text stringlengths 102 99.6k | url stringlengths 31 426 | crawl_date timestamp[us, tz=UTC]date 2022-04-01 00:29:49 2022-09-19 04:34:15 |
|---|---|---|
CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) — Jill Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy welcomed the delivery Wednesday of a second shipment of tens of thousands of pounds of baby formula that the Biden administration is importing from Europe to ease critical supply shortages in the U.S.
The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.
Both said President Joe Biden and his team understand what parents are going through and were working hard to solve the latest domestic crisis to challenge the administration. Biden has come under growing political pressure for not acting more quickly to try to head off the supply crisis.
“As a mom and a Nana, it’s impossible to hear the stories of children suffering and not imagine your own children in the same position,” the first lady said, using her grandchildren’s nickname for her. “Food is the first and most important way we nurture our children.”
Murthy, a father of two young children, said he knows “how important it is to parents that they have confidence in their ability to safely and securely feed their child. And I know how frustrating and scary it can be when that security feels out of reach.”
“That is why we will not rest until every parent has the formula they need for their child,” he pledged.
Biden and Murthy spoke on the tarmac at Dulles International Airport in Virginia in front of a FedEx Express plane that had just delivered 120,000 pounds (54,431. kilograms) , or 60 tons, of infant formula from Ramstein Air Base in Germany under the administration’s Operation Fly Formula program.
With Wednesday’s delivery and a shipment of 78000 pounds (35,380 kilograms) of specialty infant formula that was flown by military aircraft to Indianapolis over the weekend, “we now have brought the equivalent of 1.5 million eight-ounce bottles of infant formula to the United States,” Murthy said.
More deliveries are scheduled to arrive soon. The administration has cut the timeframe for deliveries to three days, down from up to four weeks, he said.
Jill Biden said her husband knows there is “more to do” to solve the baby formula shortages.
“I’m here today to say to parents, ‘you aren’t alone,’” she said. “At the highest levels of Joe’s administration, he and his team understand what you’re going through and they are finding solutions. And they won’t stop until all parents can get the formula all their children need.”
Under Operation Fly Formula, infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards is imported from overseas manufacturers and delivered to hospitals and retailers in the United States.
The first shipment arrived Sunday, bringing 132 pallets of Nestle Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula to Indianapolis — enough for 500,000 eight-ounce bottles.
The 114 pallets of Nestle’s Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula delivered Wednesday will be transported by FedEx to a Nestle distribution facility near Allentown, Pennsylvania, the White House said.
The three formulas are for children who are allergic to cow’s milk protein.
The baby formula shortage stems mostly from Abbott Nutrition’s plant in Sturgis, Michigan, which the Food and Drug Administration closed in February due to contamination issues. Abbott, one of a handful of companies that control the vast majority of the market for infant formula, then announced a massive recall of its product on Feb. 17, which led to the nationwide supply shortage.
Abbott and the FDA recently reached an agreement to reopen the plant next week. But it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/jill-biden-murthy-welcome-2nd-mass-delivery-of-baby-formula/ | 2022-05-26T01:56:20Z |
The Women Presidents Organization and JPMorgan Chase Recognize the 2022 Ranking of 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies During Award Ceremony
MONTREAL, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women Presidents Organization (WPO), in collaboration with JPMorgan Chase, today released the 15th annual ranking of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies. This year's 50 Fastest list is led by companies focused on healthcare, government and technology, and for the second year in a row, the top three companies are run by women of color.
The 15th anniversary of the 50 Fastest heralded a number of firsts and notable trends. The WPO received more applications this year than ever before, and the ranking reflects the largest number of consumer brands since inception. According to this year's applicant survey, the percent of honorees that reported doing business globally declined to 62%—4% lower than reported in 2021 and a number that had previously risen year over year. Over 96% of honorees report that their businesses have returned to pre-pandemic profitability or were never adversely affected.
"This year's 50 Fastest winners are raising the bar for today's entrepreneurs," said Thelma Ferguson, Vice Chair of JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking. "These incredible business owners, and countless others, are scaling new technologies, advancing purposeful missions and creating new pathways to success that will benefit generations to come."
From January to December of 2021, the 50 Fastest generated a combined $6.8 billion in revenue and collectively employed more than 30,000 people.
The top three awardees are:
- SimpleHealth, Inc. in New York, NY, a telemedicine platform focused on reproductive health, returns to the 50 Fastest list this year, moving up from the number two spot in 2021. Helmed by CEO Carrie SiuButt, the company—which has one of the most accessible platforms for accessing birth control products online—has more than doubled in size and increased its revenue by 571% over the past two years.
- Newcomer Highlight Technologies, Inc., based in Fairfax, VA, debuts at number two on the list. Highlight, which is led by Founder and CEO Rebecca Andino, has quadrupled their revenues over the past two years by providing critical development and modernization, secure IT and mission solutions to more than a dozen U.S. federal government customers.
- Fintech start-up Stax also returns at number three on the list, up three spots from 2021 after a whirlwind year of growth. Stax is an all-in-one platform that helps businesses simplify payments with an innovative, flat-fee, subscription-style approach. Based in Orlando, FL and led by 34-year-old CEO and Founder Suneera Madhani, Stax has grown from one to 180 employees in seven years and recently attained "unicorn" status, announcing a $1 billion valuation after its latest round of investment.
"It is an honor to celebrate the talented and innovative leaders of these 50 companies that have experienced exponential growth in both size and revenue in today's marketplace," said Camille Burns, CEO of the Women Presidents Organization. "The WPO and JPMorgan Chase are excited to recognize and elevate these inspiring and diverse women-owned and -led companies, which are not only providing valuable products and services and generating economic growth but changing the public perception of, and conversation around, women-owned businesses."
To qualify for the ranking, businesses are required to be privately held, woman-owned or -led, and must have reached annual revenues of at least $500,000 in each of the past five years. Applicants were not required to join or be members of the WPO. All eligible companies were ranked according to a sales growth formula that combines percentage and absolute growth. The top 50 were selected for the list.
More about this year's 50 Fastest:
- Average honoree age: 51
- Average years in business: 18
- 78% started the business
- 74% provide telecommuting
- 70% provide flex time
- 74% do business with Fortune 1,000 companies
The 50 Fastest companies are being honored during a luncheon and ceremony at the WPO Annual Conference on May 5, 2022, in Montreal, Québec at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth. Immediately following the ceremony, JPMorgan Chase will also host a discussion and audience Q&A featuring 50 Fastest honorees, who will share insights and advice for WPO members looking to grow their businesses.
ABOUT WOMEN PRESIDENTS ORGANIZATION (WPO)
The Women Presidents Organization (WPO) is a non-profit membership organization where dynamic and diverse women business leaders around the world tap into collective insight with exclusive access to entrepreneurial equals, innovative ideas, and executive education. WPO members have guided their business to generate at least $2 million USD in gross annual sales (or $1 million USD for a service-based business). Each WPO chapter serves as a professionally-facilitated peer advisory group for members where they can harness the momentum of their successes and cultivate new strategies that will take them even further. Learn more at women-presidents.com.
ABOUT JPMORGAN CHASE
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America ("U.S."), with operations worldwide. JPMorgan Chase had $4.0 trillion in assets and $285.9 billion in stockholders' equity as of March 31, 2022. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of customers in the U.S., and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.
© 2022 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Visit jpmorgan.com/cb-disclaimer for full disclosures and disclaimers related to this content.
CONTACT:
JPMorgan Chase
Emma Langston
emma.langston@chase.com
Women Presidents Organization
Laura Alfisher
lalfisher@lbrpr.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Women Presidents Organization | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/05/fifteenth-annual-50-fastest-growing-women-owned-led-companies-announced/ | 2022-05-05T15:27:27Z |
LAS VEGAS, June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
News Summary:
- Cisco has launched AppDynamics Cloud, a cloud-native observability platform for modern applications which are based on increasingly complex, distributed architectures and services. Designed for simplicity, usability, and intuitiveness, it empowers IT teams to deliver the exceptional digital experiences currently demanded by businesses, consumers and end users.
- AppDynamics Cloud maximizes business outcomes and customer experiences by optimizing cloud-native applications. It accelerates detection and resolution of performance issues with intelligent operations, enabling investment protection via continuous data integrations with OpenTelemetry ™ standards and technology partnerships with cloud solutions and providers.
- AppDynamics Cloud ingests telemetry data generated across the entire IT stack to deliver actionable insights into application performance and security. It offers flexibility, choice, and agility of using any service to develop and deploy applications and enhance the digital experience.
CISCO LIVE -- Today, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced the launch of AppDynamics Cloud at Cisco Live, the premiere networking and security event. AppDynamics Cloud enables delivery of exceptional digital experiences by correlating telemetry data from across any cloud environment at massive scale. It leverages cloud-native observability to remediate application performance issues with business context and insights-driven actions.
"AppDynamics Cloud delivers power and usability in a single, intuitive interface. It puts the focus where it needs to be—on 360-degree visibility and insights, and the ability to take action that leads to extraordinary application experiences every time," said Liz Centoni, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer, GM of Applications.
AppDynamics Cloud maximizes business outcomes and customer experiences by continuously optimizing cloud-native applications. It accelerates detection and resolution of performance issues, before they impact the business or the brand, with intelligent operations. Investment protection is derived from continuous data integrations with OpenTelemetry ™ standards and technology partnerships with cloud solutions and providers.
The platform enables collaboration across teams including DevOps, site reliability engineers (SREs), and other key business stakeholders to achieve common benchmarks like service-level objectives (SLOs) and organizational KPIs. While many organizations still run their mission-critical and revenue-generating systems with traditional applications, modern business apps are increasingly built using DevOps initiatives and must support distributed architectures and services. This pandemic-accelerated trend has spawned an end-to-end experience revolution among consumers and end users, and hybrid work is contributing exponential momentum.
To deliver the consistent, reliable digital experiences that consumers and end users now demand, IT teams must monitor and manage a dynamic set of application dependencies across a mix of infrastructure, microservices, containers, and APIs using home-grown IT stacks, multiple clouds, SaaS services, and security solutions. Traditional monitoring approaches break down in this vastly complex and dynamic ecosystem.
AppDynamics Cloud seamlessly ingests the deluge of metrics, events, logs, and traces (MELT) generated in this environment—including network, databases, storage, containers, security, and cloud services—to make sense of the current state of the entire IT stack all the way to the end user. Actions can then be taken to optimize costs, maximize transaction revenue, and secure user and organizational data.
"Built from the ground up with cloud-native observability, AppDynamics Cloud is about real outcomes, so you can fix issues when they arise—or even before they happen—and ensure digital services offer exactly what users want," said Centoni.
Current AppDynamics customers can upgrade to AppDynamics Cloud and leverage their existing application performance monitoring (APM) agents, or feed both solutions concurrently. AppDynamics Cloud supports cloud-native, managed Kubernetes environments on Amazon Web Services (AWS), with future expansion to Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and other cloud providers.
Tim Masey, Carhartt's Vice President, IT Infrastructure & Security, "The apparel industry is more complex, dynamic, and competitive than ever. Every aspect of your operation—from procurement through sales and customer service—has to be firing on all cylinders because even the slightest delay or hiccup can have wide-ranging impact on everything from manufacturing operations to customers' ability to buy products online. It's imperative to have complete visibility into every corner of the operation to make sure things are running smoothly, which is usually easier said than done."
Vincent Lamonde, Director of Cloud Operations, Insurity, "We're a leader in the insurance technology market, with more than 80% of our customers operating within the cloud. Our clients might have hundreds of customers they're supporting who expect our system to work flawlessly all the time. If it takes significant time to identify and resolve an issue, it could impact their business and the customer experience. We are bound to maintain service level agreements (SLAs), so finding new ways to identify and resolve in less time can make a world of difference."
Peter Hvedstrup Jensen, Head of IT Operations, Velliv, "As a pension provider, it's imperative that every system, component and application work flawlessly. Our customers shouldn't have to wait to find the information they need or repeatedly visit an application that's unexpectedly not available. A cloud-only architecture can be very complex and intricate. We needed greater visibility and control over every aspect of the environment because even an hour of downtime will negatively impact our customers."
- AppDynamics Cloud commercial availability starts June 28. To register your interest contact Cisco AppDynamics sales here.
- For further information about AppDynamics Cloud visit appdynamics.com.
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet. Cisco inspires new possibilities by reimagining your applications, securing your enterprise, transforming your infrastructure, and empowering your teams for a global and inclusive future. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
Cisco AppDynamics is a leading provider of Observability and Application Performance Monitoring technology. AppDynamics helps customers observe what matters inside and beyond their IT environments. Combined with the power of Cisco, AppDynamics enables organizations to deliver exceptional user experiences by centralizing and correlating data into contextualized insights of critical business metrics — providing them with the power to prioritize actions based on business needs.
AppDynamics received Glassdoor's 2019 Best Places to Work Award and Fortune's #1 Best Place to Work in 2021 and 2022 as part of Cisco.
Media contact:
Cisco AppDynamics
Stephen Smith
stephen.smith@appdynamics.com
View original content:
SOURCE Cisco Systems, Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/14/cisco-launches-appdynamics-cloud-enable-delivery-exceptional-digital-experiences/ | 2022-06-14T16:33:50Z |
RELLINGEN, Germany and PULLY, Switzerland, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yamaha Music GmbH, the world's leading musical instrument manufacturer, and Tombooks, the inventor of the Interactive Sheet Music and the Tomplay app, which has revolutionized music education, today announced a partnership. Yamaha customers will get a free three-month Premium access to the Tomplay app granting unlimited access to more than 40,000 interactive sheet music titles arranged for 28 different instruments and in all difficulty levels.
Through its unique learning platform, Tomplay offers all musicians the possibility to play their instrument along with high quality recording from professional musicians. Thanks to unique technology, the interactive scores scroll automatically on-screen with the music, creating an immersive, concert hall experience. With features such as controlling the speed of the score's recording, looping selected passages and self-recording, Tomplay makes learning music more effective and immersive. Tomplay is used by more than 1 million musicians in 157 countries.
Yamaha instruments are played by some of the finest musicians in the world and are renowned for their high quality. Thanks to its unique global network of Atelier and Artist Services facilities, Yamaha instruments benefit from the input of professionals working in some of the finest ensembles. With instruments specifically designed to nurture a player's musical development, to those crafted to meet the needs of today's discerning musicians, Yamaha has become a name synonymous with great musical performances.
This partnership will allow musicians of all levels, including teachers and students, to enjoy a fully immersive experience by combining the potential of Yamaha's cutting-edge instruments including its acclaimed Silent Technology and Tomplay's premium interactive sheet music and covers. The partnership will start with woodwinds, brass, strings and percussion instruments for Yamaha customers upon purchase of an instrument in Europe.
Alexis Steinmann, Co-founder and CEO of Tomplay, states, "We are delighted to start this partnership and to offer to all Yamaha customers a unique tool to unlock their full musical potential."
Hinderik Leeuwe, Director, Yamaha Band & Orchestral Instruments, states, "Tomplay is the perfect partner for Yamaha instruments, helping musicians to explore new music and to enjoy their instruments to the full. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Tomplay."
Cooperation Links:
Tomplay: https://tomplay.com/yamaha-promo
Yamaha: https://europe.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/winds/tomplay/index.html
Tomplay apps link:
Apple App Store: https://apple.co/3aChDVa /
Google Play Store: https://bit.ly/3z988Gr
Website/PC and Mac app: www.tomplay.com
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1864582/Tomplay_Yamaha_Partnership.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1861373/Tomplay_Logo.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1862236/Yamaha_Logo.jpg
Contacts:
Alexis Steinmann
Co-founder and CEO
Tomplay
asteinmann@tomplay.com
+41796335624
Hinderik Leeuwe
Director, Yamaha Band & Orchestral Instruments
Yamaha Music Europe
bandandorchestra@yamaha-europe.com
+49 (0) 4101 303-0
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Yamaha Music Europe; Tomplay | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/25/yamaha-tomplay-start-partnership-transform-musicians-daily-practice-into-unique-experience/ | 2022-07-25T08:22:10Z |
LONDON, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Germany punches above its weight for size and population, enjoying enormous economic strength for decades. German performance in this field clearly has several factors – inventiveness, solidity and economic skill are certainly among them. German brands and products, including cars, sportswear, pharmaceuticals, and software, are in high demand all over the world.
As well as the big brands, Germany boasts many strong companies and real pioneers. With the documentary series "50 German Leaders", the TBD Media Group highlights companies and businesses in the SME sector and beyond, in order to demonstrate the diverse concepts and committed personalities that lie behind the unbroken economic success in the centre of Europe. Ultimately, the entire film series will highlight what makes German manufacturing and the German service business so valuable, with authentic representatives from mechanical engineering, logistics, insurance, education, and the textile industry.
Tasks and Opportunities of the Future
Despite a robust German economy, each company is facing significant challenges due to current global developments on a technological, environmental, political and societal level. Less well publicised are the positive dynamics that are advancing global society as a whole and offer rich opportunities. In response, the TBD Media Group will create a forum for an exchange of ideas with all participants of the "50 German Leaders" series.
On Monday 26 September, a select group of German SMEs will meet at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin to exchange ideas and discuss the future of the country's economy. Among other things, essential topics such as mobility, exports, sustainability, the lack of skilled workers and further ongoing challenges will be discussed. One goal is to jointly explore well-founded approaches to solving these issues.
The keynote speaker Mr. Wolfgang Bosbach, among others, will set political accents.
Information on TBD Media Group
TBD Media Group is a global media group that helps businesses, organisations and governments communicate their brand message in a human and direct way. Learn more at https://www.tbdmediagroup.com/.
Businesses featured in the campaign:
Rud.Otto Meyer Technik GmbH & Co.KG
Contact
Anna Berkman
Chief Marketing Officer
a.berkman@tbdmediagroup.com
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1886089/TBD_Media_Group.jpg
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE TBD Media Group | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/focusing-germanys-future-summit-conference-leading-business-minds-part-50-german-leaders-series/ | 2022-08-30T08:12:34Z |
Multiple PrimeX Customers Have Successfully Taped Out Next-Generation ICs in 7nm and 5nm
SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Diakopto today unveiled its PrimeX™ EDA solution that delivers a radically new and trailblazing methodology for top-hierarchy resistance, IR drop, and EM (electromigration) analysis and verification of power nets.
PrimeX enhances existing EM/IR methodologies with several unique advantages:
- Unparalleled ease-of-use allows IC design, integration, layout, and CAD engineers to immediately benefit from the tool without complicated setup, configuration, or extended training.
- Higher capacity and faster simulation speed enables large power grids at the top hierarchy level to be analyzed in hours vs. days or weeks.
- Intelligent debugging and analysis capabilities with deep insights and actionable results to quickly pinpoint weak spots and root causes of EM/IR problems, visualized over the layout.
- Advanced "approximate computing" techniques that achieve dramatic gains in analysis speed and enable a "shift to the left" methodology by controllably relaxing analysis accuracy to capture the majority of layout mistakes leading to major resistance, IR drop and EM problems in power nets.
- Can be used early in the design process to allow engineers to optimize, iterate and clean up power net layouts quickly and easily prior to the final sign-off stage.
- Efficient verification at both the block- and top-hierarchy levels.
PrimeX has been adopted by Tier One companies for power grid verification, optimization and debugging of next-generation designs in advanced technologies. These companies include one of the largest fabless semiconductor companies, the industry's leading networking OEM, one of the world's largest hyperscale data center companies, a leading provider of memory and data storage solutions, a multi-billion-dollar vendor of semiconductor IP and EDA software, and a leading provider of high-speed connectivity solutions. Customers are using PrimeX to analyze and improve a broad spectrum of designs, including high-speed SerDes, RF/wireless transceivers, AR/VR silicon, and image sensors.
"PrimeX was developed in response to a pressing need for analyzing very large power nets in a new, more intelligent way – to quickly pinpoint bottlenecks and root causes over the layout. It enables new capabilities and methodologies not feasible with existing EM/IR tools," said Maxim Ershov, CEO and CTO at Diakopto. "We are pleased with the overwhelming success and adoption of PrimeX by so many companies. By leveraging the same underlying principles and platform as our market-leading ParagonX tool, PrimeX helps us further strengthen the depth of our engagement with our key customers and further entrench our pioneering methodology in their flows."
"Traditional EM/IR tools are very powerful but also very slow and difficult to use for most design engineers. As the industry migrates to more advanced technologies and power grids get more complex, it has become increasingly impractical for designers to use these tools to verify power nets at the top level," said Stefanos Sidiropoulos, a successful serial entrepreneur who was most recently Fellow at Cadence Design Systems and CEO of nusemi. "PrimeX tackles that problem by delivering a fast solution that helps optimize and debug power grids from the beginning of the design."
The industry migration to advanced process nodes has led to an exponential increase in the number, magnitude and complexity of parasitic elements. This has in turn made modern ICs more susceptible to parasitic effects, and caused a dramatically slowdown in simulation times. While traditional EM/IR tools are adequate for the verification of sub-blocks, using them to analyze power integrity and reliability at the top level, and especially at early design phases, has become increasingly challenging and impractical. Using these tools for full characterization of nets can easily take several weeks per iteration – a luxury few companies can afford. And they can only be used very late in the design stage when layouts are mostly complete and onerous to change.
PrimeX enhances existing EM/IR methodologies by enabling engineers to perform very fast power grid verification, at both the block and top levels. By delivering clear, intuitive results that identify weaknesses and bottlenecks by layer and polygon over the layout, PrimeX helps engineers improve their circuits' power integrity and reliability while accelerating time-to-market.
Diakopto develops analysis, visualization, and optimization solutions for complex IC designs, with the primary focus on enhancing existing EDA flows to accelerate time-to-tapeout.
The company empowers engineers at over 45 industry-leading companies to find and resolve design problems faster and earlier, while simultaneously optimizing their circuits. Diakopto is headquartered in San Jose, CA. www.diakopto.com
Diakopto, ParagonX and PrimeX are trademarks owned by Diakopto Inc.
View original content:
SOURCE Diakopto | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/09/diakopto-unveils-primex-revolutionary-eda-solution-top-hierarchy-power-grid-signal-net-emir/ | 2022-08-09T12:50:11Z |
PITTSBURGH, June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I wanted to create a device to hold a combination-square tool in position on any rounded material edge," said an inventor, from Sturgeon Bay, Wis., "so I invented the TRI SQUARE BASE. My design would also ensure that measurements and markings could be achieved without repositioning or shifting the tool on the radius material edge."
The patent-pending invention provides an effective way to hold a combination-square. In doing so, it prevents rollover on rounded edge material surfaces. As a result, it increases efficiency and safety and it eliminates the need for assistance. The invention features a functional design that is easy to attach and use so it is ideal for contractors, trade workers, do-it-yourselfers, etc. Additionally, it is producible in design variations and a prototype is available.
The original design was submitted to the National sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-OSK-315, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/29/inventhelp-inventor-develops-convenient-holder-combination-square-osk-315/ | 2022-06-29T17:16:23Z |
A Columbus man has been charged with raping a 10-year-old Ohio girl who then had to travel to Indiana seeking an abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to the Columbus Dispatch newspaper.
Rumors of the case garnered national and international attention, with some US political leaders referencing it in conversations regarding abortion bans.
Gerson Fuentes, 27, was arrested on Tuesday, according to Columbus police and court documents. He has been charged with felony rape of a minor under the age of 13 years old, according to the Franklin County Municipal Court. His first appearance in court was Wednesday, according to the court.
Police were first alerted to the child's pregnancy through a referral by a local children services department that was made by the 10-year-old's mother in late June, according to the Columbus Dispatch, which cited a detective's testimony at Fuentes' arraignment Wednesday.
The 10-year-old girl underwent a medical abortion in Indianapolis on June 30, the detective testified, according to the newspaper. The detective further testified that DNA from the Indianapolis clinic was being tested against samples from Fuentes and the child's siblings, the newspaper reported.
Fuentes is being held on $2 million bond, according to the court. His next appearance is July 22, court documents show.
In a Wednesday statement, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said, "My heart aches for the pain suffered by this young child."
"I am grateful for the diligent work of the Columbus Police Department in securing a confession and getting a rapist off the street," Yost said. "Justice must be served and (the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation) stands ready to support law enforcement across Ohio putting these criminals behind bars."
After Roe v. Wade was overturned, an Ohio law banning abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy went into effect.
Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis-based obstetrician-gynecologist, previously told CNN that after being contacted by a child abuse doctor in neighboring Ohio, she recently helped a 10-year-old girl have an abortion in Indiana. The young girl was six weeks and three days into the pregnancy, Bernard told CNN.
The doctor said she saw an immediate influx of patients seeking abortions in Indiana, particularly from bordering states Kentucky and Ohio, which passed laws severely limiting abortion care following the Supreme Court decision.
The Columbus Police Department would not immediately provide additional details on the arrest.
"Out of compassion for victims we will not comment on any rapes of juveniles," Columbus police spokesperson Sgt. Joe Albert told CNN.
CNN has reached out to the Ohio Attorney General, Franklin County Child Services and an Indiana-based abortion provider for additional details.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.albanyherald.com/news/columbus-dispatch-a-man-was-arrested-in-the-rape-of-a-10-year-old-who/article_a71e0a1f-8e94-5463-8ac1-333cdfcdd166.html | 2022-07-14T00:45:53Z |
MESQUITE, Texas, July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The U-Haul of Mesquite store at 2349 E. Hwy. 80 is closing its doors for the final time today after 43 years of serving the local community.
The facility had been serving do-it-yourself moving customers since 1979, when U-Haul built it. The 2.1-acre property was acquired by the state and condemned to make room for the TxDOT freeway expansion project.
Eight Team Members are being let go from the store.
U-Haul intends to open a new full-service moving, self-storage and retail center on the south side of Highway 80 by the end of 2024. The new property has already been acquired and U-Haul is going through the necessary zoning processes.
Local U-Haul Companies are always exploring opportunities for growth as they pursue means to better serve the needs of customers, but sometimes find it necessary to close or relocate stores. Reasons for closures can include: long-term strategic plans; physical plant limitations, including insufficient square footage; shifts in demographics; trends in migration; expansion of the U-Haul neighborhood dealer network; proximity to new or existing U-Haul stores; and external factors.
U-Haul dealers in and around Mesquite continue to meet the needs of DIY movers. U-Haul has partnered with independent dealers to offer rental equipment since 1945. During these challenging times for small businesses, more than 21,000 dealers across the U.S. and Canada are generating supplemental income through their U-Haul partnership. When customers rent from U-Haul dealers, they are directly supporting small businesses in their community. Because no financial investment is required, dealers are not U-Haul franchises. They are simply small businesses committing their lot space for U-Haul equipment and time to meet the mobility needs of customers. Learn more about how to partner with U-Haul at uhaul.com/dealer.
About U-HAUL
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 186,000 trucks, 128,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America and offers 876,000 rentable storage units and 75.1 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America.
Contact:
Andrea Batchelor
Jeff Lockridge
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-263-6981
Website: uhaul.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE U-Haul | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/15/u-haul-mesquite-store-closes-today-after-43-years/ | 2022-07-15T18:18:36Z |
SALINAS, Calif., July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Scheid Vineyards Inc. (dba Scheid Family Wines) (OTC Markets: SVIN) announced today its financial results for the three months ended May 31, 2022 (1st Quarter of Fiscal 2023).
Financial Results – First Quarter Results Fiscal 2023 (March 1, 2022 – May 31, 2022)
Mr. Mike Thomsen, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, commented on the first quarter results stating, "Overall revenues increased 34% in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Cased goods sales increased 36%, bulk wine sales increased 41%, and winery processing and storage revenues increased 60% from the previous year. Overall increases in revenues were partially offset by gross margins decreases from 24% in the 2021 period to 22% in 2022. Margins decreased primarily due to changes in product mix, as well as increases in material costs. Total gross profit increased 24%.
Sales and marketing expenses increased 25%, from $2.8 to $3.5 million, as the Company continued its investment in the marketing of new brands and territories. The Company recognized a gain of $23.8 million from the sale of vineyard properties in the first quarter of fiscal 2022. The net loss before the effects of the gain on vineyard sales and income taxes totaled $2.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 of as compared to a net loss before income taxes of $3.1 million in fiscal 2023. In total, the Company had a net loss of $2.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 as compared to net income of $15.1 million in fiscal 2022."
About Scheid Family Wines
Scheid Family Wines is a family-owned and operated wine company founded in 1972. Based in Monterey County, California, Scheid is uniquely integrated to bring high-quality wines to the marketplace from its sustainably certified vineyards and innovative luxury-level winery. Scheid's winery and bottling operations are powered by 100% renewable wind energy generated by a 400-foot tall wind turbine, which also supplies energy to many homes in the local community. The Scheid Family Wines globally distributed portfolio includes its namesake brand Scheid Vineyards, Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, District 7, Ryder Estate, Metz Road, VDR (Very Dark Red), Stokes' Ghost, and HOXIE, an artisanal dry wine spritzer. Scheid Family Wines also produces many regionally distributed brands and distributes a portfolio of imported wines through its partnership with PH Imports.
Please visit www.scheidfamilywines.com and www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SVIN/quote for more information.
View original content:
SOURCE Scheid Family Wines | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/15/scheid-family-wines-reports-first-quarter-results/ | 2022-07-15T15:00:32Z |
On the final morning of his short life, 22-month-old Cooper Harris was up early, at 5:15, an hour before sunrise in the Atlanta suburb where he lived with his parents.
His father, Justin Ross Harris, a 33-year-old web developer, brought the still-groggy toddler into the bed he shared with Leanna Taylor, his wife of eight years. Just under three feet tall, with wisps of blond hair framing his cherubic face, Cooper snuggled with mom and dad -- and nodded out again.
Before the sun rose over the Cobb County city of Marietta that morning on June 18, 2014, Harris had already sent or exchanged online messages -- some sexual in nature -- with at least four young women, one of them 17.
At 9:26 a.m., after a leisurely "daddy/son breakfast" at Chick-fil-A -- his son's belly "full of sausage biscuit," in the words of Cooper's mom -- Harris closed the door of his Hyundai Tucson SUV.
Carrying a Chick-fil-A cup and his work bag, Harris walked to his cubicle at the Home Depot offices, leaving Cooper -- who he was supposed to drop off at a day care center as usual that morning -- strapped in a rear-facing car seat for the next seven hours.
This detailed recounting of Cooper's last hours and his father's actions that day are gleaned from a June 22 Georgia Supreme Court ruling, which meticulously chronicled the evidence presented at Harris' murder trial in its decision to overturn his conviction for deliberately leaving his son to die of hyperthermia in the hot SUV.
The ruling came in a month in which at least five heat-related car deaths involving children were reported in the United Sates, according to the NoHeatStroke.org data website, as temperatures soared and parts of the country endured heat waves.
These nightmarish cases often draw national attention. But they rarely lead to murder charges from prosecutors who must weigh the intent of grieving parents who insist they simply forgot leaving their child in a hot car.
At least seven heat-related car deaths reported this year
Cooper's death was heartbreakingly familiar: 31 children died of vehicular heatstroke in the United States in 2014, the year the boy died, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
At least nine deaths have been reported this year, and more than 900 since 1998 -- or 38 per year on average, according to the NHTSA and NoHeatStroke.org, which is run by San Jose University's Department of Meteorology and Climate Science.
July is usually the deadliest month, and it started with a death on Friday. A 1-year-old child died in a hot car while their father was at work in Mebane, North Carolina, police said. The death is being investigated and no charges had been filed. Mebane police said they were conferring with the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
In Danielsville, Georgia, on Thursday, a 1-year-old child died after being left in a hot vehicle by their mother, according to the Madison County Sheriff's Office. The death appeared accidental and the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office will review the case.
On Tuesday, an 18-month-old boy died after being left in a car in Virginia for several hours, police in Chesterfield County said. The father, who accidentally left the boy in the car, later took his own life.
Last Sunday, in southern Georgia, a 3-year-old boy died after being left in a hot SUV for nearly three hours. The preliminary cause of death is asphyxiation, according to Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was performing an autopsy and results could up to five months to complete, Bryan said.
In Texas on June 20, a 5-year-old died after he was left in a car outside the family's Houston home while his mother prepared her daughter's birthday party. Child welfare authorities were investigating and it's unclear if the mother will face charges, CNN affiliate KTRK reported.
Most pediatric hot-car deaths occur because the child is forgotten by a caregiver, according to Jan Null, a lecturer in meteorology and climate science at San Jose State.
Monica McCoy, a psychology professor at Converse College in South Carolina, who has studied prosecutions following the death of children in hot cars, said her unpublished research of 508 cases showed that serious charges such as homicide are unusual -- filed in 9.6% of the cases.
"Murder charges are fairly rare and convictions are even less likely," she said in an email. "Sometimes harsh charges are filed immediately following the death, but they are later reduced or dropped... Parents are also much more likely to be charged in cases when drugs or alcohol are involved."
Georgia Supreme Court decision reignites sensational case
The case surrounding Cooper Harris' death stood out in particular because murder charges were brought against his father, with the prosecution asserting Harris killed the boy to free himself of the burdens of fatherhood.
Harris is serving a sentence of life without parole after prosecutors, in 2016, convinced a Cobb County jury that he lived a "double life" -- a loving and involved dad in one, a philanderer and sexual predator in the other.
His extramarital affairs, the state argued, motivated his decision to leave his only son to "die a slow and painful death" in the hot SUV.
The Georgia Supreme Court ruling reignites, at least for the moment, a sensational criminal case that was tried about 300 miles from Cobb County because of intense pretrial publicity.
The state's highest court ruled 6-3 that extensive evidence presented to the jury "convincingly demonstrated" Harris was "a philanderer, a pervert, and even a sexual predator" but "did little if anything to answer the key question" of his intent when he walked away from his son.
"Because the properly admitted evidence that Appellant maliciously and intentionally left Cooper to die was far from overwhelming," the court's opinion said, "we cannot say that it is highly probable that the erroneously admitted sexual evidence did not contribute to the jury's guilty verdicts."
Harris was convicted of three counts of murder for his son's death, two counts of cruelty to children, and three counts related to electronic exchanges of lewd material with a minor.
The high court reversed the convictions related to the crimes against his son, ruling that the extensive evidence about his sexual activities was "extremely and unfairly prejudicial."
The court left in place the charges related to his exchanges with an underage girl.
Harris was sentenced to a total of 12 years on those three charges: Ten years for one count of attempt to commit sexual exploitation of a child, and one year each for two counts of dissemination of harmful material to a minor, according to the ruling.
CNN has sought comment from Harris' attorneys.
The Cobb County District Attorney's Office said it plans to file a motion for the court to reconsider the ruling but declined further comment.
Cooper's mother, Leanna Taylor, said after the Georgia Supreme Court ruling that she hoped it helps change the way her son is remembered.
"That he was wanted, that he was loved and that he is missed every single day," she said in a statement released by her attorney Lawrence Zimmerman.
She reiterated her belief that Harris did not intend to kill their only child that hot day. That's what she told police that day in 2014 -- and what she testified at Harris' trial two years later.
She stands by those words.
"While this will not change anything about my day-to-day life, I do hope it shows people what those closest to the case have been saying from the beginning," Taylor said in the statement.
"Ross was a loving and proud father to Cooper. At the same time Ross was being a terrible husband. These two things can and did exist at the same time."
'I love my son and all but we both need escapes'
Harris spent a lot of time sending messages on a dating website or communicating with women via the Whisper messaging app, which encourages users to share intimate secrets online.
The hours before his son died were no different, according to the state Supreme Court's recounting of the trial evidence.
Just after midnight on June 18, 2014, Harris messaged a then 17-year-old girl he began contacting when she was 16. There were also exchanges with a 21-year-old woman about their previous sexual encounter in his SUV earlier that year.
At 12:48 a.m., Harris also conducted a Google search for child passport fees -- apparently related to a family cruise that Taylor later told jurors they were planning with in-laws and their children.
Between 5:46 and 5:49 that morning, Harris sent or exchanged more online messages with at least three women.
Taylor left for work about 7:15 a.m. Cooper played and watched cartoons at home for the next 45 minutes while dad responded to four Whisper posts -- three of them sexual in nature.
Cooper and his father left home about 8:30 a.m. Harris strapped the toddler in the red car seat in the middle of the SUV's back row -- less than four inches from the driver's seat but facing the tinted rear windows.
Harris would later tell police that they were running late that morning. The day care center stopped serving kids breakfast at 8:45 a.m. Harris responded to two Whisper posts and an email from a co-worker on the way to Chick-fil-A, where he and Cooper spent about 20 minutes having breakfast.
In the restaurant, Harris responded to a Whisper post that read: "I hate being married with kids. The novelty has worn off, and I have nothing to show for it."
"I miss having time by myself and going out with friends," Harris wrote.
He followed with two other messages: "My wife is upset when I want to go out with friends," and "I love my son and all but we both need escapes."
Harris and Cooper left the restaurant about 9:20 a.m.
"Ready, let's go," Harris said after putting his son back in the car seat and giving him a kiss, according to the lead detective on the case.
Cooper gave his dad a kiss.
After a traffic light, Harris continued driving straight to his office -- about four minutes away -- rather than making a left turn to the day care center. He pulled into the office parking lot, found a space and walked to his cubicle.
At work, Harris exchanged various messages with people.
A travel agent sent him information on the family cruise. He looked up one cruise line. There were messages with a paramour and responses to various Whisper posts -- including telling one user that his son woke him at 5:30 that morning.
"He's awesome," Harris wrote back, referring to his son.
At 11:38 a.m., Harris went out to lunch with coworkers at a Publix. They also stopped at a Home Depot store where Harris purchased light bulbs. They dropped Harris off at the parking lot, where surveillance video showed him leaving a bag with the bulbs on the front seat of the Tucson at 12:42 p.m.
A test showed car seat temperature reached 125 degrees
The temperature at 12:58 p.m. that day was about 88 degrees, according to the ruling by the state's highest court.
An expert tested temperatures on the car seat in the SUV, parked in the same space, three weeks after Cooper's death. The outside temperature was similar on both days. The car seat temperatures ranged from 88 degrees at 11:35 a.m. to 125 degrees at about 3:30 p.m.
At his cubicle that afternoon, Harris messaged women for a few hours, including one in which he asked a woman for a picture of her breasts. She sent a photo. He also asked the minor for a picture of her breast -- which she sent.
"Yummy," Harris wrote back.
There were other messages, sexual in nature, with at least two other women. Harris sent one woman a picture of his penis.
At 3:16 p.m. Harris wrote Taylor: "When are you getting my buddy."
During a subsequent phone conversation Taylor agreed to pick up Cooper at the day care center. Harris was going to a movie with his friends after work.
At 4:16 p.m. Harris got into the SUV. He drove off a few seconds later. He later told police that he saw Cooper sitting in the back seat while looking to change lanes on his way to the movie theater.
Harris pulled into a parking lot about two miles from where he worked. He removed Cooper from the car seat and put him on the pavement.
"What have I done?" he yelled repeatedly, according to witnesses.
"I've killed my son."
"She's going to kill me."
One witness testified at trial that Harris tried to do CPR but did it incorrectly.
The witness performed CPR though "it was almost immediately clear to him that Cooper was dead," according to the state Supreme Court ruling.
Harris walked away and paced while on his phone. Two witnesses called 911. Police arrived at 4:24 p.m.
One officer tried CPR. Another officer described Harris as going from "calm to shrieking to calm again."
"It just seemed very random and very odd," the officer said.
Yet another officer testified that Harris alternated between a calm state and a "monotone yelling" she said seemed "real forced," according to the ruling.
Harris was asked for identification.
"Shut the f**k up, my son just died," he told one officer. Harris was handcuffed and taken to the back of a police car.
Harris later told police he had forgotten to drop off Cooper at day care. He had also forgotten to take a "second look" at the car seat before leaving the SUV.
"I swore I dropped him off," Harris insisted.
A crime scene technician described the back of the SUV as reeking of a "hot, musty, urine-soaked diaper."
Prosecuting parents 'not the answer,' mom says
During questioning by detectives that day, Harris at one point began to cry.
"Oh, god."
"My boy."
"Why?"
Harris told police that despite ordinary "ups and downs" his marriage with Taylor was good. He said leaving Cooper in the SUV was "an accident" and that he had seen a news report about a man who had left his child in a car and then became an advocate.
"The ... worst fear for me is to leave my son in a hot car," Harris told detectives.
After being told that he was being arrested for felony murder and cruelty to children, Harris was allowed to speak with Taylor. He cried and insisted the death was an accident. Harris told her Cooper was "in Heaven and his time on earth is done."
An autopsy showed Cooper died of hyperthermia. The toddler likely would have had suffered nausea, a headache, anxiety and possibly seizures, a medical examiner testified at the trial.
Cooper likely struggled as he became more uncomfortable. Small abrasions on his head, hands and feet were likely caused from the painful rubbing against hot parts of the car seat, according to the medical examiner.
Taylor, day care teachers, relatives and friends of both Taylor and Harris testified that he was "a loving, caring, and involved father," the Supreme Court ruling said. There was no evidence he had previously abused the boy.
On November 14, 2016, Harris was found guilty on all charges after nearly three and half days of jury deliberations.
The following month he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for malice murder and consecutive sentences of 20 years for first-degree child cruelty, 10 years for attempt to commit sexual exploitation of a child, and one year for each count of dissemination of harmful material to a minor.
Georgia's Supreme Court ruled that evidence submitted by prosecutors of Harris' extramarital sexual relationships -- which the state portrayed as the motivation for killing his son -- had unfair prejudicial impact on the jury.
The day after the ruling, Taylor said "overreaching" Cobb County prosecutors and "their misuse of power" ultimately led to the court's decision.
"It's been 8 years since Cooper died and children have continued to die the same way every year," she said in her statement. "Wasting precious resources prosecuting the parents that this happens to is not the answer."
Taylor urged legislators to "put the money into what could actually save the lives" with laws requiring devices that can "stop these tragedies."
In late June 2014, Taylor told mourners at her son's funeral that Harris was "a wonderful daddy" and that "Cooper meant the world to him."
Taylor said she had worried about not being able to have a child. She recalled the joy she felt the day Cooper was born -- "a 6-pound, 8-ounce perfect baby."
"As children do, he turned our lives upside down," she said. "I wouldn't trade it for the world."
The last two nights of Cooper's life, Taylor said, he had trouble sleeping and ended up in bed between her and Harris.
"I remember turning over in the middle of the night, his mouth was open and his full toddler lips just breathing right into my face," she said. "I will cherish that moment forever."
Harris was allowed to call the funeral service in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, from the Cobb County Jail outside Atlanta. He briefly addressed the crowd by speaker phone.
"Thank you for everything you've done for my boy," he said.
"I'm just sorry I can't be there," he added.
After the service, Taylor followed her son's casket out of the church while still on the phone with Harris.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.albanyherald.com/news/the-hot-car-death-of-22-month-old-cooper-harris-was-heartbreakingly-familiar-his-fathers/article_1762c936-2ffa-5a4a-9e72-439617666ed6.html | 2022-07-02T17:21:58Z |
Best-in-class REIT ranks among best employers in the Washington, D.C. area.
NORTH BETHESDA, Md., June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT) has been named to The Washington Post's 2022 Top Workplaces list for its leadership in employee satisfaction and engagement. The prestigious list identifies the D.C. area's highest-rated workplaces based solely on employee feedback.
