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WASHINGTON (AP) — The former warden of a California women’s prison, who is already facing federal charges alleging he sexually abused inmates and forced them to pose nude for him, was charged Tuesday with sexually abusing two other female prisoners, the Justice Department said.
Ray Garcia, 55, was the warden at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. An Associated Press investigation revealed a culture of abuse and cover-ups that had persisted for years at the prison, a women-only facility called the “rape club” by many who know it.
The Justice Department announced a superseding indictment against Garcia on Tuesday charging him with a total of seven counts of sexually abusive conduct involving three female victims who were serving prison sentences at the federal prison in Dublin, California, and one count of making false statements to government agents.
The former warden, arrested last September, is accused of molesting an inmate as she tried to push him away. Garcia made her and another inmate strip naked as he did rounds and took pictures that were found on his personal laptop computer and government-issued cell phone when the FBI raided his office and home last summer, prosecutors said. The abuse happened on multiple occasions from December 2019 to March 2020 and ended when the pandemic exploded and women were locked in their cells, the Justice Department has said.
“If they’re undressing, I’ve already looked,” Garcia, 54, told the FBI in July 2021, according to court records. “I don’t, like, schedule a time like ‘you be undressed, and I’ll be there.’”
Garcia, who retired a month after his arrest, is also accused of using his authority to intimidate one of his victims, telling her that he was “close friends” with the person responsible for investigating staff misconduct and boasting that he could not be fired, prosecutors said.
Garcia pleaded not guilty to the initial charges against him, and his lawyer has declined the AP’s repeated requests for an interview. A message seeking comment was left with Garcia’s lawyer on Tuesday.
The new indictment also alleges that Garcia sexually abused two other female inmates between March 2020 and July 2021. The Justice Departments alleges Garcia touched the three women “in a sexual manner” and that he had “asked multiple inmates to undress for him at a specific time.”
The indictment alleges that he sexually abused one of the women in a prison bathroom next to a visitation room and in prison warehouse. Prosecutors say Garcia forced another woman to touch his genitals in the laundry room and grabbed the third woman’s buttocks in the prison’s electrical shop.
The indictment also alleges that Garcia lied to federal agents who asked him if he had ever asked inmates to undress for him or had inappropriately touched a female inmate.
Four other Dublin workers have been charged with sexual abuse of inmates since June 2021. Others include a food service foreman and a prison chaplain. Two of the arrested workers have pleaded guilty. One is scheduled to be sentenced next week.
___
On Twitter, follow Michael Balsamo at http://twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1 and Michael Sisak at http://twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/ | https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/US-prison-warden-charged-with-sexually-abusing-2-17393592.php | 2022-08-24 00:05:39 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/US-prison-warden-charged-with-sexually-abusing-2-17393592.php |
BOSTON (AP) — A former eBay Inc. employee was sentenced Tuesday to one year behind bars for her role in a harassment scheme targeting creators of an online newsletter that included the delivery of live spiders, a bloody pig mask and other disturbing items to their home.
Stephanie Popp, 34, of Louisville, Kentucky, who was eBay’s senior manager of global intelligence, was sentenced to prison in Boston federal court after pleading guilty to cyberstalking conspiracy and witness tampering conspiracy charges.
Stephanie Stockwell, 28, of Redwood City, California, former manager of eBay’s Global Intelligence Center, was also sentenced on Tuesday for her role in the scheme, but avoided prison time. She was ordered to serve two years of probation, with the first year in home confinement.
They are among seven former eBay employees who have pleaded guilty in the scheme targeting a Massachusetts couple — David and Ina Steiner — who angered eBay executives with coverage of the company in their newsletter, eCommerceBytes.
Stockwell and Popp reported to James Baugh, the former senior director of safety and security, who authorities say was the leader of the scheme.
Baugh was sentenced last month to almost five years behind bars. Another eBay executive who pleaded guilty in the case, David Harville, was sentenced to two years in prison.
Authorities say eBay employees — at Baugh’s direction — sent anonymous harassing and sometimes threatening Twitter messages criticizing the newsletter’s coverage of eBay. The couple then started getting disturbing deliveries at their home, including live insects and a funeral wreath.
At one point, Baugh recruited Harville to go with him to Massachusetts to spy on the couple, authorities say. They went to the couple’s home in the hopes of installing a GPS tracker on their car but the garage was locked, so Harville bought tools with a plan to break into it, prosecutors say.
Prosecutors called Popp one of the “most culpable participants” in the scheme. She was involved in all aspects of the harassment campaign and “knew both its full extent and the effect that it was having on its ‘rattled’ victims,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.
Prosecutors did not seek prison time for Stockwell, describing her as among the least culpable. While she was involved in the planning and sending of the packages, she had no part in the anonymous Twitter messages, prosecutors said.
Stockwell’s attorney said in court papers that Baugh manipulated, “terrorized and intimidated” her and others he supervised. Stockwell’s lawyer said all her actions were undertaken “at the direction of, or manipulation by, Baugh,” but she has “never wavered in her heartfelt remorse for having participated in this ludicrous scheme.”
“The seeds of the tragedy that unfolded at eBay causing havoc, heartache, and fear” for the victims “disseminated from Baugh’s bizarre, unorthodox and frankly, inappropriate and dangerous work environment,” Stockwell’s attorney wrote.
Popp’s attorney declined to comment on Tuesday. An email seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for Stockwell. | https://www.kron4.com/news/national/ap-us-news/ap-ex-ebay-employee-gets-1-year-in-prison-for-harassment-scheme/ | 2022-10-12 04:16:44 | 0 | https://www.kron4.com/news/national/ap-us-news/ap-ex-ebay-employee-gets-1-year-in-prison-for-harassment-scheme/ |
Madelynn Bernhardt scored 17 points, including eight field goals, to help lift Our Lady of Mercy to a 55-20 victory over Deptford at the OLM court in Newfield.
Drew Coyle and Angelina Dragone each added 10 for the Villagers, who won their second game in as many days and are now 10-7 on the campaign. Our Lady of Mercy hopped out to a commanding 31-11 lead at the half.
Ryann O’Neal scored eight points to pace Deptford, which fell to 2-12.
The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here. | https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/01/our-lady-of-mercy-over-deptford-girls-basketball-recap.html | 2023-01-28 23:15:31 | 1 | https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/01/our-lady-of-mercy-over-deptford-girls-basketball-recap.html |
(The Conversation) – You define beauty yourself. You are more than a number on a scale. Love yourself the way you are. Body positive messages like these seem to be everywhere from social media to TV ads. But while some find the body positivity movement to be uplifting and helpful, others have begun calling the movement “toxic” and suggesting it may be time to move on from this way of thinking.
Body positivity has its roots in radical fat activism that began in the late 1960s. Alongside activism among ethnic minority women, these groups protested against structural biases and discrimination, especially from the fashion and beauty industries that profited from making people and communities feel inadequate.
Over time, this evolved into the body positivity movement as we know it today. Initially, the movement was driven by popular social media accounts that challenged narrowly defined societal standards of appearance.
But some say the movement shifted away from its radical roots when it went mainstream. This was largely thanks to corporate brand campaigns, such as Dove’s Real Beauty campaign and promises by fashion magazines to show a more diverse array of bodies.
Body positivity’s aim to promote acceptance and appreciation of a diversity of body types and sizes may explain why it has such a broad appeal. And indeed, there’s evidence that such messaging can have a positive impact. Studies show that women exposed to social media accounts and content about body positivity have better mood, as well as greater body satisfaction and emotional wellbeing.
Turning toxic
But despite the positive effect body positivity can have, more recently some have voiced concerns. They are worried the movement itself is exclusionary and that it may actually do more harm than good. For example, the singer Lizzo says that the movement has been “co-opted by all bodies” and has become about celebrating “medium and small girls and people who occasionally get rolls”.
Others feel that the movement continues to exclude marginalised bodies, with the most influential body positive accounts and posts typically depicting conventionally attractive white women. One analysis of almost 250 body positivity posts on Instagram found that 67% of the posts featured white women, with men and ethnic minority women seriously under-represented.
Others have said that the emphasis on loving your looks actually reinforces society’s preoccupation with appearance over other attributes. One study found that when women watched a lifestyle television programme aimed at promoting body positivity, they experienced similar increases in anxiety about their body and dissatisfaction compared to women who watched a programme about fashion models.
Such body positivity content may have a negative impact on viewers because it does little to challenge the underlying idea that people are valued primarily for their appearance. Despite its positive spin, the movement still encourages people to work on their body and engage in beauty practices. And if you fail to be body positive, it’s you that’s at fault.
Likewise, some commentators find the involvement of corporations and the “performative activism” (doing something because of how it looks rather than what it achieves) of the movement to be problematic. In her influential article Body Positivity is a Scam, writer Amanda Mull argued that in divorcing itself from its radical past, the movement ignores the structural reasons that lead to negative body image, such as gendered inequalities and systems of oppression. Instead, the messaging now shifts the focus onto individuals and their ability to feel happy in their body.
Some even feel the current movement pushes a form of “toxic positivity”, the expectation that we should always be positive no matter what, and that we should silence negative emotions in ourselves and others. Much of the current movement’s messaging emphasises that people should show confidence and acceptance in their body. The end result is that those who fail to achieve body confidence end up feeling like they’ve failed themselves.
There’s some recent evidence to support this idea. One group of researchers exposed women to this kind of toxic body positivity using various images – such as ones that depicted the message, “You MUST accept your body or you will never be happy”.
Across a series of experiments, women exposed to such messages didn’t feel any better about their body image. Instead, their body image only improved when the participants understood that people close to them (such as friends or family) appreciated them for who they were – rather than what they looked like.
Body neutrality
Many are now moving away from the body positivity movement and the pressures that come from it entirely, and instead are getting behind the body neutrality movement. Rather of focusing on physical appearance, body neutrality is the idea that we can exist without having to think too much about our bodies one way or the other.
We are all more than just our bodies. We are complex beings with a range of emotions and feelings about our bodies.
And because body neutrality de-emphasises the focus on appearance, it allows us to better appreciate all the things our bodies are able to do. Being grateful for being able to do the hobbies you love or appreciating your body for what it’s capable of doing are both examples of body neutrality.
In fact, there’s evidence to suggest that body neutrality can be beneficial to us. Across cultures and demographic groups, body neutrality is associated with more positive body image and mental wellbeing. And the good news is there are many ways you can develop body neutrality, including writing-based therapies, yoga and spending time in nature. | https://www.wdtn.com/nexstar-media-wire/why-the-body-positivity-movement-risks-turning-toxic/ | 2022-09-18 11:02:31 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/nexstar-media-wire/why-the-body-positivity-movement-risks-turning-toxic/ |
Baby talk is a universal phenomenon Published July 23, 2022 at 5:02 PM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 5:40 NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Courtney Hilton about his research that centers on how people talk to babies around the world. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.ctpublic.org/2022-07-23/baby-talk-is-a-universal-phenomenon | 2022-07-23 22:48:00 | 1 | https://www.ctpublic.org/2022-07-23/baby-talk-is-a-universal-phenomenon |
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A conspiracy that stretched across the continent and resulted in the murder of a Vermont man grew out of a financial dispute between the victim and one of the men now charged with arranging to have him killed, federal prosecutors say.
In court filings from federal court in Las Vegas, prosecutors laid out what they allege are the details of the conspiracy that resulted in the January 2018 shooting death of Gregory Davis, who was abducted from his Danville home on Jan. 6. He was found dead the next day in a snowbank on a back road in Barnet.
In a Monday filing, prosecutors said that Davis had been threatening to go to the FBI with information that Serhat Gumrukcu, 39, an inventor and the co-founder of a Los Angeles-based biotechnology company, was defrauding Davis in a multi-million dollar oil deal that Gumrukcu and his brother had entered into with Davis in 2015.
During 2017, Serhat Gumrukcu was facing felony fraud charges in California state court, prosecutors say. In 2017 Gumrukcu was putting together a successful deal that came together soon after Davis's death that gave him significant ownership stake in Enochian Bioscience. The Los Angeles-based company describes itself as developing therapies “to cure and treat diseases that kill millions of people each year.”
“Gumrukcu therefore had a strong motive to prevent Davis from reporting yet another fraud, and likely threatening the Enochian deal,” said the filing. “At present, Serhat Gumrukcu appears to own over $100 million worth of Enochian stock.”
About a week before his arrest last month Gumrukcu generated about $2 million by selling some Enochian stock, prosecutors say.
Davis, a New Jersey native who moved to Danville in northeastern Vermont about two years before his death, was found shot to death on Jan. 7, 2018, in a snowbank in Barnet.
Over the years investigators used cell phone records to link Jerry Banks, 34, of Fort Garland, Colorado, to the kidnapping of Davis from his home. Banks is due to appear in federal court in Vermont on Thursday to answer the kidnapping charge.
While Banks was not charged with killing Davis, prosecutors said they believed that Banks killed Davis.
Later in April prosecutors charged Aron Lee Ethridge, 42, of Las Vegas, with kidnapping in connection with the death of Davis. Prosecutors say that after the killing of Davis, Banks called Ethridge — who has since entered a not guilty plea to the kidnapping charge.
Last week Gumrukcu, of Los Angeles, and Berk Eratay, 35, of Las Vegas, were arrested on charges of conspiring to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire which resulted in the death of Davis.
Gumrukcu is due in court in Los Angeles on Thursday for a detention hearing. His attorney did not immediately return an email Wednesday seeking comment.
After his arrest Eratay's attorney had asked the court to allow Eratay to be released from custody pending trial. On Tuesday a federal court judge in Las Vegas denied Eratay's request for pre-trial release.
“Mr. Eratay intends to vigorously defend against these charges and denies the allegations,” his attorney, David Chesnoff, said in a Wednesday email. “He looks forward to his day in court.”
Not long after Davis's death, the investigation entered what prosecutors described as a “long covert stage” that led them to identify Banks as the alleged kidnapper. Investigators also discovered a chain connecting the four suspects: Banks was friends with Ethridge, who was friends with Eratay, who worked for Gumrukcu.
The government also said Eratay’s bank records reveal over $150,000 in wire transfers from Turkish accounts controlled by Gumrukcu between June and October of 2017, “as the murder scheme was building.”
Last week after Gumrukcu’s arrest, the Enochian board of directors issued a statement that said there was no link between the crime Gumrukcu is charged with and the company.
In the statement, Enochian CEO Dr. Mark Dybul said the company remained committed to the development of life saving products.
“The personal life of the inventor and co-founder does not altar these fundamental facts,” Dybul said. “Indeed, there has never been a formal role for Dr. Gumrukcu in the company and the remaining informal role as a scientific advisor has concluded. We look forward to the work ahead.” | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Feds-say-oil-deal-woes-led-to-murder-of-Vermont-17213052.php | 2022-06-01 21:26:17 | 1 | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Feds-say-oil-deal-woes-led-to-murder-of-Vermont-17213052.php |
SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Flex (NASDAQ: FLEX) today announced results for its second quarter ended September 30, 2022.
Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2023 Highlights:
- Net Sales: $7.8 billion
- GAAP Operating Income: $325 million
- Adjusted Operating Income: $375 million
- GAAP Net Income Attributable to Flex Ltd.: $232 million
- Adjusted Net Income: $289 million
- GAAP Earnings Per Share: $0.50
- Adjusted Earnings Per Share: $0.63
An explanation and reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures is presented in Schedules II and V attached to this press release.
"The Flex team delivered solid results, highlighted by strong growth from our diverse customer portfolio and another quarter of record adjusted EPS," said Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex. "Looking ahead, the secular tailwinds that support our strategy, remain in our favor and continues to provide us with confidence that we'll be able to deliver on our longer-term goals."
Third Quarter Fiscal 2023 Guidance
- Revenue: $7.3 billion to $7.7 billion
- GAAP Operating Income: $300 million to $330 million
- Adjusted Operating Income: $345 million to $375 million
- GAAP EPS: $0.46 to $0.52
- Adjusted EPS: $0.57 to $0.63 which excludes $0.06 for stock-based compensation expense, $0.04 for net intangible amortization, and $0.01 for Nextracker LLC series A redeemable preferred units dividends payable in kind
Fiscal Year 2023 Guidance Updated
- Revenue: $29.1 billion to $30.1 billion
- GAAP EPS: $1.72 to $1.87
- Adjusted EPS: $2.20 to $2.35 which excludes $0.23 for stock-based compensation expense and $0.15 for net intangible amortization, $0.05 Nextracker LLC series A redeemable preferred units dividends payable in kind, and $0.05 primarily for certain legal and other charges recorded in FY23 YTD.
Webcast and Conference Call
The Flex management team will host a conference call today at 1:30 PM (PT) / 4:30 PM (ET), to review second quarter fiscal 2023 results. A live webcast of the event and slides will be available on the Flex Investor Relations website at http://investors.flex.com. An audio replay and transcript will also be available after the event on the Flex Investor Relations website.
About Flex
Flex (Reg. No. 199002645H) is the diversified manufacturing partner of choice that helps market-leading brands design, build and deliver innovative products that improve the world. Through the collective strength of a global workforce across approximately 30 countries with responsible, sustainable operations, Flex delivers advanced manufacturing solutions and operates one of the most trusted global supply chains, supporting the entire product lifecycle with fulfillment, after-market and circular economy solutions for diverse industries.
Contacts
Investors & Analysts
David Rubin
Vice President, Investor Relations
(408) 577-4632
David.Rubin@flex.com
Media & Press
Mark Plungy
Director, Corporate Integrated Communications
(408) 442-1691
Mark.Plungy@flex.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws, including: statements related to future expected revenues and earnings per share. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These risks include: that we may not achieve our expected future operating results, including margins; the effects that the current and future macroeconomic environment, including inflation, rising interest rates, and currency exchange rate fluctuations, could have on our business and demand for our products; the impact of component shortages, fluctuations in the pricing or availability of raw materials, labor and energy, and logistical constraints, including their impact on our revenues; uncertainties and risks relating to our ability to successfully complete a transaction for our Nextracker business, including the potential initial public offering of our Nextracker business, including the possibility that we may not be able to consummate the transaction on the expected timeline or at all, or that we will achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction; the possibility that we may not fully realize the projected benefits of the Anord Mardix acquisition, including our expectation that the acquisition will be accretive to our fiscal year 2023 adjusted earnings per share; geopolitical risk, including the termination and renegotiation of international trade agreements and trade policies, including the impact of tariffs and related regulatory actions; the war in Ukraine and escalating geopolitical tensions as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the imposition of economic sanctions on Russia which could lead to disruption, instability, and volatility in global markets and negatively impact our operations and financial performance; the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition; the effects that current and future credit and market conditions could have on the liquidity and financial condition of our customers and suppliers, including any impact on their ability to meet their contractual obligations to us and our ability to pass through costs to our customers; the challenges of effectively managing our operations, including our ability to control costs and manage changes in our operations; retaining key personnel; litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings; our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; changes in laws, regulations, or policies that may impact our business, including those related to climate change; the possibility that benefits of the Company's restructuring actions may not materialize as expected; that the expected revenue and margins from recently launched programs may not be realized; our dependence on industries that continually produce technologically advanced products with short product life cycles; the short-term nature of our customers' commitments and rapid changes in demand may cause supply chain issues, excess and obsolete inventory, and other issues which adversely affect our operating results; our dependence on a small number of customers; our industry is extremely competitive; we may be exposed to financially troubled customers or suppliers; the success of certain of our activities depends on our ability to protect our intellectual property rights and we may be exposed to claims of infringement or breach of license agreements; a breach of our IT or physical security systems, or violation of data privacy laws, may cause us to incur significant legal and financial exposure and disrupt our operations; physical and operational risks from natural disasters, severe weather events, or climate change; our ability to achieve sustainability goals; we may be exposed to product liability and product warranty liability; and that recently proposed changes or future changes in tax laws in certain jurisdictions where we operate could materially impact our tax expense. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic increases the likelihood and potential severity of many of the foregoing risks.
Additional information concerning these, and other risks is described under "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 and in subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on current expectations and Flex assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Our share repurchase program does not obligate the Company to repurchase a specific number of shares and may be suspended or terminated at any time without prior notice.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Any securities to be offered in any offering may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time a registration statement becomes effective.
SCHEDULE V
FLEX AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO SCHEDULES I, II, and III
(1) To supplement Flex's unaudited selected financial data presented consistent with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), the Company discloses certain non-GAAP financial measures that exclude certain charges and gains, including non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share. These supplemental measures exclude certain legal and other charges, stock-based compensation expense, intangible amortization, other discrete events as applicable and the related tax effects. These non-GAAP measures are not in accordance with or an alternative for GAAP and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. We believe that these non-GAAP measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the amounts associated with Flex's results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP and that these measures should only be used to evaluate Flex's results of operations in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measures. We compensate for the limitations of non-GAAP financial measures by relying upon GAAP results to gain a complete picture of the Company's performance.
In calculating non-GAAP financial measures, we exclude certain items to facilitate a review of the comparability of the Company's operating performance on a period-to-period basis because such items are not, in our view, related to the Company's ongoing operational performance. We use non-GAAP measures to evaluate the operating performance of our business, for comparison with forecasts and strategic plans, for calculating return on investment, and for benchmarking performance externally against competitors. In addition, management's incentive compensation is determined using certain non-GAAP measures. Also, when evaluating potential acquisitions, we exclude certain of the items described below from consideration of the target's performance and valuation. Since we find these measures to be useful, we believe that investors benefit from seeing results "through the eyes" of management in addition to seeing GAAP results. We believe that these non-GAAP measures, when read in conjunction with the Company's GAAP financials, provide useful information to investors by offering:
- the ability to make more meaningful period-to-period comparisons of the Company's on-going operating results;
- the ability to better identify trends in the Company's underlying business and perform related trend analyses;
- a better understanding of how management plans and measures the Company's underlying business; and
- an easier way to compare the Company's operating results against analyst financial models and operating results of competitors that supplement their GAAP results with non-GAAP financial measures.
The following are explanations of each of the adjustments that we incorporate into non-GAAP measures, as well as the reasons for excluding each of these individual items in the reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures:
Stock-based compensation expense consists of non-cash charges for the estimated fair value of unvested restricted share unit awards granted to employees and assumed in business acquisitions. The Company believes that the exclusion of these charges provides for more accurate comparisons of its operating results to peer companies due to the varying available valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of award types. In addition, the Company believes it is useful to investors to understand the specific impact stock-based compensation expense has on its operating results.
Intangible amortization consists primarily of non-cash charges that can be impacted by, among other things, the timing and magnitude of acquisitions. The Company considers its operating results without these charges when evaluating its ongoing performance and forecasting its earnings trends, and therefore excludes such charges when presenting non-GAAP financial measures. The Company believes that the assessment of its operations excluding these costs is relevant to its assessment of internal operations and comparisons to the performance of its competitors.
Restructuring charges include severance for rationalization at existing sites and corporate SG&A functions as well as asset impairment, and other charges related to the closures and consolidations of certain operating sites and targeted activities to restructure the business. These costs may vary in size based on the Company's initiatives and are not directly related to ongoing or core business results, and do not reflect expected future operating expenses. These costs are excluded by the Company's management in assessing current operating performance and forecasting its earnings trends and are therefore excluded by the Company from its non-GAAP measures.
Legal and other consist primarily of costs not directly related to core business results and may include matters relating to commercial disputes, government regulatory and compliance, intellectual property, antitrust, tax, employment or shareholder issues, product liability claims and other issues on a global basis as well as acquisition related costs and customer related asset impairments (recoveries). During the first half of fiscal year 2023, the Company accrued for certain loss contingencies where losses are considered probable and estimable. These costs are excluded by the Company's management in assessing current operating performance and forecasting its earnings trends and are therefore excluded by the Company from its non-GAAP measures.
Interest and other, net consists of various other types of items that are not directly related to ongoing or core business results, such as the gain or losses related to certain divestitures, currency translation reserve write-offs upon liquidation of certain legal entities, debt extinguishment costs and impairment charges or gains associated with certain non-core investments. The Company excludes these items because they are not related to the Company's ongoing operating performance or do not affect core operations. Excluding these amounts provides investors with a basis to compare Company performance against the performance of other companies without this variability.
In September 2021, the Company received approval from the relevant tax authorities in Brazil of the Credit Habilitation request related to certain federal operational tax credits and the Company recorded a total gain of 809.6 million Brazilian reals (approximately USD $149.3 million based on the exchange rate as of October 1, 2021) under other charges (income), net in the condensed statements of operations. The total gain recorded included credits from February 2003 to September 2021, net of additional taxes, as the Credit Habilitation received covering the period from February 2003 to December 2019 resolved any uncertainty regarding the Company's ability to claim such credits. This gain is non-cash and can only be used to offset certain current and future tax obligations.
Payable-in-kind dividend for subsidiary's redeemable preferred units relates to a non-cash payable-in-kind dividend on the Series A preferred units of Nextracker LLC sold to TPG Rise Flash, L.P. ("TPG Rise). The Series A preferred units have a dividend rate of 5% per annum, payable semi-annually, up to 100% of which may be paid by the issuance of additional series A preferred units ("payable-in-kind") during the first two years following the closing of the sale to TPG Rise, and 50% of which may be payable in kind thereafter. The paid-in-kind dividend is excluded by the Company's management in assessing current operating performance and forecasting its earnings trends and is therefore excluded by the Company from its non-GAAP measures.
Adjustment for taxes relates to the tax effects of the various adjustments that we incorporate into non-GAAP measures in order to provide a more meaningful measure on non-GAAP net income and certain adjustments related to non-recurring settlements of tax contingencies or other non-recurring tax charges, when applicable.
(2) Beginning in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022, the Company elected to include operating income as a subtotal in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.
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SOURCE Flex | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/10/26/flex-reports-second-quarter-fiscal-2023-results/ | 2022-10-26 21:08:55 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/10/26/flex-reports-second-quarter-fiscal-2023-results/ |
Which Ergobaby baby carrier is best?
Baby wearing is all the rage, but the wide range of carriers, wraps and slings can easily leave parents baffled. Ergobaby baby carriers are versatile and easy to use, plus they’re designed to help babies maintain an ergonomic position that’s important for hip health.
Some Ergobaby carriers are better suited to newborns and others to older babies and toddlers. The Ergobaby Omni 360 is a great choice for parents of babies or toddlers, as it’s suitable for kids of 7 to 45 pounds.
What to know before you buy an Ergobaby baby carrier
Carrying positions
Ergobaby carriers can accommodate kids in up to four positions, but not all carriers offer all of these positions. There’s a slightly different inward-facing configuration for newborns compared to older babies and children, so check the instructions if you’re unsure.
- Inward: In this position, you wear your baby on your front, with their body facing inward, toward you. This is the only option for young babies.
- Outward: In the outward-facing position, you still wear your baby on your front, but their body is facing outward, away from you. It’s suitable for babies from around 5 months.
- Back: The back position involves wearing your baby on your back with them facing the same direction as you. You can wear your baby in this way from 6 months old.
- Hip: In the hip carry position, you wear your baby on your front, but over to one side. You can carry babies like this from 6 to 24 months.
Carrier models
These are some of the current popular Ergobaby carrier models.
- Aerloom: Made from a breathable, stretchy fabric crafted from recycled materials, this carrier is lightweight, yet versatile and supportive. It’s suitable for babies from 7 to 35 pounds and can be used in inward, outward and back carry positions.
- 360: This four-position carrier lets you wear your baby in any of the four positions. It’s suitable for babies from 4 months.
- Omni 360: The Omni 360 is much like the standard 360 but it’s suitable for newborns of 7 pounds and up, with a maximum weight limit of 45 pounds.
- Embrace: Designed for babies from 0 to 12 months, this carrier only offers inward-facing and outward-facing modes. It’s soft and not too bulky, great for people who don’t intend to babywear past 12 months.
- Aura: The wrap carrier is Ergobaby’s only non-structured carrier. It’s ideal for people who want something lighter than a standard carrier.
What to look for in a quality Ergobaby baby carrier
Lumbar support
Look for models with a band around the back to offer decent lumbar support to the wearer. This is especially important as your child grows and gets heavier.
Adjustability
Most Ergobaby carriers are easily adjustable at the waist and the shoulders to accommodate people of different heights and weights.
Color
You can find carriers in a range of basic colors, as well as limited-edition hues and prints.
Breathability
Some carriers are made from breathable material or have breathable panels. This is great news in the warmer months, when babywearing can become unbearably warm.
How much you can expect to spend on an Ergobaby baby carrier
Wrap carriers start at around $50, while the most elaborate carriers cost up to $200.
Ergobaby baby carrier FAQ
Are Ergobaby carriers good for newborns?
A. This depends on the model. Some are suitable for babies from birth, while others are good for older babies, from around 4 months and over. In some cases, the carrier in its regular configuration is suitable for newborns, while others require a newborn insert (which should come with the carrier).
What’s more, even those that are suitable for use from birth have a minimum weight recommendation. So, if your newborn weighs less than 7 pounds, you may need to wait to use your carrier.
Is it safe for babies to sleep in carriers?
A. While babies shouldn’t sleep all night in carriers, purely for practical reasons, it’s perfectly safe to nap in them. In fact, the close contact between parent and baby helps newborns sleep longer and may reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Of course, you should always make sure you’re monitoring your baby and practicing safe carrier use. Remember the acronym TICKS. This stands for:
- Tight.
- In view at all times.
- Close enough to kiss.
- Keep chin off the chest.
- Supported back.
What’s the best Ergobaby baby carrier to buy?
Top Ergobaby baby carrier
What you need to know: With a weight range of 7 to 45 pounds, it sees kids through from the newborn stage well into their toddler years.
What you’ll love: It has cool mesh paneling to help keep you and your baby from overheating. You can wear your baby inward-facing, outward-facing, on the back and on the hip. It’s comfortable to wear and easy to adjust.
What you should consider: Some people find it too bulky.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Ergobaby baby carrier for the money
What you need to know: This simple carrier is for babies from birth to 12 months.
What you’ll love: It’s made from a fabric that’s soft and snug, yet breathable. You can use it in inward-facing and outward-facing positions. It’s easy to adjust and distributes weight evenly for your comfort.
What you should consider: While it can technically accommodate babies up to 25 pounds, Ergobaby doesn’t recommend it for those over 12 months.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
What you need to know: Suitable for babies and toddlers from 7 to 45 pounds, this is a versatile choice.
What you’ll love: It comes in a starry sky design. It’s suitable for inward carrying, back carrying and hip carrying. It’s comfortable to wear, with plenty of padding and support for parents.
What you should consider: Some buyers miss the outward-facing carry option.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://pix11.com/reviews/br/baby-kids-br/baby-carriers-br/best-ergobaby-baby-carrier/ | 2023-04-14 10:01:16 | 1 | https://pix11.com/reviews/br/baby-kids-br/baby-carriers-br/best-ergobaby-baby-carrier/ |
By The Associated Press
HIGHLAND, Ill. (AP) — A Greyhound passenger bus crashed into three tractor-trailers parked along a highway exit to a rest area early Wednesday in southern Illinois, killing three people and injuring 14 others, some seriously, state police said.
The St. Louis-bound bus was traveling westbound along Interstate 70 in Madison County around 1:55 a.m. when it crashed into the three semis, Illinois State Police said, citing an initial investigation.
Four people were taken to the hospital by helicopter and at least 10 others were taken by ambulance, state police said in a news release. Police did not immediately release details about those who were injured and killed.
No one in the three trucks was injured in the crash near the city of Highland about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of St. Louis, police said.
State Police spokesperson Melaney Arnold said those killed and injured were all on the Greyhound bus. She was not sure if the bus driver was among those killed or injured or if all of those involved were passengers.
The crash closed westbound traffic on I-70.
The National Transportation Safety Board will send a team to investigate the crash, the agency said. U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, an Illinois Republican, said an NTSB official told him the bus was equipped with monitoring cameras “so they’ll be able to do a full check to see how the accident occurred.”
Photos and TV footage show the side of the bus peeled open, the roof crumpled. A second tractor-trailer appears to have made contact with the right rear of the bus while a third tractor-trailer appears to have crashed into the rear of that second semi.
Passenger Edward Alexander of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he helped a pregnant woman get off the bus and was searching for his phone when he “realized smoke was coming in the bus. I was like, ‘forget that phone,’ and went on and jumped out the window.”
Greyhound spokesperson Mike Ogulnick said in an email that the bus was traveling from Indianapolis to St. Louis, where it was scheduled to arrive at about 2:20 a.m. It was carrying about 30 people, including the driver, he said.
“Our primary concern is ensuring we care for our passengers and driver at this time,” Ogulnick said. “We are working closely with local authorities and a relief bus is on the way for passengers.”
Another bus was sent to transport passengers who were not hurt, Ogulnick said.
It is illegal in Illinois for trucks to park on exit ramps. But trucking industry experts say semis often stop there for the night because overnight parking is hard to find at rest stops and other places, such as truck stops.
