and rescue the sub is roughly between 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT) and 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT), based on information the U.S. Coast Guard and company behind the expedition have provided.
Experts emphasized that is an imprecise estimate and could be extended if passengers have taken measures to conserve breathable air. And it’s not known if they survived since the sub disappeared Sunday morning.
Frank Owen, a submarine search-and-rescue expert, said the oxygen supply figure is a useful “target” for searchers, but is only based on a “nominal amount of consumption.” Owen said the diver on board the Titan would likely be advising passengers to “do anything to reduce your metabolic levels so that you can actually extend this.”
Rescuers have rushed more ships and vessels to the site of the disappearance, hoping underwater sounds they detected for a second straight day might help narrow their search in the urgent, international mission. They have expanded the coverage area to thousands of miles — twice the size of Connecticut and in waters 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) deep.
The Titan was reported overdue Sunday afternoon about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, as it was on its way to where the iconic ocean liner sank more than a century ago. OceanGate Expeditions, an undersea exploration company, has been chronicling the Titanic’s decay and the underwater ecosystem around it via yearly voyages since 2021.
By Thursday morning, hope was running out that anyone on board the vessel would be found alive.
Many obstacles still remain: from pinpointing the vessel’s location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface — assuming it’s still intact. And all that has to happen before the passengers’ oxygen supply runs out.
Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District said authorities were still holding out hope of saving the five passengers onboard.
“This is a search-and-rescue mission, 100%,” he said Wednesday.
The area of the North Atlantic where the Titan vanished Sunday is also prone to fog and stormy conditions, making it an extremely challenging environment to conduct a search-and-rescue mission, said Donald Murphy, an oceanographer who served as chief scientist of the Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol.
Meanwhile, newly uncovered allegations suggest there had been significant warnings made about vessel safety during the submersible’s development.
Frederick said while the sounds that have been detected offered a chance to narrow the search, their exact location and source hadn’t yet been determined.
“We don’t know what they are, to be frank,” he said.
Retired Navy Capt. Carl Hartsfield, now the director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Systems Laboratory, said the sounds have been described as “banging noises,” but he warned that search crews “have to put the whole picture together in context and they have to eliminate potential manmade sources other than the Titan.”
The report was encouraging to some experts because submarine crews unable to communicate with the surface are taught to bang on their submersible’s hull to be detected by sonar.
The U.S. Navy said in a statement Wednesday that it was sending a specialized salvage system that’s capable of hoisting “large, bulky and heavy undersea objects such as aircraft or small vessels.”
The Titan weighs 20,000 pounds (9,071 kilograms). The U.S. Navy’s Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System is designed to lift up to 60,000 pounds (27,216 kilograms), the Navy said on its website.
Lost aboard the vessel are pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition. His passengers are a British adventurer, two members of a Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert. OceanGate Expeditions oversaw the mission.
At least 46 people successfully traveled on OceanGate’s submersible to the Titanic wreck site in 2021 and 2022, according to letters the company filed with a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, that oversees matters involving the Titanic shipwreck.
One of the company’s first customers characterized a dive he made to the site two years ago as a “kamikaze operation.”
“Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You can’t stand. You can’t kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other,” said Arthur Loibl, a retired businessman and adventurer from Germany. “You can’t be claustrophobic.”
During the 2.5-hour descent and ascent, the lights were turned off to conserve energy, he said, with the only illumination coming from a fluorescent glow stick.
The dive was repeatedly delayed to fix a problem with the battery and the balancing weights. In total, the voyage took 10.5 hours.
OceanGate has been criticized for the use of a simple commercially available video game controller to steer the Titan. But the company has said that many of the vessel’s parts are off-the-shelf because they have proved to be dependable.
“It’s meant for a 16-year-old to throw it around” and is “super durable,” Rush told the CBC in an interview last year while he demonstrated by throwing the controller around the Titan’s tiny cabin. He said a couple of spares are kept on board “just in case.”
The submersible had seven backup systems to return to the surface, including sandbags and lead pipes that drop off and an inflatable balloon.
Jeff Karson, a professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences at Syracuse University, said the temperature is just above freezing, and the vessel is too deep for human divers to get to it. The best chance to reach the submersible could be to use a remotely operated robot on a fiber optic cable, he said.
“I am sure it is horrible down there,” Karson said. “It is like being in a snow cave and hypothermia is a real danger.”
The passengers lost on the Titan are British adventurer Hamish Harding; Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, whose eponymous firm invests across the country; and French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet.
Retired Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, who is now deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University, said the disappearance underscores the dangers associated with operating in deep water and the recreational exploration of the sea and space.
“I think some people believe that because modern technology is so good, that you can do things like this and not have accidents, but that’s just not the case,” he said. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/last-desperate-push-as-final-hours-of-oxygen-on-missing-titanic-sub-tick-down/ | 2023-06-22 10:44:25 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/last-desperate-push-as-final-hours-of-oxygen-on-missing-titanic-sub-tick-down/ |
NFL power rankings: Eagles clinch playoff berth as 49ers rise with blowout win
Brock Purdy and the defense have the 49ers in the top five
There is only one thing for certain as the 2022 NFL regular season reaches Week 15: the Philadelphia Eagles will be playing in the postseason.
The Eagles wrapped up the playoff berth with a win over the New York Giants and maintained a two-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. The Eagles are looking to win the division for the first time since 2019. They already have their first double-digit win season since 2017.
There are plenty of other good teams toward the top of the latest power rankings and all of them looking for the Eagles to slip up once to get past Philadelphia. But alas, it won’t be this week and it probably won’t be next week either.
The Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills managed to pick up wins on Sunday despite all of them being close. The top 5 finishes with the San Francisco 49ers, who are now being led by "Mr. Irrelevant" Brock Purdy and one of the best defenses they’ve put together in a long time.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Read below to see how the Week 15 power rankings shake out.
--
1). Philadelphia Eagles (12-1)
Previous rank: 1
Week 14 result: 48-22 win over Giants
Week 15 matchup: Sunday @ Bears
Jalen Hurts is an MVP candidate. A.J. Brown has proven to be the best offseason acquisition of any team this year. And the defense can change the game on a dime. What can't Philly do?
--
2). Dallas Cowboys (10-3)
Previous rank: 2
Week 14 result: 27-23 win over Texans
Week 15 matchup: Sunday @ Jaguars
The Cowboys nearly dropped one to the Texans last week and face Trevor Lawrence and the Jags next. Lawrence has played really well over the last few games and could be geared up for an upset.
--
3). Kansas City Chiefs (10-3)
Previous rank: 4
Week 14 result: 34-28 win over Broncos
Week 15 matchup: Sunday vs. Texans
The Chiefs didn't play particularly well but did enough to hold off the charging Broncos. They should have an easier time at home against Houston.
--
4). Buffalo Bills (10-3)
Previous rank: 5
Week 14 result: 20-12 win over Jets
Week 15 matchup: Saturday vs. Dolphins
Josh Allen and company will welcome the Dolphins at home in the middle of a snowstorm. Who's ready for some football weather?
--
5). San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
Previous rank: 7
Week 14 result: 35-7 win over Buccaneers
Week 15 matchup: Thursday @ Seahawks
The 49ers' defense has been playing incredibly well over the last few weeks and their 28-point win on Sunday underscored that. Can Brock Purdy pick up another win?
--
6). Cincinnati Bengals (9-4)
Previous rank: 6
Week 14 result: 23-10 win over Browns
Week 15 matchup: Sunday @ Buccaneers
Joe Burrow and the Bengals have been red hot. Another young quarterback gets a chance to go up against Tom Brady and company.
--
7). Minnesota Vikings (10-3)
Previous rank: 3
Week 14 result: 34-23 loss to Lions
Week 15 matchup: Saturday vs. Colts
The Vikings fell into the trap game against the Lions. They need to rectify their loss quickly and the Colts are next.
--
8). Baltimore Ravens (9-4)
Previous rank: 10
Week 14 result: 16-14 win over Steelers
Week 15 matchup: Saturday @ Browns
The Ravens eked out a win over the Steelers but having injured quarterbacks isn't great. Anthony Brown could be the one to lead the team against Cleveland on Saturday.
--
9). Seattle Seahawks (7-6)
Previous rank: 9
Week 14 result: 30-24 loss to Panthers
Week 15 matchup: Thursday vs. 49ers
Seattle played Carolina tough but couldn't get the win. Their schedule isn't getting any easier with a game against the 49ers.
--
10). Miami Dolphins (8-5)
Previous rank: 8
Week 14 result: 23-17 loss to Chargers
Week 15 matchup: Saturday @ Bills
The Dolphins looked off balance in their loss to the Chargers on Sunday night. Injuries have hurt Miami and it appeared that way against Los Angeles.