"This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects the views of our employees," said Don Wood, CEO of Federal Realty. "It's gratifying to know that the culture we've worked hard to create at Federal resonates with our team."
The Washington Post partnered with research firm Energage to select the winning companies based on survey responses from over 65,000 employees in the region. Respondents rated their organizations on issues such as culture, communication, ethics, diversity and inclusion, work/life balance, change management and career growth and development..
Federal Realty has long been recognized for excellence in the workplace. In 2021, the company was named one of commercial real estate's Best Places to Work by GlobeSt.com. Prior to that, it was a recipient of the Workplace Seal of Approval and Health & Wellness Seal of Approval for 13 consecutive years and the EcoLeadership Award for 10 consecutive years by the Alliance for Workplace Excellence.
To learn more about career opportunities at Federal Realty, visit www.federalrealty.com/careers.
Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail-based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 1962, Federal Realty's mission is to deliver long-term, sustainable growth through investing in communities where retail demand exceeds supply. Its expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities. Federal Realty's 104 properties include approximately 3,100 tenants, in 25 million square feet, and approximately 3,400 residential units.
Federal Realty has increased its quarterly dividends to its shareholders for 54 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P 500 index member and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit www.federalrealty.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Federal Realty Investment Trust | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/21/federal-realty-named-top-workplace-by-washington-post/ | 2022-06-21T18:12:17Z |
Hosting Q2 Call at 5pm ET on Thursday, September 1, 2022
TULSA, Okla., Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearSign Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: CLIR) ("ClearSign" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in industrial combustion and sensing technologies that improve energy, operational efficiency and safety while dramatically reducing emissions, announces that on Thursday, September 1, 2022 the Company will host a conference call at 5:00 PM ET. The Company will file its quarterly report on form 10-Q with the SEC in the coming days and will issue a summary of its financial and operating results for the quarter ending on June 30, 2022 in a press release on the day of the call.
Investors interested in participating on the live second quarter call can dial 1-866-372-4653 within the U.S. or 1-412-902-4217 from abroad. Investors can also access the call online through a listen-only webcast at https://app.webinar.net/ky4KLm5LgR2 or on the investor relations section of the Company's website at http://ir.clearsign.com/overview.
The webcast will be archived on the Company's investor relations website for at least 90 days and a telephonic playback of the conference call will be available by calling 1-877-344-7529 within the U.S. or 1-412-317-0088 from abroad. The conference ID is 3932241.The telephonic playback will be available for 7 days after the conference call.
About ClearSign Technologies Corporation
ClearSign Technologies Corporation designs and develops products and technologies for the purpose of improving key performance characteristics of industrial and commercial systems, including operational performance, energy efficiency, emission reduction, safety and overall cost-effectiveness. Our patented technologies, embedded in established OEM products as ClearSign Core™, and ClearSign Eye™ and other sensing configurations, enhance the performance of combustion systems and fuel safety systems in a broad range of markets, including the energy (upstream oil production and down-stream refining), commercial/industrial boiler, chemical, petrochemical, transport and power industries. For more information, please visit www.clearsign.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE ClearSign Technologies Corporation | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/clearsign-technologies-corporation-announces-second-quarter-2022-conference-call/ | 2022-08-11T13:44:00Z |
DALLAS (KDAF) — Earth Day is this Friday, April 22, and of course, North Texas is full of fun events to celebrate.
Dallas Mayor, EarthX founder to kick off expo at Kay Bailey Hutchison on Friday
Here is a list of all the fun going on this weekend, April 22-24, in North Texas:
- EarthX2020 Expo at Kay Bailey Hutchison
- 52 Annual USA Film Festival at Angelika Film Center Dallas
- Dallas Art Fair
- Grand Prairie Main Street Fest
- Ubbi Dubbi
- Scarborough Rennaissance Festival
- Art in the Square | https://cw33.com/news/local/things-to-do-this-weekend-in-north-texas-april-22-24/ | 2022-04-21T19:40:45Z |
PORTLAND, Ore., June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "We know the threats, so why aren't government agencies getting better at cybersecurity?" is a powerful question posited by Dan Lohrmann and one of the many issues he will address this September at Activate 2022, Springbrook Software's annual customer conference. Dan Lohrmann is an internationally recognized cybersecurity leader, keynote speaker and author. Springbrook provides one of the world's leading cloud-based ERP platforms for local government agencies, serving over 2000 villages, towns, municipalities, fire districts, utilities, and cities in seven countries around the globe.
According to Lohrmann, Government agencies have heard about the best practices, read the recommended frameworks and implemented some solid cybersecurity strategies, yet attacks continue to rise. "Winston Churchill once said, 'Never let a good crisis go to waste.' So why don't we improve — even after learning about the mistakes of others? If our government cybersecurity teams know what to do to strengthen our defenses, why aren't we getting better at stopping cyber-attacks? Digging deeper, cybersecurity best practices, compliance checklists and frameworks are freely available online from NIST, MS-ISAC, the US-CERT and more. So why is this guidance so often ignored?" asks Lohrmann.
Lohrmann will provide the Springbrook audience with immediate actionable tactics to reduce their cybersecurity risk, identified as the number one issue for local government agencies in several GovTech surveys. "I advise agencies to play to their strengths while leveraging community and collaborating with existing or new partners to complement and strengthen a business case for stronger cybersecurity. That's one way to cut through bureaucratic clutter and succeed," adds Lohrmann.
Lohrmann's 2021 book, Cyber Mayday and the Day After: A Leader's Guide to Preparing, Managing, and Recovering from Inevitable Business Disruptions is available here. Springbrook's Activate event is September 14-16, 2022 at the Virgin Resort in Las Vegas. It is open to all representatives from local government agencies: register here. The event features advanced training, keynote presentations, workshops and incredible networking opportunities. A complete agenda can be found on the registration page.
Springbrook Software is the country's leading cloud-based finance and administration software provider designing solutions specifically for small to medium sized local government agencies. Nearly 2000 cities, towns and districts from coast to coast use our suite of modern, high-performance solutions to manage their finances, payroll, utility billing and collect citizen payments. Springbrook is headquartered in Portland, Oregon with regional presence in over 40 states, and seven countries internationally. https://springbrooksoftware.com
MEDIA CONTACT: steve.lundin@sprbrk.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Springbrook Software | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/award-winning-ciso-dan-lohrmann-address-local-government-cybersecurity-springbrook-softwares-annual-customer-conference/ | 2022-06-02T14:25:32Z |
Man accused in custody after leading deputy pursuit in Love Co.
LOVE COUNTY, Okla. (KXII) - Love County Deputies said a pursuit ended with one suspect in custody early morning Friday in Love County.
Deputies said they were on patrol in the southern portion of the county when they saw a vehicle exit their driving lane and swerve into oncoming traffic before correcting the vehicle back into its lane of traffic.
Officials said a deputy turned around and attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver sped up and led the deputy on a brief pursuit.
The driver later crashed his vehicle near Winstar World Casino.
Deputies said the suspect was ordered out of his wrecked vehicle and taken into custody without incident.
According to officials, the suspect was arrested, and charges will be presented to the Love County District Attorneys Office for suspicion of Driving Under the influence of Marijuana, Eluding a Police Officer, Possession of Marijuana, and failure to maintain lane.
Officials added no one was injured in the incident and all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court.
Copyright 2022 KXII. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/07/29/man-accused-custody-after-leading-deputy-pursuit-love-co/ | 2022-07-29T19:17:24Z |
Idaho State Football’s Tanner Conner signs free agent contract with Miami Dolphins
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Former Idaho State Bengal Tanner Conner is officially going pro, as the standout wide receiver signed with the Miami Dolphins Saturday.
Conner went undrafted in the NFL Draft, but Miami picked him up shortly after the draft ended by signing him to a free agent contract.
A multi-sport star on the gridiron while also running track, Conner caught 42 passes for 735 yards this year in his senior season.
He will try to be the first bengal to earn a roster spot in the NFL since Blackfoot native Josh Bell retired before the 2021 season and the first ISU wide receiver to play in the league since Eddie Bell played for the New York Jets and the then-San Diego Chargers from 1970-76. | https://localnews8.com/sports/local-sports/2022/04/30/idaho-state-footballs-tanner-conner-signs-free-agent-contract-with-miami-dolphins/ | 2022-05-01T04:53:40Z |
Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen to resume in-person dining on May 1
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - After more than two years of serving the hungry in the Idaho Falls community with to-go lunches, the Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen is excited to announce a return to in-person service on Sunday, May 1, 2022.
Much has changed at the Soup Kitchen during those two years, including becoming a stand-alone organization with a designated Executive Director. Jessica Sharp will lead the organization back into in-person service.
“There are a ton of things we need to do to get ready,” she said. “Our volunteer teams are small, but we’ve had a lot of interest in volunteering. What we really need is donations so we can be prepared for all of our incoming maintenance costs.”
More urgently, the Soup Kitchen is bracing for an impact on the building itself, which hasn’t been seeing lunchtime crowds. The Soup Kitchen staff and Board of Directors anticipates some 150 people using the facilities every day. They’ve been supported by volunteers who offer up cleaning and maintenance services but still need community help in the form of donations.
Although any individual donation is deeply needed, officials said the most impactful gifts are recurring monthly gifts, which are possible through Paypal. The Soup Kitchen will be participating in Idaho Gives at the beginning of May and hopes to brace for repair costs with the help of the community. | https://localnews8.com/news/idaho-falls/2022/04/25/idaho-falls-soup-kitchen-to-resume-in-person-dining-on-may-1/ | 2022-04-25T20:08:26Z |
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "My wife is employed in the medical field and I wanted to create a safer way for her to transfer patients," said an inventor, from Pawcatuck, Conn., "so I invented the SIT TO STAND. My design could help to prevent discomfort and injuries for patients, workers and caregivers."
The patent-pending invention provides an improved way to transfer patients to and from various locations such as a bed, chair, wheelchair, etc. In doing so, it increases safety, comfort and convenience. It also reduces the risk of injury. The invention features a practical portable design that is easy to operate, so it is ideal for hospitals, medical facilities and individuals with various physical limitations or disabilities. Additionally, a prototype model is available upon request.
The original design was submitted to the National sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-OSK-220, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/03/inventhelp-inventor-develops-improved-patient-transfer-device-osk-220/ | 2022-08-03T18:59:27Z |
NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky, LLP notifies investors in TG Therapeutics, Inc. ("TG Therapeutics" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: TGTX) of a class action securities lawsuit.
CLASS DEFINITION: The lawsuit seeks to recover losses on behalf of TG Therapeutics investors who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud between January 15, 2020 and May 31, 2022. Follow the link below to get more information and be contacted by a member of our team:
TGTX investors may also contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500.
CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that defendants made false statements and/or concealed that: (i) clinical trials revealed significant concerns related to the benefit-risk ratio and overall survival data of the Company's therapeutic product candidates, Ublituximab and Umbralisib; (ii) accordingly, it was unlikely that the Company would be able to obtain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the Umbralisib marginal zone lymphoma and follicular lymphoma New Drug Application, the Biologics License Application for Ublituximab in combination with Umbralisib, the supplemental New Drug Application for Ublituximab in combination with Umbralisib, or the Ublituximab relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis Biologics License Application in their current forms; (iii) as a result, the Company had significantly overstated Ublituximab and Umbralisib's clinical and/or commercial prospects; and (iv) therefore, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in TG Therapeutics during the relevant time frame, you have until September 16, 2022 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
NO COST TO YOU: If you are a class member, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket costs or fees. There is no cost or obligation to participate.
WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, the team at Levi & Korsinsky has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. Our firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States.
CONTACT:
Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
Joseph E. Levi, Esq.
Ed Korsinsky, Esq.
55 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10006
jlevi@levikorsinsky.com
Tel: (212) 363-7500
Fax: (212) 363-7171
www.zlk.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/tgtx-lawsuit-alert-levi-amp-korsinsky-notifies-tg-therapeutics-inc-investors-class-action-lawsuit-upcoming-deadline/ | 2022-09-15T10:46:38Z |
JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops clashed in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday as thousands of Israelis marched to the site of a demolished settlement and called on the government to rebuild it.
Palestinian paramedics said they treated at least eight people who were struck by rubber bullets or tear gas canisters fired by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank village of Burqa.
Several dozen residents were protesting the closure of roads by the army to allow the march led by hard-line Israeli settlers to take place. Palestinian youths burned tires and hurled stones at the soldiers.
Tuesday’s march came during a period of surging tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Palestinian militants fired a rocket from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel for the first time in months after days of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem.
Similar circumstances last year erupted into an 11-day war between Israel and the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The shrine, known to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and to Jews as the Temple Mount, where two temples stood in antiquity, is the emotional epicenter of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In recent weeks, Palestinians have killed 14 people in attacks inside Israel. The Israeli military has launched raids across the West Bank that is says are aimed at arresting suspected accomplices and preventing further attacks.
At least 26 Palestinians — including the five who carried out the deadly attacks and others engaging in clashes with soldiers — have been killed in recent weeks, An unarmed woman and a lawyer who appears to have been a bystander were also among those killed.
An 18-year-old woman died late Monday of wounds sustained during earlier clashes near the West Bank city of Jenin.
Several thousand Israelis, including young children, took part in the roughly two-kilometer (one mile) march to the demolished outpost of Homesh, where organizers staged festivities attended by religious nationalist politicians and rabbis.
The Israeli military didn’t formally authorize the march, but soldiers closed roads and prevented Palestinians from reaching the area.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and in the decades since has built dozens of settlements that are now home to more than 500,000 Israelis living alongside nearly 3 million Palestinians. The Palestinians seek the territory as the heartland of a future independent state.
The settlement of Homesh was built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and was dismantled in 2005. In the years since, Israeli settlers have staged several marches, rallies and attempts to rebuild it in violation of Israeli law and military orders.
The area has been the scene of frequent violence by settlers and Palestiniansin recent months. In December, Palestinian militants killed a Jewish settler near the site of the former settlement, and a month earlier six farmers were hospitalized after settlers attacked them with metal batons and stones. | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/palestinians-protest-closures-as-settlers-march-in-west-bank/ | 2022-04-19T16:18:47Z |
NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues its investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) resulting from allegations that Discover Financial Services may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Discover Financial Services securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=7773 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.
WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On July 20, 2022, after trading hours, Discover Financial Services issued a press release announcing its financial results for its second quarter of 2022. Among other items, Discover Financial Services disclosed that "[t]he company is suspending until further notice its existing share repurchase program because of an internal investigation relating to its student loan servicing practices and related compliance matters. The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by a board-appointed independent special committee."
On this news, Discover Financial Services' share prices fell $9.80 per share, or 8.9%, to close at $100.00 per share on July 21, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.
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 litigate securities class actions. 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.
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.
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
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/06/rosen-top-ranked-firm-encourages-discover-financial-services-investors-with-losses-inquire-about-securities-class-action-investigation-dfs/ | 2022-08-06T11:02:54Z |
SPARKS, Md., April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crescent Lufkin is once again equipping today's top tradesmen and tool users with the power, performance, and precision they need to make their mark.
This spring, Crescent Lufkin is unveiling its new standout, state-of-the-art Shockforce G2 measuring tapes—the next generation of its successful and innovative Shockforce product line.
"The new G2 design improves our entire family of Shockforce tapes," says Kasandra Wilcox, Associate Product Manager. "The wider, thicker blades deliver an extended 17-foot reach, saving time on jobsites. We've also upped the durability with a blade barrier coating that increases the blade life three times and an extra-strong case for greater durability. And just like the original Shockforce, these G2 tapes have steel rails protecting the lock button. They're the toughest tapes we've ever produced."
That's big news for today's tool users and professional tradesmen looking for measuring tools that can go the distance on any jobsite. Fortunately, Crescent's innovative, new Shockforce G2 tapes more than measure up to the competition.
About Crescent®
Crescent is a premier brand from Apex Tool Group, one of the largest hand tool manufacturers in the world. The product line includes Crescent® adjustable wrenches, mechanics hand tools, and power tool accessories, Crescent Wiss® snips, scissors, shears, knives and trade tools, Crescent Lufkin® measuring tapes, rules, wheels and chalk reels, Crescent Nicholson® files and saws, Crescent H.K. Porter® heavy-duty cutting products, and Crescent JOBOX® on-site, flammable liquid and truck storage products. Visit www.crescenttools.com to learn more.
About Apex Tool Group
Apex Tool Group, LLC is one of the largest worldwide producers of hand and power tools, tool storage, drill chucks, chain, and electronic soldering products. Apex serves a multitude of global markets, including automotive, aerospace, electronics, energy, hardware, industrial, and consumer retail. For more information, visit www.apextoolgroup.com.
If you would rather not receive further communications from Apex Tool Group, let us know by clicking HERE.
Apex Tool Group, 910 Ridgebrook Road, Suite 200, MD 21152 United States
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Crescent Tools | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/04/20/crescent-lufkin-reaches-new-heights-innovation-with-shockforce-g2/ | 2022-04-20T15:45:14Z |
Home shoppers can now filter homes by different buying power categories to only see the homes they can afford
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With interest rates constantly changing and home prices at all-time highs, understanding what you can afford has never been more important. To give buyers a more objective view of their budget, Realtor.com® has introduced a new buying power tool to help home shoppers see whether a specific home is "affordable," "a stretch," "difficult" or "out of reach." It uses a home a shopper's specific financial details, current mortgage rates, taxes, insurance and HOA fees to determine if the monthly payments will be comfortable.
Buying power labels now appear directly on home listings on Realtor.com®, making Realtor.com® the first national home search site where shoppers can filter their search by selecting their desired affordability range.
Recent Realtor.com® surveys found that more than two-thirds (68%) of shoppers were surprised by what they could actually afford for their first home. Additionally, 32% of recent buyers found it difficult to understand how changing mortgage rates affected their monthly payments and 62% were surprised by closing costs. Realtor.com®'s affordability calculator and buying power tool can help prevent these unhappy surprises during the home buying process.
"There is nothing more disappointing than falling in love with a home only to realize that you can't afford it, and nothing more exciting than realizing you can afford that dream home. However, there are many factors that go into affordability," said Colleen Coyle, vice president, product management, Realtor.com®. "We introduced this tool to help shoppers better understand how much home they can afford and if specific homes fit their budget given their personal financial situation. This tool is especially important right now with rising interest rates – which can add hundreds of dollars to monthly payments and impact buying power."
A home's affordability is more than just the asking price. Many first-time home buyers don't realize the added costs of things such as HOA fees, taxes and insurance, not to mention closing costs, which can really add up. Realtor.com®'s new buying power features give home shoppers the opportunity to input their monthly income, debt payments and savings to determine their budget. Users can save this information to their buyer profile and then search only for homes that fit that budget.
To calculate buying power, visit the Realtor.com® affordability calculator and enter your income, monthly debt payments and available funds. By saving this information to your profile, listings on Realtor.com® will include an affordability label – "affordable," "a stretch," "difficult" or "out of reach." Users can also filter their search by homes that are within their desired affordability range.
To learn more, visit: https://www.realtor.com/homemade/new-buying-power-tool-shows-what-homes-are-affordable-vs-a-stretch
About Realtor.com®
Realtor.com® makes buying, selling, renting and living in homes easier and more rewarding for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 20 years ago, and today through its website and mobile apps is a trusted source for the information, tools and professional expertise that help people move confidently through every step of their home journey. Using proprietary data science and machine learning technology, Realtor.com® pairs buyers and sellers with local agents in their market, helping take the guesswork out of buying and selling a home. For professionals, Realtor.com® is a trusted provider of consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. under a perpetual license from the National Association of REALTORS®. For more information, visit Realtor.com®.
Media Contact
nicole.murphy@move.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Realtor.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/04/new-realtorcom-buying-power-tool-shows-what-homes-are-affordable-vs-stretch-based-buyers-finances/ | 2022-08-04T10:24:50Z |
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The leader of global track and field said it would have been “inconceivable” to have allowed Russians into this week’s world championships given the country’s war against Ukraine.
At his news conference Thursday, the eve of the championships, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said there was no budging from the position the federation took shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
“It was made from a very clear standpoint, and that was about the integrity of competition,” Coe said. “It would have been inconceivable to have a world championships here with athletes from Belarus and Russia, two aggressive nations who have walked into an independent state.”
Belarus, an ally of Russia in the war, is also banned from the worlds, which run from Friday through July 24.
One Russian athlete, three-time world-champion high jumper Maria Lasitskene, has publicly criticized Coe and IOC president Thomas Bach for their stance on her country.
The IOC recommended that sports exclude Russia from their events, and many sports followed that lead. Coe noted that World Athletics was one of the first federations to reach a position, one that won’t change “for the foreseeable future,” in large part because of the challenges involved in getting the 22 Ukrainian athletes who qualified for worlds safely to the championships.
The position on Russia is separate from that country’s athletics federation’s ongoing suspension, which dates to 2015. That stems from the long-running doping scandal that spread through Russia starting two years previous to that. The suspension triggered a sanction that limited the number of Russian athletes who can compete at major events as neutrals. At the last worlds, in 2019, 29 competed.
But that program isn’t in play here because of the war. Coe said that in this week’s council meeting, members received an update about the doping issues from the task force in charge with monitoring Russia’s compliance to the roadmap for reinstatement.
“I sort of feel like it’s Season 17, Box Set 126” on the issue, Coe said, before ticking off the latest updates from the task force.
Most important is an independent audit of the Russian federation, results of which will be presented at a council meeting in November.
That’s also when the council will consider changes in rules governing participation by transgender athletes and intersex athletes. Earlier this summer, Coe signaled that changes to those rules could be coming, but he said it was not an agenda item in this week’s meetings.
“Though inclusivity has really been a watch word, the balance between inclusivity and fairness will always, in my view, fall now on the side of fairness,” he said in repeating comments he’d made earlier this summer that indicate there could be tighter restrictions on allowing transgender and intersex athletes to compete.
___ | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/coe-inconceivable-russians-would-be-allowed-at-worlds/ | 2022-07-15T19:05:51Z |
The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report on Thursday shifted its forecasts for five competitive House races in favor of Democrats.
The changes follow a spike in Democratic voter enthusiasm following the Supreme Court’s decision in June that overturned the landmark federal abortion rights protections in Roe v. Wade, Cook Report senior editor Dave Wasserman wrote. Democrats have outperformed expectations in every special election since the ruling.
They also also come as Republicans, some of whom predicted a potentially record “red wave” election year, have tempered expectations about the midterm elections this year.
Last week, a separate Cook Political Report analysis said Republicans still look like the favorites to win control of the House in the midterm elections. But the publication revised its forecast down from Republicans winning 15 to 30 seats to winning 10 to 20 seats.
The five House districts Cook shifted on Thursday are:
Alaska’s at-large district, from Likely R to Toss Up
The change comes after former Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin lost a special election to Democrat Mary Peltola in the state’s first election using a new ranked choice voting system.
It was the first time a Democrat had been elected to the seat since 1971.
The two of them, as well as Republican Nick Begich and Libertarian Chris Bye, will be on the general election ranked-choice ballot in November for a full term in the same seat.
Arizona’s 4th District, from lean Democratic to likely Democratic.
Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton will face Republican Kelly Cooper, a Marine veteran who was endorsed by Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake.
Wasserman writes that, “Cooper, a Marine veteran who owns BKD’s Backyard sports bar and has questioned the integrity of the 2020 election, might be too far right for this left-trending, Biden +10 Tempe seat.”
Maryland’s 6th District, from lean Democratic to likely Democratic.
Democratic Rep. David Trone, founder of Total Wine & More, has pumped his campaign with $10 million after his panhandle district became less Democratic due to redistricting. He faces Republican state Del. Neil Parrott.
“Any Republican scenario for ousting Trone likely involved a Larry Hogan-esque performance in the governor’s race at the top of the ticket. But that went out the window when state Del. Dan Cox, whom Hogan has called ‘not, in my opinion, mentally stable,’ won the GOP primary,” Wasserman said.
New York’s 3rd District, from toss-up to lean Democratic.
In the open Long Island seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Suozzi (D), who unsuccessfully ran for governor, Democratic National Committee member Rob Zimmerman will face Republican George Santos.
Virginia’s 7th District, from toss-up to lean Democratic.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) will face Republican former police officer Yesli Vega for the suburban Northern Virginia seat.
Spanberger has long been considered one of the more vulnerable Democrats in the House, and this year’s redistricting process shifted her seat away from the areas where she had the strongest support.
But an audio recording reported by Axios in which Vega expresses openness to the idea that it might be harder for women to get pregnant after rape, remarks that came just as the abortion issue was heating up, were thought to be a major help to Spanberger, who also holds a financial edge. | https://cw33.com/hill-politics/cook-political-report-moves-five-house-races-toward-democrats/ | 2022-09-01T19:12:38Z |
Eligible cardholders can enjoy no delivery fee from hundreds of thousands of restaurants across the country
CHICAGO and CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Grubhub and Bank of America today announced that eligible Bank of America cardholders can receive Grubhub+ free for one year, providing unlimited $0 delivery fees on orders of $12 or more and exclusive Perks from restaurants on Grubhub.
Starting today, eligible cardholders can activate a one-year, complimentary Grubhub+ membership trial, valued at nearly $120. Grubhub+ members also enjoy a donation match on Grubhub+ orders when they are opted into Grubhub's Donate the Change program, which raised more than $25 million in 2021 alone, benefiting more than 20 charitable organizations.
"We're excited to team up with Bank of America to provide even greater value to their cardholders and introduce them to the Grubhub Marketplace," said Launika Raykar, vice president of loyalty at Grubhub. "This is truly a win-win, with Bank of America now rewarding cardholders with deals and perks from restaurants they will love, and Grubhub tapping into Bank of America's loyal and vast customer base to drive even more orders to restaurant owners and drivers."
Grubhub+ members have placed hundreds of millions of orders on the Grubhub Marketplace to date, driving additional sales to restaurants and bringing more earnings opportunities to our delivery partners.
"Giving our clients Grubhub+ free for a year is just one of the ways we're helping them navigate their finances and make every dollar go farther," said Chris Curtin, social media and rewards executive at Bank of America. "We are always looking for ways to do more for our clients and say 'thank you,' and this partnership will bring that message right to their door."
Bank of America debit, credit and small business cardholders who are not already Grubhub+ members can activate their complimentary Grubhub+ trial by visiting grubhub.com/partner/bofa. Cardholders who are not eligible for the offer can receive $5 off their next three orders of $15 or more. More information about Grubhub+ is available at https://www.grubhub.com/plus.
About Grubhub
Grubhub is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY), and is a leading U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace. Dedicated to connecting more than 32 million diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features more than 320,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.
About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,000 retail financial centers, approximately 16,000 ATMs and award-winning digital banking with approximately 55 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, register for email news alerts.
Bank of America clients with a qualifying debit or credit card can take advantage of a year's worth of $0 delivery fees on eligible orders with Grubhub+ by enrolling before 4/20/2023. Benefits last 365 days from enrollment date and subscription will automatically renew at $9.99/mo (or the then-current rate) at the end of the trial period. Offer valid one time only. Offer valid only for eligible Bank of America credit or debit cardholders in the U.S. who do not have an active Grubhub+ membership at the time of sign up. Commercial prepaid cardholders are excluded from the offers. Subject to restaurant and delivery availability in the U.S. only. Offer only valid on purchases made through the Grubhub app or Grubhub.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Grubhub Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/grubhub-bank-america-team-up-offer-grubhub-free-cardholders/ | 2022-08-18T14:11:51Z |
- Platinum supply forecast to fall 5% in 2022, while demand to increase 2%
- Despite unprecedented headwinds, annual automotive demand in 2022 forecast to rise 16%
- Strong jewellery demand in Europe, North America, Japan and India unable to offset falls in pandemic-affected China
- Strong underlying platinum industrial demand masked by reduced expansions in glass
LONDON, May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) today publishes its Platinum Quarterly for the first quarter of 2022, with a revised full year forecast for 2022.
Unprecedented events in Q1'22 had a huge impact on both the supply of and demand for platinum, adding a layer of complexity on top of pre-existing issues, which will continue well into 2022. During the quarter, both demand (-26%) and supply (-13%) fell year-on-year leaving the market in surplus of 167 koz. However, for the full year, supply is expected to be 5% less than in 2021, yet demand to be 2% greater.
The surplus forecast for 2022 has now been reduced to 627 koz, which is also notably down on the surplus in 2021 (1,128 koz).
Constrained supply
Q1'22 saw confirmation that the processing of semi-finished inventory built up during the 2020 Anglo American platinum converter plant (ACP) shutdown had been completed. With mine production no longer receiving the one-off supply boost from the ACP inventory unwind, a clearer picture of underlying production levels emerged this quarter. South African production in Q1'22 fell 16% (-167 koz) year-on-year, to quarterly levels below those seen in 2019. Platinum mine supply in South Africa is forecast to decline 9% in 2022 (-421 koz) and is at risk of potential strike action related to three-yearly wage negotiations. Russian output also declined in Q1'22, down 11% year-on-year (-21 koz) with the operating environment in Russia becoming increasingly challenging due to the geopolitical situation and sanctions against Russia. Overall, global refined mine production is forecast to decline 7% (-425 koz) year-on-year to 5,872 koz.
Recycling supply was constrained during Q1'22 (-20% year-on-year) due to reduced volumes of end-of-life vehicles as a result of fewer new vehicles being sold – an issue that will persist yet ease throughout 2022. Full year platinum recycling supply is forecast to decline by 2% (-43 koz).
Notable automotive demand despite severe challenges
Against a backdrop of shortages of semiconductor chips and other parts, zero-COVID protocols in China, and disruption in Europe due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, total platinum automotive demand this quarter was remarkably strong. Demand was flat on Q1'21 (725 koz), and is expected to increase by 16% (+412 koz) in 2022, due to a rise in light duty vehicles produced, higher loadings due to tighter emissions regulations and continued platinum substitution to partially replace palladium in gasoline vehicle catalysts.
Jewellery demand rises in all regions except China
A jump in the number of weddings, price-led gains from gold in bridal and further growth for luxury brands saw platinum jewellery demand rise in Europe and North America in Q1'22 – a trend which is forecast to continue throughout the year. Jewellery demand also grew in Japan, albeit from a low base. In India, platinum jewellery demand rose in Q1'22, with fabrication expected to grow to a record high in 2022.
However, this could not offset a fall in jewellery demand in China, where platinum fabrication fell by 36% year-on-year in Q1'22, partly due to the negative impact of the Omicron outbreak. Sales are expected to gradually pick up in the second half of the year as the pandemic-related impact is expected to ease. Overall global platinum jewellery demand declined by 9% (-42 koz) year-on-year in Q1'22, and is forecast to decline 2% (-37 koz) to 1,886 koz in 2022.
Underlying industrial demand above 2019 levels
Petroleum demand in Q1'22 rose by 21% (+8 koz) year-on-year, especially in Europe and North America, where refining output had picked up considerably as the recovery from COVID continued. Similarly, as health service utilisation is recovering towards pre-pandemic levels, demand for platinum in the medical sector was up by 15% (+8 koz). Both sectors are forecast to see demand growth in 2022.
Meanwhile, platinum glass demand fell 56% (-179 koz) year-on-year in Q1 22 as expected. This seemingly dramatic drop was due to unusually high demand in Q1'21, as significant investment in new plant capacity was completed and plants were commissioned. This reduced requirement from the glass sector was a significant factor in overall industrial demand falling by 25% (-175 koz) in Q1'22 year-on-year, and the forecast of a 16% decline in 2022, albeit that 2022 industrial demand is still expected to be the third strongest year on record.
Investment demand affected by yen weakness and ETF liquidations
Bar and coin demand increased from 21 koz in Q1'21 to 60 koz in Q1'22. However, despite particularly strong demand in North America, global demand growth was limited by US dollar price strength sustained by a significant subsequent weakening in the yen which drove local platinum prices to their highest since May last year and which encouraged profit-taking among Japanese investors. This trend is expected to continue into the next quarter, with global bar and coin demand for the full year forecast to decline by 23%.
For ETFs, liquidations in Q1'22 stemmed primarily from one European ETF issuer and were contrary to investors' finding hard assets attractive due to surging inflationary worries and elevated geopolitical and economic uncertainties. A modest inflow in ETF holdings over the remainder of this year is forecast, resulting in a 50 koz full-year outflow.
Paul Wilson, CEO of the World Platinum Investment Council commented:
"At the start of Q1'22, most regions were at various stages of a post-COVID economic recovery. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the end of February sent shockwaves through the markets, which will be felt for months and years to come. This new layer of complexity, on top of existing COVID-related factors and operational challenges, will add to the wider markets' volatility.
"With the backlog of semi-finished inventory built up during the 2020 Anglo American Platinum converter plant (ACP) outages now processed, we are left with the stark reality that South African production is actually below where it was in 2019. This, combined with a massive drop in recycled material, points to constrained supply for the coming months, as demand continues to grow.
"While the cost of the tragic war in Ukraine will not be known for some time, the potential indirect impact it could have on platinum is considerable. Security-of-supply concerns, particularly for palladium have arisen in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and given Russia's importance to the global supplies of mined palladium and, to a much lesser extent, platinum. This could increase platinum for palladium substitution efforts and modify the procurement and inventory management strategies of a wide range of market participants.
"In addition to decarbonisation, security of energy supply for all Governments is now a far greater issue than it was. The role of green hydrogen in reducing European gas imports could drive a strategic acceleration of electrolyser construction, which would benefit platinum directly but also support the infrastructure needed for broad-based commercial adoption of FCEVs. Investors looking for green opportunities are becoming increasingly aware of platinum's key strategic role in unlocking hydrogen's crucial contribution to achieving global net zero targets; being used in both electrolysers to produce green hydrogen and in hydrogen fuel cells."
Disclaimer
Neither the World Platinum Investment Council nor Metals Focus is authorised by any regulatory authority to give investment advice. Nothing within this document is intended or should be construed as investment advice or offering to sell or advising to buy any securities or financial instruments and appropriate professional advice should always be sought before making any investment. For further information, please visit www.platinuminvestment.com.
View original content:
SOURCE World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/16/wpic-events-q122-hit-platinum-supply-harder-than-demand-with-previous-surplus-forecast-2022-reduced-627-koz/ | 2022-05-16T06:33:45Z |
XIAMEN, China, May 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Milesight, a global AIoT solution provider, announced its upgrade of brand identity earlier this year, marking the embarking on a new journey to AIoT.
State-of-the-art Technologies in the AIoT Industry
5G, LoRaWAN® and AIoT Technologies are essential driving forces towards the trend of IoE (Internet of Everything). With the development and maturity of these advanced technologies, they combine with each other, become popular, and penetrate into all walks of life. To further announce the entry into AIoT industry, Milesigiht unveiled a new brand identity. Moreover, a new headquarters, itself a smart building empowered by Milesight AIoT solutions, has been established and fully operational.
First-Rate Milesight Products
As a fast-growing AIoT solution provider, Milesight manufactures products with exceptional flexibility and reliability for the global market. 5G AIoT Camera, a milestone of Milesight's initial success in combining 5G and AIoT, is a breakthrough in the field of video surveillance and IoT, which is beyond just data collection and drawing actionable insights. It can transmit and receive video data wirelessly through a SIM card, and ingest various sensor data, like temperature and water level information.
For more information about Video Surveillance, please visit: https://www.milesight.com/
Furthermore, another successful example of converging IoT and LoRaWAN® technologies is IAQ Sensor, which provides straightforward data directly shown on display and cloud platform to help people see and improve the indoor air quality, reinforce health, and maintain business continuity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 47,000 IAQ Sensors were deployed in Canadian Schools, helping increase ventilation and filtration, while building a healthier learning environment for students.
For more information about IoT, please visit: https://www.milesight-iot.com/
Committed to Providing AIoT Products and Solutions
By perfectly combining cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, LoRaWAN®, AI and IoT, Milesight is heading for a new journey to AIoT, with a commitment to offering more and more advanced AIoT solutions such as smart city, smart building, smart agriculture etc., contributing to a more intelligent and connected world.
Milesight is always passionate about connectivity of everything. With the new brand identity, Milesight will keep thriving in AIoT world with more connected and integrated products and solutions to come.
Contact Us
For Video Surveillance
Telephone: +86-592-5922772
Sales Team: sales@milesight.com
Marketing Team: marketing@milesight.com
For IoT
Telephone: +86-592-5085280
Sales Team: iot.sales@milesight.com
Marketing Team: iot.marketing@milesight.com
View original content:
SOURCE Milesight | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/24/milesight-blossoms-into-mighty-aiot-solution-provider-with-leading-edge-products-solutions/ | 2022-05-24T11:11:15Z |
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Gold Royalty Corp. ("Gold Royalty" or the "Company") (NYSE American: GROY) is pleased to announce the filing of its operating and financial results for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2022 and provide an update on recent asset advancements. The Company will be hosting an Investor Webcast to discuss these results and update on Thursday, August 18 at 11:00 AM EDT. All amounts expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.
David Garofalo, Chairman and CEO of Gold Royalty, commented,
"While we continue to achieve new revenue records in the current year, our projected peer-leading growth over the next several years is expected to continue to be driven by our diverse portfolio of royalties on gold mines entering production, including Odyssey and Côté and increasing gold production expected by the operators at Beaufor and Jerritt Canyon. Beyond these near-term cash flow drivers, our existing portfolio has exposure to over 700,000 meters of drilling, the equivalent of over $200 million of exploration expenditures, announced by our operating partners in 2022 alone, providing multiple exploration catalysts across our portfolio."
Highlights for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2022, include:
- Record revenues of $1.9 million and $3.1 million, respectively.
- Strong projected revenue guidance reiterated for Gold Royalty's first full fiscal year of approximately $5.0 million, supported by the commencement of production at the Beaufor mine and the Beacon Mill in July 2022, and the recent commencement of royalty payments from the Borden mine.
- Projected peer-leading multi-year growth in revenues from, among others, the underground expansion of Odyssey at Canadian Malartic in Québec and the startup of the Côté Gold mine in Ontario supports a current annual dividend yield of over 1%.
- Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $17.1 million as at June 30, 2022, positioning the Company well for further growth. This excludes an accordion feature in the revolving loan facility with Bank of Montreal providing for an additional $15.0 million of availability, subject to certain conditions.
- Gold Royalty now has 198 royalties with focus on the best mining jurisdictions in the Americas (2021 Fraser Institute of Mining Attractiveness Index).
A summary of the financial and operating results for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2022, follows:
For further detail information, please refer to the Company's condensed interim consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2022, copies of which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov.
Q3 Fiscal 2022 Investor Webcast Details
Gold Royalty is pleased to announce that it will host an Investor Webcast on Thursday, August 18 at 11:00 AM EDT.
The Company will be providing an update to interested stakeholders on the Company's third quarter results including key recent catalysts that have been announced on the assets underlying the Company's royalties. The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session where participants will be able to ask questions they may have of management. To register for the Investor Webcast, please click the link below:
Portfolio Update
Select royalty portfolio highlights for the three months ended June 30, 2022, include:
- Odyssey Project (3.0% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty): Yamana Gold Inc. ("Yamana") announced on July 7, 2022, that production was ahead of plan at the Odyssey project. Yamana further disclosed that permitting at the project remains on schedule while construction is on track and on budget with first production from Odyssey South expected in the first quarter of 2023. On July 27, 2022, Yamana announced positive exploration results from the Odyssey project which it expects could significantly expand the project's inferred resource envelope.
- Côté Gold Project (0.75% NSR): IAMGOLD Corporation announced a project update on August 3, 2022, including updated costs to complete, project economics and life-of-mine ("LOM") plan to be included in a new technical report for the Côté Gold project. The updated mine plan outlined an 18-year mine life with initial production expected in early 2024 and average annual production of 365,000 ounces over the LOM with average all-in sustaining costs of $854/oz Au sold. Costs to complete increased to $1,908 million however Gold Royalty is insulated from cost inflation as an NSR holder.
- REN (1.5% NSR and 3.5% net profit interest): Barrick Gold Corporation announced on August 8, 2022, that resources at REN are expected to grow in 2022 as the project advances towards feasibility.
- Borden Mine (0.5% NSR): Gold Royalty recognized royalty and other payments of $1.35 million for past periods related to its royalty over the mine operated by Newmont Corporation located in Ontario, Canada.
- Beaufor Mine (1.0% NSR and per tonne royalty ("PTR")): Monarch Mining Corporation announced on July 5, 2022, that it commenced processing of Beaufor Mine material at its Beacon Mill. It further announced on July 27, 2022, that it achieved a milestone by producing its first gold bar.
- Fenelon (2.0% NSR): Wallbridge Mining Company Limited, in news releases dated April 8, 2022, May 30, 2022, June 7, 2022, and July 26, 2022, announced several updates to its 115,000 metre 2022 drill program, which expanded the lateral footprint of the deposit beyond its 2021 maiden mineral resource estimate.
- Jerritt Canyon (0.5% NSR and PTR): First Majestic Silver Corp. announced on July 20, 2022, that it produced 18,632 ounces of gold during the quarter and that rehabilitation and exploration investments are expected to increase average grade, production, and reduce all-in sustaining costs in the second half of 2022.
Readers should refer to the disclosures of each of the operators identified above for further information.
ATM Program
The Company is also pleased to announce that it has established an "at-the market" equity program (the "ATM Program") that will allow the Company to issue up to $50 million of common shares (the "ATM Shares") from treasury to the public from time to time. Such sales will be made pursuant to an equity distribution agreement (the "Distribution Agreement") among the Company and a syndicate of agents led by BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., and including BMO Capital Markets Corp., H.C. Wainwright & Co. LLC, Haywood Securities Inc., Laurentian Bank Securities, Inc., Laurentian Capital (USA) Inc., Raymond James Ltd. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (collectively, the "Agents").
Gold Royalty does not currently have any plans to use the ATM Program. The Company intends to use the net proceeds, if any, from the ATM Program to implement its growth and acquisition strategy, including the direct and indirect acquisition of additional royalties, streams and similar interests, and for working capital. Unless earlier terminated by the Company or the Agents as permitted therein, the Distribution Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of: (a) the date that the aggregate gross sales proceeds of the Offered Shares sold under the ATM Program reaches the aggregate amount of $50 million (or the equivalent in Canadian dollars); or (b) September 1, 2023.
The volume and timing of distributions under the ATM Program, if any, will be determined at the Company's sole discretion, subject to applicable regulatory limitations. Any sales of ATM Shares will be made by the Agents through the facilities of the NYSE American LLC, or any other marketplace on which the common shares of Gold Royalty are listed, quoted or otherwise traded, at the prevailing market prices.
The ATM Program will become effective upon the filing of a prospectus supplement to the Company's short form base shelf prospectus dated July 15, 2022, and U.S. registration statement on Form F-3 filed on June 13, 2022, as amended on July 6, 2022. The prospectus supplement relating to the ATM Program will be filed shortly with the securities commissions in each of the provinces and territories of Canada and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of the prospectus supplement, the Distribution Agreement and other relevant documents will be available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the lead agent will send copies of such documents to investors upon request by contacting BMO Capital Markets Corp. by mail at 151 W 42nd Street, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10036, Attn: Equity Syndicate Department, by email at bmoprospectus@bmo.com or by telephone at (800) 414-3627.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor will there be any sale of, the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
About Gold Royalty Corp.
Gold Royalty is a gold-focused royalty company offering creative financing solutions to the metals and mining industry. Its mission is to acquire royalties, streams and similar interests at varying stages of the mine life cycle to build a balanced portfolio offering near, medium and longer-term attractive returns for its investors. Gold Royalty's diversified portfolio currently consists primarily of royalties on gold properties located in the Americas.
