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Funding priority will be given to proposals from third-class cities
HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency today is issuing a Request for Proposals for new construction, or the rehabilitation, of mixed-use projects seeking financial support. Funding will be provided through the Community Revitalization Fund Program. Mixed-use projects combine residential and retail/commercial space in the same building and often serve as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization. The deadline for proposal submission is 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4.
This funding program was created as part of the Commonwealth's fiscal year 2017/18 budget, and PHFA was designated by the General Assembly to administer it. This year's approved state budget authorized PHFA to sell $4.5 million of state tax credits and use the proceeds to make awards for the development of mixed-use properties in commercial/retail corridors in Pennsylvania that are undergoing revitalization.
Examples of projects eligible for funding include:
- The rehabilitation of older or under-utilized buildings for immediate re-use to support community development goals;
- Preparing commercial build-out and business lease space;
- The design of, and structural and legal conversion of, existing buildings; and
- The provision of additional units of housing by combining uses in a single, newly constructed or renovated building.
"The goal of the Community Revitalization Fund Program is to provide an economic spark in communities across Pennsylvania, and to add much-needed affordable housing," said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. "Local interest in this funding is always high because of all the good outcomes that it can produce."
Eligible applicants for this funding include units of local government (counties, cities, boroughs, etc.); redevelopment authorities; for-profit firms; non-profit groups; and economic development organizations. Applications from third-class cities will be given higher priority in this year's proposal evaluations.
Information about the Community Revitalization Fund RFP is posted on the PHFA website at: https://www.phfa.org/mhp/developers/loans.aspx. Interested organizations can learn more by contacting Shelby Rexrode at PHFA at (717) 780-1854 or by email at srexrode@phfa.org.
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $16.5 billion of funding for more than 189,374 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 139,974 rental units, distributed approximately $239 million to support local housing initiatives, and saved the homes of more than 50,660 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board.
Contact:
Scott Elliott
717-649-6522 (cell)
selliott@PHFA.org
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SOURCE Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/phfa-issues-rfp-fund-mixed-use-development-projects/ | 2022-08-29T17:32:59Z |
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla., Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vantagepoint AI has been recognized by Inc. Magazine in their Inc. 5000 list. This is the third year in a row Vantagepoint A.I. has made the annual list of the fastest-growing private companies.
Small businesses are integral to the nation's economy, generating over 40% of the United States economic activity. There are many shapes and sizes that fall under the 'small business' definition, but a common thread is operating with a customer centric focus.
Vantagepoint A.I. was the first company to bring independent traders the power of artificial intelligence to their home computers in 1979. The company's next-gen, patented software provides traders predictive forecasts on market movements 1 -3 days in advance, and their groundbreaking tools achieve up to 87.4% proven accuracy. Vantagepoint A.I. has been a stable part of the Tampa Bay business community for over 40 years.
"Despite the market volatility that comes with rising interest rates and inflation, we were able to grow our business and product," says Lane Mendelsohn, President of VantagePoint A.I., "a day never goes by without celebrating the small wins that add up to big growth in such interesting times!"
Over the last year, Vantagepoint A.I. has expanded its team to meet customer needs in keeping with the company's long-standing reputation for superior customer care. The company also expanded its training for traders and released a cadre of new tools to ensure their success.
"We are constantly improving our company and our product to make traders' lives easier and responding to their needs," notes Mendelsohn, "By my measure, that can only mean continued success!"
See how predictive A.I. is leveling the trading field for independent traders at a live, interactive training.
About Vantagepoint AI, LLC. Vantagepoint's artificial intelligence-based software forecasts Stocks, Futures, Options, Forex, Cryptocurrencies, and ETFs with proven accuracy of up to 87.4%. Family-owned, Vantagepoint is actively committed to giving back in the Tampa Bay community including regularly donating a portion of revenue to Shriners Hospitals for Children and The Children's Cancer Center. To participate in a one-on-one demonstration of VantagePoint A.I.: www.vantagepointsoftware.com/demo
Media Contact: Jordan Youtz, jordany@vantagepointsoftware.com
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SOURCE VantagePoint Software | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/06/vantagepoint-ai-achieves-placement-inc-5000-list-third-consecutive-year/ | 2022-09-06T19:12:10Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s Groundhog Day at the IRS.
After digging out of a daunting backlog from 2021, the agency has an even bigger backup for this tax season than it did a year ago and its pace for processing paper returns is slowing down, according to a watchdog report released Wednesday.
The National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent watchdog within the IRS, also said taxpayers are experiencing longer wait times on the telephone, and delays in processing paper returns have been running six months to one year.
The report on taxpayer challenges, which must be submitted twice a year to Congress, comes one day after the Internal Revenue Service announced that it is on track to eliminate its 2021 backlog of tax returns this week.
The Objectives Report to Congress contains proposals for lawmakers to consider going forward.
“When I released my Annual Report to Congress six months ago, I wrote that ‘Paper is the IRS’s Kryptonite, and the agency is still buried in it,’” National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins wrote in the report. “Fast forward to this Objectives Report: It’s Groundhog Day.”
She added: “At the end of May, the IRS had a larger backlog of paper tax returns than it did a year ago, and its pace of processing paper tax returns was slowing.”
Collins, who serves as an IRS ombudsman, said of the agency’s problems: “The math is daunting.”
According to the report, at the end of May the agency had a backlog of 21.3 million unprocessed paper tax returns, an increase of 1.3 million over the same time last year. The agency fell short on its goal to bring on 5,473 new employees to process returns, with just 2,056 employees hired.
Additionally, phone wait times increased to 29 minutes on average, compared with last year’s 20-minute average wait time.
“That the backlog continues to grow is deeply concerning, primarily because millions of taxpayers have been waiting six months or more to receive their refunds,” Collins said.
Jodie Reynolds, a spokesperson for the IRS, said the report’s numbers “are neither the most accurate nor most recent figures.”
“Today, the IRS is running well ahead of tax return processing compared to a year ago,” Reynolds said. “The IRS continues to make substantial progress on the inventory,” bringing on new contractors, shifting staff and mandating employee overtime, she said.
In a joint letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who heads the Senate Finance Committee, Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said that roughly six to eight IRS employees manually handle each paper return that is filed.
“What the agency requires to avoid a crisis like this in the future is sustained, multi-year funding to invest in overhauling antiquated technology, improving taxpayer service, and increasing voluntary compliance,” the letter said.
“Those resources will be crucial to automating operations to increase efficiency.”
Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said “no one feels the pressure about backlogs more than the front-line workers who have been plowing through that paperwork for months now.”
“Employees working on the backlogs have been doing so at IRS facilities around the country throughout the pandemic,” and have been working overtime to address the logjam.
He said the IRS is “in desperate need of more staffing, more resources and updated technology, all of which are necessary to prevent future backlogs.”
The Taxpayer Advocate report said credit is due to agency leadership for the burden it carries with “an extraordinarily complicated tax code,” antiquated technology, inadequate staffing and lingering challenges that have come from distributing COVID-19 related programs.
“Despite these challenges, the tax system, as a whole, has held up well during the past two years,” the report said. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/groundhog-day-at-irs-returns-pile-up-phone-delays-worsen/ | 2022-06-23T00:06:21Z |
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon® is pleased to welcome Hermès to its Atlanta portfolio at Phipps Plaza with the announcement of the signing of a lease for a new 7,000 sq. foot boutique, planned to open the end of the second quarter of 2024.