“And that’s not only dangerous for them but it’s dangerous for the motoring public because they do need their rest and they deserve their rest,” Lewis Pugh of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said at a May hearing before a House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee.
Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it will require trucks and buses to include automatic emergency braking equipment within five years. AEBs use forward-facing cameras and sensor technologies to detect when a crash is imminent.
The system automatically applies the brakes if the driver has not done so, or, if needed, applies additional braking force to supplement the driver’s actions. The proposed standard would require the technology to work at speeds ranging from 6 to 50 mph (10 to 80 kph).
___ Associated Press writers Jim Salter in St. Louis, Tom Krisher in Detroit, Kathleen Foody in Chicago and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/12/3-dead-14-hurt-after-greyhound-bus-strikes-semis-in-illinois-ntsb-investigating/ | 2023-07-12 21:21:01 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/12/3-dead-14-hurt-after-greyhound-bus-strikes-semis-in-illinois-ntsb-investigating/ |
Featured Works for November – First Concert
(*Indicates November birthday)
Nov 1 T Johan Wagenaar*: Frithjof’s Sea Journey
Nov 2 W Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf*: Symphony in C major
Nov 3 T Franz Liszt: Concert Fantasy on Themes from Bellini’s “La Sonnambula”
Nov 4 F Hector Berlioz: Selections from “Les Troyens”
Nov 7 M William Alwyn*: Elizabethan Dances
Nov 8 T Friedrich Kalkbrenner*: Piano Sonata in C major
Nov 9 W Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet No. 17; “The Hunt”
Nov 10 T François Couperin*: Neuvième Concert
Nov 11 F Carl Joseph Toeschi*: Sinfonia in D major
Nov 14 M Aaron Copland*: Suite from “The Red Pony”
Nov 15 T Eugen d’Albert: Prologue to “Tiefland”
Nov 16 W Rodolphe Kreutzer*: Violin Concerto No. 7
Nov 17 T Ernst von Dohnányi: Ruralia hungarica
Nov 18 F Richard Strauss: Suite in B flat major
Nov 21 M Sigfrid Karg-Elert*: Impressions exotiques
Nov 22 T Benjamin Britten*: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Nov 23 W Manuel de Falla*: Homenajes
Nov 24 T David Diamond: Rounds for String Orchestra
Nov 25 F Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Paganini
Nov 28 M Ferdinand Ries*: Cello Sonata in F major
Nov 29 T Jean-Baptiste Lully*: Suite from “Roland”
Nov 30 W Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme
Featured Works for November – Siskiyou Music Hall
(*Indicates November birthday)
Nov 1 T Frederic Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2
Nov 2 W Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No,
Nov 3 T Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Nov 4 F Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 36, “Linz”
Nov 7 M Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3
Nov 8 T Franz Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major, “Trout”
Nov 9 W Joaquín Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Nov 10 T Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Suite in C major
Nov 11 F Don Gillis: An American Symphony
Nov 14 M Johann Nepomuk Hummel*: Bassoon Concerto in F major
Nov 15 T Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
Nov 16 W William Levi Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
Nov 17 T Luigi Cherubini: String Quartet No. 4
Nov 18 F Carl Maria von Weber*: Clarinet Concerto No. 2
Nov 21 M Alexander Glazunov: Symphony No. 4
Nov 22 T Frantisek Benda*: Violin Concerto in D major
Nov 23 W Hector Berlioz: Harold In Italy
Nov 24 T Thanksgiving Special: Giving Thanks
Nov 25 F Richard Strauss: Piano Quartet in C minor
Nov 28 M Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3
Nov 29 T Roberto Sierra: Sinfonia No. 3, “La Salsa”
Nov 30 W Anton Eberl: Piano Concerto in C major | https://www.ijpr.org/jpr-classics/2022-10-31/featured-works-november-2022 | 2022-10-31 22:31:46 | 0 | https://www.ijpr.org/jpr-classics/2022-10-31/featured-works-november-2022 |
NYC machete attack: Man arrested on attempted murder charges
New York — A man accused of attacking police with a machete near New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve was arrested on charges of attempting to murder police officers, authorities said Monday as they continued to investigate whether he was motivated by Islamic extremism.
Trevor Bickford, 19, also faces attempted assault charges from the attack that injured two officers at the edge of the high-security zone where throngs of new year's revelers were gathered, the New York Police Department said in a news release.
Bickford, who lives in Wells, Maine, remained hospitalized Monday with a gunshot wound to the shoulder from police fire during the confrontation. He was awaiting arraignment, and it wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer who could speak to the allegations. The Associated Press left messages for his relatives.
A law enforcement official familiar with the matter told the AP on Sunday that investigators believe Bickford traveled to New York City earlier in the week. They are examining whether he made the trip specifically to attack police at the Times Square festivities, the official said.
New York City police and federal officials are still trying to ascertain a motive, and investigators are reviewing Bickford’s online postings, which included some mentions of Islamic extremist views, the official said. The official could not publicly discuss details about the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Michael Driscoll, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said Sunday that investigators believe the attacker acted alone.
FBI spokespeople in New York and Boston declined to discuss the ongoing inquiry Monday. Boston field office spokesperson Kristen Setera called it a “very active investigation.”
FBI agents were seen Sunday night entering Bickford’s family home in Wells, a popular beach destination close to the New Hampshire border. Bickford competed in sports in high school, was part of Maine's state champion wrestling team in 2020 and made the honor roll for his studies at least one year.
The principal at Wells High School declined to comment on Monday. Messages seeking comment were sent to the wrestling coach.
Bickford’s father died unexpectedly in 2018, according to an online obituary.
The machete attack happened about two hours before midnight on Saturday, just outside the area where people are screened for weapons before gaining entry to one of the world’s biggest and most famous New Year’s celebrations.
Two of the officers were struck with the machete before an officer shot the suspect, authorities said. One officer suffered a fractured skull and the other has a bad cut. Both were expected to recover, as was the suspect.
The attack briefly sent some people running, but the festivities in Times Square continued. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2023/01/02/nyc-machete-attack-man-arrested-on-attempted-murder-charges/69771579007/ | 2023-01-02 22:28:58 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2023/01/02/nyc-machete-attack-man-arrested-on-attempted-murder-charges/69771579007/ |
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By SYLVIA HUI
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government on Friday scrapped a corporate tax hike and lifted a cap on bankers’ bonuses in a contentious bid to boost the faltering economy.
Treasury chief Kwasi Kwarteng made the announcement at Parliament as he presented a “mini-budget” to lawmakers.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government is expected to publish an emergency budget statement Friday outlining how it plans to slash taxes, tame soaring inflation and boost economic growth as a recession looms on the horizon.
Treasury chief Kwasi Kwarteng’s “mini-budget,” to be presented to lawmakers, is expected to scrap a planned increase in corporation tax.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, who became the U.K.’s leader less than three weeks ago, has repeatedly stressed that her Conservative government’s core mission is lowering taxes to drive economic growth. She declared this week that she is ready to make “unpopular decisions” such as to attract jobs and investment.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies predicts that even though Friday’s statement isn’t a full budget, it looked set to be the U.K.’s “biggest tax-cutting fiscal event” for more than 30 years.
“Taxing our way to prosperity has never worked. To raise living standards for all, we need to be unapologetic about growing our economy,” Kwarteng said Thursday. “Cutting tax is crucial to this.”
Before his statement Friday, the Treasury chief confirmed that he was reversing a hike in workers’ national insurance contributions that was introduced by the previous administration. Kwarteng’s predecessor, Rishi Sunak, imposed the increase to pay for social care and a backlog in the public heath service.
Soaring inflation and a driven by steeply climbing energy costs are the biggest immediate challenges facing Truss’s government. Inflation stands at 9.9%, near the highest Britain has seen since the 1980s, and is predicted to peak at 11% in October.
In the past two weeks, the government has announced that the government will and businesses, amid fears that the poorest won’t be able to afford to heat their homes and companies will go bust this winter.
But U.K. officials haven’t disclosed how they plan to finance the relief measures, which analysts say could run to tens of billions of pounds.
Some economists have warned about the sharp rise in government borrowing.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that borrowing is set to hit 100 billion pounds ($113 billion) a year even after the temporary energy bills support measures come to an end in two years’ time. The research institute said that with such levels of debt, officials’ claims that reducing tax rates would lead to sustained economic growth was “a gamble at best.”
Paul Johnson, director of the institute, also said that the Conservative government’s measures to help millions pay their energy bills won’t reverse a steady drop in living standards.
“I am afraid that the energy price shock has made us poorer and we will be worse off,” he said. “The government can spread the pain over time and between people, but in the end it is not going to be able to magic it away.”
On Friday, Kwarteng is expected to announce new “investment zones” across England where the government will offer tax cuts for businesses and help create jobs. He will also give details on how the government aims to accelerate dozens of major new infrastructure projects, including in transportation and energy.
Truss — who is inspired by Margaret Thatcher’s small state, free market economics — has insisted that growing the economy and tax cuts for businesses will benefit everyone in the country.
But critics say Truss’s right-wing instincts are the wrong response to the U.K. economic crisis. | https://www.timesleader.com/wire/nation-world/1575844/uk-scraps-corporate-tax-hike-lifts-cap-on-banker-bonuses | 2022-09-23 12:09:24 | 1 | https://www.timesleader.com/wire/nation-world/1575844/uk-scraps-corporate-tax-hike-lifts-cap-on-banker-bonuses |
MILWAUKEE, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of America's military veterans, in memory of those who sacrificed their lives in service to the country, and as a portion of the company's $1,000,000 Silver Anniversary pledge, President of Henry Repeating Arms Andy Wickstrom presented a $50,000 check to The American Legion at their national convention on Tuesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. American Legion National Commander Paul E. Dillard, who joined Wickstrom on stage, then received an engraved Henry Military Services Tribute Edition rifle in appreciation for his more than 50 years of membership and leadership with the organization.
Charted by Congress in 1919, The American Legion is America's largest wartime veterans service organization, with over two million Legionnaires serving the motto, "Veterans Strengthening America." By extending their service beyond their military enlistment, Legionnaires seek to improve the well-being of their fellow veterans, their families, their communities, and the country through various services and programs including youth mentorship, homeless veteran assistance, and quality-of-life improvements for wounded veterans. To learn more about The American Legion and their mission, visit https://www.legion.org/.
"Henry Repeating Arms believes in The American Legion's principles and mission of strengthening America by upholding American values, fostering patriotism, giving back, and we respect their many extraordinary accomplishments," said Wickstrom during Tuesday's General Session. He continues, "Thank you to all who have served, to those who are currently serving. We are forever indebted to you and the sacrifices you have made."
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Henry Repeating Arms' CEO and Founder Anthony Imperato made a milestone $1,000,000 pledge to highlight the company's charitable branch called Guns For Great Causes. The philanthropic program benefits individual families of sick children going through treatments, children's hospitals, and non-profit organizations supporting military veterans, first responders, law enforcement, wildlife conservation, hunting and shooting sports education, and Second Amendment advocacy. In the coming weeks, Henry Repeating Arms is offering a limited-edition Golden Boy Silver Anniversary Edition rifle with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the organizations and charities supported by the Guns For Great Causes campaign.
For more information about Henry Repeating Arms and its products, visit henryusa.com or call 866-200-2354 for a free catalog.
Henry Repeating Arms is one of the leading rifle and shotgun manufacturers in the United States and a world leader in the lever action category. The company motto is "Made in America, or not made at all," and its firearms come with a lifetime guarantee backed by award-winning customer service. The company is also known for its Guns For Great Causes charitable program, which focuses on assisting the families of sick children, children's hospitals, military veteran organizations, Second Amendment advocacy groups, and wildlife conservation organizations. The company currently employs over 550 people and has over 330,000sf of manufacturing space in its Wisconsin and New Jersey facilities. The company is named in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry, who invented and patented the Henry lever action rifle in 1860 – the first practical repeating rifle and America's unique contribution to the international stage of firearms design. Visit Henry Repeating Arms online at henryusa.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/HenryRepeating, and @henry_rifles on Instagram.
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SOURCE Henry Repeating Arms | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/henry-repeating-arms-donates-50000-veteran-support-american-legion/ | 2022-08-31 19:27:55 | 1 | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/henry-repeating-arms-donates-50000-veteran-support-american-legion/ |
DAVENPORT, Iowa, Dec. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ImpactLife is responding to a substantial decrease in the rate of first-time blood donors by offering a $25 electronic gift card or donation to Feeding America for first-time donors. Through January 15, first time donors who register for blood donation with ImpactLife will receive a voucher to redeem for a $25 electronic gift card. As part of the "Good Giving" promotion, donors may choose to forego the electronic gift card and make an equivalent donation to Feeding America instead.
To schedule an appointment for donation or for questions on eligibility for blood donation, call (800) 747-5401, schedule online at www.bloodcenter.org, or via the ImpactLife mobile app (www.bloodcenter.org/app).
In 2022, ImpactLife will see on average 100 fewer first-time donors every week than in previous years. The trend began with a sharp decline in the rate of first-time donors with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blood providers across the United States are experiencing a similar loss in first-time donors. Data analysis from Blood Centers of America GOLD Dataverse shows blood centers nationally have experienced a decline of 22% in the total number of first-time donors from 2019 to 2022.
"The overall rate of blood donation has decreased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and that decrease persists even though many aspects of life have returned to a 'new normal,'" said Kate Fry, Chief Executive Officer of America's Blood Centers. "This is concerning because donors who give for the first time not only help save lives today, but they represent the future of our nation's blood supply. We urge all who are eligible to contact their local blood center to schedule an appointment for donation."
Through January 15, donors who register for whole blood donation with ImpactLife for the first time will receive a voucher to redeem for a $25 electronic gift card or donors can choose to make an equivalent value donation to Feeding America.
- New Whole Blood donors: choice of $25 electronic gift card or donation to Feeding America
- Returning Whole Blood donors: choice of $10 electronic gift card or donation to Feeding America
- For returning Whole Blood donors, value increases to $20 for whole blood donations during critical weeks (Mon., Dec. 19 through Sun., Jan. 15)
- Automated donation procedures (platelets, plasma, double red cell): choice of $25 electronic gift card or donation to Feeding America
Additional program details at www.bloodcenter.org/promotions
Founded in 1962, America's Blood Centers is the national organization bringing together community-based, independent blood centers. Its member organizations operate more than 600 blood collection sites providing close to 60 percent of the U.S., and a quarter of the Canadian, blood supply. These blood centers serve more than 150 million people and provide blood products and services to more than 3,500 hospitals and healthcare facilities across North America. All ABC U.S. members are licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.AmericasBlood.org.
Blood Centers of America (BCA) is the largest blood supply network in the U.S., uniquely positioned to sustain, advocate and mobilize for the nation's blood supply. BCA's 60+ independent community blood centers collect and distribute 50% of the nation's blood supply, delivering reliable service with a profound commitment to the communities served by BCA members. Pairing deep local knowledge and its extensive national network allows BCA to expand services, resources, and cost savings for customers. For more information, see https://bca.coop/.
ImpactLife is a not-for-profit community organization providing blood services to 124 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, as well as resource sharing partners across the country. Services extend from southcentral Wisconsin to St. Louis, Missouri and from Danville, Illinois to Chariton, Iowa. (See a map of the ImpactLife service region.) ImpactLife operates 22 Donor Centers and holds approximately 5000 mobile blood drives annually to provide blood components needed for patient transfusions at hospitals throughout our region.
For more information, see www.bloodcenter.org.
Information for first-time blood donors from ADRP: https://donatingblood.org/
Blood Donor Basics (ImpactLife): https://www.bloodcenter.org/donate/donor/
Donor Center locator (America's Blood Centers): https://americasblood.org/for-donors/find-a-blood-center/
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SOURCE ImpactLife | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/12/15/blood-providers-respond-decline-rate-first-time-donors/ | 2022-12-16 00:06:29 | 1 | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/12/15/blood-providers-respond-decline-rate-first-time-donors/ |
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New location marks Jollibee's second in the Greater Washington, D.C. Area and its 82nd in North America
WEST COVINA, Calif., June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jollibee, the global fast-food brand that is taking America by storm, is proud to announce the opening of its first location in Alexandria, Virginia on Sunday, June 26, 2022. Beloved worldwide for its delicious fried chicken, "Chickenjoy," Jollibee looks forward to serving its loyal fans who call Northern Virginia home and invites first-timers to discover for themselves why people line up for hours to get a first taste of its mouth-watering menu items, which are always served with joy.
Located at 4809 Beauregard Street in the Plaza at Landmark shopping center, the new Jollibee Alexandria restaurant will be open seven days a week, from 9:00AM – 11:00PM daily. Customers can choose to dine at the restaurant or take their food to enjoy on-the-go. The restaurant offers convenient proximity to many surrounding Northern Virginia communities, with the fast-food brand ready to entice a new legion of fans – from D.C. commuters and suburban families to visiting tourists from around the U.S. and the world – who are hungry to try something deliciously new and different.
"We received an incredibly warm welcome last year when we first opened our doors in the DMV with our Wheaton, Maryland location," said Maribeth Dela Cruz, Business Group Head, Honeybee Foods Corporation dba Jollibee. "We knew immediately that we wanted to offer a convenient location on the southern side of D.C. so that those who live, work and play in Northern Virginia could enjoy their Jollibee favorites without having to travel far."
Jollibee's mission is to bring people together through the joy of eating by serving great-tasting food at a great value. Some customer favorites include:
- Chickenjoy: Jollibee's flagship product, Chickenjoy, is delicately hand-breaded to be crispy on the outside, cooked with precision to be juicy on the inside, and marinated to the bone for next-level flavor.
- Spicy Chickenjoy: Another top seller is Spicy Chickenjoy, which is the fiery version of the classic Chickenjoy.
- Jollibee Chicken Sandwich: This sandwich features a crispy, juicy chicken breast fillet, spread with umami mayo, and served on a toasted brioche bun. Find out why this newly launched sandwich shot to the top of the menu charts.
- Jollibee Spicy Chicken Sandwich: A spicy version of the original chicken sandwich features sriracha mayo and fresh jalapeños for added crunch and heat.
- Peach Mango Pie: Make sure to leave room for this mouth-watering dessert made with peaches and real Philippine mangoes enveloped in a light and crispy crust.
Jollibee store openings in the U.S. and around the world are known for drawing massive crowds, with longtime fans and curious newcomers alike lining up for hours – or even days – just to be among the first customers. At Jollibee's recent opening in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, the line began forming the night before, with several hardcore fans camping out overnight to secure their front-of-the-line spot. By lunchtime on opening day, the line wrapped around four blocks, as thousands of excited customers showed up to get their Jollibee fix.
Jollibee's new Alexandria store marks its 82nd restaurant in North America and joins its existing location in Virginia Beach (4541 South Plaza Trail Drive), which is where the global fast-food brand first opened its doors in Virginia back in 2013.
Stay updated on Jollibee's upcoming store openings by following @jollibeeus on Facebook and @jollibeeus on Instagram.
About Jollibee Group
Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. It operates in 34 countries, with over 6,200 stores globally with branches in the Philippines, United States, Canada, the People's Republic of China, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Panama, Malaysia, South Korea, India, and Australia.
Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); six franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, PHO24, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines; Dunkin' and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee and PHO24; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand.
Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 90% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that ultimately owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. It also has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. Jollibee Group also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.
Jollibee Group was named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies and among the World's Best Employers and World's Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. In 2020, Gallup awarded the Jollibee Group with the Exceptional Workplace Award, making it the first Philippine-based company to receive the distinction.
Jollibee Group has grown brands that bring delightful dining experiences to its customers worldwide, thus spreading the joy of eating to everyone. To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com.
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SOURCE Jollibee | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/23/global-fast-food-sensation-jollibee-brings-its-joy-northern-virginia-with-new-store-opening-alexandria-va-june-26-2022/ | 2022-06-23 14:51:28 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/23/global-fast-food-sensation-jollibee-brings-its-joy-northern-virginia-with-new-store-opening-alexandria-va-june-26-2022/ |
(The Hill) – President Biden on Tuesday said it initially appears unlikely that a missile that hit a rural town in Poland near the Ukraine border was fired from Russia, but he said a final determination is pending a full investigation into the incident.
“There is preliminary information that contests that,” Biden told reporters when asked whether the missile was fired from Russia. “I don’t want to say until we completely investigate. It’s unlikely in the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia.”
Biden, who is attending the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit in Bali, Indonesia, spoke to the press after convening a meeting with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Spain, Japan and the Netherlands. The leaders of the European Commission and European Union were also in attendance.
Hours earlier, a missile struck a grain silo in a village about 15 miles from the Ukraine border. Polish authorities said the missile was Russian-made. Russia’s Defense Ministry has denied firing any missiles near the Ukraine-Poland border.
Biden spoke with Polish President Andrzej Duda before meeting with other allies in Bali.
“We agreed to support Poland’s investigation into the explosion in rural Poland near the Ukrainian border, and I’m going to make sure we figure out exactly what happened,” Biden told reporters after the meeting. “Then we’re going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate and proceed. There was total unanimity among folks at the table.”
Biden condemned Russia for escalating its war in Ukraine at a time when other world leaders were in Indonesia urging a de-escalation of the conflict. Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and in recent days has fired missiles targeting Ukrainian cities.
The U.S. and other NATO members have largely said they are still gathering information on the incident before deciding how to respond. The missiles landed in Poland amid a fierce Russian aerial barrage on Ukraine targeting energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
The strike has set off a frenzy over the Western alliance’s mutual defense mechanism known as Article 5.
That article says that any attack on a NATO member “shall be considered an attack against them all.” It was last invoked following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. | https://www.wfla.com/news/international/biden-unlikely-missile-that-hit-poland-was-fired-from-russia-pending-investigation/ | 2022-11-16 14:24:14 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/news/international/biden-unlikely-missile-that-hit-poland-was-fired-from-russia-pending-investigation/ |
‘Planet killer’ asteroid spotted in sun’s glare, scientists say
(CNN) – As beautiful as the illustration released in the Astronomical Journal on Monday may be, what it shows is terrifying.
It’s a massive asteroid orbiting near Earth lit up by the brilliance of the sun called a “planet killer.”
Astronomers said they spotted the asteroid lurking undetected within the glare of the sun. They said it’s more than a mile wide.
One scientist said if an asteroid that big hit Earth, it “would be a mass extinction event like there hasn’t been seen on Earth in millions of years.”
However, experts said it wouldn’t happen for centuries. Even then, they don’t know the asteroid’s orbit with enough precision to say how dangerous it could become in the future.
The team said it expects to find more “planet killer” asteroids over the next couple of years.
There are already more than 27,000 near-Earth asteroids in all shapes and sizes, scientists said.
No asteroids are currently on a direct impact course with Earth, but detecting the threat of near-Earth objects that could cause massive damage is a primary focus of NASA and other space organizations around the world.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wcjb.com/2022/11/01/planet-killer-asteroid-spotted-suns-glare-scientists-say/ | 2022-11-01 21:50:41 | 1 | https://www.wcjb.com/2022/11/01/planet-killer-asteroid-spotted-suns-glare-scientists-say/ |
A Texas man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against three friends of his ex-wife for allegedly helping her obtain pills used to induce an abortion last year.
The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million from each of the three defendants and an injunction prohibiting them from "distributing abortion pills." The woman who obtained the abortion is not a defendant in the suit.
It's believed to be the first such case since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision last June overturned decades of abortion-rights precedent, allowing laws criminalizing abortion to take effect around the country.
The plaintiff, Marcus A. Silva of Galveston County, Texas, alleges that his then-wife discovered she was pregnant in July 2022 and tried to conceal both the pregnancy and the self-managed abortion from him. According to the lawsuit filed in state court, the couple divorced in February of this year.
The lawsuit relies heavily on information contained in text messages exchanged between Silva's ex-wife and her friends, the three defendants, last year. In messages included as exhibits in the filing, the women discuss various ways of obtaining abortion pills and the logistics involved in self-managing an abortion at home.
In one exchange, one of the friends tells the pregnant woman, "You can do it at home. We can take the day off and do it at my place if you want."
In another message, the woman expresses gratitude to her friends, telling one of them, "your help means the world to me" and adding that she felt "so lucky to have y'all."
Silva's lead attorney is Jonathan Mitchell, who is known for designing the legal strategy behind Senate Bill 8, the unique Texas abortion ban that took effect in 2021 after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block it. That law, implemented months before the Dobbs decision, got around federal precedent by employing what opponents describe as a "bounty hunter" system. It allows private citizens to sue anyone believed to be involved in helping a patient obtain an illegal abortion in Texas for tens of thousands of dollars.
But this case takes a different and arguably more aggressive strategy by instead referring to the state's wrongful death, murder and anti-abortion statutes. The suit describes assisting an abortion in Texas as "act of murder" and notes the abortion took place after the Dobbs ruling, arguing that it was not protected by any federal precedent.
It repeatedly describes the abortion as the "murder" of Silva's "unborn child" with "illegally obtained pills." The suit also claims the friends "conspired" with the pregnant woman to secretly terminate her pregnancy.
The suit specifically notes that Silva's ex-wife is "exempt from civil and criminal liability and Marcus is not pursuing any claims against her." In the aftermath of Dobbs, the question of whether people who have abortions should be targeted for prosecution has been an ongoing subject of speculation and sometimes debate among abortion-rights opponents, although several major anti-abortion groups have taken a public stance opposing the prosecution of patients themselves.
In a statement, former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis, a senior adviser at Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, said abortion-rights activists are "outraged, but we are not surprised" and accused anti-abortion groups of using the courts "as an instrument of fear and intimidation."
The suit comes as a federal judge in north Texas is considering a separate lawsuit filed by anti-abortion-rights groups seeking to force the Food and Drug Administration to pull mifepristone, a drug used in most medication abortions in the U.S., off the market. A competing lawsuit filed by a group of Democratic state attorneys general seeks to preserve access by prohibiting the FDA from removing the drug.
Medication abortion access increasingly has become the focus of litigation and legislation surrounding the fight over abortion rights in the United States. That's in large part because of its increasing use by patients seeking abortions; more than half of abortions in the U.S. now take place using pills, and pills are often more accessible than surgical procedures for people living in states with restrictive abortion laws.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/npr-breaking-news/2023-03-11/texas-man-sues-ex-wifes-friends-for-allegedly-helping-her-get-abortion-pills | 2023-03-11 07:28:55 | 0 | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/npr-breaking-news/2023-03-11/texas-man-sues-ex-wifes-friends-for-allegedly-helping-her-get-abortion-pills |
NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers and acquirers of the securities of Opendoor Technologies Inc. f/k/a Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. II (NASDAQ: OPEN): (i) between December 21, 2020 and September 16, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"); and/or (ii) pursuant and/or traceable to the offering documents issued in connection with the business combination between the Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. II and Opendoor Labs Inc. completed on or about December 18, 2020 (the "Merger") of the important December 6, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you acquired Opendoor securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Opendoor class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=9133 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than December 6, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the offering documents for the Merger were negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading and were not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing their preparation. Additionally, according to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, the offering documents and defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the algorithm ("Algorithm") Opendoor used to make offers for homes could not accurately adjust to changing house prices across different market conditions and economic cycles; (2) as a result, Opendoor was at an increased risk of sustaining significant and repeated losses due to residential real estate pricing fluctuations; (3) accordingly, defendants overstated the purported benefits and competitive advantages of the Algorithm; and (4) as a result, the offering documents and defendants' public statements throughout the Class Period were materially false and/or misleading and failed to state information required to be stated therein. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Opendoor class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=9133 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
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www.rosenlegal.com
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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/25/rosen-leading-investor-counsel-encourages-opendoor-technologies-inc-fka-social-capital-hedosophia-holdings-corp-ii-investors-with-losses-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-open/ | 2022-10-25 03:37:52 | 0 | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/25/rosen-leading-investor-counsel-encourages-opendoor-technologies-inc-fka-social-capital-hedosophia-holdings-corp-ii-investors-with-losses-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-open/ |
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Off-year elections on Tuesday in Kentucky and Pennsylvania could send early signals about the mood of voters ahead of next year’s races for the White House and Congress.
A special legislative race in the Philadelphia suburbs could determine whether Democrats retain a one-vote majority in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, and the outcome could demonstrate how voters are feeling in a crucial region of a swing presidential state. Both parties will choose nominees for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and Philadelphia voters will cast ballots in mayoral primaries.
What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries:
KENTUCKY REPUBLICANS PICK A CHALLENGER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRAT
A fierce Republican primary for governor comes to a head in red-leaning Kentucky, where a flurry of attacks has overshadowed candidates’ plans for governing.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron turned away from a bid for reelection to run for governor, a race many Republicans think is ripe for the taking, but the primary campaign has been unexpectedly feisty. Cameron snagged the campaign’s biggest endorsement from Trump and touted his legal fights defending Kentucky’s anti-abortion laws, all the while challenging policy decisions by Beshear and working to tie him to President Joe Biden’s administration.
With a primary win, Cameron would become the state’s first Black nominee for governor by either major political party.
His main rival, Kelly Craft, mounted an aggressive campaign backed by her family’s fortune. Craft pointed to her experience as ambassador to Canada and later at the United Nations during Trump’s presidency. She touts her ties with government and business leaders, which she says would benefit Kentucky.
The campaign escalated into a slugfest between the Craft and Cameron camps. A pro-Craft group ridiculed Cameron as an “establishment teddy bear.” Cameron backers criticized Craft’s tenure as ambassador.
Another GOP gubernatorial contender, state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, stayed out of the fray, hoping to win over Republican voters turned off by the attacks.
As the campaign entered the stretch run, Craft had loaned her campaign more than $9 million. She was on the air for months before Cameron and Quarles ran TV ads. Cameron got a boost from a well-financed outside group.
Beshear, expected to cruise through the primary over two nominal opponents, looks to draw on his family’s political brand to counter the state’s GOP tilt. He was attorney general four years ago when he defeated then-Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. Before Bevin’s single term, Steve Beshear, the current governor’s father, served two terms as governor.
Andy Beshear has presided over record economic growth. His term also has been marked by a series of crises — the pandemic, tornadoes, flooding and a mass shooting that killed one of his closest friends. He has received consistently high voter approval ratings, in part by settling into a role as the state’s consoler in chief.
INCUMBENT SECRETARY OF STATE FACES REMATCH WITH ELECTION DENIER
Republican incumbent Michael Adams will face two challengers in the GOP primary for Kentucky secretary of state, including a former opponent who has raised his profile by denying election victories by Democrats.
Adams, a lawyer, has worked with Beshear across party lines on election reform and soundly defeated challenger Steve Knipper in the GOP primary four years ago. Knipper is back for another run along with a third Republican, Allen Maricle, a former state representative and TV executive. The winner will face Democrat Buddy Wheatley, a former legislator who narrowly lost reelection.
Other statewide offices also are on the ballot.
PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE ON THE LINE
Special legislative elections could determine if Democrats remain in control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
They won a one-seat majority in November after 12 years. On Tuesday, voters will fill two empty seats, with most of the attention focused on a seat in Philadelphia’s suburbs left vacant by a Democrat who resigned. The contest pits Democrat Heather Boyd, a former legislative and congressional aide, against Republican Katie Ford, a military veteran, school volunteer and behavioral therapist.
Control of the House will affect how partisan measures are handled, from abortion rights, gun rights and election law to the coming year’s budget, which will be lawmakers’ focus through June.
PHILADELPHIA MAYOR
In heavily Democratic Philadelphia, voters will likely choose the next mayor of the nation’s sixth most-populous city from a crowded field of candidates in Tuesday’s primary. The election comes as the city faces upticks in gun violence and safety concerns.
Five frontrunner candidates including former city council members, former city officials and a grocery store franchiser, have sought to differentiate themselves in a tight contest.
They are vying to replace Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat who is term-limited. The winner will go up against the lone Republican candidate, David Oh, a former city councilmember, in November.
___
Associated Press writers Marc Levy, Brooke Schultz and Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/15/kentucky-pennsylvania-primary-election/47e65690-f2d6-11ed-918d-012572d64930_story.html | 2023-05-15 05:09:40 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/15/kentucky-pennsylvania-primary-election/47e65690-f2d6-11ed-918d-012572d64930_story.html |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Visitors to Kansas City during the 2023 NFL Draft won’t have to go far to enjoy some of the city’s famous barbecue.
In fact, anyone attending the event at Union Station and the WWI Museum and Memorial will be treated to the smell of smokers.
Q39 announced it is one of the dozens of local partners chosen to represent Kansas City in the draft. The award-winning restaurant will be smoking its ribs and burnt ends on the lawn near the WWI Museum.
Visitors looking for an actual barbecue restaurant can find Burnt End BBQ inside Crown Center. It’s the closest Kansas City barbecue restaurant to the NFL Draft venue.
Fans who hope to check out some of the most famous joints in Kansas City barbecue history will have to travel a little bit away from the draft area, but they aren’t far.
- Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue
- 1727 Brooklyn Ave
- 8 minute car ride from Union Station, depending on traffic
- Gates Bar-B-Q
- 3205 Main
- 8 minute car ride from Union Station, depending on traffic
- 2.1 mile walk
- Jack Stack Barbecue (Freight House Location)
- 101 W. 22nd Street
- 0.5 mile walk
- Joe’s Kansas City (Gas Station Location)
- 3002 W. 47th Ave, Kansas City, Kan.
- 9 minute car ride from Union Station, depending on traffic
- Q39 (Actual restaurant location)
- 1000 W. 39th Street
- 9 minute car ride from Union Station, depending on traffic
There are hundreds of other barbecue restaurants to try, no matter where you’re staying in town.
The Kansas City Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has an app for that!
Download the KC BBQ Experience app and have more than 100 regional barbecue restaurants at your fingertips. The free app is available for both IOS and Android. | https://www.ksn.com/news/state-regional/where-to-get-kansas-city-barbecue-during-the-nfl-draft/ | 2023-04-13 17:46:40 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/state-regional/where-to-get-kansas-city-barbecue-during-the-nfl-draft/ |
Fraud Files: Billions in federal funds meant to help unemployed stolen by scammers
Dept. of Labor lambasted by internal review, targets multi-level solution to address holes in the system
(InvestigateTV) - The global spread of a novel coronavirus in early 2020 shut down businesses across the country, leaving millions of Americans out of work.
People were left searching for answers.
“The most embarrassing thing is to tell your kid, I don’t know what we’re going to eat,” one Metro Nashville man told InvestigateTV’s affiliate WSMV in 2020.
The federal government acted quickly and passed the CARES Act —a $2.2 trillion dollar stimulus bill with hundreds of billions of dollars in unemployment aid — in the late Spring of that year. But with that aid came scores of scammers who, according to the September 2022 semi-annual report to congress by the Department of Labor’s Inspector General, made off with tens of billions of dollars in potentially fraudulent claims. The Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization, has tracked the number of unemployment claimants victimized by CARES Act fraud. Chief Operating Officer, James E. Lee, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation as part of the committee’s hearing on enhancing data security on October 6, 2021.
During his testimony, Lee spoke candidly about ITRC’s findings and the effect fraud had on victims who were searching for unemployment aid.
“For the victims who were denied benefits, these cybercriminals got the money first,” Lee told the committee. “Our research shows, as the chair notes, 40% were unable to pay their bills, 14% were evicted. 33% could not pay for food.”
According to the Department of Labor’s Inspector General, it was a combination of federal and state mismanagement — combined with an array of scammer tactics — that led to billions in lost taxpayer dollars.
It begs the question: Where was the breakdown that allowed this fraud to happen?
The Beginning of the Pandemic
As part of the CARES Act, the federal government distributed more than $872 billion through the pandemic unemployment insurance program.
In October 2022, the Department of Labor stated it had identified more than $45 billion dollars worth of potentially fraudulent claims.
All of this fraud quickly came on radar of the Identity Theft Resource Center.
“In early April of 2020, the ITRC started receiving more and more calls on this issue, and so we realized, this was an emerging trend,” Eva Velasquez, President and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center said in an interview with InvestigateTV. “We were pushing these programs of enhanced benefits out very quickly and the mandate really was to get this money in the pockets of people who needed it.”
The tactics used by fraudsters ranged from people filing for benefits in multiple states to using the names of the deceased. Others were found to be using suspicious email accounts attached to claims. In one case, 11 members and associates of a gang were charged in a multimillion-dollar unemployment fraud scheme.
According to the Inspector General, the bad actors allegedly used stolen personal information of more than 800 victims to submit nearly 1,000 claims for unemployment insurance benefits.
LexisNexis Solution’s CEO Haywood Talcove, who has worked with organizations like the ITRC and Georgia State University to monitor and examine how scammers schemed state and federal unemployment programs, said identity theft was a major trend.
“We’ve seen this all throughout the pandemic. People were going out, using stolen identities to get benefits,” Talcove said.
One popular method Talcove said scammers used to infiltrate unemployment systems involved creating fake driver’s licenses and deep fakes on the dark web.
“They’re getting manufactured to bypass the system so that they can easily steal money from unemployment insurance agencies,” Talcove said.
Georgia State University professor and Director of the Evidence Based Cyber Security Research Group David Maimon said his group also saw many criminals manufacturing high-quality fake driver’s licenses and using them to authenticate their fake identities.
“What’s really interesting, in this sense, is the extensiveness of this operation,” Maimon said. “When you spend some time on those platforms you see how the criminals take those identities, steal identities, manufacture identities — embed them on driver’s licenses, passports — and simply start using to apply for all kind of benefits from the government.”
Maimon said he believes the government could do more to protect taxpayer money.
“I don’t think the government is doing enough. In fact, I don’t think that the government is doing enough to try and authenticate our real identity. At this point, it’s very easy to fake identities in order to steal money from the government,” Maimon said.
In its semi-annual report to congress, the Department of Labor’s Inspector General said it was a combination of factors that led to such rampant fraud, writing: The unprecedented infusion of federal funds into the unemployment program combined with stolen personal information — plus the program’s weaknesses over the last several years — led to the problem the department is grappling with today.
Losses at the State Level
The Depart of Labor report looked at fraud throughout the federal system but did not have a state-by-state breakdown of losses at that level.
InvestigateTV reached out to more than two dozen states and combed through several state legislative audit reports to find out how much money was potentially lost due to fraud and identity theft over the last two years. Of the dozen states that responded, all of reported losing over a million dollars. Some lost much more.
According to the California state auditor’s office, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) failed to take fast-enough action at the beginning of the pandemic to bolster its UI fraud detection efforts. As a result, from March through December 2020, $10.4 billion out of $111 billion in UI benefits EDD paid were later determined might be fraudulent.
Pennsylvania’s most up-to-date data on unemployment fraud during the pandemic is reflected in an Independent Fiscal Office report, which found there was an estimated $6 billion in fraud across both traditional and temporary federal unemployment programs for 2020 through the 3rd quarter of 2021, combined.
The remaining states InvestigateTV contacted either did not respond to requests for information or stated they were unsure how much money was potentially lost due to fraud and identity theft. A compete rundown of responses is available at the end of this article.
‘Nobody could have predicted the spike in claims’
Department of Labor Deputy Director for Policy Michele Evermore at the office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization said her department is now targeting changes at the federal and state level following the scathing review from the inspector general.
According to the inspector general’s report, the Department of Labor’s “lack of sufficient action significantly increases the risk of even more payments to ineligible claimants.”
The report adds: “Immediate action is needed.”
Evermore said the unemployment insurance system itself was simply one avenue for criminals to capitalize on stolen identities.
“They weren’t necessarily hacking into unemployment insurance systems, they were using information that was exploited in other breaches to apply for benefits in people’s names,” Evermore said. She also said the fact unemployment insurance is a federal and state partnership means there are dozens of different systems that can be exploited in a multitude of ways.
“Even if one state figures out how to program in and fix those to block the scammers, that same group of people couldn’t be teleported to another state with the same problem because it’s an entirely different system than they’re running on,” Evermore said.
Investigate TV asked Evermore what is being done right now to make sure the federal government can effectively mitigate fraud during the next emergency.
“There are so many new products and so many new solutions out there to fight fraud,” she said. “Every state is now participating with this ID hub at the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. We’re adding new products all the time.” Evermore identified what she called “tiger teams” made up of fraud experts and equity experts who “examine all of the bottlenecks in the system” to identify weaknesses.
As for the exact amount of money lost to fraud, Evermore said the exact number may never be known.
“This is a whole government, a whole society problem,” she said. “A lot of these scammers are international crime rings, so we have to work in concert with the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to make sure that we’re actually tracking this for everyone.”
In December, Julie Su, Deputy Secretary of Labor, wrote a blog post stating how the agency is preparing for the next storm.
Su says the the department has:
- Invested $134 million in American Rescue Plan funds for fraud prevention grants to 50 states.
- Allocated $260 million in equity grants and awarded $18 million in navigator grants for states to address systemic inequities in the UI system.
- Invested in the UI Integrity Data Hub supporting various cross-matches to help determine UI eligibility more quickly and accurately, including the multi-state cross-match functionality to verify that UI applicants are who they say they are and to combat fraud (these efforts have resulted in a significant increase in usage of this cross match to 48 states).
- Developed centralized tools to make it easier for states to use plain language and user-friendly interfaces to improve the claimant experience and accurately determine eligibility.
- Engaged multidisciplinary tiger teams with 30 states to help them address fraud, work through backlogs, improve equity and access in the UI system, and to implement improvements in these areas.
- Launched an identity verification pilot to evaluate the use of GSA’s Login.gov as a possible identity verification service for the UI program.
However, the Department of Labor admits that their efforts alone will not solve the problem.
Su stated that the need for state administrative funding to reduce improper payments cannot be overlooked.
The department said the president’s 2023 fiscal year budget calls for updating the outdated UI administrative funding formula to give states adequate resources — both in regular times and during times of crisis. The department also added they’re encouraging Congress to take legislative action to better support states’ administration of the UI program while those at the federal level continue to invest additional resources to fight and prevent fraud.
For months, InvestigateTV has asked the White House for an interview with Gene Sperling, the man in charge of tackling unemployment fraud for the Biden Administration.
So far, no response to those requests has been received.
Investigate TV also asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation for information on how that agency plans to tackle cybercrime and security related to protecting federal programs. That request has also gone unanswered.
Experts said tracking and fighting fraud has always been a challenge, but stressed that those challenges must be addressed: Taxpayers’ dollars must be protected before the next emergency strikes and people turn to federal programs for help.
“The worst thing that can happen is that the magnitude of this crisis hurts UI’s brand and people are reluctant to apply when they lose work,” Evermore said.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kalb.com/2023/01/02/fraud-files-billions-federal-funds-meant-help-unemployed-stolen-by-scammers/ | 2023-01-02 16:30:29 | 0 | https://www.kalb.com/2023/01/02/fraud-files-billions-federal-funds-meant-help-unemployed-stolen-by-scammers/ |
LucidLink's Filespaces joins industry content security initiative bringing greater flexibility and security to M&E global content creators taking advantage of the benefits of the cloud
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LucidLink, an innovator in cloud file storage for remote collaboration, announced today that it has teamed up with the Trusted Partner Network (TPN) to establish safer, more secure content creation workflows for hybrid and remote teams worldwide.
By incorporating the new TPN+ platform into its content security preparedness, LucidLink continues to deliver its best-in-class security to protect creative teams' valuable content and enable secure distributed workflows.
"At LucidLink we are proud to be an early adopter of TPN +, especially since this certification was built for cloud collaboration which is at the heart of LucidLink Filespaces," stated Peter Thompson, CEO and co-founder of LucidLink. "Security has been a key design tenet since our inception, and we welcome the opportunity to help increase the level of security throughout the industry. We understand the threat to the entertainment industry's most valuable asset - their content."
TPN, powered by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), serves as a community platform and industry source of truth, benefiting content owners, service providers, assessors, and the industry as a whole with the shared goal of security preparedness, awareness, and anti-piracy measures for the entire digital media supply chain in an environment that faces critical data breaches.
"The TPN+ security assessment was developed inline with today's stringent security standards that content owners need in order to keep their valuable content secure," said Terri Davis, President of Trusted Partner Network (TPN), "We are delighted to have LucidLink onboard as an early adopter."
About LucidLink
LucidLink offers an innovative cloud-native file service designed specifically for extensive data access over a distance. LucidLink Filespaces provides best-in-class security and high-performance scalability to run file-based workloads on object storage for maximum efficiency and productivity. The service is compatible with Microsoft Azure Blob and any Amazon S3-compatible object storage provider that utilizes cloud, on-prem, or hybrid storage. It supports all major operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS. Investors include Baseline Ventures, Headline, Adobe, Bright Cap Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, S28 Capital, and Fathom Capital. LucidLink is privately held, with headquarters in San Francisco, California, and offices in Bulgaria, Europe, and Australia.
About The Trusted Partner Network
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN) is the leading, global, industry-wide film and television content security initiative. Designed to assist companies in preventing leaks, breaches, and hacks of movies and television shows prior to their intended release, TPN seeks to raise security awareness, preparedness, and capabilities within the industry. TPN provides industry vendors with a voluntary, cost-effective way to ensure that the security of their facilities, staffs, and workflows meet the MPA's best practices and it accredits experienced auditors to conduct assessments globally. Through TPN, the film and television industry elevates the security standards and responsiveness of the vendor community, while greatly expanding the number of facilities that are assessed annually. The Trusted Partner Network is owned and managed by the Motion Picture Association. Learn more at www.TTPN.org.
About The Motion Picture Association
The Motion Picture Association serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its members are Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Netflix Studios LLC; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. More information at: https://www.motionpictures.org/
Media Contacts
LucidLink Media Contact
Walker Sands:
Joshua Payne: joshua.payne@walkersands.com
TPN Media Contacts
Bubble Agency:
USA: Peggy Blaze: peggyb@bubbleagency.com
Europe: Shawn Belluigi shawnb@bubbleagency.com
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SOURCE LucidLink | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/25/lucidlink-becomes-first-cloud-collaboration-tool-adopt-motion-picture-associations-tpn-platform/ | 2023-01-25 06:58:38 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/25/lucidlink-becomes-first-cloud-collaboration-tool-adopt-motion-picture-associations-tpn-platform/ |
Gleason brings more than two decades of transformative brand marketing expertise in restaurants, beverage, and family entertainment to the Company
IRVING, Texas, April 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CEC Entertainment, LLC., announced today the appointment of marketing veteran Sean Gleason to the position of Chief Marketing Officer for the Company's flagship brand, Chuck E. Cheese, and its virtual kitchen brands, including Pasqually's Pizza & Wings. Gleason is a marketing leader with expertise in brand development, digital media, menu innovation, and in leading high-performance teams to deliver transformational growth throughout his career.
"I am thrilled to have Sean join CEC Entertainment to lead the marketing strategy for the world's largest family entertainment center brand, Chuck E Cheese." said David McKillips, President and CEO of CEC Entertainment. "His proven leadership, expertise and success across the restaurant and family entertainment business is a perfect complement to the most aggressive brand transformation in the Company's history."
As Chuck E. Cheese CMO, Gleason will lead all marketing functions, menu innovation, guest insights, communications, as well as the brand's digital marketing and consumer journey initiatives. He will be responsible for developing and executing strategies that position Chuck E. Cheese for long-term growth, both domestically and internationally.
"Chuck E. Cheese is a multi-generational iconic brand and I am truly honored to have the opportunity to join the amazing team and lead the brand for the next generation of fans," said Sean Gleason. "The Chuck E. Cheese brand potential is unlimited. I look forward to working with the entire CEC Entertainment Team and franchise community to build and accelerate the brand's momentum in the years to come."
Gleason comes to Chuck E. Cheese with more than 25 years of marketing strategy, media, advertising, and brand experience. Most recently, he ran his own consulting firm, working with both public- and privately held food & beverage brands.
Prior to that, Gleason led the marketing efforts at Dave & Buster's for more than a decade as Chief Marketing Officer. During his tenure, he oversaw the brand's revitalization and digital transformation, special events, and culinary as the company grew revenue from $521 million to $1.35 billion.
Before Dave & Buster's, Gleason was the Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing Communications for Dr Pepper Snapple Group where he led all consumer-facing initiatives including advertising, public relations, merchandising, promotions, sponsorships, and media.
Gleason also brings great pizza expertise to the company, after spending more than 10 years at Pizza Hut. He served as the brand's Vice President of Marketing Communications, as well as a Director of Field Marketing.
Gleason will be based at the CEC Entertainment corporate support center in Irving. He earned a BA from the University of Virginia; he and his family currently reside in Plano, TX.
About CEC Entertainment, LLC.
CEC Entertainment, LLC is the nationally recognized leader in family entertainment and dining with its Chuck E. Cheese, Peter Piper Pizza brands and virtual kitchen concept, Pasqually's Pizza & Wings. As the place where a million happy birthdays are celebrated every year, Chuck E. Cheese's goal is to create positive, lifelong memories for families through fun, food, and play and is the place Where A Kid Can Be A Kid®. Committed to providing a fun, safe environment, Chuck E. Cheese helps protect families through industry-leading programs such as Kid Check®. As a strong advocate for its local communities, Chuck E. Cheese has donated more than $19 million to schools through its fundraising programs. Peter Piper Pizza features dining, entertainment and carryout with a neighborhood pizzeria feel and "pizza made fresh, families made happy" culture. Peter Piper Pizza takes pride in delivering quality food and fun that reconnects family and friends. Created in 2020, Pasqually's Pizza & Wings offers a distinct, customized eating experience outside of a restaurant environment that amplifies classic pizza and wings and operates out of 400 ghost locations nationwide. The Company and its franchisees operate a system of nearly 600 Chuck E. Cheese and more than 120 Peter Piper Pizza venues, with locations in 47 states and 17 foreign countries and territories. For more information, visit chuckecheese.com, pasquallyspizza.com, and peterpiperpizza.com.
Media Contact:
Media@CECEntertainment.com
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SOURCE CEC Entertainment, LLC | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2023/04/10/chuck-e-cheese-appoints-sean-gleason-new-chief-marketing-officer/ | 2023-04-10 14:43:15 | 1 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2023/04/10/chuck-e-cheese-appoints-sean-gleason-new-chief-marketing-officer/ |
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators are warning railroads that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that.
The Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of recommending in its latest safety advisory issued Thursday that railroads limit the size of their trains, which can routinely stretch more than 2 miles long. However, they did suggest a number of precautions including making sure engineers know how to handle them and that locomotives don’t lose communication with devices at the end of trains that can help trigger the brakes in an emergency.
Currently, there aren’t any restrictions on train length but members of Congress and state lawmakers in at least six states have proposed establishing limits particularly in the wake of the fiery Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio. The major freight railroads have pushed back against that idea because they have increasingly come to rely on longer trains to help them move cargo with fewer crews and mechanics as they overhauled their operations over the past six years. Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz said recently that he doesn’t think accident data shows that long trains are riskier.
But the Federal Railroad Administration cited three derailments involving trains longer than 12,250 feet (3,734 meters) where train length was a factor in its advisory. That agency and the National Academies of Sciences are both in the middle of studying the impact of long trains, and they expect to issue reports next year on whether they are a problem.
“FRA believes these incidents demonstrate the need for railroads and railroad employees to be particularly mindful of the complexities of operating longer trains,” the agency said.
The derailments mentioned as examples of the problems that can accompany long trains were in Springfield, Ohio, in March; in Ravenna, Ohio, last November; and in Rockwell, Iowa, in March 2022. In each of those cases, the way cars in different parts of the train pulled and pushed against each other contributed to the derailments.
The fiery February derailment that prompted evacuations in East Palestine, Ohio, and sparked a nationwide focus on rail safety wasn’t mentioned as an example. The National Transportation Safety Board has said that an overheated bearing that caused an axle to fail on one of the railcars likely caused that derailment.
This latest advisory follows one earlier this month that directed railroads to re-examine the way they assemble their trains to minimize those kind of forces that often come into play as a train goes over hills and around corners. Parts of a train can be pulling forward going up a hill while the middle or back of the train pushes against the rest of the cars while going down a hill.
Those forces make it challenging for engineers to control a train, so regulators said railroads need to adjust their training to make sure their engineers are prepared to handle the monster trains they are operating. The common practice of putting locomotives in the middle of long trains as well as in the front can help manage a long train, but having to control those additional locomotives also complicates the engineer’s job.
“A locomotive engineer cannot be expected to safely operate in a more demanding service without proper additional training that covers the unique challenges and complexities those trains present,” regulators said in the advisory.
A spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads trade group said railroads are already working to manage the challenges associated with long trains and looking for ways to improve safety.
“All stakeholders – the FRA, railroads, and elected officials – share the same goal of continuously enhancing rail safety, minimizing adverse impacts to surrounding communities and keeping the goods that power our economy flowing,” AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said. “The recommendations within this advisory align closely with the prudent steps railroads already take to do just that.”
The Federal Railroad Administration said that in addition to the concerns about derailments, long trains can block crossings for extended periods of time. When crossings are blocked, firefighters, police and ambulance drivers may be delayed in getting someone the help that they need, and pedestrians may risk their lives by crawling under or across stopped trains that could start moving without warning.
The states proposing limits on train size this year include Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada and Washington. | https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/business/railroads-warned-about-the-problems-long-trains-can-cause/ | 2023-04-28 17:57:58 | 1 | https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/business/railroads-warned-about-the-problems-long-trains-can-cause/ |
It seems like ancient history now, but in the fall of 2021, not so long ago, America's supply chains came close to snapping. Remember this? More than 100 cargo ships were floating idly off the coast of L.A. and Long Beach. Those were the two biggest ports on the West Coast. Those ships were filled with consumer goods bound for stores and consumers across the country, but they couldn't offload them. There's no place to do it.
The containers just sat there and in any case, thanks to the Biden administration's vaccine mandates, there weren't enough truckers to pick up the cargo and take it anywhere. So, all of that combined to create the worst shipping bottleneck in memory, and it lasted for months. The price of transporting goods to this country rose by 600%. So, if you're wondering why inflation started to go up, that's a big part of the reason.
Now, none of this happened by accident. The bottleneck was a man-made disaster, and it could have been, should have been, fixed by the people in charge of transportation. They're called the Department of Transportation.
But for much of the time this disaster was unfolding, Joe Biden's secretary of transportation, that would be Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, was completely disengaged. He wasn't on the job. He was at home. He was unpaid paternity leave, posing for selfies for social media.
BUTTIGIEG POINTS FINGER AT RAIL INDUSTRY AFTER OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT; GOP OFFICIALS CITE BIDEN ADMIN POLICIES
Now, Buttigieg didn't seem embarrassed at all by this. "This is work," he said, though, in fact, he had played no role whatsoever in giving birth to a child. "It may be time away from a professional role, but it's very much time on" and actually, it was time on – time on television, Pete Buttigieg used his time to appear on various shows, including "The View" on ABC, where he spoke at length about his favorite subject, which is himself. Not the container disaster – "Me, me, me, me, me, me, me"
Meanwhile, the ships stacked up outside the ports and inflation went up. So, that should conclusively have been the end of Pete Buttigieg's career as transportation secretary. Back to McKinsey for you. Whatever you think of his personal journey of self-discovery, there was an emergency in progress and Buttigieg ignored it.
If anything is grounds for firing somebody, it's that, but the Biden administration did not fire Pete Buttigieg. They did the opposite. They praised him for breaking some important, but not very well-defined glass ceiling of some sort that you're supposed to be excited about. They rewarded his dereliction of duty.
So, because people do respond to incentives, Pete Buttigieg kept doing it. He kept proudly ignoring his job. Weeks after a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, causing an actual environmental disaster throughout the whole region, Pete Buttigieg as of tonight has still not visited East Palestine. Why? What has he been doing? Well, as he explained to the Daily Caller reporter last night. He's taking more personal time.
REPORTER: What do you have to say to the folks in Ohio, in East Palestine who are suffering right now?
PETE BUTTIGIEG: Well, I'd refer you to about a dozen interviews I've given today and if you'd like to arrange a conversation, be sure to reach out to our press office. I'm not going to have that conversation with you just walking down the street here.
REPORTER: You don't have a message for them?
BUTTIGIEG: I do, and I shared it with the press many times today. I'd refer you to those comments.
REPORTER: Do you mind sharing it with us?
BUTTIGIEG: No. I'm going to refer to the comments that I made to the press because right now I'm taking some personal time and I'm walking down the street.
REPORTER: Are you going down there?
BUTTIGIEG: What's that?
REPORTER: Are you going down there at all?
BUTTIGIEG: Yeah, I am.
REPORTER: When are you going?
BUTTIGIEG: I'll share that when I'm ready.
REPORTER: Ok, thank you.
BUTTIGIEG: Can I get a photo with you?
OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT: 15K POUNDS OF CONTAMINATED SOIL, 1.1M GALLONS OF CONTAMINATED WATER EXCAVATED FROM SITE
I'm taking some personal time. Not just a robot, but a nasty one. Can I get a photo of you? And then he did. Now you wonder what Pete Buttigieg is going to do with that photo. Makes you shiver a little bit if you think too much about it, so we're going to stop.
Meanwhile, outside Mayor Pete's nifty little cocoon of bistros and Instagram selfies, life goes on in America and in many places it is getting tougher, not that he cares even a little bit. Here's the mayor of East Palestine on February 16 nearly two weeks after the derailment, explaining that he'd heard nothing from Pete Buttigieg. Watch.
RESIDENT: Where is Pete Buttigieg? Where's he at?
MAYOR: I don't know. Your guess is as good as me. Yesterday was the first time I heard anything from the White House.
That was last week. He still didn't go. This week, people in East Palestine are coughing up blood. We know that because we talked to a couple of them last night, but still, Pete Buttigieg has not shown up. Donald Trump has, by the way; he went today. He's not able to fix the problem. It's not like he's the Secretary of Transportation.
But Trump did bring pallets of bottled water and then bought the entire fire department dinner at McDonald's. Whatever you think of Trump, at least he cared enough to go there. That's something. In fact, it's enough to make you wonder how someone who clearly doesn't care at all, not even a little bit, who doesn't even care enough to pretend he cares, wound up with one of the most important jobs in the Biden cabinet, a job with actual responsibilities. How did he do that?
Well, we know what the answer is. No, Pete Buttigieg doesn't know anything about transportation. We would bet money he can't drive a stick shift. On the other hand, Pete Buttigieg is gay. He plays the piano and he speaks Norwegian. Let's hire him. Watch.
EPA CHIEF, OHIO GOVERNOR DRINK TAP WATER NEAR TRAIN DERAILMENT SITE AFTER HEAVY CRITICISM
STEPHANIE RUHLE, MSNBC: There he was yesterday, front and center, now third in the polls with a speech that many have said are historic.
JEFF MASON,REUTERS: He's inspirational so far and that's something that voters absolutely want.
YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN, MSNBC: He has this appeal for a lot of reasons. He is a veteran. He is openly gay. He is from Indiana
SUNNY HOSTIN TO BUTTIGIEG: You are a concert pianist. You speak many languages, including Norwegian, that you learned because you wanted to read a book.
JOY BEHAR, ABC HOST: The second coming of Obama. We'll see about that. My prayers may have been answered, if that's true.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: The draw to this point has been young, fresh, positive and to change agent.
NICOLLE WALLACE: This guy is chicken soup for my soul.
ANOTHER TRAIN DERAILS IN MIDWEST AS PETE BUTTIGIEG ANNOUNCES VISIT TO OHIO CRASH SITE
So, you sort of long to see Pete Buttigieg fired from his job. It's nothing personal. Not many people hate Pete Buttigieg. What Pete Buttigieg is actually like or how well his Norwegian actually is, is irrelevant. You long to see him fired because you long to see someone at some point held accountable for disasters.
When the Biden administration pulled out of Afghanistan and armed the Taliban with one of the largest militaries in the entire region, no one was punished. The only person in the U.S. military that we're aware of who was punished for that debacle was the guy who complained about it. That's it. No one was ever punished for COVID. When it turns out the vaccines didn't do what they thought they were – what they told us they were going to do – when the lockdowns hurt more people than they helped, when Fauci was caught lying about virtually everything, not one person was punished.
So, it would be encouraging to see someone punished for this debacle for the thousand trail derailments, train derailments we have every year as people, as Pete Buttigieg blithely informed us the other day. But Pete Buttigieg has not been fired, and he likely won't be. Why is that?
Well, we're thinking it's because he's on board with the core idea of the Biden administration, and that is equity and equity means we're going to make decisions based on how you look. Pete Buttigieg is all in on that. Watch him explain that actually, all lives don't matter.
REPORTER: In 2015, You said that all lives matter when you spoke about two police controversies that were happening in South Bend. Was that a mistake?
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
BUTTIGIEG: What I did not understand at that time was that, that phrase, just early into mid especially 2015, was coming to be viewed as a sort of counter slogan to Black Lives Matte. And so there's this statement that seems very anodyne and something that kind of nobody could be against actually wound up being used to devalue what the Black Lives Matter movement was telling us. Since learning about how that phrase was being used to push back on that activism, I stopped using it in that context.
Imagine apologizing for saying all lives matter. No, they actually don't all matter, says the head of the Department of Transportation and you can see now that he means it. A train derails on his watch in a town full of high school educated Trump voters who nobody cares about and have been left behind, and they are further ignored.
But that's not environmental racism. No, it's equity. So, clearly, he knows all lives don't matter, and he's being rewarded for it. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/national/tucker-carlson-why-buttigieg-is-unlikely-to-ever-be-fired/article_5c0b66e2-bc4c-56ec-8307-ec8b41ef3c29.html | 2023-02-23 07:27:45 | 1 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/national/tucker-carlson-why-buttigieg-is-unlikely-to-ever-be-fired/article_5c0b66e2-bc4c-56ec-8307-ec8b41ef3c29.html |
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portuguese health authorities on Wednesday confirmed five cases of monkeypox in young men, marking an unusual outbreak in Europe of a disease typically limited to Africa.
Portugal’s General Directorate for Health said they were also investigating 15 suspected cases and that all were identified this month in the area around the capital, Lisbon.
All the Portuguese cases involve men, most of them young, authorities said. They have skin lesions and were reported to be in stable condition. Authorities did not say if the men had a history of travel to Africa or any links with recent cases in Britain or elsewhere.
British health authorities said earlier this week they had identified four cases of monkeypox spread in London among gay and bisexual men. Spain’s Health Ministry said it had detected eight suspected cases of monkeypox that still needed to be confirmed.
The disease belongs to a family of viruses that includes smallpox. Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks. Sporadic cases of monkeypox have been seen previously in countries including Britain and the U.S., but nearly all have been in people who were likely infected during their travels in Africa.
Dr. Ibrahim Soce Fall, the World Health Organization’s assistant director-general for emergency response, said the spread of monkeypox in the U.K. needed to be investigated to understand how the disease was being transmitted among men who have sex with other men.
Fall said that health officials still need a better understanding of how monkeypox spreads in general, even in the countries where it is endemic.
He noted that while there were more than 6,000 reported cases in Congo and about 3,000 cases in Nigeria last year, there are still “so many unknowns in terms of the dynamics of transmission.”
Britain previously reported three earlier cases of monkeypox, two involving people who lived in the same household and the third someone who had traveled to Nigeria, where the disease occurs frequently in animals.
The virus has typically spread to people from infected animals like rodents, although human-to-human transmission has been known to occur. Among people, the disease is spread when there is very close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets or contaminated materials, like bedsheets.
Some British experts said it was soon to conclude that monkeypox had spread through sexual contact, although the outbreak there suggested that possibility.
“The recent cases suggest a potentially novel means of spread,” Neil Mabbott, a disease expert at the University of Edinburgh, said, adding that related viruses were known to spread via sex.
Keith Neal, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Nottingham, said the transmission might not have occurred through sexual activity but just “the close contact associated with sexual intercourse.”
Monkeypox typically causes fever, chills, a rash and lesions on the face or genitals resembling those caused by smallpox. A vaccine developed against smallpox has been approved for monkeypox, and several anti-virals also appear to be effective.
___
Cheng contributed from London. Joe Wilson contributed from Barcelona, Spain. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/portugal-finds-5-monkeypox-cases-in-men-as-outbreak-spreads/ | 2022-05-18 15:51:05 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/portugal-finds-5-monkeypox-cases-in-men-as-outbreak-spreads/ |
Which toy alligator is best?
We are coming up on the most wonderful time of the year, and that means cooler weather, holidays, and gift-giving. While it’s always fun to receive, it can be even more fun to give, especially when it comes to presenting kids with new toys. No matter the season, children love new playthings, and a toy alligator is no exception. If you’re on the hunt for an amazing alligator toy, check out the Mary Meyer Marshmallow Gator Soft Toy Friend.
What to know before you buy a toy alligator
When buying a toy alligator, consider the age of the child you are purchasing it for. A younger child might prefer something soft to cuddle with, while an older child might like something a bit more durable that has versatility. If you’re not sure, a stuffed toy that can double as a pillow might be a nice middle ground.
Plush
Even though a plush toy can be a great choice for a toddler, that doesn’t mean that kids of all ages wouldn’t enjoy it. A plush toy is usually super soft and fun to squeeze. It can often take the place of a security blanket and become a sleeping companion. A plush toy alligator can provide a bit of comfort for a child who likes huggable toys.
Plastic
A plastic toy alligator is a great choice for kids that like to play a little rougher. The synthetic material is easy to clean and offers durability. This type of toy lends itself to seeing a bit more action and can often go in the pool or outside in a sandbox.
Stuffed
Stuffed toy alligators are great for kids who play indoors a lot and like to lie down on their toys. Usually, the stuffing makes it a bit malleable, so the item will keep its shape, even if it gets tossed around or stepped on.