Qualified Persons
Alastair Still, P.Geo., Director of Technical Services of the Company, is a "qualified person" as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") of Canadian Securities Administrators and has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed in this news release, exclusive of properties located in Québec. Glenn Mullan, P.Geo., a director of the Company, is a "qualified person" as such term is defined under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information pertaining to projects located in Québec, Canada, disclosed in this news release.
Non-IFRS Measures
The items marked above are alternative performance measures and readers should refer to non-International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") financial measures in the Company's Management Discussion & Analysis for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2022, which have been posted under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov.
The Company has included, in this document, certain performance measures, including: (i) Adjusted Net Loss; which is calculated by deducting transaction-related expenses, share of loss and dilution gain in associate, impairment, changes in fair value of derivative liabilities and short term investments, gain on disposition of short-term investments, foreign exchange gain/(loss) and other income from net loss; (ii) Adjusted Net Loss Per Share, which is calculated by dividing the Adjusted Net Loss by the weighted average number of shares outstanding for the applicable period; (iii) cash flows from operating activities, excluding changes in non-cash working capital, which is calculated by excluding the impact of changes in non-cash working capital items to or from cash used in operating activities; and (iv) GEOs, which are calculated by dividing royalty and option income by $1,850/ounce (average of $1,700/ounce and $2,000/ounce), each of which are non-IFRS measures and do not have a standardized meaning under IFRS and may be calculated differently by other companies. The presentation of such non-IFRS measures is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.
Notice to Investors
Disclosure relating to properties in which Gold Royalty holds royalty or other interests is based on information publicly disclosed by the owners or operators of such properties. The Company generally has limited or no access to the properties underlying its interests and is largely dependent on the disclosure of the operators of its interests and other publicly available information. The Company generally has limited or no ability to verify such information. Although the Company does not have any knowledge that such information may not be accurate, there can be no assurance that such third-party information is complete or accurate. In addition, certain information publicly reported by operators may relate to a larger property than the area covered by the Companies interest, which often may only apply to a portion of the overall project area or applicable mineral resources or reserves. The Company's royalty interests do not apply to the entirety of each project in some cases. Please see the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F for further information. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of a measured, indicated or inferred resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. "Inferred mineral resources" have a greater amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility.
Unless otherwise indicated, the technical and scientific disclosure contained or referenced in this news release, including any references to mineral resources or mineral reserves, was prepared by the project operators in accordance with NI 43-101, which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") applicable to domestic issuers. Accordingly, the scientific and technical information contained or referenced in this news release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC.
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information:
Certain of the information contained in this news release constitutes 'forward-looking information' and 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws ("forward-looking statements"), including but not limited to statements regarding: future plans, estimates and expectations disclosed by the operators of the projects underlying the Company's interests, including the proposed advancement and expansion of such projects; the results of exploration, development and production activities of the operators of such projects; and the Company's expectation regarding future revenues and revenue growth. Such statements can be generally identified by the use of terms such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "believe", "plans", "anticipate" or similar terms. Forward-looking statements are based upon certain assumptions and other important factors, including assumptions of management regarding the accuracy of the disclosure of the operators of the projects underlying the Company's projects, their ability to achieve disclosed plans and targets, macroeconomic conditions, commodity prices, and the Company's ability to finance future growth and acquisitions. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements including, among others, any inability to any inability of the operators of the properties underlying the Company's royalty interests to execute proposed plans for such properties or to achieved planned development and production estimates and goals, risks related to the operators of the projects in which the Company holds interests, including the successful continuation of operations at such projects by those operators, risks related to exploration, development, permitting, infrastructure, operating or technical difficulties on any such projects, the influence of macroeconomic developments as well as the impact of, and response of relevant governments to, COVID-19 and the effectiveness of such responses and the ability of the Company to carry out its growth plans and other factors set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended September 30, 2021 and its other publicly filed documents under its profiles at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
View original content:
SOURCE Gold Royalty Corp. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/gold-royalty-corp-announces-record-quarterly-revenues-provides-portfolio-update/ | 2022-08-15T21:57:20Z |
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s prime minister was sworn in Friday as interim president until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled abroad and resigned after mass protests over the country’s economic collapse.
Lawmakers were to convene Saturday to choose a new leader who would serve the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024.
A tenuous calm was restored in the capital of Colombo on Thursday after protesters who had occupied government buildings retreated, but with the political opposition deeply fractured, a solution to Sri Lanka’s many problems seemed no closer.
As people celebrated in the streets, Parliament speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana promised a swift and transparent political process that should be done within a week.
The new president could appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament. After Rajapaksa resigned, pressure on the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was rising.
In a televised statement, Wickremesinghe said he would initiate steps to change the constitution to curb presidential powers and strengthen Parliament, restore law and order and take legal action against “insurgents.”
It was unclear to whom he was referring, although he said true protesters would not have gotten involved in clashes near Parliament on Wednesday night, when many soldiers reportedly were injured.
“There is a big difference between protesters and insurgents. We will take legal action against insurgents,” he said.
Wickremesinghe became acting president after Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on Wednesday, flying first to the Maldives and then to Singapore. The prime minister’s office said Wickremesinghe was sworn in Friday as interim president by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.
Sri Lanka has run short of money to pay for imports of basic necessities such as food, fertilizer, medicine and fuel for its 22 million people. Its rapid economic decline has been all the more shocking because, before this crisis, the economy had been expanding, with a growing, comfortable middle class.
The protests underscored the dramatic fall of the Rajapaksa political clan that has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades.
The Rev. Jeewantha Peiris, a Catholic priest and protest leader, said the country had “come through a hard journey.”
“We are happy as a collective effort because this struggle of Sri Lanka was participated by all the citizens of Sri Lanka, even diaspora of Sri Lanka,” he said.
Protesters cooked and distributed milk rice — a food Sri Lankans enjoy to celebrate victories — after Rajapaksa resigned. At the main protest site in front of the president’s office in Colombo, people welcomed his resignation but insisted Wickremesinghe also should step aside.
“I am happy that Gotabaya has finally left. He should have resigned earlier, without causing much problems,” Velayuthan Pillai, 73, a retired bank employee, said as patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers.
“Ranil is a supporter of Gotabaya and other Rajapaksas. He was helping them. He also must go,” he added.
Sri Lanka remains a powder keg, its economy in ruins. And the military warned Thursday that it had powers to respond in case of chaos — a message some found ominous.
Abeywardana, the speaker of Parliament, urged the public to “create a peaceful atmosphere in order to implement the proper parliamentary democratic process and enable all members of Parliament to participate in the meetings and function freely and conscientiously.”
Sri Lanka is seeking help from the International Monetary Fund and other creditors, but its finances are so poor that even obtaining a bailout has proven difficult, Wickremesinghe recently said.
The protesters accuse Rajapaksa and his powerful political family of siphoning money from government coffers and of hastening the country’s collapse by mismanaging the economy. The family has denied the corruption allegations, but Rajapaksa acknowledged that some of his policies contributed to Sri Lanka’s meltdown.
Maduka Iroshan, 26, a university student and protester, said he was “thrilled” that Rajapaksa had quit, because he “ruined the dreams of the young generation.”
Months of protests reached a frenzied peak last weekend when demonstrators stormed the president’s home and office and Wickremesinghe’s official residence. On Wednesday, they seized his office.
Images of protesters inside the buildings — lounging on elegant sofas and beds, posing at officials’ desks and touring the opulent settings — captured the world’s attention.
The demonstrators initially vowed to stay until a new government was in place, but they shifted tactics Thursday, apparently concerned that an escalation in violence could undermine their message following clashes outside Parliament that left dozens injured.
Protester Mirak Raheem noted that the lack of violence was important, though their work was far from over.
“This is really something amazing, the fact that it happened on the back of largely peaceful protest,” Raheem said. “But obviously this is just a beginning, that there is a longer journey in terms of the kind of work that has to be done, not just to rebuild the economy but to create public confidence in this political system.”
Rajapaksa and his wife slipped away in the night aboard a military plane early Wednesday. On Thursday, he went to Singapore, according to the city-state’s Foreign Ministry. It said he had not requested asylum and it was unclear if he would stay or move on. He previously has obtained medical services there, including undergoing heart surgery.
Since Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power, Rajapaksa likely wanted to leave while he still had constitutional immunity and access to the plane.
A military strategist whose brutal campaign helped end the country’s 26-year civil war, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, who was president at the time, were hailed by the island’s Buddhist Sinhalese majority. Despite accusations of wartime atrocities, including ordering military attacks on ethnic Tamil civilians and abducting journalists, Rajapaksa remained popular among many Sri Lankans. He has continually denied the allegations.
___
Find more of AP’s Sri Lanka coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/sri-lanka | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/sri-lankan-president-resigns-parliament-to-convene/ | 2022-07-15T19:01:04Z |
Retired police detectives testify Thursday afternoon in day 5 of Dana Chandler retrial in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The lead Topeka Police Department detective in the Dana Chandler double-murder case from 2002 was back on the witness stand when the retrial entered Day 5 on Thursday morning in Shawnee County District Court in Topeka.
Former Topeka police Det. Richard Volle, whose testimony began late Wednesday afternoon, continued on the witness stand on Thursday.
Shawnee County District Court Judge Cheryl Rios called the court into session at 9:03 a.m.
At the outset of Thursday morning’s proceedings, Rios announced a person who had been serving on the jury was released.
It was the second day in a row that a juror was dismissed.
Twelve jurors and five alternates were sworn in for duty when the retrial began Friday, Aug. 5.
Chandler was arrested in 2011 and charged with the July 7, 2002, murders of her ex-husband Mike Sisco, 47, and his fiancé Karen Harkness, 53, at a home at 2231 S.W. Westport Square in west Topeka.
Testimony indicated Harkness had been shot five times and Sisco seven times while they were in bed in the basement of the residence, located just southeast of S.W. 21st and Wanamaker.
Though she has maintained her innocence, Chandler, now 62, was convicted in 2012.
However, in 2018, the Kansas Supreme Court overturned the conviction, citing misconduct by former prosecutor Jacqie Spradling, who has since been disbarred.
Chandler, who previously was in the Topeka Correctional Facility after her 2012 conviction, has been in the Shawnee County Jail since May 18, 2018.
The state’s prosecutor is Charles Kitt, chief of staff for the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office.
Chandler is being represented by lead defense attorney Tom Bath, of Leawood. Tricia Bath and Mark Hartman also are serving as a defense lawyers for Chandler.
On Thursday morning, Volle recounted interviews he conducted with Chandler pertaining to her activities on July 5, 6 and 7, 2002, the weekend when Harkness and Sisco were slain.
Receipts from stores and gas stations that Chandler told Volle she had visited in the Denver and Loveland, Colo., area were admitted into evidence.
Kitt questioned Volle for about 90 minutes Thursday morning.
Tom Bath then questioned Volle for about 90 minutes later Thursday morning.
Following the noon recess, Volle returned to the witness stand on Thursday afternoon.
He again was questioned by both Kitt and Tom Bath and continued on the witness stand as of 1:38 p.m. Thursday.
Following Volle’s dismissal around 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Michael Barron, another retired Topeka police detective, took the witness stand.
Barron was questioned by both Kitt and Tom Bath regarding the seizure of Chandler’s black 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse car with Arizona license plates.
Earlier testimony indicated Chandler had lived in Arizona before she moved to Denver.
Around 2:15 p.m., retired Topeka police Det. Don Kennedy testified he and another detective, Brian Hill, traveled to Denver on July 11, 2002, to check on acquiring video surveillance and receipts that possibly could have provided details on Chandler’s activities at stores and gas stations related to the investigation.
Kennedy said he and Hill, the current Shawnee County sheriff, began their investigation July 12, 2002, into retail establishments at locations in the Denver and Loveland, Colo., area.
Kennedy said he also participated in a search of Chandler’s apartment in Denver.
Photos from Chandler’s apartment in Denver were shown in Thursday afternoon’s session, including pictures of a five-gallon gas can that Kennedy said appeared to be new and that was on the back deck of the unit.
The container had about a “cup-full” of gas, Kennedy said.
Earlier testimony from Volle indicated Chandler on Saturday, July 6, 2002, purchased two five-gallon gas containers at an AutoZone store in Denver.
He said five officers from the Denver Police Department assisted in the search of Chandler’s residence.
Also testifying on Thursday afternoon was Marcilyn Martinez, who formerly worked for Dyncorp, a company that was contracted with the state of Kansas for child-support collection.
Martinez said Chandler had been ordered to make child-support payments to Sisco following their 1997 divorce. She said Chandler was about $7,600 behind in her child-support payments by July 2002.
In Wednesday afternoon’s testimony, Volle testified he was eating lunch around 2 p.m. Sunday, July 7, 2002, at the Golden Corral, near the 1600 block of S.W. Wanamaker, when he received the call that a double-homicide less than a mile away in the 2200 block of S.W. Westport Square.
He said he was surprised to find a double-homicide had occurred in that area, suspecting before he arrived that it could have been a murder-suicide.
Volle said he secured the crime scene, then went into the basement of the residence where the bodies of Harkness and Sisco were found, being as careful as possible.
He noted he called Chandler the night of the homicides to inform her that her ex-husband and father of the couple’s two children had been killed.
However, Volle said problems with a micro-cassette recorder prevented him from recording both himself and Chandler. Only Volle’s part of the conversation was recorded.
In a subsequent interview between police and Chandler, with her lawyer present, only about 45 minutes of a two-hour, 45-minute conversation was recorded, Volle said.
Chandler’s defense lawyer Tom Bath began questioning Volle around 10:10 a.m. Thursday.
Testimony through the first four days of the retrial included former Topeka police officers; former neighbors of Harkness in the 2200 block od S.W. Westport Square; a former employee of the Sac ‘N Fox Casino, where Harkness and Sisco went the night before they were killed; a U.S. Forestry Department fire investigator; a former business acquaintance of Chandler from Denver.
The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.
Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/08/11/retired-police-detectives-testify-thursday-afternoon-day-5-dana-chandler-retrial-topeka/ | 2022-08-11T20:52:45Z |
NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SKYPAD, a global leader in product performance analytics for retailers and brands, is thrilled to announce a partnership with luxury beauty retailer, Cos Bar. Leveraging feedback from key existing subscribers, including Chantecaille, Creed, Augustinis Bader, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Revive, and a host of others, the SKYPAD team worked to build an application tailored to best support the ever-burgeoning beauty industry with sales insights and consumer trends. This exclusive partnership is a strategic step forward to support the cosmetics and beauty space.
With its 19 brick-and-mortar stores throughout the US and its online presence, Cos Bar chose the SKYPAD SaaS platform as its preferred analytics tool. SKYPAD will be utilized to best forecast demand and to ensure automated, accurate, and consistent sales data-sharing with its brands. This will ultimately lead to optimal product availability for consumers in their stores and online. This time save will be a win-win for brands, buyers, and most importantly, consumers.
SKYPAD will provide a comprehensive dashboard with vendor product and location level insights and year-over-year comparison capabilities in a shared view, easing brand and buyer collaboration. The program includes industry specific terminology and concepts, including aggregate time frames around holidays and key events, categories and sub-categories, and benefits.
SKYPAD and Cos Bar have a shared, focused commitment to clients, which is to enhance speed, consistency, and accuracy of data sharing between merchants and their suppliers – Ultimately ensuring consumers have access to the right product, in the right place, at the right time.
"We are eager to launch with SKYPAD, and to empower our Merchant team and brands with an industry leading tool. We anticipate that this solution will not only grow our collective businesses, but will also grow our strategic and new brand relationships. We look forward to the results to come." – Cristina Estrada, VP of Operations
SKYPAD's VP of Business Development, Gil Hakami, stated, "We are super excited about this exclusive new partnership with Cos Bar. SKYPAD will allow Cos Bar buyers and their respective brands to collaborate on a single platform, to make merchandising decisions based on facts. Inevitably, this will positively impact Cos Bar consumers at the stores and online."
Sky I.T. Group is the home of SKYPAD, a leading B2B SaaS platform, supporting the collaboration of the world's most recognizable brands with the top retailers across the globe. Leveraging automation and self-serve reporting, SKYPAD provides insights into product and location level trends that drive planning, forecasting, and supply chain decisions, refining the consumer shopping experience.
Today, SKYPAD services over 4,000 users, from 2,000+ brands across several industry verticals and geographic regions. Our client brand portfolio of industry leaders includes International Cosmetics and Perfumes, Bond No 9, La Prairie, Sisley, Shiseido, and Oribe Hair Care. The SKYPAD retailer partner network includes Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off Fifth, and Nordstrom.
Website: www.skyitgroup.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Sky I.T. Group | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/23/skypad-partnership-with-cos-bar/ | 2022-08-23T12:15:16Z |
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pittco Direct Investments I, LP, the direct investing arm of Pittco Management, LLC ("Pittco"), is pleased to announce its minority investment in Arrow, Inc. ("Arrow Waste").
Arrow Waste is a market-leading provider of roll-off container and waste hauling services for residential, commercial, and industrial clients in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Pittco is excited to partner on the transaction with Carr's Hill Capital Partners Management, LP ("CHP"). Based in New Orleans, CHP is a lower middle-market private equity firm that provides capital and expertise to family & founder-owned companies in the Industrials & Business Services sectors.
"We are thrilled to invest alongside the Carr's Hill team in Arrow Waste," said Henry Guy, Pittco's Chief Investment Officer, adding, "Arrow Waste is a long-tenured market leader with a best-in-class equipment fleet positioned for significant future growth."
"The Pittco team is a great fit for CHP and Arrow Waste, and we look forward to building the business together," said H. David de Laureal, Managing Partner of CHP.
Pittco is a single-family office for the family of Pitt Hyde, founder of AutoZone, and his wife, Barbara. Pittco was established over 30 years ago, and provides investment, accounting, tax, and financial services from its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.
Media Contact:
Pittco Management, LLC
Media@pittcomanagement.com
901-685-3455
View original content:
SOURCE Pittco Management, LLC | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/03/pittco-invests-arrow-waste/ | 2022-08-03T16:16:01Z |
Becomes Official Nutritional Supplement Supplier of Tall Blacks and Sky Sport Tall Ferns Squads
SALT LAKE CITY, May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For 30 years USANA, the Cellular Nutrition Company, has been a leader in its industry. With more professional and Olympic athletes trusting USANA with their nutritional needs than any other nutritional supplement in the world, its impressive and diverse roster of athletic partners continues to soar. USANA is now the official nutritional supplement supplier of Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ), providing NSF-certified products to the Tall Blacks, Sky Sport Tall Ferns, and respective 3x3 team athletes.
"We are pumped and so thrilled to be working with the tremendous athletes of Basketball New Zealand and supporting their nutritional needs with our tested products," says David Mulham, USANA's chief sales officer. "We look forward to cheering them on as they represent New Zealand in upcoming competitions and beyond."
The Tall Blacks and Sky Sport Tall Ferns 3x3 teams recently won the FIBA Asia Cup and will progress to the Crelan FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2022 in Belgium next month. The teams will also compete in the inaugural debut of the 3x3 format at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in July.
Meanwhile the Tall Blacks will play a World Cup qualifier against the Philippines on June 30–their first game on home soil since 2018–before heading to the FIBA Asia Cup on July 12. The Tall Ferns also look forward to playing in New Zealand in 2022, with tournament details to be announced soon.
"We are excited to partner with USANA for our Senior National teams," says MNZM Chief Executive of Basketball New Zealand Dillon Boucher. "With a focus on the health and well-being of our teams, this partnership allows us to provide what is needed to be at our peak for performance on the world stage."
Having trust in a product is important for BBNZ and its athletes, and USANA's commitment to offering quality nutritional supplements met the organizations needs and expectations.
"Through our partnership with Drug Free Sport NZ, we are committed to ensuring our athletes are educated about supplement use," adds Boucher. "We were impressed with USANA's quality assurance program and the level of detail they put into their third-party testing."
USANA's world-class products are validated through third-party testing to ensure supplements are thoroughly tested against the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of banned substances. A variety of USANA products are tested through NSF International's Certified for Sport® program to verify what's on the label is in the bottle and Informed-Choice which regularly tests the purity of the products' raw ingredients.
To learn more about USANA and its award-winning supplements, visit USANA.com.
About USANA
USANA (NYSE:USNA) prides itself on providing consumers the highest quality nutritional products in the world. From its award-winning supplements to its innovative skincare and new active nutrition line, USANA has proven for 30 years why it's a company you can trust. How about giving us a try? Shop at USANA.com or learn more at whatsupUSANA.com.
Media Contact:
Amy Haran, Executive Vice President of Communications
(801) 954-7641
media@USANAinc.com
About Basketball New Zealand
Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) is the national body for the sport of basketball in New Zealand. Its role is to develop, grow, and promote basketball and participants of the game. BBNZ is run by a small national office based in Wellington and is strategically driven by a Board of Directors.
Media Contact:
James Craw, General Manager Communications
(+61) 204 014 4718
media@nz.basketball
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE USANA | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/usana-signs-deal-with-basketball-new-zealand/ | 2022-05-31T20:00:58Z |
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S government, accusing it of endangering wildlife and humans as it prepares to dredge and expand Puerto Rico’s biggest bay to accommodate massive tankers that will serve a new liquid natural gas terminal.
The Arizona-based nonprofit said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ $60 million project would remove 2.2 million cubic yards of seafloor sediment to deepen and widen San Juan Bay’s shipping channels.
Dredging would last more than a year, and some of the material could be transported to the nearby Condado Lagoon Estuarine Reserve, which is popular with locals and tourists who swim, snorkel and paddleboard its waters, where manatees and starfish are a common sight.
The lawsuit also states that several “overburdened environmental justice communities” near and around the U.S. territory’s north coast could be at risk from pollution, explosions and oil spills if the dredging is completed and the terminal starts operating. It noted that the Corps did not consult with communities that could be affected.
“This project will destroy corals and threaten communities and deepen the island’s dangerous dependence on fossil fuels,” Catherine Kilduff, an attorney for the center, told The Associated Press.
The center and two environmental groups — CORALations and El Puente de Williamsburg Inc. — filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others. They have 60 days to respond, and then both sides would make arguments before a judge issues a decision that can be appealed.
Amanda Parker, a Corps spokeswoman, said the agency is unable to comment on pending litigation. The Corps previously stated that dredged materials in the Condado Lagoon would fill depressions and create seagrass habitat.
The lawsuit states that the Corps submitted an environmental assessment instead of a more rigorous environmental impact statement and accused it of reaching an erroneous determination in August 2018 that dredging would have no environmental impact.
The lawsuit noted that more than 1.5 million people live in eight cities and towns that surround the San Juan Bay: “The coastal economy Is connected to the bay and its health.”
If the dredging project is completed, tankers transporting petroleum and liquefied natural gas would carry about six times the capacity of vessels that currently use Puerto Rico’s busiest harbor.
It’s located in a bay that is part of a larger ecosystem made up of rivers, lagoons and a smaller bay that cover 3,400 acres and are home to threatened and endangered animals including four types of sea turtles, manatees and the yellow-shouldered blackbird.
Kilduff said the nonprofits are demanding an environmental impact statement in part because of new information on how dredging smothers corals.
“So much of Puerto Rico’s economy depends on coastal resources like tourism and fishing,” she said.
The lawsuit also warned that the dredging project would “hasten damage, weathering and erosion of the coast and structures” including two massive historic forts that guarded San Juan Bay during colonial times.
The nonprofits said a smaller project with more robust mitigation such as the use of sediment curtains and requiring new seals on barges could reduce environmental damage.
“The agency failed to take a ‘hard look’ at the direct, indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of its decision before acting,” the lawsuit stated.
The complaint is the latest hit on plans to build a liquefied natural gas import terminal in San Juan that has come under intense scrutiny. In June, a federal appeals court ruled that New York-based New Fortress Energy Inc. did not obtain the necessary permits before starting construction of the terminal and must face a review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Environmental groups have long rejected construction of the terminal as they demand that Puerto Rico lessen its dependence on fossil fuels, which generate about 97% of the island’s electricity. Natural gas represents roughly 44% and petroleum another 37%. Renewables account for only 3%. | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/environmental-groups-sue-us-over-puerto-rico-dredging-plan/ | 2022-08-16T16:07:28Z |
LAS VEGAS (AP) — I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to put on the USA jersey every day.
It’s been a long road back after thinking my career was over after having spinal surgery in January of 2020.
I thought my life was going to change drastically and I wouldn’t ever be able to play again. Yet here I am 2 years later, hoping to earn a spot on the U.S. World Cup roster.
Thinking back to my time in the hospital bed to be now being back at the peak of competition, I’m just so grateful to be playing basketball at this level again. I can’t really discredit God at this point, I’m just really humbled to be here.
It’s a dream as a basketball player to play for the USA. It’s the one team that everyone wants to play for at some point and everyone knows is one of the hardest to make. To have the opportunity right now is a dream come true.
This isn’t my first time playing for USA, having won a gold medal at the World University Games when I was in college. That probably was the longest flight I ever took, well until now when we head off to Sydney.
One thing you can always count with USA Basketball is that they take you all over the world. Up next might be outer space.
This is my first time going to the Outback. I think I’m looking forward to learning more about the place. Experiencing the continent and just trying to get myself back on track. Ever since the Phoenix Mercury season ended I’ve been running and ripping across multiple states.
We had a good training week in Las Vegas. It’s a really good group and everybody carries the same energy and intensity as far as winning goes. Practices are really competitive and there are a lot of new faces which is nice. There’s also a lot of youth.
I’ve gotten to spend some time with Rhyne Howard. She and I are very similar in a lot of ways. It’s been great to pick her brain a little bit and take in this whole experience with her. At some point soon, we’ll have to have a conversation about SEC basketball.
As a group we’re still looking to build our team chemistry, but everyone’s bought in on the process and what the team will look like. We eat all our meals together and lift together. We’ve had some good recovery pool workouts too.
And now we’ll get a chance to bond for 15 hours on the flight to Australia. Catch you all soon.
___
Phoenix Mercury star Diamond DeShields is checking in periodically from USA Basketball training camp and the FIBA World Cup. | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-diamond-deshields-chronicles-usa-basketball-training-camp/ | 2022-09-13T15:31:12Z |
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Once again, one of America’s deadliest mass shootings happened in Texas.
Past shootings targeted worshippers during a Sunday sermon, shoppers at a Walmart, students on a high school campus and drivers on a highway. Among the latest victims were 19 children in the small town of Uvalde, west of San Antonio, where on Tuesday a gunman opened fire inside an elementary school in the nation’s deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade.
Each of those tragedies in Texas — which resulted in more than 85 dead in all — occurred in the last five years.
But as the horror in Uvalde plunges the U.S. into another debate over gun violence, Texas and the state’s Republican-controlled government have by now demonstrated what is likely to happen next: virtually nothing that would restrict gun access.
Lawmakers are unlikely to adopt any significant new limits on guns. Last year, gun laws were actually loosened after a gunman at a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 people in a racist 2019 attack that targeted Hispanics.
“I can’t wrap my head around it,” said state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat whose district includes Uvalde. “It’s disturbing to me as a policymaker that we have been able to do little other than create greater access to these militarized weapons to just about anyone who would want them.”
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott identified the gunman as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos. Two other adults also died in the attack. The gunman was killed by authorities.
The cycle in Texas — a mass shooting followed by few if any new restrictions on guns — mirrors GOP efforts to block stricter laws in Congress and the ensuring outrage from Democrats and supporters of tougher gun control.
President Joe Biden angrily made a renewed push Tuesday evening after the tragedy in Uvalde. “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?” he asked in an address from the White House.
The shooting in Texas happened days before the National Rifle Association is set to hold its annual meeting in Houston, where Abbott and other Republican leaders are scheduled to speak.
Even as Biden’s party has slim control of Congress, gun violence bills have stalled in the face of Republican opposition in the Senate. Last year, the House passed two bills to expand background checks on firearms purchases, but both languished in the 50-50 Senate where Democrats need at least 10 Republican votes to overcome objections from a filibuster.
“It sort of centers around the issue of mental health. It seems like there’s consensus in that area,” No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Thune said about how Congress should respond to the Uvalde shooting. He did not specify what that would be.
In Texas, any changes to gun access would not come until lawmakers return to the Capitol in 2023. In the past, calls for action have faded.
Abbott, who is up for reelection in November, said the shooting in Uvalde was carried out “horrifically, incomprehensibly” on children. He did not immediately say how or whether Texas would respond to this latest mass shooting on a policy level, but since he became governor in 2015, the state has only gotten more relaxed when it comes to gun laws.
Exactly one year before the Uvalde shooting, the GOP-controlled Legislature voted to remove one of the last major gun restrictions in Texas: required licenses, background checks and training for the nearly 1.6 million registered handgun owners in the state at the time.
Abbott signed the measure, which came at the end of what was the Texas Legislature’s first chance to act after the Walmart attack.
A year later, a man went on a highway shooting rampage in the West Texas oil patch that left seven people dead, spraying bullets into passing cars and shopping plazas and killing a U.S. Postal Service employee while hijacking her mail truck.
Following a shooting at Santa Fe High School in 2018 that killed 10 people near Houston, Abbott signaled support for so-called red flag laws, which restrict gun access for people deemed dangerous to themselves or others. But he later retreated amid pushback from gun-rights supporters.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who won the GOP nomination for a third term Tuesday, told Fox News after the Uvalde shooting that the best response would be training teachers and “hardening” schools.
Democrat state Rep. Joe Moody recalled the hope he felt that the Walmart shooting in his border city might finally lead to reforms.
“And the only answer you get when we go to the Capitol is, ‘More guns, less restrictions,'” Moody said. “That’s it.’” | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/texas-school-massacre-continues-states-grim-run-of-mass-shootings/ | 2022-05-25T13:53:54Z |
81-year-old man dies at lake after breaking off with group of swimmers
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ks. (KCTV/Gray News) - An 81-year-old man was found dead in a Kansas lake Monday morning after breaking off from his group during a swim.
Douglas County deputies were called at 6:30 a.m. to Lone Star Lake after a boater found a man unresponsive in the water.
The man was brought to shore and life-saving measures were attempted, KCTV reports. Rescuers, however, were unable to revive the man.
Authorities found the man, from Lawrence, was part of a group that regularly swims at the lake.
He broke off from the group to head back to shore and was found unresponsive in the water a short time later.
No foul play is suspected, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
The man’s name was not released by authorities.
The sheriff’s office offered condolences to the man’s family.
Copyright 2022 KCTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/04/81-year-old-man-dies-lake-after-breaking-off-with-group-swimmers/ | 2022-07-04T18:14:58Z |
Employees Cite Flexibility of Hybrid Work Model as Key Source of Happiness
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KeyPoint Credit Union, one of the largest Credit Unions in California, has been named as one of the San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Media Top Workplaces for 2022, ranking among the region's top midsize companies (150-499 employees).
"We are extremely honored to be named a top workplace," said Brad Canfield, KeyPoint's President & CEO. "Despite the challenges of the pandemic, KeyPoint's employees have rallied to bring out new products and services, while continuing to improve member service."
The Top Workplaces list is determined solely through employee feedback in a survey by Energage, LLC, a leading research firm on organizational health and employee engagement.
With 200 employees and seven California branches, KeyPoint serves over 60,000 Members in the Bay Area and beyond. The company promotes a collaborative work environment, offering high-quality training and support to help staff reach their full potential. KeyPoint also encourages a happy work-life balance, with comprehensive benefits that include paid holidays, educational reimbursement and staff discounts.
"Our employees love the flexibility of the hybrid work model," said LeeAnne Giblin, KeyPoint's Chief Administrative Officer. "Employees feel they are more efficient when they can choose when they need to be in the office. We strive for a workplace that empowers and inspires our staff to help Members thrive financially throughout all stages of life."
Energage conducts regional Top Workplaces programs with 45 major publishing partners across the United States. For more information about the Top Workplaces lists, visit https://topworkplaces.com.
View original content:
SOURCE KeyPoint Credit Union | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/keypoint-credit-union-named-top-places-work/ | 2022-06-27T11:32:57Z |
Areas include end-of-life battery solutions for its battery ecosystem, including battery collection, testing & evaluation, remanufacturing, recycling and battery materials production
PLANO, Texas and CARSON CITY, Nev., June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor North America (Toyota), as part of its commitment to reduce its environmental footprint year after year and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, has embarked on a mission to create a sustainable, closed-loop battery ecosystem for its electrified powertrains. This mission focuses not only on the collection, testing and recycling of batteries into raw materials to create a sustainable supply chain, but also aims to develop second-life opportunities for remanufactured and repurposed Toyota hybrid electric vehicle batteries by leveraging battery health screening tools and empowering data from its vehicles.
In connection with these goals, Toyota and Redwood Materials (Redwood) will explore a series of end-of-life battery solutions for Toyota's proposed battery ecosystem. Initially, this collaboration will focus on the collection, testing and recycling of Toyota hybrid electric vehicle batteries. The companies will then look to expand into other areas such as battery health screening and data management, remanufacturing and battery material supply throughout North America.
"We are excited to be working with Redwood Materials to identify solutions for our electrified powertrains at the end-of-life that contributes to our vision of creating a sustainable, circular battery ecosystem," said Christopher Yang, group vice president of Business Development at Toyota. "We are committed to developing sustainable solutions that allow our batteries to provide value beyond the initial lifecycle in an electrified vehicle. This also contributes to our carbon neutrality goals and our mission to build a more sustainable world for all."
Redwood Materials is driving down the environmental footprint and cost of lithium-ion batteries by offering large-scale sources of domestic anode and cathode materials produced from recycled batteries. Redwood receives more than ~6 GWh of end-of-life batteries annually for recycling, which are then refined and remanufactured into critical battery materials. The company plans to ramp production of anode and cathode components in the US to 100 GWh annually by 2025, enough to produce more than one million electric vehicles a year. Together, Toyota and Redwood will investigate ways to seamlessly incorporate battery recycling through domestic battery materials manufacturing into Toyota's battery production strategy, beginning with North America.
"Toyota helped pave the way for clean transportation with the introduction of the Toyota Prius more than 20 years ago. Their commitment not only to sell millions of electrified vehicles this decade but to ensure their circularity into the future is a critical step for electrification," said JB Straubel, Redwood Materials founder and CEO. "Redwood and Toyota's shared vision to drive down the environmental footprint and cost of transportation will continue to accelerate the adoption and access to electric vehicles."
Toyota's production plans include new and increased automotive battery production in the United States. Recently Toyota announced an investment of $1.29 billion in a new North American battery plant, Toyota Battery Manufacturing, North Carolina (TBMNC). When completed, TBMNC is anticipated to produce battery packs for 1.2 million electrified vehicles per year. Toyota expects to sell eight million electrified vehicles globally by 2030 and invest $70B in their development.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 39,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 32 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota's 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, a quarter of the company's 2021 U.S. sales were electrified.
To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance to virtually visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities. The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and curriculum through Toyota USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
About Redwood Materials
Redwood Materials is creating a circular supply chain to drive down the environmental footprint and cost of lithium-ion batteries and the electric vehicles and sustainable energy storage systems they power. Founded by JB Straubel, the Nevada-based company is offering large-scale sources of domestic anode and cathode materials produced from recycled batteries. Redwood receives more than ~6 GWh of end-of-life batteries annually for recycling, which are then refined and remanufactured into critical battery materials. The company plans to ramp production of anode and cathode components in the US to 100 GWh annually by 2025, enough to produce more than one million electric vehicles a year.
Media Contacts
Toyota Motor North America
Josh Burns
Joshua.Burns@toyota.com
Redwood Materials
Alexis Georgeson
alexis@redwoodmaterials.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Toyota Motor North America | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/21/toyota-collaborate-with-redwood-materials-sustainable-closed-loop-electrified-vehicle-battery-ecosystem/ | 2022-06-21T13:27:51Z |
Broadcast Quality Video Capture and Advanced Connectivity Options Help Enable Broadcasters to Achieve Efficient Production
MELVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today the launch of the CR-N700i – a 4K 60P 4:2:2 10-bit PTZ camera with a 1.0-inch Type CMOS Sensor and 12G-SDI connectivity, designed for professional broadcast, studios, and live event productions. Building on Canon's broadcast heritage, the CR-N700 incorporates the intelligent AF from Canon's popular professional video cameras, such as the EOS C70 and XF605, for precision focus across the entire pan, tilt and zoom range. With a host of powerful features, this launch expands Canon's PTZ line-up, offering a PTZ camera for various types of productions and technical requirements. Additionally, Canon is announcing the availability of a firmware update for the Canon CR-N500 and CR-N300 PTZ cameras.
Achieve Broadcast Quality, Easily
To meet the current demands of broadcasters, the CR-N700 features a 1.0-inch Type CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV7 processor to deliver superb 4K UHD 60P 4:2:2 10-bit imagery for truly immersive content. Capable of high-quality transmission, Canon's newest PTZ camera allows content creators to stream 4K 60P over IP with PoE++ support that allows for power, streaming, and camera control over a single cable – perfect for remote and live broadcast productions. The impeccable image quality is also the result of the high-performance lens, which has a 15x optical zoom and a 30x advanced zoom when shooting in Full HD. When coupled with Canon's renowned Image Stabilizer, broadcasters can capture smooth, steady footage even from a distance. This can be ideal for shooting reality TV shows or even sports when camera operators want to discreetly zoom in on the action. The CR-N700 also features a Night Mode, allowing operators to capture footage in near darkness thanks to a removable built-in IR cut filter. Along with the HDR formats in PQ or HLG, broadcasters can capture virtually uncompromised footage in various lighting environments.
Breaking new ground for Canon's line-up of PTZ cameras, the CR-N700 is equipped with fast, intelligent and extremely accurate focusing thanks to Canon's proprietary Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology with advanced EOS iTR AF X. This deep learning autofocus locks onto a subject's head, to track them as they move and even when they turn their face away. Eye Detection AF locks onto the subject's pupil for even greater precision, while the Face Priority AF allows operators to prioritize a specific individual. This can be ideal for scenarios where it is imperative to stay locked onto the anchor throughout.
Superb Connectivity, Simple Workflows
As with Canon's entire range of PTZ cameras, the CR-N700 supports multiple protocols to integrate with existing workflows seamlessly. Designed to fit into the diverse production ecosystems of broadcasters, the CR-N700 features SRT and NDI|HXii protocols for high-quality 4K video streams, while FreeD enables integration with virtual productions. Broadcasters can easily create multi-camera setups that meet their needs with these protocols, and with Canon's XC protocol, it is possible to integrate the CR-N700 alongside other Canon Cinema EOS cameras such as the EOS C500 Mark II, EOS C300 Mark III, or professional camcorders including the XF605iii for a truly versatile setup. It's even possible to match other Canon cameras' look with Canon Log 3 and Wide Dynamic Range picture settings.
The flexible connectivity options include 12G-SDI and 3G-SDI, HDMI or IP, which allow the seamless transmission of 4K60P, for high-quality, consistent broadcasts. The CR-N700 also includes professional dual XLR audio inputs, Time code, and GEN-LOCK, for different production needs.
Enhanced control
Canon's latest PTZ camera offers the same intuitive control as other models in the line. The advanced drive mechanism enables movements as slow and precise as 0.1° per second, meaning operators can capture cinematic shots. Compatible with both Canon's RC-IP100 controller and Remote Camera Control Application, as well as selected third-party controllers, this further simplifies integration with existing production setups. With the CR-N700's crop function, broadcasters can take two separate feeds from a single PTZ camera. They can select up to two regions of interest within the 4K frame and output them as a separate feeds in HD resolutions. This feature is perfect for productions with limited PTZ cameras on site.
Canon CR-N700 Key Features:
- 1.0-inch Type CMOS sensor with DIGIC DV7 Processor achieves 4K60P 4:2:2 10-bit
- 15x Optical Zoom (30x Advanced Zoom)
- Dual Pixel AF with iTR AF X
- Multiple protocols including NDI|HX, SRT, FreeD, RTMP(S), RTP, RTSP, Standard communication protocol & Canon XC Protocol
- Enhanced connectivity with 12G-SDI, 3G-SDI, and HDMI output
Canon CR-N500 and CR-N300 PTZ Camera Firmware Update
The new firmware update for the Canon CR-N500 and CR-N300 PTZ cameras adds SRT and FreeD protocols. SRT protocol is a widely used video transmission protocol for live broadcasts that provides both low latency and error correction for smooth video over public internet connections. FreeD protocol is also a widely used protocol for transmitting camera positioning information, allowing the camera to be used in virtual applications such as virtual studio systems. Both protocols are supported by the CR-N700, and are now available on the CR-N300 and CR-N500 with firmware version 1.2.0 that is currently available for download.
Pricing and Availability
The Canon CR-N700 PTZ is scheduled to be available in December 2022 for an estimated retail price of $9,699.00.iv
For more information, please visit usa.canon.com.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $30.6 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), as of 2021 has ranked in the top-five overall in U.S. patents granted for 36 consecutive years† and was one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2022. Canon U.S.A. was featured in Newsweek's Most Loved Workplaces list for 2021, ranking among the top 100 companies for employee happiness and satisfaction at work. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Canon U.S.A., Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/canon-targets-high-end-broadcasters-with-new-ptz-camera/ | 2022-09-07T17:53:52Z |
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Standing under her beautiful red chandelier one morning, internationally known scientific researcher and formulator savant, Dr. Christina Rahm, had a vision for a platform designed to give the arts and sciences a runway to thrive together. She founded Under the Red Chandelier which is an unmatched arts and sciences platform to inspire creativity while learning a little science on the side. Dr. Rahm has made it her mission to create a healthy environment and meaningful life by eliminating internal and external negative influences. For those who have a positive appetite for all things art and science, welcome to Under the Red Chandelier.
Under the Red Chandelier will feature a podcast, sponsored by The Root Brands, with Dr. Rahm sharing her unique, one-of-a-kind stories, interviews, collaborations, sponsorships, and much more. She was inspired to create awareness by making a bridge for the arts and sciences and people's understanding of them and how they work together. With her incredible stories and extensive career, Dr. Rahm will share her experiences with travel, her unique style, her passion for art, and her love of science.
Having explored over 85 countries, Dr. Rahm has seen and studied the very wild field of science and medicine. However, she has also had the privilege to explore the approaches and advancements in all things fashion, art, food, music, and design. With the knowledge gained from her experiences and career, she has come to the conclusion that the state of our health is greatly impacted by everything in our lives. She learned that science and the arts are a part of one another with people being constantly consumed by it on a daily basis, whether they know it or not. Dr. Rahm wants this series to be a runway for those who want to add a little touch of science to their everyday lives. Hoping to establish a deep, unique, and cherished connection between the audience, the arts, and the sciences, Dr. Christina is creating a path for creativity within the arts. She has vowed to herself, her family, her friends, and her colleagues to help people around the world find their paths of empowerment that lead to a healthy, happy, and productive life. With being said, Under The Red Chandelier will be nothing short of that. With this runway, Dr. Rahm is making science sexy, so stay tuned if you want more.
Contact: hello@therootbrands.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE The Root Brands | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/05/under-red-chandelier-sponsored-by-root-brands/ | 2022-08-06T00:25:14Z |
CHICAGO, May 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Peoples Gas announced today that its customers who applied and qualified for heating assistance over the winter and spring will have all remaining past-due balances cleared and they will not be subject to disconnection. This marks the second straight heating season Peoples Gas customers with low-incomes have had their balances taken care of.