"Hermès is synonymous with artisanal craftmanship and rich heritage," said Vicki Hanor, Senior Vice President of Luxury Leasing, Simon. "The addition of Hermès at Phipps Plaza is another exciting step in the luxury evolution our consumers expect in Atlanta."
About Simon
Simon is a real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed- use destinations and an S&P 100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE: SPG). Our properties across North America, Europe and Asia provide community gathering places for millions of people every day and generate billions in annual sales.
About Hermès
Since 1837, Hermès has remained faithful to its artisan model and its humanist values. The freedom to create, the constant search for beautiful materials, the transmission of savoir-faire of excellence, and the aesthetic of functionality all forge the singularity of Hermès, a house of objects created to last. An independent, family owned company, Hermès is dedicated to keeping the majority of its production in France through its 51 workshops and production sites and to developing its network of 306 stores in 45 countries. The group employs more than 16,600 people worldwide, including nearly 10,400 in France, among whom more than 5,600 are craftsmen*. Axel Dumas, a sixth-generation family member, has been Hermès CEO since 2013.
Founded in 2008, the Fondation d'entreprise Hermès supports projects in the areas of artistic creation, training and the transmission of savoir-faire, biodiversity, and the preservation of the environment.
* As of 31st December 2020
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SOURCE Simon | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/12/simon-herms-announce-lease-signing-atlanta/ | 2022-09-12T12:47:57Z |
Here’s the pain relief advice I’ve spent 21 years looking for
By Channon Hodge, CNN
I have been in pain nearly every day for 21 years. It’s like a brick of hell at the crux of my neck and shoulders that throbs all day long, and it’s been haunting me since college. I look back at old photos, and I see a girl who’s hurting.
Living in New York City, I have seen many physical therapists, chiropractors and acupuncturists. But two funny Midwesterners I found on the internet have given me the most useful advice in two decades.
Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck are physical therapists known simply as “Bob and Brad,” and they post pain relief videos on YouTube to more than 4 million subscribers. They have hundreds of thousands of social media followers, but I got to meet them in person after they offered to film a few demos.
My co-producer and I drove an hour through Minnesota cornfields and wind farms to find their unmarked studio in the town of Winona.
Walking in, we found two chatty guys who were immediately endearing. Schrupp started posting videos 10 years ago when he ran his own practice and wanted to offer patients exercises to follow at home.
“I remember being very surprised because I had written a blog at one time, and it got zero reads,” Schrupp said of his foray onto the Web. “And so, I put a video on YouTube, and within a day it had like 10 views, and I thought that was amazing!”
Heineck, who worked for Schrupp, joined in, and their friendship makes them standouts on a platform full of “pain experts.” They can shoot a video in 10 minutes in one take without a script. Every video starts with an off-key, ’80s-style jingle that claims, “Bob and Brad are the most famous physical therapists on the internet,” after which Heineck quickly quantifies, “Only in our opinion of course.”
They say their goal is to help ease suffering. In 2016, people in the US spent more money (an estimated $134.5 billion) on low back and neck pain than they did on 154 other conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and dementia, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“A lot of people don’t have insurance or are in an area where they can’t get to a doctor or a therapist,” Heineck said. “And they may need just some tidbit of information that’s going to lead them in the right direction.”
The two are asked about lower back pain and sciatica most often, followed by shoulder and knee pain, but I appreciated the video that helps massage away hand strain for the weary texter. For our visit, they filmed a video on sleep positions for the nocturnally challenged and then got straight to my chronic upper back pain.
Over a decade ago, I was diagnosed with kyphosis, a hunching of the upper spine. Lest you think I’m an amateur, I have hundreds of dollars’ worth of shoulder massagers, massage balls, freeze creams and heat wraps. I have my own transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit, and I have even sprung for a wrap that mimics someone massaging your shoulders. (It’s not the same.)
The advice I wish I’d learned long ago
First, Schrupp and Heineck asked me to lean back as far as I could, and they quickly noticed the muscles along my upper spine didn’t flex or budge — they were cement poles. In the video above, they demonstrate how to use a rubbery sphere called a back pod to loosen those trigger points. I’d long been leaning against small, hard sports balls to do the same, but sustained pressure from a wider surface loosened tension without adding soreness. For me, soreness always led to strain the next day.
Then came another demo, along with advice that’s helped me the most: “One of the things that we’re famous for is that we don’t want to have you do the exercise once a day,” Schrupp said. “To think that you’re going to make a big change by doing something once a day is unlikely. It’s more likely you’re going to make a change if you can do it like eight times a day or nine times a day and make it part of your habit.”
Schrupp said this idea isn’t original, and he’s quick to point out how much he talks to other experts, turning these conversations into a podcast.
I’d first seen this tip in action when I watched Schrupp doing chin tucks in a car with a rolled-up sock behind his head. He was working on his posture throughout the day.
I’d undergone physical therapy for years but told myself I had to do all the exercises right when I woke up, which of course I’d often skip. But doing a few things here and there throughout the day is more feasible, Schrupp and Heineck said, and releases more tension.
Back from Minnesota
I realize the painfully bad posture I’ve built up for decades won’t go away in a few months. But these moments of relief give me hope. Moving every so often reminds the body of what it’s naturally supposed to do, all while bringing in blood flow and warming up muscles. I knew I was on to something when I heard CNN’s Brianna Keilar, who lives with fibromyalgia, offer the same advice.
Visits to my physical therapist are still key, and Schrupp and Heineck agree. It took me a while to find a good therapist. Mine gave me exercises I’d never tried before and pointed out that I’d been doing previous ones with my shoulders too high for far too long. I’m not sure I could have gotten that insight from the internet.
But when I leave the therapy office, I have my Reddit channels, yoga routines and “Bob and Brad” at my fingertips.
“I think a lot of our followers, our subscribers, are people who are active, and they’re looking for education,” Heineck said. “And when you have control over your body as far as controlling the pain, that’s very powerful.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://localnews8.com/health/cnn-health/2022/04/09/heres-the-pain-relief-advice-ive-spent-21-years-looking-for/ | 2022-04-09T14:38:53Z |
LOS ALTOS, Calif., June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UroViu Corp (uroviu.com), the developer of the world's only totally self-contained and highly portable Single-Use Cystoscopy platform, is pleased to announce today that it is now an Endoscopy Partner with UroGPO. As an Endoscopy Partner, UroViu's Always Ready Cystoscopy platform will now be available to UroGPO's 700+ member urology practices across the United States.
"UroGPO is happy to announce a new partnership with our membership," said Palmer DePetro, Senior Director, Contracting at Specialty Networks. "UroViu cystoscopy devices provide a cost-effective, single-use, and time-saving solution members have been requesting to add to our portfolio. This is a win for our members as it gives them a single-use cystoscopy option that is safe and reliable for their patients."
As part of the relationship with UroGPO, UroViu will provide UroGPO members with preferential pricing for its single-use cystoscopy platform. Single-use cystoscopy is a safe and reliable alternative to traditional reusable cystoscopes which must be cleaned and sanitized after every use. The difficulty of servicing traditional cystoscopes has led to close FDA scrutiny due to cross-contamination risks. UroViu's single-use cystoscopy platform ranging from the 12-Fr diagnostic semi rigid cystoscope, a 14-Fr injection cystoscope with integrated needle for drug delivery to a 16-Fr flexible, deflectable, and rotatable cystoscope, eliminate those risks.
"The partnership with UroGPO provides access to UroViu's largest market segment, representing a significant business opportunity," says Bruce OuYang, Ph.D., UroViu's Founder and CEO. "By leveraging the UroGPO partnership, practices will expedite the implementation and use of our devices. Our unique platform helps create efficiencies for practices by eliminating the need for dedicated procedure rooms and reprocessing of traditional scopes thus improving workflow and productivity".