--
BUCS' TOM BRADY LAUGHS OFF SIGNING INTERCEPTED BALL FOR 49ERS' DRE GREENLAW: 'IT WAS S--- FOR ME'
11). Los Angeles Chargers (7-6)
12). Tennessee Titans (7-6)
13). New England Patriots (7-6)
14). New York Jets (7-6)
15). Washington Commanders (7-5-1)
16). Detroit Lions (6-7)
17). New York Giants (7-5-1)
18). Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8)
19). Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
20). Carolina Panthers (5-8)
21). Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
22). Green Bay Packers (5-8)
23). Cleveland Browns (5-8)
24). Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)
25). Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8)
26). Los Angeles Rams (4-9)
27). New Orleans Saints (4-9)
28). Arizona Cardinals (4-9)
29). Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1)
30). Denver Broncos (3-10)
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31). Chicago Bears (3-10)
32). Houston Texans (1-11-1) | https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-power-rankings-eagles-clinch-playoff-berth-49ers-rise-blowout-win | 2022-12-14 13:42:16 | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-power-rankings-eagles-clinch-playoff-berth-49ers-rise-blowout-win |
How are the holidays here so soon? I'm not ready | Suzy Fleming Leonard
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Y'all, seriously. How did this happen?
How did we get from spring break to Christmas carols without even pumping the brakes?
Maybe it's because time crept by for almost two years during the height of the pandemic. It didn't take long for my world of quiet sameness to rev back into go-go-go.
Usually, I'm one of those obnoxious people who brags about finishing my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving and getting my out-of-town gifts in the mail by Black Friday.
This year, I feel disorganized and confused, wondering what day it is and how the heck I've entered the post-Thanksgiving zone with no holiday cards ordered, very few gifts purchased, and no idea what to get the men on my shopping list.
I even switched to Sirius Radio's Holly station on Nov. 15, even though my husband Steve swears it's bad luck, in hopes of stirring some holiday inspiration. It didn't work. Maybe my husband is right.
My neighbor, Jeanette Roach, said she feels the same way. She blames it on Hurricane Nicole. Just as we were getting holiday ready, Nicole popped by and interrupted.
It made me feel better to know she hasn't gotten much shopping done either. Disorganization and confusion loves company.
As the three of us rode home from a Tuesday night workout, two days before Thanksgiving, I tried to get Steve to sing along to the Christmas music playing in my car.
"No," he said. "Not until Friday."
We did get him to join a conversation about favorite Christmas songs. I love "O, Holy Night." Steve likes "Last Christmas," the Wham! version.
Jeanette said she loves "The Little Drummer Boy" because it reminds her of her mother. It annoys her husband Rick, so she turns it off when he's around.
I tend to agree with Rick. There's a monotony to it, like a long, pandemic day.
I do, however, love the "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy" combo, recorded by Bing Crosby and David Bowie in 1977 on Crosby's Christmas special.
More by Suzy:
- Some days are darker than others, but there's always thanks to give
- Storm prep routine becomes tradition — but let's not enjoy it often
- Readers share great advice for enjoying retirement
"Which one is that?" Jeanette asked. I tried to sing it, but couldn't remember the words. Then I glanced down at the radio. The volume was low, in deference to Steve, but it sounded like ... it was! Almost like we'd conjured it. I turned up the sound.
Come they told me pa-rum-pum-pum-pum ...
Bowie and Crosby's voices filled the car with effortless harmony.
Every child must be made aware
Every child must be made to care
Care enough for his fellow man
To give all the love that he can
The song ended as we pulled into the driveway.
Live in peace, live in peace again
Rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum
Then he smiled at me pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Peace on Earth
Me and my drum
Can it be
I was struck by how relevant those words, sung 45 years ago, are today.
And I was reminded of something. The gifts and the cards and the frenzy aren't the things that matter this time of year.
Peace on Earth. Can it be?
I hope so. Someday.
Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard
Support local journalism: Find offers for new subscribers here: Special Offers — USATodayNetwork. | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/life/style/suzy-leonard/2022/11/25/holidays-frenzied-one-song-puts-things-into-perspective-suzy-fleming-leonard/10748127002/ | 2022-11-25 13:12:11 | 1 | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/life/style/suzy-leonard/2022/11/25/holidays-frenzied-one-song-puts-things-into-perspective-suzy-fleming-leonard/10748127002/ |
MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. (WPIX) – Police in New York have dug up the backyard of Rex Heuermann, who is accused of killing three women in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation.
A yellow excavator that had been seen scooping dirt in the backyard Sunday was still at the house Monday morning. In Associated Press drone footage, a man could also be seen operating a piece of equipment that can be used to scan for buried objects.
Over the weekend, police dismantled a wooden deck at the house.
Investigators with shovels could be seen scraping through the freshly upturned earth in Heuermann’s yard.
Investigators were also using ground-penetrating radars and police dogs to help with the search. Police haven’t commented on what evidence, if any, they’ve found so far.
Heuermann is charged in the killings of three women whose bodies were discovered along Gilgo Beach in 2010. He’s also suspected in the death of a fourth woman whose body was found in the same area. However, he has not been charged in that case, investigators said.
Heuermann’s arrest on July 14 marked a stunning breakthrough in the hunt for a suspected serial killer who had eluded investigators and whose crimes gripped Long Islanders since the bodies of four women — all of them sex workers — were found wrapped in burlap near Gilgo Beach.
Within months, the remains of six other bodies, including a toddler, were discovered elsewhere along the same beach highway. Heuermann has not been accused in any of those cases. Police have said the deaths may be the work of multiple killers.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/national-news/police-dig-up-suspects-backyard-in-gilgo-beach-serial-killing-investigation/ | 2023-07-24 22:29:54 | 0 | https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/national-news/police-dig-up-suspects-backyard-in-gilgo-beach-serial-killing-investigation/ |
MESA, Ariz., July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlis Motor Vehicles (ATLIS), a startup mobility-technology company that is developing an electric work truck and the batteries and motors to drive it, today announced the addition of Caryn Nightengale to the company's board of directors.
Nightengale is an experienced executive with an extensive background in operations, fiscal management, corporate development, and investment banking. Her career focus has been leading companies through complex organizational transformation in the startup, launch, and growth phases. She's currently preparing to launch a startup focused on helping businesses advance their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Most recently, Nightengale was the chief financial officer of Wisk Aero LLC, a mobility company developing self-flying air taxis. Her responsibilities included oversight of financial and capital allocation functions, facilities management, environmental health and safety, information technology, and benefits and payroll administration.
Prior to joining Wisk, she served as the CFO of Liquid Robotics, a sustainability-focused robotics company; she was also an internal strategic advisor to senior leadership of the Boeing Company and an investment banking advisor at BMO Capital Markets. In those roles, Nightengale leveraged her expertise to accelerate growth through M&A, joint venture, equity, venture capital, and debt transactions.
"As we prepare ATLIS to go public and move toward the launches of the XP platform and XT pickup truck, Caryn's expertise and guidance is paramount," said Annie Pratt, president of ATLIS. "Attracting and retaining talent, meeting investor expectations, and delivering exceptional products to our customers are our priorities and Caryn's insight will help us do so."
Nightengale earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a bachelor's degree in economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, with a major in finance and a minor in Japanese studies. She serves on the Penn Athletics Board of Advisors, the Penn Basketball Board of Directors, and is vice chairperson of the MBA Council at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business.
ATLIS is a mobility-technology company developing products that will power work. The ATLIS innovators are building an electric vehicle technology platform for heavy- and light-duty work trucks used in the agriculture, service, utility, and construction industries. To meet the towing and payload capabilities of legacy diesel-powered vehicles, ATLIS is developing proprietary battery technology and a modular system architecture capable of scaling to meet the specific needs of the all-electric vehicle. All ATLIS technology is designed, developed, and produced in Mesa, Arizona. More information is available on the ATLIS website at www.atlismotorvehicles.com.
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SOURCE Atlis Motor Vehicles (ATLIS) | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/07/06/atlis-motor-vehicles-adds-caryn-nightengale-its-board-directors/ | 2022-07-06 13:52:34 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/07/06/atlis-motor-vehicles-adds-caryn-nightengale-its-board-directors/ |
Which Glow Recipe skin care products are best?
Skin care is an industry that continues to grow as more people learn about the importance of skin maintenance and sun damage prevention. Glow Recipe provides skin care products that take a cleaner approach to beauty, avoiding many chemicals and ingredients that could be harmful. The brand is still relatively new but has already garnered the attention of top beauty sellers such as Sephora.
Consider the Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask if you are looking for a top product to implement into your skin-care routine.