Funding for this important effort comes from a significant increase in federal assistance — that Peoples Gas helped secure — and increased state aid. In total, Peoples Gas customers have now received $46 million in funding for heating assistance over the past year. The customers' past due balances will be cleared before the end of June.
"When a worldwide spike in natural gas prices drove up heating bills across Illinois and the country, we made sure customers having a tough time paying bills had help," said Charles Matthews, president and CEO — Peoples Gas. "We remain committed to helping all our customers now and going forward and ensuring they have the safe and reliable energy they depend on."
In addition to financial assistance, Peoples Gas works closely with customers on flexible payment plans and energy efficiency programs.
Any customer having trouble paying their bills is urged to contact Peoples Gas so they can access all help available to them. Specific information is available on the Peoples Gas mobile app, at peoplesgasdelivery.com, and by calling 866-556-6001.
Peoples Gas, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), is a regulated natural gas delivery company that serves more than 878,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the city of Chicago. You can find more information about natural gas safety, energy efficiency and other energy-related topics at peoplesgasdelivery.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @peoplegaschi.
View original content:
SOURCE Peoples Gas | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/25/peoples-gas-works-with-federal-state-officials-pay-off-heating-bills-customers-who-have-low-incomes/ | 2022-05-25T16:08:40Z |
SADDLE BROOK, N.J., Aug. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Charity Navigator, the world's largest evaluator of nonprofits, today announced Dr. Jeanette Shutay as its Chief Data Technology Officer (CDTO). Dr. Shutay will oversee the organization's technological resources, strategies, and growth plans, with a strong emphasis on developing and implementing a data and analytics strategy.
Dr. Shutay was formerly the Vice President of Data Science at Redwood Logistics, where she led a team of six data scientists focused on solving logistic and supply chain issues. Before her time at Redwood Logistics, she served as the Senior Director of Analytics & Data Science Strategy at HAVI, developing corporate strategies around data science applications, opportunities, and implementation. Dr. Shutay earned a Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago in research methodology.
"Jeanette brings the right mix of data science and deep technology experience to help us drive innovation across the ratings and the user experience at Charity Navigator," said Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. "Her creative and analytical mind will be invaluable as we increase the depth and breadth of our ratings and help donors really find what they are looking for."
"Charity Navigator's vision and articulated strategy immediately captured my attention," said Dr. Shutay. She continued, "I'm looking forward to developing and implementing a data science strategy to help millions of donors find and support impactful nonprofits working to solve the issues they care deeply about."
Charity Navigator, which recently announced its plans to launch a unified rating system, continues to invest in strengthening the team. Dr. Shutay joins new Chief Program Officer Laura Andes, appointed in April, and eight additional team members in 2022.
Charity Navigator, the world's largest and most utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, empowers donors of all sizes with free access to data, tools, and resources to guide philanthropic decision-making. Through Charity Navigator's ratings, nonprofits are equipped with the nonprofit sector's premier trust indicator and a powerful platform to raise awareness and funds. Charity Navigator does not charge the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501(c)(3) public charity, depends on support from individuals, corporations, and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America's charitable givers.
View original content:
SOURCE Charity Navigator | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/22/charity-navigator-welcomes-dr-jeanette-shutay-chief-data-technology-officer/ | 2022-08-22T13:20:31Z |
AUSTIN, Texas, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Health Action (THA), a community-informed nonprofit with an expertise in serving LGBTQIA+ people and people impacted by HIV, recently named Dr. Sandra Guerra as its chief medical officer (CMO). In this role, Guerra is responsible for clinical leadership, quality processes and medical education efforts that advance THA's mission of providing access to culturally affirming, quality health services in a safe and supportive environment. She assumed her new role on June 6, 2022, replacing Dr. Cynthia Brinson.
"We are incredibly grateful for the legacy Dr. Brinson has left as one the founding members of our organization, and we look forward to the many contributions Dr. Guerra will bring," Christopher Hamilton, chief executive officer of THA, said. "Dr. Guerra's extensive public health background and experience working with diverse patient populations make her the ideal person to lead Texas Health Action's growing clinical programs."
In her new role, Guerra oversees THA's programs including Kind Clinic, which provides sexual health services through locations in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas; and TeleKind, which provides Texas residents access to the HIV prevention medication known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) via virtual appointments, as well as at-home testing and HIV care.
"I have watched Texas Health Action grow from Austin's first PrEP clinic to a thriving nonprofit that provides access to PrEP for all Texans, among a range of health services," Brinson said. "Dr. Guerra's more than 20-year career in population-based healthcare and leadership experience at large multidisciplinary organizations make her the perfect choice to help continue this growth."
Before joining THA, Guerra was the CMO of Centene Corporation WellCare of Kentucky and the interim deputy director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. Prior to this, she served as the vice president and CMO of Humana Military, which offers military health care through the Department of Defense TRICARE East program. From 2005-2012, Guerra was the regional medical director and preventative medicine residency program director for the Texas Department of State Health Services. She has also served on the Board of Regents for the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American Board of Preventive Medicine PAFT Exam Committee, and the San Antonio AIDS Foundation Board of Directors, among others.
"At this point in my career, I am excited to work with Texas Health Action toward solutions for such a deserving population," Guerra, said. "I am honored to join an organization focused on prevention and health equity."
Guerra earned a Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Relationships from The University of Texas at Austin, a Doctor of Medicine from Texas A&M University Health Science Center, and a Master of Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health.
Texas Health Action (THA) is a community informed organization dedicated to providing access to culturally affirming, quality health services in a safe and supportive environment with an expertise in serving LGBTQIA+ people and people impacted by HIV. Since 2015, Texas Health Action has provided health services without stigma or judgment and has empowered the community through outreach and education. Texas Health Action operates Kind Clinic, which provides sexual health services through locations across Central Texas; TeleKind, which provides sexual health services via virtual visits and at-home testing; and Waterloo Counseling Center, which provides behavioral health services in Austin. Texas Health Action is led by CEO Christopher Hamilton. For more information about Texas Health Action and its programs, please visit www.TexasHealthAction.org.
Media Contacts: ECPR
Kelsey Stevens or Anita Garza
kstevens@echrsitianpr.com or agarza@echristianpr.com
512-694-7003 or 361-655-4683
View original content:
SOURCE Texas Health Action | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/08/texas-health-action-names-new-chief-medical-officer/ | 2022-06-08T13:43:28Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House oversight subcommittee asked regulators and industry leaders on Tuesday to explain what they are doing to stop cryptocurrency fraud and other scams perpetrated on consumers.
Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, head of the Economic and Consumer Policy subcommittee, asked leaders of the Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Federal Trade Commission for more information on the steps they are taking to curb the growth of fraud and consumer abuse linked to cryptocurrencies.
The inquiries come as the cryptocurrency market has seen immense volatility, as bitcoin lost nearly half its value at one point this year and other cryptocurrencies fell even more.
“Despite these vulnerabilities, the federal government has been slow to curb cryptocurrency scams and fraud. Existing federal regulations do not comprehensively or clearly cover cryptocurrencies under all circumstances,” reads one letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Five of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges were also sent inquiry letters, requesting documents on company policies regarding the removal of fake accounts.
A report on the impacts of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets on financial markets and illicit finance is expected to be released in the coming weeks. In March, President Joe Biden issued an executive order calling for several agencies to look at ways to regulate digital assets and gave them 180 days to do so.
On Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned that criminals are more frequently exploiting vulnerabilities on certain decentralized finance platforms to steal cryptocurrency.
Several major legislative proposals were offered in Congress this year as well.
Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and John Boozman, R-Ark. have proposed a bill that would give the regulatory authority over Bitcoin and Ether to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. Stabenow and Boozman lead the Senate Agriculture Committee, which has authority over CTFC.
In June, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., proposed the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, which would create legal definitions of digital assets and virtual currencies; would require the IRS to adopt guidance on merchant acceptance of digital assets and charitable contributions; and would make a distinction between digital assets that are commodities and those that are securities. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/ap-house-panel-calls-for-cryptocurrency-fraud-oversight/ | 2022-08-31T20:01:58Z |
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthGigJobs announces the August 1st launch of a major benefits initiative that will grant Members of its Marketplace access to a customized offering of health coverages, financial services and professional support services designed for the needs of independent contractors.
Powered by the ICBA (Independent Contractors Benefits Association, Inc.), the new offering empowers healthcare professionals to view gig work as a viable alternative to full-time or part-time employment by providing access to affordable quality benefits.
The new package will give HealthGigJobs Members access to five different sets of benefits and services:
- Telehealth: 24/7 access to a doctor for Members and their families with $0 copays – no waiting rooms, no hidden fees, no hassle.
- Basic Health Plans: affordable plans to cover common medical expenses for illness and accident. These Basic Health Plans can act as standalone coverage, or they can supplement major medical coverage. Dental Plans are also available as standalone coverage or an add-on coverage to a Basic Health Plan.
- Major Medical & Short-Term Medical Plans: traditional robust medical plans to cover healthcare costs ranging from routine doctor visits to treatments for serious illness.
- Banking Services: online banking designed for independent contractors with easy expense management, tax planning, and more.
- Contractor Advantage Plan: access to the trusted professional support independent contractors need – includes Tax Return Preparation & Advice, Legal Services, Financial & Credit Assistance, and Remote Tech Support among others.
Leon de Jerez, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer said: "Loss of benefits is the number one concern of gig workers, but with today's launch of its new initiative, HealthGigJobs continues to provide gig workers with the tools to embrace the gig economy as a true alternative to full-time employment."
Rick Yarosh, Co-Founder and President said: "HealthGigJobs is already unique in offering healthcare workers the first bid/counterbid order-driven exchange for on-demand work. Now we are setting ourselves further apart from the competition by being the first healthcare gig platform to offer its Members integrated access to affordable benefits and services vital for gig worker peace of mind."
HealthGigJobs is first to market with an order-driven exchange that allows verified healthcare employers to negotiate and set terms for on-demand work directly with verified healthcare professionals, utilizing a unique, dynamic bid/counterbid process.
Contact:
Leon de Jerez, CEO & Co-Founder
ldejerez@healthgigjobs.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE HealthGigJobs Services, Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/healthgigjobs-offers-independent-contractor-members-its-gig-marketplace-access-comprehensive-benefits-offering/ | 2022-07-27T12:33:49Z |
NEW YORK, July 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Unilever PLC (NYSE: UL).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/unilever-plc-loss-submission-form/?id=29616&from=4
This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Unilever American Depositary Receipts between September 2, 2020 and July 21, 2021, inclusive.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until August 15, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, Unilever PLC issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: a) in July 2020, the board of Ben & Jerry's, one of Unilever's marquee brands, passed a resolution to end sales of its ice cream in "Occupied Palestinian Territory" ; and b) this boycott decision risked adverse governmental actions for violations of laws, executive orders, or resolutions aimed at discouraging boycotts, divestment, and sanctions of Israel adopted by 35 U.S. states.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
View original content:
SOURCE Jakubowitz Law | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/08/ul-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-unilever-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-august-15-2022/ | 2022-07-08T11:14:00Z |
NEW YORK, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InvestorsObserver issues critical PriceWatch Alerts for CPE, AMC, GME, NFLX, and WMT.
Click a link below then choose between in-depth options trade idea report or a stock score report.
Options Report – Ideal trade ideas on up to seven different options trading strategies. The report shows all vital aspects of each option trade idea for each stock.
Stock Report - Measures a stock's suitability for investment with a proprietary scoring system combining short and long-term technical factors with Wall Street's opinion including a 12-month price forecast.
- CPE: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=CPE&prnumber=060220223
- AMC: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=AMC&prnumber=060220223
- GME: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=GME&prnumber=060220223
- NFLX: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=NFLX&prnumber=060220223
- WMT: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=WMT&prnumber=060220223
(Note: You may have to copy this link into your browser then press the [ENTER] key.)
InvestorsObserver provides patented technology to some of the biggest names on Wall Street and creates world-class investing tools for the self-directed investor on Main Street. We have a wide range of tools to help investors make smarter decisions when investing in stocks or options.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE InvestorsObserver | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/thinking-about-trading-options-or-stock-callon-petroleum-amc-entertainment-gamestop-netflix-or-walmart/ | 2022-06-02T14:33:28Z |
"Abbott Elementary," which recently finished its first season to rave reviews, is a sitcom that centers on a Title IX elementary school in Philadelphia. Quinta Brunson, the show's creator and star, said many have asked her to address school shootings, and she responded with a firm "No."
"wild how many people have asked for a school shooting episode of the show I write. people are that deeply removed from demanding more from the politicians they've elected and are instead demanding 'entertainment,'" Brunson wrote Wednesday on Twitter. "I can't ask 'are yall ok' anymore because the answer is 'no.'"
Brunson posted a screenshot of one direct message she received. The sender argued an episode like that would show government officials why certain gun laws should pass.
"please use that energy to ask your elected official to get on Beto time and nothing less," she said, referring to Beto O'Rourke, the former presidential candidate turned Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee looking to unseat GOP Gov. Greg Abbott. O'Rourke has been a vocal advocate for greater gun control, confronting Abbott over the matter during a Wednesday press conference.
"I don't want to sound mean, but I want people to understand the flaw in asking for something like this," she continued. "we're not okay. this country is rotting our brains. im sad about it."
On Tuesday, an 18-year-old opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas -- killing 19 children and two adults. The incident, closely preceded by high profile mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and California, has sparked widespread grief and outrage over continued inaction against gun violence.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article. | https://www.albanyherald.com/entertainment/no-abbott-elementary-will-not-do-a-school-shooting-episode-heres-why/article_15130c16-4844-53d1-9804-227a9f642061.html | 2022-05-26T22:53:32Z |
LA CROSSE, Wis., Sept. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Authenticom, Inc., a leading data solutions provider known for services like DealerVault and ContactVia, today announced RecordRecharge, a rebranding of their existing vehicle ownership, email, address, and phone data hygiene services. RecordRecharge simplifies what was multiple vendor solutions into a single process with customizable and scalable options. This change benefits customers by streamlining processes, saving costs, and helping dealerships achieve growth objectives.
"Authenticom has long been a data hygiene leader and champion of the ever-evolving data quality landscape. When looking at the growing business needs of our customers, we saw an opportunity to answer this need through integrating current data hygiene offerings under one umbrella. This gives dealerships a holistic approach to a much better dealership-to-customer experience. Simply, clean data better informs business decisions and makes dealerships look more professional," said Founder and CEO Stephen Cottrell.
Clean data is more vital to business success than ever before. Too often customers receive communications for vehicles they no longer own. At a time of rising costs, dealers can't afford to drive customer opt-outs through incorrect data, which also makes dealerships look unreputable and increases consumer mistrust. Accurate and tailored customer communication can be the key difference between dealership success and failure. Poor data quality has a direct financial impact on company performance, weakens competitive standing, and increases already heightened consumer mistrust.
The right data hygiene partner mitigates data quality business risks. Through analysis to remove duplications, create standardization, and verify quality and accuracy, services available within RecordRecharge put dealerships in the competitive position to increase customer engagement. This helps meet business goals and creates value. By addressing the market need for customizable data hygiene solutions, RecordRecharge customers can choose which data services best align with their data hygiene needs to encourage business growth.
For more information and to view integrated data hygiene services, visit http://www.authenticom.com/recordrecharge
Authenticom is a privately held company launched in 2002. As a leader in data management services, Authenticom has expanded its family of products to support the changing environment surrounding data. Their mission is the connect the world to data through data visibility, transparency, and control. This allows organizations to leverage the power of data to drive their business operations.
Media Contact:
Lindsey Gallagher, Director of Product and Marketing
866-289-3283 x1258
lindsey.gallagher@authenticom.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Authenticom, Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/09/12/automotive-data-revolutionized-authenticom-presents-data-service-recordrecharge-support-growing-industry-need-data-quality/ | 2022-09-12T16:35:41Z |
Survey: More young adults living with parents, in multigenerational households
(Gray News) - As prices on seemingly everything over the last few years have increased, more and more families are teaming up to help one another.
A Pew Research Center survey found that young adults in the U.S. are much more likely to live in a multigenerational household these days than they were 50 years ago.
The survey defined multigenerational living as a household with two or more adult generations, typically 25 and older, and a living situation that has increased among all age groups over the past five decades.
Young adults in the U.S. have been coping with rising student debt and housing costs. According to the numbers, multigenerational living has provided young adults a little break from higher costs of living and debt.
According to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C., a quarter of U.S. adults ages 25 to 34 resided in a multigenerational family household in 2021, up from 9% in 1971.
The survey showed growth in multigenerational living among 25- to 34-year-olds has been especially pronounced among those without a college degree. Multigenerational living has tripled among these young adults, compared with a doubling among young adults with at least a bachelor’s degree.
According to the survey’s findings, in 1971, the prevalence of multigenerational living among young adults was similar regardless of educational attainment. However, by 2021, 31% of young adults who had not finished college were in a multigenerational arrangement, almost double the share of their peers who had completed at least a bachelor’s degree (16%).
Survey participants in October 2021 also shared that financial issues were a primary reason adults lived in multigenerational households. The most common living arrangement was young adults living in a home with one or both of their parents.
Researchers said that when it comes to financial contributions, the typical 25- to 34-year-old in a multigenerational household contributed 22% of the household’s total income in 2021.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/07/24/survey-more-young-adults-living-with-parents-multigenerational-households/ | 2022-07-24T01:26:58Z |
CDC advisers recommend COVID-19 shots for children under 5
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health advisers on Saturday recommended COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers and preschoolers — the last group without the shots.
The advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unanimously decided that coronavirus vaccines should be opened to children as young as 6 months. The final signoff was expected later in the day from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
While the Food and Drug Administration OKs vaccines, it’s the CDC that decides who should get them.
The government has been gearing up for the start of the shots early next week, with millions of doses ordered for distribution to doctors, hospitals and community health clinics around the country.
Roughly 18 million kids will be eligible, but it remains to be seen how many will ultimately get the vaccines. Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 have done so since vaccination opened up to them last November.
Here are some things to know:
WHAT KINDS ARE AVAILABLE?
Two brands — Pfizer and Moderna — got the green light Friday from the FDA. The vaccines use the same technology but are being offered at different dose sizes and number of shots for the youngest kids.
Pfizer’s vaccine is for 6 months through 4 years. The dose is one-tenth of the adult dose, and three shots are needed. The first two are given three weeks apart, and the last at least two months later.
Moderna’s is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids 6 months through 5. The FDA also approved a third dose, at least a month after the second shot, for kids with immune conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious illness.
HOW WELL DO THEY WORK?
In studies, vaccinated youngsters developed levels of virus-fighting antibodies as strong as young adults, suggesting that the kid-size doses protect against coronavirus infections.
However, exactly how well they work is hard to pin down, especially when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine.
Two doses of Moderna appeared to be only about 40% effective at preventing milder infections at a time when the omicron variant was causing most COVID-19 illnesses. Pfizer presented study information suggesting the company saw 80% with its three shots. But the Pfizer data was so limited — and based on such a small number of cases — that experts and federal officials say they don’t feel there is a reliable estimate yet.
SHOULD MY LITTLE ONE BE VACCINATED?
Yes, according to the CDC’s advisers. While COVID-19 has been the most dangerous for older adults, younger people, including children, can also get very sick.
Hospitalizations surged during the omicron wave. Since the start of the pandemic, about 480 children under age 5 are counted among the nation’s more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths, federal data show.
“It is worth vaccinating, even though the number of deaths are relatively rare, because these deaths are preventable through vaccination,” said Dr. Matthew Daley, a Kaiser Permanente Colorado researcher who sits on the advisory committee.
WHICH VACCINE SHOULD MY CHILD GET?
Either one, says Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s vaccine chief.
“Whatever vaccine your health care provider, pediatrician has, that’s what I would give my child,’’ Marks said Friday.
The doses haven’t been tested against each other, so experts say there’s no way to tell if one is better.
One consideration: It takes roughly three months to complete the Pfizer three-shot series, but just one month for Moderna’s two shots. So families eager to get children protected quickly might want Moderna.
WHO’S GIVING THE SHOTS?
Pediatricians, other primary care physicians and children’s hospitals are planning to provide the vaccines. Limited drugstores will offer them for at least some of the under-5 group.
U.S. officials expect most shots to take place at pediatricians’ offices. Many parents may be more comfortable getting the vaccine for their kids at their regular doctor, White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said. He predicted the pace of vaccination to be far slower than it was for older populations.
“We’re going see vaccinations ramp up over weeks and even potentially over a couple of months,” Jha said.
CAN CHILDREN GET OTHER VACCINES AT THE SAME TIME?
It’s common for little kids to get more than one vaccine during a doctor’s visit.
In studies of the Moderna and Pfizer shots in infants and toddlers, other vaccinations were not given at the same time so there is no data on potential side effects when that happens.
But problems have not been identified in older children or adults when COVID-19 shots and other vaccinations were given together, and the CDC is advising that it’s safe for younger children as well.
WHAT IF MY CHILD RECENTLY HAD COVID-19?
About three-quarters of children of all ages are estimated to have been infected at some point. For older ages, the CDC has recommended vaccination anyway to lower the chances of reinfection.
Experts have noted re-infections among previously infected people and say the highest levels of protection occur in those who were both vaccinated and previously infected.
The CDC has said people may consider waiting about three months after an infection to be vaccinated.
___
AP reporter Zeke Miller in Washington contributed.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/06/18/cdc-advisers-recommend-covid-19-shots-children-under-5/ | 2022-06-18T18:10:29Z |
Top lawyers hired by those linked to Georgia election probe
ATLANTA (AP) — In the state investigation spurred by then-President Donald Trump’s call to Georgia’s top election official, people who have been called to testify — or who might be — about potential interference in the 2020 presidential contest are turning to high-profile lawyers.
It was Trump’s conversation with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, that was the catalyst for the state inquiry, and now Trump has hired Drew Findling, one of Atlanta’s most prominent criminal defense attorneys who is perhaps best known for representing rap stars.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has brought on Trump’s former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was in federal court in Atlanta last week as part of a legal team fighting a subpoena for Graham.
No one has been charged with a crime in the investigation and both Trump and Graham have denied any wrongdoing, but the moves come at a particularly precarious legal moment for Trump.
FBI agents conducted an unprecedented search of his Florida estate on Monday in an unrelated investigation into whether Trump removed sensitive information from the White House. He also invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination on Wednesday as he testified under oath in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his business dealings.
But the attorney hires in Atlanta suggest Trump and his allies are paying especially close attention to the investigation led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
“You’re not going to go and hire an expensive lawyer unless either you want to send a message that, ‘You guys better come correct or my fancy lawyer will blow you out of the water,’ or you actually are worried,” said Caren Morrison, a Georgia State University law professor and former federal prosecutor.
Legal experts nonetheless warn that the hires alone don’t suggest that someone is the subject or target of an investigation.
“I don’t think that’s any indication that anybody’s about to be charged or these folks necessarily are concerned that they’re going to jail. It’s just what a smart person would do,” said Page Pate, an Atlanta defense lawyer who is not involved in the case.
Willis began the investigation early last year. A special grand jury with subpoena power was seated in May at her request and began hearing from witnesses in June. Though the panel’s proceedings are secret, related public court filings have given some insight into where the investigation might be headed.
Willis last month filed paperwork seeking to compel testimony from seven Trump advisers and associates, including Graham and former New York City mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. Graham is awaiting a federal judge’s ruling on his challenge to his subpoena, while Giuliani has been instructed to appear before the special grand jury on Wednesday.
Willis has confirmed since the beginning that she’s interested in the January 2021 phone call between Trump and Raffensperger, which came four days before the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s White House victory that was interrupted by the riot at the U.S. Capitol. During that conversation, Trump suggested the secretary of state could “find” the votes needed to overturn his narrow loss in the state.
Recent court filings have made clear that Willis is also interested in other calls made by Trump and his associates to officials in Georgia, false statements about the election made during Georgia legislative committee hearings and the submission of a fake slate of Republican electors to Congress and the National Archives. In several filings, she specifically alleged that there was “a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere.”
Willis has said that she is considering subpoenaing Trump, a step that would surely kick off a legal battle.
Trump has hired Findling and former prosecutor Jennifer Little, with attorney Dwight Thomas serving as a consultant on matters related to special grand jury proceedings.
A lot has been made of past social media postings by Findling that suggest he’s no fan of the former president, whom he called “racist” and “pathetic” in one August 2018 tweet.
Andrew Fleischman, an appellate attorney in Atlanta who’s not connected to the case, said being a defense attorney “doesn’t necessarily mean believing your client is innocent or likeable, but it does mean taking a close look at the law and making sure the state has checked all the boxes.”
“We defend the process,” Fleischman said. “And if they’re convicting the president, you want the process to be damn near perfect.”
Findling is a well-respected and media savvy lawyer. That second point is crucial when there’s so much attention on a case and can present challenges with a client like Trump who’s so accustomed to speaking for himself without a filter, Pate said.
“You want to respect the fact that (the client) needs in many cases to make statements to the media, but at the same time, you don’t want to jeopardize your case,” he said.
Perhaps the most important reason to have a lawyer at this stage of the investigation is to have a channel of communication with prosecutors, Pate said.
“They have a way of getting you to make admissions about something you think may be completely harmless which actually fills a piece of their case,” he said of prosecutors. “So you don’t want to be on a call or a meeting with the government yourself when your statements can be used against you.”
A lawyer can also negotiate dates for an eventual appearance if a subpoena is issued and review any documents that may be requested before they’re handed over. And a lawyer can reach out to other witnesses who have appeared before the special grand jury to see if they’re willing to talk about what was asked.
Steven Frey has worked with Findling on several cases, including the successful defense of a sheriff who was facing 27 felony charges in an indictment that accused him of using his office for personal gain. He called Findling “one of the finest lawyers I’ve ever dealt with.”
McGahn also garners high praise. When he left that post in 2018, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “I’ve known every White House Counsel since I arrived in Washington. Even in such impressive company, Don is a cut above.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/08/14/top-lawyers-hired-by-those-linked-georgia-election-probe/ | 2022-08-14T13:56:08Z |
GenScript's real-time monkeypox virus PCR test is available immediately for research lab use through a partnership with Anbio Biotechnology
PISCATAWAY, N.J., Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GenScript USA Inc., a subsidiary of GenScript Biotech Corporation ("GenScript", Stock Code: 1548.HK), a world-leading biotechnology company, announced the immediate availability of a monkeypox virus PCR test kit. The kit, which was developed in partnership with Anbio Biotechnology, can be ordered today by diagnostic labs and medical device distributors to be used in research to provide detection of the monkeypox virus. The test kit has already received the CE mark for IVD use in the European Union (EU).
Monkeypox cases are increasing rapidly around the world. As of August 16, 2022, 12,869 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the United States, per the US Centers for Disease Control. US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared monkeypox a public health emergency on August 4, 2022, a move that accelerates coordination across federal agencies, increases communication with states and localities, and helps the administration develop new strategies to distribute vaccines and treatments.
"Providing access to commercial test kits is essential so that we can quickly detect and understand how the virus is moving through our communities," said Amanda Grimm, senior product manager of diagnostics at GenScript USA. "We are rushing supplies of the monkeypox PCR test kit to our lab customers and distributors because diagnostic labs across the United States are a crucial element of the nation's response to this public-health emergency."
"We are very excited about this collaboration with GenScript in the defense against the monkeypox virus," said Jerry Cheung, co-founder and president of Anbio. "By leveraging the scientific expertise of both Anbio and GenScript, we were able to rapidly bring the monkeypox RTPCR assay to fight against this public health emergency."
- Qualitative assay for detection of monkeypox virus from various sample types, including the FDA recommended lesion swab samples
- Amplifies two conserved gene regions of the monkeypox virus
- Pseudovirus validation control available separately
- For research use only (RUO) in the USA, CE Marking for EU use
- Visit the GenScript monkeypox detection kit web page
About Anbio Biotechnology
Anbio (Xiamen) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was founded in 2015, focusing on the research, production, sales and service of in vitro diagnostic products. With point-of-care testing (POCT) as the main development direction, it focuses on the accuracy, rapidity and intelligence of clinical diagnosis and develops rapidly in the market segment. Driven by continuous technical development and integration, resulting from close cooperation with prestigious institutes across the globe to provide total solutions in clinical diagnosis field, by offering extensive product portfolio including immunology and molecular assays. For more information, please visit: anbio.com.
About GenScript Biotech Corporation
GenScript Biotech Corporation (Stock Code: 1548.HK) is a global biotechnology group. Based on its leading gene synthesis technology, GenScript has developed four major platforms including the global cell therapy platform, the biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) platform, the contract research organization (CRO) platform, and the industrial synthesis product platform. The company's operations span over 100 countries and regions worldwide with legal entities located in the USA, Mainland China, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Ireland. GenScript provides premium, convenient, and reliable products and services for over 100,000 customers. For more information, please visit genscript.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
GenScript USA Inc.
Tim Cox, ZingPR
tim@zingpr.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Genscript Biotech Corporation | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/genscript-usa-responds-monkeypox-public-health-emergency-with-real-time-pcr-test/ | 2022-08-18T11:02:20Z |
LONDON, ON, June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - VersaBank ("VersaBank" or the "Bank") (TSX: VBNK) (NASDAQ: VBNK), a leader in digital banking and cyber security solutions, today announced that, through its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, VersaHoldings US Corp., it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Minnesota-based Stearns Bank Holdingford, N.A. ("SBH"), a privately held, wholly owned subsidiary of Stearns Financial Services Inc. ("SFSI") based in St. Cloud, Minnesota, for an estimated US$13.5million (CA$17.4 million) (subject to adjustment at closing). SBH is a fully operational national bank, OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency)-chartered Bank, focused on small business lending, which is expected to add approximately US$60 million in total assets to VersaBank, subject to any adjustments at closing. Upon closing, SBH will be renamed VersaBank USA National Association. SFSI and its other subsidiaries (Stearns Bank N.A. ($2.2 billion in assets) and Stearns Bank Upsala, N.A. ($75 million in assets)) will continue to operate as usual.
- Provides VersaBank with access to U.S. deposits to fuel the growth of its Receivable Purchase Program business, which VersaBank recently launched in the U.S. following a period of significant growth and success in Canada;
- Expected to be accretive to VersaBank's earnings per share within the first year after closing; and,
- VersaBank USA is expected to be well capitalized on closing with a Total Capital ratio in excess of 10%.
"This acquisition represents a transformational next step in VersaBank's long-term growth strategy," said David Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer, VersaBank. "We have built a tremendously successful digital banking operation in Canada, providing innovative, technology-based solutions to serve unmet needs, which has driven outsized earnings growth. Now, with the acquisition of U.S.-based SBH, we will have a platform from which to replicate that success in the Western world's largest banking market, in particular, through acceleration of the roll out of our innovative and highly differentiated Receivable Purchase Program solution, which has been very successful in Canada, in the US$1.8 trillion and growing U.S. consumer and small business point-of-sale financing market."
Mr. Taylor added, "It has been a pleasure working with the team at SFSI and we look forward to exploring future opportunities for collaborations to our mutual benefit."
"For over forty-five years, Stearns Bank has proudly served the strong and vibrant Holdingford community, and we are excited to continue to do so in our partnership with VersaBank," said Heather Plumski, President of Stearns Bank Holdingford N.A. "It speaks volumes that our Canadian neighbor, VersaBank, has chosen Holdingford as the best location to launch its U.S.-based banking and financing. VersaBank shares our values and culture, and we're confident VersaBank will be welcomed with open arms in Holdingford when the community gets to know our Canadian partner."
Kelly Skalicky, President and CEO of Stearns Financial Services, Inc. expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership with VersaBank, "Congratulations to Holdingford on its continued growth and for attracting VersaBank for its U.S. expansion plan. David and the VersaBank team are terrific and proving to be a perfect partner – together, we will deliver even more to our local communities and beyond."
Closing of the acquisition, expected before the end of VersaBank's fiscal year (October 31, 2022), is subject to regulatory approval in both the U.S. and Canada.
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. served as financial advisor, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP served as legal counsel, and Chain Bridge Partners, LLC acted as regulatory advisor to VersaBank in the transaction.
Stearns Financial Services Inc. (SFSI) is a well-capitalized, $2.4 billion independent financial holding company based in St. Cloud, MN. It is the holding company for Stearns Bank N.A. and Stearns Bank Upsala, N.A. Recognized as one of the nation's top-performing banks by both American Banker and Independent Banker magazines, Stearns Bank specializes in nationwide construction finance, small business lending, and equipment financing. Driven by a passion to help others achieve their greatest ambitions, Stearns Bank gets the job done! For more information, visit StearnsBank.com.
VersaBank is a Canadian Schedule I chartered bank with a difference. VersaBank became the world's first fully digital financial institution when it adopted its highly efficient business-to-business model using its proprietary state-of-the-art financial technology to profitably address underserved segments of the Canadian banking market in the pursuit of superior net interest margins while mitigating risk. VersaBank obtains all of its deposits and provides the majority of its loans and leases electronically, with innovative deposit and lending solutions for financial intermediaries that allow them to excel in their core businesses. In addition, leveraging its internally developed IT security software and capabilities, VersaBank established wholly owned, Washington, DC-based subsidiary, DRT Cyber Inc. to pursue significant large-market opportunities in cyber security and develop innovative solutions to address the rapidly growing volume of cyber threats challenging financial institutions, multi-national corporations and government entities on a daily basis.
VersaBank's Common Shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") and on Nasdaq under the symbol VBNK. Its Series 1 Preferred Shares trade on the TSX under the symbol VBNK.PR.A.
Visit our website at: www.versabank.com
Follow VersaBank on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE VersaBank | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/14/versabank-acquire-occ-chartered-national-us-bank-providing-platform-growth-united-states/ | 2022-06-14T11:48:40Z |
(NEXSTAR) – Because today’s “luxury guest” demands it, the Forbes Travel Guide has revealed its exhaustive list of the country’s top restaurants, hotels and spas as part of its 2022 Star Awards.
This year’s list includes more than 700 venues in the U.S. alone, each having earned a five-star, four-star, or “recommended” rating from the independent reviewers at the Forbes Travel Guide.
“Through our exacting and independent evaluation process, these award-winning properties all have raised the guest experience bar with an emphasis on what matters most to today’s luxury guest,” said Hermann Elger, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, in a press release issued earlier this week.
Among this year’s honorees, the Forbes Travel Guide recognized luxury properties and eateries in dozens of states. Some locations, however, were home to a far greater number of award-winners than others: California, specifically, has more five-star restaurants (nine), hotels (18) and spas (12) than any other state, while New York City boasts more five-star restaurants (six) and hotels (11) than any other city in the U.S.
Nevada and Florida also fared well on the 2022 list, with several five-star hotels and eateries in the former, and plenty of five-star spas and hotels in the latter.
The Inn at Little Washington, a D.C.-area restaurant, also earned a special shout-out for maintaining its five-star rating for 32 straight years.
The annual Star Awards from the Forbes Travel Guide are based on the ratings and reviews of Forbes’ global team of anonymous “inspectors,” according to the publication. Five-star reviews are reserved for “outstanding” properties, while four-star reviews indicate “exceptional” experiences. “Recommended” properties are described as being consistently “excellent.”
Forbes first adopted its five-star rating system in 1954 for the then-Mobil Travel Guide.
A complete list of the 2022 Star Award honorees, including international properties, can be found at the Forbes Travel Guide’s website. | https://cw33.com/news/forbes-travel-guide-names-countrys-best-restaurants-for-2022/ | 2022-04-29T21:39:22Z |
Biden to speak to baby formula manufacturers about shortage
WASHINGTON (AP) — A baby formula shortage in the United States is driving parents to swap, sell and offer leftover supplies to each other, while President Joe Biden plans to speak with manufacturers and retailers Thursday about the plight facing families.
The problem is the result of supply chain disruptions and a safety recall, and has had a cascade of effects: Retailers are limiting what customers can buy, and doctors and health workers are urging parents to contact food banks or physicians’ offices, in addition to warning against watering down formula to stretch supplies or using online DIY recipes.
The shortage is weighing particularly on lower-income families after the recall by formula maker Abbott stemming from contamination concerns. That recall wiped out many brands covered by WIC, a federal program like food stamps that serve mothers, infants and children, though the program now permits brand substitutes.
Jennifer Kersey, 36 of Cheshire, Connecticut, said she was down to her last can of formula for her 7-month-old son, Blake Kersey Jr. before someone saw her post on a Facebook group and came by with a few sample cans.
“At first I was starting to panic,” she said. “But, I’m a believer in the Lord, so I said, ‘God, I know you’re going to provide for me and I just started reaching out to people, ‘Hey do you have this formula?’
She said she and others in the group are helping each other, finding stores that may have the formula in stock and getting formula to mothers who need it.
“If someone offers me and says, ‘I have these three,’ I’ll say ‘I’ll take the purple can and then put the other ones on that website. I’m not going to hoarder stuff. I’m making sure that everybody has.”
In Washington, White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz said on Twitter that the administration will also announce “additional actions” to address the formula shortage.
Shortages of basic goods have been a problem since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. Access to medical supplies, computer chips, household appliances, autos and other goods has been hurt by closed factories and outbreaks of the virus, as well as storms and other climate-related events.
A safety recall compounded the challenges regarding baby formula.
The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers on Feb. 17 to avoid some powdered baby formula products from a Sturgis, Michigan, facility run by Abbott Nutrition, which then initiated a voluntary recall. According to findings released in March by federal safety inspectors, Abbott failed to maintain sanitary conditions and procedures at the plant.
On Tuesday, the FDA said it was working with U.S. manufacturers to increase their output and streamlining paperwork to allow more imports. The agency noted that supply chain issues associated with the pandemic were part of the problem and that consumers bought more baby formula in April than in the month before the recall.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week that the FDA was “working around the clock to address any possible shortages.”
___
Eaton-Robb reported from Columbia, Connecticut
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/05/12/biden-speak-baby-formula-manufacturers-about-shortage/ | 2022-05-12T17:38:55Z |
Norton's tenure working in business development, sales leadership, and growth strategy across both brands and agencies makes Norton an obvious addition to lead Integrum Worldwide's growth plans.
LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrum Worldwide, the global marketing agency collective backed by Apollo Capital Corp and M2B Growth Enterprises, today announced that Ben Norton has recently joined the company as Senior Vice President of Growth. Norton adds to an exceptional leadership team that supports Integrum's two agencies Storia and Chalk and will be responsible for leading all growth initiatives across the rapidly expanding collective of agencies.
Ben Norton is a digital marketing executive with extensive experience helping global advertisers achieve their strategic initiatives. As an executive leader with more than 20 years of experience, Ben Norton is an expert in business development, sales leadership, account management, digital marketing, growth strategy execution and corporate development.
Norton's proven track record of boosting revenue, profit and operational efficiency with early-stage companies as well as mature organizations will be a strong complement to his new role at Integrum Worldwide. Early in his career Ben was Director of Business Development with web analytics pioneer, Urchin which was later acquired by Google and became Google Analytics. In addition, Ben served as CEO of Silicon Space, an Internet technology company that launched the first-ever tools for managing paid and organic search campaigns. After its acquisition, Ben went on to become President & COO of the digital marketing agency; Internet Marketing Inc., where he led engagements with Mastercard, Hilton and other global brands.
Ben is primarily focused on the organization's business development activities and strategic partnerships. Ben stated, "I'm excited to be a part of such a dynamic organization. Our commitment to our clients' success is unrivaled and it shows by how we surpass their expectations."
Since joining the Integrum Worldwide team, the organization has seen significant growth and is actively hiring to add to its new business team across the collective.
Ben is a graduate of the University of Southern California. He also received an MBA from UC Irvine and an advanced degree in International Business from the University of San Diego.
For more information on Integrum Worldwide, visit www.integrumworldwide.com.
Integrum Worldwide is a collective of specialist agencies including Storia and Chalk. Together, they believe in the power of combining the radical creativity of independents with the seamless integration of a one-stop-shop.
The collective is a host of agencies in the marketing services space including branding, creative, paid media, search engine optimization, and experiential marketing. Through this model, Integrum Worldwide delivers scalable, measurable, and integrated marketing solutions that deliver results. In addition, Integrum Worldwide is focused on developing a best in class corporate culture and putting sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and its overall employee population first.
The Integrum Worldwide marketing agency collective focuses on clients in the middle and upper market with a roster that includes Jennifer Adams, Steven Soderbergh's Singani 63, PBS, Edrington Americas, We Are Memphis, Cyrcurion, Xcellerate 35, Chemtech, and Beauty Magnet. The collective has teams in the United States, Canada, South America, and India.
View original content:
SOURCE Integrum Worldwide | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/07/growth-expert-ben-norton-joins-integrum-worldwide-svp-growth/ | 2022-06-07T16:16:17Z |
Man killed in confrontation with Baltimore windshield washer had a bat, police say
BALTIMORE (WJZ) - A 48-year-old motorist is dead after he confronted a man at an intersection who washes windshields for money.
Baltimore is in shock after the violent encounter at the busy intersection of Light and Conway. Police said a “squeegee” windshield washer shot and killed Timothy Reynolds Thursday after they said Reynolds confronted the washers with a bat.
It’s not known if Reynolds hit any of the windshield washers with the bat or if he swung at the person who shot him.
All the washers fled the scene after it unfolded, and no arrests have been made.
Police are a visible presence Saturday at many corners where young men usually wash windows for money.
At the intersection of Light and Conway, though, “squeegee” workers are nowhere to be found.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said he was unable to provide additional details about how the confrontation unfolded.
“We’re combing through a lot of evidence right now in search of the person who shot the victim,” he said.
There have been several tributes to Reynolds online.
A relative of Reynolds declined to speak on camera, but said he was a good man and a father and said the family is in shock and mourning. He asked for privacy.
“Some would say that this is as simple as clearing the corners or rounding them up or moving them along. It isn’t,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.
There were several incidents involving “squeegee” windshield washers reported at the same intersection in the hours before Reynolds was killed.
“This was just, you know, the pinnacle of the problem right in downtown across from Inner Harbor with somebody getting shot,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said.
Copyright 2022 WJZ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/09/man-killed-confrontation-with-baltimore-windshield-washer-had-bat-police-said/ | 2022-07-09T17:52:20Z |
Aviation Technology and Maintenance Market Leader Chooses AI-Powered Contract Intelligence to Improve Contracting Efficiency and Transparency
BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Contract intelligence company Icertis announced that Lufthansa Technik AG, the aircraft maintenance business of the Lufthansa Group, has selected Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) as its enterprise-wide contract lifecycle management (CLM) solution. The company plans to integrate the Icertis platform with its existing SAP CX solution to strengthen sales and improve compliance, risk management, and efficiency. Lufthansa Technik joins a growing list of companies in the aviation space, including several of the world's top manufacturers and airlines, using Icertis to transform contract management.
Lufthansa Technik is one of the world's leading providers of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, and modification services, managing more than 4,500 aircraft under an exclusive contract. Like many companies, Lufthansa Technik is challenged with increasing uncertainty and competition, particularly as the aviation industry recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Lufthansa Technik sought solutions to accelerate business transactions and reduce process complexity.
"The Icertis Contract Intelligence platform and the company's deep partnership with SAP will deliver new insights and automated processes for our sales team to speed the drafting and negotiation of contracts. These efficiencies and insights are particularly valuable during economic fluctuations and will help to drive revenue, reduce risk exposure, and gain transparency into the performance of contracts," said Kai-Stefan Roepke, Vice President Corporate Sales EMEA, Lufthansa Technik AG.