UroViu Corporation's mission is to revolutionize the cystoscopy platform for improved patient care and efficiency with operations in California and Washington and production facilities in Asia. UroViu is the developer of the always-ready cystoscopy platform, a highly portable, self-contained, and versatile single-use cystoscopy solution to meet the needs of Urologists and UroGynecologists. The unique portable platform and product suite are protected by a portfolio of 13 granted and many more pending patents. UroViu's vision is to simplify the scope of patient care.
UroGPO, a Specialty Networks Company, is the first and largest urology-specific Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) in the United States, comprised of more than 700 of the largest, most progressive independent urology practices in the country. Our membership includes more than 7,500 urology providers, including 4,000 practicing urologists in 3,200 locations spanning 49 states. UroGPO is committed to helping urology groups remain independent by providing them with pre-negotiated purchasing contracts, developing of new revenue streams such as In-Office Dispensing of Oral therapeutics, Clinical Guideline Development, and other resources in all areas of urology. The goals of UroGPO are to build stronger patient relationships by improving patient care, make significant positive impacts on in-practice operational efficiencies and streamline operational costs.
Specialty Networks brings together the functional expertise of UroGPO, GastroGPO, United Rheumatology, PPS Analytics, and SN Research to deliver innovative and meaningful solutions for independent specialty providers. Specialty Networks serves a highly specialized member network of 765+ physician group practices consisting of over 7,700 providers in urology and gastroenterology. Specialty Networks' mission is to help create clinical, economic, and operational value for our members leading to a positive patient impact.
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SOURCE UroViu Corp | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/uroviu-corp-announces-partnership-with-urogpo/ | 2022-06-02T15:59:23Z |
NEW YORK, May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cerity Partners, one of the foremost independent wealth management firms in the U.S., announced today it is merging with Permit Capital Advisors, a firm that has catered to ultra-high-net-worth families and foundations, primarily in the Philadelphia region. The combined firm will operate under the Cerity Partners name.
For Cerity Partners, the combination enhances its professional talent to serve ultra-high net worth clients. As a Barron's-ranked Top 100 RIA Firm, Cerity Partners is among the nation's fastest-growing wealth management firms. Cerity Partners President and CEO Kurt Miscinski sees the merger with Permit Capital Advisors as a complement to its expertise and capabilities.
"The variety of unique skills and talent that Permit Capital Advisors brings to Cerity Partners is a valuable addition to our firm. We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues who share our vision for how to serve clients," Miscinski says.
Permit Capital Advisors also helps anchor Cerity Partners in a new market. Claire O'Keefe, Cerity Partners Head of Corporate Development, adds that, "we see this partnership as a terrific way to enhance the breadth of our firm's services with talented partners and colleagues in the Philadelphia market."
Cerity Partners delivers a full suite of wealth management solutions to serve the complex financial lives of its clientele. These services include investment management, estate, financial, tax, and compensation and benefit planning, as well as tax preparation, personal financial administration, and retirement plan advisory services. For Adam Landau, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Permit Capital Advisors, the partnership "is a perfect fit," not just because of the like-minded culture shared by both firms, but also because the benefits are mutual. While clients of Permit Capital Advisors gain expanded and enhanced service offerings, Cerity Partners welcomes additional alternative investment expertise, as this capability continues to be of interest to its clients.
"Our clients work with us because we are sophisticated, creative investors, particularly within the alternative investment space, which provides opportunities to enhance returns and mitigate risk in an ever-evolving investment landscape. Niche and emerging investment managers find much value in working with us and provide us with access to a broader range of investment strategies," Landau says. "That experience, matched with the wide range of services that Cerity Partners offers, makes this partnership powerfully differentiated in our industry."
Permit Capital Advisors manages about $1.6B in client assets and serves an ultra-high-net-worth clientele. One of Permit Capital Advisors' additional areas of expertise is its work with foundations and endowments.
Working with non-profit organizations and promoting financial literacy are two of the firm's pillars, says Mimi Drake, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Permit Capital Advisors. Drake, who is also a Founding Board Member and Chair Emerita of 100 Women in Finance, a global organization with more than 20,000 members on five continents, is enthusiastic about the benefits the merger will have on both clients and colleagues.
She notes "We have a wide range of clients: some seeking current income and some seeking to maximize long-term growth. Some are focused on multigenerational planning, and others are deeply interested in ESG and impact investing. In the end, having the additional resources of Cerity Partners enhances not only our solutions across these diverse financial needs, but also our ability to attract exceptional talent to better serve clients."
Landau and Drake, who will serve as Co-Market Leaders, founded Permit Capital Advisors in 2011 with Kimberly Crowley, who will also join Cerity Partners.
About CERITY PARTNERS:
Founded in 2009, Cerity Partners is a nationally recognized financial and wealth advisory firm serving high-net-worth individuals and their families, and non-profit organizations and foundations throughout the U.S. As a fiduciary, the firm's in-house experts are passionate about and committed to providing objective financial advice and oversight. Cerity Partners manages assets totaling $45 billion. See our Barron's award disclosure here, and learn more about our firm by visiting ceritypartners.com.
Media Contact:
Whitney Clark
wclark@ceritypartners.com
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SOURCE Cerity Partners | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/03/cerity-partners-welcomes-permit-capital-advisors/ | 2022-05-03T16:45:07Z |
2 arrested, facing murder charges in Philadelphia shooting
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two men are facing murder charges and have been arrested in Virginia in the death of two bystanders in last weekend’s shooting in a busy entertainment district in Philadelphia, officials said Thursday.
The men will be extradited to face charges in Philadelphia and will not be given bail in Saturday night’s shooting on South Street, city officials said at a news conference.
Three people died overall. Two of the people killed were bystanders, authorities have said.
Joanne Pescatore, homicide unit chief at the Philadelphia district attorney’s office, said that according to surveillance video, the two men, who are friends and had fled to Virginia together, fired randomly into the crowd in response to hearing gunshots down the block. It did not appear that the men and the victims knew one another.
“It appears that they had guns, took them out and just started randomly firing,” Pescatore said.
Authorities earlier announced two arrests not connected with any of the deaths.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/06/09/2-arrested-facing-murder-charges-philadelphia-shooting/ | 2022-06-09T18:15:44Z |
NEW YORK, May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky, LLP notifies investors in Arqit Quantum Inc. f/k/a Centricus Acquisition Corp. ("Arqit Quantum Inc. f/k/a Centricus Acquisition Corp." or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ARQQ) of a class action securities lawsuit.
CLASS DEFINITION: The lawsuit seeks to recover losses on behalf of Arqit Quantum Inc. f/k/a Centricus Acquisition Corp. investors who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud. This lawsuit is on behalf of: (i) all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Arqit securities between September 7, 2021 and April 18, 2022, inclusive; and/or (ii) all holders of Centricus securities as of the record date for the special meeting of shareholders held on August 31, 2021 to consider approval of the merger between Arqit and Centricus (the "Merger") and entitled to vote on the Merger. Follow the link below to get more information and be contacted by a member of our team:
ARQQ 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: (1) Arqit's proposed encryption technology would require widespread adoption of new protocols and standards for telecommunications; (2) British cybersecurity officials questioned the viability of Arqit's proposed encryption technology in a meeting in 2020; (3) the British government was not an Arqit customer but, rather, providing grants to Arqit; (4) Arqit had little more than an early-stage prototype of its encryption system at the time of the Merger; and (5) as a result, Defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in Arqit Quantum Inc. f/k/a Centricus Acquisition Corp. during the relevant time frame, you have until July 5, 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
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SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/12/arqq-lawsuit-alert-levi-amp-korsinsky-notifies-arqit-quantum-inc-fka-centricus-acquisition-corp-investors-class-action-lawsuit-upcoming-deadline/ | 2022-05-12T10:30:25Z |
NEW YORK and DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Residential real estate brokerage and proptech firm MV Realty (www.mvrealty.com), based in Delray Beach, Fla., has selected Feintuch Communications as its public relations agency of record.