What to look for in a quality toy alligator
Whether you’re looking for a gift for your child or someone else, there are a few things to consider before making a purchase.
Size
Toy alligators are available in many different sizes. You’ll want to consider the size of the child and select something that works for their wants and needs. While some kids enjoy smaller toys, others may have difficulty grasping an item that is too tiny. A larger toy is easier for little hands to grasp.
You also want to keep in mind the size of the room that the toy will be in. While some children have designated playrooms or large bedrooms, others are working with a small space. Choosing a toy that will fit into the right space is key.
Quality
Make sure that the alligator toy is constructed well. Kids can be rough with their things without even realizing it. Even if the recipient of the alligator toy is typically gentle with their items, they may have a friend over who’s a bit more rambunctious. It’s always best to check the stitching and the care instructions before you invest in a brand-new toy.
Age-appropriate
Some kids are happy with anything they receive, while others are very selective. It’s a good idea to check the tag or description and see what the recommended ages are for that specific toy.
Giving an alligator toy that is too small could get lost or even end up being a hazard for a child that is too young. When in doubt, pick out something bigger that will be easy to find if it gets misplaced.
How much you can expect to spend on a toy alligator
Although the price range can vary, you can expect to spend anywhere from $11-$32.
Toy alligator FAQ
Is a toy alligator too scary for a child?
A. Even though the thought of a real-life alligator can be frightening, toy alligators are designed to be fun and not fearful. A toy like this can double as a learning tool, teaching children about the animal, as well as illustrating the difference between reality and make-believe.
An older kid might be less afraid of a more aggressive-looking alligator toy, while a younger one would probably appreciate a toy that has a more friendly appeal. Always use discretion, but selecting a less intimidating toy will be your best bet if you are nervous about the child’s reaction.
Is a toy alligator a gender-neutral toy?
A. Absolutely. Gone are the days where toys have to fit into any specific role. It’s important for all children to learn about animals and reap the benefits of playing with a variety of items. A toy alligator can be enjoyable for anyone who receives it.
What’s the best toy alligator to buy?
Top toy alligator
Mary Meyer Marshmallow Gator Soft Toy Friend
What you need to know: This 13-inch gator has fabric teeth and weighted feet.
What you’ll love: It’s super soft and can be machine washed when it gets dirty.
What you should consider: This toy can be gifted to infants as young as one month old, so it might be too juvenile for some kids.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top toy alligator for the money
Safari Ltd. Wildlife Collection Realistic Alligator Toy Figure
What you need to know: It’s BPA-free, nontoxic and designed for ages 3 and up.
What you’ll love: This alligator is painted by hand, making it unique and realistic.
What you should consider: It will fit nicely in the palm of a hand, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for something slightly larger.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
What you need to know: Designed for ages 3 and over, this game can be played with up to four participants.
What you’ll love: This at-home mini-golf game can be fun for the whole family while working on motor skills and coordination.
What you should consider: The gator can toss back your golf balls, so be aware that family pets might want to get in on the game.
Where to buy: Sold by Macy’s
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Kandi Neal writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.myarklamiss.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/pretend-play-br/best-toy-alligator/ | 2022-06-12 15:49:23 | 1 | https://www.myarklamiss.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/pretend-play-br/best-toy-alligator/ |
Our September Natural Touch column last week featured late summer rains and the wonders they bring. Days after completing it, we experienced another late afternoon pop-up rainstorm.
On this hot, muggy, hazy, Sunday, I was out working in the fence row by the front prairie. Neighbor Jim Eicher and his young son, Jamison, walked up the lane to deliver a piece of mail.
I invited them back to the house for iced tea in the shade of the back deck. Conversations usually begin with talk of weather. Jim, a farmer, always mindful of the prospect of rain.
“We getting rain today, Fred?”
“I don’t know Jim, the latest forecast I saw was maybe tonight after midnight.”
Jim lives close to the land and has clearly watched and reacted to many rainstorms.
We enjoyed peach tea and looking out over nearby landscapes and more distant woods and wetlands. We covered the normal topics of weather, trees, tree fruit, garden successes, the shortening days and coming of fall.
When tea was finished and topics covered, we stood, and I walked with them back up the lane. The haze to the south was now a veil of gray.
“Fred, that looks like rain heading our way.”
“It does Jim, maybe it is coming sooner than expected.”
They probably no sooner made it back to their barnyard when a mist started to cover the deck. I moved inside and the mist quickly turned to light sprinkles. The breeze picked up and I waited as long as I could to close all windows over screens. The porch became quieter as rainfall and winds outside got louder. In just seconds the storm intensified, sending limbs whipping and rain in waving sheets.
As many summer pop-up storms, this one was short lived. I no sooner settled into a project and the rains lightened to a sprinkle and the sky became brighter. The sun now lower to the west emerged to sparkle this wet world around me. I knew with the low sun behind me to the south and the storm still sprinkling and moving northward, conditions would be right for a rainbow.
As I pushed back my chair and assessed my need for outside clothing, I looked up and there was my rainbow! “My rainbow” because it was only in my backyard!
Rainbows always fascinate. They always demand comment among people, “Hey, a rainbow!” They are always far off, high in the air, big and beautiful, arching horizon to horizon. Sometimes a double rainbow elicits a “Look! Double rainbow!”
This Sunday rainbow though, was amazingly all mine! It was right at the edge of my yard in front of the woods. Not high, maybe 15 feet. Not horizon to horizon, but from one side of the yard to the other. I have never seen anything like it.
I had the wherewithal to pick up my camera and capture the sight. It lasted maybe two minutes. Did I look for pots of gold at both ends where it did touch the ground? I did. Did I find any? I did not. But I had all the gold and multicolor magic I needed. | https://www.kpcnews.com/outdoors/article_79c43d77-29b5-5c68-86f1-c6a959405c33.html | 2022-09-07 16:09:17 | 1 | https://www.kpcnews.com/outdoors/article_79c43d77-29b5-5c68-86f1-c6a959405c33.html |
Freezing rain and thunderstorms pummeled parts of Ontario and Quebec on Wednesday, knocking out power for about 800,000 people, officials reported.
Quebec’s power utility said shortly after 5 p.m. that more than 676,000 of its 4.5 million customers had no electricity as much of the province remained under a freezing rain warning.
“What’s causing the outages is the mixture of precipitation and wind,” Hydro-Québec spokeswoman Gabrielle Leblanc said. “It weighs down the vegetation. There can be branches and trees that fall on the lines.”
In Montreal, more than 316,000 customers had lost power, while 171,000 people were hit with outages in the Montérégie region, south of the city.
Leblanc said many of the outages were small in area, each affecting only a few customers, so crews would need to repair numerous breaks to restore power to everyone.
In Montreal, there were numerous reports of downed trees. Transport Quebec said weather conditions forced it to close the Victoria Bridge, which connects Montreal with its southern suburbs.
Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said his department has put a coordination center in place to deal with the storm. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/international/800000-lose-power-as-freezing-rain-hits-ontario-and-quebec/ | 2023-04-06 21:26:26 | 1 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/international/800000-lose-power-as-freezing-rain-hits-ontario-and-quebec/ |
Hundreds of learning and event technology professionals convened for two-day hybrid event, Cadmium Spark
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cadmium concluded their annual conference this week at Nationals Park. Conceived as an essential hybrid event for leaders in the professional events and online learning space, Cadmium Spark was attended by over 300 technologists from associations, non-profits, healthcare and life sciences organizations.
The program commenced on July 25 with a virtual address from John Pierson, CEO of Cadmium. Pierson revealed the company's advancements in creating an integrated life-cycle suite of applications and services for the events and educational initiatives of their customers.
Acknowledging an unprecedented period of change in the learning and events industry, Pierson remarked: "We're ready for whatever in-person, virtual, or hybrid activity is going to be needed. The products have been built, the teams have been trained, and the capabilities are there to be leveraged."
Throughout the conference, in-person and virtual attendees visited an assortment of concurrent sessions. Thought leadership from industry insiders, hands-on technology workshops, and other learning opportunities punctuated the program. A keynote address on the future of associations by Artesha Moore, FASAE, CAE, President and CEO of Association Forum, concluded the first day's activities.
The second day of programming began with an analysis of recent and upcoming enhancements to the Cadmium product suite. Recent innovations include:
- An assortment of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) enhancements to Cadmium's flagship learning management systems, Elevate and EthosCE
- Warpwire Live, an ultra-low latency live streaming solution built to promote real-time, accessible virtual event experiences
- An integration between CLEAR Health Pass and Cadmium's proprietary registration platform, providing a seamless and secure way to verify vaccination and health status at in-person and hybrid events
- Stronger integrations between Cadmium's suite of event, learning, and video management technology for more seamless administrator experiences
Cadmium technology powered Cadmium Spark. The company itself supplied the mobile app, website, live streaming, badge printing, and registration platform. Cadmium's own speaker and exhibitor management, survey collector, and abstract review tool worked behind the scenes.
The conference served as a vital opportunity for new, existing, and prospective Cadmium customers to experience the past, present, and future of content delivery. Individuals interested in learning more about Cadmium Spark can explore the program here.
Cadmium simplifies the production of live, hybrid and virtual events and maximizes the value of online learning with a single, flexible platform designed to capture the chemistry of people, ideas and knowledge. The company's software products are trusted by more than 1000 content-driven organizations worldwide to generate revenue, drive customer retention, and lower operational costs for their events and education initiatives. For more information, visit gocadmium.com.
Contact:
Jessie Reyes, Director of Marketing | Cadmium
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SOURCE Cadmium | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/07/29/cadmium-reveals-innovations-events-education-annual-conference/ | 2022-07-29 16:31:45 | 0 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/07/29/cadmium-reveals-innovations-events-education-annual-conference/ |
Buchheit brings years of successful business development experience to the role and will lead the company's expansion into new U.S. and global markets
NAPLES, Fla., Dec. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fountain Life, a preventative health and longevity company committed to transforming global healthcare from reactive to proactive, today announced the promotion of Shawn Buchheit to chief operating officer. Buchheit joined Fountain Life in 2021 and previously served as the company's global vice president of business development. As COO, he will lead highly impactful business development, marketing, and member experience initiatives with an emphasis on continuously enhancing member outcomes.
Buchheit will serve as COO for Fountain Life Management, including Fountain Health Insurance. Fountain Health Insurance is a subsidiary of Fountain Life focused on creating healthier populations and lowering overall healthcare costs by focusing a higher percentage of premiums on preventative care.
"I would like to congratulate Shawn on his well-deserved promotion," said Bill Kapp, M.D., Fountain Life CEO and co-founder. "Since joining Fountain Life, he has been a key driver in the success of our centers in Naples, White Plains, and Dallas. His depth of experience in the health and wellness industry will be instrumental as we forge new partnerships and expand our footprint with additional locations throughout the U.S. and globally."
"I'm excited to continue contributing to Fountain Life's success in this expanded new role," commented Buchheit. "This is a high growth time for our company, and the opportunity to collaborate with some of the world's leading and most innovative physicians, scientists, and business minds as we work to help members avoid or mitigate potentially long-term health issues is an honor."
Shawn Buchheit is an internationally renowned thought leader with more than 20 years of experience in designing and launching transformative business development and client strategies for major brands in the well-being, preventative medicine, and fitness sectors. Before joining Fountain Life, Buchheit was vice president of Global Business Development for Technogym. He earned a degree in Sport Management from PennWest California and a degree in Nutrition from East Tennessee State University.
To learn more about Fountain Life's leadership team, founders, and medical advisory board, visit www.fountainlife.com.
About Fountain Life
Fountain Life brings together the world's most renowned scientists and physicians to boost longevity and performance – putting health back in healthcare. Fountain Life does this by using cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) to collect data and gain insights into the human body that have never been possible before. Fountain Life's data-driven approach enables finding illnesses, including cancer, cardiac, metabolic, and neurodegenerative disease, early before they can cause harm. As a result, Fountain Life members operate at peak performance throughout their life with the aim that they will feel as healthy and vibrant at 100 as they were at 60. Learn more at www.fountainlife.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Photo of Shawn Buchheit is available upon request.
Media Contacts:
Erica Fiorini, Ph.D., or David Schull
Russo Partners, LLC
Erica.Fiorini@russopartnersllc.com
David.Schull@russopartnersllc.com
+1 (914) 310-8172
Fountain Life Company Contact:
Evan Balter
Evan@fountainlife.com
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SOURCE Fountain Life | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/12/22/fountain-life-promotes-shawn-buchheit-chief-operating-officer/ | 2022-12-22 15:03:11 | 0 | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/12/22/fountain-life-promotes-shawn-buchheit-chief-operating-officer/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army is significantly cutting the total number of soldiers it expects to have in the force over the next two years, as the U.S. military faces what a top general called “unprecedented challenges” in bringing in recruits.
Army officials on Tuesday said the service will fall about 10,000 soldiers short of its planned end strength for this fiscal year, and prospects for next year are grimmer. Army Gen. Joseph Martin, vice chief of staff for the Army, said it is projecting it will have a total force of 466,400 this year, down from the expected 476,000. And the service could end 2023 with between 445,000 and 452,000 soldiers, depending on how well recruiting and retention go.
With just two and a half months to go in the fiscal year, the Army has achieved just 50% of its recruiting goal of 60,000 soldiers, according to Lt. Col. Randee Farrell, spokeswoman for Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. Based on those numbers and trends, it is likely the Army will miss the goal by nearly 25% as of Oct. 1. If the shortfalls continue, Martin said, they could have an impact on readiness.
“We’ve got unprecedented challenges with both a post-COVID-19 environment and labor market, but also competition with private companies that have changed their incentives over time,” Martin told a House Armed Services subcommittee on Tuesday. Asked if the Army will have to adjust its force structure to meet national security and warfighting missions around the world, Martin said: “We don’t need to do that immediately. But if we don’t arrest the decline that we’re seeing right now in end strength, that could be a possibility in the future.”
Cutting the size of the Army is the best option, said Wormuth.
“The Army is facing our most challenging recruiting environment since the inception of the all-volunteer force. This is not a one-year challenge. We will not solve this overnight,” she said, adding that the service is looking at a wide range of steps to recruit more soldiers without lowering standards or sacrificing quality.
“We are facing a very fundamental question,” she added. “Do we lower standards to meet end strength, or do we lower end strength to maintain a quality, professional force? We believe the answer is obvious — quality is more important than quantity.”
The Army’s recruiting problems are the most severe across the military, but the other services are also having a tough time finding young people who want to join and can meet the physical, mental and moral requirements.
Senior Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps leaders have said they are hopeful they will meet or just slightly miss their recruiting goals for this year. But they said they will have to dip into their pool of delayed entry applicants, which will put them behind as they begin the next recruiting year.
The services bring in recruits all year around, but usually send them to basic training and boot camp over a spread-out period of time. The delay can help recruits prepare for entry-level training, particularly the more physical demands.
Military leaders are also banking on cash as an incentive. They are spending tens of thousands of dollars in increased bonuses to woo recruits, hoping to compete with other employers around the county as unemployment sits at about 3.6%.
In January, the Army, for the first time, began offering a maximum enlistment bonus of $50,000 to highly skilled recruits who join for six years. At the time, Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, head of Army Recruiting Command, told The Associated Press that shuttered schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and the highly competitive job market have posed significant challenges for recruiters.
The military services rely heavily on face-to-face meetings with young people in schools or at fairs and other large public events. And they are only now really starting to get back to something close to normal after two years of the pandemic.
Compounding the problem is the low unemployment rate and the fact that private corporations may be able to pay more to lure workers. And, among young people, only about 23% are physically, mentally and morally qualified to serve without receiving some type of waiver. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/politics/army-cuts-force-size-amid-unprecedented-battle-for-recruits/ | 2022-07-20 18:48:53 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/politics/army-cuts-force-size-amid-unprecedented-battle-for-recruits/ |
World Wrestling Entertainment impresario Vince McMahon announced Friday he is retiring amid an investigation into alleged misconduct involving the flamboyant showman who turned a small wrestling company into a worldwide entertainment business.
In a brief statement issued by WWE, McMahon said he is retiring as the company’s chairman and CEO. He noted that he remains its majority shareholder.
McMahon stepped down temporarily as CEO and chairman of WWE in mid-June during an investigation into alleged misconduct. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million over the past 16 years to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.
“At 77, time for me to retire. Thank you, WWE Universe. Then. Now. Forever. Together. #WWE #thankful,” he wrote on Twitter.
There was no mention of the investigation in statement from the company based in Stamford, Connecticut. McMahon said his daughter, Stephanie, who was named interim CEO and chairperson last month, will serve as chairperson and share CEO duties with Nick Khan, who joined the company in 2020.
“Our global audience can take comfort in knowing WWE will continue to entertain you with the same fervor, dedication, and passion as always,” he wrote in the statement, thanking WWE’s generations of fans all over the world.
McMahon first stepped aside from the top positions last month after the Journal reported at the time that he had agreed to pay $3 million to a former paralegal who said he sexually harassed her on the job. He was supposed to continue overseeing WWE’s creative content during the companies investigation. But then the newspaper reported that McMahon had agreed to pay the significantly larger sum of $12 million.
Four women — all formerly affiliated with WWE — signed agreements with McMahon that bar them from discussing their relationships with him, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the deals and documents it reviewed. McMahon has said he is cooperating with the company’s investigation.
McMahon has been the leader and most recognizable face at WWE for decades. When he purchased what was then the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, wrestling matches took place at small venues and appeared on local cable channels.
The organization underwent a seismic transformation under McMahon with events like WrestleMania, a premium live production that draws millions of fervent viewers.
Revenue last year exceeded $1 billion for the first time and the company has television deals with Fox and NBCUniversal. Last month it announced a multiyear expansion of its original programming partnership with A&E.
WWE stars have become crossover sensations, including Hulk Hogan, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and John Cena. | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/wwes-vince-mcmahon-says-he-is-retiring/ | 2022-07-23 12:39:37 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/wwes-vince-mcmahon-says-he-is-retiring/ |
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Sony Electronics announced the development of the long-awaited full-frame E-mount 300mm F2.8 G Master OSS Telephoto Lens, with a target launch date in early 2024.
Large-aperture super-telephoto lenses such as the FE 400mm F2.8 G Master™ OSS and FE 600mm F4 G Master™ OSS are highly acclaimed by sports and wildlife photographers around the world for their outstanding resolution and autofocus (AF) performance, as well as being remarkably lightweight. The new lens will feature the incredible high-resolution and spectacularly beautiful bokeh true to Sony's acclaimed line of flagship G Master™ series lenses, while also offering a far-reaching 300mm focal length and F2.8 large aperture. This combination will deliver a new elevated shooting experience for all professional sports, news and event photographers and videographers looking to capture decisive moments with higher image quality.
Sony will continue to expand its attractive lens line-up to meet the demands and maximize the creative possibilities for all types of creators, including professionals, and expand the possibilities of artistic expression.
Additional details and specifications on the new FE 300mm F2.8 G Master OSS Telephoto Lens will be released at a later date.
About Sony Electronics Inc.
Sony Electronics is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America and an affiliate of Sony Group Corporation, one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world, with a portfolio that encompasses electronics, music, motion pictures, mobile, gaming, robotics and financial services. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Sony Electronics is a leader in electronics for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, engineering, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Sony Electronics creates products that innovate and inspire generations, such as the award-winning Alpha Interchangeable Lens Cameras and revolutionary high-resolution audio products. Sony is also a leading manufacturer of end-to-end solutions from 4K professional broadcast and A/V equipment to industry leading 4K and 8K Ultra HD TVs. Visit http://www.sony.com/news. for more information.
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SOURCE Sony Electronics, Inc. | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/17/sony-electronics-announces-development-new-300mm-f28-g-master-oss-telephoto-full-frame-e-mount-lens-targeting-launch-early-2024/ | 2023-01-17 16:04:03 | 1 | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/17/sony-electronics-announces-development-new-300mm-f28-g-master-oss-telephoto-full-frame-e-mount-lens-targeting-launch-early-2024/ |
SACRAMENTO (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the California Lottery's "Daily 4" game were:
4-9-8-6
(four, nine, eight, six)
¶ Ticket-holders with all four winning numbers in the order given win the top prize. Lesser amounts are also awarded to ticket-holders with other varying combinations of the winning numbers. | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Daily-4-game-17492775.php | 2022-10-07 05:17:40 | 1 | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Daily-4-game-17492775.php |
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Residents with a craving for creole-inspired cuisine will soon have a new place to satisfy their hunger.
City Built Brewing Company, 820 Monroe Ave. NW, is launching a new menu this week featuring many of the favorites the brewery tested out, starting in 2020, through its weekly zombie kitchen, Li Grand Zombi. They include items such as a Shrimp Po Boy, smoked chicken gumbo, hot chicken sandwich, and more, said Edwin Collazo, owner of the brewery.
“When we wrote our first menu, it was because we were excited about that food,” he said, noting that City Built’s initial menu featured tacos and Puerto Rican-inspired creations. “This is a great opportunity to do something else that we’re excited about.”
The new menu was created by Executive Chef Kyle Murray, who drew inspiration from a trip to New Orleans. City Built launched its weekly zombie kitchen as a way to experiment and provide new food to customers during the pandemic.
While City Built is discontinuing its Puerto Rican-inspired menu, those items could occasionally return, said Collazo, who has a Puerto Rican heritage.
“I will have opportunities to share my culture in other ways,” he said. “Business environment creates opportunities for change. I thrive in that environment. It allows me to flex on the goal which is to create a space in my community where cultures collide in meaningful and relevant ways.”
Another factor on contributing to the change: the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID has really kind of taken its toll on our labor and just what it took to make that kitchen happen, which is a very labor intense kitchen,” Collazo said. “We’re trying to learn how to do more with less. The idea that we’re trying to control our labor costs — this menu serves that.”
The new menu will officially be available on Thursday, Feb. 9.
Other highlights on the menu include a Cajun shrimp basket, a chopped cheese sandwich (chopped beef, grilled onions, American cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato and fancy sauce on a toasted brioche bun), as well as a fried bologna sandwich, and shrimp etouffee (cornmeal-crusted shrimp served over white rice with an etouffee sauce).
Read more:
Grand Rapids projects drew $245M in private investment in 2022
GVSU partners with West Michigan companies to create paid work-and-learn program
Diversity statement aimed at Ottawa County board adopted by Grand Haven council | https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2023/02/li-grand-zombi-inspires-city-built-brewing-companys-new-creole-focused-menu.html | 2023-02-08 13:09:25 | 0 | https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2023/02/li-grand-zombi-inspires-city-built-brewing-companys-new-creole-focused-menu.html |
Golden Retriever Saved During Lucky Trip to Toronto
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sometimes, it is just good to be lucky. When Melissa Martin decided to take her Golden Retriever puppy Subaru with her on a trip to the "big city," she had no idea it would save the dog's life. Martin breeds Golden Retrievers at her home in Dobbinton, Ontario, Canada, which is a three-hour drive from Toronto. While delivering one of her new puppies to its forever home, Martin decided to take Subaru along for the ride.
"It was a disaster," Martin said, who has been a dog groomer for 13 years and worked at a veterinary clinic. "I was dropping off a puppy in Toronto, and left Subaru in the front seat of the vehicle. Normally I keep her in the back in a crate with the other dogs, but I wanted the company. When I came back from delivering the puppy, I found that Subaru had dug out a 300-count bag of apricot kernels I keep in the console." Martin eats two to seven kernels a day as a supplement."
While many people enjoy eating apricot kernels, which are the seeds found inside the hard pit, they can be dangerous to pets. The seeds, leaves and stems of the apricot tree contain cyanide. According to the toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline, this toxin inhibits proper function of cytochrome oxidase, an enzyme necessary for cellular oxygen transport, preventing oxygen from being released from red blood cells and being delivered to cells. When ingested in toxic amounts, the clinical signs of vomiting, ataxia, difficulty breathing, panting, bright red gums, arrhythmias, blood pressure changes, seizures, shock and death can be seen. There may also be a bitter almond smell to the breath.
"I vividly remember her and I making eye contact," Martin continued. "I could tell she was looking suspicious. That is when I saw the bag, and I remembered that apricots have traces of cyanide. My first instinct was to drive to the drug store to get some hydrogen peroxide to cause her to bring up what she had eaten, but I quickly realized it was too late for that option. Because of my background working with pets, I know there are certain signs that need immediate medical attention. Subaru went from no signs to her eyes rolling into the back of her head and panting. I've never seen signs progress so quickly."
"We live three hours away from Toronto, and an hour and a half away from our nearest veterinarian," Martin said. "If this had happened at home, she wouldn't have survived. The neurological signs were so fast that I knew she had minutes, not hours. My panic level went from zero to ten instantly, but luckily, we were only 15 minutes away from Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital, one of the best emergency facilities in the area. Because of Covid restrictions, it has been difficult to get your pet in to see the veterinarian, but I called ahead, described her symptoms and told them they needed to see her immediately. It was literally a matter of life and death."
"On the way to the hospital Subaru began to vomit," Martin continued. "I'm driving with one hand, trying to use GPS, and holding her head down with the other so she wouldn't re-ingest any of the chewed kernels. When we got to the hospital, they were ready for us."
"Subaru was lucky that her owner quickly recognized how dangerous her clinical signs were and took immediate action," said Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist at Pet Poison Helpline. "Due to the number of apricot kernels ingested and severe signs observed there was a true concern for cyanide poisoning." Once at the hospital, the medical team began providing intravenous fluids, supportive care and performed a gastric lavage to help remove any remaining kernels. Because they were returned so quickly after ingestion it reduced further progression of Subaru's clinical signs. In cases of severe cyanide poisoning, death can occur within a matter of minutes. While antidotes are available, they are often not readily available for veterinarians due to the rare occurrence of cyanide poisoning in animals. Varying amounts of cyanide is present in the seeds of Prunus sp. fruit including peaches, apricots, cherries as well as apple seeds. Certain plants also contain cyanide toxins that may be a concern, particularly in grazing animals. In general, for cyanide poisoning to occur, an animal needs to chew open, crush and ingest many cyanide-containing seeds before signs of poisoning would be expected, as just a few seeds would unlikely contain enough cyanide for concern. It is common for animals to ingest the pits/seeds whole, which is unlikely to result in poisoning, but may result in a gastrointestinal foreign body or obstruction concern."
"Subaru has made a full recovery, and I'm so grateful to the hospital team, as well as Pet Poison Helpline," Martin added. "It is important for people to understand when symptoms are critical and who to call."
Pet Poison Helpline created Toxin Tails to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered.
Pet Poison Helpline, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for poisoning cases of all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $75 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.
Contact: Dr. Renee Schmid
Pet Poison Helpline
(952) 806-3803
RSchmid@petpoisonhelpline.com
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SOURCE Pet Poison Helpline | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/apricot-snacks-poison-rural-canadian-puppy/ | 2022-08-17 15:38:53 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/apricot-snacks-poison-rural-canadian-puppy/ |
NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The InfraCap REIT Preferred ETF (NYSE Arca: PFFR) (the "Fund") has declared a monthly distribution of $0.12 per share ($1.44 per share on an annualized basis). The distribution will be paid December 29, 2022 to shareholders of record as of the close of business December 21, 2022.
PFFR Cash Distribution:
- Ex-Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2022
- Record Date: Wednesday, December 21, 2022
- Payable Date: Thursday, December 29, 2022
Infrastructure Capital Advisors expects to declare future dividends on a monthly basis. Distributions are planned, but not guaranteed, for every month. The next distribution is scheduled to occur in January 2023.
For more information about PFFR's distribution policy, its 2022 distribution calendar, or tax information, please visit the Fund's website at www.virtusetfs.com.
About Virtus ETF Advisers
Virtus ETF Advisers is a New York-based, multi-manager ETF sponsor and affiliate of Virtus Investment Partners. With actively managed and index-based investment capabilities across multiple asset classes, Virtus offers a range of complementary exchange-traded-funds subadvised by select investment managers.
About Infrastructure Capital Advisors, LLC
Infrastructure Capital Advisors, LLC (ICA) is an SEC-registered investment advisor that manages exchange traded funds and a series of hedge funds. The firm was formed in 2012 and is based in New York City. Jay Hatfield is portfolio manager at ICA. Mr. Hatfield has extensive knowledge from his over 30 years of experience on Wall Street and frequently appears in the media to share his market commentary and outlook. For more about Jay Hatfield, visit https://www.infracapfunds.com/leadership.
ICA seeks total-return opportunities in key infrastructure sectors, including energy, real estate, transportation, industrials and utilities. It often identifies opportunities in entities that are not taxed at the entity level, such as master limited partnerships ("MLPs") and real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). It also looks for opportunities in credit and related securities, such as preferred stocks. Current income is a primary objective in most, but not all, of the company's investing activities. The focus is generally on asset-intensive companies that generate and distribute substantial streams of free cash flow. For more information, please visit www.infracapfunds.com.
DISCLOSURE
Fund Risks
Exchange-Traded Funds (ETF): The value of an ETF may be more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities it is designed to track. The costs of owning the ETF may exceed the cost of investing directly in the underlying securities. Preferred Stocks: Preferred stocks may decline in price, fail to pay dividends, or be illiquid. Real Estate Investments: The Fund may be negatively affected by factors specific to the real estate market, including interest rates, leverage, property, and management. Industry/Sector Concentration: A Fund that focuses its investments in a particular industry or sector will be more sensitive to conditions that affect that industry or sector than a non-concentrated Fund. Passive Strategy/Index Risk: A passive investment strategy seeking to track the performance of the underlying index may result in the Fund holding securities regardless of market conditions or their current or projected performance. This could cause the Fund's returns to be lower than if the Fund employed an active strategy. Correlation to Index: The performance of the Fund and its index may vary somewhat due to factors such as Fund flows, transaction costs, and timing differences associated with additions to and deletions from its index. Market Volatility: Securities in the Fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and general economic conditions. Price changes may be short or long term. Prospectus: For additional information on risks, please see the Fund's prospectus.
You should consider the Fund's investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. Contact VP Distributors LLC at 1-888-383-4184 or visit www.virtusetfs.com to obtain a prospectus which contains this and other information about the Fund. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing.
Virtus ETF Advisers, LLC serves as the investment advisor and Infrastructure Capital Advisors, LLC serves as the subadviser to the Fund.
The Fund is distributed by VP Distributors, LLC, member FINRA and subsidiary of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.
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SOURCE InfraCap REIT Preferred ETF | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/12/19/infracap-reit-preferred-etf-nyse-arca-pffr-declares-monthly-dividend/ | 2022-12-19 21:50:20 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/12/19/infracap-reit-preferred-etf-nyse-arca-pffr-declares-monthly-dividend/ |
TIJUANA, Mexico — The Mexican border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali along with Rosarito and Ensenada were hit by gang violence that included vehicles being set ablaze and road blockades.
The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana instructed its employees "to shelter in place until further notice" around midnight because of late Friday's violence.
It was the third time this week Mexican cities have seen widespread arson and shootings by drug cartels. The gangs appear to be targeting stores, vehicles and innocent bystanders in response to disputes or attempts to capture gang members.
Baja California state officials said a total of 24 vehicles had been hijacked and burned at different points throughout the state: 15 in Tijuana, three in Rosarito, and two each in Mexicali, Ensenada, and Tecate.
Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero blamed it on disputes between drug gangs and asked them to stop the violence.
Caballero issued a public appeal to "organized crime," the term used in Mexico for drug cartels, to stop the growing trend of targeting innocent civilians.
"Today we are saying to the organized crime groups that are committing these crimes, that Tijuana is going to remain open and take care of its citizens," Caballero said in a video, "and we also ask them to settle their debts with those who didn't pay what they owe, not with families and hard-working citizens."
The extent of the violence was still unclear Saturday. Late Friday, the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana said in a statement that it "is aware of reports of multiple vehicle fires, roadblocks and heavy police activity in Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tecate."
On Saturday, few people ventured out on the streets in Tijuana and many of the bus and passenger van services stopped running, leaving some residents unable to get where they were going.
"Let them fight it out among themselves, but leave us alone," said Tijuana resident Blanca Estela Fuentes, as she looked for some means of public transport. "So they kill each other, they can do whatever they want, but the public, why are we to blame?"
Later Saturday, Caballero, the Tijuana mayor, said some bus and van routes had resumed service.
The federal public safety department said one person was wounded in the violence and that federal, state and local forces had detained 17 suspects, including seven in Tijuana, and four each in Rosarito and Mexicali.
It said some of the suspects had been identified as members of the Jalisco cartel, the group blamed for burning stores and shooting people earlier this week in the states of Jalisco and Guanajuato.
The area around Tijuana, which borders southern California, is a lucrative drug-trafficking corridor long dominated by the Arellano Felix cartel but which has since become a battle ground between various gangs, including the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels.
The mayor's comment about Tijuana remaining open was an apparent reference to the border city of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, where some classes and public events were cancelled after similar violence on Thursday.