Using the AI capabilities in Icertis Contract Intelligence, Lufthansa Technik will digitize the entire contracting process, structure the data in contracts, and connect this critical business data with operational systems. ICI will integrate directly into Lufthansa Technik's SAP CX system, providing enterprise efficiencies and operational intelligence. The initiatives will extend business insights to more than 1,300 users and help ensure that the intent of every contract is correctly memorialized and fully realized.
"By choosing Icertis' CLM solution, Lufthansa Technik can have continuous information flow throughout sales opportunities, providing teams with better information, improving forecast accuracy, and achieving more efficient customer management. This contract management transformation will both advance the organization's business and benefit the travel industry ecosystem overall," explained Roman Howe, Icertis Vice President of Customer Advocacy, Europe.
With some 35 subsidiaries and affiliates, the Lufthansa Technik Group is one of the leading providers of technical aircraft services in the world. Certified internationally as maintenance, production, and design organization, the company has a workforce of more than 22,000 employees. Lufthansa Technik's portfolio covers the entire range of services for commercial and VIP/special mission aircraft, engines, components and landing gear in the areas of digital fleet support, maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification, completion and conversion as well as the manufacture of innovative cabin products.
With unmatched technology and category-defining innovation, Icertis pushes the boundaries of what's possible with contract lifecycle management (CLM). The AI-powered, analyst-validated Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform turns contracts from static documents into strategic advantage by structuring and connecting the critical contract information that defines how an organization runs. Today, the world's most iconic brands and disruptive innovators trust Icertis to govern the rights and commitments in their 10 million+ contracts worth more than $1 trillion in 40+ languages and 90+ countries.
Media Contacts
Michelle Rodriguez
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
corpcomm@icertis.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Icertis | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/lufthansa-technik-selects-icertis-transform-contract-management/ | 2022-08-30T13:23:04Z |
- Diluted funds from operations per unit ("Diluted FFO per Unit")1 of $0.05 for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, compared to $(0.03) for the same period in 2021.
- Average daily room rate ("ADR") of $117.05, meeting or exceeding 2019 ADR results for the third consecutive quarter.
- Revenue per available room ("RevPAR") of $74.52, a 0.87x recovery to 2019 which is consistent with the previous two quarters.
- Revenue increase of 32.2% to $61.8 million in Q1 2022 compared to $46.7 million in the same period of 2021.
- Income from operating activities of $6.7 million for the quarter was higher than the $3.6 million for the same quarter in 2021.
- Hotel EBITDA1 of $15.4 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, compared to $13.6 million for the same period in 2021.
- Addressed only 2022 debt maturity with the repayment of a $54.5 million term loan.
- Sale of Fairfield Inn & Suites Lake City, Florida hotel for total gross proceeds of $10.3 million.
- Commencement of monthly distribution of US$0.015 per unit, with the first such distribution announced on February 15, 2022.
- Total available liquidity at March 31, 2022 was $40.0 million plus an additional restricted cash balance of $40.4 million.
VANCOUVER, BC, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP ("AHIP", or the "Company") (TSX: HOT.UN, TSX: HOT.U, TSX: HOT.DB.V) today announced its results for the three months ended March 31, 2022. Numbers are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.
"AHIP's premium branded select-service hotel portfolio continues to achieve solid financial results in an improving demand environment." said Jonathan Korol, CEO. Mr. Korol continued, "After four consecutive quarters of improving RevPAR relative to 2019, we took a modest step back in Q1 2022. This was primarily attributable to the temporary occupancy impact of Omicron in January. Top-line metrics rebounded in February and March, resulting in a third consecutive quarter of ADR matching or exceeding 2019 levels."
"From a margin perspective, results were impacted by higher wages driven by labour scarcity, increasing utility costs and continued supply chain disruptions impacting the cost and availability of hotel operating supplies." Mr. Korol added: "These factors contributed to operating margins below 2019 levels for the first time since 2020. In the current environment, our ability to maintain margins at 2019 levels or better will be determined by achieving revenue growth to offset inflationary cost pressures."
"The second quarter has started well, with preliminary April RevPAR coming in at a robust 0.92x 2019," noted Mr. Korol. "Leisure travel is being propelled by guests' improving willingness and ability to travel. This is translating to higher guest room rates than 2019 accompanied by stable occupancies. As we enter the seasonally strongest period for our portfolio, we remain confident in our ability to navigate the current industry backdrop and maximize long-term unitholder value."
THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2022 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
- Revenue for the quarter increased by $15.1 million (or 32.2%) to $61.8 million (2021 – $46.7 million) compared to the prior year, reflecting the ongoing recovery from lower demand in the prior year due to COVID-19.
- RevPAR increased 30.7% to $74.52 (2021 – $57.01) driven by ADR increasing by 23.6% to $117.05 (2021 – $94.70) and Occupancy increasing by 350 basis points to 63.7% (2021 – 60.2%).
- Loss and comprehensive loss for the quarter was $3.9 million, which was an improvement over the loss of $14.0 million for the same period in 2021. This included a gain of $1.7 million on the sale of Fairfield Inn & Suites Lake City, Florida hotel in the quarter, $1.0 million in business interruption insurance proceeds received in the first quarter from a COVID-19 related claim of lost revenue in 2020 and a $2.4 million increase in the change in fair value of interest rate swap contracts.
- Net operating income ("NOI")1 for Q1 2022 increased to $17.5 million (2021 – $15.0 million). The increase in NOI is due to improvements in operations.
- Funds from operations ("FFO")1 for Q1 2022 increased to $3.6 million (2021 – ($2.0) million) and adjusted funds from operations ("AFFO")1 increased to $2.2 million (2021 – ($1.6) million). The increase in FFO1 and AFFO1 is as a result of higher NOI1 and a $1.3 million non-recurring financing charge.
- Q1 2022 Diluted FFO per Unit1 was $0.05 (2021 – ($0.03)) and diluted adjusted funds from operations per unit ("Diluted AFFO per Unit")1 was $0.03 (2021 – ($0.02)).
- The following table summarizes certain portfolio operating metrics for the four most recent quarters with a comparison represented as a multiple of the same period in 20192:
LEVERAGE AND LIQUIDITY
- As at March 31, 2022, AHIP had total available liquidity of $40.0 million consisting of an unrestricted cash balance of $22.8 million and available capacity of $17.2 million on its Revolving Credit Facility. AHIP also has a restricted cash balance of $40.4 million which will be used to fund future hotel brand mandated property improvement plans ("PIPs") and FF&E expenditures.
- AHIP's Debt-to-Gross Book Value1 at March 31, 2022 was 54.1% which has remained stable over the last three quarters. Leverage by this measure has decreased by 460 basis points since Q2 2020.
- The weighted average interest rate on AHIP's term loans, Revolving Credit Facility and 2026 Debentures at March 31, 2022 was 4.63% and the weighted average term to maturity on AHIP's term loans, Revolving Credit Facility and 2026 Debentures was 3.6 years.
- As of May 10, 2022, 92.9% of AHIP's long term debt is at fixed rates and there are no debt maturities until the fourth quarter of 2023.
- Effective January 1, 2022, AHIP is no longer in the covenant waiver period under its senior credit facility.
OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS AND OUTLOOK
Select Service properties represent 56% of AHIP's portfolio by room count. For the three months ended March 31, 2022, RevPAR for these properties was $67.66 representing a 0.89x recovery to the same period in 2019, which is a decrease of 0.03x compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. The select service hotel model utilizes less labour per occupied room and has allowed AHIP to outperform industry averages in operating margins. This partially mitigates the impact of national challenges in the labour market where low availability and rising costs have impacted a large number of hospitality operators.
Extended Stay properties represent 29% of AHIP's portfolio by room count. For the three months ended March 31, 2022, RevPAR for these properties was $82.78 representing a 0.88x recovery to the same period in 2019, which is a decrease of 0.04x compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. The Extended Stay properties also contribute to higher overall operating margins as a result of a longer average length of stay.
AHIP's five Embassy Suites properties represent 15% of the portfolio by room count. For the three months ended March 31, 2022, RevPAR for these properties was $84.08 representing a 0.80x recovery to the same period in 2019, which is unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2021. The Embassy Suites rely in part on business demand from conference and group bookings which have not recovered at the same pace as other demand segments of the hotel sector during the pandemic. The Embassy Suites experienced some recovery in business travel in the quarter, supplemented by leisure-oriented groups: family reunions, youth sports, local events and weddings. AHIP's five Embassy Suites were all renovated in 2018 and 2019 and are well positioned to capture both business and corporate group demand as these segments continue to recover in 2022.
DISTRIBUTIONS
AHIP has adopted a distribution policy providing for the payment of regular monthly distributions at an annual rate of US$0.18 per unit (monthly rate of US$0.015 per unit). The first such distribution was declared on February 15, 2022. The declaration and payment of each monthly distribution under AHIP's distribution policy will remain subject to Board approval, and compliance by AHIP with the terms of its Revolving Credit Facility and its investor rights agreement. Distributions are not guaranteed and may be reduced or suspended at any time at the discretion of the Board of Directors should operating conditions or outlook change. See "Forward Looking Information" for further details.
Q1 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS CONFERENCE CALL
Management will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time / 8:00 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 to review the financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
To participate in this conference call, please use the following dial-in information:
Please ask to participate in American Hotel Income Properties' Q1 2022 Analyst Call. To avoid any delays in joining the call, please dial in at least five minutes prior to the call start time. If prompted, please provide entry code 3357115.
An audio webcast of the conference call is also available, both live and archived, on the Events & Presentations page of AHIP's website: www.ahipreit.com. Alternatively, you may register for the webcast directly at the following link: https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1544689&tp_key=3a81534a5a
CONFERENCE CALL REPLAY
A replay of the conference call can be accessed after 4:00 p.m. Eastern time / 1:00 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 1-888-203-1112 or 1-647-436-0148 (using entry code 3357115). The replay will be available until 4:00 p.m. Eastern time / 1:00 p.m. Pacific time on May 18, 2022. The webcast recording of this conference call will also be available at www.ahipreit.com on the Events and Presentation page.
The information in this news release should be read in conjunction with AHIP's unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the three months ended March 31, 2022, which are available on AHIP's website at www.ahipreit.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com
NON-IFRS MEASURES
Certain non-IFRS financial measures and non-IFRS ratios are included in this news release. The non-IFRS financial measures used in this news release include Debt, Gross Book Value, FFO, AFFO, Diluted FFO per Unit, Diluted AFFO per Unit, NOI, EBITDA, Hotel EBITDA and Interest Expense, and the non-IFRS ratios used in this news release include Debt-to-Gross Book Value, NOI Margin, EBITDA Margin, Hotel EBITDA Margin, Interest Coverage Ratio, Debt-to-EBITDA, FFO Payout Ratio and AFFO Payout Ratio. These terms are not measures recognized under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. Real estate issuers often refer to NOI, NOI margin, FFO, Diluted FFO per Unit, AFFO, and Diluted AFFO per Unit as supplemental measures of performance and Debt-to-Gross Book Value as a supplemental measure of financial condition. Non-IFRS financial measures and non-IFRS ratios should not be construed as alternatives to measurements determined in accordance with IFRS as indicators of AHIP's performance or financial condition. AHIP's method of calculating these measures and ratios may differ from other issuers' methods and accordingly may not be comparable to measures used by other issuers.
For further information on these non-IFRS financial measures and non-IFRS ratios please refer to AHIP's MD&A dated May 10, 2022 in the Non-IFRS Measures section, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on AHIP's website at www.ahipreit.com.
a) Debt:
Debt is reconciled to current and long-term portions of term loans and Revolving Credit Facility as follows:
b) Gross Book Value:
Gross Book Value is reconciled to Total Assets as follows:
c) Debt-to-Gross Book Value:
Debt-to-Gross Book Value is the ratio of Debt divided by Gross Book Value.
d) FFO and AFFO:
FFO is reconciled to net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss) as follows:
AFFO is reconciled to cash flow from operating activities as follows:
e) NOI:
NOI is reconciled to income from operating activities as shown below.
f) NOI Margin:
AHIP calculates NOI Margin as NOI divided by total revenues.
g) EBITDA:
EBITDA is reconciled to income from operating activities per the audited consolidated financial statements ("Financial Statements") as shown below.
h) EBITDA Margin:
AHIP calculates EBITDA Margin as EBITDA divided by total revenues.
i) Hotel EBITDA:
HOTEL EBITDA is reconciled to income from operating activities per the Financial Statements as shown below.
j) Hotel EBITDA Margin:
AHIP calculates Hotel EBITDA Margin as Hotel EBITDA divided by total revenues.
k) Interest Expense:
The reconciliation of finance costs per the Financial Statements to Interest Expense is show below:
l) Interest Coverage Ratio:
AHIP calculates Interest Coverage Ratio as EBITDA for the trailing twelve-month period divided by Interest Expense for the trailing twelve-month period.
m) Debt-to-EBITDA:
AHIP calculates the Debt-to-EBITDA as Debt divided by the trailing twelve months of EBITDA.
n) FFO Payout Ratio and AFFO Payout Ratio:
AHIP calculates its FFO Payout Ratio as distributions declared divided by FFO for the period and AFFO Payout Ratio as distributions declared divided by AFFO for the period. The reconciliation of net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss) to FFO and AFFO is shown above under the definition of FFO.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Certain statements in this news release may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (also known as forward-looking information). Forward-looking information generally can be identified by words such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "expect", "estimates", "intend", "may", "outlook", "objective", "plans", "should", "will" and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements made or implied relating to the objectives of AHIP, AHIP's strategies to achieve those objectives and AHIP's beliefs, plans, estimates, projections and intentions and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations that are not historical facts. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: AHIP's expectations with respect to its future performance, including specific expectations in respect to certain categories of its properties; AHIP's outlook on the U.S. travel market; the expected timing for the declaration, record date and payment of monthly distributions; and AHIP's stated long-term objectives.
Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on what AHIP's management believes to be reasonable assumptions, AHIP cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such information. Forward-looking information is based on a number of key expectations and assumptions made by AHIP, including, without limitation: the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to negatively impact (although to a lesser extent than previously) the U.S. economy, U.S. hotel industry and AHIP's business; AHIP will continue to have sufficient funds to meet its financial obligations; AHIP's strategies with respect to margin enhancement, completion of capital projects, liquidity and divestiture of non-core assets and acquisitions will be successful; capital projects will be completed on time and on budget; AHIP's will continue to have good relationships with its hotel brand partners; occupancy rates will be stable or rise in 2022; AHIP's distribution policy will be sustainable and AHIP will not be prohibited from paying distributions under the terms of its senior credit facility or investor rights agreement; capital markets will provide AHIP with readily available access to equity and/or debt financing on terms acceptable to AHIP, including the ability to refinance maturing debt as it becomes due; AHIP's future level of indebtedness and its future growth potential will remain consistent with AHIP's current expectations; and AHIP will achieve its long term objectives.
Forward-looking information involves significant risks and uncertainties and should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results as actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information, accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to: the COVID-19 pandemic and related government measures and their impact on the U.S. economy, the hotel industry, and AHIP's business; AHIP may not achieve its expected performance levels in 2022; AHIP's brand partners may impose revised service standards and capital requirements which are adverse to AHIP; PIP renovations may not commence or complete in accordance with currently expected timing and may suffer from increased material costs; recent recovery trends at AHIP's properties may not continue and may regress; AHIP's strategies with respect to margin enhancement, completion of accretive capital projects, liquidity, divestiture of non-core assets and acquisitions may not be successful; AHIP may not be successful in reducing its leverage; monthly cash distributions are not guaranteed and remain subject to the approval of Board of Directors and may be reduced or suspended at any time at the discretion of the Board; AHIP may not be able to refinance debt obligations as they become due; and AHIP may not achieve its long term objectives. Management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are based upon reasonable assumptions and information currently available; however, management can give no assurance that actual results will be consistent with the forward-looking information contained herein. Additional information about risks and uncertainties is contained in AHIP's MD&A dated May 10, 2022 and AHIP's most recently filed annual information form, copies of which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to AHIP. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release and AHIP assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law.
THIRD PARTY INFORMATION
This news release includes market information and industry data from independent industry publications, market research and analyst reports, surveys and other publicly available sources. Although AHIP management believes these sources to be generally reliable, market and industry data is subject to interpretation and cannot be verified with complete certainty due to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties inherent in any statistical survey. Accordingly, the accuracy and completeness of this data are not guaranteed. AHIP has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this news release nor ascertained the underlying assumptions relied upon by such sources.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information relating to AHIP, including AHIP's audited consolidated Financial Statements for the three months ended March 31, 2022, AHIP's MD&A dated May 10, 2022, and other public filings are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
ABOUT AMERICAN HOTEL INCOME PROPERTIES REIT LP
American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP (TSX: HOT.UN, TSX: HOT.U, TSX: HOT.DB.V), or AHIP, is a limited partnership formed to invest in hotel real estate properties across the United States. AHIP's portfolio of premium branded, select-service hotels are located in secondary metropolitan markets that benefit from diverse and stable demand. AHIP hotels operate under brands affiliated with Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Choice Hotels through license agreements. The Company's long-term objectives are to build on its proven track record of successful investment, deliver monthly U.S. dollar denominated distributions to unitholders, and generate value through the continued growth of its diversified hotel portfolio. More information is available at www.ahipreit.com.
FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
View original content:
SOURCE American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/10/american-hotel-income-properties-reit-lp-reports-q1-2022-results/ | 2022-05-11T05:32:34Z |
NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the season with an all-time high $310.6 million payroll for purposes of the luxury tax and are on track to pay a record tax of nearly $47 million, according to figures compiled by Major League Baseball and obtained by The Associated Press.
Five teams exceeded the $230 million threshold as of opening day, which if unchanged by the season’s end would be one shy of the most, in 2016.
After adding Freddie Freeman and reaching a big one-year deal with Trea Turner, Los Angeles was the only team to exceed the new fourth threshold, the so-called Cohen Tax named after New York Mets owner Steven Cohen. But the Dodgers’ payroll would drop by about $28.1 million if the domestic violence suspension of pitcher Trevor Bauer is upheld by an arbitrator. The Dodgers’ payroll included $34 million for Bauer, the average of his $102 million, three-year contract.
The Mets, in their second season since Cohen bought the team, were second at $289.3 million — $667,278 below the Cohen Tax. That left them on track for a tax payment of just under $22.5 million after adding pitcher Max Scherzer, center fielder Starling Marte, outfielder Mark Canha and All-Star infielder Eduardo Escobar.
The Yankees were third at $261.4 million, which would cause a tax of $7.6 million.
Philadelphia, which fired manager Joe Girardi on Friday following a poor start, was fourth at $233.1 million, on track to pay a tax of roughly $629,000, Boston was fifth at $232.3 million, which would result in a tax of about $466,000.
San Diego, the only team other than the Dodgers to pay tax last year, began this season $694,982 below the initial $230 million threshold.
Luxury tax payrolls include average annual values of all players on 40-man rosters plus just over $16 million per team for benefits and $1.67 million for each club’s share of the new $50 million pool for pre-arbitration players. Figures also include money owed released players, option buyouts and cash transactions.
Totals change throughout the season as trades and roster moves are made, and the tax is billed based on the final figure in December. For players remaining in salary arbitration, MLB included club offers in its payroll figures.
Under the collective bargaining agreement reached in March following a 99-day lockout, this year’s four tax thresholds are $230 million, $250 million, $270 million and $290 million.
First-time offenders pay 20% on the amount above the first threshold, 32% above the second, 62.5% above the third and 80% above the fourth.
As a repeat offender, the Dodgers pay 30% above the first, 42% above the second, 75% above the third and 90% above the fourth.
Los Angeles paid tax each season from 2013-17 and its total bill through last year reached $182 million since the luxury tax began in 2003. That’s second only to the Yankees’ $348 million bill.
If the Dodgers owe tax for 2023, they would pay 50% above next year’s first threshold of $233 million, 62% above $253 million, 95% above $273 million and 110% above $293 million.
Until now, the previous high for a luxury tax payroll was the Dodgers’ $297.9 million in 2015, which resulted in a record tax of just under $43.6 million.
A team’s tax rates reset at the lowest level after it drops below the initial threshold in any year.
Four teams had luxury tax payrolls under $100 million: Oakland ($64.8 million), Pittsburgh ($73.5 million), Baltimore ($79.9 million) and Cleveland (91.2 million).
Also this week, the players’ association issued its 2021 salary study, which showed the average baseball salary dropped 10.2% from 2017 through last season.
The union calculated the 2021 average at $3,679,335, down 5.2% from what 2020 would have been at full salaries had the season not been shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.
After rising from $3.97 million in 2016 to a record at just under $4.1 million in the first year of a new collective bargaining agreement, the average declined by $1,500 in 2019, and dropped to $4.05 million in 2019. The 2020 average would have been $3.89 million had a full schedule been played but was cut to $1.6 million by prorated salaries during the 60-game season.
The union usually issues its salary report in December but the 2021 edition was delayed while staff was engaged in collective bargaining.
Figures are based on 2021 salaries, earned bonuses and prorated shares of signing bonuses for 1,070 players on 26-man rosters and injured lists as of Aug. 31. MLB, using a slightly different methodology, calculated the average at $3,579,341.
A study by The Associated Press found this year’s opening day average was up 5.9% to $4.4 million, using expanded opening-day rosters and midpoints for players remaining in arbitration. The average declines over the course of a season as veterans are released and replaced by younger players with lower salaries.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/dodgers-open-with-record-310m-tax-payroll-would-owe-47m/ | 2022-06-04T13:39:43Z |
Outdoor adventurer "Miranda in the Wild" kicks off nationwide road trip to demonstrate the trend
SEATTLE, July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As campsite reservations continue to fill quickly due to more people going camping for the first time. REI has noted shifts in camp product purchases with more customers incorporating their mid-sized vehicles to extend adventures beyond the campsite. Since 2019, the co-op's sales of vehicle-supported camp items, including car shelters, refrigerators and rooftop tents have increased by 45 percent.
The co-op and the outdoor industry at-large both saw a significant increase in the number of people started camping due to the pandemic. A recently published Kampgrounds of America (KOA) Report showed diversity of first-time campers was also up significantly (54 percent non-white), comprised of a majority of millennial campers (54 percent), as was the number of people taking an overlanding or off-road vehicle camping trip (27 percent). The same study counted 93.8 million active camper households in 2021, and 9.1 million first-time camper households in 2021.
"Over the past few years, REI has seen more people turn to their mid-sized vehicles as a preferred way to go a bit further, camp using their car, visit new places, and try multisport adventures in new outdoor destinations – and REI is ready for them," says Melissa Paul, REI senior merchandising manager for camp. "This camper is a bit more spontaneous, is interested in being more self-sustained, and goes out a bit further off the grid to camp."
This year, the co-op's summer's assortment includes several products to help people extend their multisport adventures beyond the campsite. Some of the season's best sellers from the REI Co-op Brands collection include the REI Co-op Trailgate Vehicle Shelter and the REI Co-op Trailgate Vehicle Sleeping Platform that turn the vehicle into a comfortable home for the night. Additionally, partner products including Dometic coolers; NEMO sleeping bags and chairs; Thule car-top roof tents and racks; and Snow Peak cookware round-out the co-op's offerings to help make it one of the nation's leading outfitters for vehicle-supported adventure.
To introduce more people to vehicle-supported camping, Miranda in the Wild, an REI employee and YouTube outdoor adventurer, kicked off a nationwide tour, driving coast-to-coast in a Subaru Forester Wilderness Edition while stopping to teach Backpacking 101 classes and is conducting meet-and-greets at select REI locations. The Subaru, like many mid-sized vehicles REI Co-op customers already drive, is outfitted with some of the latest and greatest camping gear from brands like Dometic, NEMO, Snow Peak, Thule and REI Co-op. Along the way, Miranda will produce new videos so her fan base can follow her adventures as she shares tips to camp using a car for vehicle supported adventures.
The Miranda in the Wild tour started in Seattle on June 25 and Burbank on July 9. Other stops across the country include Santa Fe on July 12, Denver on July 16, and Atlanta on July 30. Check Miranda's Instagram for details.
To provide campsite solutions to more people, REI and Hipcamp have partnered to offer easy booking and access to a wider array of domestic destinations, opening more options for people looking to go beyond the basic campsite. The brands announced a #SaveASpot Sweepstakes, a summer-long campaign that will award 10 immersive, outdoor experiences to campers from across the nation.
In supporting campers heading out on outdoor adventures, REI continues to emphasize and teach Recreate Responsibly tactics: plan and prepare; build an inclusive outdoors; respect others; leave no trace; and make it better; through its free online Expert Advice articles, video content and in-store events and education classes.
About the REI Co-op
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation's largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of 21.5 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 175 locations in 41 states and the District of Columbia. If you can't visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI Outlet or the REI shopping app. REI isn't just about gear. Adventurers can take the trip of a lifetime with REI's active adventure travel company that runs more than 100 itineraries across the country. In many communities where REI has a presence, professionally trained instructors share their expertise by hosting beginner-to advanced-level classes and workshops about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to—and steward—the outdoor places that inspire us all.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE REI Co-op | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/12/rei-co-op-finds-younger-more-diverse-spontaneous-campers-turning-co-op-outfit-their-mid-sized-suv-vehicles-adventure-trips/ | 2022-07-12T12:05:39Z |
BEIJING (AP) — China’s government on Thursday accused Washington of jeopardizing peace after U.S. envoys began trade talks with Taiwan aimed at deepening relations with the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing.
Talks that started Wednesday cover trade, regulation and other areas based on “shared values” as market-oriented economies, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. It did not mention China but the talks add to gestures that show U.S. support for Taiwan amid menacing behavior by Beijing, which threatens to invade.
Trade dialogues “disrupt peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” said a foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian. He called on Washington to “stop negotiating agreements with Taiwan that have sovereign connotations and official nature.”
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party’s victory on the mainland. They have multibillion-dollar trade and investment ties but no official relations. Beijing says Taiwan has no right to conduct foreign relations.
The United States has diplomatic relations only with Beijing but extensive informal ties with Taiwan. The U.S. government is committed by federal law to see that the island has the means to defend itself.
Zhao accused Washington of encouraging sentiment in Taiwan in favor of declaring formal independence, a step Beijing has said previously would be grounds for an invasion.
The trade initiative is “intended to develop concrete ways to deepen the economic and trade relationship” and “advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values,” said a statement by the office of USTR Katherine Tai.
Taiwan is the ninth-largest U.S. trading partner and an important manufacturing center for computer chips and other high-tech products.
President Joe Biden said May 23 while visiting Tokyo that the United States would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan. He said the U.S. commitment to help the island defend itself was “even stronger” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and expressed support for the island during her second visit in a year to Taiwan.
On Monday, China sent 30 military aircraft toward Taiwan in the latest of a series of flights aimed at intimidating the island’s democratically elected government. Taiwan’s defense ministry said it sent up fighter planes and put air defense missile systems on alert. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/china-demands-us-stop-trade-talks-with-taiwan/ | 2022-06-02T22:41:34Z |
Vikings decline 5th-year option on center Garrett Bradbury
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have declined the fifth-year option on the contract for center Garrett Bradbury. The move sends their 2019 first-round draft pick into the final season of his rookie deal. Bradbury made 45 starts for the Vikings in three years since he was taken with the No. 18 overall selection out of North Carolina State. He missed two games in 2021 with COVID-19. He lost his starting spot to Mason Cole for two games after that, until Cole was switched to right guard and Bradbury returned to center. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/05/02/vikings-decline-5th-year-option-on-center-garrett-bradbury/ | 2022-05-03T03:49:06Z |
DALLAS (KDAF) — It’s Spring and for Millenials and Gen Z-ers that means it’s time for the season bluebonnet pictures.
Officials with the City of Plano want to make sure you’re covered and have provided a helpful map of where to find wildflowers in the Plano area.
In a tweet, officials said, “Have you taken bluebonnet pictures in Plano?☀️We want to see! Looking for places to take wildflower pictures in Plano? @PlanoParksRec can help you plot your trip:”
Look below for the map: | https://cw33.com/news/local/city-of-plano-releases-wildflower-location-map-so-you-can-take-your-best-bluebonnet-picture/ | 2022-04-09T01:49:01Z |
Excluding significant items, quarterly earnings per common share of $0.52 (1)
Excluding significant items, record full fiscal year earnings per common share of $2.51 (1)
Fiscal 2022 common share year dividend payout increased 28% year-over-year
TORONTO, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (Canaccord Genuity Group, the Company) (TSX: CF) today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.
"Our fourth quarter and fiscal 2022 results demonstrate the underlying strength of our franchise and the benefit of targeted investments to increase contributions from our wealth management and advisory businesses, which help to offset the inherent volatility of our investment banking segment," said Dan Daviau, President & CEO of Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.
"While we expect that the coming months will present new challenges and uncertainty, our firmwide commitment to protecting value for our clients and shareholders has never been stronger. We begin fiscal 2023 with confidence that our business is optimally positioned to deliver profitability through the economic cycle."
Fourth quarter and fiscal 2022 highlights:
(All dollar amounts are stated in thousands of Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated)
- Fourth quarter revenue excluding significant items (1) of $490.8 million ($499.8 million on an IFRS basis)
- Fiscal 2022 revenue of $2.0 billion, up 1.9% year-over-year and our highest annual revenue on record
- Fourth quarter net income before taxes excluding significant items(1) of $94.5 million, a decrease of 48.4% ($96.5 million and a year-over-year decrease of 48.6% on an IFRS basis) when compared to the record results in Q4/21
- Fiscal 2022 net income before taxes excluding significant items(1) of $417.6 million, an improvement of 8.2% year-over-year ($378.3 million and a year-over-year increase of 2.3% on an IFRS basis)
- Excluding significant items (1), quarterly diluted earnings per common share for the fourth fiscal quarter of $0.52 ($0.53 per share on an IFRS basis)
- Excluding significant items (1), diluted earnings per common share for fiscal 2022 of $2.51 ($2.16 per share on an IFRS basis)
- Record fiscal 2022 capital markets advisory revenue of $488.6 million, a year-over-year improvement of 152.5%
- Total client assets(1) in our global wealth management business of $96.1 billion, an increase of 8.2% from Q4/21 reflecting year-over-year increases of 17.5% in Canada, 1.0% in the UK & Crown Dependencies, and 26.6% in Australia
- During fiscal 2022, the Company announced acquisitions to increase the long-term value and market position of its wealth management business in the UK & Crown Dependencies and its US capital markets business
- Purchased 6,451,612 common shares for cancellation under the substantial issuer bid and 3,401,116 common shares for cancellation under our normal course issuer bid (NCIB) during the year ended March 31, 2022
- Fourth quarter common share dividend of $0.085 per share; total common share dividends for fiscal 2022 increased 28% year-over-year, reflecting continued strong contributions from our global wealth management businesses
- Capital deployment initiatives in fiscal 2022 resulted in the return of $176.1 million to common shareholders through common share dividends and buybacks, which included a $100 million substantial issuer bid and continued Normal Course Issuer Bid (NCIB) activity
Core business performance highlights:
Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management
The Company's combined global wealth management operations earned revenue of $174.3 million for the fourth fiscal quarter, a year-over-year decrease of 12.5% primarily due to the anticipated reduction in investment banking activity in our North American business. Revenue for the fiscal year amounted to $720.4 million, an increase of 8.6% compared to the prior year. Excluding significant items(1), pre-tax net income decreased by 34.9% year-over year to $29.2 million for the fourth quarter and increased by 9.8% to $148.5 million for the fiscal year. On an IFRS basis, pre-tax net income decreased by 40.6% and increased by 3.6% for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2022 compared to the same period in the prior year. Firm-wide client assets were $96.1 billion at March 31, 2022, a year-over-year increase of 8.2%.
- Wealth management operations in the UK & Crown Dependencies generated $80.3 million in revenue and, excluding significant items(1), recorded net income of $23.5 million before taxes in Q4/22. In fiscal 2022, this business generated revenue of $310.5 million and excluding significant items(1), recorded net income of $84.8 million before taxes.
- Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management (North America) generated $76.2 million in revenue and before taxes, recorded net income of $5.1 million in Q4/22. In fiscal 2022, this business generated revenue of $335.3 million and, excluding significant items(1), recorded net income of $56.3 million before taxes.
- Wealth management operations in Australia generated $17.8 million in revenue and, excluding significant items(1), recorded net income of $0.6 million before taxes in Q4/22. In fiscal 2022, this business generated revenue of $74.6 million and, excluding significant items(1), recorded net income of $7.3 million before taxes
Revenue in the Company's North American wealth management business decreased by 28.8% in Q4/22 compared to the same period in the prior year, due to lower new issue activity when compared to the near record new issue activity in the fourth quarter of the prior fiscal year. The fiscal 2022 revenue contribution from this business amounted to $335.3 million, an increase of 3.5% compared to the prior year. Average AUA per Investment Advisory team improved by 16.7% year-over-year on new asset growth and the impact of higher ECM opportunities in the first half of fiscal 2022. Commissions and fees revenue for the fourth fiscal quarter declined by 8.3% year-over-year to $58.4 million and increased by 14.6% to $227.5 million for the fiscal year, a record for this business. Interest income in this business increased 63.7% year-over-year for both Q4/22 and fiscal 2022, to $5.3 million and $18.9 million respectively.
We continue to evaluate a range of opportunities for profitable growth in our Canadian wealth management business while advancing our technology and product offerings aimed at helping Investment Advisors grow their businesses. Our recruiting pipeline remains strong.
Revenue in the Company's UK & Crown Dependencies wealth management business amounted to $80.3 million for the fourth quarter and $310.5 million for the fiscal year, increases of 7.2% and 12.0% respectively, primarily due to higher commissions and fees revenue and interest income attributable to the higher interest rate environment. Commissions and fees revenue earned in this business reached a new record of $301.9 million for fiscal 2022, an increase of 10.7% from the prior year. Excluding significant items(1), the pre-tax profit margin in this business increased by 3.7 percentage points to 29.3% for the three-month period and increased by 3.8 percentage points to 27.3% for the fiscal year.
Subsequent to the end of the fiscal year, on May 31, 2022, this business completed its acquisition of Punter Southall Wealth (PSW). PSW currently has approximately $7.9 billion (£4.8 billion) in client assets and generated annual revenue of approximately $60.0 million (£34.7 million) for the year ended December 31, 2021. The Company will continue to pursue growth of this business through organic growth and by leveraging its financial partnerships to pursue accretive opportunities.
The Company's Australian wealth management business earned revenue of $17.8 million in the fourth quarter and $74.6 million for the fiscal year, representing year-over-year increases of 3.1% and 19.9% respectively. Commissions and fees revenue for the fiscal year reached a new record of $57.7 million, an increase of 11.9% compared to the prior year. The number of investment advisors in this business increased by 4.5% year-over-year, reflecting strong recruiting momentum.
Total client assets in the Company's global wealth management businesses at the end of the fourth fiscal quarter amounted to $96.1 billion, an increase of $7.3 billion or 8.2% from March 31, 2021.
- Client assets in North America were $37.9 billion as at March 31, 2022, an increase of 1.1% from $37.5 billion at the end of the previous quarter and an increase of 17.5% from $32.2 billion at March 31, 2021.
- Client assets in the UK & Crown Dependencies were $52.8 billion (£32.1 billion) as at March 31, 2022, a decrease of 11.1% from $59.4 billion (£34.8 billion) at the end of the previous quarter, and an increase of 1.0% from $52.3 billion (£30.2 billion) at March 31, 2021.
- Client assets in Australia held in our investment management platforms were $5.4 billion (AUD$ 5.7 billion) as at March 31, 2022, an increase of 5.7% from $5.1 billion (AUD$ 5.5 billion) as at December 31, 2021 and an increase of 26.6% from $4.2 billion (AUD$ 4.4 billion) at March 31, 2021. In addition to client assets held in our investment management platforms, client assets totalling $17.5 billion (AUD$ 18.6 billion) are also held in non-managed accounts.
Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets
Globally, Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets earned revenue of $312.0 million for the fourth fiscal quarter, representing a decrease of 35.9% from the record set in Q4/21, largely reflecting the anticipated decrease in investment banking revenue and principal trading revenue in our US and Canadian operations. Our combined global capital markets businesses contributed revenue of $1.3 billion for the fiscal year, a year-over-year decrease of 0.7%. Firm-wide advisory revenue for the three- and 12-month periods increased 85.6% and 152.5% year-over-year to $121.6 million and $488.6 million, which is a new full-year-record for this segment. Excluding significant items(1), this segment contributed pre-tax net income of $73.4 million for the fourth quarter and $324.6 million for the fiscal year, compared to $155.1 million in Q4/21 and $324.9 million in the previous fiscal year.
- Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets led or co-led 47 investment banking transactions globally, each over $1.5 million, raising total proceeds of $3.3 billion during Q4/22.
- Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets led or co-led 329 investment banking transactions globally, each over $1.5 million, raising total proceeds of $13.5 billion during fiscal 2022.
- Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets participated in 102 investment banking transactions globally, including led or co-led, raising total proceeds of $11.8 billion during Q4/22.
- Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets participated in a total of 596 investment banking transactions globally, including led or co-led, raising total proceeds of $61.2 billion during fiscal 2022.
The Company's US capital markets business was the largest contributor of revenue for the three-month period, with revenue of $146.5 million, or 47.0% of total global capital markets revenue. Declines in investment banking and trading revenue during the fourth quarter were partially offset by strong advisory activity, which included contributions from our recent acquisition of Sawaya . Fourth quarter advisory revenue increased 195.3% year-over-year to $64.8 million, bringing advisory revenue for the fiscal year to a record $317.0 million, an increase of 218.8% compared to the prior fiscal year. Investment banking revenue for the three-month period decreased by 78.7% to $15.1 million when compared to the extraordinary record set in the fourth quarter of the prior year. For fiscal 2022, investment banking revenue decreased by 35.2% year-over-year to $110.0 million, reflecting the impact of the expected broad market decline that began in the second half of fiscal 2022. Principal trading revenue also decreased by 49.6% from the prior year's record, to $37.9 million in the fourth quarter due to lower trading volume and activity. Excluding significant items(1), the pre-tax profit margin in this business was 24.2% for the fourth quarter and 23.6% for the fiscal year, increases of 0.8 percentage points and 4.4 percentage points respectively.
Fourth quarter revenue of $74.5 million in our Canadian capital markets operations remained strong by historical standards but decreased by 62.6% when compared to the record set in Q4/21. This business set new quarterly and fiscal year records in advisory revenue, which amounted to $35.0 million in the fourth fiscal quarter and $105.0 million for the fiscal year, representing year-over-year increases of 12.8% and 65.5% respectively. Fourth quarter investment banking, principal trading, and commissions and fees revenue declined by 83.5%, 74.9% and 43.8% respectively when compared to the same period in the prior year. This business continues to be a top-ranked domestic underwriter in Canada and a leading underwriter for initial public offerings. Excluding significant items(1), the pre-tax profit margin in this business was 24.5% for the fourth quarter and 30.6% for the fiscal year, representing decreases of 22.5 percentage points and 5.2 percentage points from the prior year's quarterly and full-year records, but remained comfortably above historic levels.
Fourth quarter revenue earned by our Australian capital markets business increased 29.0% year-over-year to $61.8 million, reflecting a 25.0% increase in investment banking revenue and a 98.4% increase in commissions and fees revenue when compared to the same period a year ago. This business contributed revenue of $174.1 million for the fiscal year, a decrease of 4.7% compared to the prior year's record, and substantially above historic levels. This performance was largely driven by the robust environment for underwriting activities in our focus sectors and also includes unrealized gains in certain inventory and warrant positions earned in respect of investment banking activity. Excluding significant items(1), the pre-tax profit margin in this business increased by 9.8 percentage points to 29.5% for the fourth quarter and increased by 2.1 percentage points to 29.0% for the fiscal year.
Revenue in our UK operations decreased by 19.1% for the three-month period driven mainly by lower investment banking revenue. Advisory revenue in this business was $21.7 million for the fourth quarter and $66.6 million for the fiscal year, representing year-over-year increases of 73.9% and 117.8% respectively, and the second highest quarterly and annual contributions for this segment on record. Excluding significant items (1), our UK & Europe capital markets business earned pre-tax net income of $1.5 million for the fourth quarter, increasing its pre-tax net income contribution for the year to $11.7 million, a year-over-year improvement of 269.5% and the highest amount since fiscal 2014. The pre-tax profit margin in this business excluding significant items(1) , was 5.0% for the fourth quarter and 9.7% for the fiscal year.
Summary of Corporate Developments
On February 1, 2022, the Company announced the results of the substantial issuer bid which commenced on December 22, 2021 and expired on January 27, 2022. The Company purchased for cancellation 6,451,612 of its common shares at a purchase price of $15.50 per share for aggregate consideration of approximately $100.0 million.
On May 24, 2022, the Company announced that it does not intend to exercise its option to redeem the Series C Preferred Shares on June 30, 2022. The Company has the option to redeem on June 30 every five years thereafter, in whole or in part, at $25.00 per share together with all declared and unpaid dividends.
On May 31, 2022, the Company announced that through its wealth management business in the UK ("CGWM UK"), it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Punter Southall Wealth ("PSW"), including the intermediary-facing brand Psigma. In connection with completion of the acquisition, CGWM UK added £100 million (C$169.2 million) to its existing bank facility. In addition, HPS Investment Partners, LLC on behalf of investment accounts and funds it manages made an additional investment in CGWM UK on closing of the acquisition through the purchase of a new series of convertible preferred shares of CGWM UK in the amount of £65.3 million (C$110.5 million). Cumulative dividends will be payable by CGWM UK on the new convertible preferred shares at the greater of an annual 7.5% coupon and the proportionate share that such shares would receive on an as converted basis. The new convertible preferred shares will also carry customary minority rights in respect of CGWM UK governance and financial matters, a liquidation preference, and call protections.
On June 1, 2022, the Company announced the reset of the dividend rate on its Series C Preferred Shares. Quarterly cumulative cash dividends, as declared, are paid at an annual rate of 4.993% for the five- year period ending on and including June 30, 2022. Commencing July 1, 2022 and ending on and including June 30, 2027, quarterly cumulative dividends, if declared, will be paid at an annual rate of 6.837%. The dividend rate will be reset every five years at a rate equal to the five-year Government of Canada yield plus 4.03%.
Results for the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2022 and year ended March 31, 2022 were impacted by the following significant items:
- Fair value adjustments on certain illiquid or restricted marketable securities recorded for IFRS reporting purposes, but which are excluded for management reporting purposes and are not used by management to assess operating performance
- Amortization of intangible assets acquired in connection with business combinations
- Acquisition-related costs in connection with the acquisition of Adam & Company as well as other prospective acquisition opportunities of CGWM UK
- Certain incentive-based costs related to the acquisition and growth initiatives in the US capital markets and CGWM UK wealth operations
Summary of Results for Q4 Fiscal 2022 and Year Ended March 31, 2022 and Selected Financial Information Excluding Significant Items(1):
Diluted earnings per common share (diluted EPS) is computed using the treasury stock method, giving effect to the exercise of all dilutive elements. The Convertible Preferred Shares issued by CGWM UK are factored into the diluted EPS by adjusting net income attributable to common shareholders of the Company to reflect our proportionate share of CGWM UK's earnings on an as converted basis if the calculation is dilutive. For the quarter ended March 31, 2022, the effect of reflecting our proportionate share of CGWM UK's earnings is dilutive for diluted EPS purposes under IFRS as well as for the purpose of determining diluted EPS excluding significant items (1). Accordingly, net income attributable to common shareholders for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 reflects the Company's proportionate share of CGWM UK's net income on an as converted basis.