MV Realty has enjoyed strong growth in the last few years with a current presence in 33 states, a roster of highly experienced agents, proprietary CRM technology and a suite of advanced technology tools to support its agents. The company also has a unique consumer offering: a Homeowner Benefit Program® (HBP) (www.homeownerbenefit.com) which supports long-term relationships between homeowners and agents. The HBP offers homeowners a cash incentive of up to $5,000 to use MV Realty as their listing agent if and when they decide to sell their home.
"As a firm that's a multi-faceted entity – combining financial services, real estate brokerage and proptech – we looked for a PR partner with expertise in all three areas," said Antony Mitchell, CEO, MV Realty.
Feintuch Communications' team experience in fintech includes its current/past work for ClassWallet, Klarna, SplitIt, BasisCode Compliance and Optimal Payments, and in real estate and professional services, MRI Software, Empire State Realty Trust, coUrbanize and an award-winning campaign for Convene.
"We're impressed with MV Realty's business model," said Henry Feintuch, president, Feintuch Communications, who noted that his team will implement an integrated consumer, trade and business campaign. "In addition to providing top-rated real estate services, they help consumers access cash that they did not know was available to them. MV Realty's Homeowner Benefit Program offers agents strong lead flow and extra revenue opportunities. Most are making significantly more than the industry median, which is particularly telling in this ever-changing real estate market."
Members of Feintuch Communications' MV Realty team include Rachel Antman, senior director; and Liz Savery, vice president.
About Feintuch Communications
Feintuch Communications (www.feintuchcommunications.com), based in New York City, is an award-winning strategic relations firm offering clients an integrated blend of public relations, advertising/marketing, investor relations and other services to meet their business objectives. A founding partner of PR World Alliance (www.prworldalliance.com), the firm specializes in B2B and B2C programs with a focus in technology, financial services, adtech and media, AV and clean tech. Feintuch Communications prides itself on its strong service ethic, senior counsel and hands-on support.
About MV Realty and the Homeowner Benefit Program
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, MV Realty is a residential real estate brokerage and proptech firm dedicated to meeting the needs of the modern broker, home buyer and home seller through a combination of personalized service, a proprietary CRM system and a suite of advanced technology tools to support its agents. The firm has a presence in 33 states and employs more than 500 licensed agents. Its Homeowner Benefit Program® is a unique consumer offering that provides homeowners with a cash incentive of up to $5,000 to use MV Realty as their listing agent if and when they decide to sell their home. For more information, visit www.mvrealty.com and www.homeownerbenefit.com.
Homeowner Benefit Program is a registered trademark of MV Realty PBC, LLC. All other trade names are the property of their respective owners.
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SOURCE Feintuch Communications | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/mv-realty-selects-feintuch-communications-its-pr-agency-partner/ | 2022-08-29T14:32:38Z |
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) ("Halozyme" or the "Company"), a leader in converting IV biologics to subcutaneous delivery, today announced the pricing of $625.0 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2028 (the "Convertible Notes"). The Convertible Notes are being offered and sold to "qualified institutional buyers" pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The offering was upsized from an originally announced $500 million in aggregate principal amount. The Company also granted a 13-day option to the initial purchasers to purchase up to an additional $95.0 million aggregate principal amount of Convertible Notes.
The Convertible Notes will be senior, unsecured obligations of the Company and will accrue interest payable semi-annually in arrears at an annual rate of 1.00%. The Convertible Notes have an initial conversion rate of 17.8517 shares of the Company's common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes (which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $56.02 per share of the Company's common stock, representing an initial conversion premium of approximately 30% above the closing price of $43.09 per share of the Company's common stock on August 15, 2022). The conversion rate is subject to adjustment in some events but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. Holders of the Convertible Notes will have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or a portion of their Convertible Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (as defined in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes) at a cash repurchase price of 100% of their principal amount plus any accrued and unpaid interest. The Convertible Notes will mature on August 15, 2028, unless earlier redeemed, repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date. Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding February 15, 2028, the Convertible Notes will be convertible only upon the satisfaction of certain conditions and during certain periods, and on and after February 15, 2028, at any time prior to the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, the Convertible Notes will be convertible regardless of these conditions. The Company will settle conversions in cash and, if applicable, shares of the Company's common stock. The Company expects to close the offering on August 18, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of various customary closing conditions.
In connection with the pricing of the Convertible Notes, the Company entered into capped call transactions with certain of the initial purchasers of the Convertible Notes and/or their respective affiliates and/or other financial institutions (collectively, the "Capped Call Counterparties"). The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce potential dilution to holders of the Company's common stock on any conversion of the Convertible Notes or at the Company's election (subject to certain conditions) offset any cash payments the Company is required to make in excess of the principal amount of any such converted Convertible Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction or offset subject to a cap based on the cap price. The cap price of the capped call transactions is initially $75.41 per share of the Company's common stock, representing a premium of 75% above the last reported sale price of $43.09 per share of the Company's common stock on August 15, 2022, and is subject to certain adjustments under the terms of the capped call transactions.
In connection with establishing their initial hedges of the capped call transactions, the Capped Call Counterparties or their respective affiliates may purchase shares of the Company's common stock or enter into various derivative transactions with respect to the Company's common stock concurrently with, or shortly after, the pricing of the Convertible Notes. This activity could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of the Company's common stock or the Convertible Notes at that time.
In addition, the Capped Call Counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to the Company's common stock or purchasing or selling the Company's common stock in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the Convertible Notes and prior to the maturity of the Convertible Notes (and are likely to do so during the relevant valuation period under the capped call transactions or following any early conversion of the Convertible Notes or repurchase of the Convertible Notes by the Company on any fundamental change repurchase date, any redemption date or otherwise, in each case if the Company exercises its option to terminate the relevant portion of the capped call transactions). This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or decrease in the market price of the Company's common stock or the Convertible Notes, which could affect noteholders' ability to convert the Convertible Notes and, to the extent the activity occurs during any observation period related to a conversion of the Convertible Notes, it could affect the amount and value of the consideration that noteholders will receive on conversion of such Convertible Notes.