What to know before you buy a Glow Recipe skin care product
Skin care products work best when used on the recommended skin type. Some work well for all skin types, but a wide chunk of the skin care market addresses specific concerns. Glow Recipe offers both skin-specific products and products that work with all skin types while focusing on clean beauty by using ingredients such as fruit extract.
Personal skin type
Understanding your skin type is crucial before purchasing products for a skin-care routine. They focus on different concerns, from hyperpigmentation to dryness. Items that can be applied to all skin types are a better purchase for people with combination skin types or skin types that tend to change. Consider talking with a dermatologist to understand what items and ingredients would work best for you before buying an entire skin routine.
Budget
Skin care products often fall into the higher side of the price range. Luckily, Glow Recipe trends closer to the more affordable side without compromising quality. If you are looking for a more affordable approach, consider buying smaller sizes or a gift set of items that have a wider variety of products.
Clean beauty approach
The concept of clean beauty means that products are created without potentially harmful ingredients. The market for clean products in both beauty and skin care continues to grow as awareness about the harmful side effects of many ingredients gains traction. Glow Recipe keeps current with the market and uses healthy ingredients the body is familiar with, such as fruit extract.
What to look for in a quality Glow Recipe skin care product
Glow Recipe focuses on cleaner beauty and includes fruit extracts instead of relying on harmful chemicals to do work such as moisturizing and cleansing the skin. The products are inspired by Korean beauty as well as the childhoods of both founders. Products are not tested on animals, so they’re cruelty-free. Many also are vegan, creating a more environmentally conscious approach to beauty.
Fruit-extract focused
The products often feature fruit extracts such as watermelon and papaya whose natural benefits can enhance the skin. The bottles closely match the fruit extract inside, so bottles that use pineapple are bright yellow while bottles with blueberry look purple.
K-beauty inspired
The Korean-American heritage of founders Christine Chang and Sarah Lee helped create a line of skin care products with an international understanding of beauty, often drawing from foods they knew in their childhoods. For instance, Chang and Lee say in their description of the Watermelon Sleeping Mask that it was “inspired by the watermelon rinds our grandmothers would rub on our backs.”
How much you can expect to spend on Glow Recipe skin care products
Expect to spend $20-$40 per full-size product. However, if you are looking to experiment and try different products, consider gift sets that offer smaller sizes. The gift sets tend to range around $40.
Glow Recipe FAQ
What is Glow Recipe?
A. Glow Recipe is a company mainly inspired by Korean beauty concepts. The company has American roots and was featured during its start on the business startup TV show “Shark Tank.” The company started in 2014 and has already skyrocketed into top luxury retailers such as Sephora.
What skin types work best with Glow Recipe?
A. The ingredients used in Glow Recipe products are compatible with a wide range of skin types. The company offers skin sets designed to work with all skin types, but also offers products that cater to specific concerns such as dryness.
What is Glow Recipe known for?
A. Glow Recipe is known for its use of fruit extract in its skin care products. The brand focuses on a clean aesthetic with an understanding of the benefits of fruit for improving skin.
What are the best Glow Recipe skin care products to buy?
Top Glow Recipe skin care product
Glow Recipe Watermelon AHA Night Treatment
What you need to know: The creamy watermelon-scented mask works to exfoliate and smooth the skin overnight
What you’ll love: The mask works with a wide range of skin types, from oily to dry. It reduces the appearance of pores and evens out skin texture.
What you should consider: Some people said that it made their skin break out.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Sephora
Top Glow Recipe skin care product for the money
Glow Recipe Papaya Sorbet Enzyme Cleansing Balm
What you need to know: The cleanser uses papaya enzyme and blueberry extract to remove old skin while brightening the newer layer of skin.
What you’ll love: It takes about 60 seconds to work into the skin when dry, but can also be used with water to speed the removal process.
What you should consider: Some customers found it hurt their eyes and took a while to remove it from the skin.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Sephora
Worth checking out
Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA and AHA Salicylic Acid Serum
What you need to know: The serum includes hyaluronic acid, alpha hydroxy acid and beta hydroxy acid to brighten skin and give skin a smoother texture.
What you’ll love: It works well for skin types from oily to dry. It’s great for reducing the appearance of blemishes, acne and enlarged pores.
What you should consider: This serum can pill on the skin.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora and Amazon
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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kark.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/luxury-skincare-br/best-glow-recipe-skincare-product/ | 2023-04-03 16:46:43 | 0 | https://www.kark.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/luxury-skincare-br/best-glow-recipe-skincare-product/ |
California lawmakers block bill making oil companies liable for some health problems
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers blocked two big environmental bills Thursday: One that would have ramped up the state’s emissions targets, and another that would have made oil companies liable for the health problems of people who live close to oil wells.
They are among the hundreds of bills that did not survive the Legislature’s suspense file, a mysterious process where lawmakers decide — with no explanation — which bills will get a chance to become law later this year and which ones should not move forward.
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that bans drilling new oil wells within 3,200 feet (975 meters) of sensitive areas like homes and schools. But the law hasn’t taken effect because the oil industry qualified a referendum on the 2024 ballot asking voters to overturn it.
That referendum angered environmental and health advocates. They decided if the oil industry wanted to block that law, then they would try to pass another law making it easier for oil companies to be held liable for health problems of people who live near wells. The bill, authored by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would have required oil companies to pay up to $1 million to people who have cancer or other health problems associated with the well.
“Today, we missed a key opportunity to advance legislation that would hold polluters accountable and prevent further harm to families who are just trying to stay healthy and have a better quality of life,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
The Senate Appropriations Committee stopped the bill from getting a vote by the full Senate, meaning it is not likely to become law this year. Jamie Court, president of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, blamed committee chair Sen. Anthony Portantino, a Democrat from Burbank who is also running for Congress.
“A bill like this should get a hearing by the full Senate and not be shoved in a drawer by one politician when we have millions of people living within a half mile of oil wells whose lives and health are at threat every damn day,” Court said.
Portantino’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment about why the bill was held.
Kara Greene, a spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association, which opposed the bill, said it would have been unfair to oil and gas companies and done more harm than good.
“The billions of dollars and the fiscal mess that this bill would have caused to the State and local governments from their own liabilities, the fiscal responsibility of inherited wells, and the cost to the court system, would be substantial,” Greene said in a statement.
State Sen. Henry Stern, a Los Angeles Democrat, introduced another bill this year that would have required the state to reduce its planet-warming emissions to 55% below the 1990 level by the end of 2030. The state has already set out to reduce those emissions by 40% by that same deadline.
“The bill dying was a reflection of the impasse I worry we’re heading towards on climate in California,” Stern said in a statement. “As the world races ahead, we may get stuck debating pathways forward.”
A similar bill introduced last year didn’t make it to the governor’s desk.
California is also aiming to achieve carbon neutrality, meaning the state will remove as many carbon emissions as it releases, by 2045. The state Air Resources Board has approved rules to limit pollution from cars, trucks, lawn mowers and trains.
Bills that were held in the Senate and Assembly appropriations committees are not likely to pass this year, with a June 2 deadline looming for legislation to advance from one chamber.
Other bills that failed included a plan to allow people struggling with suicidal thoughts to voluntarily register themselves on a “do not sell” list for firearms, and a proposal to ban people under 21 years old from using mobile phones, even hands-free, while driving. A bill that would require the Department of Justice to investigate all police’s use-of-force incidents that resulted in the death of civilians also didn’t make it through Thursday, nor did legislation that would have expanded access to mental health treatment for inmates.
Some proposals, including legislation to create a mental health hotline for California State University system students and a bill to stock government bathrooms with free menstrual products, were designated as two-year bills, meaning that they won’t be voted on before January.
Once bills are voted on in the Senate or Assembly, those that passed will move on to the other chamber. The Legislature has until mid-September to pass bills, then Newsom has about a month to reject them or sign them into law. ___ This story was first published on May 18, 2023. It was updated on May 19, 2023 to correct that Sen. Henry Stern is from Los Angeles, not Malibu. The AP also incorrectly described legislation as allowing people who live near oil wells to sue the oil companies over health issues. Oil companies can already be sued but the legislation would make them liable for those health issues under certain conditions.
___
Associated Press writers Adam Beam and Trân Nguyễn contributed.
___
Sophie Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @sophieadanna
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/business-money/california-lawmakers-block-bill-making-oil-companies-liable-for-some-health-problems/ | 2023-05-20 01:03:44 | 1 | https://www.kob.com/news/business-money/california-lawmakers-block-bill-making-oil-companies-liable-for-some-health-problems/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lower gas costs slowed U.S. inflation for a second straight month in August, but most other prices across the economy kept rising — evidence that inflation remains a heavy burden for American households.
Consumer prices surged 8.3% last month compared with a year earlier, the government said Tuesday, down from an 8.5% increase in July and a four-decade high of 9.1% in June. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.1%, after a flat reading in July.
But excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices jumped 0.6% from July to August — up sharply from 0.3% the previous month and dashing hopes, for now, that core prices would moderate. And in the year ending in August, core prices leapt 6.3%, up from 5.9% in July.
Core prices typically provide a clearer read on where costs are headed than overall inflation. Rents, medical care services and new cars all grew more expensive last month.
Stock prices tumbled and bond yields rose on the worse-than-expected core figures, with many investors fearful that the Federal Reserve will turn even more aggressive in its drive to curb inflation. The Dow Jones industrial average sank nearly 900 points in mid-day trading.
Further Fed rate hikes could weaken growth so much as to push the economy into a recession. Some economists now expect the Fed to raise its benchmark short-term rate, currently in a range of 2.25% to 2.5%, to 4.5% or higher by early next year. That would make it even harder for the central bank to meet its goal of achieving a “soft landing,” whereby it would tame inflation without causing a recession.
“This was a disappointing report,” said Laura Rosner-Warburton, senior economist at MacroPolicy Perspectives. “It raises the risk of higher interest rates and a hard landing for the economy.”
Chair Jerome Powell is expected to announce another big increase in the Fed’s key rate next week, which will lead to higher costs for consumer and business loans.
Inflation is higher than many Americans have ever experienced, escalating families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among other expenses. It has deepened gloom about the economy despite strong job growth and low unemployment.
Republicans have sought to make inflation a central issue in the midterm congressional elections. They blame President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed last year for much of the increase. Many economists generally agree, though they say that snarled supply chains, sharp pay increases and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have also been key factors in the inflation surge.
At the same time, the drop in gas prices — for consumers, perhaps the most visible barometer of inflation — could bolster Democrats’ prospects in the midterm elections. It may already have contributed to slightly higher public approval ratings for Biden.
In a statement Tuesday, the president said, “Overall, prices have been essentially flat in our country these last two months. That is welcome news for American families, with more work still to do.”
In his speeches, Biden has generally stopped referring to the impact of inflation on family budgets. He has instead highlighted his administration’s recent legislative accomplishments, including a law enacted last month that’s intended to reduce pharmaceutical prices and fight climate change.
Nationally, the average cost of a gallon of gas has dropped to $3.71, down from just above $5 in mid-June. But grocery prices have continued to rise rapidly, jumping 0.7% from July to August. In the past year, they have soared 13.5% — the biggest 12-month increase since 1979.
Chicken prices have risen nearly 17% in the past year. And egg prices surged 2.9% just in August from July and are up nearly 40% from a year ago.
Worsening food inflation is a particular strain on lower-income families, more of whom have had to turn to food banks and other aid as inflation has worsened. Mary Jane Crouch, executive director of America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, which works with a network of food banks, said 38% more food was distributed in August compared with July.
Though much of the food is donated, Crouch said her organization buys some of it and has faced sharp increases in meat and dairy prices in the past few months.
And the prices of many other goods are still rising even as supply chain snarls unravel, said Rosner-Warburton, the MacroPolicy economist. Furniture, sports gear and new cars became more expensive last month, suggesting that businesses are still raising prices in response to robust consumer demand.
“Companies are still putting through large price increases for those goods, and that’s problematic,” she said. It means the Fed will likely have to work harder to slow consumer spending through higher rates.
Elaine Buckberg, chief economist at General Motors, said Friday that the pandemic disruptions to overseas production of semiconductors, which have slowed auto output, have significantly dissipated and that overall supply chain disruptions have improved about 80% from the worst days of the pandemic.
Yet Americans are still desperate for cars, Buckberg said, which has allowed dealers to keep their markups much higher than pre-pandemic levels. New car prices, which rose 0.8% in August, have climbed nearly 11% in the past year.
“Virtually every vehicle that gets to a dealer has already been sold to someone,” she said.
Ongoing price increases for raw materials — and labor — have left many small businesses struggling. Some are raising their own prices to keep up, only to then lose customers, according to a survey by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Voices.
Meaghan Thomas, co-owner of Pinch Spice Market in Louisville, Kentucky, an online seller, has avoided raising prices for the past two years but worries that that can’t last if inflation worsens.
The price to ship spices from overseas have quadrupled, she said, and she’s seen little relief so far despite reports that such costs are declining. The cost of spices, which Thomas and her partner grind and blend in a small factory, have jumped by as much as 25% in the past year.
The company’s profit margin has been cut by half, Thomas said, but she and her partner think it’s important to keep their products affordable. She says larger companies have made inflation worse by raising prices unnecessarily.
“We can hang on for a little bit if all these other companies can stop raising their prices,” she said.
Wages are still rising at a strong pace — before adjusting for inflation — which has elevated demand for apartments as more people move out on their own. A shortage of available houses has also forced more people to keep renting, thereby intensifying competition for apartments.
As a result, rental costs jumped 6.7% in August from a year earlier, the most since 1986. Rents change much more slowly than commodity prices like gas. That could mean that apartment prices will keep inflation elevated well into 2023.
Other data from companies like Apartment List, which tracks prices of new apartments and leases, suggests that rental price inflation is starting to decline. But that data takes time to filter into the government’s measure, which tracks all rents.
Rosner-Warburton said it’s not clear if those declines, when they do start to affect the government’s measure, will slow inflation enough for the Fed.
“At this point, we need to see it to believe it,” she said. | https://phl17.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-cheaper-gas-likely-slowed-high-us-inflation-for-a-2nd-month/ | 2022-09-13 18:24:55 | 0 | https://phl17.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-cheaper-gas-likely-slowed-high-us-inflation-for-a-2nd-month/ |
CLAYTON, Mo., Nov. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Bank recently completed renovations on the more than 16,000 square foot, full-service branch located at 7800 Forsyth. From 11-2 p.m. on Nov. 2, Simmons Bank hosted a ribbon cutting and open house celebrating Simmons Bank customers and the new financial center. The branch hosts more than 30 associates onsite to serve customers financial needs including personal, commercial and mortgage lending as well as wealth management services.
"Simmons Bank is delighted to have a newly-renovated center to better serve our customers in the heart of the Clayton Business district and the surrounding community," said Tom Lally, metro division president for Simmons Bank. "With our new location, we look forward to serving the financial needs of friends and neighbors in and around Clayton."
Ken Domash, MA, NCIDQ, AIA of Domash DESIGNSOURCE LLC served as the architect and Bobby Prinster with VSP Construction served as the contractor for the project.
In Dec. 2021, Simmons Bank and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (ULSTL) announced an agreement to establish a new full-service financial center in ULSTL headquarters located at 1408 North Kingshighway. The completion of the project is slated for 2023.
About Simmons Bank
Simmons Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ: SFNC), a Mid-South based financial holding company that has paid cash dividends for 113 consecutive years. Simmons Bank operates more than 230 branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Founded in 1903, Simmons Bank offers comprehensive financial solutions delivered with a client-centric approach. In 2022, Simmons Bank was named to Forbes list of "America's Best Banks" for the second consecutive year and to Forbes list of "World's Best Banks" for the third consecutive year. Additional information about Simmons Bank can be found on our website at simmonsbank.com, by following @Simmons_Bank on Twitter or by visiting our newsroom.
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HILLSBOROUGH, N.C., May 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, OE Enterprises, Inc. ("OE"), a private non-profit company providing services and training such as day support, job placement, job training, and job retention assistance to persons with disabilities and other employment barriers, began providing notice of a data security event that potentially affects the data privacy of certain individuals who receive services from OE.
On March 21, 2022, OE was alerted to suspicious activity within an OE employee's email account. Upon discovery, OE re-set all employees' email account passwords, and launched an investigation into the nature and scope of the event. With the assistance of third-party cybersecurity specialists, OE learned that an unauthorized actor accessed certain OE email accounts and may have viewed or acquired data from the accounts between January 20, 2022 and March 21, 2022. While OE does not have any evidence of misuse of any consumer information in connection with this incident, out of an abundance of caution, OE is providing notice of the event so potentially affected individuals may take steps to better protect their personal information, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.
Information security remains one of the highest priorities for OE. OE is evaluating its existing policies, procedures, and processes, including those related to email account security, to determine whether additional measures are appropriate in an effort to reduce the likelihood of a similar future event. OE continues to work with cybersecurity specialists to further enhance the security of the information stored on OE's systems.
The information potentially at risk varies by individual. OE continues efforts to understand the full impact of the event. While those efforts remain underway, the information potentially at risk may include the following types of information related to certain consumers: name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license number, financial account information, health insurance information, and medical treatment/diagnosis information.