Alleged gang members killed nine people, including four employees of a radio station, in Ciudad Juarez after a fight between rival gangs at a local prison left two inmates dead.
On Tuesday, drug cartel gunmen burned vehicles and businesses in the western states of Jalisco and Guanajuato in response to an attempt to arrest a high-ranking cartel leader of the Jalisco cartel.
Oxxo, a national chain of convenience stores owned by Femsa, the country's largest bottling company, said 25 of its stores in Guanajuato — which borders Jalisco, home to the cartel of the same name — were either totally or partially burned Tuesday.
Speaking about the Ciudad Juarez violence Thursday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said: "They attacked the civilian, innocent population like a sort of revenge. It wasn't just a clash between two groups, but it got to the point where they began to shoot civilians, innocent people. That is the most unfortunate thing in this affair."
Four employees of the MegaRadio station who were broadcasting a live promotional event outside a pizza store in Ciudad Juarez were killed in the shootings.
Such random violence is not without precedent in Mexico.
In June of last year, a rival faction of the Gulf cartel entered the border city of Reynosa and killed 14 people the governor identified as "innocent citizens." The military responded and killed four suspected gunmen.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wdiy.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-13/drug-gangs-unleash-violence-in-northern-mexican-cities | 2022-08-14 13:29:34 | 0 | https://www.wdiy.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-13/drug-gangs-unleash-violence-in-northern-mexican-cities |
MIAMI (AP) — Inside the Miami Heat locker room, now officially halfway to the season’s ultimate goal, Erik Spoelstra stepped onto the NBA championship logo on the center of the floor and gathered his team around him.
His message was simple.
“There’s been nothing about this season that’s been easy,” Spoelstra said.
He’s right, and the Heat aren’t complaining about that, either — since this anything-but-easy season is still going.
They were a No. 1 seed last year and got to the Eastern Conference finals, and this year, they were a No. 8 seed and still got to the Eastern Conference finals. It took six games to get past New York — the revival of a playoff rivalry from the late 1990s and early 2000s — but the job is done, the clincher coming in a 96-92 win in Game 6 of their East semifinal matchup Friday night.
“It’s a crazy story being written,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “Through all the ups and downs of the season, a lot of people counted us out. We weren’t even going to make it past the first round and now we’re in the Eastern Conference finals. It just shows the determination and the will this team has.”
It’s a wild time in South Florida, and the Heat are only half of that story right now.
The Florida Panthers — they seed a little differently in the NHL, but they’re basically a No. 8 seed as well, just like their NBA neighbors in Miami — are also headed to the conference finals, winning in Toronto on Friday night in overtime to clinch that series in five games.
The Heat and Panthers are following the same path so far; up-and-down regular season, scramble just to get into the playoffs, then beat the No. 1 overall seed in Round 1 — for the Heat it was the Milwaukee Bucks, for the Panthers it was the Boston Bruins — followed by a win over another favored opponent in Round 2. And all that comes on the heels of Miami and Florida Atlantic going to the men’s college basketball Final Four last month, Miami going to the women’s Elite Eight and Nova Southeastern winning the Division II men’s national title.
“I wish I could actually go to some of these events,” Spoelstra said.
He’d rather be busy for a few more weeks. Game 1 of the East finals — at either Boston or Philadelphia, two teams that will play a Game 7 of their East semifinal series on Sunday — awaits on Wednesday. If the Celtics win, it’ll be two rematches of the conference finals from the 2020 bubble restart, with Denver set to face the Los Angeles Lakers for the Western Conference title as well.
“We’ve got eight more (wins) to get,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said. “Like I always say, we’re always going to be in this thing together. I’m so, so proud of all of my guys for playing as hard as we did today. And like I said, we’ve got eight more.”
The Heat lost their first play-in game to Atlanta and missed a chance at the No. 7 seed, then needed a 15-1 run to close the second play-in game against Chicago, rally from a late deficit and sneak into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
They’re 8-3 since and nobody in the playoffs has a better record. Miami has the same record West No. 1 seed Denver posted in its first two rounds, would be the same record as Philadelphia through two rounds if the 76ers win on Sunday, and is a bit better than the 8-4 mark by the Lakers to this point.
“Hopefully we keep it rolling, man,” Heat point guard Gabe Vincent said.
The series against the Knicks was not aesthetically pleasing. The Heat shot 43% to New York’s 44% and both teams struggled from 3-point range — 31% for Miami, 30% for New York.
But the Heat found a way, even after losing a potential clincher in Game 5 and falling behind by 14 early in Game 6. The Heat had a one-point lead at the half and never trailed after halftime, dodging everything the Knicks threw their way.
It wasn’t easy. But it was fitting, as Spoelstra said.
“Just an absolute grind,” Spoelstra said.
The grind continues, with a trip to Boston or Philadelphia awaiting.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/heat-embracing-challenge-find-way-to-return-to-the-eastern-conference-finals/ | 2023-05-13 23:48:46 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/heat-embracing-challenge-find-way-to-return-to-the-eastern-conference-finals/ |
Matthew Lawrence shares he was fired from agency after refusing to strip for director
Actor Matthew Lawrence opened up on the latest episode of his "Brotherly Love" podcast about his own sexual harassment experience in Hollywood, sharing he was fired from an agency after he refused to strip for a director involved in a Marvel project.
The 43-year-old actor recounted his experience during Friday's episode, where he and his co-hosts, brothers and fellow actors Joey and Andrew Lawrence, delved into the dark side of the Hollywood entertainment industry.
"There have been many times in my life where I’ve been propositioned to get a huge role," Lawrence said on the podcast. "I’ve lost my agency because I went to the hotel room, which I can’t believe they would send me to, of a very prominent Oscar award-winning director who showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off and said he needed to take Polaroids of me."
Lawrence added, "And then if I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character. I didn’t do that, and my agency fired me because I left this director’s room."
Lawrence went on to allege that his agency, whose name he did not disclose, ultimately fired him for leaving.
Within the larger context of the #MeToo movement conversation on the podcast, Lawrence commented on the prevalence in Hollywood of people with power "using their power to influence somebody else."
"The one thing that's very interesting that doesn't get talked about enough in the #MeToo Movement is how this is a two-way street," Lawrence said. "In fact, it's a three, maybe a four-way street."
DIANE KEATON ADMITS SHE WAS 'TERRIFIED' WHEN CAST IN 'THE GODFATHER'
Lawrence continued to state that there is a small percentage of men in Hollywood who have experienced sexual harassment, saying there is a "double standard" when it comes to men admitting they were subject to such circumstances. He specifically honed in on actor Terry Crews and his allegations that an agent groped him at a Hollywood party.
"Terry Crews comes out and says it, and people are laughing at him," Lawrence said. "People don't support him; they kick him out - why? Because he's a man that represents masculinity, and I think our society is less ready to hear that situation going on with men than they are with women."
CHRIS PRATT ADMITS HE STRIPPED DOWN FOR AWKWARD AUDITION AT 18 YEARS OLD
His brother, Joey, echoed Lawrence's sentiments, saying that when he has been placed in similar situations, of which "there were plenty," it came down to principles.
"I just wasn't going to do it, you know?" Joey said. "And I lost out on a lot of parts, too. Big movie parts."
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Lawrence came into the spotlight at age four, with his credits including 1993's "Mrs. Doubtfire" where he acted alongside the late Robin Williams as well as the role of long-lost Jack Hunter in the ABC sitcom "Boy Meets World." Lawrence also played a lead role in the family comedy "Brotherly Love," which aired from 1995 to 1997 on the WB Network and featured brothers Joey and Andrew.
Fox News Digital reached out to Lawrence for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Read more of this story from FOX News. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/matthew-lawrence-shares-he-was-fired-from-agency-after-refusing-to-strip-for-director | 2023-04-30 21:12:30 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/matthew-lawrence-shares-he-was-fired-from-agency-after-refusing-to-strip-for-director |
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Senate voted Friday to legalize recreational marijuana for adults, but the bill requires more work and negotiations before it can become law.
The vote was 34-33, with all Democrats voting yes and all Republicans voting no. There are several differences between the Senate bill and the companion version that passed the House 71-59 on Tuesday, so a House-Senate conference committee will need to resolve them before final votes in each chamber.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has pledged to sign the bill once it reaches his desk. It seeks to replace the illicit market for marijuana with a legal and regulated market, and to expunge the criminal records of residents who’ve been convicted of nonviolent marijuana offenses such as simple possession.
“The prohibition of cannabis is a failed system that has not achieved the desired goals and has had incredible costs for our communities, especially for communities of color,” the lead author, Democratic Sen. Lindsey Port, of Burnsville, told her colleagues.
Port said lawmakers have an “opportunity to undo some of the harm that has been done and create a unique system of regulation that works for Minnesota consumers and businesses, while ensuring an opportunity in this new market for communities that have been most affected by prohibition.”
Republican senators argued during the debate that the bill isn’t ready to become law this year and needs more work. They expressed concerns about the impacts on traffic safety and crime, addiction and other mental health issues. They objected because local governments would be barred under the bill from disallowing cannabis sales if they don’t want them. And they said they weren’t reassured by the experiences of other states that have legalized it.
“We’re opening a door that is going to be very difficult to close, and it’s going to be very difficult to put the genie back on the bottle once this occurs,” said Republican Sen. Warren Limmer, of Maple Grove, the lead Republican on the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
Both versions of the bill run over 300 pages. Among the major differences, the Senate version allows people to possess up to 5 pounds of cannabis flower at home, though only 2 pounds could be from sources other than home-grown. The House limit is 1.5 pounds whatever the source. The tax rate on cannabis products in the Senate bill is 10%, compared to 8% in the House version.
Minnesota would become the 23rd state after Delaware to legalize adult-use cannabis. Marijuana would become legal to possess this summer, including home-growing up to eight plants at a time. But sponsors say it will take a year or more of regulatory work before dispensaries could start retail sales. | https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/politics/article/senate-vote-puts-minnesota-on-path-to-legalizing-17925947.php | 2023-04-28 22:35:25 | 0 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/politics/article/senate-vote-puts-minnesota-on-path-to-legalizing-17925947.php |
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese leader Xi Jingping. He called the talks "candid and constructive," but they did not reach an agreement on resuming military-to-military contact.
Copyright 2023 NPR
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese leader Xi Jingping. He called the talks "candid and constructive," but they did not reach an agreement on resuming military-to-military contact.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.apr.org/politics-government/politics-government/2023-06-19/secretary-blinken-and-chinas-xi-jingping-didnt-reach-agreement-on-military-contact | 2023-06-19 21:42:32 | 0 | https://www.apr.org/politics-government/politics-government/2023-06-19/secretary-blinken-and-chinas-xi-jingping-didnt-reach-agreement-on-military-contact |
WFO LOS ANGELES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Wednesday, November 23, 2022
_____
HIGH WIND WATCH
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
304 AM PST Wed Nov 23 2022
...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM PST
THURSDAY...
* WHAT...Northeast winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph
expected.
* WHERE...Los Angeles County Mountains and Western Santa Monica
Mountains.
* WHEN...From 9 PM this evening to 3 PM PST Thursday.
* IMPACTS...Damaging winds will blow down large objects such as
trees and power lines. Power outages are expected. Travel will
be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around
trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of
your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if
you must drive.
* WHERE...Santa Clarita Valley, Central Ventura County Valleys,
Southeastern Ventura County Valleys and Los Angeles County San
Fernando Valley.
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM PST
* WHAT...Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph
* WHERE...Ventura County Mountains.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and
make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may
result.
Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high
profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.
* WHAT...Northeast winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph
* WHERE...Ventura County Beaches, Ventura County Inland Coast
and Western Malibu Coast.
...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM WEDNESDAY TO 10 AM PST
FRIDAY...
* WHAT...Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 55 mph
* WHERE...San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys-The Inland
Empire, San Bernardino County Mountains, Santa Ana Mountains
and Foothills and Orange County Inland Areas.
* WHEN...From 10 PM Wednesday to 10 AM PST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The strongest and most widespread winds
are expected during the day on Thanksgiving.
...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM THURSDAY TO 10 AM PST
* WHAT...Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 60 mph
* WHERE...Riverside County Mountains and San Gorgonio Pass Near
Banning.
* WHEN...From 4 AM Thursday to 10 AM PST Friday.
...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM THURSDAY TO NOON PST
* WHAT...East winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 70 mph expected.
* WHERE...San Diego County Valleys and San Diego County
* WHEN...From 2 AM Thursday to noon PST Friday.
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 6 PM PST THURSDAY...
* WHAT...Northeast winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 45 mph
* WHERE...San Diego County Coastal Areas.
* WHEN...From 6 AM to 6 PM PST Thursday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The most likely areas for stronger winds to
reach the coast will be north of La Jolla and south of
Oceanside.
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 8 PM PST THURSDAY...
* WHAT...Northeast winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph
* WHERE...Orange County Coastal Areas.
* WHEN...From 6 AM to 8 PM PST Thursday.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | https://www.mrt.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-LOS-ANGELES-Warnings-Watches-and-17605926.php | 2022-11-23 11:35:01 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-LOS-ANGELES-Warnings-Watches-and-17605926.php |
MINNEAPOLIS — Bring on the Eagles. The Giants have Daniel Jones.
Jones threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a franchise-record 78 yards. Saquon Barkley scored twice.
And the Giants’ defense got a final possession stop on Kirk Cousins and the NFL’s comeback kids to upset the Minnesota Vikings, 31-24, on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“I know we have an elite quarterback,” Barkley said of Jones. “He’s shown that multiple times. We’ve also got amazing players around him, too. We’ve got his back no matter what.”
Sunday’s victory, in the franchise’s first playoff game since 2016, marked the Giants’ first postseason win since their 2011 Super Bowl season under Tom Coughlin.
Rookie coach Brian Daboll looked to the sky as the clock hit zero and admitted he thought again of his late grandparents who raised him, Ruth and Chris Kirsten of West Seneca, N.Y.,
“Private moment I don’t wanna talk about,” Daboll said as his eyes welled up. “I don’t wanna talk about it ‘cause then I’ll choke up.”
Now that they’ve dismantled the 3-seed Vikings, Daboll and the 6-seed Giants will visit the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles next Saturday in the NFC’s divisional round.
They are 0-2 against their NFC East rival this season, losing 48-22 at home in Week 14 on Dec. 11 and falling 22-16 at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 18 on Jan. 8 with mostly backups playing against Philly’s starters.
But the Giants have Jones, so they believe they have a chance.
He is the first QB in NFL postseason history with 300-plus passing yards, 2-plus passing TDs & 70-plus rushing yards in a playoff game, per NFL Research.
“I think on the first series there, he takes off, makes a play with his legs and doesn’t slide, kind of runs through the guy,” center Jon Feliciano said. “It’s tough when you have a quarterback that can do that and then dart it.”
Jones played down all of the attention on him and what Sunday’s win might mean in the great debate over his career and future.
“Not really focused on that,” he said. “Trying to play as well as I can, and we’re all trying to do that. We’ve got a special group, special team, and that is what it’s about. Just trying to play as well as I can and win games.”
In a scene emblematic of Daboll’s team all year, some of the biggest late defensive plays were made by rookie safety Dane Belton and rookie corner Cor’Dale Flott, before safety Xavier McKinney made the final tackle on tight end T.J. Hockenson for a game-sealing turnover on downs with 1:44 to play.
“What’s crazy was Wink said we expect our great players to play great, and then right after he said that he said, that’s all of you guys,” veteran corner Adoree Jackson said after limiting star Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson to seven catches for 47 yards. “And that lets you know the belief he has in us. And when someone believes in you even though you believe in yourself, that goes a long way. It lets us go out there, play fast and play free.”
Minnesota had gotten help from a ridiculous roughing the passer call on Dexter Lawrence to start the potential game-tying drive, but the defense didn’t flinch.
Belton tackled Dalvin Cook. Flott broke up a pass for K.J. Osborn. And McKinney tackled T.J. Hockenson short of the sticks on fourth down.
The Giants had tried to end the game with their offense up seven. But a Darius Slayton wide-open drop on 3rd and 16 with 3:03 to play had forced them to punt the ball back.
Again, this season is different. The defense, which gotten other key late plays from Darnay Holmes and Kayvon Thibodeaux, stepped up.
“Today it could have been me but next week it’ll be — hopefully not me again! — but it’ll be something. It’s football,” Slayton said. “It’s gonna be somebody every week that does something that doesn’t help the team win. But at the end of the day, that’s why it’s a team game. The defense went out there and got the stop. It speaks to the strength of the team.”
It was the Giants’ offense that blew Sunday’s national audience away, though.
With the game tied at 24 apiece, Jones engineered a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by Barkley’s second TD of the game, a hard-nosed run up the gut from 2 yards out. That gave the Giants a 31-24 lead with 7:47 remaining.
The key plays were a 19-yard completion to Isaiah Hodgins, a 10-yard swing pass to Barkley with Kenny Golladay burying Vikings corner Duke Shelley into the turf on a block, and a 2-yard Jones run on 4th and 1 from the Vikings’ 7.
Hodgins drew a defensive holding call on Patrick Peterson to get the Giants within two yards of the goal line. Then Barkley carried former Giant Dalvin Tomlinson, the Vikings DT, into the end zone for the score.
“That was big time,” Jones said of Barkley’s second TD. “That was an impressive run from him. It was one of those where he wasn’t going to be denied. You could see that almost in the huddle before the ball was snapped. We had an expectation and just saw that. He did a great job there.”
To open the second half, Jones and the Giants offense mounted a third TD drive in their first five possessions for a 24-14 lead with 11:37 to play in the third quarter. Jones hit Barkley (24) and Isaiah (32) for huge completions to set up a 9-yard TD pass to tight end Daniel Bellinger.
But Cousins and the Vikings answered immediately with a 75-yard TD drive of their own, capped by a 3-yard Cousins TD pass to tight end Irv Smith. Julian Love nearly intercepted Cousins on a pass intended for Jefferson broken up by McKinney, but replay showed it had hit the ground.
Jamie Gillan’s first punt of the game, with about 4 and a half minutes left in the third quarter, nearly resulted in the game’s first turnover. Giants corner Nick McCloud jarred the ball loose from Vikings return man Jalen Reagor.
But Minnesota’s Kris Boyd recovered. And the Vikes drove for a 38-yard Greg Joseph field goal to tie the game at 24 apiece with 12:34 left in the fourth quarter.
O’Connell’s Vikings had to keep scoring, because the Giants offense was practically unstoppable.
Jones came out on fire and led the Giants to touchdowns on their first two drives, carrying them into halftime with a 17-14 lead.
The Giants’ offensive stats through their first two drives were ridiculous: nine plays, seven first downs, 166 yards (100 passing, 66 rushing), 18.4 yards per play, two TDs, 14 points and one penalty.
Barkley scored the first TD untouched on a 28-yard run behind great blocks from left tackle Andrew Thomas, Hodgins and Feliciano. That score provided an important answer to Minnesota’s game-opening TD drive that was capped by a Cousins 1-yard run. And Hodgins caught a 14-yard pass from Hodgins on the second drive.
With the defense settling down, the Giants then expanded their lead to 17-7 with 3:25 left in the first half on a 25-yard Graham Gano field goal after their longest drive (by time) of the season: 20 plays, 85 yards, 10 minutes and 52 seconds.
Cousins tore up the Giants’ defense for a 75-yard drive capped by a 9-yard TD pass to wideout K.J. Osborn with 45 seconds remaining before half to draw within three.
Still, the Giants’ belief never wavered, even after losing 27-24 in the same building on Christmas Eve.
That was a trying week. It had included a shooting at the Mall of America that had put the Giants and the Mall on lockdown the night before the game.
“I mean we had three turnovers, we dealt with the shooting and then he banged the 61-yard field goal to win,” Feliciano said. “We were pretty confident.”
Jones admitted there were “definitely some nerves” going into Sunday’s game, but he said “once we settled in and started playing, it felt the same.”
Nothing feels the same about the Giants anymore, though. They have Jones to thank for that. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ny-daniel-jones-giants-upset-vikings-first-playoff-win-since-2011-20230116-hzm3a42yfvcnnavdlapzqplqje-story.html | 2023-01-16 05:31:56 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ny-daniel-jones-giants-upset-vikings-first-playoff-win-since-2011-20230116-hzm3a42yfvcnnavdlapzqplqje-story.html |
TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) elect officers for 2023 during its Fall 2022 National Meeting plenary.
The following officers were elected for 2023:
- President: Missouri Insurance Director Chlora Lindley-Myers. Chlora Lindley-Myers was confirmed as the director of the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance on April 13, 2017.
- President-Elect: Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais. Andrew N. Mais was nominated as the commissioner of the Connecticut Insurance Department effective March 4, 2019.
- Vice President: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread. Jon Godfread was first elected as the commissioner of the North Dakota Insurance Department on November 8, 2016.
- Secretary-Treasurer: Virginia Insurance Commissioner Scott A. White. Scott A. White was appointed Commissioner of the Virginia Bureau of Insurance effective January 1, 2018.
Lindley-Myers, whose background includes nearly 40 years of insurance regulatory experience, is the NAIC's first woman of color elected to the officer position of President.
The newly elected officers will assume their roles effective January 1, 2023.
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SOURCE National Association of Insurance Commissioners | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/12/16/naic-members-elect-2023-officers/ | 2022-12-16 20:48:20 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/12/16/naic-members-elect-2023-officers/ |
CINCINNATI — Of the series of unfortunate events that have befallen the Rays this season, Friday’s was one of the most extreme.
They lost a game on a walkoff balk.
Matt Wisler was called for the infraction on a 1-2 pitch with one out in the 10th inning, sending Cincinnati’s Mark Kolozsvary home from third base to give the Reds a 2-1 win.
It was the first time in their 25-season franchise history the Rays lost on a walkoff balk and the first time it has happened in any major-league game since the Dodgers lost at Seattle on Aug. 18, 2018.
“It feels tough to call that in that kind of situation,” Wisler said.
As the Reds started to celebrate and fireworks went off at Great American Ball Park, Wisler stood on the mound with his arms raised questioning what he did. Teammates looked on from the dugout in disbelief. Rays manager Kevin Cash ran out to ask for an explanation from the umpires, who talked with him briefly, huddled for a moment and then walked off. Balk calls are not replay-reviewable.
Wisler said the call was made on a move he does often, tapping his glove on his left leg to indicate he wants catcher Francisco Mejia to call a different pitch. Cash said home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso and second base ump Lance Barrett told him they felt Wisler flinched.
None of that made the Rays, who dropped to 45-38 despite another strong start from Shane McClanahan, feel any better.
“I feel like I’ve done that move a lot of times; I just tap my leg kind of when I kind of want a different sign,” Wisler said. “Obviously, it sucks the way we lost the game. Obviously with the way the guys pitched, it’s just unfortunate.
“Obviously it’s not a guarantee that I get out of it, anyway, but I would like the chance to make the pitches and do it rather than have it done that way. If [the umpire] saw something, I get it. I just need to know if that’s a different rule because I felt like I’ve done that quite a lot in my career — just tap my leg without moving any other part of my body.”
The Rays were in position to lose on the balk call because they didn’t convert a promising opportunity in the top of the 10th after being quiet much of the night thanks to Reds starter Luis Castillo.
Josh Lowe led off with a hard single to right, sending Mejia — who started the inning as the runner on second — to third, where coach Rodney Linares made what Cash said was the right call to hold him.
But Yandy Diaz, who earlier extended his career-high hitting streak to 12 games, swung at Joel Kuhnel’s first pitch and grounded sharply to short. Kyle Farmer threw home to nab Mejia.
Sentinel Sports Final
The Rays challenged both the out call and that catcher Michael Papierski was illegally blocking the plate. Mejia, via team interpreter Manny Navarro, said he felt the Rays were right about both: “I thought I was safe originally, and I think the plate block rule wasn’t applied.”
But the replay crew in New York disagreed, and the call stood.
Wander Franco then hit a soft liner to second that Farmer grabbed and doubled off Lowe, who Cash said “didn’t have the best read.”
McClanahan, who seems certain to be named to the American League all-star team on Sunday, allowed just a two-out homer on a 3-0 fastball to Brandon Drury and two other hits over six innings. He struck out eight but pitched himself out of the game by throwing 95.
He extended his American League-record streak to 11 straight starts of working six or more innings while striking out at least seven and allowing two or fewer earned runs.
But there was something odd that mattered more.
“It is bizarre,” Cash said of the walkoff balk. “I’ve never seen that before.” | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-sp-rays-reds-recap-0709-20220709-ieex6zzebbg2nf4t4rtgcmt2e4-story.html | 2022-07-09 05:47:28 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-sp-rays-reds-recap-0709-20220709-ieex6zzebbg2nf4t4rtgcmt2e4-story.html |
BANGKOK, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The use of Blockchain and other technological advances, open data, people participation, and cooperation from the public, private and academic sectors are all important tools to ensure the strategic plan of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) reaches its targets, according to experts speaking at a forum about "Open Government: Game Changer in Fight against Corruption".
The forum, held on May 25th in Bangkok, was co-hosted by the NACC and local television channel PPTV HD 36. The forum was held to promote increasing public disclosure of information and to raise the level of transparency in order to strengthen confidence in the Thai economy.
"Making information easier for the public to access will help citizens to be treated fairly when receiving services from the government," Mr Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, Secretary General of the NACC, said in his keynote speech. "Open data can ensure transparency in the procurement process and allow people to check. Everyone is able to inspect government officials."
During the panel discussion that followed the opening speech, Dr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, said the focus of his Open Bangkok policy is Open data, the disclosure of information.
"Important information must be disclosed, published information is like a flashlight that lets us see in the dark, and that information must be measurable," Dr. Chadchart said. "Technology in terms of storing data in the same format, reading data, processing data and having a dashboard will make everything easier. Open data is about building trust, building faith, which is the most valuable thing in creating a transparent state."
He cited as an example the use of "Traffy Fondue", a problem management platform established by Thai researchers to ensure citizen engagement in reporting and monitoring problems affecting the operations and services of agencies such as municipal offices, thereby preventing misconducts, and increasing transparency.
"We need cooperation from every part of the four threads that join together: government, people, private sector and academic sector. strengthening society against corruption and transparency."
"Disclosure is critical to success," said Associate Professor Tortrakul Yomnak, member of the board of the Foundation for Public Policy and Good Governance. "Once the information is open, the public will be able to access it."
"In order to solve the corruption problem, cooperation from all sectors is required, the NACC cannot solve the problem alone," said Associate Professor Dr. Anusorn Tamajai, Chairman of the Pridi Banomyong Institute. "Technological advances, the trend towards direct democracy, and participatory management will bring about radically changed transparency because they will allow auditing of the government."
The blockchain technology must be embraced in order to reform the way various transactions take place, as such new technologies can help tackle corruption, Dr. Anusorn added.
According to Mr. Kitti Tangjitrmaneesakda, Vice Chairman of The Federation of Thai Industries, it is clearly visible is that petty corruption can be reduced with the use of technology and that social media plays a role as everyone can be a detective and highlight issues of misconduct.
However, Mr. Kitti added that regulatory reforms are also required in some areas.
"Law enforcement reforms are required, the need for licenses, and processes that give discretionary authority to officials must be reduced," Mr. Kitti said. "People must work together to make this happen. The private sector, which has publicly stated its policy as an anti-corruption organization has to take it seriously. We should all have a duty to help each other."
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SOURCE National Anti-Corruption Commission (Thailand) | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/06/01/experts-emphasize-crucial-role-technology-open-data-public-participation-combating-corruption/ | 2023-06-01 07:12:53 | 0 | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/06/01/experts-emphasize-crucial-role-technology-open-data-public-participation-combating-corruption/ |
Elton John says goodbye, performs final show of farewell tour
Published: Jul. 10, 2023 at 10:13 AM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
(CNN) - It really will be goodbye yellow brick road.
Singer Elton John wrapped up his farewell tour in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday night.
John’s career has spanned more than 50 years.
He posted a message to his fans on Instagram. He said, “What a journey this tour has been, and now we find ourselves at the end of it.”
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour kicked off in 2018 and was originally meant to end in 2021. But when the pandemic hit, the 76-year-old star had to postpone many of his shows.
The tour spanned 330 shows, with more than 6 million fans across the world turning out to see the legendary musician.
Copyright 2023 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/10/elton-john-says-goodbye-performs-final-show-farewell-tour/ | 2023-07-10 16:41:39 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/10/elton-john-says-goodbye-performs-final-show-farewell-tour/ |
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has tested positive for COVID-19 and reports experiencing very mild symptoms.
Schumer's spokesman, Justin Goodman, says in a statement Sunday night that the New York Democrat is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots. Goodman says the 71-year-old majority leader will follow federal health guidelines and quarantine this week while working remotely.
Schumer is among a number of top politicians in Washington to test positive for the virus. Both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 in April. | https://www.lex18.com/news/national/coronavirus/senate-majority-leader-schumer-tests-positive-for-covid-19 | 2022-07-11 14:25:56 | 0 | https://www.lex18.com/news/national/coronavirus/senate-majority-leader-schumer-tests-positive-for-covid-19 |
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Police in El Paso, Texas, say one person was killed and three other people were wounded in a shooting Wednesday in a shopping mall.
One person has been taken into custody, El Paso police spokesperson Sgt. Robert Gomez said. No immediate information was given about that person.
Police were looking for another person who could have been involved, Gomez said. No description was given.
A weapon was recovered at the scene, Gomez said, but he could not provide more information about that.
“It’s too early to speculate on motive,” he said.
The three who were wounded were taken to local hospitals, Gomez said.
University Medical Center in El Paso said in a statement that two male gunshot victims were being treated there. They were in critical condition.
The condition of the third victim was not immediately known.
Gomez said police believe the scene is secure and that officers are sweeping through the whole mall to verify that.
“This is a large scene,” Gomez said. “It’s going to take some time to clear the mall.”
Authorities have set up a reunification center at a nearby high school.
Police earlier said the shooting was reported at the shopping mall’s food court.
Wednesday’s shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall happened in a busy shopping area and across a large parking lot from a Walmart where 23 people were killed in a racist attack in 2019.
The United States has seen dozens of people killed in mass shootings so far in 2023, most recently Monday at Michigan State University, where three students were killed and five more were wounded. In January, 11 people were killed in the Los Angeles-area city of Monterey Park as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.
In 2022, more than 600 mass shootings occurred in the U.S. in which at least four people were killed or wounded, according to the Gun Violence Archive. | https://wgntv.com/news/national/1-killed-3-hurt-in-shooting-at-el-paso-texas-shopping-mall/ | 2023-02-16 04:18:52 | 1 | https://wgntv.com/news/national/1-killed-3-hurt-in-shooting-at-el-paso-texas-shopping-mall/ |
Speaker McCarthy vows to pass debt bill -- with spending cap
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledged on Monday to pass legislation to raise the nation’s debt ceiling — but on condition of capping future federal spending at 1% — as he lashed out at President Joe Biden for refusing to engage in budget-cutting negotiations to prevent a debt crisis.
In a high-profile speech at the New York Stock Exchange, McCarthy, the Republican leader who is marking his 100th day as speaker, said the nation’s debt load is a “ticking time bomb” and Biden is “missing in action” as the deadline nears to raise the debt limit.
“Since the president continues to hide, House Republicans will take action,” McCarthy said.
His Wall Street address comes as Washington is heading toward a potential fiscal crisis over the need to raise the nation’s debt limit, now at $31 trillion, and avert a federal default. The Treasury Department has said it is taking “extraordinary measures” to continue paying its bills, but money will run short this summer.
McCarthy faces his own challenges. With his slim majority and less-than-strong grip on power, he has been unable to rally his troops around a budget-cutting proposal that he could offer the White House as a starting point in negotiations.
Still, McCarthy vowed to pass a bill through the House that would raise the nation’s debt limit for one year — putting the issue squarely in the 2024 presidential election — coupling it with a plan to roll back federal spending to fiscal 2022 levels and cap future spending at no more than 1%.
Republicans also want to attach policy priorities, including cuts to benefit programs in the federal safety net for poorer Americans.
The White House said ahead of McCarthy’s address that “a speech isn’t a plan,” dismissing his overture and reupping pressure on the Republican leader to approve a debt ceiling increase with no strings attached.
“There is one responsible solution to the debt limit: addressing it promptly, without brinksmanship or hostage taking,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates.
Once a routine matter, the need for Congress to pass legislation raising the nation’s debt limit to continue paying already accrued bills has increasingly become a political weapon wielded particularly by Republicans as leverage for their policy priorities.
McCarthy is working furiously to unite the “five families” — the various caucuses including the Freedom Caucus, Republican Study Committee and others within the House Republican majority — around a plan that could be presented to Biden to kickstart negotiations.
Federal spending skyrocketed during the COVID-19 crisis, rising to $7.4 trillion in 2021, before sliding back to $6.2 trillion in fiscal 2022, according to Treasury Department data. The nation’s debt load has also climbed steadily, doubling during the George W. Bush administration with the 9/11-era wars overseas and spiking again during the Obama administration as spending rose and tax revenue plummeted during the Great Recession.