The Company will receive net proceeds from the offering of approximately $608.7 million (or approximately $701.4 million if the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional Convertible Notes in full). The Company expects to use approximately $60.0 million of the net proceeds of the offering to fund the cost of entering into the capped call transactions. The Company also expects to use approximately $77.6 million of the net proceeds of the offering to enter into privately negotiated agreements with certain holders of its outstanding 1.25% convertible senior notes due 2024 (the "Existing Convertible Notes") to exchange their Existing Convertible Notes for a combination of cash and shares of its common stock through privately negotiated transactions entered into concurrently with or shortly after the offering (the "Note Repurchases"). In connection with the Note Repurchases, the Company expects to pay approximately $77.6 million in cash, which includes accrued interest, and issue approximately 1.51 million shares of its common stock, to settle such exchanges. In addition, the Company expects to use a portion of the net proceeds of the offering to repurchase shares of its common stock (the "Share Repurchases") up to $200 million, concurrently with, or shortly after, the offering in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, which may be effected through one or more of the initial purchasers or an affiliate thereof. The Company anticipates using approximately $90.0 million of the net proceeds of the offering to repurchase approximately 2.09 million of its shares concurrently with the closing of the Convertible Notes offering on August 18, 2022, with the remaining Share Repurchases thereafter. Further, the Company expects to use a portion of the net proceeds of the offering to repay all of its outstanding $250 million term loan facility due 2026. The Company intends to use the remainder of the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including other repurchases of the Company's common stock from time to time under the existing stock repurchase program, working capital, capital expenditures, potential acquisitions and strategic transactions. If the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional notes, the Company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of additional notes to fund the cost of entering into additional capped call transactions.
The Share Repurchases, if consummated in full, would represent an increase of $100 million of the previously planned share repurchases to be made in 2022 under the Company's ongoing three-year $750 million share repurchase program, which was commenced and previously announced in 2021.
The Note Repurchases and Share Repurchases could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of Halozyme common stock or the Convertible Notes. We also expect that some existing noteholders may purchase or sell shares of the Company's common stock in the market to hedge their exposure in connection with these transactions. The Note Repurchases, Share Repurchases and any associated hedging by holders could have affected or affect the market price of the Company's common stock prior to, concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the Convertible Notes, and could have also resulted in a higher effective conversion price for the Convertible Notes.
This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy the Convertible Notes or the shares of the Company's common stock issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, if any, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offer of these securities will be made only by means of a private offering memorandum.
The offer and sale of the Convertible Notes and the shares of the Company's common stock issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, if any, have not been registered under the Securities Act, or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the planned offering. Words such as "anticipates," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "forecasts," "intends," "plans," "will," "believes" and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs about future events and are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Except as required by law, the Company is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter any forward-looking statements whether as a result of such changes, new information, subsequent events or otherwise. With respect to the planned offering, such uncertainties and circumstances include whether the Company will consummate the offering; and the use of the net proceeds from the offering. Various factors could also adversely affect the Company's operations, business or financial results in the future and cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including those factors discussed in detail in the "Risk Factors" sections contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022, which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Halozyme is a biopharmaceutical company bringing disruptive solutions to significantly improve patient experiences and outcomes for emerging and established therapies. As the innovators of the ENHANZE® technology with the proprietary enzyme rHuPH20, Halozyme's commercially-validated solution is used to facilitate the delivery of injected drugs and fluids in order to reduce the treatment burden to patients. Having touched more than 600,000 patient lives in post-marketing use in five commercialized products across more than 100 global markets, Halozyme has licensed its ENHANZE® technology to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including Roche, Baxalta, Pfizer, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Alexion, argenx, Horizon Therapeutics, ViiV Healthcare and Chugai Pharmaceutical.
Halozyme also develops, manufactures and commercializes, for itself or with partners, drug-device combination products using its advanced auto-injector technology that are designed to provide commercial or functional advantages such as improved convenience and tolerability, and enhanced patient comfort and adherence. The Company has a commercial portfolio of proprietary products including XYOSTED®, TLANDO™ and NOCDURNA® and partnered commercial products and ongoing product development programs with industry leading pharmaceutical companies including Teva Pharmaceutical, Covis Pharma, Pfizer and Idorsia Pharmaceuticals.
Halozyme is headquartered in San Diego, CA and has offices in Ewing, NJ and Minnetonka, MN. Minnetonka is also the site of its operations facility.
Contacts:
Tram Bui
VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
609-359-3016
tbui@antarespharma.com
Dawn Schottlandt / Claudia Styslinger
Argot Partners
212-600-1902
Halozyme@argotpartners.com
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SOURCE Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/16/halozyme-therapeutics-inc-announces-upsize-pricing-private-offering-625-million-convertible-senior-notes-due-2028/ | 2022-08-16T04:14:52Z |
TAIPEI and MILPITAS, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Motion Technology Corporation (NasdaqGS: SIMO) ("Silicon Motion"), a global leader in NAND Flash controllers and solid-state storage devices, today announces it will be showcasing its unique suite of SSD controller solutions for Datacenter, Notebook PCs and Automotive / Industrial SSDs during the Flash Memory Summit from August 2-4 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, booth #311.
SSD controller and SSD solutions for Datacenter and Enterprise:
Silicon Motion provides a comprehensive portfolio of Enterprise products aligned with OCP's Cloud SSD specifications and develops leading-edge, innovative technologies beyond the NVMe specification to meet target performance in a variety of form factors.
- The new MonTitanTM user-programmable PCIe Gen5 platform utilizing the SM8366 NVMe controller
- SSD controller solutions: SM8266 PCIe Gen4 and SM2271 SATA 6Gb/s controllers
- FerriSSD PCIe NVMe single-chip SSDs: Sustain high performance and robust data retention for server and network appliance boot drive applications
- Shannon Enterprise SSD solutions: PCIe NVMe SSD Gen5SP5-E/X and PCIe NVMe SSD Gen4 SP4E/SP4X
- BIGTERA VirtualStor® FlashGo NVMe AFA Solutions: 2U24NVMe enclosure with dual controllers enabling high performance and low-latency storage
PCIe Gen4 Client SSD and Portable SSD controllers for Notebook PCs
Silicon Motion's complete PCIe Gen4 SSD controller solutions feature sustained performance, maximized power efficiency and are qualified by most leading notebook PCs makers.
- SM2264 Gen4 x 4 Lanes, 8 NAND Channel up to 16TB (1600MT/s) designed for ultra-high performance & gaming Notebook PCs
- SM2268XT Gen4 x 4 Lanes, 4 Channel up to 4TB (3200MT/s) designed for mainstream or high performance Notebook PCs
- SM2269XT Gen4 x 4 Lanes, 4 Channel up to 4TB (1600MT/s) for mainstream Notebook PCs
- SM2267/ SM2267XT Gen4 x 4 Lanes, 4 Channel up to 4TB (1200MT/s) for value Notebook PCs
Single-chip SSD and SSD controller solutions for Automotive / Industrial applications
- FerriSSD PCIe Gen 4 NVMe single-chip SSD
- Ferri-eMMC 4.5/5.0/5.1
- Ferri-UFS 2.2/3.1
- Automotive grade SSD controllers: SM2264XT-AT, SM2268XT-AT, SM2263XT-AT
Silicon Motion representatives will also be presenting at Flash Memory Summit forums. For further information, please visit: https://www.siliconmotion.com/events/2022FMS/
About Silicon Motion:
We are the global leader in supplying NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices. We supply more SSD controllers than any other company in the world—for servers, PCs and other client devices—and are the merchant market leader in controllers for eMMC/UFS mobile embedded storage used in smartphones, IoT and other applications. We also supply customized high-performance hyperscale data center and specialized industrial and automotive SSD solutions. Our customers include most of the NAND flash vendors, storage device module makers and leading OEMs. For further information on Silicon Motion, visit us at www.siliconmotion.com.
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SOURCE Silicon Motion Technology Corporation | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/02/silicon-motion-showcases-cutting-edge-storage-solutions-datacenter-notebook-pc-automotive-flash-memory-summit-2022/ | 2022-08-02T20:22:43Z |
144-Player Field to Feature Nine of the World's Top-10 and All Past Champions from the Meijer LPGA Classic
BELMONT, Mich., June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Entries are now closed for the 2022 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, which boasts one of the strongest fields in the tournament's history as it features nine of the top-10 players in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings and is headlined by defending champion and World No. 2 Nelly Korda. The Meijer LPGA Classic will take place June 16-19 at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich.