OE is notifying potentially affected individuals via a posting on its website, which is available at the following link: http://oeenterprises.org/notice-of-data-security-event/. OE will also provide direct notice to potentially affected individuals as soon as feasible when its review is completed. Should individuals have questions regarding this incident, they may call a dedicated assistance line at 844-954-2984, which is available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Individuals may also write to OE at 348 Elizabeth Brady Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278.
We encourage individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements, explanation of benefits forms, and free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors.
Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.
Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a one-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.
As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a "credit freeze" on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer's express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a credit freeze, you will need to provide the following information:
- Full name (including middle initial, as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
- Social Security number;
- Date of birth;
- Addresses for the prior two to five years;
- Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
- A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, etc.); and
- A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.
Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Individuals can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Individuals have the right to file a police report if they experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General.
For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.
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SOURCE OE Enterprises, Inc. | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/05/20/oe-enterprises-inc-provide-notice-data-security-event/ | 2022-05-20 22:34:02 | 0 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/05/20/oe-enterprises-inc-provide-notice-data-security-event/ |
Thirty-six-year-old writer-director Ari Aster makes deliberately paced, exquisitely crafted chillers about guilt, repression and super-messed-up family dynamics. I've been an admirer of his ever since getting scared out of my wits five years ago by Hereditary, with its mash-up of demonic possession and domestic turmoil. Less scary but no less gripping was his nightmarish travelogue Midsommar, about a relationship that rots under the Scandinavian sun.
Now, after sitting through Aster's latest, the three-hour horror-comedy fantasia Beau Is Afraid, my admiration hasn't dimmed, exactly; it's the kind of freakish jumble only a gifted filmmaker could make. And I'm grateful that a company as adventurous as A24 is willing to give an ambitious director carte blanche to make the unhinged passion project of his dreams. But Beau Is Afraid still strikes me as an audacious misfire. Aster is still flicking at his characters' raw nerves, to say nothing of ours, but for the first time, he seems to be doing it more for effect than anything else.
Beau Wassermann, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is a middle-aged sad sack who, true to the title, is afraid of a lot of things. He's afraid of getting sick and dying. He's afraid of the side effects of the medication prescribed by his therapist. He's afraid to have sex, convinced that it'll kill him. He's afraid to set foot outside his shabby apartment, which is understandable, since he lives in an anonymous urban hellscape full of zombie-movie vibes. Most of all, though, Beau is afraid of his mother (played by the great Patti LuPone), whom he's planning to visit for the first time in ages.
But on the day of his intended departure, a bizarre sequence of events causes Beau to miss his flight, which sends him on a long, protracted odyssey that falls into four distinct chapters, each one weirder than the last.
In the first and most suspenseful chapter, Beau tries to leave his apartment, is attacked by a naked serial killer and ultimately gets hit by a car. The second chapter finds him recuperating in the home of a suburban couple — they're played by Nathan Lane and Amy Ryan — who are friendly enough at first, though they seem determined to keep him from leaving.
The third and most beguiling chapter finds Beau lost in a mysterious forest, where he stumbles on a wandering theater troupe. The show they put on for him — Aster makes use of some strikingly beautiful animation here — offers a poignant glimpse of an alternate life path for Beau, one where he's able to find true love and raise a family. But in some ways, this is the cruelest episode of all, since Aster dangles the possibility of happiness mainly so that he can yank it away. The fourth chapter finds Beau returning to his childhood home, where all manner of terrible memories and ugly secrets are waiting for him.
Aster gives all this surreal mayhem a fever-dream intensity, and as always, he leaves us uncertain about whether we should laugh or recoil. There are countless references to earlier movies, including Hitchcock's monstrous-mother classic Psycho and Charlie Kaufman's depressive meta-comedy Synecdoche, New York.
Aster also brings in terrific actors, like Parker Posey and Richard Kind, in crucial supporting roles. But what it all adds up to, in the end, is not a whole lot: a bludgeoning Freudian nightmare, in which a gibbering man-child does battle with his domineering mom and his feelings of shame, anxiety and self-loathing. It's not clear whether Aster is parodying or just regurgitating these overworked tropes — or maybe a little of both. It doesn't really matter. After a while, Beau Is Afraid becomes so thuddingly repetitive that it doesn't feel scary or revelatory; it feels like drudgery.
Phoenix is so good at playing damaged souls that he almost feels like too obvious a casting choice. There isn't much to Beau as a character, beneath all his panicky shrieks and strained grimaces. It's easy to feel for him, the way you would feel for anyone you've seen get attacked, tortured, threatened, knocked unconscious and terrorized for three hours. But he's a blank — one that Aster, for all his formidable skill, hasn't been able to fill in.
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.wboi.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-04-21/horror-comedy-beau-is-afraid-is-a-passion-project-gone-astray | 2023-04-22 02:09:18 | 1 | https://www.wboi.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-04-21/horror-comedy-beau-is-afraid-is-a-passion-project-gone-astray |
Trump White House lawyers subpoenaed by 1/6 probe grand jury
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal grand jury investigating efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election has subpoenaed the White House counsel under then-President Donald Trump and his top deputy, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The subpoenas to Pat Cipollone and Patrick Philbin suggest an intensifying Justice Department investigation into the events surrounding the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, when Trump loyalists stormed the building in hopes of halting the certification of election results. They also suggest that prosecutors regard close advisers to Trump as potentially vital witnesses.
Cipollone was the top White House lawyer in the final days of the Trump administration and was part of the legal team that defended the Republican president in his first House impeachment trial in 2020. But Cipollone vigorously resisted attempts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the presidential election Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden, saying he did not agree that there was sufficient fraud to have affected the outcome of the race.
The grand jury subpoenas were confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Cipollone, Philbin and a lawyer who has been representing them did not return messages seeking comment Thursday.
What happens next is unclear, though there may be negotiations over the scope of the grand jury testimony given that Cipollone and Philbin were lawyers inside the White House and were privy to numerous private conversations with the president. Executive privilege generally protects a president’s ability to obtain candid counsel from advisers without fear of immediate public disclosure, though there are limits.
Federal prosecutors have been especially focused on a scheme by Trump allies to elevate fake electors in key battleground states won by Biden as a way to subvert the vote, issuing subpoenas in recent weeks to multiple state Republican party chairmen.
The Justice Department investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and into the efforts to overturn the election has been proceeding alongside a separate probe by a House committee, which has held several public hearings, including in prime time.
Cipollone was interviewed privately by that panel last month and refused to discuss his conversations with Trump, citing executive privilege.
But portions of Cipollone’s private interview were featured prominently in recent hearings of the Jan. 6 panel, including video clips of him discussing a heated December 2020 meeting at the White House during which outside aides and advisers to Trump discussed a proposed executive order calling for the seizure of voting machines.
“To have the federal government seize voting machines? That’s a terrible idea for the country. That’s not how we do things in the United States,” Cipollone testified, adding, “I don’t understand why we even have to tell you why that’s a bad idea for the country.”
___
Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kalb.com/2022/08/04/trump-white-house-lawyers-subpoenaed-by-16-probe-grand-jury/ | 2022-08-04 16:23:59 | 1 | https://www.kalb.com/2022/08/04/trump-white-house-lawyers-subpoenaed-by-16-probe-grand-jury/ |
Atlantic County taxpayers will continue benefiting from strong bond ratings, especially when inflation remains at a 40-year high, county officials said Monday.
Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings gives the county an AA stable rating, while Moody’s Investors Service has assigned it an Aa2 stable rating. The county has maintained both ratings for the past 14 years, county Executive Dennis Levinson said in a news release.
Given the strong bond ratings, county taxpayers won't face burdensome interest rates to pay for capital improvements and county purchases, Levinson said.
Levinson said the news is especially important because inflation continues to yield soaring prices for goods and gas prices consume increasing amounts of Americans' budgets.
“I am extremely proud of our fiscal team for the outstanding job they do,” Levinson said. “This is our financial report card. It’s a methodical examination of our financial practices and policies. And by all accounts, we have earned another A.”
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S&P and Moody’s, in their recent ratings, both underscored the county's productive management team, institutional framework and efforts to grow its tax ratable base through several development endeavors, including its investment in aerospace technology and offshore wind energy, county officials said.
“The stable outlook reflects our expectation that, given management’s strong track record and detailed planning, the county’s finances will continue the historical trend of remarkable stability,” Moody’s said in its report.
S&P called the county's credit management "sophisticated and well-embedded," which it said should contribute to lower interest rates in the coming years.
The county’s strong liquidity, low debt and strong reserves were also cited by both agencies, officials said. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/strong-bond-ratings-continue-to-provide-atlantic-county-with-low-interest-rates/article_31f5a40e-eb51-11ec-8cab-2b1995850857.html | 2022-06-14 18:40:03 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/strong-bond-ratings-continue-to-provide-atlantic-county-with-low-interest-rates/article_31f5a40e-eb51-11ec-8cab-2b1995850857.html |
Florida and Georgia senators urge preparedness ahead of Hurricane Ian landfall
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Hurricane Ian continues on a path for Florida. The category four Hurricane is expected to hit around the Sarasota Area.