The nation runs more than $1 trillion in annual deficits, and the last time the federal budget balanced was 2001.
McCarthy noted that President Ronald Reagan similarly warned of government spending. The cuts the House Republicans want to make are not “draconian,” McCarthy said.
Once, his speech was interrupted by applause from the executives and others at the stock exchange.
The White House and Democrats in Congress have been unwilling to engage in talks with the Republicans, saying Congress must simply raise the debt limit without conditions.
The split screen on display in New York, though, showed the challenges ahead for McCarthy in focusing on budget matters.
As the speaker delivered his speech, his hard-charging Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan was convening a New York City field hearing focused partly on District Attorney Alvin Bragg who indicted former President Donald Trump on campaign finance and other charges related to alleged hush payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and a Playboy model who contend he had sexual relations with them.
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Associated Press White House Correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/04/17/speaker-mccarthy-vows-pass-debt-bill-with-spending-cap/ | 2023-04-17 15:46:01 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/04/17/speaker-mccarthy-vows-pass-debt-bill-with-spending-cap/ |
Idaho Today Idaho Today: Business accounts with CapEd Credit Union CapEd has resources that can help manage your finances More Videos Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video Sponsored by CapEd Credit Union. See what CapEd Credit Union offers for business here: https://capedcu.com/ | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-today/idaho-today-business-accounts-with-caped-credit-union/277-060540e9-ee02-4512-a0dd-277e8e47a39a | 2023-02-09 22:45:03 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-today/idaho-today-business-accounts-with-caped-credit-union/277-060540e9-ee02-4512-a0dd-277e8e47a39a |
Ensemble Practice of Eight Wealth Advisors That Oversee $800 Million In Total Client Assets to Join SagePoint Financial
PHOENIX, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Advisor Group Inc., the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, today announced the addition of IronBridge Wealth Counsel ("IronBridge") and its eight wealth advisors that oversee $800 million to the Advisor Group network.
IronBridge joins Advisor Group through its network partner SagePoint Financial. The Advisor Group network of firms also includes FSC Securities, Royal Alliance Associates, Securities America, Triad Advisors and Woodbury Financial Services.
The core team at IronBridge, which includes five partners located throughout the country, has worked together, in different facets, since 2004, building a practice that served as an advocate for clients and a champion of their financial well-being. IronBridge provides comprehensive wealth management services in an enterprise ensemble structure, with a focus on integrated financial planning design, coordination and execution.
Shane Morrow, Managing Partner, said, "Our mission at IronBridge is simple, but not easy. We look to create a positive, lasting impact on our clients, employees and communities – because we view it our fundamental duty to change lives for the better. In SagePoint, we've found a partner who shares our commitment and will provide us with the innovative tools, services and support to ensure our continued success."
"I believe we've created something special at IronBridge, but being good isn't enough," said Jim Martin, Partner. "We hold ourselves to a higher standard and strive to be the best wealth management firm out there. Our new relationship with SagePoint will allow us to continue to evolve and improve. It may sound audacious, but we believe we can change the industry, and SagePoint will help us do it."
Desiree' Sii, President and CEO of SagePoint said, "IronBridge is such a well-respected firm in the industry, and their growth and commitment to their clients and communities is impressive. I am excited they chose to partner with SagePoint and join the Advisor Group family, we are looking forward to and committed to providing this growing Ensemble practice the tools and resources they need to help them continue to change lives for the better."
Greg Cornick, President of Advice and Wealth Management at Advisor Group, added: "On behalf of Advisor Group, I welcome IronBridge to our growing network and congratulate the team at SagePoint for bringing this impressive group onboard. IronBridge's deeply engrained culture of service aligns perfectly with our focus on providing our advisors with the tools, solutions and support to more effectively drive results for their clients while growing their businesses."
IronBridge is a premier fee-based wealth management firm devoted to financially guiding those that serve others. We have built an ensemble team that delivers comprehensive strategies spanning financial planning, investment advisory, and risk management. IronBridge has investment offices in Austin, TX, West Palm Beach, FL, Scottsdale, AZ, Farmington, NM, Windsor, CT, Chicago, IL and Salt Lake City, UT.
SagePoint Financial, Inc. is part of one of the nation's largest independent broker-dealer organizations and a Registered Investment Advisor, member FINRA and SIPC. SagePoint is supported by Advisor Group, one of the largest independent broker-dealer networks in the industry. The firm has approximately 1,300 advisors across the United States. For more information, please visit www.sagepointfinancial.com.
Advisor Group, Inc., a portfolio company of Reverence Capital Partners, is the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, serving approximately 9,700 financial advisors and overseeing approximately $515 billion in client assets*. The firm is mission-driven to support the strategic role that advisors can play in the lives of their clients. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial advisors and is committed to being in their corner every step of the way. For more information visit.
Securities and investment advisory services are offered through the firms: FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities are offered through Securities America, Inc., a broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Arbor Point Advisors, LLC, Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Inc., Securities America Advisors, Inc., and Triad Hybrid Solutions, LLC, registered investment advisers. Advisory programs offered by FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., are sponsored by VISION2020 Wealth Management Corp., an affiliated registered investment adviser. Advisor Group, Inc. is an affiliate of these firms. 20 E. Thomas Rd., Ste. 2000, Phoenix, AZ, 85012. 866.481.0379.
*Based on end of year 2021 data
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SOURCE Advisor Group | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/advisor-group-welcomes-ironbridge-wealth-counsel-its-network/ | 2022-06-02 11:33:40 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/advisor-group-welcomes-ironbridge-wealth-counsel-its-network/ |
Salinas Fire contains one-acre fire at Monterey County Cemetery
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)-- The Salinas Fire Department contained a one-acre fire at the Monterey Cemetery at the corner of Natividad, and East Laurel Drive on Friday.
Firefighters on the scene told KION that half the field was burned when they arrived.
Since it wasn't threatening any structure of the farm next to it, firefighters let it burn out. They did so while keeping an eye on it to not waste water.
The fire was taken care of within minutes, and crews are mopping up. Firefighters said the fire began near a homeless tent in the same lot. | https://kion546.com/news/2022/07/01/salinas-fire-contains-one-acre-fire-at-monterey-county-cemetery/ | 2022-07-02 04:22:33 | 0 | https://kion546.com/news/2022/07/01/salinas-fire-contains-one-acre-fire-at-monterey-county-cemetery/ |
WFO LOS ANGELES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, April 28, 2023
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DENSE FOG ADVISORY
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
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839 PM PDT Thu Apr 27 2023
...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PDT FRIDAY...
* WHAT...Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog.
* WHERE...San Luis Obispo County Beaches, Santa Barbara County
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Central Coast Beaches, Santa Barbara County Southwestern
Coast, Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast, Ventura County
Beaches, Malibu Coast and Los Angeles County Beaches.
* WHEN...Until 9 AM PDT Friday.
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* IMPACTS...Very low visibility will create dangerous driving
conditions.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of
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distance ahead of you.
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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | https://www.seattlepi.com/weather/article/ca-wfo-los-angeles-warnings-watches-and-17924213.php | 2023-04-28 03:55:59 | 0 | https://www.seattlepi.com/weather/article/ca-wfo-los-angeles-warnings-watches-and-17924213.php |
NEW YORK (AP) — The players’ association will submit union authorization cards to an arbitrator on Wednesday under an agreement with Major League Baseball that will lead to collective bargaining for approximately 5,500 farmhands.
MLB and the union reached a card-check agreement Saturday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.
Martin Scheinman, baseball’s permanent arbitrator, is expected to count the cards to determine whether more than 50% of the eligible players for the bargaining unit had signed. If a majority is achieved, MLB would recognize the union for minor leaguers and the players’ association would not have to ask the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election.
The bargaining unit would include minor leaguers except for 40-man major league roster players on option, who are covered by the big league union; players assigned to the Dominican Summer League, which is outside the U.S.; and players on the voluntary retired list.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Friday he anticipated an agreement.
“Congratulations to our country’s minor league baseball players on a historic, swift, and overdue organizing victory, and to for taking this critical step,” President Joe Biden tweeted Saturday. “Every worker is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect – on the job and on the field.”
The minor league union would be a separate bargaining unit within the players’ association.
“Great news for our minor league baseball athletes who will now be able to join a union,” Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted. “This historic effort is long overdue and is thanks to players and leaders who fought years to organize.”
Players with major league contracts average more than $4 million and have a $700,000 minimum salary while in the big leagues. Their minimum is $57,200 while on option to the minor leagues with a first major league contract and $114,100 if a second or later big league contract.
MLB raised weekly minimum salaries for minor leaguers in 2021 to $400 at rookie and short-season levels, $500 at Class A, $600 at Double-A and $700 at Triple-A. For players on option, the minimum is $57,200 per season for a first big league contract and $114,100 for later big league contracts.
First-round draft picks this year agreed to signing bonuses for their initial contracts ranging from $2.1 million to $8.19 million. Sixty-seven of the top 68 selections are getting $1 million or more — the other $997,500.
MLB this year began requiring teams to provide housing for most minor leaguers.
MLB and lawyers for minor leaguers agreed this year to a $185 million settlement of an eight-year-old federal lawsuit alleging violations of minimum wage laws, a deal that may be finalized next year. An early estimate is that perhaps 23,000 players could share roughly $120 million with an average payment of $5,000 to $5,500, and their lawyers will split $55.5 million.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.kxnet.com/sports/ap-ap-source-mlb-players-reach-minor-league-union-deal/ | 2022-09-11 12:20:05 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/sports/ap-ap-source-mlb-players-reach-minor-league-union-deal/ |
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- 'Saturday Night Live' hilariously spoofs Southwest meltdown | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/hko-whl-scoring-ldrs-17752290.php | 2023-01-30 22:38:34 | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/hko-whl-scoring-ldrs-17752290.php |
Which light therapy lamp is best?
A light therapy lamp can help boost your mood, whether you are experiencing depression or your mood is simply worse than normal. Light therapy lamps impact the chemicals in your brain linked to sleep and mood, and they can help decrease the signs and symptoms of seasonal depression. It’s important to understand what to look for when purchasing a light therapy lamp, as well as the best options on the market.
What to know before you buy a light therapy lamp
Consider your budget
Think about your budget when you are deciding which type of light therapy lamp to buy. These lamps vary in price, depending on their size and intensity, but you can typically expect to pay anywhere from $30-200.
Use your light therapy lamp in the morning
It’s important to use a light therapy lamp in the morning, starting with 20-30 minutes at a time to see if the light therapy boosts your mood. If you don’t feel any effects from that 20- to 30-minute session, then you can increase your time to an hour each day.
Find the right size for you
Light therapy lamps come in a wide range of different sizes, from larger, box style lamps to small, tabletop lamps. It’s important to choose the right size for you, but keep in mind that smaller lamps might be less effective.
What to look for in a quality light therapy lamp
Intensity
The intensity of the light therapy lamp is the primary factor in predicting the effectiveness of the lamp. The intensity of the light from the lamp is measured in a unit known as lux. The lux describes how brightly your eyes perceive the light.
Light therapy lamps typically fall into a range of 2,500-10,000 lux. In comparison, the average rating for home lighting is about 50 lux. Light therapy lamps with 10,000 lux are recommended for the fastest treatment.
Full-spectrum vs. broad-spectrum
Some light therapy lamps feature broad-spectrum light, while other lamps use full-spectrum light. Broad-spectrum light is usually whitish in color and does not contain any UV rays, while full-spectrum light has a bluish color and features wavelengths from infrared to near-ultraviolet. You should make sure that the UV light is filtered out if you use a full-spectrum bulb, since the UV rays can damage and burn your skin.
Timer
Having a built-in timer on your light therapy lamp is important, since the timer can automatically keep track of how long your light therapy sessions are. These timers make it easier to offer accurate records, particularly if your doctor wants you to track the amount of time you spend with the light therapy lamp.
How much you can expect to spend on a light therapy lamp
Most light therapy lamps vary in price between $30 and $200. You can usually expect to spend $30-40 for small, 2,500 lux lamps, $45-65 for small, 7,500-8,000 lux lamps, $70-90 for larger lamps with 7,500-8,000 lux, $75-100 for small, 10,000 lux lamps and $100-200 for larger 10,000 lux lamps.
Light therapy lamp FAQ
Are there side effects to using a light therapy lamp?
A. There are some side effects from using light therapy lamps, but they are typically minor. Some light therapy lamp users report getting jitters, anxiety and headaches when they first start using the lamps.
These side effects typically go away after just a few days, but you can also decrease the chance of experiencing these side effects by beginning your light therapy lamp usage with shorter sessions. Keep in mind that you should speak to an eye doctor before using a light therapy lamp if you have any eye disease or vision problems.
Do you need to stare into the lamp to get the benefits?
A. No, you should actually not stare directly into the light of the lamp, since it can lead to retina or cornea damage. The light therapy lamp should instead be positioned so that it shines down at you from an elevated position.
What are the best light therapy lamps to buy?
Top light therapy lamp
Verilux HappyLight VT22 Bright White Therapy Light
What you need to know: This best-in-class light therapy lamp offers highly effective light therapy and is considered an industry leader.
What you’ll love: This incredibly light therapy lamp features a spacious light surface, a sleek design, bright light and a fairly compact size. It can be positioned either vertically or horizontally.
What you should consider: Keep in mind that some customers have reported faulty units.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top light therapy lamp for the money
Verilux HappyLight V10 Compact Light Therapy Lamp
What you need to know: This effective and portable light therapy lamp from Verilux provides light therapy at an accessible price.
What you’ll love: This budget-friendly yet well-made light therapy lamp features a small and durable design that is meant for travel and use in small spaces. The lamp emits bright light and is an excellent option for prolonged use.
What you should consider: It’s important to consider that this lamp gets fairly hot, particularly when you use it for extended periods of time.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Circadian Optics Lumos 2.0 Light Therapy Lamp
What you need to know: This budget-friendly light therapy lamp is effective, small and discreet and is an excellent option for personal use.
What you’ll love: This affordable light therapy lamp is meant for people who live in regions with dark and long winters. The lamp is easy to adjust, features a trim design and emits bright, full-spectrum light.
What you should consider: The power cord on this light therapy lamp is not very long.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wivb.com/reviews/br/health-wellness-br/medical-supplies-equipment-br/best-light-therapy-lamp/ | 2022-06-25 21:04:52 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/reviews/br/health-wellness-br/medical-supplies-equipment-br/best-light-therapy-lamp/ |
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Garrett Whitlock arrived at Angels Stadium just before 4:00 p.m. Monday afternoon.
The righthander walked through the bowels of the stadium dragging two suitcases and wearing a pair of sunglasses, fitting for the southern California weather that never made an appearance in San Diego.
Whitlock completed his second, and final, rehab assignment Sunday. The plan was always to have him join the club for this part of their west coast swing, but he won’t be activated until Saturday where he will pitch against the Diamondbacks, reclaiming his starter’s role.
The Sox are still employing a six-man rotation but plan on shifting back to the traditional five-man band at the end of this week. Whitlock’s best friend, Tanner Houck, could be the next piece shifted to the bullpen.
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Yet Houck shined in his Monday start, perhaps giving the Red Sox something to ponder.
The righthander put together his best outing of the season, going six innings and striking out eight, but ultimately had no help in the Sox’ 2-1 loss.
He relinquished one run after loading the bases in the second inning, a frame which looked like it would unravel for him. Houck allowed a one-out walk and single which put runners at first and third. Luis Rengifo’s first-pitch RBI ground out put the Sox in a 1-0 hole.
Houck later loaded the bases following a hit by pitch and another single. That brought Mike Trout to the plate, who Houck got to chase on a slider foul-tipped into the catcher’s mitt.
In the third, the righthander struck out the side, including Shohei Ohtani.
Houck tossed an economical 83 pitches, 55 for strikes. He drew 17 swings and misses, finding success with his splitter (six whiffs) and slider (seven).
Houck surrendered just three hits, but the Red Sox’ bats were silent, too, managing just four hits. Masataka Yoshida had two of them, highlighted by his RBI single in the sixth on a high chopper that nicked the glove of first baseman Jared Walsh.
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Kutter Crawford took the reins from Houck in the seventh and worked a scoreless frame in his first appearance since returning from the injured list. But Mickey Moniak tattooed a hanging changeup for a solo home run to break the tie in the eighth.
The Sox had their chance in the ninth with the top of their order up, but went down in order against Chase Silseth to end the contest.
Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @byJulianMack. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/22/sports/tanner-houck-makes-his-best-bid-red-sox-rotation-spot-angels-win-it-late/ | 2023-05-23 04:19:06 | 0 | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/22/sports/tanner-houck-makes-his-best-bid-red-sox-rotation-spot-angels-win-it-late/ |
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
© 2022 Good Karma Brands Milwaukee, LLC. | https://wtmj.com/entertainment/2022/05/05/ap-top-entertainment-news-at-141-p-m-edt-4/ | 2022-05-05 21:37:23 | 1 | https://wtmj.com/entertainment/2022/05/05/ap-top-entertainment-news-at-141-p-m-edt-4/ |
ATLANTA — Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers dealt with increased assaults by patients, pushing one Gwinnett County doctor and lawmaker to introduce a bill to protect them.
It’s illegal to commit assault anybody, but there are specific laws against assaulting police officers. This bill would similarly broaden the law making it a crime to commit violence against healthcare workers.
"The patient lunged toward me, pulling my hair, twisting my hair tightly between her fingers, where no one was able to get me free," a longtime hospital worker told a Senate committee in 2021.
The committee was examining violence in medical workplaces.
"It has been very much underreported," Deb Bailey of the Northeast Georgia Health System also testified.
Bailey said healthcare workers increasingly became targets as the COVID-19 pandemic grew.
"Covid has certainly exacerbated what we're seeing in the hospital environment particularly, with the violence against health care workers," Bailey said.
The reason, she said, was often sheer frustration with the health scare and the shortage of available help as the number of patients grew.
State Rep. Michelle Au’s bill would add a felony statute for assault of any healthcare worker in any clinical setting – while perhaps helping solve another healthcare problem.
"Already in a high stress environment, we are already having a lot more burnout and people leaving our profession at a time when we are already vastly understaffed when it comes to health care workers," said Au (D-Johns Creek), an anesthesiologist.
Although the law currently singles out protecting health workers in emergency settings, Au's bill would extend that to other healthcare settings.
Au expects to have the backing of Republicans as her bill takes root in this year’s legislative session. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/health/bill-healthcare-workers-covid-19-assault/85-a24d8216-6a6b-47e3-9f5a-cb9f42bf39e5 | 2023-01-25 00:49:23 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/health/bill-healthcare-workers-covid-19-assault/85-a24d8216-6a6b-47e3-9f5a-cb9f42bf39e5 |
Former President Trump lashed out on Tuesday at the Club for Growth, a leading conservative group, after he was left off the guest list of its annual donor retreat.
In a post on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump ripped the group as the “Club For NO Growth” and recounted how his ties to the group fell apart after disagreements over his endorsements in high-profile races in Alabama and Ohio last year.
He also blasted the club for initially opposing his candidacy in 2016 before repeating his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” against him.
“The Club For NO Growth, an assemblage of political misfits, globalists, and losers, fought me incessantly and rather viciously during my presidential run in 2016,” Trump wrote. “They said I couldn’t win, I did, and won even bigger in 2020, with millions of more votes than ‘16, but the Election was Rigged & Stollen.
“They asked to get together on Endorsements of candidates, we did, and had MANY WINS & NO losses. Relationship broke up over my Endorsement of certain great people in Alabama & Ohio. I won them all!”
Trump’s comments came after the Club’s president, David McIntosh, told reporters on Monday that the group had invited several prospective Republican presidential contenders to its annual donor retreat in Florida, but had left Trump off its list. Trump is so far the only declared candidate in the race.
Among those invited to the gathering are former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
“We’ve invited all of the folks listed here,” McIntosh said. “Not Trump. But we’ve invited the others.”
While he hasn’t announced whether he intends to run for the White House in 2024, DeSantis has emerged as an early favorite for the Republican nomination and perhaps the biggest threat to Trump’s hopes of recapturing the White House.
A new poll from the Club for Growth released on Monday showed DeSantis leading Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head 2024 primary match-up, with the Florida governor taking 49 percent of the vote to Trump’s 40 percent.
McIntosh told reporters on Monday that he hoped to have DeSantis deliver one of the keynote speeches at the club’s donor retreat, but said that the Florida governor is still “finalizing his schedule.”
McIntosh also expressed concern about the GOP’s prospects of winning the presidency in 2024 if Trump is once again the nominee, saying that Republicans “should be open to another candidate.”
McIntosh’s comments and Trump’s subsequent attack were the latest signs of just how bitter the relationship between Trump and the Club for Growth has become. While the Club initially opposed Trump in 2016, it eventually rallied to his side in the general election.
After he captured the White House, Trump and the Club formed something of a political alliance, coordinating endorsements in key races.
But things soured last year after Trump and the Club backed opposing candidates in the GOP Senate primary in Ohio. Trump’s decision to rescind his endorsement of former Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) in Alabama’s Republican Senate primary also caused friction between him and the Club, which continued to stand behind Brooks.
In November, on the eve of Trump’s latest campaign launch, the Club for Growth released a batch of internal polling that showed DeSantis leading Trump among GOP voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states that will kick off the Republican nominating contest next year.
Al Weaver contributed reporting. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/hill-politics/trump-rips-club-for-growth-after-he-wasnt-invited-to-donor-retreat/ | 2023-02-07 22:22:55 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/hill-politics/trump-rips-club-for-growth-after-he-wasnt-invited-to-donor-retreat/ |
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "All or Nothing Midday" game were:
04-05-06-07-08-10-11-13-14-16-17
(four, five, six, seven, eight, ten, eleven, thirteen, fourteen, sixteen, seventeen)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "All or Nothing Midday" game were:
04-05-06-07-08-10-11-13-14-16-17
(four, five, six, seven, eight, ten, eleven, thirteen, fourteen, sixteen, seventeen) | https://www.sfgate.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-All-or-Nothing-Midday-17218118.php | 2022-06-03 19:36:08 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-All-or-Nothing-Midday-17218118.php |
GENEVA (AP) — UN-backed investigators say there's evidence that 'crimes against humanity' were committed against migrants in Libya.
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- Petition elections on rise in San AntonioSince 2018, San Antonio has seen five citizen-initiated charter amendments, including the inclusion of the Justice Charter question on the May 6 ballot.By Molly Smith | https://www.expressnews.com/news/world/article/alert-un-backed-investigators-say-there-s-17861798.php | 2023-03-27 12:35:00 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/world/article/alert-un-backed-investigators-say-there-s-17861798.php |
Johnny Depp takes stand for 4th day in libel trial against Amber Heard
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jurors in Johnny Depp’s libel lawsuit against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, on Monday heard audio recordings in which he referred to the violence that could ensue if their arguments were allowed to escalate.
“The next move, if I don’t walk away ... it’s going to be a bloodbath, like it was on the island,” Depp says on the recording.
In other audio clips, Depp loudly shouts vulgarities at his wife, calling her a degrading name and yelling, “You stupid f—” at her.
Depp winced on the stand as the clips were played, while Heard appeared to fight back tears.
The clips were part of grueling cross-examination of Depp, who took the stand for a fourth day of testimony over his allegations that Heard falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser.
Heard’s lawyers are expected to continue their onslaught of questions during their cross-examination. Questions have focused on Depp’s drinking, drug use and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.
Heard’s attorneys argue that Depp physically and sexually abused her and that his denials lack merit because he was often drunk and high to the point of blacking out.
Depp’s last previous day on the stand was Thursday. Heard’s attorneys referenced his history of trashing hotel rooms as well as the time he smashed a bathroom sconce during an argument with Heard. Depp is also facing a lawsuit filed by a member of a film crew who alleges the actor assaulted them in 2018.
The jury has seen dozens of Depp’s texts to friends regarding his drinking, drug use and interactions with his then-wife, as well as his notes of contrition to Heard and her father.
Depp is suing Heard for libel over a 2018 op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post. She refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The piece doesn’t name Depp. But his attorneys argue that it clearly references a restraining order that Heard sought in May 2016, right after Depp told her he wanted a divorce.
Depp said the accusations and the article contributed to an unfairly ruined reputation that made him a Hollywood outcast and cost him his role in the lucrative “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise. Heard’s attorneys say Depp’s damaged reputation is the result of his own bad behavior.
Depp has been on the stand in Fairfax County Circuit Court since Tuesday afternoon. His previous testimony described the couple’s volatile relationship. He denied that he ever abused Heard.
The actor said that Heard abused drugs and often violently attacked him. He called the drug addiction accusations against him “grossly embellished,” though he acknowledged taking many drugs.
___
Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report.
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Johnny Depp took the stand in a Virginia courtroom Monday for his fourth day of testimony in the trial over his allegations that ex-wife Amber Heard falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser.
Heard’s lawyers are expected to continue their onslaught of questions during their cross-examination. So far, they have focused on Depp’s drinking, drug use and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.
Heard’s attorneys argue that Depp physically and sexually abused her and that his denials lack merit because he was often drunk and high to the point of blacking out.
Depp’s last day on the stand was Thursday. Heard’s attorneys referenced his history of trashing hotel rooms as well as the time he smashed a bathroom sconce during an argument with Heard. Depp is also facing a lawsuit filed by a member of a film crew who alleges the actor assaulted them in 2018.
The jury has seen dozens of Depp’s texts to friends regarding his drinking, drug use and interactions with his then-wife, as well as his notes of contrition to Heard and her father.
Depp is suing Heard for libel over a 2018 op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post. She refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The piece doesn’t name Depp. But his attorneys argue that it clearly references a restraining order that Heard sought in May 2016, right after Depp told her he wanted a divorce.
Depp said the accusations and the article contributed to an unfairly ruined reputation that made him a Hollywood outcast and cost him his role in the lucrative “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise. Heard’s attorneys say Depp’s damaged reputation is the result of his own bad behavior.
Depp has been on the stand in Fairfax County Circuit Court since Tuesday afternoon. His previous testimony described the couple’s volatile relationship. He denied that he ever abused Heard.
The actor said that Heard abused drugs and often violently attacked him. He called the drug addiction accusations against him “grossly embellished,” though he acknowledged taking many drugs.
___
Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/25/johnny-depp-takes-stand-4th-day-libel-trial-against-amber-heard/ | 2022-04-25 15:52:37 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/25/johnny-depp-takes-stand-4th-day-libel-trial-against-amber-heard/ |
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been together for 12 years and our relationship has started to suffer. We no longer have dates, we don’t spend any time talking with each other unless it’s about the kids, and the intimacy has faded.
A year ago, I asked him to go to a counselor with me. I asked him to be the one to set it up, as I’m always in charge of doctor appointments, bill paying, etc. I wanted him to show he was “all in” to help fix our marriage. I have reminded him to do it several times, but he hasn’t.
He claims to love me and to want our marriage to thrive, yet he does nothing. Now that the intimacy is completely gone, he all of a sudden wants to work on things. Go figure. I feel hurt and rejected and like throwing in the towel, but we have built a life together and I do love him. I don’t think therapy will work because I’ll feel like I manipulated him to get there by withholding the intimacy.
I feel sad and defeated. The man I married is gone, replaced by this person who is just going through the motions and using me to take care of his kids and clean his house. Please advise.
— ON HOLD IN ARKANSAS
DEAR ON HOLD: Ask your doctor for a referral to a psychologist and make an appointment — for YOURSELF — for help rebuilding your sagging self-esteem. Because you long ago assumed the role of organizer-arranger in your marriage, it was unrealistic to expect your husband to suddenly pick up the ball. He may not know how. Once you are stronger emotionally, schedule those sessions with a licensed marriage and family therapist, as you have all the other appointments during your marriage. Your relationship with your husband does need work, and this is the path to repairing it.
DEAR ABBY: My fiance and I have a child together. I’m 31, and he’s 16 years older. Sometimes I don’t know if our relationship will work out in the long run because he’s so stubborn and set in his ways. I’m more laid-back and easygoing.
What is bothering me the most right now is his mother constantly asks him for money. It’s not just for little things; it’s for roof and furnace repair and problems with her water heater, washer/dryer, stove and A/C. She’s married, and her husband works. He should be able to provide her with the things they need for their house.
It’s not like my fiance is rich. He isn’t. I have tried talking to him about it, but it just ends up in an explosive argument. It’s like, why should I even try to save for our family’s future and the things we need for our house if he’s going to keep giving it to his mother every time she asks? Please help.
— ALL FOR MAMA
DEAR ALL: You wrote that YOU are trying to save for your family’s future. Is your fiance giving his mother money that you have been earning, or is it his? If it is his, he can do with it as he pleases — at least until after the wedding. If he is fiscally responsible, he should also be trying to save for the future. However, if he isn’t, recognize that the pattern he has established may not be a sound one for you and your child, and plan accordingly. | https://www.swoknews.com/styles/dear_abby/struggling-wife-at-wits-end-with-unhelpful-hubby/article_97a544ea-3123-559b-a269-4bcf3cd53ae8.html | 2022-08-23 15:05:31 | 0 | https://www.swoknews.com/styles/dear_abby/struggling-wife-at-wits-end-with-unhelpful-hubby/article_97a544ea-3123-559b-a269-4bcf3cd53ae8.html |
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.08 per common share. The dividend is payable March 10, 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business February 15, 2023. The 1st quarter dividend will be the company's 222nd consecutive dividend paid since October 1967 when the company became publicly held.
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at nearly 2,000 stores and at Target.com, with the purpose of helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. Since 1946, Target has given 5% of its profit to communities, which today equals millions of dollars a week. Additional company information can be found by visiting the corporate website and press center and by following @TargetNews.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Target Corporation | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/12/target-corporation-declares-regular-quarterly-dividend/ | 2023-01-12 13:15:46 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/12/target-corporation-declares-regular-quarterly-dividend/ |
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — President Joe Biden will give his State of the Union on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. Mountain Time.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, who represents El Paso, has invited El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal as her guest at the speech.
Bernal says she is honored to represent El Paso and shares what she hopes the President speaks about on Tuesday night.
“I’m really looking forward to hearing the president talk about what we’re going to do as a country to stop seeing these incidents of violence against young men of color,” Bernal said.
Escobar said the president’s next two years in office will be different with Republicans now having control of the House of Representatives.
“We are coming off of the first half of his term where we had a historically productive Congress; we have passed pretty significant legislation that invests in communities like El Paso,” Escobar said.
El Pasoan Irene Armendariz-Jackson, who ran against Escobar as a Republican back the last two election cycles and is president of the Border Security Coalition, says Biden needs to make immigration a top priority.
“Number one should be the border; we need to make sure that the border is front and center because I believe that you can’t hide it anymore. You can deny, deny, deny, but especially for us who live on the border, we see it with our own eyes and were affected directly,” Armendariz- Jackson said.
El Paso political expert Dr. Richard Pineda told KTSM 9 News he believes the president will speak about immigration.
“He also knows that he’s facing off against a House of Representatives that’s no longer a Democratic majority. So I think what you’re going to hear tonight is sort of an entreaty to get that part of Congress on the same page. I don’t think it’s going to work by the way but I do think that’s what were going to hear tonight,” said Pineda, the director for the Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies. | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/texas/what-to-expect-from-state-of-union-on-border-el-paso-related-issues/ | 2023-02-08 02:21:08 | 0 | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/texas/what-to-expect-from-state-of-union-on-border-el-paso-related-issues/ |
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MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
Jury deliberations are underway in the case against Enrique Tarrio and four other members of the Proud Boys group. The landmark seditious conspiracy trial has focused on the defendants' actions before and after the siege on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson has been covering the case in federal court here in Washington and joins us now. Hey, Carrie.
CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hey, Melissa.
BLOCK: This case has been going on for months. It started back in December this week. How did prosecutors sum up their case?
JOHNSON: Yeah, prosecutors say these Proud Boys were thirsting for violence - that Enrique Tarrio and the other four defendants saw themselves as kind of a fighting force for then-President Donald Trump and that they entered into an agreement to stop certification of the 2020 presidential election by any means necessary, including force. The DOJ reminded jurors about the defendants' own words in chat messages and videos and podcasts, including a message from Tarrio himself after the storming of the Capitol that said, quote, "make no mistake, we did this."
BLOCK: So that's the prosecution's summation. What about lawyers for the defendant, Enrique Tarrio?
JOHNSON: Yeah, his lawyer, Nayib Hassan, pointed out that Tarrio was actually in Baltimore on January 6 because he'd been arrested for other charges and had been banished from D.C. by a judge. Tarrio's lawyer says this case is really all about one person, and that's Donald Trump. He told the jury, it's Trump's words, Trump's anger, Trump's motivations that caused what happened on January 6, and Trump telling the crowd to fight like hell that day caused what happened next. Tarrio's lawyer says prosecutors are using Tarrio as a scapegoat because they can't or don't want to bring charges against the former president, Trump.