Korda returned to competition last week at the U.S. Women's Open, finishing T8 in the championship at 2-under par. At the 2021 Meijer LPGA Classic, Korda fired a tournament-record 25-under par to win by two strokes, marking it her second LPGA Tour win of the year.
"We are honored to once again attract the world's top professional golfers and all of our past champions – including our Defending Champion Nelly Korda – back to Grand Rapids for the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give," Executive Director Cathy Cooper said. "We know that our incredible spectators play a big role in creating a fun, supportive atmosphere for the players that makes them want to come back each year, and we're excited to bring them some of the greatest golfers in the world next week."
Joining Korda in headlining the 144-player field are 18 of the top-25 players in the world, including Minjee Lee (3), Lydia Ko (4), Atthaya Thitikul (5), 2015 Champion Lexi Thompson (6), Nasa Hataoka (7), Hyo Joo Kim (8), Inbee Park (9), 2016 Champion Sei Young Kim (10), 2017 and 2019 Champion Brooke Henderson (11), Yuka Saso (14), Jessica Korda (15), Jennifer Kupcho (16), Celine Boutier (17), Hannah Green (19), Anna Nordqvist (21), Mina Harigae (22) and Leona Maguire (24). The field features all Meijer LPGA Classic past champions dating back to the inaugural tournament in 2014.
Sponsor exemptions for the Meijer LPGA Classic include graduating senior Valery Plata from Michigan State University, 2021 Inkster Award presented by Workday winner and graduating senior Natasha Andrea Oon from San Jose State University and Sadena Parks, a two-time EPSON Tour winner who captured the women's division of THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage last week at Blythefield Country Club. For a complete list of the tournament field at the Meijer LPGA Classic, click HERE.
The final two spots will be determined from the Monday Qualifier at Blythefield Country Club.
The 2022 Meijer LPGA Classic features a field of 144 of the world's best women golfers competing over 72 holes of stroke play competition for a share of a $2.5 million purse. Proceeds from the tournament – and each of the week's festivities – will once again benefit the Meijer Simply Give program that restocks the shelves of food pantries across the Midwest. The 2021 tournament raised $1.1 million for local food pantries through Simply Give, and tournament officials recently announced a $1.2 million goal for this year's event. In total, the seven tournaments have generated more than $7.4 million for the Meijer Simply Give program. Additionally, in 2021, tournament officials introduced a separate $25,000 donation to a hunger relief organization of the champion's choice, which will continue again this year. Champion Nelly Korda chose Grand Rapids-based Kids' Food Basket for the inaugural donation.
For more information on the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, and to purchase tickets, please visit meijerLPGAclassic.com. Follow the action and stay up-to-date on the latest tournament news using #ForeHunger and #MeijerCommunity.
Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 262 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. A privately-owned and family-operated company since 1934, Meijer has a fundamental philosophy aimed at strengthening the communities it serves and proudly donates more than 6 percent of its net profit each year to charities throughout the Midwest. With hunger as a corporate philanthropic focus, Meijer partners with hundreds of food banks and pantries through its Simply Give and food rescue programs. Meijer also supports education, disaster relief, and health and wellness initiatives. For additional information on Meijer philanthropy, please visit www.meijercommunity.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/Meijer and @twitter.com/MeijerPR or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.
Located just north of Grand Rapids, Blythefield has been providing families the best golf and social experience in West Michigan since 1928. With the Rogue River flowing through, Blythefield boasts one of the most beautiful championship layouts in Michigan. Previously, Blythefield has hosted the 1953 Western Amateur, the 1961 Western Open, won by Arnold Palmer, and the 2005 Western Junior won by Rickie Fowler. Beginning in 2014, Blythefield is honored to host the Meijer LPGA Classic. Learn more about Blythefield Country Club at www.blythefieldcc.org.
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SOURCE Meijer | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/09/world-no-2-defending-champion-nelly-korda-headlines-field-2022-meijer-lpga-classic-simply-give-featuring-one-strongest-fields-tournament-history/ | 2022-06-09T11:00:02Z |
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- USA Cares (usacares.org) is responding to an urgent need with the Kentucky Army National Guard as well as the Kentucky Air National Guard members who have been negatively affected by recent flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Many of these families have lost their homes, and USA Cares is working closely with both National Guard teams to see these families through this difficult time with financial resources to begin their recovery.
"The men and women of the Kentucky National Guard stand ready to help the state as needs arise. This is our opportunity to give back to these amazing families as they now need our assistance. USA Cares is honored to help get them back on their feet and invite everyone across the country to join us in this effort." said Matt Castor, Vice President of USA Cares.
100 percent of the funds given to this campaign will go to help the Kentucky National Guard families affected by flooding. Contributions are used quickly and entirely for this project. In several cases, the families needing assistance have had their homes destroyed and are looking at a total recovery. In other cases, they have taken a significant loss and will need help as they rebuild. USA Cares stands ready to support these families. Visit our flood donation page to make a donation and help the service members and their families.
USA Cares is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to provide post-9/11 military veterans, service members, and their families with emergency financial assistance and post-service skills training that will create a foundation for long term stability. Our services improve the quality of life of veterans and their families and reduce potential factors that contribute to veteran suicide.
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SOURCE USA Cares | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/usa-cares-stands-ready-assist-military-flood-victims-eastern-kentucky/ | 2022-08-15T18:20:17Z |
OREM, Utah, June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SecurityMetrics is proud to announce that they have won the following awards from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry's leading electronic information security magazine:
- "Most Innovative Cybersecurity Book" for the SecurityMetrics Guide to PCI DSS Compliance.
- "Editor's Choice Penetration Testing" for their penetration testing team.
- "Top Women in Cybersecurity" awarded to Jen Stone.
"SecurityMetrics embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow's threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution, and innovating in unexpected ways that can help mitigate cyber risk and get one step ahead of the next breach" said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.
SecurityMetrics is thrilled to earn these awards from Cyber Defense Magazine (http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/) because they demonstrate their commitment to helping organizations see the threats they've been missing and providing exceptional support and services to businesses worldwide.
"Most Innovative Cybersecurity Book" for the SecurityMetrics Guide to PCI DSS compliance.
Audit Director, Matt Halbleib (CISSP, CISA, QSA), said of the seventh edition of the SecurityMetrics PCI guide: "Our guide was specifically created to help merchants and service providers address the most problematic issues within the 12 PCI DSS requirements, including auditors' best practices and IT checklists."
You can access the SecurityMetrics free guide to PCI Compliance here.
"Editor's Choice Penetration Testing" for their penetration testing team.
SecurityMetrics penetration testers use ethical hacking methodologies to identify vulnerabilities and minimize risk, protecting organizations against the most current threats.
Knowing the root cause of vulnerabilities is the first step to addressing network issues. SecurityMetrics Pen Test Analysts offer advice tailored to the company's needs to remediate and maintain a secure network going forward.
"SecurityMetrics' Pen Testing has definitely helped us improve our network security in ways I could have never imagined. You just don't know what you don't know. I am absolutely confident in their team's abilities and my experience has led me to trust them implicitly as a security partner. Their depth of understanding is impressive, and their professionalism is unmatched." Morgan Leppink, Internet Ticketing Systems
"Top Women in Cybersecurity" awarded to Jen Stone.