The effect of reflecting the proportionate share of CGWM UK's net income excluding significant items(1) is only dilutive for the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2022. For the year ended March 31, 2022, the effect is anti-dilutive under IFRS for diluted EPS purposes but dilutive for the purpose of determining diluted EPS excluding significant items(1). As such, the diluted EPS under IFRS for fiscal 2022 is computed based on net income attributable to common shareholders less accrued dividends on the Convertible Preferred Shares issued by CGWM UK.
Financial Condition at the End of Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2022 vs. Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2021:
- Cash and cash equivalents balance of $1.8 billion, a decrease of $95.0 million from $1.9 billion
- Working capital of $794.4 million, an increase of $ 241.9 million from $552.5 million
- Total shareholders' equity of $1.2 billion, an increase of $71.0 million from $1.1 billion
Common and Preferred Share Dividends:
On June 2, 2022, the Board of Directors approved a dividend of $0.085 per common share, payable on June 30, 2022, with a record date of June 17, 2022.
On June 2, 2022, the Board approved a cash dividend of $0.25175 per Series A Preferred Share payable on June 30, 2022 to Series A Preferred shareholders of record as at June 17, 2022.
On June 2, 2022, the Board approved a cash dividend of $0.31206 per Series C Preferred Share payable on June 30, 2022 to Series C Preferred shareholders of record as at June 17, 2022.
Non-IFRS Measures
Certain non-IFRS measures, non-IFRS ratios and supplementary financial measures are utilized by the Company as measures of financial performance. Non-IFRS measures, non-IFRS ratios and supplementary financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.
Management believes that these non-IFRS measures, non-IFRS ratios and supplementary financial measures allow for a better evaluation of the operating performance of the Company's business and facilitate meaningful comparison of results in the current period to those in prior periods and future periods. Non-IFRS measures presented in this earnings release include certain figures from our statement of operations that are adjusted to exclude significant items. Although figures that exclude significant items provide useful information by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of the Company's core operating results, a limitation of utilizing these figures that exclude significant items is that the IFRS accounting effects of these items do in fact reflect the underlying financial results of the Company's business. Accordingly, these effects should not be ignored in evaluating and analyzing the Company's financial results. Therefore, management believes that the Company's IFRS measures of financial performance and the respective non-IFRS measures should be considered together.
Non-IFRS Measures (Adjusted Figures)
Figures that exclude significant items provide useful information by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of the Company's core operating results. Financial statement items that exclude significant items are non-IFRS measures. To calculate these non-IFRS financial statement items, we exclude certain items from our financial results prepared in accordance with IFRS. The items which have been excluded are referred to herein as significant items. The following is a description of the composition of the non-IFRS measures used in this earnings release (note that some significant items excluded may not be applicable to the calculation
of the non-IFRS measures for each comparative period): (i) revenue excluding significant items, which is composed of revenue per IFRS less any applicable fair value adjustments on certain illiquid or restricted marketable securities as recorded for IFRS reporting purposes but which are excluded for management reporting purposes and are not used by management to assess operating performance; (ii) expenses excluding significant items, which is composed of expenses per IFRS less any applicable amortization of intangible assets acquired in connection with a business combination, acquisition-related expense items, which includes costs recognized in relation to both prospective and completed acquisitions, certain incentive-based costs related to the acquisitions and growth initiatives in CGWM UK and US capital markets, costs associated with the redemption of convertible debentures, costs associated with the reorganization of CGWM UK, and fair value adjustments to the derivative liability component of non-controlling interests in CGWM UK; (iii) net income before taxes excluding significant items, which is composed of revenue excluding significant items less expenses excluding significant items; (iv) income taxes (adjusted), which is composed of income taxes per IFRS adjusted to reflect the associated tax effect of the excluded significant items; (v) net income excluding significant items, which is composed of net income before income taxes excluding significant items less income taxes (adjusted); (vi) non-controlling interests (adjusted), which is composed of non-controlling interests per IFRS less the amortization of the equity component of non-controlling interests in CGWM UK; and (vii) net income attributable to common shareholders excluding significant items, which is composed of net income excluding significant items less non-controlling interests (adjusted) and preferred share dividends paid on the Series A and Series C Preferred Shares.
A reconciliation of non-IFRS measures that exclude significant items to the applicable IFRS measures from the audited consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2022 can be found above in the table entitled "Summary of results for Q4 fiscal 2022 and year ended March 31, 2022 and selected financial information excluding significant items".
Non-IFRS Ratios
Non-IFRS ratios are calculated using the non-IFRS measures defined above. For the periods presented herein, we have used the following non-IFRS ratios: (i) total expenses excluding significant items as a percentage of revenue, which is calculated by dividing expenses excluding significant items by revenue excluding significant items; (ii) earnings per common share excluding significant items, which is calculated by dividing net income attributable to common shareholders excluding significant items by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding (basic); (iii) diluted earnings per common share excluding significant items which is calculated by dividing net income attributable to common shareholders excluding significant items by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding (diluted); and (iv) pre-tax profit margin which is calculated by dividing net income before taxes excluding significant items by revenue excluding significant items.
Supplementary Financial Measures
Client assets are supplementary financial measures that do not have any definitions prescribed under IFRS but do not meet the definition of a non-IFRS measure or non-IFRS ratio. Client assets, which include both assets under management (AUM) and assets under administration (AUA), is a measure that is common to the wealth management business. Client assets is the market value of client assets managed and administered by the Company from which the Company earns commissions and fees. This measure includes funds held in client accounts as well as the aggregate market value of long and short security positions. The Company's method of calculating client assets may differ from the methods used by other companies, and therefore these measures may not be comparable to other companies. Management uses these measures to assess operational performance of the Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management business segment.
ACCESS TO QUARTERLY RESULTS INFORMATION
QUARTERLY CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST PRESENTATION
Interested parties are invited to listen to Canaccord Genuity's fourth quarter and fiscal 2022 results conference call via live webcast or a toll-free number. The conference call is scheduled for Friday, June 3, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time, 5:00 a.m. Pacific time, 1:00 p.m. UK time, 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time, and 10:00 pm Australia EDT. During the call, senior executives will comment on the results and respond to questions from analysts and institutional investors.
The conference call may be accessed live and will also be archived on a listen-only basis at: www.cgf.com/investor-relations/news-and-events/conference-calls-and-webcasts/
Analysts and institutional investors can call in via telephone at:
- 416-764-8609 (within Toronto)
- 888-390-0605 (toll free in North America outside Toronto)
- 0-800-652-2435 (toll free from the United Kingdom)
- 0-800-916-834 (toll free from France)
- 10-800-714-1938 (toll free from Northern China)
- 10-800-140-1973 (toll free from Southern China)
- 1-800-076-068 (toll free from Australia)
- 80-003-570-3632 (toll free from United Arab Emirates)
Please ask to participate in the Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. Q4 and fiscal 2022 results call. If a passcode is requested, please use 63940494.
A replay of the conference call will be made available from approximately two hours after the live call on June 3, 2022, until August 3, 2022 at 416-764-8677 or 1-888-390-0541 by entering passcode 940494 followed by the (#) key.
ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY GROUP INC.:
Through its principal subsidiaries, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (the Company) is a leading independent, full-service financial services firm, with operations in two principal segments of the securities industry: wealth management and capital markets. Since its establishment in 1950, the Company has been driven by an unwavering commitment to building lasting client relationships. We achieve this by generating value for our individual, institutional and corporate clients through comprehensive investment solutions, brokerage services and investment banking services. The Company has wealth management offices located in Canada, the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and Australia. The Company's international capital markets division operates in North America, the UK & Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is listed under the symbol CF on the TSX.
View original content:
SOURCE Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/canaccord-genuity-group-inc-reports-fourth-quarter-fiscal-2022-results/ | 2022-06-02T23:59:44Z |
VANCOUVER, BC, July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesis Robotics & Motion Technologies, manufacturer of LiveDrive®, the world's highest torque density direct drive motor for robotics and automation, announced today that Jesse Dowd has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer.
Dowd has over 25 years of extensive product management, marketing, sales and business development experience in motion control, robotics and industrial automation markets. He has a strong track record bringing technology to market and scaling global high-tech businesses. Prior to Genesis, he spent more than 7 years at Novanta building out their Precision Motion business. In his 13 years at Analogic, he was responsible for transforming and growing the Copley Controls motion control business. Jesse has a B.S. in Engineering from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from Babson College.
"Genesis continues to rapidly ramp commercial operations in response to customer demand and is pleased that Jesse will be leading our global sales, channel development, customer support, and service activities," noted Chris Di Lello, CEO of Genesis Robotics & Motion Technologies. "Genesis will benefit immensely from Jesse's experience rapidly developing and expanding global markets for innovative new products," continued Di Lello.
"I am very excited to join the Genesis team at this pivotal juncture," says Dowd. "Genesis is poised for significant commercial expansion with innovative products that truly provide customer value and the operational infrastructure necessary to deliver standard platform products and solutions tailored to meet specific application requirements. I look forward to leading the commercial strategy and execution at Genesis and working with the Genesis team to rapidly achieve attractive and sustainable growth."
Genesis recently unveiled the LiveDrive® LDX series, the company's first frameless motors leveraging the company's patented LiveDrive® technology. The LiveDrive® series of direct drive motors has been integrated into ABIflexx's delta robot, and the world's first high-speed collaborative sidebot by Wyzo, utilizing LiveDrive's features to create a collaborative delta robot without the need for protective barriers. Wyzo was recently awarded Red Dot Winner 2022 Best of Best.
About Genesis Robotics & Motion Technologies – Motion Redefined
Founded in 2014, Genesis Robotics & Motion Technologies develops and manufactures innovative actuation solutions for the robotics and automation industries. The company's core products are its line of LiveDrive® direct drive motors and novel geared actuators. LiveDrive® and Genesis' growing portfolio of motion technologies are being implemented in world-first applications, disrupting, transforming, and leading a new standard in robot and automation performance and productivity. In 2018, Koch Engineered Solutions made a strategic investment and acquired a controlling interest in Genesis to commercialize its disruptive motion technologies.
Genesis Robotics & Motion Technologies is headquartered in Langley, BC, Canada, with locations in the United States, Germany, and Japan.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Genesis Robotics and Motion Technologies | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/06/genesis-robotics-amp-motion-technologies-hires-industry-veteran-jesse-dowd-lead-commercial-growth/ | 2022-07-06T16:40:50Z |
Upgraded Product Simplifies Logistics, Achieves Unified Network Operations for U.S. Defense
AUGUSTA, Ga., Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CodeMettle, an innovative developer of NetOps software, today announced the launch of Terminus 2.0 at TechNet Augusta 2022. Developed with a strategic focus on Warfighter requirements, Terminus 2.0 is the only commercial grade software developed from the ground up to manage and control tactical diverse communications nodes at scale in contested and congested networks.
"Tactical DoD networks are critical infrastructure that need to adapt to changes at the speed of battle," said Richard Graham, CEO of CodeMettle. "Terminus 2.0 was built in collaboration with soldiers, for soldiers. It is a complete nodal management product designed to make the stand-up and operation of any tactical node simple. Terminus 2.0 has been designed to meet or exceed the Army's known objectives for Unified Network Operations at the tactical edge."
CodeMettle software simplifies node management by reducing the software tools and the cognitive load required to run the network at the tactical edge. Terminus 2.0 is designed to be run out-of-the-box by relatively untrained soldiers with little experience. Because of this, soldiers operating with Terminus 2.0 can more quickly and easily than ever before stand up and run a node for critical communications services at the edge.
In the 2.0 release, Terminus is now compatible with any baseband kit out the box, i.e., it manages baseband systems with no specialized configuration required. In 2.0, the process of setting up systems has been streamlined to lower training requirements and accelerate node setup. The UI is built to the Google Material UI standard, making it intuitive for anyone to use, enhanced by a visualization technique called progressive disclosure to expose only what is needed, when it is needed to simplify node operations.
CodeMettle serves defense, government and commercial partners through innovative and scalable commercial software products. Our agile solutions solve the most complex data integration, network operations and process challenges. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, CodeMettle provides a suite of distributed and scalable Network Operations products that enable enterprises to analyze, organize and consolidate complex data, processes and operations. Learn more.
Contact:
Joyce Bosc
On behalf of CodeMettle
(301) 717-9529
jbosc@boscobel.com
View original content:
SOURCE CodeMettle | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/codemettle-launches-terminus-20-technet-augusta-2022/ | 2022-08-15T12:11:40Z |
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) — Rock singer Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins will perform a charity livestream show on July 27 to benefit the victims of the Fourth of July parade shooting in suburban Chicago that killed seven people and wounded more than 30.
Corgan, a 20-year resident of Highland Park, where the shooting happened, said the show will be at the city’s plant-based tea house Madame Zuzu’s, which he owns with his partner Chloe Mendel.
He made the announcement Thursday in a video posted on the Madame Zuzu’s Instagram, the Daily Herald reported.
“There are so many people here affected by this tragedy,” Corgan said in the video. “It’s very close to our hearts and we hope you’ll participate and support as well.”
Corgan said the show will feature several special guests. So far, Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and jazz saxophonist Frank Catalano have been named.
The show will be streamed for free on the Smashing Pumpkins YouTube page. There will be a link for viewers to donate. | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/billy-corgan-to-play-charity-show-for-july-4-parade-victims/ | 2022-07-16T09:00:12Z |
MCLEAN, Va., May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE: AAIC) (the "Company" or "Arlington") today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.
First Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights
- $6.19 per common share of book value
- $0.12 per diluted common share of GAAP net loss
- $0.05 per diluted common share of non-GAAP core operating income[1]
- $0.09 per common share of book value accretion from the repurchase of 3.3% of the outstanding shares of common stock
- 1.3 to 1 "at risk" leverage ratio
"Over the last 24 months, we have thoroughly repositioned Arlington from a primarily levered agency MBS strategy to one focused on establishing multiple high return, non-commodity investment channels in mortgage servicing rights ("MSRs"), single-family residential ("SFR") rental properties and select credit investments.
"The execution of this strategy has enabled the Company to produce outsized recent returns relative to other residential mortgage REITs, evidenced by the Company generating an economic return that was among the top 10% of its peers over the last six months," said J. Rock Tonkel, Jr., the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer.
"The actions taken by the Company allowed us to grow book value during a time when traditional mortgage REITs have been battling an exceptionally volatile market environment. Today, the Company has a flexible investment platform across multiple residential asset classes that has created high returns while operating with low leverage and high liquidity.
"As you see from our recent results, the Company's differentiated strategy is well suited to perform in various market conditions. Having grown to 50% of investment capital, our MSR portfolio produced strong results again during the first quarter and has generated a 53% annualized return since its initial formation in late 2020. Our SFR portfolio has reached $177 million as of today with a strong net unlevered yield of 4.9% and anticipated total returns in the double digits.
"Today we also announced the signing of an agreement to sell a portion of our SFR portfolio at an expected significant gain driven primarily by a bulk premium for a portfolio of leased homes in attractive markets. Once consummated, we expect the sale to add approximately $0.45 per share or 7% to our first quarter ended book value. Following the expected completion of that sale near the end of the second quarter, we expect to continue the growth of our SFR platform to its fully ramped scale of approximately $200 million of homes, subject to market conditions, utilizing our attractive five-year fixed cost financing facility alongside our $55 million capital allocation. Looking forward, we are encouraged by the potential upside to future earnings from the full ramp of our SFR portfolio.
"We continue to believe there is greater value in Arlington's business than the public markets recognize. Until we believe the stock price more accurately reflects the intrinsic value of Arlington's business, the Company and its insiders expect to continue to purchase shares of the Company's stock. Since reinstituting our current common stock repurchase program in 2020, the Company has aggressively returned capital to shareholders by purchasing over 23% of its outstanding shares, delivering $0.68 per share of accretion to shareholders.
"We remain optimistic that our strategy can continue to drive economic returns which we believe the market will reward shareholders over time."
First Quarter Investment Portfolio
As of March 31, 2022, the Company's investment portfolio capital allocation was as follows:
MSR Related Investments
The Company is party to agreements with a licensed, U.S. government sponsored enterprise ("GSE") approved residential mortgage loan servicer that enable the Company to garner the economic return of an investment in an MSR purchased by the mortgage servicing counterparty. The arrangement allows the Company to participate in the economic benefits of investing in an MSR without holding the requisite licenses to purchase or hold MSRs directly. Under the terms of the arrangement, the Company provides capital to the mortgage servicing counterparty to purchase MSRs directly and the Company, in turn, receives all the economic benefits of the MSRs less a fee payable to the counterparty. At the Company's option, the mortgage servicing counterparty could utilize leverage on the MSRs to which the Company's MSR financing receivables are referenced to finance the purchase of additional MSRs to increase potential returns to the Company. The transactions are accounted for as a financing receivable on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
The Company's MSR financing receivable investments as of March 31, 2022 are summarized below:
As of March 31, 2022, the mortgage servicing counterparty has drawn $43.9 million of financing under its credit facility collateralized by the MSRs to which the Company's MSR financing receivables are referenced, resulting in an implicit leverage ratio of 0.32 to 1. The weighted average yield on the Company's MSR financing receivables was 12.49% for the first quarter of 2022 compared to 9.63% for the fourth quarter of 2021.
Single-family Residential Investments
As of March 31, 2022, the Company had acquired 405 single family residential ("SFR") properties for a total cost of $122 million and had commitments to acquire an additional 49 SFR properties for an aggregate purchase price of $15 million. The timing of the earnings benefit to the Company from investing in SFR rental properties will be dictated by the pace of home purchases, the level of any property level refurbishments required after purchase and the length of the lease marketing period. The Company expects the time period between the date of settlement of the home purchase to the date the house is occupied by a tenant to average between 30 to 60 days. During the period prior to a lease commencement, the Company is incurring costs to hold the property including real estate taxes, insurance, homeowner association fees and interest costs.
As of March 31, 2022, the Company's SFR portfolio is summarized below:
As of March 31, 2022, the Company has drawn $78.1 million under its $150 million credit facility. Advances may be drawn up to 74% of the fair value of eligible SFR properties with an advance period that expires in March 2023 with outstanding principal balance due in October 2026. Advances under the facility bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.76%.
Credit Investments
The Company's credit investments generally include mortgage loans secured by residential or commercial real property or MBS collateralized by residential or commercial mortgage loans or residential solar panel loans ("non-agency" MBS or ABS). As of March 31, 2022, the Company's $83.1 million credit investment portfolio at fair value was comprised of the following:
As of March 31, 2022, the Company had a $20.7 million repurchase agreement outstanding with a rate of 2.86% and remaining maturity of 351 days secured by a $29.6 million commercial mortgage loan at fair value. As of March 31, 2022, the Company did not have any repurchase agreements outstanding secured by non-agency MBS or ABS.
During the first quarter of 2022, the Company purchased the first loss piece and excess interest only strip in a recently issued securitization of performing non-qualified residential mortgage loans for $20.6 million. As a result of an option to purchase delinquent loans from the trust, the Company consolidates for financial reporting purposes the underlying mortgage loan collateral and term notes issued by the trust. The term notes issued by the trust have recourse solely to the assets of the trust with no recourse to the Company.
Agency MBS
The Company's agency MBS consist of residential mortgage pass-through certificates for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a U.S. government sponsored enterprise ("GSE"), such as the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae") or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"). As of March 31, 2022, the Company's agency MBS investment portfolio totaled $292 million at fair value consisting entirely of specified agency MBS comprised of the following:
The Company's weighted average yield on its agency MBS was 1.52% for the first quarter of 2022 compared to 1.53% for the fourth quarter of 2021, and the actual weighted-average constant prepayment rate ("CPR") for the Company's agency MBS was 9.01% for the first quarter of 2022 compared to 7.43% for the fourth quarter of 2021.
As of March 31, 2022, the Company had $264.1 million of repurchase agreements outstanding with a weighted average rate of 0.36% and remaining weighted average maturity of 13 days secured by an aggregate of $279.9 million of agency MBS at fair value. The Company's weighted average cost of repurchase agreement funding secured by agency MBS was 0.17% during the first quarter of 2022 compared to 0.12% during the fourth quarter of 2021.
The Company enters into various hedging transactions to mitigate the interest rate sensitivity of its cost borrowing and the value of its fixed-rate agency MBS. Under the terms of the Company's interest rate swap agreements, the Company pays semiannual interest payments based on a fixed rate and receives variable interest payments based upon either the prevailing three-month London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). As of March 31, 2022, the Company's interest swap agreements were comprised of the following:
The Company's weighted average net pay rate of its interest rate swap agreements was 0.68% during the first quarter of 2022 compared to 0.69% during the fourth quarter of 2021. Under GAAP, the Company has not designated these transactions as hedging instruments for financial reporting purposes and, therefore, all gains and losses on its hedging instruments are recorded as net investment gains and losses in the Company's financial statements.
Other First Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights
The Company's book value was $6.19 per common share as of March 31, 2022 compared to $6.16 per common share as of December 31, 2021. Book value per common share is calculated as total equity plus accumulated depreciation of SFR properties less the preferred stock liquidation preference divided by common shares outstanding plus vested restricted stock units convertible into common stock less unvested restricted common stock.
The Company's "at risk" leverage ratio was 1.3 to 1 as of March 31, 2022 compared to 1.5 to 1 as of December 31, 2021. The Company's "at risk" leverage ratio is calculated as the sum of the Company's repurchase agreement financing, long-term debt secured by single-family properties, net payable or receivable for unsettled securities, net contractual price of TBA commitments and financing embedded in its MSR financing receivables less cash and cash equivalents compared to the Company's investable capital measured as the sum of the Company's shareholders' equity and long-term unsecured debt.
During the first quarter of 2022, the Company repurchased 1.0 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $3.44 per share for a total purchase cost of $3.5 million, representing 3.3% of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2021. Subsequent to March 31, 2022, the Company repurchased an additional 0.6 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $3.39 per share for a total purchase cost of $2.0 million, representing 2.0% of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2022. Currently, the Company has remaining authorization from its Board of Directors to repurchase up to 11.4 million shares of its common stock.
Pending Partial Sale of Single-Family Residential Properties
On May 10, 2022, the Company entered into a purchase and sale agreement to sell 378 SFR properties for $132.75 million, excluding any transaction costs and fees. The 378 properties have an estimated all-in-cost of $115 million, which includes the purchase price of the properties, closing costs and initial rehabilitation costs. Pursuant to the agreement, the buyer may, for any reason or no reason at all, and in its sole and absolute discretion, terminate the agreement during a due diligence period that ends May 30, 2022. Prior to settlement, the buyer can remove up to 5% of the SFR properties from the sale transaction. If ultimately consummated, the sale is expected to settle late in the second quarter.
Conference Call
The Company will hold a conference call for investors at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 13, 2022 to discuss the Company's first quarter 2022 results.
Investors may listen to the earnings call via the internet at: http://www.arlingtonasset.com/index.php?s=19. Replays of the earnings call will be available for 60 days via webcast at the Internet address provided above, beginning two hours after the call ends.
Additional Information
The Company will make available additional quarterly information for the benefit of its shareholders through a supplemental presentation that will be available at the Company's website, www.arlingtonasset.com. The presentation will be available on the Webcasts and Presentations section located under the Updates & Events tab of the Company's website.
About the Company
Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE: AAIC) currently invests primarily in mortgage related and residential real estate and has elected to be taxed as a REIT. The Company is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For more information, please visit www.arlingtonasset.com.
Statements concerning interest rates, portfolio allocation, financing costs, portfolio hedging, prepayments, dividends, book value, utilization of loss carryforwards, any change in long-term tax structures (including any REIT election), use of equity raise proceeds and any other guidance on present or future periods constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of factors, risks and uncertainties that might cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations or current circumstances. These factors include, but are not limited to, the uncertainty and economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the measures taken by the government to address it, including the impact on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations due to a significant decrease in economic activity and disruptions in our financing operations, among other factors, changes in interest rates, increased costs of borrowing, decreased interest spreads, credit risks underlying the Company's assets, especially related to the Company's mortgage credit investments, our ability to close on the sale of single-family residential homes described herein, and to realize the expected benefits from such sale, changes in political and monetary policies, changes in default rates, changes in prepayment rates and other assumptions underlying our estimates related to our projections of future core earnings, changes in the Company's returns, changes in the use of the Company's tax benefits, the Company's ability to qualify and maintain qualification as a REIT, changes in the agency MBS asset yield, changes in the Company's monetization of net operating loss carryforwards, changes in the Company's investment strategy, changes in the Company's ability to generate cash earnings and dividends, preservation and utilization of the Company's net operating loss and net capital loss carryforwards, impacts of changes to and changes by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the U.S. Treasury, availability of opportunities that meet or exceed the Company's risk adjusted return expectations, ability and willingness to make future dividends, ability to generate sufficient cash through retained earnings to satisfy capital needs, and general economic, political, regulatory and market conditions. These and other material risks are described in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any other documents filed by the Company with the SEC from time to time, which are available from the Company and from the SEC, and you should read and understand these risks when evaluating any forward-looking statement. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible to predict those events or how they may affect the Company. Except as required by law, the Company is not obligated to, and does not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Financial data to follow
Non-GAAP Core Operating Income
In addition to the Company's results of operations determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as consistently applied in the United States ("GAAP"), the Company also reports "non-GAAP core operating income." The Company defines core operating income as "economic net interest income from financial assets" and "net operating income from SFR properties, excluding depreciation," less "core general and administrative expenses," long-term unsecured debt interest expense, preferred stock dividends and an "income tax provision for taxable REIT subsidiary ("TRS") core operating income."
Economic Net Interest Income from Financial Assets
Economic net interest income from financial assets, a non-GAAP financial measure, is comprised of the following:
- total interest and other income from our investments in interest-bearing securities, loans and other financial assets;
- TBA dollar roll income, which represents the implied net interest income earned from the agency MBS which underlie, and are implicitly financed through, our TBA dollar roll transactions. TBA dollar income is calculated as the price discount of a forward-settling purchase of a TBA agency MBS relative to the "spot" sale of the same security, earned ratably over the period beginning on the settlement date of the sale and ending on the settlement date of the forward-settling purchase; net of
- interest expense incurred from repurchase agreements or other financing arrangements secured by our investments in interest-bearing financial assets; and
- net interest income earned or expense incurred from interest rate swap agreements.
In the Company's consolidated statements of comprehensive income prepared in accordance with GAAP, TBA dollar roll income and the net interest income earned or expense incurred from interest rate swap agreements are reported as a component of the overall periodic change in the fair value of derivative instruments within the line item "investment and derivative gain (loss), net." We believe that economic net interest income from financial assets assists investors in understanding and evaluating the financial performance of the Company's long-term-focused, net interest spread-based investment strategy, prior to the deduction of core general and administrative expenses and the costs of corporate financing.
Net Operating Income (Loss) from SFR Properties, Excluding Depreciation
Net operating income (loss) from SFR properties, excluding depreciation, represents the operating income (loss) of the Company's SFR properties determined in accordance with GAAP plus the depreciation and amortization of the SFR properties. Net operating income (loss) from SFR properties, excluding depreciation is comprised of the following:
- rent revenues from single-family properties; net of
- single-family property operating expenses; and
- interest expense incurred from long-term debt secured by single-family properties.
Core General and Administrative Expenses
Core general and administrative expenses are non-interest expenses reported within the line item "total general and administrative expenses" of the consolidated statements of comprehensive income less stock-based compensation expense.
Income Tax Provision for TRS Core Operating Income
Our TRSs are subject to U.S. federal and state corporate income taxes. Our computation of core operating income includes a provision for income taxes on the core operating income of our TRSs. The core operating income of our TRSs is comprised of net interest income generated by our TRSs net of our TRSs' general and administrative expenses. In our consolidated statements of comprehensive income prepared in accordance with GAAP, the "income tax provision (benefit)" includes (i) the income tax provision for TRS core operating income and (ii) an income tax provision for (or benefit from) periodic increases (or decreases) in the fair value of the investments of our TRSs, which are recognized in net income as a component of "investment and derivative gain (loss) net."
Non-GAAP Core Operating Income Results
The following table presents the Company's computation of economic net interest income and core operating income for the last four fiscal quarters (unaudited, amounts in thousands, except per share amounts):
The following table provides a reconciliation of GAAP net income (loss) to non-GAAP core operating income for the last four fiscal quarters (unaudited, amounts in thousands):
Non-GAAP core operating income is used by management to evaluate the financial performance of the Company's long-term investment strategy and core business activities over periods of time as well as assist with the determination of the appropriate level of periodic dividends to common stockholders. The Company believes that non-GAAP core operating income assists investors in understanding and evaluating the financial performance of the Company's long-term investment strategy and core business activities over periods of time as well as its earnings capacity. A limitation of utilizing this non-GAAP financial measure is that the effect of accounting for "non-core" events or transactions in accordance with GAAP does, in fact, reflect the financial results of our business and these effects should not be ignored when evaluating and analyzing our financial results. In addition, the Company's calculation of non-GAAP core operating income may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Therefore, the Company believes that net income determined in accordance with GAAP should be considered in conjunction with non-GAAP core operating income. Furthermore, there may be differences between non-GAAP core operating income and taxable income determined in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, the Company will be required to distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (subject to certain adjustments) to qualify as a REIT and all of its taxable income in order to not be subject to any U.S. Federal or state corporate income taxes. Accordingly, non-GAAP core operating income may not equal the Company's distribution requirements as a REIT.
View original content:
SOURCE Arlington Asset Investment Corp. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/13/arlington-asset-investment-corp-reports-first-quarter-2022-financial-results/ | 2022-05-13T02:29:54Z |
TECNO will launch its laptop product line of MEGABOOK Series at IFA 2022, which is the newest addition to TECNO's AIoT ecosystem.
BERLIN, Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TECNO, the global premium smartphone and smart device brand, has just revealed that it will come to IFA 2022, and launch a new product line of laptop MEGABOOK Series, which marks a new milestone for TECNO and its AIoT ecosystem. TECNO MEGABOOK Series are designed to be lighter but better series laptops, which comes with 3 series of basic T Series, Flagship S Series, and 2in1 Series. At IFA, TECNO will officially release the MEGABOOK T Series with 2 models.
"Built on our unique heritage of making stylishly crafted product and innovative technologies available to more consumers globally, TECNO keep pushing the boundaries of innovation to unlock the best contemporary technologies." said Jack Guo, General Manager of TECNO. "We are very excited to make a difference to the laptop segment and bring another better choice to our consumers with the launch of TECNO MEGABOOK series."
TECNO is a leading international smart device brand with operations in over 70 counties globally, committed to unlocking the best contemporary technologies for progressive individuals globally. TECNO not only offers a wide range of smart phones, the company also has built its AIoT ecosystem since 2019 from laptops, tablets, smart wearables and to smart home devices, changing the way how daily tasks are done and how consumers interact between multiple devices .
TECNO AIoT focused on enriching its products of smart audio, smart wearable, smart accessories and smart home since 2019 with many launches. Just recently in past quarter, it launched a TWS earbuds SONIC 1 including a special version related to the concept of blending technology and art through a partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston with TECNO CAMON 19 Series smartphone as a special-edition gift set. TECNO AIoT also launched a smart home product IP camera TH300 and a related APP TECNO SAMRT HOME at the beginning of 2022.
In addition to the MEGABOOK series to launch at IFA 2022, Berlin, some selected newest IoT smart products will be presented at the event. Welcome to visit TECNO at Hall 11.2 , Stand 110.
For more information, visit www.tecno-mobile.com or follow @TECNOMOBILE and @TECNOAIoT.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE TECNO MOBILE | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/01/tecno-is-coming-ifa-with-new-product-line-laptops/ | 2022-09-01T07:38:13Z |
Search for escapee underway in Murray County
Published: May. 19, 2022 at 9:25 AM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
SULPHUR, Okla. (KXII) - A suspect has escaped custody in Murray County Thursday morning.
County officials said Ryan Christopher Dill was last seen wearing a a white t-shirt and blue jeans and in handcuffs.
He is described as a 5 foot 6 inch, 160 pound Native American male.
Authorities say call 911 if you see him and do not approach.
You can also call 580-622-3918 if you have any information.
Copyright 2022 KXII. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/05/19/search-escapee-underway-murray-county/ | 2022-05-19T15:36:33Z |
'Every Farm' featuring diverse entertaining elements through farm management and social activities and an independent token system for actual profits
Delivering joy of P&E through actual economic environment and independent token system simulating business management involving production, sales strategy, etc.
SEOUL, Korea, May 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wemade Connect (CEO Ho-dae Lee) has released the mobile P&E (Play & Earn) game 'EVERY FARM' for the global market on the 26th.
'EVERY FARM' is a business management simulation genre mobile SNG built with blockchain technology. This game is built-in with an independent token system based on blockchain technology, and it provides stable and wide variety of services through the world's first and innovative P&E platform WEMIX.
'EVERY FARM' is a mobile game where users cultivate crops at their farms, engage in business activities such as cooking and selling food at restaurants, and enjoy social networking with in-game friends to obtain in-game tokens and Wemix tokens. Wemade Connect has developed the game to allow users who engage in such cultivation and financial activities to be able to act as the lead in business management simulation. Users can consume ingredient items obtained through financial activities at restaurants to obtain hearts. And these hearts can be exchanged into tokens (Flero tokens), which can be freely exchanged with virtual asset Wemix tokens. Also, users can sell valuable crops, foods, and beverages in the game to interact with friends and enjoy a natural economic environment, where they compete with other users to produce more harvest and dishes faster.
Wemade Connect CEO Ho-dae Lee explained, "Obtaining the Flero token and virtual assets in 'EVERY FARM' is simple. Just formulating strategies to produce and sell valuable crops, foods, and beverages, and interacting with your in-game friends to enjoy business management simulation will be enough to earn tokens and virtual assets."
Meanwhile, Wemade Connect is hosting a level-up event in celebration of the release of 'EVERY FARM' until June 16. Users can receive '[ALS] Vine House' upon reaching level 10, and receive 50,000 gold upon reaching level 20 and 30, and receive 100,000 gold upon reaching level 40.
Additional information on 'EVERY FARM' can be obtained through the following channels.
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wemadeconnect.etgnft.everytown
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1606660575
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EVERYFARM-1461133294207479
Twitter: https://twitter.com/everyfarmglobal
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/vJ5dRwWAtn
Telegram: https://t.me/everyfarm
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@everyfarm_official
Wemade Connect is a game development and publication enterprise with 90 million total game downloads. As the era of blockchain games began, Wemade Connect has been releasing blockchain games on its global blockchain platform WEMIX, and the company is also servicing non-blockchain games from various genres across the world. Wemade Connect is servicing successful games such as 'Every Town' and 'AbyssRium' in the global market, and the company is planning to release 10 new titles in the global market this year.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Wemade Connect | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/27/wemade-connect-officially-launching-mobile-pampe-game-every-farm/ | 2022-05-27T15:15:59Z |
Which digital calipers are best?
When it comes to construction, whether you’re building something professionally or working on a personal project, having precise measurements is crucial — being off by as little as a quarter-inch can throw off the entire design. Tape measures are good, but they rely on manual interpretation, which is rife with opportunities for human error. Digital calipers remove this possibility and give precise, minute measurements.
If you’re looking for quality digital calipers, Neiko Digital Caliper is a great option. It can give measurements down to millimeters and feature a bright LCD display.
What to know before you buy digital calipers
Material
Digital calipers can be made from a variety of materials, though plastic and stainless steel are the most common.
- Plastic is good enough for occasional use but isn’t suited to long-term or professional use. It has the tendency to bend over time, making the calipers no longer accurate. It can be shockingly cheap, however.
- Stainless steel is the best, with high-grade stainless steel being the best of the best. It doesn’t bend, and it’s resistant to water and rust, so it can last for years. However, it can cost multiple times more than other models.
Span
Otherwise known as size, span relates to the longest measurement calipers can give. Most calipers can measure up to 6 inches, though 8- and 12-inch models are also common. There are also 24-inch models, but these are rare and expensive.
Measurement system
Most digital calipers give their measurements in imperial and metric. Imperial measurements can be given as a decimal or a fraction, or both, while metric measurements typically go down to millimeters at the smallest. Double-check before purchasing that your prospective calipers give readings in your preferred system.
What to look for in quality digital calipers
Thumbwheel
The thumbwheel is responsible for moving the jaws of the calipers along the body, and as such, it’s important to have a thumbwheel with smooth action. If it’s choppy, halting or catches on something, your reading may no longer be precise.
Display
Most digital calipers use LCD displays with various brightness levels and sizes. The brighter and larger the display, the easier it will be for you to read. Keep in mind that LCD displays can be hard to read in sunlight if the display isn’t bright enough. You still need some light, as few (if any) displays are backlit.
Differential measurement
Some digital calipers are able to take differential measurements by being zeroed out at the distance of the first measurement and then taking a new reading of the change in distance.
How much you can expect to spend on digital calipers
Digital calipers cost $25-$100. Some are available for less than $25, but they aren’t as precise. Others cost more than $100, though these are only meant for professionals.
Digital calipers FAQ
What’s the difference between digital, dial and vernier calipers?
A. All three types of calipers have their pros and cons, and while they perform the same task, i.e., take a precise measurement, how they do so is different.
- Digital calipers use a complex series of electrical components to obtain a precise reading, which is typically displayable in your choice of metric or imperial. They’re the most susceptible to damage, including drops and other hard impacts, but they’re the easiest and fastest to use.
- Dial calipers are mechanical, making them more susceptible to hard impacts but strong against water. They only display in metric or imperial, never both, and the reading is displayed on its dial (hence the name), which can be difficult to read to untrained users.
- Vernier calipers are also mechanical, but they use fewer parts, making them harder to permanently damage from hard impacts. They take the longest to get a reading and don’t relay that information to as many decimal places, though they often relay it in both metric and imperial.
How long will the battery last on my digital calipers?
A. This depends on the calipers, the battery and how often you use it. Most last for at least a year, but heavy power-consuming calipers with weak batteries used regularly may only last a few months.
What are the best digital calipers to buy?
Top digital caliper
What you need to know: This model is precise and available in several sizes.
What you’ll love: It comes in 6-, 8- and 12-inch sizes and it has several bundles that package in additional tools. It takes measurements in inches, fractions and millimeters and displays them clearly with a bright LCD display. Its stainless steel construction is durable and the black is coloration is low-profile.
What you should consider: Some users found the jaws to occasionally hitch when being slid. Others found the jaws would sometimes not sit flush together.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top digital caliper for the money
Vinca DCLA-0605 Digital Caliper
What you need to know: This caliper are precise and affordably priced.
What you’ll love: It comes in 6-, 8- and 12-inch sizes, plus a massive 24-inch size. It’s ready to go right out of the box — no calibration is needed, and the battery is installed. It’s bundled with an extra battery and a hard plastic carrying case.
What you should consider: The fraction reading only displays in 1/128-inch readings, which can be frustrating for some. The LCD isn’t backlit, so it may be hard to read.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Mitutoyo Advanced Onsite Sensor Digital Caliper
What you need to know: This model is the best for professionals.
What you’ll love: It measures up to 6 inches and uses a large, crisp LCD display to relate the measurements in inches or millimeters. It uses an electromagnetic inductive sensor to resist dirt, water and oil. It includes a protective case and a battery.
What you should consider: It’s expensive — too expensive for those who won’t make regular use of it. There were rare reports of customers receiving fake, non-Mitutoyo calipers.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Jordan C. Woika 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://cw33.com/reviews/br/lawn-garden-br/tools-br-lawn-garden-br/measuring-detection-tools-br/best-digital-caliper/ | 2022-04-16T01:03:54Z |
DALLAS (KDAF) — The new ‘big thing’, is actually taking us back down memory lane. Vinyl records have become massively popular, and for good reason.
The sound you get from vinyl records is unmatched and honestly suits some contemporary artists better than the digital format.
In celebration of National Record Store Day (Saturday, April 23) we are taking a look at one of the coolest record stores in North Texas: Spinster Records, located in the beautiful Bishop Arts District.
Located at 08 N Bishop Ave Suite 102, this record store opened up back in 2014. According to their official website, they offer a wide collection of new and not-so-new vinyl records, turntables, apparel, books and so much more. They also buy records and hardware.
Store hours:
- Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday – Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
To learn more about their store, visit spinsterrecords.com or call them at 972-598-0814. | https://cw33.com/news/local/transport-back-in-time-with-this-dallas-record-store/ | 2022-04-23T19:51:23Z |
BEIJING, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Lin Hao, the former Vice President Great China at Dell EMC, has joined Edianyun and took over Edianyun's hardware products and remanufacturing business. Edianyun's vigorous effort on remanufacturing has attracted much attention. People may wonder what is the difference between computer remanufacturing and renovation?
The improved performances and increased personalized elements have accelerated the iteration speed of computers to some extent.
Due to the high costs of office PC maintenance, many companies would rather purchase new computers, and discard computers, instead of wasting time and money on repairing them. The life span of optimized service life of computers has been shortened to around three years.
But where do these discarded devices go?
Renovate the "Short-lived" Devices for Secondary Sale
Generally, a few discarded computers might be left idle or used as emergency backup devices, but most of them are disposed of as electronic waste. Many may wonder what recycled old computers can be used for. As a matter of fact, there is a business behind it.
Recyclers will first categorize the used computers and preferentially select those with above-average quality for further "renovation". This includes doing some simple clean-up work to their inner parts, reinstalling the systems, beautifying the appearance, and then distributing them for sale as second-hand devices. Another way is to dismantle the computers and sell the individual components.
Both methods are essentially resales without technology involved. The brokers only act as preliminary "computer beauticians" profiting from price spread, without considering the improvement of the reutilization value and long-term performance of devices.
Currently, many companies are running recycling businesses in the market. For example, Aihuishou is one of the companies focusing on electronic device recycling. There are also other players like Bear Rental that both "renovate" and "resale" devices.
The refurbishment and resale mode, to some extent, allows for computers to be reused. However, the machines or components has only gone through preliminary processing, and their life span remain unchanged. This is far from the "environmental" purpose asserted by such companies. In the face of national low-carbon initiatives in China, the recycling industry needs to remanufacture devices by utilizing specialized technologies and endow old devices with new life.
Extend the Service Life of Devices by Harnessing Technologies
Currently, some Chinese companies in the industry have already owned mature remanufacturing techniques. They can substantially extend device life span through specialized technologies, and even establish specialized plants for massive remanufacturing production.
According to the latest report, as one of the largest computers remanufacturing companies in China, Edianyun has an average per factory annual capacity of 600,000 PCs. Companies like Edianyun generally possess independent core technology and research and development capabilities and have established high-efficiency and low-cost operation modes through years of experience and technology accumulation. The key factor that distinguishes the remanufacturing process from the traditional "renovation" mode is the application of technologies. Remanufacturing process requires software systems, automatic detection technology, batch hardware inspection capability, and precise remanufacturing procedures that adapt to the whole production process.