BLOCK: Well, now the case is in the hands of the jury. They began deliberations this morning, and it sounds like they have a ton of evidence and testimony to weigh.
JOHNSON: So much evidence, so much testimony - half a million chat messages, testimony from FBI agents and police officers who were on the front lines on January 6. Two of the defendants took the witness stand, too - kind of a risky move. One is Zach Rehl, who led the Philadelphia chapter of the Proud Boys. The other is Dominic Pezzola. You may remember him because he famously broke a window in the Capitol using a police shield he grabbed that day. And this is a seditious conspiracy case - one of the most important to come from January 6. In a similar trial last year involving the Oath Keepers group, that jury took more than a week to reach a verdict.
BLOCK: OK. And as you say, it's one of the most serious cases stemming from that uprising. Will you expect a lot more to come from the Justice Department?
JOHNSON: Absolutely. The U.S. attorney here in Washington has told the court to expect possibly a thousand more cases against rioters who broke the law on January 6. That's about double the number of cases we have now, and that's going to keep prosecutors and defense lawyers and judges busy for years to come.
BLOCK: OK. And separately, what about the role of former President Donald Trump and his inner circle? Where does that part of the investigation stand?
JOHNSON: Yeah, sure. Here in this federal courthouse, down the block from the Capitol, the grand juries have been really active. Things are happening behind closed doors, but we have some clues. They've heard testimony from lawyers in the Trump White House, people close to the former vice president. Mike Pence himself was subpoenaed. Special counsel Jack Smith is leading that investigation. No public charges there yet.
BLOCK: OK. NPR's Carrie Johnson. Carrie, thanks so much.
JOHNSON: My pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-04-26/jury-deliberates-in-seditious-conspiracy-trial-against-proud-boys-members | 2023-04-27 15:07:52 | 0 | https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-04-26/jury-deliberates-in-seditious-conspiracy-trial-against-proud-boys-members |
Former President Donald Trump continues to heavily suggest he will run for president in 2024, but a new poll out from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist shows voters in the middle overwhelmingly don't want him to give it another go.
Sixty-seven percent of independents said they do not want Trump to run again, while just 28% said they do. In 2020, Trump lost independents and lost the election. In 2016, Trump fared better with the group, but throughout his presidency and afterward he suffered with them and has never regained them.
"I think we need someone who can start uniting the country," said survey participant Mike Helms, 68, of Lincolnton, N.C., an independent who voted for Trump in 2020. "I don't think him or [President] Biden can unite this country."
Trump has continued to be heavily unpopular outside of his base, raising questions about the strength of a Trump 2024 candidacy. People who live in large cities and suburban women continue to be two of the groups most opposed to Trump, while white evangelical Christians, whites without college degrees and those in rural areas are most supportive.
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"I definitely don't want him to run, because he will split the Republican Party and give the vote to the Democrats," said Greg Cox, 54, of New Haven, Mo., another independent who voted for Trump in 2020.
Overall, 61% of survey respondents said they don't want Trump to run again, largely unchanged from just after the 2020 election that Trump lost. A lot has transpired since then, and it shows just how locked in Americans' views are of Trump.
In fact, when respondents were asked if they would want Trump to run again, even if he is charged with a crime, the percentage saying no only increased marginally to 65%. That's within the margin of error.
Republicans looked like they were starting to pull away from Trump, but since the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home, for classified materials, they have reconsolidated around him.
When it comes to the FBI search, a plurality (44%) of respondents said they think Trump did something illegal. Another 17% think he did something unethical, but not illegal. Nearly 30% maintain he did nothing wrong, including 63% of Republicans.
Two-thirds of Republicans said they want Trump to run again, and a whopping 61% of them said they still want him to run even if he's charged with a crime.
Trump is using the FBI search as a rallying cry, calling it an "egregious abuse of the law." That's despite the FBI obtaining a legal search warrant. The Justice Department has said that it began investigating after a referral from the National Archives about classified material being mixed in with other material it received from Trump.
The FBI said it had evidence that Trump's team did not turn over all the documents it was asked for — and the search bore that out. An inventory of the search of Trump's home found dozens of boxes of documents, including some marked with the highest, most sensitive classifications.
On Monday, Trump was granted the right to a "special master" to separate out materials that have attorney-client privilege and even potentially material that could be argued to have "executive privilege," even though Trump is no longer president.
"We're going to take back America," Trump said at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Saturday, where he lambasted the FBI search. "And in 2024, most importantly, we are going to take back our magnificent White House."
But Trump's base alone proved not to be enough in 2020, and likely wouldn't be in 2024, either.
Biden has also struggled with independents, who have largely disapproved of the job he has done so far, so they will be a major question mark and potentially hold the key to a 2024 presidential election, if it is a Biden-Trump rematch.
Helms, for example, said he would vote for Trump over Biden if Trump does run again, but not happily.
Cox said he would "absolutely not" vote for Trump again if there's a next time around, but he emphatically said he is not open to voting for Biden, either.
"Maybe I'd vote Libertarian," Cox said.
Methodology
The survey of 1,236 adults was conducted Aug. 29 through Sept. 1. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points, meaning results could be 4 points higher or lower than what is shown. There are 1,151 registered voters surveyed with a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percentage points.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wbaa.org/2022-09-07/two-thirds-of-independents-say-they-dont-want-trump-to-run-for-president | 2022-09-07 18:22:04 | 0 | https://www.wbaa.org/2022-09-07/two-thirds-of-independents-say-they-dont-want-trump-to-run-for-president |
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday afternoon's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Quick Draw Midday" game were:
05-21-27-29-31-34-37-38-41-43-47-53-56-57-59-60-62-69-74-76, BE: 76
(five, twenty-one, twenty-seven, twenty-nine, thirty-one, thirty-four, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, forty-one, forty-three, forty-seven, fifty-three, fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-nine, sixty, sixty-two, sixty-nine, seventy-four, seventy-six; BE: seventy-six) | https://www.sfgate.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Quick-Draw-Midday-game-17718117.php | 2023-01-14 19:07:10 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Quick-Draw-Midday-game-17718117.php |
That’s certainly the case when it comes to major concert and comedy tours this year.
Over a dozen major headliners like Chris Rock and Kevin Hart or The Temptations and Four Tops are doubling up with fellow megastars to create mini music festivals that are twice as crowd-pleasing for fans.
Some shows even have as many as six headliners on the lineup.
To keep things simple, we’ve rounded up a comprehensive list of all the biggest co-headliner shows you won’t want to miss in the next few months.
(Note: Vivid Seats is currently offering first-time users $20 off an order of $200 or more by using promo code NJ20 at checkout.)
Comedy
Chris Rock and Kevin Hart
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Classic ‘60s and ‘70s acts
The Temptations and The Four Tops
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Santana and Earth Wind and Fire
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Chicago and Brian Wilson featuring Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Rod Stewart and Cheap Trick
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Willie Nelson’s “Outlaw Music Festival” with ZZ Top and more
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
The Turtles, The Cowsills, The Association, Chuck Negron, Gary Puckett and The Buckinghams on select dates
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
‘80s groups
Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
New Kids On The Block, Salt N Pepa, En Vogue and Rick Astley
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Rick Springfield and Men At Work
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Boy George and Culture Club
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REO Speedwagon, Styx and Loverboy
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Pet Shop Boys and New Order
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
‘90s groups
Wu Tang Clan and Nas
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Vanilla Ice, Coolio, Tone Loc and more
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Train, Jewel and Blues Traveler
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Dispatch and O.A.R.
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Music from 2000 to today
Chris Brown and Lil Baby
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Wiz Khalifa and Logic
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
Imagine Dragons and Macklemore
Buy tickets here: StubHub | Ticketmaster | Vivid Seats
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Matt Levy covers the live entertainment industry, writing about upcoming concerts, festivals, shows and events. He can be reached at mlevy@njadvancemedia.com. | https://www.nj.com/live-entertainment/2022/07/the-biggest-concert-tours-in-2022-featuring-co-headliners-how-to-buy-tickets-schedule-dates.html | 2022-07-09 20:03:23 | 1 | https://www.nj.com/live-entertainment/2022/07/the-biggest-concert-tours-in-2022-featuring-co-headliners-how-to-buy-tickets-schedule-dates.html |
Georgia has had a special grand jury investigating whether former President Donald Trump broke the law by interfering in the 2020 election. The first part of its report is out now.
Copyright 2023 Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia has had a special grand jury investigating whether former President Donald Trump broke the law by interfering in the 2020 election. The first part of its report is out now.
Copyright 2023 Georgia Public Broadcasting | https://www.kasu.org/justice-crime/justice-crime/2023-02-17/a-portion-of-the-georgia-special-grand-jury-report-on-election-fraud-is-out | 2023-02-17 11:15:20 | 0 | https://www.kasu.org/justice-crime/justice-crime/2023-02-17/a-portion-of-the-georgia-special-grand-jury-report-on-election-fraud-is-out |
NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA; PARAA) today announced that Naveen Chopra, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Paramount Global, will participate in a fireside chat during the RBC Capital Markets Global Technology, Internet, Media and Telecommunications Conference in New York, NY on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 9:25 a.m. ET.
A live audio webcast will be available on Paramount's Investor Relations homepage at ir.paramount.com. A replay of the audio webcast will be available in the Events, Webcasts & Annual Meetings section shortly after the conclusion of the conversation.
About Paramount
Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic studios, networks and streaming services, Paramount's portfolio of consumer brands includes CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+, Pluto TV and Simon & Schuster, among others. Paramount delivers the largest share of the U.S. television audience and boasts one of the industry's most important and extensive libraries of TV and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, the company provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution and advertising solutions.
For more information about Paramount, please visit www.paramount.com and follow @ParamountCo on social platforms.
PARA-IR
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SOURCE Paramount Global | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/11/paramount-globals-chief-financial-officer-naveen-chopra-participate-2022-rbc-capital-markets-global-technology-internet-media-telecommunications-conference/ | 2022-11-11 22:20:38 | 0 | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/11/paramount-globals-chief-financial-officer-naveen-chopra-participate-2022-rbc-capital-markets-global-technology-internet-media-telecommunications-conference/ |
The NSS Labs archive, available with free registration, consists of over 800 test reports, analyst briefs and research published by NSS Labs from 2013 – 2020.
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CyberRatings.org, the non-profit entity dedicated to providing transparency on cybersecurity product efficacy, has launched The NSS Labs archive, a library of over 800 test reports, analyst briefs and research published by NSS Labs from 2013 – 2020. Once available only to paid subscribers, CyberRatings.org is providing The NSS Labs archive to the community at no charge.
NSS Labs was an independent analysis and testing company recognized for its fact-based cybersecurity guidance that ceased operations on October 15, 2020. Based in Austin, Texas, NSS Labs tested security products protecting networks, data centers and endpoints for security effectiveness, evasions, performance, stability and usability. It was in the early stages of producing methodologies for cloud testing when the company closed.
Following the NSS Labs closure, CyberRatings.org acquired some of the assets from the custodians of NSS Labs including domain name, test data and reports previously published on their website. The website also holds press releases and blogs over the last six years of the company's existence showing a timeline for the former company's development.
"The NSS Labs team produced a tremendous amount of volume year over year that can now serve as historical reference on security product efficacy," says Vikram Phatak, CEO of CyberRatings.org. "For example, some product scores demonstrated improvement over time while others went the opposite direction. We believe this is a good way to help consumers see how products have evolved."
Product reports and comparative reports from 2013 - 2020 listed below are now available in the following technology verticals:
- Data Center Security
- Endpoint Security (including Advanced Endpoint Protection and Browser)
- Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)
- Next Generation Intrusion Prevention System
- Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security (SSL / TLS)
- Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN)
The NSS Labs archive can be accessed through www.nsslabs.com and www.cyberratings.org.
CyberRatings.org is a non-profit 501(c)6 entity dedicated to quantifying cyber risk and providing transparency on cybersecurity product efficacy through testing and ratings programs. To become a member, visit www.cyberratings.org
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SOURCE CyberRatings.org | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/29/cyberratingsorg-revives-nss-labs-research/ | 2022-11-29 20:09:22 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/29/cyberratingsorg-revives-nss-labs-research/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will headline the White House’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Sunday, a bitter historical milestone for the Biden administration after the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back the national right to abortion.
Administration officials said she’ll speak in Florida, where Democrats have been on guard for new efforts to restrict abortion from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate. The speech is a continuation of Harris’ focus on reproductive rights in recent months, which has included meetings with activists, healthcare providers and state lawmakers from around the country.
It’s also intended to be a signal that the administration isn’t giving up on abortion now that the midterm election is over. Democrats performed better than expected, but the prospects for codifying Roe v. Wade into law haven’t improved, and the administration has struggled to find ways to safeguard abortion access.
“The Vice President will make very clear: the fight to secure women’s fundamental right to reproductive health care is far from over,” said a statement from Kirsten Allen, a Harris spokesperson. “She will lay out the consequences of extremist attacks on reproductive freedom in states across our country and underscore the need for Congress to codify Roe.”
Allen added that Harris and President Joe Biden believe “that a women’s right to choose is non-negotiable.”
Biden will likely commemorate the anniversary as well, although his plans have not yet been disclosed.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra plans to visit Minnesota this week as the state legislature works on a new law to solidify abortion rights.
While in Minnesota, administration officials said, Becerra expects to appear with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, stop at a Planned Parenthood facility and meet with organizers who want to use a mobile van to provide abortions to people who cross into the state from Wisconsin, which has strict abortion limits.
Becerra then plans to visit a Wisconsin clinic that’s no longer allowed to provide abortions and hold an event with Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Gwen Moore, both Democrats, to talk with medical students.
It’s likely that the battle over reproductive rights will focus more on state legislatures than Washington, where the two parties appear deadlocked on the issue.
Democrats have 51 seats in the Senate, which means they can block any Republican attempts to ban abortion nationwide, but there’s not enough support within their caucus to sidestep filibuster rules to restore the national right to abortion.
In addition, the administration has limited tools to take executive action, although it’s worked to make abortion pills more widely available. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/harris-to-push-abortion-fight-in-florida-on-roe-anniversary/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2023-01-18 18:04:20 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/harris-to-push-abortion-fight-in-florida-on-roe-anniversary/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Two games into the season, the Super Bowl appears to be an attainable goal for the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills returned mostly the same offense that fell just short against Kansas City in a divisional-round thriller last year and retooled their defensive front with additions including Von Miller. They've looked like one of the best teams in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season thanks to convincing wins over the defending champion Rams and the Titans, last year's AFC No. 1 seed.
Up next is a Miami Dolphins team that looks to be a contender in the AFC behind its confident first-year coach and electric offensive weapons.
"The Buffalo Bills have won the division and done an unbelievable job in all three phases," Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel said, "so what better for the Miami Dolphins, that's a young team that is really invested and they're very eager to play football, what better opportunity than playing the best and seeing where you're at?"
The Bills (2-0) and Dolphins (2-0) enter today's game in South Florida with two of the top performing offenses so far this season, but Buffalo has dominated the series in recent years.
The Bills have won the last seven meetings, and beat the Dolphins 35-0 in Week 2 last year.
This isn't quite the same Miami team that Buffalo has faced in years past, however. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been a tough receiving duo to stop, mostly because opposing defenders haven't been able to catch them.
Hill leads the NFL in receiving yards with 284. He has 19 receptions and two touchdowns. Waddle has 16 receptions, 240 yards and 3 touchdowns.
"We've gone up against both of them before, but now they're on the same field," Bills Coach Sean McDermott said. "I always thought they were a talented football team over the last couple of years, going against Miami that is, and now adding Tyreek Hill to that mix, they've got a tremendous amount of playmakers on that team."
As good as the Bills have been behind Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and their bevy of weapons, Buffalo hasn't escaped the first two weeks of the season without adversity.
The Bills have a rash of injuries in their secondary, including neck injuries to safety Micah Hyde, who is lost for the season, and cornerback Dane Jackson. Rookie cornerbacks Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford could be given the task of lining up against Waddle and Hill.
"The production that they've given us, the games haven't been too big for them," Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said of Elam and Benford. "So if it comes to that, where they would have to both start, we'd be confident with both of them out there for sure. " | https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/sep/23/unbeatens-square-off-in-miami/ | 2022-09-25 06:33:54 | 0 | https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/sep/23/unbeatens-square-off-in-miami/ |
Indictment: Former police officer under the influence at time of fatal crash
TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (WAFF/Gray News) - A former police officer in Tuscumbia, Alabama, has been indicted for murder in relation to an October 2022 pedestrian death.
Tuscumbia Police Chief Tony Logan confirmed Jay Steward has been indicted in connection to the death of Terry Hinton.
Hinton was struck by a marked police vehicle, driven by Steward, on Oct. 10, 2022, according to Tuscumbia police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the indictment, Steward was under the influence at the time of the incident.
The document states Steward “did recklessly engage in conduct which manifested extreme indifference to human life and created a grave risk of death to a person.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall are handling the investigation.
Steward is being held without bond in the Colbert County Jail. His next court appearance will be on March 14.
Copyright 2023 WAFF via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.weau.com/2023/03/11/indictment-former-police-officer-under-influence-time-fatal-crash/ | 2023-03-11 21:06:08 | 1 | https://www.weau.com/2023/03/11/indictment-former-police-officer-under-influence-time-fatal-crash/ |
Nationals first. Lane Thomas homers to center field. Alex Call grounds out to shortstop, Joey Wendle to Lewin Diaz. Joey Meneses strikes out swinging. Luke Voit walks. Ildemaro Vargas pops out to shallow infield to Jordan Groshans.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Nationals 1, Marlins 0.
Nationals second. Luis Garcia doubles. Riley Adams doubles to deep right field. Luis Garcia scores. Victor Robles strikes out swinging. CJ Abrams strikes out swinging. Lane Thomas walks. Alex Call strikes out swinging.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Nationals 2, Marlins 0.
Marlins third. Lewin Diaz singles to deep right field. Charles Leblanc singles to center field. Lewin Diaz to second. Joey Wendle grounds out to shortstop. Charles Leblanc out at second. Lewin Diaz to third. Brian Anderson singles to right field. Lewin Diaz scores. Nick Fortes reaches on a fielder's choice to shallow infield. Brian Anderson out at second.
1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Nationals 2, Marlins 1.
Nationals third. Joey Meneses strikes out swinging. Luke Voit homers to center field. Ildemaro Vargas flies out to deep right field to Brian Anderson. Luis Garcia flies out to deep center field to JJ Bleday.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Nationals 3, Marlins 1.
Marlins fourth. JJ Bleday flies out to center field to Victor Robles. Jacob Stallings called out on strikes. Jordan Groshans singles to right field. Jerar Encarnacion homers to left field. Jordan Groshans scores. Lewin Diaz flies out to shallow center field to Victor Robles.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Marlins 3, Nationals 3.
Nationals fourth. Riley Adams lines out to deep left field to Jerar Encarnacion. Victor Robles homers to left field. CJ Abrams pops out to shallow infield to Jeff Brigham. Lane Thomas strikes out swinging.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Nationals 4, Marlins 3.
Nationals fifth. Alex Call homers to left field. Joey Meneses walks. Luke Voit pops out to shallow infield to Jacob Stallings. Ildemaro Vargas hit by pitch. Joey Meneses to second. Luis Garcia strikes out swinging. Riley Adams strikes out swinging.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 left on. Nationals 5, Marlins 3. | https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Miami-Washington-Runs-17449120.php | 2022-09-18 00:43:06 | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Miami-Washington-Runs-17449120.php |
NEW YORK (AP) — Multiple people have been fatally poisoned with narcotics in what investigators say were schemes by criminal crews to incapacitate and rob people at New York City bars and nightclubs.
The killings — at least five, according to police — stretch back months and appear to be the work of different crews, operating independently from each other but using similar tactics, police and prosecutors said Thursday.
Men surreptitiously slip revelers dangerous levels of drugs to knock them out, then take their wallets and phones, sometimes using their digital banking info to drain their accounts.
In March, Nurbu Sherpa, a 29-year-old chef, was found dead on the sidewalk after leaving a bar where he had been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
In April, Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, died in a taxi after leaving a Manhattan bar with a group of men. Later, relatives discovered some of his savings had been stolen.
In May, John Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant visiting from Washington D.C., was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the townhouse where he was staying. Surveillance video showed him leaving a popular club being propped up by a group of men. Money was also taken from his bank account.
Other men have come forward with stories about being drugged by strangers and waking up to find money gone.
Many of the crimes remain unsolved, but the Manhattan district attorney on Thursday announced that one suspect, Kenwood Allen, of the Bronx, had been charged with murder in Sherpa’s death and in the killing of Ardijan Berisha, 26.
Berisha, of South Salem, New York, and a friend passed out on the sidewalk in July after drinking at a bar on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Allen drugged both of his victims with fentanyl, prosecutors said, then robbed them. He is accused in three other instances where victims survived.
Allen’s sister told the Daily News her brother is innocent.
“My brother is not a murderer,” said Lauren Allen, 39. “My brother has always taken care of his family, his mother and his sisters. He’s not in no gang. He’s not in some crew going around drugging and robbing people. That’s just not true, that’s ridiculous.”
No one has been charged in the other killings, which are still under investigation.
“Nobody should have to worry that a night out at a Manhattan bar with friends could end in tragedy,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
At a news conference Thursday, New York Police Department Lt. Det. Dave Leonardi said some of the victims were given a mix of drugs including lidocaine, fentanyl and cocaine — with lidocaine being the substance that really incapacitated them.
The deaths of Ramirez and Umberger prompted concern that gay men were being targeted. Both died after leaving Manhattan LGBTQ bars. Some victims and their relatives have complained that the crimes weren’t treated with more urgency by police.
Umberger’s mother, Linda Clary of Dawsonville, Georgia, said that after hearing about Ramirez’s death and stories from others, she felt frustrated by authorities’ response.
“There were enough cases reported that NYPD should have sounded the warning bells to say this is going on, people need to be careful, but they didn’t,” she said.
NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said robberies have occurred beyond the gay community.
“We don’t particularly think they’re targeting gay members,” he said. “This is based solely on monetary gain.”
Still, unease about possible targeting remains, especially in an environment when an anti-LGBTQ atmosphere has been felt around the country, said Beverly Tillary, executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ communities.
“There’s some sense of being on edge,” she said, “and not knowing what might happen next in terms of attacks on our community.” | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/ap-health/ap-nyc-robbery-crews-drug-unsuspecting-men-some-fatally/ | 2022-12-24 14:48:30 | 1 | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/ap-health/ap-nyc-robbery-crews-drug-unsuspecting-men-some-fatally/ |
Vancouver, BC, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - MANTARO PRECIOUS METALS CORP. (TSXV: MNTR) (OTCQB: MSLVF) (FSE: 9TZ) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its initial diamond drill program on multiple prospects at its highly prospective Golden Hill Property, located in Bolivia.
- 21 diamond drill holes completed for a total of 3,009 meters at the La Escarcha Gold deposit as well as the Gabby, Brownfield and Westfield prospects.
- Drilling at La Escarcha Gold deposit successfully intercepted down dip extensions of multiple gold bearing quartz veins to depths of 225 meters beneath surface.
- Scout diamond drilling Gabby, Brownfield and Westfield prospects intersected anticipated quartz veins and silicified fluid pathways below surface.
- Assays pending for all diamond drill holes.
Craig Hairfield, Chief Executive Officer of the Company states, "Our initial drill program at Golden Hill met our objective to confirm that the La Escarcha gold bearing structures continue at depth. Scout drilling to the south (Gabby and Brownfield prospects) and southwest (Westfield prosect) intersected quartz vein targets reaffirming our belief that the Golden Hill vein system is open along strike for several kilometers. We are excited to prove that Golden Hill is a typical greenstone hosted gold system, which traditionally contain deposits occurring in clusters along regional structures over strike lengths of several kilometers and depths of >1 kilometers."
Drilling at La Escarcha targeted down dip extensions of historically mined veins at La Escarcha open pit, aiming to confirm high-grade gold mineralization beneath the extent of historic mining (ie. below 60 meter depth). Drilling successfully intercepted broad multiphase quartz shear zones typical of greenstone hosted orogenic gold deposits. The program has also confirmed down dip extensions of the historically mined C1, C2, C3, and C4 gold bearing quartz shear zones at La Escarcha gold deposit, to depths of 225 meters beneath surface.
After drilling completed at La Escarcha, Mantaro carried out a scout diamond drill program to test the southern strike extensions of the Golden Hill vein system, beneath areas with historic surface workings, at the Gabby and Brownfield prospects. Drilling also targeted gold mineralization across the parallel vein swarm located directly west of La Escarcha at the Westfield prospect.
Samples are presently being prepared at ALS in Oruro (Bolivia) for assay by screen fire at ALS Loughreah (Ireland). All assays are pending. Drilling by Leduc was much faster than anticipated with excellent core recovery and overall quality. As such, Mantaro is electing to temporarily suspend drilling until all assays are received. Assay results will assist Mantaro in designing the next phase of drilling, which will seek to further define the potential depth of the gold system at La Escarcha as well as the potential for other deposits along trend to the north and south.
Mantaro Precious Metals Corp. is a British Columbia company that holds a diversified portfolio of gold and silver focused mineral properties in Bolivia and Peru. The Company's holds an option to acquire up to an 80% interest in the advanced Golden Hill Property ("Golden Hill"), located in the underexplored, orogenic Bolivia Shield, Bolivia.
The Company also has a 100% interest in the high-grade Santas Gloria Silver Property as well as a 100% interest in each of the San Jose, La Purisima, Cerro Luque and Huaranay Properties (collectively, the "Silver Properties"). The Silver Properties are located in Peru.
Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Resulting Issuer undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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SOURCE Mantaro Precious Metals Corp. | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/mantaro-precious-metals-completes-initial-diamond-drill-program-golden-hill-property/ | 2022-08-11 12:28:30 | 0 | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/mantaro-precious-metals-completes-initial-diamond-drill-program-golden-hill-property/ |
Updated November 30, 2022 at 5:11 AM ET
Weather forecasters are warning of the potential for strong thunderstorms and tornadoes across a wide swath of the South Wednesday morning, including in parts of Mississippi, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.
The weather service said there was a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms and "a tornado or two" as storms move east into Georgia and parts of Florida. Large cities including New Orleans, Atlanta, Montgomery and Mobile are in the area at risk on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center called it "a particularly dangerous situation." Larger cities at risk include Jackson, Greenville, Tupelo, Vicksburg and Clinton in Mississippi.
A tornado watch was issued for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
"This needs to be taken seriously and have plans to move to your safe place if necessary," the Jackson, Miss., office of the National Weather Service said. "Continue to monitor info as it becomes available."
A tornado was confirmed near Vaiden, Miss., in the center of the state on Tuesday afternoon. Forecasters warned of a regional tornado outbreak being possible from northern Louisiana into north-central Mississippi and western Alabama.
Hail stones hit the windows of City Hall in the small town of Tchula, Miss., on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported, with residents taking cover.
"It was hitting against the window, and you could tell that it was nice-sized balls of it," Mayor Ann Polk told the AP after the storm passed through.
Storms in central Mississippi were intensifying, the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said on Tuesday afternoon, and would move northeast to impact north-central Alabama.
"Scattered damaging winds should be the primary severe threat this morning," the National Weather Service said.
Wind gusts are expected to reach 70 mph, and could be accompanied by very large hail.
The U.S. has the most tornadoes in the world, with about 1,200 a year.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wbaa.org/2022-11-29/strong-thunderstorms-and-tornadoes-are-moving-through-parts-of-the-south | 2022-11-30 11:44:59 | 1 | https://www.wbaa.org/2022-11-29/strong-thunderstorms-and-tornadoes-are-moving-through-parts-of-the-south |
Which ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop is best?
“The Mandalorian” is one of the most popular “Star Wars” releases to date. Debuting on Disney+ in late 2019, the series follows the Mandalorian after the fall of the Empire, who finds and cares for Grogu, aka “The Child.” The television show has attracted both new and longtime fans of the franchise.
Individuals looking to collect memorabilia should explore the extensive collection of Funko Pop figurines inspired by “The Mandalorian.” The top choice is the Funko Pop Star Wars: Luke Skywalker With Grogu. Capturing the surprise twist from the end of Season 2, this is a must-have for all Star Wars fans.
What to know before you buy a ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop
Characters
As with many TV shows, movies and pop culture trends, there are a massive number of Funko Pop toys from “The Mandalorian.” Most of the popular scenes and characters are commemorated through these figurines. Knowing which characters you’d like to collect is helpful in building your collection. Whether you are brand new to Funko Pop or an avid collector, some advanced planning will help you purchase the figurines that you want most.
How many to collect
If you’re a fan of the show itself, you may want to collect every character and scene that you can find. However, space constraints and availability can limit these plans. Prior to purchasing any new Funko Pop figurines, decide how many will reasonably fit into your collection. Be sure to factor in the larger Funko Pop toys that depict entire scenes, which take up additional space.
Those who have already started collecting memorabilia from the show should determine how to fit these new Funko Pop characters into their existing collection. For instance, some individuals may only want two to three figures to add to their desk at work. The number you ultimately decide upon may change, but you should have an idea of how many you plan to buy.
Budget
Once you’ve determined which characters you want to collect, and how many you plan to buy, you can start to budget for your new collection. The vast majority of people won’t be able to buy every single “The Mandalorian” Funko Pop they want in the same transaction. This is especially true if you’re working on building other Funko Pop collections.
When setting your budget, decide how frequently you will be purchasing the toys, and how much you will spend on each transaction. Additionally, plan to buy or pre-order Funko Pop figurines that are harder to find before any others.
What to look for in a quality ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop
Iconic moments
Funko Pop has done a marvelous job of capturing some of the most iconic and memorable scenes from “The Mandalorian.” From Grogu eating the blue cookies to the Mandalorian revealing his face, all of these moments can be relived through these figurines. No matter which scene is your favorite, it is likely you’ll find a Funko Pop toy that depicts it.
Bobblehead, deluxe and mini varieties
In addition to offering standard Funko Pop figurines from “The Mandalorian,” fans can purchase bobblehead, deluxe and mini varieties. Bobbleheads add a touch of playful motion which further brings each character and scene to life. Individuals concerned about space can opt for the mini varieties of popular characters. The opposites of these compact figurines are the deluxe Funko Pop toys. These models are larger than standard Funko Pop characters and showcase a backdrop and multiple characters.
Likeness of characters
“The Mandalorian” Funko Pop figurines beautifully capture the likeness of characters from the show. Everyone from Grogu to Ahsoka looks true to their depictions in each episode. On top of accurately capturing the likeness of faces, movements and postures, clothing and props are also created with the highest degree of accuracy.
How much you can expect to spend on a ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop
Prices for “The Mandalorian” Funko Pop toys range between $8-$30.
‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop FAQ
Which characters from ‘The Mandalorian’ are available as Funko Pop figurines?
A. Almost every character from “The Mandalorian” is available as a Funko Pop figurine. This includes the Mandalorian, Grogu, Moff Gideon, the Dark Trooper Battle Droids, Ahsoka and many others.
Will more ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop figurines be released?
A. Yes. Pre-orders are now open for several new figurines. During the week of March 2022, fans will be able to purchase Luke Skywalker with Grogu, Cobb Vanth with Chase, Fennec Shand and The Child Using The Force Deluxe Funko Pop figurines.
What’s the best ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop to buy?
Top ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop
Funko Pop Star Wars: Luke Skywalker With Grogu
What you need to know: Capturing what has easily become the most memorable scene of the entire series, this Funko Pop character depicts a youthful Luke Skywalker holding Grogu.
What you’ll love: At the end of Season 2, an unknown Jedi comes to the rescue of the Mandalorian, Grogu and the others on board the ship. In the episode’s final moments, it is revealed who this Jedi is. To fully develop Grogu’s powers, the Jedi takes him away for training. This pivotal moment is captured in this Funko Pop figurine.
What you should consider: As of writing, the figure is available for pre-sale and will be available in March 2022.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop for the money
Funko Pop Star Wars: The Mandalorian Flying With The Child
What you need to know: As the show’s two main characters, both the Mandalorian and Grogu are featured together.
What you’ll love: As a two-in-one figurine, fans get to display both the Mandalorian and Grogu at the same time. This pose accurately conveys how protective the Mandalorian is of Grogu. Clutching him tightly, this Funko Pop toy is a fantastic representation of the relationship the Mandalorian and Grogu have.
What you should consider: Rare instances of the spring in the bobblehead being visible have been reported.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Funko Pop Star Wars: The Child, Grogu With Cookie
What you need to know: Another favorite scene from Season 2, this Funko Pop character shows Grogu eating the now-famous blue cookies.