In addition to her many professional certifications and extensive experience in cybersecurity, Jen Stone is an award-winning podcast host for the SecurityMetrics podcast and has authored dozens of blog posts for the SecurityMetrics blog.
Jen serves as a "Women in Technology" Mentor for SecurityMetrics. She leads group meetings and provides one-on-one mentorships with women who want to pursue careers in security. Jen says this is an important mission, because "only 14-18% of the IT security workforce are women, and we lose something when people with different perspectives are not involved in solving problems."
Jen is an avid supporter of the arts, volunteering her time in technical production for live events, including the largest aerial arts competition in the US and an award-winning haunted house in Salt Lake City, Utah.
For press inquiries, email pr@securitymetrics.com.
SecurityMetrics secures peace of mind for organizations that handle sensitive data. They have tested over 1 million systems for data security and compliance. They understand the importance of industry standards, which is why they hold their tools, training, and support to a higher, more thorough standard of performance and service, so you never have a false sense of security.
As an Approved Scanning Vendor, Qualified Security Assessor, Certified Forensic Investigator, and Managed Security provider SecurityMetrics guides organizations through data security testing and compliance mandates (PCI, HIPAA, GDPR, HITRUST). With over 20 years of forensic investigations, penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and compliance audits, SecurityMetrics has tested over 1 million systems for vulnerabilities. The privately held company is headquartered in Orem, Utah where it maintains a Security Operations Center (SOC) and 24/7 multilingual technical support.
This is Cyber Defense Magazine's tenth year of honoring InfoSec innovators from around the Globe. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage, or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com
Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of cyber security news and information for InfoSec professions in business and government. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is Power.
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SOURCE SecurityMetrics, Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/29/securitymetrics-wins-coveted-global-infosec-awards-cybersecurity-book-penetration-testing-top-women-cybersecurity/ | 2022-06-29T12:41:46Z |
Onaga woman injured in wreck after vehicle goes airborne
Published: Jun. 29, 2022 at 4:15 PM CDT|Updated: 8 minutes ago
POTTAWATOMIE CO., Kan. (WIBW) - An Onaga woman sustained suspected serious injuries after her vehicle hit a field entrance and went airborne around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says Delores E. Sauvage, 58, of Onaga, was driving a 1995 Cadillac DeVille northbound on K-63 when she left the road to the east, struck a field entrance and then went “airborne for some distance.”
KHP said the Cadillac came to rest on its front.
Sauvage was taken to Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment. Officials say she was wearing a seatbelt.
Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/06/29/onaga-woman-injured-wreck-after-vehicle-goes-airborne/ | 2022-06-29T21:23:59Z |
The two new members add 40+ years of combined of technology and startup experience to the company
STOCKHOLM, June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cint, the global software leader in digital insights gathering, is pleased to welcome two new members to its board of directors, Tina Daniels, managing director at Google and Liselotte Engstam, experienced international tech leader and board director. The new additions bring extensive knowledge and expertise in technology, media measurement, engineering, and international management to the board.
"The success of our organisation depends on both our ability to deliver exceptional technology and solutions that give our clients access to insights at scale and in our ability to tap the brightest minds in the industry to help steer us in the right direction," said Tom Buehlmann, CEO at Cint. "Tina and Liselotte are both industry visionaries that join our board of directors at an exciting time for Cint. With the integration of Lucid in full swing and positive momentum heading into the second half of the year, their combined expertise will help propel Cint forward in our journey to revolutionise the market research industry and beyond."
The new board members bring specialized experience and skills to Cint in two key areas of the business: global transformation and expansion, and media measurement and advertising. To fuel growth in these areas and allow Cint to continue its path to transform the insights industry, Tina Daniels will sit on the Renumeration Committee and Liselotte Engstam will join the Audit Committee.
With experience in developing online marketing strategies, creating advertising campaigns and offering unique performance analyses, Tina Daniels brings expertise in analytics and measurement to guide the company as it expands and develops its media measurement and connected data capabilities.
Contributing 20 years of experience as a general manager and executive leader within the technology, engineering, and professional services sectors, Liselotte Engstam brings expertise in digitally and sustainably transforming international companies. Her experience will help to ensure Cint continues to scale and optimize the global reach of its research technology.
"We're beyond excited to have Tina and Liselotte to join our ranks, and confident that their breadth of experience in each of their respective fields will further strengthen the overall knowledge of the board," said Patrick Comer, chairman of the board and former CEO of Lucid.
The new board members were elected at the Annual General Meeting held on 17 May 2022. For a full list of the Cint Board of Directors, please visit here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Tiffany Collins | Director, Global Communications, PR and Events at Cint
ABOUT CINT
Cint is a global software leader in technology-enabled insights. The Cint platform automates the insights gathering process so that companies can gain access to insights faster with unparalleled scale. Cint has the world's largest consumer network for digital survey-based research, made up of over 160 million engaged respondents across more than 130 countries. Over 3,200 insights-driven companies use Cint to accelerate how they gather consumer insights and supercharge business growth.
In June 2021, Cint acquired Berlin-based GapFish – the world's largest ISO certified online panel community in the DACH region - and in December, completed the acquisition of US-based Lucid – a programmatic research technology platform that provides access to first-party survey data in over 110 countries. Cint Group AB (publ), listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, has a rapidly growing team across its many global offices, including Stockholm, London, New York, New Orleans, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney (www.cint.com).
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SOURCE Cint AB | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/23/cint-elect-tina-daniels-liselotte-engstam-its-board-directors/ | 2022-06-23T17:27:51Z |
OAK BROOK, Ill., April 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Grommet, the inventor's e-marketplace, is welcoming Etsy and Amazon sellers to consider an alternative model to paying unpredictable and rising fees for "administration," advertising and now "fuel and inflation."
Boston-based and founded in 2008, The Grommet earns its revenue by partnering with promising inventor-sellers, then working together to reach potential customers and build their brands.
"At The Grommet, we treat our inventor-sellers as partners, because that's what they are," said company President Kim Lefko. "When they succeed, we succeed. Our goals are aligned— more product sales equals more revenue for all parties involved."
Inventor-sellers on The Grommet get individual contracts that delineate consistent and predictable pricing terms, the opportunity to lock in large purchase orders with The Grommet (which actively buys inventory from successful partners) and the opportunity to grow even further by selling into partner Ace Hardware and its 4,600 brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S.
Buyers of The Grommet products get free delivery, a decidedly competitive advantage in this environment of rising shipping costs.
"Before they were big," leading brands like Fitbit, OtterBox, SodaStream, BananaGrams, S'well Stainless Steel Water Bottles, and Mrs. Meyers Clean Day all started building their brands on The Grommet's e-marketplace.
On April 11, Etsy raised transaction fees on sellers — raising prices for buyers— by 30 percent, from 5 percent to 6.5 percent.
As of Friday April 15, more than 79,000 had signed a petition asking Etsy to cancel its fee increase.
Starting April 28, Amazon will add a "fuel and inflation" surcharge of five percent to fees it collects from third-party sellers using it for product fulfillment.
Learn how to partner with The Grommet here:
Contact for Media Inquiries: media@acehardware.com
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SOURCE Ace Hardware Corporation | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/04/16/grommet-welcomes-etsy-amp-amazon-inventors-sell-product-build-your-brand-with-us-instead/ | 2022-04-16T23:18:32Z |
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco BBVA Argentina S.A. (NYSE; BYMA; MAE: BBAR; LATIBEX: XBBAR) today announced that it will report its Second Quarter 2022 results.