The National Hurricane Center is projecting storm surges as high as nine feet in some areas.
Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said, “We lost people in Hurricane Michael up at Mexico Beach where we had nine foot storm surge. I mean houses were moved. Houses were demolished.”
Scott, a former governor of Florida who experienced several hurricanes while in office, is urging Floridians to not take Hurricane Ian’s landfall lightly. ““Follow the evacuation orders. Follow the storm. Follow your local news,” Scott told Gray Television’s Washington News Bureau.
President Joe Biden echoed Senator Scott’s call on Tuesday afternoon. President Biden said, “Evacuate when ordered.”
The president also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is moving water, food, and generators into position to respond to Hurricane Ian’s aftermath.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said, “So the main message I have for everyone in Florida is that this is going to impact everyone in different ways, so you need to stay focused.”
The concern stretches beyond Florida, Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) tells Gray Television’s Washington News Bureau that he wants people in his state to get ready now. Ossoff said, “Take this storm seriously. There could be very substantial impacts for coastal Georgia.
President Biden declared a state of emergency for Florida last week, freeing up federal funds days ahead of the storm’s arrival. A federal disaster has not yet been declared for Georgia.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kmvt.com/2022/09/27/florida-georgia-senators-urge-preparedness-ahead-hurricane-ian-landfall/ | 2022-09-27 23:05:35 | 0 | https://www.kmvt.com/2022/09/27/florida-georgia-senators-urge-preparedness-ahead-hurricane-ian-landfall/ |
North Korea test-fires salvo of short-range missiles
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea test-fired a salvo of eight short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Sunday, South Korea’s military said, extending a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations this year that U.S. and South Korean officials say may culminate with a nuclear test explosion.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired in succession over 35 minutes from the Sunan area near the capital, Pyongyang. It didn’t immediately say how far the missiles flew but noted the South Korean military has heightened its monitoring in case the North fires more missiles.
The launch came a day after the U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan concluded a three-day naval drill with South Korea in the Philippine Sea, apparently their first joint drill involving a carrier since November 2017, as the countries move to upgrade their defense exercises in the face of growing North Korean threats.
The launch was North Korea’s 18th round of missile tests in 2022 alone — a streak that has included the country’s first demonstrations of intercontinental ballistic missiles in nearly five years — as it continues to exploit a favorable environment to push forward weapons development with the U.N. Security Council divided over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s brinkmanship is aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and negotiating economic and security concessions from a position of strength.
South Korean and U.S. officials say there are signs that North Korea is also pressing ahead with preparations at its nuclear testing ground in the northeastern town of Punggye-ri. The North’s next nuclear test would be its seventh since 2006 and the first since September 2017, when it claimed to have detonated a thermonuclear bomb to fit on its ICBMs.
On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden’s special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, said Washington is “preparing for all contingencies” in close coordination with its Asian allies as he participated in a trilateral meeting in Seoul with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts over the nuclear standoff with North Korea.
The United States has vowed to push for additional international sanctions if North Korea conducts a new nuclear test, but the prospects for further U.N. Security Council measures appear dim.
Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution that would have imposed additional sanctions on North Korea over its latest ballistic tests on May 25, which South Korea’s military said involved an ICBM flown on a medium-range trajectory and two short-range weapons. Those tests came as Biden wrapped up his trip to South Korea and Japan, where he reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defend both allies in the face of the North’s nuclear threat.
North Korea in March launched an ICBM almost straight up at full-range capacity and saw it fly higher and for longer than any weapon it had ever tested, demonstrating the potential to reach the entirety of the U.S. mainland.
Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since 2019 over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea and the North’s disarmament steps.
Despite deepening economic woes, Kim has shown no willingness to fully surrender an arsenal he sees as his strongest guarantee of survival and is clearly trying to convert the dormant denuclearization talks into a mutual arms reduction negotiation with the United States, experts say.
Kim’s pressure campaign comes as the country deals with a deadly COVID-19 outbreak across his largely unvaccinated autocracy that lacks public health tools.
GAVI, the nonprofit that runs the U.N.-backed COVAX distribution program, said Friday it understands that North Korea has accepted an offer of vaccines from ally China and has started to administer doses. It isn’t immediately clear how many doses of which vaccines the North received or how the country was rolling them out.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kbtx.com/2022/06/05/north-korea-test-fires-missile-amid-signs-nuclear-test/ | 2022-06-05 02:01:32 | 0 | https://www.kbtx.com/2022/06/05/north-korea-test-fires-missile-amid-signs-nuclear-test/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Mets ace Jacob deGrom pushed back a simulated game scheduled for Tuesday after experiencing muscle soreness in his right shoulder.
New York said deGrom’s soreness was mild and the right-hander’s live batting practice was delayed to Thursday “out of an abundance of caution.”
The two-time Cy Young Award winner has been sidelined since spring training with a stress reaction in his right scapula. He made his third minor league rehab start last Thursday, pitching four innings of one-run ball for Triple-A Syracuse. He has been expected to return shortly after the All-Star break.
The Mets say he played catch Monday and Tuesday before opting not to face hitters at the team’s spring complex in Florida.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.fox16.com/sports/mets-degrom-sim-game-delayed-amid-mild-shoulder-soreness/ | 2022-07-21 00:26:10 | 1 | https://www.fox16.com/sports/mets-degrom-sim-game-delayed-amid-mild-shoulder-soreness/ |
TAIPEI, May 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute for Information Industry of Taiwan, an organization supporting the development of the nation's information industry, is expanding its Internet of Things Manufacturing Base services to foreign inventors.
IoT Service Hub understands that not all manufacturers have the same level of technological know-how or experience in undertaking such innovations. Thus, it brings together the best of Taiwan's tech talents, enterprises, and industry-leading technologies to help foreign manufacturers and inventors bring their IoT product to market in a faster and more cost-effective way.
The IoT Service Hub three key services are:
- Providing AIoT evaluation board(EVB/Demo board) made by Taiwan's IC to assist product development,
- Connecting Startup or product to interdisciplinary experts in Taiwan,
- Providing numerous AIoT solutions to help the industrial digital transformation.
Firstly, the Hub helps AIoT product developers lower their technical and technological thresholds to speed up the prototype development and entire mass production process.
The hub has released several AIoT evaluation boards cooperated with Taiwanese semiconductor companies. The Hub makes Taiwan IC-based development toolkit of various transmission applications, and offer assistance such as coordinate files for PCB, BOM, Gerber file, and SMT proofing to lower the technological threshold and accelerate production.
Secondly, the Hub connects inventors to over 200 cross-industry corporate partners and experts, including system integrators, mass production, and designers across Taiwan's manufacturing industry chain. They also provide technical consultations and critical assessments
Building on this service, the Hub is currently organizing an international manufacturing service, with numerous companies expected to start assisting international mass production of prototypes in 2022.
Thirdly, the Hub product managers are on hand to facilitate each production phase for a project. Individual case managers provide in-depth management for each potential case, and arrange key resource services including case consultation and resource introduction.
Since its founding in 2018, the Hub has supported more than 400 IoT smart manufacturing innovations, of which 100 have been brought to market.
Nowadays, the Hub has spurred digital transformation in key industries, such as creating smart isolation rooms for remote care at the Long-term Care Center for the Elderly, and 3EGREEN TECHNOLOGY, INC.'s IoT power usage monitor that assists traditional food factories in reducing their carbon footprints towards achieving net zero carbon emissions.
For more information, visit https://www.ideas-hatch.com/iot_service_hub.jsp?lang=en
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SOURCE IoT Service Hub | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2022/05/25/taiwans-iot-service-hub-accelerates-manufacturers-speed-to-market-industry-40-innovations/ | 2022-05-25 16:24:26 | 0 | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2022/05/25/taiwans-iot-service-hub-accelerates-manufacturers-speed-to-market-industry-40-innovations/ |
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Mystics vs. Liberty Injury Report, Betting Odds - June 25
Check out the injury report for the Washington Mystics (8-4), which currently has just one player listed on it, as the Mystics ready for their matchup with the New York Liberty (8-3) at Barclays Center on Sunday, June 25 at 1:00 PM ET.
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The Mystics' last outing on Thursday ended in an 80-59 victory against the Sky.