What you’ll love: After stealing a package of blue cookies, Grogu makes a mess while eating them. This figurine perfectly captures the scene — including Grogu’s seemingly innocent expression, and the blue cookie crumbs that prove otherwise.
What you should consider: This figure stands 3.75 inches tall.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://fox59.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/hobby-collectibles-br/best-the-mandalorian-funko-pop/ | 2022-11-02 08:38:02 | 1 | https://fox59.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/hobby-collectibles-br/best-the-mandalorian-funko-pop/ |
BEIJING, China — China is warning it will respond forcefully if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proceeds with a visit to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory.
Pelosi is second in line to the presidency and would be the highest ranking U.S. politician to visit Taiwan since 1997. China has threatened unspecified “resolute and strong measures" if she goes ahead, which analysts say could cause tensions to spike in the Taiwan Strait, considered a major potential Asian powder keg.
Here's a look at what's happening.
WHY DOES PELOSI WANT TO VISIT TAIWAN?
Pelosi has been a staunch critic of China throughout her more than three decades in Congress, once unfurling a banner on Beijing's Tiananmen Square memorializing those killed in the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. She was also a strong supporter of 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, making her a target of caustic criticism from Beijing.
Taiwan enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress, and Pelosi said last week it was “important for us to show support for Taiwan.” Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has defied Beijing's threats and her administration has favored core democratic values and liberal policies close to Pelosi's heart, including same-sex marriage and a strong social security net.
WHY WOULD THE VISIT CAUSE A RISE IN TENSIONS?
China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary and its military buildup in recent years has largely been oriented toward such a mission.
Beijing objects to all official contact between Taipei and Washington, and routinely threatens retaliation. This time, the stakes appear to be higher. China launched military exercises and fired missiles into waters near Taiwan in response to a 1995 visit to the U.S. by Taiwan's then-President Lee Teng-hui, but it's military capabilities have advanced massively since then.
While experts say it's unlikely China would use force to prevent Pelosi's U.S. government plane from landing in Taipei, its response remains unpredictable. Threatening military drills and incursions by ships and planes are considered potential scenarios that would set the entire region on edge.
WHY IS THE TIMING SENSITIVE?
President Joe Biden's administration is keen to keeping America's crucial but often turbulent and highly complex relationship with China on an even keel.
Pelosi had planned to visit in April but postponed after getting COVID-19. She has declined to discuss reported plans to travel to Taiwan in coming weeks. That could coincide with China's celebrations of the Aug. 1 anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party, and possibly overlap with a planned phone call between Biden and President Xi Jinping.
A more robust Chinese response could also be driven by Xi's desire to bolster his nationalist credentials ahead of a party congress later this year at which he is expected to seek a third five-year term in office. Xi's expansion of his powers into every sphere and his hardline zero-COVID response to the domestic epidemic has sowed a degree of resentment and appealing to raw patriotism, particularly over Taiwan, might help him fend off criticism.
WHAT IS TAIWAN'S ATTITUDE TOWARD A VISIT?
Tsai has been welcoming of all foreign dignitaries, serving and retired, from the U.S., Europe and Asia, using such visits as a bulwark against China's refusal to deal with her government and relentless campaign of diplomatic isolation. Still, her rhetoric on such occasions has generally been relatively low-key, reflecting her own calm demeanor and possibly a desire not to further antagonize China, which remains a crucial economic partner, with around a million Taiwanese residing in mainland China.
The capital Taipei staged a civil defense drill Monday and Tsai on Tuesday attended annual military exercises, although there was no direct connection with tensions over a possible Pelosi visit. While the Taiwanese public strongly rejects China's demands for unification, the ability of the island's military to defend against the PLA without U.S. help is highly questionable, so shoring up the armed forces has been a hallmark of Tsai's term in office.
Speaking Tuesday during the exercises, Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said the military was monitoring all movements of Chinese warships and aircraft around the island. “At the same time, we have the confidence and ability to ensure the security of our country,” Sun said. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/pelosi-taiwan-visit/507-aaf39a33-c15e-4a38-8bec-ce250b5185d6 | 2022-07-26 15:39:21 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/pelosi-taiwan-visit/507-aaf39a33-c15e-4a38-8bec-ce250b5185d6 |
Iga Swiatek is the top seed in the Wimbledon women’s singles draw, but it has been her least successful major.
Poland’s Swiatek looks to become the first woman of her generation to win five Grand Slam singles titles. Her best finish in three Wimbledon main draw appearances was a fourth round exit last year, though she did win the junior title in 2018.
Swiatek withdrew from her lone Wimbledon tune-up event before Friday’s semifinals citing fever and possible food poisoning.
The defending Wimbledon champion is Russian-born Kazakh Elena Rybakina, who withdrew during last month’s French Open due to illness. Then on Monday, Rybakina withdrew from a Wimbledon tune-up event, also citing a viral illness.
Though Serena Williams retired last year, older sister Venus, 43, received a wild card to compete in her 24th Wimbledon singles draw.
The top American hopes are No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 7 seed Coco Gauff.
2023 Wimbledon Women’s Singles Draw
(may need to zoom in on desktop) | https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/2023-wimbledon-womens-singles-draw-bracket | 2023-07-02 02:47:21 | 1 | https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/2023-wimbledon-womens-singles-draw-bracket |
Previously 'locked away' digital collectibles depict the 96-hour passionate tryst between Pamela and Tommy before they got married in Cancun
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- There has been a recent resurgence in interest in Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's passionate relationship but famed Playboy photographer Stephen Wayda was there at the very beginning of the relationship before they got married, documenting it all.
The photos Wayda shot were subsequently locked away for 18 years but are available today as digital collectibles through Makersplace. In 1995, following a mysterious 96-hour tryst, America's sweetheart married rock's bad boy on the beach in front of their hotel.
Behind these photos lay the real story of when Pamela Anderson met Tommy Lee.
"What I loved working with Pam is that she is fun and very spontaneous," says Wayda. "I think Tommy is even more spontaneous."
"A lot of their connection was sexually fuelled, but still there was a lot of commonality. They felt they were soul mates and that they would have an everlasting marriage."
The seven, one-of-a-kind photographs released today via Makersplace are from the original shooting and depict that untold story of when Pam Met Tommy, and their whirlwind marriage 96-hours later.
To learn more and to own these unique 1:1 digital collectibles, visit Makersplace.
Stephen Wayda is an internationally renowned American photographer best known for his photography in Playboy magazine. Wayda shot over 35 Playboy covers and photographed the most celebrities, iconic covers, women, and pictorials in the magazine's history. Over the course of his decades-long career, Wayda photographed celebrities such as Denzel Washington, Pamela Anderson, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Anna Nicole Smith, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Tom Selleck, Kim Kardashian, Travis Barker, and many other pop culture icons, supermodels, and musicians. In his creation of entertaining and compelling images he is regarded as a master in the use of composition and light, both natural and artificial.
CONTACT: Olga Orda, pr@mpe.com
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SOURCE Stephen Wayda | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/09/22/famed-playboy-photographer-stephen-wayda-unveils-never-before-seen-pamela-anderson-tommy-lee-cancun-photos-nft-drop/ | 2022-09-22 21:23:40 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/09/22/famed-playboy-photographer-stephen-wayda-unveils-never-before-seen-pamela-anderson-tommy-lee-cancun-photos-nft-drop/ |
BANGKOK — An Irish national taking a tour in western Thailand died Tuesday after falling out of a moving train, police said.
Police said Ward traveled Tuesday by rail with a tour group from the capital, Bangkok, to Kanchanaburi town, where the bridge over the River Kwai, made famous in the movie about the railway constructed by forced labor under Japanese WWII occupation, is located. After a brief stop, the group proceeded to Sai Yok waterfall, another popular tourist destination.
Police Maj. Kiatisak Kerdchok of the Sai Yok police said that according to witnesses, when the train slowed down at a scenic spot, Ward opened a door in the carriage and fell 7-8 meters (yards) down a slope.
He did not confirm reports in Thai media that Ward was trying to take a selfie when the accident occurred just before noon.
Police found Ward’s body at the scene with wounds but none that suggested foul play.
Kiatisak said a full autopsy would be conducted Wednesday in Bangkok, and fellow members of the tour group questioned. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/irish-tourist-dies-in-fall-from-train-in-thailand/2022/12/27/8968d93a-8602-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | 2022-12-27 16:32:06 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/irish-tourist-dies-in-fall-from-train-in-thailand/2022/12/27/8968d93a-8602-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Republican challenger to Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada conceded on Tuesday that he lost, saying in a statement that although the race was very close, he won’t contest the result.
“I am confident that any challenge of this election would not alter the ultimate outcome,” GOP candidate Adam Laxalt said in a tweet that campaign adviser Robert Uithoven confirmed was authentic.
Laxalt, who had the vocal endorsement of former President Donald Trump, said he called Cortez Masto to congratulate her on her victory. The Associated Press called the race on Saturday, declaring Cortez Masto the winner.
Cortez Masto’s campaign did not immediately respond to messages about Laxalt’s concession. It came a week after the Nov. 8 election.
Laxalt told the AP more than a year ago that he was preparing to mount legal challenges to the outcome of the 2022 election. In his Twitter statement on Tuesday, he said Republicans “will either have to fix our election laws or better adjust to them and to the tactics used against us.”
“Nevada’s new elections laws enacted two years ago allowed for massive ballot harvesting and votes dropped off at drop boxes and polling places on Election Day,” Laxalt said. “This is not a form of voting Republican voters prefer, so as those ballots were tabulated, they skewed heavily towards Democrats up and down the ballot, including our opponent.”
Nevada’s vote count took several days partly because of the Legislature in 2020 adopted a law requiring counties to accept ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive up to four days later. Laxalt had an early lead that dwindled after late-counted ballots came in from the state’s population centers in Las Vegas and Reno.
Cortez Masto’s win, along with Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s victory in Arizona, gave Democrats a 50-49 edge in the Senate. Along with Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote, the party will retain control of the chamber no matter the result of next month’s Georgia runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican candidate Herschel Walker.
Cortez Masto, the first Latina to serve in the Senate, was considered the most vulnerable Democratic senator in the midterm elections, and the Republican Party had high hopes of flipping the seat.
She raised far more money than Laxalt, but had to weather an onslaught of attack ads funded by national GOP groups. Cortez Masto spent nearly $47 million and had more than $6 million in cash on hand through mid-October, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign finances and lobbying. Laxalt spent nearly $13 million and had about $3 million remaining during the same time.
Cortez Masto is a former two-term state attorney general. She focused her Senate campaign on threats to abortion access nationwide and worked to court the state’s Spanish-speaking residents and hourly wage earners. She pointed out her support of a permanent pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers” and regularly visited union halls and workers’ groups.
Laxalt, also a former state attorney general, lost a bid for governor in 2018. He co-chaired Trump’s failed campaign in Nevada in 2020, and spent months leading efforts in the media and in courts to challenge the result as fraudulent.
He insisted that ineligible and dead voters cast ballots, that laws adopted by the Democratic-led Legislature to send mail-in ballots to every active voter invited fraud, and that Republican observers were prevented from seeing ballot counting or challenging signatures on mail-in ballots.
Only a case to keep some Las Vegas-area polling places open until people in line had cast ballots briefly survived court scrutiny. Like all the others, it was later dismissed.
“I entered this arena for my family and those all over Nevada and America who believe our country is headed in the wrong direction,” Laxalt, an attorney, said in his statement on Tuesday. He said he will “return to private life and private practice.”
“This race and the 2022 election cycle didn’t go as we hoped,” he said, “but I am proud of the race that we ran.”
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections | https://www.localsyr.com/news/your-local-election-hq/ap-nevada-gop-candidate-for-us-senate-concedes-race-to-democrat/ | 2022-11-16 15:40:55 | 0 | https://www.localsyr.com/news/your-local-election-hq/ap-nevada-gop-candidate-for-us-senate-concedes-race-to-democrat/ |
WATCH the best up & coming local boxing LIVE on beIN SPORTS | via Foxtel, Kayo, Fetch & beIN SPORTS CONNECT
The Filipino, who announced he was quitting the sport once again in August 2021, looks poised to be the opponent for the Briton's comeback bout.
Benn, who saw a fight with Chris Eubank Jr postponed after he tested positive for a banned substance in October, was reinstated to the WBC rankings earlier this year.
Now Pacquiao, who stepped back after a defeat to Yordenis Ugas in order to run for the Philippines presidency in last year's election, could be his return opponent, per his promoter Sean Gibbobs.
"He retired for a minute to run for President of the Philippines, where he took a respectful third place," he said.
"After that he felt that his retirement was due to running for president, and now that [he wasn't elected], he wants to fight again and feels like he can do it at the highest level.
"Manny is an all-time great and he feels like he still has a lot of fight left in him and he still wants to compete at the highest level.
"This fight [against Benn] was presented to him by [promoter] Eddie Hearn, and he agreed. [The] ball is in Eddie Hearn's court [but] Pacquiao ready to go."
Widely considered one of the sport's all-time great fighters, Pacquiao held world titles in eight different weight divisions across a 72-fight career, with a 62-8-2 winning record.
He briefly retired in 2016, but returned that same year with a win over Jessie Vargas, and would present a starry opponent for Benn's first fight since April last year.
The Briton remains barred by the British Boxing Board of Control to fight on home soil, with his likely comeback match set to be pencilled in for June 3 in Abu Dhabi.
Hearn acknowledged there were other options for the fight though, adding: "We are in the process of selecting Conor Benn's next opponent and have been in active talks with Manny Pacquiao's team.
"We have had multiple site offers to stage the event and are looking to make an official announcement on Conor's next fight as early as next week." | https://www.beinsports.com/au/boxing/news/pacquiao-set-to-come-out-of-retirement-again/2055495 | 2023-03-16 03:26:51 | 0 | https://www.beinsports.com/au/boxing/news/pacquiao-set-to-come-out-of-retirement-again/2055495 |
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR AN OUTDOOR THEATER
Theaters enhance the movie-watching experience with larger-than-life visuals and booming sound. Many build home theaters so they don’t have to leave their houses for an immersive viewing experience. When the weather is nice, you can take your viewing experience outside to simulate a drive-in theater. There are a few special considerations when building an outdoor theater.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Anker Nebula Mars II Outdoor Projector
- Elite Screens Yard Master 2
- Bose 251 Wall-Mounted Outdoor Speakers
CHOOSING A PROJECTOR AND SCREEN
The projector is the centerpiece of your outdoor theater, so choosing one that fits your needs is essential. Consider how you’ll get your content. If you want a projector with built-in streaming services or plan to use a streaming stick, you must ensure you get a solid Wi-Fi signal outside. If you don’t, you may need to buy a Wi-Fi signal extender.
Outdoor theaters tend to have more room than their indoor counterparts, but you don’t want to go overboard on screen size unless it’s in your budget. Many projectors claim to project video that measures 100 inches or more from corner to corner. However, you’ll want to pay close attention to their “recommended” screen size, which better indicates their capabilities. For example, if a 4K projector says it can project a 100-inch screen, but the recommended screen size is only 50 inches, you’ll likely only get 4K quality if the size is set to 50 inches or less.
Projector screens also play a role in image quality. High-quality projector screens are thick enough to prevent the projection from bleeding through the back of the screen. If you’re projecting in high-definition, you’ll want a screen with a smooth texture, which prevents the image from deforming. Additionally, it’s a good idea to choose a durable-but-lightweight screen that’s easy to move from your house to your yard.
GETTING THEATER-QUALITY SOUND OUTSIDE
Many indoor speakers use your room’s walls and acoustics to enhance their sound. Although these speakers outperform a projector’s internal speakers when used outside, you may want something designed for outdoor use.
Outdoor speakers are generally designed to project audio to a larger area. These speakers have internal subwoofers rather than the standalone woofers you’ll see with indoor speakers. Outdoor speaker design also differs; they’re usually larger and more durable.
SEATING
Comfortable outdoor seating is an excellent way to enhance your viewing experience. Low-budget options include picnic blankets, bean bag chairs and air mattresses, although you’ll have to pack them up and take them inside when your movie is done.
Deck chairs and sun loungers often have comfortable cushions and are built to withstand the elements, meaning you can leave them outside.
POWER
The trickiest part is figuring out how to power your projector and speakers. Those with outdoor wall outlets can simply plug their devices in with an extension cord. The extension cord’s length will play a role in its power capacity, with each foot of the cord decreasing the amount of power it can deliver. You’ll also want to consider the extension cord’s amperage, which determines how many amps it can handle.
You can run a long cord into your home if you don’t have an outdoor outlet. Alternatively, you can use a portable power station or buy a battery-powered projector.
DECOR AND ESSENTIALS
- String lights: Outdoor lighting can create an inviting environment for your guests and make it easier to see where they’re going. Still, projectors perform best in dark environments, so you’ll want to use relatively-dim lights.
- Popcorn maker: An outdoor popcorn maker is an excellent way to create an authentic theater experience.
- Drink cooler: If you don’t want guests wandering in and out of your house, consider investing in a large drink cooler and plenty of ice.
- Insect repellant: Pesky bugs can ruin your outdoor movie. Consider having a can of insect repellant for you and your guests.
- Trash can or recycling bin: Bring a large trashcan or recycling bin outside, so your guests can dispose of their cans, bottles and scraps.
BEST OUTDOOR THEATER PRODUCTS
It features a 4K upscaling feature to enhance non-HD content. It projects vivid colors and has Motionflow technology for smooth visuals. It has a native 4K resolution and a bright projection.
Sold by Amazon
Anker Nebula Mars II Outdoor Projector
This features a compact design and high-quality internal speakers. It has a handle for enhanced portability. It refocuses automatically, giving you a crisp image without toggling its settings.
Sold by Amazon
This screen is optimized for 4K projectors and is easy to assemble. It has a durable frame but doesn’t stand up to strong winds. It’s available in nine sizes, from 58 to 135 inches.
Sold by Amazon
Sewinfla Inflatable Projector Screen
It’s made from a durable, easy-to-clean fabric. It comes with a blower and only takes around five minutes to inflate. It’s available in five sizes, from 16 to 24 feet.
Sold by Amazon
NetGear Orbi Outdoor Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi Extender
This extender can boost your Wi-Fi coverage by up to 2,500 square feet. Its weather-proof design makes it an excellent choice for outdoor theaters. It must be used with an Orbi mesh Wi-Fi system.
Sold by Amazon
NetGear Orbi Tri-band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System
This system covers up to 5,000 square feet, and the tri-band technology ensures it doesn’t slow down when multiple devices are connected. It’s compatible with the Orbi Outdoor Wi-Fi Extender.
Sold by Amazon
Oppelo Seven-Piece Sectional Seating Group
This comfortable sectional seats up to five people. It comes with a pair of ottomans and a table. It’s available in five colors, including slate, ash and navy.
Sold by Wayfair
WORTH CHECKING OUT
- This Greenworks extension cord is suitable for medium-duty inputs and can be used indoors or outside.
- The Oniva Outdoor Blanket Tote is large and easy to transport, thanks to its fold-up design and handle.
- A set of solar string lights is an excellent way to add ambiance without using extra plug outlets.
- The JBL Flip 5 is an affordable way to upgrade your theater’s audio quality.
- The Bose 251 Wall-Mounted Outdoor Speakers have a multi-chamber bass enclosure and a water-resistant design.
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Cody Stewart writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money. | https://www.ksn.com/news/national-world/transform-your-yard-into-an-outdoor-media-room-with-these-picks/ | 2023-05-08 03:07:35 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/national-world/transform-your-yard-into-an-outdoor-media-room-with-these-picks/ |
TAIPEI, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's leading computer brand, GIGABYTE has finally made its highly-anticipated AORUS gaming laptop lineup available on the market, including the AORUS 17X, AORUS 15X, AORUS 17, and AORUS 15. These premium laptops are completely re-designed for high-performance gaming at their cores, offering cutting-edge technologies and optimized portability for an unbeatable gaming experience on the go.
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The cooling capacity has also been improved with the upgraded WINDFORCE Infinity cooling system, featuring a large vapor chamber design and up to four cooling fans for a maximum TDP of 230W on the AORUS 17X and 160W on the AORUS 17. This advanced cooling system not only ensures efficient and quiet cooling but also makes the laptops more compact and portable, perfect for gamers who are constantly on the move.
The AORUS lineup offers 17.3 and 15.6 inch displays with a sweet spot of QHD resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz for immersive visuals and fluid framerates. The displays feature accurate and vivid colors, thanks to 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut for the AORUS 17X and AORUS 15. The laptops share a sleek and modern look, which includes a stylish RGB light bar and geometric patterns that exude a winning attitude, making them a characteristic addition to any gaming setup.
If you are ready to take your gaming experience to the next level, it is time to get your hands on the 2023 AORUS gaming laptops that are available now. With their improved performance, stylish design, and rich features, these laptops are the ultimate gaming machine for those who settle for nothing less than the very best. For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/AORUS_LAPTOP.
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SOURCE GIGABYTE | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/03/07/bring-your-game-gigabyte-aorus-2023-gaming-laptops-now-available/ | 2023-03-07 18:14:16 | 1 | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/03/07/bring-your-game-gigabyte-aorus-2023-gaming-laptops-now-available/ |
ALTO, Georgia (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate nominee Herschel Walker commiserated as north Georgia farmers bemoaned environmental regulations and rising costs of doing business. Minutes before, the former football star and political newcomer volleyed with journalists on issues ranging from gas prices to abortion.
In both audiences, Walker tried every way he could to steer the conversation back to Sen. Raphael Warnock and a Democratic administration whose popularity lags in this battleground state that President Joe Biden won by the narrowest of margins.
“We need to be talking about what people are concerned about, that my opponent seems to be voting with Joe Biden rather than the people of Georgia,” Walker said at a north Georgia produce market. “That’s what we need to be putting headlines about what Herschel Walker is saying … because the people of Georgia are hurting.”
With generationally high inflation and Biden’s low popularity, Republican candidates across the U.S. are spending this election year similarly trying to keep the focus on Democrats. But for Walker, the sweeping partisan jabs on display at multiple campaign stops this week offered a chance to steady an otherwise haphazard campaign.
Some Republicans quietly acknowledge that such deflection may be the only way Walker can win this midterm contest that will help determine control of a Senate now split 50-50 between the two major parties.
“Look, it’s not how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get back up,” said state Sen. Butch Miller, as he campaigned with Walker in north Georgia.
Walker, 60, cruised to the GOP nomination in May, mostly on his celebrity status as the star running back on the University of Georgia’s national championship football team in 1980 and his personal friendship with former President Donald Trump.
But along the way, Walker has faced new disclosures on past violent threats against his first wife. He’s exaggerated his academic and business records, and alternately denied ever making such statements. He acknowledged fathering multiple children he hadn’t publicly mentioned previously despite spending decades blasting absent fathers. And Walker recently was captured on video at a closed campaign event offering a nonsensical explanation of the climate crisis as China sending its “bad air” to the U.S. while stealing “our good air.”
Warnock’s campaign and allied Democratic campaign arms reacted with an advertising onslaught casting Walker as unqualified.
“Every one of Walker’s likes, scandals and bizarre statements proves that he isn’t ready to represent to represent the people of Georgia and can’t be trusted to serve in the U.S. Senate,” said Dan Gottlieb, a spokesman for the Georgia Democratic Party.
All of that played out as Warnock has raked in campaign cash — more than $17 million in the second quarter of 2020 and $70 million-plus for the cycle. That has allowed the senator to develop a personal brand that positions him well ahead of Biden among Georgia voters and mutes any Republican contention that 2020 was an aberration in the state.
Just a few cycles ago, any Republican nominee would have been a prohibitive favorite in a midterm Senate election here, regardless of economic conditions or who occupied the White House. Instead, decades of growth, concentrated in metro Atlanta, have yielded a politically, racially and ethnically diverse population more open to electing Democrats. Trump’s underperformance among college-educated whites accelerated the shift, as did Democrats’ organizing efforts.
That led to Biden outpolling Trump by about 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast — a record November turnout for Georgia. Warnock followed with a wider margin in a January special election runoff: 94,000 votes out of almost 4.5 million cast, a record runoff turnout.
Republicans have answered Walker’s stumbles with an influx of experienced aides for the first-time candidate and visits to the state by national Republican operatives. Walker aides said the coming weeks will be built around various policy themes, with targeted attacks on Warnock.
It’s not so much a campaign reset, the aides said, since mid- to late summer is nearly always when general election campaigns ratchet up. But it’s an effort clearly aimed at changing the narrative around the matchup. The opening salvo was agriculture. Public safety and crime come next. The economy will follow.
Walker himself talked this week of “listening sessions” built around policy topics. He showed some evidence of those sessions in turning most any topic back to Warnock, Biden and the economy.
“Terrible, terrible leadership,” he called it, adding that working-class Georgians “know it’s not right.”
He demonstrated an increasing familiarity with the details of Warnock’s record when he blasted the idea of suspending the federal gas tax, something the senator proposed. Walker called that “the hero effect … I cause the problem and then you call me to come put it out.”
Yet there were flashes of the tangents and falsehoods that have drawn negative attention already.
At a livestock auction outside Athens, Walker again denied he ever said he’d graduated from the University of Georgia, accusing his questioner of being a “Raphael Warnock guy.” Walker has made such claims on video; he never graduated. Later, Walker essentially committed to debate Warnock in October, only to have his campaign follow up with a series of conditions.
In a discussion about immigration, Walker offered bromides about the U.S. needing “legal immigration,” only to have Miller step in to talk about specific visa programs. In a roundtable on agriculture, Miller and Terry Rogers, a former state representative, again filled in many details.
When farmers complained about the Biden administration’s advocacy of electric farming vehicles, Walker didn’t just focus on cost but questioned the technology itself. “It’s only gonna run for a certain amount of time,” he said. “You gotta charge it for eight hours. You’ll never get any work done.”
Miller downplayed any cumulative damage to Walker’s prospects but said it’s critical for the Republican nominee to crystallize his case against Warnock and weave in his own biography more effectively.
“One of his strongest virtues is his relatability to people, and he’s getting out and doing that,” Miller said. As for broader attacks about inflation and the economy, Miller added, Walker has a convenient ally: “It’s all true.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/walker-aims-to-pivot-focus-back-to-dems-in-tight-ga-race/ | 2022-07-23 12:44:25 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/walker-aims-to-pivot-focus-back-to-dems-in-tight-ga-race/ |
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota man accused of killing his sister by strangulation is being held on $100,000 cash bond.
Nicklaus Houchin, 28, is charged with first-degree manslaughter in Thursday's death of 31-year-old Danielle Houchin of Rapid City.
The brother and sister were in a vehicle with several others who were delivering an online food order. The group was drinking alcohol and stopped at a restaurant to pick up some food when the siblings got into a physical fight, officials said.
Rapid City Police Department spokesman Brendyn Medina said the altercation occurred inside the vehicle where the woman was strangled.
According to authorities, the group drove to the Rushmore Crossing shopping center before calling 911, the Rapid City Journal reported.
Police found woman on the ground near a vehicle. Danielle Houchin died while a medical team was transporting her to a hospital, police said.
The state argued for the $100,000 cash bond Monday in court on the grounds that Houchin is a danger to his family and others. The public defender’s office opted to reserve a bail argument for another date.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 11. | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Brother-accused-of-fatally-strangling-sister-in-17469778.php | 2022-09-27 15:58:46 | 1 | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Brother-accused-of-fatally-strangling-sister-in-17469778.php |
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Shipping companies are not rushing to export millions of tons of trapped grain out of Ukraine, despite a breakthrough deal to provide safe corridors through the Black Sea. That is because explosive mines are drifting in the waters, ship owners are assessing the risks and many still have questions over how the deal will unfold.
The complexities of the agreement have set off a slow, cautious start, but it's only good for 120 days — and the clock began ticking last week.
The goal over the next four months is to get some 20 million tons of grain out of three Ukrainian sea ports blocked since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion. That provides time for about four to five large bulk carriers per day to transport grain from the ports to millions of impoverished people worldwide who are facing hunger.
It also provides ample time for things to go awry. Only hours after the signing Friday, Russian missiles struck Ukraine’s port of Odesa — one of those included in the agreement.
Another key element of the deal offers assurances that shipping and insurers carrying Russian grain and fertilizer will not get caught in the wider net of Western sanctions. But the agreement brokered by Turkey and the U.N. is running up against the reality of how difficult and risky the pact will be to carry out.
“We have to work very hard to now understand the detail of how this is going to work practically,” said Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, which says it represents national shipowners associations, accounting for about 80% of the world’s merchant fleet.
“Can we make sure and guarantee the safety of the crews? What’s going to happen with the mines and the minefields, as well? So lots of uncertainty and unknowns at the moment," he said.
Getting wheat and other food out is critical to farmers in Ukraine, who are running out of storage capacity as they harvest their fields. Those grains are vital to millions of people in Africa, parts of the Middle East and South Asia, who are already facing food shortages and, in some cases, famine.
Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil, with fighting in the Black Sea region, known as the “breadbasket of the world,” pushing up food prices, threatening political stability in developing nations and leading countries to ban some food exports, worsening the crisis.
The deal stipulates that Russia and Ukraine will provide “maximum assurances” for ships that brave the journey through the Black Sea to the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
“The primary risk that’s faced is obviously going to be mines,” said Munro Anderson, head of intelligence and a founding partner at Dryad. The maritime security advisory company is working with insurers and brokers to assess the risks that ships could face along the route as sea mines laid by Ukraine to deter Russia are drifting.
Shipowners, charterers and insurance firms are seeking to understand how the deal will play out in real time.
“I think it’s going to come (down) to the position of the marine insurers that provide war risk and how much they are going to be adding in additional charges for vessels to go into that area,” said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, shipping and commodities analyst at Lloyd’s List, a global shipping news publication.
Bockmann said vessels carrying this kind of load typically have between 20 to 25 seafarers on board.
“You can’t risk those lives without something concrete and acceptable to the shipowners and to their charterers to move grain,” she said.
Marine insurers reached by The Associated Press declined to comment on whether they would provide coverage for these ships.
Ukrainian officials have expressed hope that exports could resume from one of the ports within days, but they have also said it could take two weeks for all three ports to become operational again.
The war has wreaked havoc on global trade, stranding over 100 ships in Ukraine's many ports.
Since the war began in late February, 22 bulk carriers and cargo ships have been stuck at the three ports included in the export agreement, data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows. Around 13 are docked at Chornomorsk, six in Odesa and three at Yuzhny.
Some of those ships might still have crews aboard that could be mobilized to start exporting grains.
Ukrainian traders have able to send some grain through the Danube River, which helped buoy exports to about 1.5 million tons in May and up to around 2 million tons in June, though that is still less than half the monthly grain shipments of 4 to 5 million tons prior to the war, according to Svetlana Malysh, a Black Sea agriculture markets analyst with Refinitiv.
Over the 2021-2022 marketing year, Russia exported about 30 million tons of wheat, according to Refinitiv trade flows. That is the lowest level since 2017, in part because of the chilling effect of sanctions. Russian fertilizer exports also saw a drop of 25% in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year, in part due to Western sanctions, Malysh said.
For ships heading to Ukraine's three ports, smaller Ukrainian pilot boats will guide the vessels through approved corridors. The entire operation, including the scheduling of ships along the route, will be overseen by a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul staffed by officials from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations.
Once ships reach port, they will be loaded with tens of thousands of tons of grains before departing back to the Bosphorus Strait, where representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the U.N. and Turkey will board the ships to inspect them for weapons. There will likely be inspections for ships embarking to Ukraine as well.
“The balance of power on this agreement still sits with Russia,” said Anderson, Dryad's head of intelligence. Any Ukrainian ports outside the agreement face increased risk of attack, he said.
“I think what Russia wants ... is to be seen as the state that controls the narrative within the Black Sea," Anderson said.
___
Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Susie Blann in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
___
Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ayaelb. | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/business/article/Risks-mined-waters-slow-rush-to-extract-grains-17331587.php | 2022-07-27 13:38:03 | 1 | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/business/article/Risks-mined-waters-slow-rush-to-extract-grains-17331587.php |
MADRID — Former Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o has been given a suspended prison sentence in Spain for tax fraud during the time he played for Barcelona, a Spanish court said on Tuesday.
Eto’o, who was also fined, accepted the conviction but blamed his representative, José Maria Mesalles, for what happened. Mesalles was handed a one-year prison sentence.
The 41-year-old Eto’o played for Barcelona from 2004-09, helping it win two Champions League titles and three Spanish league trophies.
He retired as a player a few years ago and is currently the president of the Cameroonian football federation.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/soccer/etoo-given-suspended-prison-sentence-for-tax-fraud-in-spain/2022/06/21/3e468c9e-f175-11ec-ac16-8fbf7194cd78_story.html | 2022-06-21 15:54:52 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/soccer/etoo-given-suspended-prison-sentence-for-tax-fraud-in-spain/2022/06/21/3e468c9e-f175-11ec-ac16-8fbf7194cd78_story.html |
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