To extend the life span of devices, there are many other challenges to overcome. First, each recycled computer requires a highly differentiated process. The comprehensive automatic detection system and production system can precisely locate the defective firmware and automatically match and distribute necessary parts, to reduce the remanufacturing time significantly. After that, the devices will go through a chip-level repairing process. The overall firmware change approach has been changed into partial repairing on the dismantled firmware components, thus reducing the costs exponentially.
The adoption of remanufacturing technologies can not only restore the computer's appearance, performance, and user experiences to levels nearly close to new ones, but also extend the average service life of devices from 3 years to 7-10 years. Therefore, remanufacturing companies should keep focusing on how to improve the efficiency, reduce servicing costs, and achieve scale and mass production.
Environment-friendly Remanufacturing Has a Bright Future
Remanufacturing technology, on the one hand, substantially increases the values of recycled computers; and on the other hand, helps reduce electronic wastes.
Due to the high elimination rate of computers, a large number of devices have not been fully utilized, leading to significant waste and environmental pollution. It will take decades for the environment to recover.
The remanufacturing technology will help extend device life span to 7-10 years on average. This will not only greatly improve the utilization efficiency of devices, but also reduce waste of resources and help protect the environment.
Edianyun, for example, has reduced an average of 50,000 tons of carbon emissions and 668 tons of electronic waste annually, equivalent to planting 2.79 million trees a year. This means the company has helped 39,000 businesses achieve low-carbon work practices, which echoes the low-carbon concept advocacy and policies in China.
Nowadays, the industry requires companies to carry out in-depth remanufacturing to old devices by utilizing proper technologies and to take the computer renovations process to a whole new level. The aim of all this is more ambitious than merely to give a second life to old computers, but to build a low-carbon and recyclable society, thus fully releasing the economic and environmental values of "renovation."
View original content:
SOURCE Edianyun | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/remanufacturing-technology-transforms-traditional-computer-renovation-approaches/ | 2022-08-30T12:57:39Z |
(NEXSTAR) – Comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried’s cause of death was revealed to be recurrent ventricular tachycardia, according to friend and publicist Glenn Schwartz.
Gottfried, 67, died earlier this week after a battle with a “long illness,” his family said on Tuesday. Schwartz later specified Gottfried’s cause of death as recurrent ventricular tachycardia, a condition caused by a rare type of muscular dystrophy.
“Beloved and iconic comedian Gilbert Gottfried passed away at 2:35 p.m. ET on April 12, 2022 from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II,” Schwartz shared in an emailed statement provided to Nexstar.
Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (or type II) is considered a rare disease characterized by “progressive muscle wasting and weakness,” according to the National Institutes of Health. An inherited condition, Myotonic dystrophy type 2 usually develops in a patient’s 20s or 30s, and is said to be less severe than myotonic dystrophy type 1, which can be present at birth and is generally associated with a shortened lifespan.
Those with myotonic dystrophy type 2 may experience muscle pain, weakness, prolonged muscle contractions and slurred speech, among other symptoms. A less common symptom is “abnormalities of the electrical signals that control the heartbeat (cardiac conduction defects),” the NIH writes.
Ventricular tachycardia, meanwhile, is a type of arrhythmia marked by “irregular electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Patients with ventricular tachycardia may experience heart rates of over 100 beats per minute, and can experience episodes of lightheadedness or shortness of breath. In severe cases, it may lead to loss of consciousness or cardiac arrest.
Both emergency and non-emergency forms of treatment for ventricular tachycardia are available: the former include CPR, defibrillation and medication, while the latter includes medication, implantable defibrillator devices, or a procedure known as catheter ablation, which destroys the bit of muscle tissue responsible for the arrhythmia, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Schwartz did not say when Gottfriend was diagnosed with either condition.
Gottfried’s death follows that of friends and fellow comedians Norm MacDonald, Bob Saget and Louie Anderson.
“Gilbert’s brand of humor was brash, shocking and frequently offensive, but the man behind the jokes was anything but,” said Frank Santopadre, the co-host of Gottfried’s “Amazing Colossal Podcast,” in a statement shared to Nexstar by Schwartz. “Those who loved and him were fortunate enough to share his orbit knew a person who was sweet, sensitive, surprisingly shy and filled with a childlike sense of playfulness and wonder. He’ll be dearly missed by family, friends, fans and comedy lovers the world over. To quote Gilbert himself, ‘Too soon!’” | https://cw33.com/news/gilbert-gottfrieds-cause-of-death-what-is-ventricular-tachycardia/ | 2022-04-13T19:48:58Z |
CLEVELAND, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT), a leading provider of specialized and sustainable material solutions, has declared a quarterly cash dividend of twenty-three and three-quarters cents ($0.2375) per share on the common stock outstanding, to be paid on October 6, 2022 to stockholders of record on September 16, 2022.
About Avient
Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT), with 2021 revenues of $4.8 billion, provides specialized and sustainable material solutions that transform customer challenges into opportunities, bringing new products to life for a better world. Examples include:
- Unique technologies that improve the recyclability of products and enable recycled content to be incorporated, thus advancing a more circular economy
- Light-weighting solutions that replace heavier traditional materials like metal, glass and wood, which can improve fuel efficiency in all modes of transportation and reduce carbon footprint
- Sustainable infrastructure solutions that increase energy efficiency, renewable energy, natural resource conservation and fiber optic / 5G network accessibility
Avient employs approximately 8,800 associates and is certified ACC Responsible Care®, a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and certified Great Place to Work®. For more information, visit www.avient.com.
To access Avient's news library online, please visit www.avient.com/news
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Avient Corporation | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/13/avient-announces-quarterly-dividend/ | 2022-07-13T21:45:05Z |
Which Angry Birds Star Wars product is best?
Angry Birds is a wildly popular video game that began its run in 2009 on mobile platforms. It grew so quickly that it became the face of mobile gaming around the world. The franchise has since expanded into creating several other well-known games for consoles and PC, as well as films and animated TV shows. The popularity of the brand caught the eyes of the owners of the Star Wars franchise, who partnered with Angry Birds for their own version of the game.
Alongside the new game, several other products launched from this collaboration. The best Angry Birds Star Wars product is the Angry Birds Star Wars Jenga Hoth Battle Game, which brings the fun of launching birds into the real world. Here, you can launch Angry Princess Leia and Angry Luke Skywalker into a wall of ice blocks from the planet Hoth.
What to know before you buy a Angry Birds Star Wars product
Mobile game
The mobile game is where it all started for Angry Birds. It’s seen billions of downloads in over 10 years of development and has spawned several different versions of the game. In the original game, the idea was to launch a bunch of flightless birds into a group of pigs who are stealing your eggs. The pigs are protected by various structures that you’re meant to knock over. The Angry Birds Star Wars game is similar — you can use the power of The Force to retrieve the secret Pig Star plans from Darth Lord of the Pigs.
Angry Birds characters
The cast of characters in Angry Birds has become more alive with the adaptation of movies and TV shows from the franchise. Red is the main character and the face of the Angry Birds — you could say he’s the angriest bird of them all. There’s the yellow bird known as Chuck, who’s the quickest, while Bomb is much slower but very explosive. There’s also Stella, Terence and Matilda, who each have their own unique characteristics. The birds reside on Bird Island and must protect their eggs from the troublesome green pigs, including their leader, Leonard.
Star Wars characters
Star Wars characters are certainly more recognizable than the Angry Birds, but it’s good to remind yourself of who you’ll be seeing in bird form. In the Angry Birds Star Wars game, you’ll see many of the main characters from the popular sci-fi franchise, as each bird takes the form of a different Star Wars character. Luke Skywalker is played by Red, Han Solo is Chuck, Princess Leia is Stella the pink bird, and of course, the pigs are a part of the Empire’s Pigtroopers.
What to look for in a quality Angry Birds Star Wars product
Jenga
Jenga is the perfect game for an Angry Birds collaboration. The original Jenga game is all about knocking over a carefully built structure. The Angry Birds Star Wars Jenga game is a collaboration for the ages, where players use soft birds to slingshot at structures to try and knock them down. The Star Wars themes include The Fighter, which is based around the Tie Fighter ship, and Death Star Game, which focuses on the Pig Empire’s evil Pig Star. There are also smaller Jenga games set in Tatooine and Hoth.
Plushies
No Angry Birds toy collection would be complete without a plushie. Although these birds are technically angry, they sure do look adorable when in stuffed animal form. The Star Wars franchise also worked with Angry Birds on a collection of plush toys. These include large plush toys perfect for your bedroom or couch decoration, as well as small versions that you can clip on your backpack. The characters are Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Pigtroopers and even an Angry Bird Yoda.
Video games
The original Angry Birds game was played on mobile. However, if you aren’t much of a mobile gamer and have become partial to console or PC gaming, you can find new iterations of the game built for these platforms. Console and PC gaming are inherently higher-quality than mobile games because of the higher frame rate and faster processing speeds. If you’re seeking the highest-quality Angry Birds Star Wars gaming experience, look to your Xbox, PlayStation or PC. You can purchase this game on all consoles, including the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation Vita.
How much you can expect to spend on an Angry Birds Star Wars product
Angry Birds Star Wars products cost $25-$35.
Angry Birds Star Wars product FAQ
Does Angry Birds still have a mobile game?
A. Yes, Angry Birds is currently available on mobile gaming platforms like Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store. The games were removed from these stores for some time due to the company having issues developing and updating the games. However, they’re back as of June 2021.
Are there Angry Birds movies?
A. The Angry Birds franchise has released two full-length feature films based on the popular mobile game. The original movie was released in 2016 and starred Jason Sudeikis, with a follow-up sequel three years later in 2019.
What’s the best Angry Birds Star Wars product to buy?
Top Angry Birds Star Wars product
Angry Birds Star Wars Jenga Hoth Battle Game
What you need to know: Jenga meets Angry Birds Star Wars in this fun-filled live-action game featuring blocks and throwable birds.
What you’ll love: These Star Wars Angry Birds can be launched into the air using a slingshot device that comes with the game. The game challenges you to launch your Angry Birds into the air and knock over as many Jenga blocks as you can. This game in particular is based around the planet Hoth from the “Star Wars” films and features blocks of ice.
What you should consider: The game is very simple by nature and can become boring after a short period of time.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Angry Birds Star Wars product for the money
Angry Birds Star Wars Princess Leia Plush
What you need to know: This silly Angry Birds Star Wars plush toy features a pink bird with Princess Leia’s iconic space buns hairstyle.
What you’ll love: Stella the pink Angry Bird and Princess Leia from Star Wars combine in this plushie. This fully round stuffed toy is about 18 inches in diameter, making it quite a large plush toy to add to your bedroom decor.
What you should consider: This toy doesn’t have sound effects or light up.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Angry Birds Stars Wars Xbox 360 Game
What you need to know: Play the popular Angry Birds game with a Star Wars twist in this thrilling Xbox 360 video game.
What you’ll love: The Angry Birds game is very similar to the popular mobile game; however, in this version, you’re taken to Star Wars-themed locations like Tatooine and Hoth. You also use Star Wars birds such as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. There are 20 levels in total for this multiplayer Xbox game. It can also be played using the new Xbox Series X and S.
What you should consider: This game only offers around 25 hours of gameplay before it gets repetitive.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Jordan Beliles 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://cw33.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/theme-toys-br/best-angry-birds-star-wars-product/ | 2022-06-14T07:04:15Z |
Which doughnut makers are best?
There are few better smells than the aroma of fresh, hot doughnuts, but the ones you pick up at the bakery have usually cooled off before you get them home. The only sure way to get great-smelling hot doughnuts is to mix your own batter, pour it into your doughnut maker and press the button. You get to bite into a hot, fresh one in just minutes, all the while filling your kitchen with that great doughnut smell.
What is a doughnut maker?
A doughnut maker is a small countertop home appliance that looks like a cross between a waffle maker, sandwich toaster and a clamshell with a handle. Home chefs pour liquid batter into the molds on the base plate and close the top to bake small doughnuts complete with the hole in the middle. The doughnuts you make with one of these clever gadgets are baked, so they are healthier than deep-fried doughnuts from the store.
How many doughnuts do they make at once?
Some machines make as few as three doughnuts, while others make a dozen at one time. Most models make six or seven at once.
How big are the doughnuts?
Small countertop machines are designed to make mini doughnuts that usually range from 2 to 4 inches in diameter. Their small size is why they bake so quickly.
Do all doughnut makers make only doughnuts?
The machine’s hinged clamshell design means you can bake any sweet or savory batter that pours between the cooking plates to make waffles, eggs and more.
What is a griddle plate?
Every doughnut maker has two griddle plates. These are metal cooking surfaces that bake both sides of your doughnut at once. The best ones have nonstick coatings and are easily removable for serving and cleaning.
Are doughnut makers hot to the touch?
Most doughnut makers wrap their interior heating elements in insulation to keep exteriors cool to the touch. Plastic shells are cooler than metal ones.
Do doughnut makers have adjustable times and temperatures?
Some doughnut makers are simple plug-and-play appliances with preset cooking times and temperatures for consistent no-fuss baking. A few include controls so you can fine-tune your cooking process.
What you need to buy for your doughnut maker
Checkered Chef Set of Two 8-inch by 11-inch Stainless Steel Cooling Racks
The grid squares are ideally spaced for cooling, and the raised feet hold the rack just above the counter so the air flows underneath. They’re safe to run through the dishwasher too.
Sold by Amazon
KitchenAid Ribbed Soft Silicone Oven Mitt Set
Choose from 15 different colors of these waterproof, slip-resistant and generously sized oven mitts with insulated polyester linings and 100% cotton cuffs.
Sold by Amazon
Hotec Silicone Pastry Brushes Set of 5
Buy these premium food-grade silicone brushes to lightly baste the griddle plates of your doughnut machine, and you can use them when grilling and baking too. This set of five brushes has stainless steel cores inside for support and durability.
Sold by Amazon
Little Big Farm Apple Cider Donut Mix
This 1.1-pound packet is filled with batter mix that has no artificial ingredients, flavors or colors. Just add your own egg, butter and milk.
Sold by Amazon
You get a syringe that holds a half-cup of icing or frosting. You can use the eight frosting tips to create special effects on the outside and add fillings on the inside. All you need to do is press the plunger and the icing comes out.
Sold by Amazon
Miss Jones Organic Buttercream Frosting
This container with a resealable lid contains 11 ounces of sweet, creamy frosting whipped without oils, trans fats or artificial colors or flavors.
Sold by Amazon
Manvscakes Rainbow Sprinkle Mix
You get 8 ounces of colorful and festive sprinkles in a mix of shapes perfect for decorating your doughnuts and other pastries.
Sold by Amazon
Doughnut makers under $25
This little 760-watt machine has a circular grid that makes seven 3-inch doughnuts at once, and it comes with a recipe guide. The nonstick surface makes for easy release and cleanup, and the light tells you when your machine is ready to bake.
Sold by Amazon
Sometimes you want only a few doughnuts. This bright yellow doughnut maker makes four hot, fresh doughnuts at a time. It has nonstick baking plates, a latching handle, nonskid rubber feet and a convenient cord wrap.
Sold by Amazon
Make seven doughnuts at once in one to two minutes. This machine is 10.6 inches wide, and it has a nonstick cooking surface, housing that’s cool to the touch and skid-resistant feet. It has 750 watts of power and a ready light too.
Sold by Amazon
Doughnut makers $25-$40
Betty Crocker Non-Stick Mini Donut Maker
This hot pink doughnut maker will stand out on your kitchen counter. It comes with a spatula and piping bag with assorted nozzles for all your doughnut decorating needs. This 1-pound, 1,000-watt machine bakes seven small doughnuts at once on nonstick surfaces.
Sold by Amazon
Health and Home 3 with Interchangeable Baking Plates for Donuts, Waffles and Eggettes
You can make six doughnuts per batch, or you can swap out the griddle plates and make waffles and eggettes (egg waffles). The nonstick coating is easy to clean and dishwasher-safe, and the anti-scald handles make it safe to carry and store.
Sold by Amazon
Vonshef Electric Mini Donut Snack Machine
The ultra-fast heating process on this machine lets you make 12 doughnuts quickly. The handle stays cool to the touch, and the automatic temperature control delivers a dozen perfect mini doughnuts every time.
Sold by Wayfair
Special doughnut makers
If you love doughnut holes and cake pops, this is the machine for you. You can make 12 doughnut holes in just four minutes with this little 3-pound machine that has cool-touch handles and nonstick cooking surfaces.
Sold by Amazon
Kunghei Commercial Electric Donut Maker
If you have a large household or are preparing a big batch of doughnuts for school, church or the soccer team, this stainless steel and aluminum machine bakes from both sides with an adjustable temperature switch and timer. The drip pan makes for easy cleaning, and the side air vents dissipate the heat.
Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
David Allan Van 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://cw33.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/specialty-br/best-doughnut-maker-2/ | 2022-07-28T08:11:37Z |
ATLANTA (AP) — Hundreds of flights worldwide were cancelled by midday Sunday, adding to the mounting number of scrubbed flights during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend in the U.S.
More than 1,030 flights had been canceled as of 11:30 a.m. EDT Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. That followed more than 2,300 cancellations Friday and another 1,500 on Saturday.
More than 250 of Sunday’s cancellations involved aircraft scheduled to fly to or from U.S. cities.
Delta Air Lines cancelled the most flights among major U.S. airlines, with more than 250 flights, or 9% of its operations, eliminated Saturday. More than 140 Delta flights were canceled by mid-day Sunday, according to FlightAware.
Saturday’s cancellations were due to bad weather and “air traffic control actions,” Atlanta-based Delta said in an email to The Associated Press, noting it’s trying to cancel flights at least 24 hours in advance of the Memorial Day weekend.
Delta announced on its website on Thursday that from July 1 to Aug. 7, it would reduce service by about 100 daily departures, primarily in parts of the U.S. and Latin America that Delta frequently serves.
“More than any time in our history, the various factors currently impacting our operation — weather and air traffic control, vendor staffing, increased COVID case rates contributing to higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some work groups — are resulting in an operation that isn’t consistently up to the standards Delta has set for the industry in recent years,” Delta’s Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband said in a post.
Airlines and tourist destinations are anticipating huge crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes lingering fear of contracting COVID-19 during travel.
Many forecasters believe the number of travelers will match or even surpass pre-pandemic levels. However, airlines have thousands fewer employees than they did in 2019, and that has, at times, contributed to widespread flight cancellations.
People who are only now booking travel for the summer are experiencing the sticker shock.
Domestic airline fares for summer are averaging more than $400 for a round trip, 24% higher than this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and a robust 45% higher than a year ago, according to travel-data firm Hopper. | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/flight-cancellations-pile-up-on-busy-memorial-day-weekend/ | 2022-05-29T18:03:07Z |
BRUSSELS (AP) — The head of the European Union’s border agency resigned immediately Friday, the bloc’s executive said. The move followed media allegations that his agency was involved in illegal pushbacks of migrants who were trying to reach Europe.
Pushbacks — forcing would-be refugees away from a border before they can reach a country and claim asylum — are considered violations of international refugee protection agreements, which say people shouldn’t be expelled or returned to a country where their life and safety might be in danger due to their race, religion, nationality or being members of a social or political group.
The EU Commission said it “takes note of the resignation” of Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri following a day of speculation about his fate. The announcement came after the board of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex, met on whether to accept his offer to resign.
Leggeri, who had been under mounting pressure to resign for months, offered to resign a day after a media investigation this week suggested that Frontex’s database recorded illegal pushbacks in the Aegean Sea as “prevention of departure” incidents. Leggeri had previously denied wrongdoing.
Last year, the EU’s anti-fraud watchdog, OLAF, opened an investigation into Frontex over allegations of harassment, misconduct and migrant pushbacks.
German Interior Ministry spokesperson Maximilian Kall said replacing Leggeri offers the border agency an opportunity for a “fresh start.”
“It offers the possibility of fully resolving the allegations, creating complete transparency and ensuring that all missions by Frontex occur in full conformity with European law,” he said.
The Commission said “Frontex fulfils a critically important task to support member states, manage common European Union external borders, and to uphold fundamental rights in doing so.”
Leggeri had led Frontex since the 2015, when well over 1 million people, many of them refugees fleeing war in Syria, entered the bloc.
According to a joint investigation this week by Lighthouse Reports, Der Spiegel, SRF Rundschau, Republik and Le Monde, Frontex has been involved in the pushbacks of at least 957 asylum-seekers in the Aegean Sea between March 2020 and September 2021.
In contrast, the European Court of Human Rights has held that undocumented migrants should be provided with information, care and have their asylum claims processed.
European lawmakers have asked for part of Frontex’s budget to be frozen until improvements are made, including setting up a mechanism for reporting serious incidents on the EU’s external borders and establishing a system for monitoring fundamental rights.
Birgit Sippel, a home affairs spokesperson for the Socialists and Democrats group at the European Parliament, called Leggeri’s departure “a long overdue development, after years of constant allegations of pushbacks and violations of human rights.”
A German non-governmental organization, Pro Asyl, also welcomed Leggeri’s offer to step down.
“It’s scandalous that the director of an EU agency hid human rights abuses for years, manipulated evidence and lied to Parliament,” said Pro Asyl’s Europe leader, Karl Kopp.
Kopp called for independent oversight of Frontex to ensure that it acts in compliance with EU and international laws in the future. His organization said Frontex’s areas of responsibility should be reduced and its budget of about 750 million euros a year “massively cut.”
___
Jordans reported from Berlin. Raf Casert contributed from Brussels
___
Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/eus-border-chief-offers-to-resign-over-pushback-claims/ | 2022-04-30T00:40:53Z |
Jan. 6 panel probes Trump pressure on Pence to reject election
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 1/6 committee is set to plunge into Donald Trump’s last-ditch effort to salvage the 2020 election by pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to defy historical precedent and reject the electoral count in the run-up to the U.S. Capitol riot.
With two witnesses Thursday, the House panel intends to show how Trump’s false claims of a fraudulent election left him grasping for alternatives as courts turned back dozens of lawsuits challenging the vote.
Trump latched onto conservative law professor John Eastman’s obscure plan and launched a public and private pressure campaign on Pence days before the vice president was to preside over the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden’s election victory. A federal judge has said it is “more likely than not” Trump committed crimes in his attempt to stop the certification.
“What President Trump demanded that Mike Pence do wasn’t just wrong, it was illegal and it was unconstitutional,” Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., committee co-chair, said in her opening statement last week.
The committee will hear from Greg Jacob, the vice president’s counsel who fended off Eastman’s ideas for Pence to carry out the plan; and retired federal judge Michael Luttig, who called the plan from Eastman, his former law clerk, “incorrect at every turn.”
In a written statement to the committee published Thursday by CNN, Luttig refers to Jan. 6 as a “war on America’s democracy” and says that if Pence had adhered to Trump’s demands to overturn the election, “America would immediately have been plunged into what would have been tantamount to a revolution within a paralyzing constitutional crisis.”
Thursday’s session is also expected to divulge new evidence about the danger Pence faced that day as the mob stormed the Capitol shouting “hang Mike Pence!” with a gallows on the Capitol grounds as the vice president fled with senators into hiding. Nine people died in the riot and its aftermath.
The panel aims to show that Trump’s pressure on Pence directly contributed to the attack on the Capitol.
“The illegality of the plan was obvious,” the committee said in a court filing against Eastman.
Ahead of the hearing, Pence’s former chief of staff, Marc Short, said his boss was determined to stay at the Capitol that night and finish the job, despite the threats.
“He knew his job was to stay at his post,” Short said on CNN on Wednesday.
Short said Pence didn’t want the world seeing the vice president leaving the Capitol when “a hallmark of democracy” was under siege.
“He thought it was important that he stay there and make sure the work of the American people was completed that night,” said Short, who testified under subpoena to the committee for eight hours, but has not yet appeared as a live witness.
The panel is reconvening for a third hearing this month after a blockbuster prime-time start last week, followed by logistical setbacks in recent days. Monday’s key witness, former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, abruptly declined to appear in person because his wife was in labor with their child. Wednesday’s scheduled hearing with witnesses from the Justice Department who tried to convince Trump that his claims of voter fraud were just not true was postponed.
Nevertheless, the panel’s yearlong investigation is showcasing Trump’s final weeks in office as the defeated president clung to “the big lie” of a rigged election even as those around him — his family, his top aides, officials at the highest levels of government — were telling him he simply lost the election.
Former Attorney General William Barr, who resigned at the end of 2020 rather than be part of Trump’s plans, testified earlier that the president was becoming “detached from reality” if he believed the lies. He said he told the president his claims of voter fraud were “bull-—.”
With 1,000 interviews and reams of 140,000 documents, the committee is connecting the dots, showing how Trump’s false claims of election fraud became a battle cry as he summoned thousands of Americans to Washington for a Jan. 6 rally and then sent them to Capitol Hill to “fight like hell” for his presidency.
More than 800 people have been arrested in the Capitol siege, and the panel is considering whether to send a referral for criminal charges against Trump to the Justice Department. No president or former president has ever been indicted by the Justice Department, and Attorney General Merrick Garland has said he and his team are following the proceedings in Congress.
For now, the panel is pressing ahead with its hearings, with more scheduled for next week.
Thursday’s will unpack the Eastman plan to have the states send alternative slates of electors from the five or seven states Trump was disputing, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. With competing slates for Trump or Biden, Pence would be forced to reject them, returning them to the states to sort it out, under the plan.
Pence refused the plan, believing the founding fathers would not have left it to one person, the vice president, to decide the outcome, Jacob told the panel in previous testimony. Jacob said the idea was utterly against some 130 years of precedent in American history, “entirely made up.”
The committee in hearings ahead will be delving into the roles of extremist groups and others who heeded Trump’s call to Washington. Leaders and others from the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys face rare sedition charges over their roles in the Capitol attack.
Several members of Congress are also under scrutiny, including Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., whom the committee has asked for an interview to discuss a Capitol tour he gave that included basement tunnels to a group of people the day before the attack.
The panel is also probing several candidates for elected office, including the Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, who were among the rioters.
The panel, which is expected to deliver a final report on its findings later this year, intends for its work to be a record for history of the most violent attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812. Unlike other national traumas that have pulled the country together, the Jan. 6 Capitol attack appears to have left many Americans divided. Congress splintered over forming the committee, which most Republicans opposed.
The panel’s two Republicans, Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, have been shunned by the GOP for their work with Democrats leading the investigation into Trump and his role in the Capitol attack.
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Eric Tucker in Washington and Farnoush Amiri in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/06/16/jan-6-panel-probes-trump-pressure-pence-reject-election/ | 2022-06-16T13:30:51Z |
World War II veteran, Holocaust survivor celebrates 101st birthday
BRADENTON, Fla. (WFTS) – Robert Schweiger said he knows the value of hard work.
The World War II veteran and Holocaust survivor enjoys cooking dinner each night after spending a day doing options trading.
He also just celebrated his 101st birthday.
Many on Schweiger’s Jewish family tree were not as fortunate to make it to that age.
“Erwin - see, that’s my brother - he got killed in the concentration camp,” he said, pointing out names of Holocaust victims on a registry. “All these stars you see here (on the registry), their whole families got wiped out in concentration camps.”
Schweiger and his family escaped Austria when he was 16 years old. They eventually made it to the Detroit area.
“We came to this country and, between my mother and I, we had seven bucks in our pocket,” Schweiger said.
A few years after finding refuge on American soil, Schweiger was drafted into the Army during World War II and sent back to the land he escaped from.
He once again faced death as a member of one of the first groups to arrive in Normandy on D-Day.
“We were dug in on the beach, on Omaha Beach,” Schweiger said. “I remember, you know, take the shovel, dig in a little bit. You’d swear that that plane you see up there can see you in that fox hole.”
The highly-decorated hero managed to make it back from Europe with his life for a second time.
“Three Bronze Stars and I got a Presidential Unit Citation,” Schweiger said.
Before moving to Bradenton, Florida, in the 1970s, Schweiger became a successful businessman in the Detroit auto industry.
He started a family and was happily married to his sweetheart for 78 years until she passed away a few years ago.
“I still miss her just terribly,” he said. “They say it’s going to get a little better, but it really doesn’t get better. She was part of my life, you know.”
Despite his loss, the World War II hero, Holocaust survivor and refugee said he knows something about perseverance.
He said living in the U.S. is a gift that he has never taken for granted.
“The best success in the world you can have in this country,” Schweiger said. “Where in the world can a guy like me, a nobody, be as successful as we were?”
Schweiger said the secret to a successful and fruitful life like the one he’s lived is simple: work hard and don’t drink any cheap booze.
“The cheap stuff will absolutely, positively do you in,” he said.
Copyright 2022 WFTS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/08/23/world-war-ii-veteran-holocaust-survivor-celebrates-101st-birthday/ | 2022-08-23T01:15:06Z |
Nancy Linares, left, and Prince Joseph Israel, fill out Mega Millions play slips at Blue Bird Liquor in Hawthorne, California, on July 26. The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday has risen to $1.1 billion, the second-largest in the 20-year history of the game.
The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday has risen to an estimated $1.28 billion, according to the game's website -- and would be the second-largest in the game's 20-year history and the third-largest of any US lottery game.
The cash value option of Friday's jackpot is $742.2 million.
The Mega Millions jackpot record is $1.537 billion, won by a single ticket sold in South Carolina. That's the second-largest jackpot for any US lottery game, though it's the world's largest lottery prize won by just one ticket, according to Mega Millions.
The largest jackpot of any US lottery game was $1.586 billion -- a Powerball prize from January 13, 2016, shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.
Mega Millions jackpots start at $20 million and grow based on game sales and interest rates. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 303 million, the release said.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, DC, and the US Virgin Islands, with drawings on Tuesday and Friday.
High demand and low supply have made renting a car more expensive than ever. CoPilot looked at Business Travel News' Corporate Travel Index to find which cities had the most expensive car rentals. Click for more.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article. | https://www.albanyherald.com/news/jackpot-for-fridays-mega-millions-now-1-28-billion-second-largest-jackpot-in-game-history/article_ae932e0b-b42d-57d8-b609-2d6653e47814.html | 2022-07-29T19:06:04Z |
(WXIN) — A married couple in India has taken legal action against their son for not giving them a grandchild after six years of marriage.
The BBC reports Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad are suing their only son for nearly $650,000 if he and his wife do not produce a grandchild within the next year.
The two say they want compensation after spending their life savings on their 35-year-old son, including $65,000 for him to train as a pilot in the U.S., as well as paying for a lavish wedding at a five-star hotel and a honeymoon in Thailand.
“But despite all our efforts, my son and his wife have caused mental torture by not giving us a grandchild. The society also questions us, causing further pain,” the Prasads wrote in their petition, according to The National.
The BBC writes the lawsuit was filed on the grounds of “mental harassment.”
The Prasads say if they had a grandchild, the pain would “become bearable.”
In India, many parents traditionally make or contribute to decisions affecting their grown children’s personal and professional lives — including arranged marriages. The National says refusal to comply is seen as a great disrespect. | https://cw33.com/news/mental-torture-couple-suing-son-for-650000-for-not-giving-them-grandchild/ | 2022-05-13T15:48:16Z |
TROY, Ala., June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether you're interested in building valuable leadership skills to propel your career or are interested in learning principles to protect and grow your wealth, Troy University is ready to help those who want to make a commitment to their future by offering two free courses this summer.
TROY's online courses have been ranked among the country's best by U.S. News and World Report. The University is known for emphasizing the importance of developing strong leaders and its leadership program is one of the best in the nation. Beginning July 11, TROY will offer a free online, four-week course entitled an Introduction to Leadership. This course presents a rare opportunity for participants to learn how to lead from a global perspective while incorporating self-evaluation in order to gain a better understanding of how to lead effectively.
"We believe that universities are responsible for building the leaders of tomorrow, and that is a commitment we do not take lightly," said Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor. "Our mission is to develop leaders who are well equipped to meet the challenges of today's world. These two free courses are an excellent introduction to all we offer at Troy University while giving participants the chance to learn valuable life skills."
New for 2022, TROY is offering a free personal finance course entitled Your Life, Your Success -- Money Management and Financial Wellness, which is designed to give students an overview of financial principles that will help them succeed. Students will learn about budgeting, filing taxes, different types of loans and insurance products, and an overview of investment options. This course will be offered in two tracks beginning July 11: one for a general audience and one for young adults.
The courses are open to anyone and do not require enrollment in TROY to participate. Participants who enroll at Troy University can earn three credit hours for each course as a general elective or minor course. The courses run for four weeks and end on Aug. 8. To earn academic credit, students must pass a challenge exam at the end of the courses. Current TROY students who participate must have less than 15 hours of university credit to receive academic credit for passing the challenge exam. Register at: troy.edu/freeclass
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Troy University | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/21/troy-university-is-offering-two-free-four-week-online-courses-july-11-through-aug-8/ | 2022-06-21T18:16:46Z |
- FY22 sales increased 9 percent year-over-year to $2.0 billion; 11 percent on an organic basis
- Strong full-year operating leverage drove significant improvement in annual operating margin
- FY22 earnings per diluted share (EPS) of $1.72 and adjusted EPS of $1.78 versus $0.65 and $1.04, respectively, in FY21
- Returned $152 million to shareholders in FY22; $85 million in share repurchases and $67 million in dividends
- Q4 sales increased 3 percent year-over-year to $530 million; 7 percent on an organic basis
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) (the "Company") today announced fourth quarter and fiscal 2022 results. For the fourth quarter, the Company reported earnings per diluted share (EPS) of $0.50, compared with $0.41 in the prior year quarter. The current quarter adjusted EPS was $0.53, compared with $0.53 in the prior year quarter. For fiscal 2022, the Company reported EPS of $1.72, compared with $0.65 in the prior year. Adjusted EPS was $1.78 in the current year, compared with $1.04 in the prior year.
"We posted solid results this year with strong full-year operating leverage delivering over 300 basis points of year-over-year adjusted operating margin improvement. These results demonstrate continued success in executing our Operational and Commercial Excellence initiatives, including timely pricing actions to cover inflationary pressures," said Christopher Rossi, President and CEO.
Rossi continued, "Given our demonstrated ability to operate successfully in an uncertain macroeconomic environment, while maintaining a strong balance sheet, returning cash to shareholders and investing in the business, I am confident our strategic initiatives will continue to drive growth and improved profitability over the long-term."
Fiscal 2022 Fourth Quarter Key Developments
Sales were $530 million compared with $516 million in the same quarter last year. Sales increased by 3 percent, driven by 7 percent organic growth, partially offset by an unfavorable currency exchange effect of 4 percent.
Operating income was $63 million, or 11.8 percent margin, compared with $61 million, or 11.8 percent margin, in the same quarter last year. The increase in operating income was due primarily to organic sales growth, favorable pricing, lower incentive compensation costs and restructuring and related charges of $2 million compared to $5 million in the prior year quarter, partially offset by higher raw material costs of approximately $22 million and certain manufacturing inefficiencies including higher depreciation. Adjusted operating income was $65 million, or 12.3 percent margin, compared with $66 million, or 12.8 percent margin, in the prior year quarter.
The reported effective tax rate (ETR) was 27.8 percent and the adjusted ETR was 27.6 percent, compared to a reported ETR of 31.4 percent and an adjusted ETR of 24.3 percent in the prior year quarter. The year-over-year change in both the reported and adjusted ETR's was primarily due to higher pretax income in the current year, a non-recurring favorable adjustment in the prior year associated with a tax rate change in the U.K. and geographical mix.
Reported EPS in the current quarter includes restructuring and related charges of $0.02 per share and charges related to Russian and Ukrainian operations of $0.01 per share. Reported EPS in the prior year quarter includes restructuring and related charges of $0.05 per share, the partial annuitization of Canadian pension plans of $0.02 per share and differences in projected annual tax rates of $0.05 per share.
During the current quarter, the Company repurchased 1.3 million shares of Kennametal common stock for $35 million under its share repurchase program. Year-to-date the Company has repurchased 2.7 million shares of common stock for $85 million under the $200 million three-year program.
Fiscal 2022 Key Developments
Sales of $2,012 million increased from $1,841 million in the prior year. Sales increased by 9 percent, driven by 11 percent organic growth, partially offset by an unfavorable currency exchange effect of 2 percent.
Operating income was $218 million, or 10.8 percent margin, compared with $102 million, or 5.5 percent margin, in the prior year. The increase in operating income was due primarily to organic sales growth, restructuring and related charges of $4 million compared to $40 million in the prior year, favorable pricing, lower incentive compensation costs, favorable product mix and approximately $14 million of incremental simplification/modernization benefits, partially offset by higher raw material costs of approximately $49 million, certain manufacturing inefficiencies including higher depreciation and approximately $25 million due to the restoration of salaries and other cost-control measures that were taken in the prior year. Adjusted operating income was $224 million, or 11.1 percent margin, compared with $143 million, or 7.7 percent margin, in the prior year.
Net cash flow provided by operating activities in fiscal 2022 was $181 million compared to $236 million in the prior year. The change in net cash flow provided by operating activities was driven primarily by working capital adjustments in part due to increased safety stock for potential supply chain disruptions and higher raw material costs, partially offset by higher net income. Free operating cash flow (FOCF) was $85 million compared to $113 million in the prior year. The change in FOCF was driven primarily by working capital adjustments in part due to increased safety stock for potential supply chain disruptions and higher raw material costs, partially offset by higher net income and lower capital expenditures.
In fiscal 2022, Kennametal continued its focus on delivering shareholder value by returning $152 million to the shareholders through $85 million in share repurchases and $67 million in dividends, while investing $96 million in net capital expenditures.
Outlook
The Company's expectations for the first quarter of fiscal 2023 and the full year are as follows:
Quarterly Outlook:
- Sales expected to be $480 - $500 million; USD strength expected to be a $25 - $30 million headwind compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2022
- Adjusted operating income expected to be at least $45 million
Annual Outlook:
- Pricing actions expected to offset raw material costs, wage and general inflation
- Free operating cash flow at approximately 100 percent of adjusted net income
- Primary working capital as a percent of sales maintained at 31 - 33 percent throughout the year
- Capital spending expected to be $100 - $120 million
- Adjusted ETR is expected to be 26 - 28 percent
- $200 million three-year share repurchase program to continue
The Company will provide more details regarding its fiscal 2023 assumptions during its quarterly earnings conference call.
Fiscal 2022 Fourth Quarter Segment Results
Metal Cutting sales of $316 million increased 1 percent from $312 million in the prior year quarter due to organic sales growth of 7 percent, partially offset by an unfavorable currency exchange effect of 6 percent. Operating income was $34 million, or 10.8 percent margin, compared to $33 million, or 10.6 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. The increase in operating income was due primarily to organic sales growth, favorable pricing, lower incentive compensation costs and restructuring and related charges of $1 million compared to $4 million in the prior year quarter, partially offset by certain manufacturing inefficiencies including higher depreciation and higher raw material costs of approximately $6 million. Adjusted operating income was $36 million, or 11.3 percent margin, compared to $37 million, or 11.7 percent margin, in the prior year quarter.
Infrastructure sales of $214 million increased 5 percent from $204 million in the prior year quarter driven by organic sales growth of 7 percent, partially offset by an unfavorable currency exchange effect of 2 percent. Operating income was $29 million, or 13.7 percent margin, compared to $28 million, or 13.5 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. The increase in operating income was due primarily to organic sales growth, favorable pricing and lower incentive compensation costs, partially offset by higher raw material costs of approximately $16 million and certain manufacturing inefficiencies including higher depreciation. Adjusted operating income was $30 million, or 14.0 percent margin, compared to $30 million, or 14.5 percent margin, in the prior year quarter.
Dividend Declared
Kennametal also announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share. The dividend is payable on August 23, 2022 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 9, 2022.
The Company will discuss its fiscal 2022 fourth quarter and full year results in a live webcast at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Tuesday, August 2, 2022. The conference call will be broadcast via real-time audio on Kennametal's investor relations website at https://investors.kennametal.com/ - click "Event" (located in the blue Quarterly Earnings block).
This earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations and descriptions of all non-GAAP financial measures are set forth in the tables that follow.
Certain statements in this release may be forward-looking in nature, or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. For example, statements about Kennametal's outlook for earnings, sales volumes, cash flow, capital expenditures, working capital and effective tax rate for fiscal year 2023 and our expectations regarding future growth and financial performance are forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are based on current knowledge, expectations and estimates that involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, our actual results could vary materially from our current expectations. There are a number of factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. They include: uncertainties related to changes in macroeconomic and/or global conditions, including as a result of increased inflation and Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russia; uncertainties related to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of more contagious or virulent strains of the virus, its impacts on our business operations, financial results and financial position and on the industries in which we operate and the global economy generally, including as a result of travel restrictions, business and workforce disruptions associated with the pandemic; other economic recession; our ability to achieve all anticipated benefits of restructuring, simplification and modernization initiatives; our foreign operations and international markets, such as currency exchange rates, different regulatory environments, trade barriers, exchange controls, and social and political instability, including the conflict in Ukraine; changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate, including environmental, health and safety regulations; potential for future goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges; our ability to protect and defend our intellectual property; continuity of information technology infrastructure; competition; our ability to retain our management and employees; demands on management resources; availability and cost of the raw materials we use to manufacture our products; product liability claims; integrating acquisitions and achieving the expected savings and synergies; global or regional catastrophic events; demand for and market acceptance of our products; business divestitures; energy costs; commodity prices; labor relations; and implementation of environmental remediation matters. Many of these risks and other risks are more fully described in Kennametal's latest annual report on Form 10-K and its other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We can give no assurance that any goal or plan set forth in forward-looking statements can be achieved and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of future events or developments.
About Kennametal
With over 80 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 8,700 employees are helping customers in more than 60 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated $2 billion in revenues in fiscal 2022. Learn more at www.kennametal.com. Follow @Kennametal: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS (UNAUDITED)
In addition to reported results under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP), the following financial highlight tables include, where appropriate, a reconciliation of adjusted results including: operating income and margin; ETR; net income attributable to Kennametal; diluted EPS; Metal Cutting operating income and margin; Infrastructure operating income and margin; FOCF; and consolidated and segment organic sales growth (all of which are non-GAAP financial measures), to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Adjustments for the three months ended June 30, 2022 include restructuring and related charges, charges related to Russian and Ukrainian operations and differences in projected annual tax rates. Adjustments for the three months ended June 30, 2021 include restructuring and related charges, the partial annuitization of Canadian pension plans and differences in projected annual tax rates. Adjustments for the twelve months ended June 30, 2022 include restructuring and related charges, charges related to Russian and Ukrainian operations, and a gain on the New Castle divestiture. Adjustments for the twelve months ended June 30, 2021 include restructuring and related charges, a discrete tax benefit, the effects from the early extinguishment of debt, and the partial annuitization of Canadian pension plans. For those adjustments that are presented 'net of tax', the tax effect of the adjustment can be derived by calculating the difference between the pre-tax and the post-tax adjustments presented. The tax effect on adjustments is calculated by preparing an overall tax calculation including the adjustments and then a tax calculation excluding the adjustments. The difference between these calculations results in the tax impact of the adjustments.
Management believes that presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information about the results of operations of the Company for the current and past periods. Management believes that investors should have available the same information that management uses to assess operating performance, determine compensation and assess the capital structure of the Company. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the most comparable GAAP financial measures. Investors are cautioned that non-GAAP financial measures used by management may not be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Reconciliations and descriptions of all non-GAAP financial measures are set forth in the disclosures below.
Reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures for the following forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures for the first quarter and full fiscal year of 2023 have not been provided, including but not limited to: FOCF, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, adjusted ETR and primary working capital. The most comparable GAAP financial measures are net cash flow from operating activities, operating income, net income attributable to Kennametal, ETR and working capital (defined as current assets less current liabilities), respectively. Primary working capital is defined as accounts receivable, net plus inventories, net minus accounts payable. Because the non-GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis are subject to uncertainty and variability as they are dependent on many factors - including, but not limited to, the effect of foreign currency exchange fluctuations, impacts from potential acquisitions or divestitures, gains or losses on the potential sale of businesses or other assets, restructuring costs, asset impairment charges, gains or losses from early extinguishment of debt, the tax impact of the items above and the impact of tax law changes or other tax matters - reconciliations to the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measures are not available without unreasonable effort.
Free Operating Cash Flow (FOCF)
FOCF is a non-GAAP financial measure and is defined by the Company as cash provided by operations (which is the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure) less capital expenditures plus proceeds from disposals of fixed assets. Management considers FOCF to be an important indicator of the Company's cash generating capability because it better represents cash generated from operations that can be used for dividends, debt repayment, strategic initiatives (such as acquisitions) and other investing and financing activities.
Organic Sales Growth
Organic sales growth is a non-GAAP financial measure of sales growth (which is the most directly comparable GAAP measure) excluding the impacts of acquisitions, divestitures, business days and foreign currency exchange from year-over-year comparisons. Management believes this measure provides investors with a supplemental understanding of underlying sales trends by providing sales growth on a consistent basis. Management reports organic sales growth at the consolidated and segment levels.
View original content:
SOURCE Kennametal Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/01/kennametal-reports-fiscal-2022-fourth-quarter-results/ | 2022-08-01T20:57:57Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of publishing titan Penguin Random House on Thursday defended his company’s deal to acquire rival Simon & Schuster against the government’s claim it would thwart competition. But he acknowledged that the merger would buttress his company’s position as the biggest U.S. publisher by expanding its market share.
Under questioning at a federal antitrust trial, CEO Markus Dohle also admitted that while he has promised to allow the two merged companies to continue to bid against each other for deals with authors, Penguin Random House’s German parent firm Bertelsmann has no legal obligation to honor that commitment.
Commenting on what has been a core government argument, Dohle allowed that smaller advance payments to authors can lead to fewer books being published. Advances, which reach into the millions for such top-selling authors as Stephen King and James Patterson, are guaranteed payments to writers that can affect a book’s profitability. Books that sell well are more likely to have received bigger advances, Dohle acknowledged.
Speaking of Simon & Schuster’s position in bidding after a merger, Dohle said, “We want to keep them as external and independent as possible.” Dohle has assured agents that he would permit competitive bidding between Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House imprints even if no other publisher was in contention, an expansion upon the current PRH policy of allowing bidding between imprints as long as outside competitors were still in the running. Dohle not only acknowledged his promise was not legally binding, but should he ever leave Bertelsmann his successor would not be obligated to continue competitive bidding between the imprints.
The U.S. Justice Department has sued to block the proposed $2.2 billion merger of Penguin Random House with Simon & Schuster, the fourth-largest U.S. publisher, which would reduce the so-called “Big Five” U.S. publishers to four. The other three are HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan.
The government contends that allowing Bertelsmann to buy Simon & Schuster from U.S. media and entertainment company Paramount Global would thwart competition and give Penguin Random House outsize influence over what books are published in the U.S. and how much authors are paid, giving consumers fewer books to choose from. The new company, if approved, would be by far the biggest book publishing entity in U.S. history.
The publishers counter that the merger would strengthen competition among publishers to find and sell the hottest books by enabling the combined company to offer bigger advances and marketing support to authors. It would benefit readers, booksellers and authors, they say.
The publishers’ promise of continued competitive bidding by the two companies after a merger was greeted with skepticism by an unusual witness at the trial Tuesday — King, who testified for the government even though he is published by Simon & Schuster.
“You might as well say you’re going to have a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same house,” he quipped. “It would be sort of very gentlemanly and sort of, ‘After you’ and ‘After you,‘” he said, gesturing with a polite sweep of the arm.
Prompted by questions from defense attorney Daniel Petrocelli representing Bertelsmann and Penguin Random House, Dohle became animated and gave an impassioned tribute to the creativity of the publishing industry, which he portrayed as a fiercely competitive marketplace.
The biggest threat to the publishing industry comes not from consolidation but from the explosion in recent years of subscription-based or cheap content, such as e-books, Dohle said, calling it “all-access.” He cited especially Amazon, which has some 50 million book titles available, and Disney.
“I think it’s the biggest threat to the industry, and especially author income,” he said. “It will have a tectonic influence on the revenue pool of the industry.”
The effect on authors’ compensation can reduce the diversity of stories that are published, and physical booksellers also are imperiled.
Dohle likened Penguin Random House to Silicon Valley “angel” investors: “We invest every year in thousands of ideas and dreams, and only a few of them make it to the top. … Each book is unique, and there’s a lot of risk.”
Reflecting the waves of consolidation in the publishing industry, Penguin Random House itself is the product of a merger in 2013 between the nearly 100-year-old Random House and Penguin. That combination was approved by the Justice Department during the adminstration of President Barack Obama, under whom President Joe Biden served as vice president. The Penguin Random House trial is widely seen as part of a growing DOJ trend during the Biden administration of taking a tougher stand on mergers. | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ceo-of-publishing-giant-defends-deal-challenged-by-us-govt/ | 2022-08-05T13:11:40Z |
WILMINGTON, Del., May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilmington Trust, a leader in wealth management and corporate and institutional services, announced today that Laura Phillips has been hired as a senior wealth advisor in its North Palm Beach, FL office.
In her role, Phillips will be responsible for providing comprehensive wealth management advice to high-net-worth individuals and families, entrepreneurs, business owners, and foundations & endowments in the Florida region. Working closely with clients and their advisors, she will develop financial strategies to seek to help meet current needs and long-term objectives. Phillips will also coordinate the various unique services her clients require—including investment management, planning, trust, private banking, and family office.
Phillips' hire is one of many that Wilmington Trust has recently announced across its business units. The firm has also committed to add a significant number of new professionals, broadening its expertise, and will double the number of its client-facing colleagues over the next two years.
"We're glad to welcome Laura to our growing Florida region," said Ted Brown, Wilmington Trust Wealth Management regional executive. "Laura's regional experience in the Palm Beach area will help to address the tailored needs and solutions for our current clients and prospects."
Phillips has considerable tenure in the financial services industry, specializing in wealth management strategies for high-net-worth individuals and families. Prior to joining Wilmington Trust in 2022, she was a wealth advisor in the Private Wealth division at Regions Bank. Earlier in her career, Phillips was a wealth advisor with Wells Fargo, and a commercial banking officer at Bank of America. She has been helping affluent families with their financial needs for over 30 years.
"It is exciting to be joining Wilmington Trust and the growing Wealth Management team in Florida," said Phillips. "Clients needs may change with the changing landscape, I am eager to help my clients protect and grow their assets for future generations, expand their business ventures and prepare for the unexpected."
Phillips currently holds a Certified Wealth Strategist® designation, Series 7, Life Insurance & Annuity licenses, and is certified in Financial Planning. She is a member of the Palm Beach County Estate Planning Council.
ABOUT WILMINGTON TRUST
Wilmington Trust's Wealth Management offers a wide array of personal trust, planning, fiduciary, asset management, private banking, and family office services designed to help high-net-worth individuals and families grow, preserve, and transfer wealth. Wilmington Trust focuses on serving families with whom it can build long-term relationships, many of which span multiple generations.
Wilmington Trust also provides Corporate and Institutional Services for clients around the world.
Wilmington Trust has clients in all 50 states and numerous countries, with offices throughout the United States and internationally in London, Dublin, Paris, and Frankfurt. For more information, visit www.wilmingtontrust.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Pat Fitzgibbons, Senior Public Relations Manager, Wilmington Trust
Pfitzgibbons@mtb.com
Wilmington Trust is a registered service Caren used in connection with various fiduciary and non-fiduciary services offered by certain subsidiaries of M&T Bank Corporation including, but not limited to, Manufacturers & Traders Trust Company (M&T Bank), Wilmington Trust Company (WTC) operating in Delaware only, Wilmington Trust, N.A. (WTNA), Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors, Inc. (WTIA), Wilmington Funds Management Corporation (WFMC), and Wilmington Trust Investment Management, LLC (WTIM). Such services include trustee, custodial, agency, investment management, and other services. International corporate and institutional services are offered through M&T Bank Corporation's international subsidiaries. Loans, credit cards, retail and business deposits, and other business and personal banking services and products are offered by M&T Bank, member FDIC.
This publication is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the sale of any financial product. Investors should seek financial advice regarding the suitability of investment strategies based on their objectives, financial situations, and particular needs.
Private Banking is the marketing name for an offering of M&T Bank deposit and loan products and services. Private Bankers are M&T Bank employees. Loans, retail and business deposits, and other personal and business banking services and products are offered by M&T Bank, Equal Housing Lender Bank NMLS #381076 ©2021 M&T Bank. Member FDIC. Third-party trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.
Investments: • Are NOT FDIC Insured • Have NO Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value
©2022 M&T Bank Corporation and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Wilmington Trust | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/17/wilmington-trust-adds-laura-phillips-senior-wealth-advisor-palm-beach-office/ | 2022-05-17T14:45:34Z |
NEW YORK, May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky, LLP notifies investors in International Business Machines Corporation ("IBM" or the "Company") (NYSE: IBM) of a class action securities lawsuit.
CLASS DEFINITION: The lawsuit seeks to recover losses on behalf of IBM investors who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud between April 4, 2017 and October 20, 2021. Follow the link below to get more information and be contacted by a member of our team:
IBM investors may also contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500.
CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that defendants made false statements and/or concealed that: (i) Strategic Imperatives Revenue and growth, CAMSS and CAMSS Components' revenue and growth, and the Company's Segments' revenue and growth were artificially inflated as a result of the wrongful reclassification of revenues from non-strategic to strategic to make those revenues eligible for treatment as Strategic Imperatives Revenue; (ii) the Company's present success and positive future growth prospects concerning its Strategic Imperative business strategy were being fueled by the wrongful reclassification of revenues from non-strategic to strategic to make those revenues eligible for treatment as Strategic Imperative Revenue and, as a result (iii) the Company misled the market by portraying the Company's Strategic Imperative's financial performance and future prospects more favorable than they actually were as a result of the wrongful reclassification of revenues from non-strategic to strategic to make those revenues eligible for treatment as Strategic Imperatives.
WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in IBM during the relevant time frame, you have until June 6, 2022 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
NO COST TO YOU: If you are a class member, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket costs or fees. There is no cost or obligation to participate.
WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, the team at Levi & Korsinsky has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. Our firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States.
CONTACT:
Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
Joseph E. Levi, Esq.
Ed Korsinsky, Esq.
55 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10006
jlevi@levikorsinsky.com
Tel: (212) 363-7500
Fax: (212) 363-7171
www.zlk.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/12/ibm-lawsuit-alert-levi-amp-korsinsky-notifies-international-business-machines-corporation-investors-class-action-lawsuit-upcoming-deadline/ | 2022-05-12T10:33:23Z |
NEW YORK, May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. ("CatchMark" or the "Company") (NYSE: CTT) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by PotlatchDeltic ("PotlatchDeltic") Corporation (NASDAQ: PCH). Under the terms of the merger agreement, the Company's shareholders will receive 0.23 common shares of PotlatchDeltic stock for each common share of CatchMark owned, representing implied per-share merger consideration of approximately $12.88 based upon PotlatchDeltic's May 27, 2022 closing price of $56.02. Upon completion of the transaction, PotlatchDeltic shareholders will own approximately 86% of the combined company, while CatchMark shareholders will own only approximately 14% of the combined company. The all-stock transaction is valued at approximately $5 billion.
If you own CatchMark shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website:
https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/ctt
Or please contact:
Joshua Rubin, Esq.
Weiss Law
305 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(212) 682-3025
(888) 593-4771
stockinfo@weisslawllp.com
Weiss Law is investigating whether (i) CatchMark's board of directors ("Board") acted in the best interests of Company shareholders in agreeing to the proposed transaction, (ii) the per-share merger consideration adequately compensates CatchMark's shareholders, and (iii) all information regarding the sales process and valuation of the transaction will be fully and fairly disclosed.
Weiss Law has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at stockinfo@weisslawllp.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Weiss Law | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/shareholder-alert-weiss-law-investigates-catchmark-timber-trust-inc/ | 2022-05-31T22:42:33Z |
NEW YORK , May 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds sellers of the common stock of Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) between March 24, 2022 and April 1, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important June 13, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you sold Twitter securities during the Class Period 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 Twitter class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=5134 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 June 13, 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: Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and Space-X, and according to Forbes, the richest person in the world, began acquiring shares of Twitter in January 2022. By March 14, 2022, Musk had acquired more than a 5% ownership stake in Twitter, requiring him to file a Schedule 13 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") within 10 days, or March 24, 2022. However, Musk did not file a Schedule 13 with the SEC within the required time and instead continued to amass Twitter shares, eventually acquiring over a 9% stake in the Company before finally filing a Schedule 13 on April 4, 2022.
Upon Musk belatedly filing the required Schedule 13, which first revealed his ownership stake in Twitter to the public, the Company's shares rose from a closing price of $39.31 per share on April 1, 2022, to close at $49.97 per share on April 4, 2022 – an increase of 27%.
Investors who sold shares of Twitter between March 24, 2022 and April 4, 2022 missed the resulting share price increase as the market reacted to Musk's purchases. By failing to timely disclose his ownership stake, Musk was able to acquire shares of Twitter less expensively during the Class Period.
To join the Twitter class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=5134 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
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/15/rosen-leading-top-ranked-law-firm-encourages-twitter-inc-investors-with-losses-over-100k-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-against-elon-musk-twtr/ | 2022-05-15T15:20:50Z |
2 California officers shot, killed in the line of duty while responding to reports of a stabbing
EL MONTE, Calif. (AP) — The wife of a man who killed two Southern California police officers Tuesday in a shootout told a television station that her husband had previously attacked her and she warned the officers that he had a gun inside a suburban Los Angeles motel.
The gunman, identified as Justin William Flores, was shot and killed at the scene. His wife told KCBS-TV that he had attacked her two days ago and she had moved into the motel to escape him but he tracked her down.
“I am so deeply sorry, my deepest condolences for saving me, I’m so, so, so sorry,” Diana Flores tearfully told the TV station. “They didn’t deserve that, or their families. They really didn’t. They were trying to help me and I told them before they went in the room, ‘Don’t go in. He has a gun.’”
The officers — Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who were identified Wednesday — were both slain while investigating a possible stabbing at a motel in El Monte.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that flags at the state Capitol will be flown at half-staff in their honor.
Paredes and Santana — one on the force for more than two decades and the other for just months — were both were raised in and worked for the city of El Monte, a suburb of 107,000 people in the San Gabriel Valley. They became only the third and fourth officers in the El Monte Police Department’s history to die in the line of duty. A vigil is scheduled for Saturday.
Flores was on probation for a gun charge at the time of the shooting, which occurred a day after his probation officer requested that he return to court later in the month, court records show.
The coroner’s office has not yet released the name of the suspect but the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office identified Flores to The Associated Press.
Mourners on Wednesday left bouquets, wreaths of flowers and candles outside the El Monte police station to honor the fallen officers.
“Corporal Paredes and Officer Santana paid the ultimate sacrifice,” the city of El Monte wrote in a news release, “while in performance of a noble profession, serving the community they loved.”
Flores, 35, served two stints in state prison for vehicle theft and burglary, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and was most recently released in 2012.
In March 2020, Flores was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of narcotics for personal use. He pleaded guilty last year to being a felon in possession of a firearm, a felony charge that could have sent him back to prison for three years.
Instead he was sentenced to two years of probation and 20 days in jail and LA County District Attorney George Gascón, who is facing a recall effort for his progressive policies, is facing criticism for Flores’ plea deal.
“The sentence he received in the firearm case was consistent with case resolutions for this type of offense given his criminal history and the nature of the offense,” the DA’s office said in a statement Wednesday. “At the time the court sentenced him, Mr. Flores did not have a documented history of violence.”
Court records obtained by AP do not specify why Flores’ probation officer had requested Monday that he return to court; records show that a hearing was scheduled for June 27.
The county’s probation department declined to comment and Flores’ attorney in the case did not return a request for comment on Wednesday. But the Los Angeles Times reported that Flores had violated his probation, triggering the return to court.
Few details have emerged about what occurred during Tuesday’s violence. The officers went to the Siesta Inn in El Monte, east of Los Angeles, around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, for a welfare check where a woman had possibly been stabbed.
The officers “confronted the suspect,” Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide Capt. Andrew Meyer said Tuesday.
Gunfire erupted inside a motel room and the gunman then fled into the parking lot, where more gunfire was exchanged, Meyer said.
Meyer said he didn’t know whether the officers were shot inside the motel or outside. They died at a hospital. A gun was found at the scene.
Meyer said investigators were interviewing a woman from the hotel who they believe was the suspect’s girlfriend. Diana Flores, who described herself as the suspect’s wife and had his first name tattooed on her chest, told KCBS that officers must have been reacting to a “false call” because she hadn’t been stabbed on Tuesday.
“I got stabbed the day before that,” she told the TV station.
Paredes, 42, started as a cadet in the department before becoming a full-time officer in 2000, according to a news release. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son.
Santana, 31, had been with the El Monte force for less than a year when he was killed. He previously served as a deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for three years, the news release stated.
This tragic loss hits close to home for us,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department wrote on Twitter. “He was a great partner and loved by all who knew him.”
Santana also worked as a part-time public works employee for El Monte for six years before turning to law enforcement. He is survived by his wife, daughter and twin sons.
El Monte interim Police Chief Ben Lowry on Tuesday called the officers heroes.
“These two men were loved,” Lowry said. “They were good men. They paid the ultimate sacrifice, serving their community trying to help somebody.”
“They were murdered by a coward and we are grieving, and that hurts,” he said.
El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona said the officers died “while trying to keep a family safe.”
The killings came just one day after a California Highway Patrol officer was shot and critically wounded during a traffic stop in the Studio City area of Los Angeles.
The 27-year-old officer is expected to recover, authorities said. A bloodhound helped police track down the suspect, who surrendered to police Tuesday in a homeless encampment in the San Fernando Valley.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/06/16/2-california-officers-shot-killed-line-duty-while-responding-reports-stabbing/ | 2022-06-16T17:11:51Z |
RICHMOND, Ind., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Richmond Mutual Bancorporation, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the "Company") (NASDAQ: RMBI), parent company of First Bank Richmond (the "Bank"), today announced net income of $3.5 million, or $0.31 diluted earnings per share, for the second quarter of 2022, compared to net income of $3.0 million, or $0.26 diluted earnings per share, for the first quarter of 2022, and net income of $2.8 million, or $0.24 diluted earnings per share, for the second quarter of 2021. Diluted earnings per share increased 19.2% and 29.2% for the second quarter of 2022 as compared to the first quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
President's Comments
Garry Kleer, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "In the second quarter of 2022 we continued to increase profitability, grow our loan and lease and deposit portfolios and return excess capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. We were able to increase our net interest margin to 3.45% in the second quarter, which helped us maintain our record of consistent growth and profitability increases since becoming a public company."
Second Quarter Performance Highlights:
- Assets totaled $1.3 billion at June 30, 2022, March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.
- Loans and leases, net of allowance, totaled $891.9 million at June 30, 2022, compared to $850.0 million at March 31, 2022, and $832.8 million at December 31, 2021.
- Nonperforming loans and leases totaled $8.1 million, or 0.89% of total loans and leases, at June 30, 2022, compared to $8.0 million, or 0.92% at March 31, 2022, and $8.0 million, or 0.95% at December 31, 2021.
- The allowance for loan and lease losses totaled $12.4 million, or 1.37% of total loans and leases outstanding, at June 30, 2022, compared to $12.3 million, or 1.43% of total loans and leases outstanding, at March 31, 2022 and $12.1 million, or 1.43% of total loans and leases outstanding, at December 31, 2021.
- The provision for loan and lease losses totaled $200,000 in the quarters ended June 30 and March 31, 2022, and totaled $530,000 in the second quarter of 2021.
- Deposits totaled $948.3 million at June 30, 2022, compared to $909.5 million at March 31, 2022 and $900.2 million at December 31, 2021. At June 30, 2022, noninterest bearing deposits totaled $119.8 million or 12.6% of total deposits, compared to $113.7 million or 12.5% of total deposits at March 31, 2022, and $114.3 million or 12.7% of total deposits at December 31, 2021.
- Stockholders' equity totaled $138.9 million at June 30, 2022, compared to $157.3 million at March 31, 2022, and $180.5 million at December 31, 2021. The Company's equity to assets ratio was 10.93% at June 30, 2022.
- Net interest income increased $495,000 or 4.9% to $10.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to net interest income of $10.1 million for the prior quarter, and increased $1.4 million or 14.8% from $9.2 million for the comparable quarter in 2021.
- Annualized net interest margin was 3.45% for the current quarter, compared to 3.26% in the preceding quarter and 3.27% the second quarter a year ago.
- The Company repurchased 461,891 shares of common stock at an average price of $16.18 per share during the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
- The Bank's Tier 1 capital to total assets was 12.74% and the Bank's capital was well in excess of all regulatory requirements at June 30, 2022.
Income Statement Summary
Net interest income before the provision for loan and lease losses increased $495,000, or 4.9%, to $10.5 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to $10.1 million in the first quarter of 2022, and increased $1.4 million, or 14.8%, from $9.2 million in the second quarter of 2021. The increase from the first quarter of 2022 was due to a 20 basis point increase in the average interest rate spread, partially offset by a $27.6 million decrease in average net earning assets during the second quarter of 2022. The increase from the comparable quarter in 2021 was due to a 26 basis point increase in the average interest rate spread during the second quarter of 2022, partially offset by a decrease in net average earning assets of $47.1 million during the second quarter of 2022 versus the comparable quarter of 2021.
Interest income increased $506,000, or 4.2%, to $12.4 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and increased $1.3 million, or 12.0%, compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Interest income on loans and leases increased $416,000, or 4.1%, to $10.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to $10.3 million in the first quarter of 2022, due to a $25.9 million increase in the average balance of loans and leases, and an increase in the average yield earned on loans and leases of five basis points to 4.88%. Interest income on loans and leases increased $826,000, or 8.4%, in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the second quarter of 2021, due to an increase in the average balance of loans and leases of $97.4 million, partially offset by a decrease in the average loan and lease yield of 19 basis points.
Interest income on investment securities, excluding FHLB stock, increased $70,000, or 4.4%, to $1.7 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2021, and increased $471,000, or 39.7%, from the comparable quarter in 2021. The increase in interest income on investment securities, excluding FHLB stock, in the second quarter of 2022 from the first quarter of 2022 was due to a 25 basis point increase in the average yield earned on investment securities offset by a $30.2 million decrease in average balances. The increase in interest on investment securities, excluding FHLB stock, in the second quarter of 2022 from the second quarter of 2021 was due to a $9.8 million increase in the average balance and a 54 basis point increase in the average yield earned on investment securities.
Interest expense remained relatively flat at $1.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Interest expense on deposits increased $26,000, or 2.1%, to $1.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to the previous quarter and increased $53,000, or 4.4%, from the comparable quarter in 2021. The increase from the previous quarter was primarily due to an increase in average interest-bearing deposit balances of $33.0 million. The increase from the comparable quarter in 2021 was due to an increase of $150.2 million in average interest-bearing deposit balances, partially offset by a decrease of ten basis points in the average rate paid on interest-bearing deposits. The average rate paid on interest-bearing deposits was 0.62% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to 0.63% and 0.72% for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2021, respectively. Interest expense on FHLB borrowings decreased $15,000, or 2.4%, to $624,000 for the second quarter of 2022 compared to the previous quarter and decreased $76,000, or 10.9%, from the comparable quarter in 2021. The average balance of FHLB borrowings totaled $170.3 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $183.5 million and $173.1 million for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2021, respectively. The average rate paid on FHLB borrowings was 1.47% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, 1.40% for March 31, 2022, and 1.62% for the second quarter of 2021.
Annualized net interest margin increased to 3.45% for the second quarter of 2022, compared to 3.26% for the first quarter of 2022 and 3.27% for the second quarter of 2021. The increase in the net interest margin for the second quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2022 and the comparable quarter in 2021 was primarily due to the yield on interest-earnings assets increasing faster than the rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities.
The provision for loan and lease losses totaled $200,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to $200,000 during the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and $530,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Net charge-offs during the second quarter of 2022 were $136,000, compared to net recoveries of $9,000 during the first quarter of 2022 and net charge-offs of $58,000 in the second quarter of 2021. While we believe the steps we have taken and continue to take are necessary to effectively manage our portfolio and assist our clients through the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainties relating to our allowance for loan losses are heightened as a result of any possible continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent dramatic rise in inflation and interest rates.
Total noninterest income increased $61,000, or 5.5%, to $1.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and decreased $464,000, or 28.3%, from the comparable quarter in 2021. The increase in noninterest income in the second quarter of 2022 from the first quarter of 2022 occurred despite a decrease in gains on loan and lease sales. Gain on sale of loans and leases decreased $21,000, or 8.7%, to $222,000 in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2022 and was offset by an increase in loan and lease servicing fees. Loan and lease servicing fees increased $150,000 in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2022 as a recovery of $76,000 to mortgage servicing rights was recorded in the second quarter of 2022 compared to an impairment charge of $111,000 in the first quarter of 2022. In addition, card fee income increased $24,000, or 8.7%, to $302,000 in the second quarter of 2022 from the first quarter of 2022 and service fees on deposit accounts increased $14,000, or 5.9%, to $248,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $235,000 for the first quarter of 2022. The increase in card fee income was due to higher card activity in the second quarter of 2022 and the increase in service fees on deposit accounts was primarily attributable to increased overdraft fees during the second quarter of 2022 compared to the prior quarter. Other income decreased $106,000 in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2022 primarily due to fees associated with several letters of credit and the sale of a repossessed asset in the first quarter of 2022.
The decrease in noninterest income in the second quarter of 2022 from the comparable quarter of 2021 was due to a $348,000, or 61.1%, decrease in gain on sale of loans as mortgage banking activity declined primarily due to lower refinancing activity and a lower supply of houses for sale in the Bank's market area. Loan and lease servicing fees decreased $71,000 in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the same quarter in 2021 as a recovery of $76,000 to mortgage servicing rights was recorded in the second quarter of 2022 compared to a recovery of $178,000 in the second quarter of 2021. Partially offsetting these decreases were increases in card fee income and service fees on deposit accounts. Card fee income increased $27,000, or 9.9%, in the second quarter of 2022 due to higher card usage. Service fees on deposit accounts increased $50,000, or 25.0%, in the second quarter of 2022 from the comparable quarter in 2021 due to increased overdraft fees, many of which were waived in the second quarter of 2021.
Total noninterest expense decreased $176,000, or 2.4%, to $7.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the first quarter of 2022, and increased $278,000, or 4.0% compared to the same period in 2021. Salaries and employee benefits increased $64,000, or 1.4%, to $4.5 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to the first quarter of 2022, and increased $201,000 compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2021. The increase in salaries and benefits in the second quarter of 2022 from the first quarter of 2022 and the quarter ended June 30, 2021 was primarily due to annual merit increases and additional staff. Data processing fees decreased $91,000, or 13.8%, to $568,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to the first quarter of 2022, primarily due to lower core processing fees. Other expenses decreased $166,000, or 17.3% in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the prior quarter, and decreased $85,000, or 9.7%, compared to the same quarter of 2021. The decrease in other expenses in the second quarter of 2022 from the first quarter of 2022 primarily was due to decreased loan expenses, franchise tax expense and expenses related to employee professional development.
Income tax expense increased $265,000 during the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and increased $243,000 compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2021, due to a higher level of pre-tax income and a higher effective tax rate. The effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2022 was 20.2% compared to 17.0% in the first quarter of 2022, and 18.7% in the second quarter a year ago.
Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets increased $4.0 million, or 0.3%, to $1.3 billion at June 30, 2022 from December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily the result of a $59.0 million, or 7.1%, increase in loans and leases, net of allowance, to $891.9 million and a $9.4 million, or 86.9% increase in other assets to $20.2 million at June 30, 2022. These increases were partially offset by decreases of $55.8 million or 18.0% in investment securities, to $310.8 million and $8.6 million or 37.4% in cash and cash equivalents to $14.4 million at June 30, 2022.
The increase in loans and leases was attributable to an increase in commercial real estate loans, multi-family loans, and construction and development loans of $17.3 million, $14.0 million and $11.2 million, respectively. Commercial and industrial loans increased $6.7 million despite a decrease of $2.3 million in Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loans resulting from loan forgiveness by the U.S. Small Business Administration ("SBA"). As of June 30, 2022, we had funded a total of 892 PPP loans totaling $103.1 million and the SBA had approved 870 loan forgiveness applications totaling $97.9 million. PPP loans totaled $3.7 million at June 30, 2022. Other assets increased primarily due to a $10.1 million increase in deferred tax assets due to the mark-to-market adjustment on the investment portfolio. The decrease in investment securities primarily was the result of reinvesting only a portion of normal recurring maturities and payments on securities and using the remainder to fund growth in the loan and lease portfolio.
Nonperforming loans and leases, consisting of nonaccrual loans and leases and accruing loans and leases more than 90 days past due, totaled $8.1 million or 0.89% of total loans and leases at June 30, 2022, compared to $8.0 million or 0.95% at December 31, 2021. Accruing loans past due more than 90 days totaled $2.1 million at June 30, 2022, compared to $1.8 million at December 31, 2021.
The allowance for loan and lease losses increased $273,000, or 2.3%, to $12.4 million at June 30, 2022 from $12.1 million at December 31, 2021. At June 30, 2022 the allowance for loan and lease losses totaled 1.37% of total loans and leases outstanding, compared to 1.43% at December 31, 2021. Net charge-offs during the first six months of 2022 were $127,000 compared to net charge-offs of $85,000 during the comparable period of 2021.
Management regularly analyzes conditions within its geographic markets and evaluates its loan and lease portfolio. The Company evaluated its exposure to potential loan and lease losses as of June 30, 2022, which evaluation included consideration of potential credit losses due to economic conditions driven by any lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent and dramatic rise in inflation and interest rates. Any lingering impact of the pandemic on the Company's deposit and loan customers is still not fully known at this time. Credit metrics are being reviewed and stress testing is being performed on the loan portfolio on an ongoing basis. Potentially higher risk segments of the portfolio, such as hotels and restaurants, are being closely monitored.
Total deposits increased $48.2 million or 5.3% to $948.3 million at June 30, 2022, compared to December 31, 2021. The increase in deposits from December 31, 2021 primarily was due to an increase in brokered time deposits of $31.2 million and savings and money market accounts of $30.8 million, partially offset by a decrease in other time deposits of $21.7 million. Management attributes the shift in funds to customers anticipating potentially higher rates being paid on time deposits in 2022 in connection with the additional expected interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve this year. Brokered time deposits totaled $153.0 million or 16.1% of total deposits at June 30, 2022. Noninterest-bearing demand deposits increased $5.5 million to $119.8 million at June 30, 2022 from December 31, 2021, and totaled 12.6% of total deposits at June 30, 2022.
Stockholders' equity totaled $138.9 million at June 30, 2022, a decrease of $41.5 million or 23.0% from December 31, 2021. The decrease in stockholders' equity from December 31, 2021 primarily was the result of a reduction in accumulated comprehensive income of $38.0 million due to a greater mark-to-market adjustment to the investment portfolio as a result of higher interest rates, the payment of $2.2 million in dividends to Company stockholders, and the repurchase of $9.0 million of Company common stock, partially offset by net income of $6.5 million.
During the quarter ended June 30, 2022, the Company repurchased a total of 461,891 shares of Company common stock at an average price of $16.18 per share. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had approximately 447,471 shares available for repurchase under its existing stock repurchase program. Subsequent to quarter end, the Company repurchased an additional 1,614 shares. The current repurchase program ended on July 7th.
About Richmond Mutual Bancorporation, Inc.
Richmond Mutual Bancorporation, Inc., headquartered in Richmond, Indiana, is the holding company for First Bank Richmond, a community-oriented financial institution offering traditional financial and trust services within its local communities through its eight locations in Richmond, Centerville, Cambridge City and Shelbyville, Indiana, its five locations in Sidney, Piqua and Troy, Ohio, and its loan production office in Columbus, Ohio.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
This document and other filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), as well as press releases or other public or stockholder communications released by the Company, may contain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, (i) statements regarding the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company, (ii) statements about the Company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts and (iii) other statements identified by the words or phrases "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," "intends" or similar expressions that are intended to identify "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company's control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change.
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, including on the Company's credit quality and business operations, as well as its impact on general economic and financial market conditions and other uncertainties such as the extent and duration of the impact of the pandemic on public health, the U.S. and global economies, and on consumer and corporate customers, including economic activity, employment levels and market liquidity; legislative changes; changes in policies by regulatory agencies; fluctuations in interest rates; the risks of lending and investing activities, including changes in the level and direction of loan delinquencies and write-offs and changes in estimates of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses; the Company's ability to access cost-effective funding; fluctuations in real estate values and both residential and commercial real estate market conditions; demand for loans and deposits in the Company's market area; changes in management's business strategies; changes in the regulatory and tax environments in which the Company operates; and other factors set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC.
The factors listed above could materially affect the Company's financial performance and could cause the Company's actual results for future periods to differ materially from any opinions or statements expressed with respect to future periods in any current statements.
The Company does not undertake - and specifically declines any obligation - to publicly release the result of any revisions which may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. When considering forward-looking statements, keep in mind these risks and uncertainties. Undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement, which speaks only as of the date made. Refer to the Company's periodic and current reports filed with the SEC for specific risks that could cause actual results to be significantly different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements.
View original content:
SOURCE Richmond Mutual Bancorporation, Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/richmond-mutual-bancorporation-inc-announces-2022-second-quarter-financial-results/ | 2022-07-21T23:30:56Z |
Inaugural Award from the Indianapolis Prize honors conservationists early in their careers
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials from the Indianapolis Prize, the world's leading award for animal conservation, today named ten Finalists for the newly created Emerging Conservationist Award. The Winner will be awarded $50,000 to advance their work to protect species.
The Emerging Conservationist Award recognizes professional wildlife conservationists, biologists and scientists under 40 years of age working to make strides in saving animal species from extinction. The inaugural Emerging Conservationist Award Winner will be announced in April 2023 and will be recognized at the 2023 Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc. in downtown Indianapolis on Sept. 30, 2023.
"The Emerging Conservationist Award supports the next generation of conservationists who are actively making a positive difference for the future of biodiversity," said Dr. Rob Shumaker, President & CEO of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc. "These Finalists, along with all of the Prize honorees, share a deep commitment to protecting nature and inspiring people to care for our world."
The Indianapolis Prize recognizes the world's leading conservationists whose work provides future generations with replicable and actionable conservation practices. The Finalists of the Emerging Conservationists represent the people we can rely on to save species around the world.
The Finalists of the 2023 Emerging Conservationist Award include:
Alejandro Arteaga (Tropical Herping, Ecuador) – Alejandro Arteaga is a biologist, conservationist and wildlife photographer. Arteaga co-founded Tropical Herping, a tour agency that offers nature photography trips and tours throughout the tropics. His research is focused on tropical amphibians and reptiles. He has discovered and described 20 new species to science and raised funds to save 106 hectares of Chocó rainforest in Ecuador.
Sergio A. Balaguera-Reina, Ph.D. (University of Florida – Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, USA) – Dr. Sergio Balaguera-Reina is a conservation biologist focused on understanding the roles that crocodile species play in aquatic and coastal systems. Dr. Balaguera-Reina also develops conservation plans that provide support for other species as well as the habitats and landscapes that they inhabit.
Fanny M. Cornejo (Rainforest Partnership, USA; Yunkawasi, Peru) – Fanny Cornejo is a primatologist, anthropologist and the director of Yunkawasi, an organization that works with Amazonian and Andean communities for the conservation of threatened species through sustainable economic development and protected area management approach. Fanny is also executive director of the Rainforest Partnership in Peru, Yunkawasi's strategic partner for conservation and sustainable development activities in Peru.
Akbar John, Ph.D. (Institute of Oceanography and Maritime Studies, INOCEM; International Islamic University Malaysia, IIUM, Malaysia) – Dr. Akbar John is an Associate Professor and conservation scientist focused on advancing the science and conservation of horseshoe crabs in Southeast Asia. Dr. John is responsible for establishing a facility to track global horseshoe crab biology, which serves as a referral source for future research on horseshoe crabs.
Corinne J. Kendall, Ph.D. (North Carolina Zoo, USA) – Dr. Corinne Kendall launched the first effort to protect vultures in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Dr. Kendall is the founder of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' African Vulture Saving Animals from Extinction program, which has developed a tool for discovering poaching and poisoning activities in real-time, based on the movements of vultures fitted with satellite tracking tags.
Arthur Bienvenu Muneza, Ph.D. (Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Africa) – Dr. Arthur Muneza is a wildlife ecologist investigating a variety of factors affecting the survival and reproduction of giraffe populations across East Africa by calculating population, mapping disease ecology, assessing sources of mortality and evaluating predatory interactions with lions.
Megan Murgatroyd, Ph.D. (HawkWatch International, USA) – Dr. Megan Murgatroyd is a conservation biologist focused on understanding and conserving the world's most understudied and threatened raptors globally. Dr. Murgatroyd investigates the impacts of land-use change on Verreaux's Eagles and implements GPS tracking to understand and predict wind turbine collision risk for Verreaux's Eagles.
Nguyen Van Thai (Save Vietnam's Wildlife, Vietnam) – Nguyen Thai is the founder of Save Vietnam's Wildlife, which works to halt the extinction and champion the recovery of threatened species in Vietnam such as the critically endangered pangolin. He established Vietnam's first anti-poaching units, which have destroyed 9,701 animal traps, dismantled 775 illegal camps, confiscated 78 guns, and arrested 558 people for poaching, leading to a significant decline in illegal activities in PúMát National Park.
Olivier Nsengimana (Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, Rwanda) – Olivier Nsengimana is responsible for designing and implementing a conservation project to save the endangered grey-crowned crane. He established a database of illegally kept cranes in Rwanda, which led to 233 cranes being freed and 160 of those individuals being reintroduced to the wild. A licensed veterinarian, Nsengimana is the founder and director of the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, an organization working to expand research and conservation connected to endangered or threatened species in Rwanda.
Stephanie Vaz Nogueira Campos (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – Stephanie Vaz is an entomologist dedicated to firefly conservation. She is responsible for describing dozens of firefly species and providing tools and resources to facilitate firefly identification in the Neotropics. She discovered past conservation components were not protecting firefly populations from light pollution.
The Emerging Conservationist Award – made possible through a grant from the Kobé Foundation – was created to identify and support conservationists under 40 years of age with the talent to make a significant impact on saving an animal species or group of species. The Emerging Conservationist Finalists are selected through a two-stage selection process, where a Review Committee evaluates and then narrows the application pool to 10 Finalists who are then sent to the Selection Committee to choose a Winner. The Inaugural Emerging Conservationist Award Winner will be announced in April 2023 and will then be recognized at the Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc. in downtown Indianapolis on Sept. 30, 2023.
For additional media assets related to the 2023 Emerging Conservationist Finalists, click here.
To learn more about the Emerging Conservationist Award, visit IndianapolisPrize.org/EmergingConservationist/
ABOUT THE EMERGING CONSERVATIONIST AWARD
The Indianapolis Prize Emerging Conservationist Award – made possible through a grant from the Kobé Foundation – is a biennial award that supports conservationists under 40 years of age with the talent and drive to make a significant impact on saving an animal species or group of species.
ABOUT THE INDIANAPOLIS PRIZE
The Indianapolis Prize is a signature conservation initiative of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc. The Indianapolis Prize recognizes and rewards conservationists who have achieved major victories in advancing the sustainability of an animal species or group of species. Winners receive an unrestricted $250,000 award. Remaining Finalists each receive $50,000. Since 2006, the Indianapolis Prize has administered more than $5 million in cash awards.
View original content:
SOURCE Indianapolis Prize | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/indianapolis-prize-announces-ten-finalists-new-award-recognizing-emerging-conservationists/ | 2022-09-13T11:06:32Z |
US woman pleads guilty to leading Islamic State battalion
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — An American woman who prosecutors say led an all-female battalion of Islamic State militants in Syria pleaded guilty on Tuesday in a case that a prosecutor called a first of its kind in the United States.
Allison Fluke-Ekren broke down sobbing after admitting in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, to conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, a charge that carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
The guilty plea resolves a criminal case that came to light in January after Fluke-Ekren, 42, who once lived in Kansas, was brought to the U.S. to face accusations that she led an Islamic State unit of women and young girls in the Syrian city of Raqqa and trained them in the use of automatic rifles, grenades and suicide belts.
It is the first prosecution in the U.S. of a female Islamic State battalion leader, said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh, who told a judge that some of the more than 100 women and girls who received training may wish to speak at Fluke-Ekren’s sentencing hearing.
“Some of them may wish an opportunity to address the court because we would argue that there is lifelong trauma and pain that has been inflicted on them,” Parekh said.
Charging documents in the case trace Fluke-Ekren’s travels and activities in the Middle East over the last decade, though they don’t shed light on what inspired her alleged allegiance to foreign militant groups.
She had been in Syria since late 2012 or early 2013, where according to one witness cited in court documents, she spoke openly about her desire to conduct an attack in the U.S., including by parking a car loaded with explosives in an underground garage of a shopping mall. Another witness said Fluke-Ekren spoke about a desire to bomb a college campus.
Prosecutors say that after Fluke-Ekren’s second husband, identified in court papers as a member of the militant group Ansar al-Sharia, was killed in an air strike in Syria in February 2016, she led a center that offered medical services and child care — but also advanced weapons training — to dozens of women and young girls.
Her all-female battalion, known as Khatiba Nusaybah, began operations in 2017, with a goal of teaching female Islamic State members how to defend themselves against the group’s enemies, prosecutors say.
According to court documents, she continued her affiliation with the Islamic State until the spring of 2019, when she was smuggled out of IS territory. Fluke-Ekren has said she tried to turn herself in at a local police station last summer because she wanted to leave Syria, and that about two weeks later, she was taken into custody at her home and later held in prison.
A criminal complaint against Fluke-Ekren was filed under seal in the U.S. in 2019 but not made public until she was brought to Virginia in January to face charges.
Fluke-Ekren, who said in court that she had a master’s degree in the U.S. in teaching, moved to Egypt with her second husband in 2008 and lived in Benghazi, Libya in the fall of 2012, when a n attack on U.S. government facilities resulted in the deaths of four Americans. Fluke-Ekren is not alleged to have played any part in that attack, but prosecutors say she helped her second husband review and summarize documents that he said were stolen from the U.S. compound there.
Fluke-Ekren admitted to the gist of the government’s allegations against her, though at one point she suggested that one of the witnesses quoted in court documents was young at the time they were speaking and may have had a different understanding of their conversations. She also suggested that she had not intentionally trained young girls.
____
Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/06/07/us-woman-pleads-guilty-leading-islamic-state-battalion/ | 2022-06-07T18:57:15Z |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.