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Washington Mystics Injury Report Today
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New York Liberty Injury Report Today
Mystics vs. Liberty Game Info
- Game Day: Sunday, June 25, 2023
- Game Time: 1:00 PM ET
- TV Channel: ABC
- Location: Brooklyn, New York
- Arena: Barclays Center
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Mystics Player Leaders
- Elena Delle Donne is posting a team-high 18.4 points per game. And she is delivering 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists, making 47.7% of her shots from the floor and 42.4% from beyond the arc (ninth in league), with 1.3 triples per game.
- Shakira Austin is the Mystics' top rebounder (8 per game), and she averages 11.8 points and 1 assists. Her rebounding average ranks her ninth in the WNBA.
- Brittney Sykes is putting up 10.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3 assists per contest, making 37.1% of her shots from the floor and 32.5% from beyond the arc, with 1.1 treys per contest.
- Natasha Cloud tops the Mystics in assists (5.5 per game), and produces 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds. She also puts up 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocked shots.
- The Mystics receive 10.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game from Ariel Atkins.
Mystics vs. Liberty Betting Info
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbtv.com/sports/betting/2023/06/25/mystics-vs-liberty-wnba-injury-report/ | 2023-06-25 08:48:50 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/sports/betting/2023/06/25/mystics-vs-liberty-wnba-injury-report/ |
SAN DIEGO (AP)Big swings by Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies put an end to Joe Musgrove’s unbeaten start to 2022.
Schwarber hit a two-run homer and Realmuto added a three-run shot later in the sixth inning for the Phillies, who handed Musgrove his first loss and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory against the San Diego Padres on Thursday night.
Musgrove (8-1) saw his ERA rise from 1.59, which had been second-lowest in the majors, to 2.12. The big right-hander from suburban El Cajon was activated from the COVID-19 injured list earlier in the day. He had been placed on the list last Friday, a day after throwing seven strong innings in a victory at the Chicago Cubs.
”We hit some balls hard,” Schwarber said. ”The guy’s a good pitcher. He’s got the stuff and he’s got four or five pitches; two really-plus breaking balls. We were able to capitalize on some mistakes. We threw some good at-bats together and that’s how you’re going to beat guys like that.
”I’ve seen him for quite a while going back to his Pittsburgh days,” Schwarber added. ”It’s always been good stuff. I’m not shocked by the year that he’s having, but it was obviously really nice to go out there and beat him.”
Musgrove cruised through four hitless innings before an RBI single by Odubel Herrera tied it at 1.
The Phillies then jumped all over Musgrove in the sixth, including two long balls that barely got out of Petco Park.
Bryson Stott hit a leadoff double ahead of Schwarber’s homer to center field, which hit something behind the fence and bounced back onto the field. It was his 20th. Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos hit consecutive one-out singles before Realmuto hit an opposite-field shot off the top of the right-field wall. It was his fourth overall and first since May 26.
”We just laid some good at-bats on him,” interim Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. ”We grinded a little bit and once we got some momentum we just kept it. We got some energy and just kept rolling with it.”
Musgrove allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings, with only one strikeout and a walk. It was the first time this year he’s allowed more than two earned runs.
The big inning made a winner of Ranger Suarez (6-4), who pitched into the eighth for the first time this season. He allowed two runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings, struck out three and walked two.
Eric Hosmer homered leading off the second, his sixth. The Padres added a run in the eighth on Jorge Alfaro’s groundout.
MACHADO UPDATE
Padres slugger Manny Machado missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left ankle but did some agility drills and played catch on the field, and then hit off a tee in the indoor batting cage. San Diego manager Bob Melvin was an eager observer from the dugout. ”I don’t know how he does it. You actually look at the discoloration, what it looks like, the swelling’s down but it doesn’t look like it feels too good,” Melvin said. ”I don’t think anything with him at this point surprises me.”
The Padres think Machado, who’s having an MVP-caliber season, will be able to avoid the injured list. ”We’re willing to sit here and wait a few more days to see how he goes about it, even if it’s a pinch-hit appearance,” Melvin said. ”That would not surprise me if that’s the case within these 10 days.”
NO CRONEY ON BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT
Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth got a rare game off, on his bobblehead night, no less. ”It’s bobblehead day, which gives him a little more time to sign, probably, before the game, interact maybe a little bit more with the fans,” Melvin joked. The manager said the day off had been planned for some time. ”My bad,” he added. DH Luke Voit also got the night off with a hamstring issue. ”It’s not ideal to have a couple guys out, but that’s just where we are,” Melvin said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: Placed LHP Adrian Morejon on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation.
UP NEXT
Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (4-4, 3.11 ERA), brother of Padres catcher Austin Nola, and San Diego rookie LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-3, 3.64) are scheduled to start Friday night.
—
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports | https://www.kark.com/mlb/schwarber-realmuto-go-deep-vs-musgrove-in-phils-6-2-win/ | 2022-06-24 19:50:50 | 0 | https://www.kark.com/mlb/schwarber-realmuto-go-deep-vs-musgrove-in-phils-6-2-win/ |
A private, for-profit college chain with a dozen campuses across Florida and Texas will lose access to federal student aid. The move comes after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) found the chain, Florida Career College, violated federal rules and failed to meet basic standards required to access federal loans and grants.
"Federal Student Aid is holding Florida Career College (FCC) accountable for taking advantage of some of the most vulnerable students," FSA Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray said in a statement.
Unless a court intervenes, the move leaves FCC, which enrolled roughly 5,000 students late last year, facing an uncertain financial future. The overwhelming majority of its students depend on federal aid to attend. According to the College Scorecard, 97% of students at FCC's Tampa campus, for example, received federal loans; 97% also received a federal Pell grant for being low-income.
FCC pushed back against the department's conclusions in a statement to NPR.
"We are deeply disappointed in the Department of Education's myopic and misguided decision," wrote Joe Cockrell, FCC spokesperson. "The DOE risks harming thousands of students seeking economic stability and a better life. For more than 40 years, our singular focus has been quality career training programs that meet or exceed all state and Federal regulations so that people can find a good job in their chosen career path. We intend to fight this unjust and inequitable decision vigorously on behalf of our students and the communities we serve."
The government's case
FCC's business model is built on offering short-term certificate programs in fields such as HVAC, automotive technician, and dental assistant – often to students who did not finish high school. And this appears to be where FCC ran afoul of federal guidelines.
In order for a student to receive federal student aid to help pay for a postsecondary certificate program without first graduating high school, they have to take a test, known as an ATB ("Ability-To-Benefit") Test. That test seeks "to determine whether a student who does not have a high school diploma can benefit from postsecondary education," according to the department's release. "Among other things, this protects students from ending up with debt they cannot afford."
According to the Education Department, since 2018, nearly half of FCC's students have had to take the ATB test before qualifying for federal aid. But this testing process, according to the department, was often a sham.
Federal investigators found that test administrators "routinely" broke the rules to help students pass, "including by filling in or changing answers after students finished their tests, helping students during testing or taking tests for them, and permitting students to use calculators in violation of testing rules."
The department's office of Federal Student Aid also found evidence that "FCC employees and employees of its parent company, International Education Corporation (IEC), knew about and encouraged violations of the ATB testing process to affect test outcomes."
As a result of these efforts, helping students pass the test who likely would have failed otherwise, the department found, "FCC and another school owned by IEC accounted for nearly 75% of all ATB enrollments nationwide during the 2021-22 award year."
In a statement, FCC insists it "consistently meets and exceeds the requirements set by accreditors and state and federal regulators" and that it "is routinely commended by accreditors for its exceptional student services offerings including career services, job placement, volunteer opportunities, and access to additional community and government resources."
The Education Department found that making it easier for students without a high school diploma to receive federal aid and attend FCC eventually hurt many of them. Between 2016 and 2021, more than half the students who entered FCC via this special test ended up dropping out, many of them with student debts.
According to the College Scorecard, the average annual cost for the largest program on FCC's Tampa campus is more than $35,000; the midpoint for all certificate schools is less than half that, roughly $16,000.
Research has shown that those hit hardest by student debt are those who take on loans but do not finish with a degree or certificate.
What borrowers should know
The Education Department says, if FCC quickly agrees to meet several stop-gap standards, students currently enrolled in short-term programs will be allowed to keep their federal aid through Sept. 30 and potentially complete their certificates. If the chain does not agree to meet these standards, access to federal student aid will be cut off by the end of April.
Students and former students with federal loan debt may qualify for what's known as a "false certification discharge" of their loans, if they believe they benefited from misconduct around administration of the ATB test, including if they were allowed to use a cell phone to answer questions or if the test proctor in any way provided assistance during the test itself. The office of Federal Student Aid has provided an FAQ for students here.
The department's findings come on top of allegations made in a federal class action lawsuit filed against FCC three years ago. In that suit, plaintiffs argued the school was targeting economically vulnerable people of color, making false promises of career training and job placement while pushing students into loans they could not repay. At the time, FCC called the suit "baseless legally and factually." Last month, in a process known as individual arbitration, an arbitrator issued an award to Florida Career College, according to Cockrell, the FCC spokesperson. The specific details of the award are confidential.
Cutting off a school's access to federal student aid is a dramatic move from the Education Department and relatively unusual. According to federal data, FCC is the first school in 2023 to have its request for continued access to federal student aid denied. Four schools had their access denied in 2022.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kasu.org/education-technology/2023-04-13/ed-dept-says-college-chain-took-advantage-of-students-cuts-off-student-loan-access | 2023-04-13 10:45:16 | 0 | https://www.kasu.org/education-technology/2023-04-13/ed-dept-says-college-chain-took-advantage-of-students-cuts-off-student-loan-access |
The Biden Administration is taking new steps to put more zero-emission buses on U.S. roadways, and hopes to support more workers and communities in the process.
The Federal Transit Administration, which is part of the Department of Transportation, will award nearly $1.7 billion for new buses nationwide. Nearly half of the new buses will be zero-emissions models, which the department says will double the number of emissions-free buses nationwide.
On top of the expected emissions and noise pollution reductions, the grants also improve support for the mechanics who keep buses running, with more benefits like childcare funding and training programs to help diesel mechanics re-skill into electric vehicle maintenance.
SEE MORE: Underfunded US public transit puts reliability, safety at risk
The White House has put a focus on climate-friendly transit policy, and particularly on public transit.
Monday's funding announcement is also the second big investment in bus infrastructure under the Inflation Relief Act. The Transportation Department says another $5 billion is planned over the next three years.
As a whole, federal public transportation programs are eligible for as much as $108 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
And last year, the government released $1 billion in grants to help school districts nationwide buy 2,500 mostly electric school buses.
Officials say the latest round of funding will make the benefits of transit more equitable.
"These grants will help deliver a cleaner and more modern mode of transportation, designed to reach everyone, and to work for everyone, particularly in places that haven't received enough resources in the past," said said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez.
SEE MORE: White House announces $570 million to fix dangerous rail crossings
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.wptv.com/the-white-house-is-deploying-another-1-7-billion-to-improve-us-buses | 2023-06-27 02:23:58 | 1 | https://www.wptv.com/the-white-house-is-deploying-another-1-7-billion-to-improve-us-buses |
‘Emmanuel, don’t do it’: iPhone-hating emu makes a name for himself in viral videos
(CNN) – An iPhone-hating emu is cracking up the internet and coining a catchphrase.
Emmanuel is an emu who’s made a name for himself.
Whenever Taylor Blake tries to make a video at Knuckle Bump Farms in Florida, where they raise miniature cattle, she’s always getting bumped by the bird.
Blake said the emu is a natural on camera. He’s now gone viral, and he probably thinks his name is “Emmanuel, don’t do it.”
However, after he’s “done it,” the question is:
“Why do you gotta be such a menace, dude?” Blake asks the bird.
Blake said Emmanuel has always had a hatred of two things: phones and buttons.
She said she has even had to resort to the tactic all moms try the dreaded three names: Emmanuel Todd Lopez.
“And he stops in his tracks and kind of looks,” Blake said.
She said she has somehow not lost an iPhone over this yet.
It could be worse. A woman named Amanda at Useless Farm has been pecked repeatedly, suffering minor injuries from their emu, Karen.
“That is some scary stuff she puts up with so all the love and all the props to her,” Blake said.
Speaking of love, Emmanuel is actually crazy about Blake. It’s just the phone he can’t stand.
And with all of the viral Tiktok videos, at least he gets his fill of hearing his name.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.ktre.com/2022/07/19/emmanuel-dont-do-it-iphone-hating-emu-makes-name-himself-viral-videos/ | 2022-07-19 21:11:50 | 0 | https://www.ktre.com/2022/07/19/emmanuel-dont-do-it-iphone-hating-emu-makes-name-himself-viral-videos/ |
Biden to welcome NBA champion Warriors to White House
Published: Jan. 17, 2023 at 11:56 AM CST|Updated: 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (Gray News) – President Joe Biden is set to host the 2022 NBA Finals champions at the White House on Tuesday.
The Golden State Warriors won their fourth title since 2015 when they beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the best-of-seven series in June. Finals MVP Stephen Curry is among the players expected to be in attendance.
Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff also are scheduled to be there to welcome their home-state team to the White House.
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kwch.com/2023/01/17/biden-welcome-nba-champion-warriors-white-house/ | 2023-01-17 19:06:18 | 0 | https://www.kwch.com/2023/01/17/biden-welcome-nba-champion-warriors-white-house/ |
Enhances customer experience with faster and more accurate replies while empowering all staff across different industries to carry out advanced analytics
HONG KONG, March 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As a prominent chat management company, imBee has been instrumental in transforming communication and engagement strategies for diverse businesses. With the launch of AiskBee, enterprises can now streamline their customer engagement processes across multiple channels, tap into new revenue opportunities by cross-selling and upselling, respond to customers in their preferred language, and equip their staff with improved analytical skills for increased productivity.
"We are excited to introduce AiskBee as the first ChatGPT-powered Enterprise Knowledge Base in Hong Kong," said Ken Chu, CEO of imBee. "AiskBee enables enterprises to streamline their customer service and sales operations, enhance their customer experience, and stay one step ahead of the competition."
imBee has developed AiskBee with the aim of building and expanding an enterprise's Knowledge Base based on contextual information provided. This innovative solution offers a range of advantages for various industries, such as:
- Improve responsiveness, optimise workload management: By integrating with ChatGPT, AiskBee allows businesses to efficiently and accurately manage high-volume and multiple-product inquiries across multiple channels. Users and existing chatbots can use the reply suggestions to provide instant and accurate responses 24/7. For example, an e-tailer can reduce customer service workload and improve response time by using AiskBee to automatically address customer enquiries about the latest product information and availability.
- Maximise cross-selling/upselling opportunities: By integrating ChatGPT's advanced analytical capability, AiskBee can provide product and service suggestions for customer service representatives based on their customer conversations. This improves the success rate of cross-selling and upselling, enhancing profitability while staying compliant with changing business regulations. For instance, a securities firm can leverage AiskBee to process inquiries and offer the latest financial products and services information proactively based on a customer's account profile. This functionality can significantly improve sales efficiency without increasing risks.
- Answer enquiries in customer-preferred language: AiskBee enhances ChatGPT's language capabilities by allowing in both understanding and replying in Cantonese, Traditional or Simplified Chinese. As a result, customer service teams can easily communicate with customers in their preferred languages, leading to increased engagement and decreased miscommunication.
- Your personal enterprise AI assistant: Through Content Sharing function, AiskBee can read, comprehend, and learn from various content types, including websites, PDFs, Word documents, and even zipped files, such as product leaflets, user manuals, and FAQs. AiskBee is capable of delivering more precise responses based on a company's existing brand values and guidelines. As a result, AiskBee can serve as a knowledgeable personal assistant for all enterprise users, supporting them as they engage with customers.
AiskBee represents a new standard in customer engagement and service, serving as the first-ever ChatGPT-powered Enterprise Knowledge Base solution for businesses in Hong Kong. By leveraging ChatGPT's context and intent understanding capabilities, the solution surpasses conventional chatbots, offering diverse ways to enhance customer engagement across various industries, including financial services, retail, telecommunications, healthcare, hospitality, and education. imBee utilizes enterprise data for model training, thereby continuously improving the quality of suggestions. Additionally, the company prioritizes data confidentiality and security, safeguarding sensitive information from unauthorized access.
"AiskBee brings the power of Generative AI to enterprises while addressing the mandated data privacy, security and language regulations. Being trainable, it can help enterprises to customise dynamic engagements in the customer's preferred language. This can further strengthen customer stickiness, improve brand loyalty and, more importantly, build trust," Ken adds.
About imBee | Collaborate - Conversate - Accelerate
imBee makes working together easy. We are the leading chat management platform, providing world-class conversational engagement to help drive your business. Our team collaboration inbox creates a one-chat experience where a representative from your company can seamlessly share information between internal teams and a current customer or prospect. With imBee, the customer gets high-quality information and a faster response. If fast, easy, high-quality engagement is important to your company, choose imBee.
To find more details about imBee, please visit www.imbee.io.
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SOURCE imBee | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/03/29/imbee-reinvents-data-driven-productivity-with-aiskbee-hong-kongs-first-chatgpt-powered-enterprise-knowledge-base-solution/ | 2023-03-29 08:56:50 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/03/29/imbee-reinvents-data-driven-productivity-with-aiskbee-hong-kongs-first-chatgpt-powered-enterprise-knowledge-base-solution/ |
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