Earnings Release
Tuesday August 23, 2022
Time: After market close
Conference Call
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Time: 12:00 p.m. Buenos Aires time – (11:00 a.m. EST)
Quiet Period
From Wednesday, August 10, through Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Executives
Mr. Ernesto Gallardo, Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Inés Lanusse, Investor Relations Officer
Ms. Belén Fourcade, Investor Relations
To participate, please dial in:
1-844-450-3851 (US Toll-Free)
1-412-317-6373 (International)
54-11-3984-5677 (Argentina)
Web Phone: click here
Conference ID: BBVA
Webcast & Replay: click here
BBVA Argentina Investor Relations
About BBVA Argentina
Banco BBVA Argentina (NYSE, BYMA, MAE: BBAR; LATIBEX: XBBAR) is a subsidiary of the BBVA Group, the principal shareholder since 1996. In Argentina, it is one of the leading private financial institutions since 1886. Nationwide, Banco BBVA Argentina offers retail and corporate banking to a broad customer base, including: individuals, SME's, and large-sized companies.
Banco BBVA Argentina's purpose is to bring the age of opportunities to everyone, based on our customers' real needs, providing the best solutions, and helping them make the best financial decisions, through an easy and convenient experience. The institution rests in solid values: "Customer comes first, we think big and we are one team". At the same time, its responsible banking model aspires to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society.
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SOURCE Banco BBVA Argentina S.A. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/10/bbva-argentina-announces-second-quarter-2022-financial-results-schedule/ | 2022-08-10T20:57:29Z |
Two local schools received the 2021-22 Georgia High School Association Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award, announced recently by the organization and Georgia’s Electric Membership Cooperatives.
Dougherty earned the honor in Region 1-AAAA, and Deerfield-Windsor was recognized in 1-A Private.
A total of 64 high schools, one winner from each region, were presented with the award, which celebrated schools who demonstrated impeccable sportsmanship during the 2021-22 school year.
“Congratulations to all of the region winners of the GHSA Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award for 2021-2022,” GHSA executive director Robin Hines said. “It is an honor for these member schools to be selected by their regions for this award. The characteristics of good sportsmanship are critical to the development of our young people as they transition into productive adults. The GHSA applauds our schools on this accomplishment and appreciates Georgia’s EMCs for their support of this outstanding recognition program.”
Since 2006, the GHSA and Georgia’s EMCs have sponsored the Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award which reinforces the GHSA philosophy: “Students, athletes, coaches, spectators and all others associated with high school activities programs should adhere to the fundamental values of respect, fairness, honesty and responsibility.” Schools winning this award are thus honored for displaying exemplary sportsmanship during competition throughout the school year.
Student athletes, fellow students, school staff, parents and event spectators are recognized for the sportsmanship they display. The award is not only a school honor, but a community honor as well. The GHSA region secretaries select winners based upon sportsmanship demonstrated throughout the school year.
Rookie fireballer Spencer Strider was overpowering, allowing just one hit and one run in six innings as the visiting Atlanta Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 on Saturday, July 2, 2022. Click for more.
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accounts, the history behind an article. | https://www.albanyherald.com/sports/dougherty-deerfield-windsor-earn-georgia-high-school-association-cooperative-spirit-sportsmanship-award/article_735f6170-fa77-11ec-8825-4b7dd10aeaa1.html | 2022-07-03T04:09:46Z |
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 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=30771&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.
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
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SOURCE Jakubowitz Law | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/12/ul-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-unilever-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-august-15-2022/ | 2022-08-12T10:09:12Z |
NEW YORK, June 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- D. E. Shaw Research (DESRES) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive global license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) for the clinical development and commercialization of DESRES's program of Kv1.3-targeted therapeutics for the treatment of various immunological and inflammatory diseases.
The lead compound, DES-7114, is an orally administered, highly selective small-molecule inhibitor of the ion channel protein Kv1.3. This first-in-class compound recently completed successful Phase 1 clinical trials in healthy volunteers and has demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of several chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and atopic dermatitis.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will make an initial payment of $60 million to DESRES, with potential development and commercial milestone payments of up to $475 million, as well as royalties on worldwide sales.
The design of DES-7114 by DESRES was enabled by the use of proprietary special-purpose supercomputers that DESRES developed and constructed to perform ultra-high-speed, atomically detailed simulations of the three-dimensional motion of biologically and pharmaceutically significant molecules. A series of such simulations, in combination with experimental studies, resulted in DESRES's unique understanding of Kv1.3's structural, dynamic, and functional properties, leading to the design of compounds that bind strongly to the target protein while likely avoiding undesirable interactions with other ion channels.
"We're enthusiastic about DES-7114's potential, and are hopeful that it will ultimately have a meaningful impact on the lives of patients throughout the world," said David E. Shaw, Ph.D., chief scientist at DESRES. "We're also enthusiastic about teaming up with Lilly, which is one of the global leaders in therapeutics for immunological diseases, and is exceptionally well positioned to carry the compound forward through clinical development and commercialization."
"Kv1.3 inhibition represents a promising new approach in immunology," said Ajay Nirula, M.D., Ph.D., vice president of immunology at Lilly. "We are particularly excited about DESRES's discovery of DES-7114 because the molecule's properties could translate into significant advantages for addressing unmet patient needs."
About D. E. Shaw Research
D. E. Shaw Research (DESRES) uses advanced computational technologies to understand the behavior of biologically and pharmaceutically significant molecules at an atomic level of detail, and to design precisely targeted, highly selective drugs for the treatment of various diseases. Among its core technologies is a proprietary special-purpose supercomputer that it designed and constructed to perform molecular dynamics simulations more than 100 times faster than the world's fastest general-purpose supercomputers. DESRES uses these machines, together with machine learning methods and other computational techniques, in both internal and collaborative drug discovery programs. For more information, visit www.DEShawResearch.com.
Contact
Madeleine Weingarten
D. E. Shaw Research
Madeleine.Weingarten@DEShawResearch.com
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SOURCE D. E. Shaw Research | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/13/d-e-shaw-research-licenses-first-in-class-therapeutic-immunological-diseases-lilly/ | 2022-06-13T17:20:37Z |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Singer Michelle Branch was arrested on allegations of domestic assault against her husband, Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, at their Tennessee home early Thursday morning.
Officers were called to their home in Belle Meade just after 2 a.m. for a possible domestic disturbance.
Officers interviewed Branch and Carney separately. Branch told officers she and Carney are having marital issues and were arguing at another location before they arrived home, said Metro police.
According to court documents, the argument escalated once they returned home and Branch slapped Carney in the face “one or two times.”
Carney told officers Branch slapped him during the argument and officers noted he did not have any visible injuries.
Branch was taken into custody and booked into the Metro jail. She was released on bond.
The couple married in April 2019 and have two small children together.
Prior to news of Branch’s arrest, People had reported that Branch indicated that she and Carney were planning to separate after three years of marriage.
“To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family,” Branch wrote in a statement provided to People. “The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward.”
The outlet also reported that Branch, on Wednesday night, took to Twitter to accuse Carney of cheating on her, but later deleted the tweet. | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/michelle-branch-charged-with-domestic-assault-in-nashville/ | 2022-08-12T17:46:09Z |
50-year History of Games Produced at Company's Canadian Facility Enters Next Era of Growth
,
/PRNewswire/ --
was named the primary instant games partner for
A new, five-year contract significantly expands the number of instant scratch games the company will design and produce locally for Loto-Québec players. Scientific Games recently invested millions of dollars to advance production technologies and innovation at its
facility.
The company is a trusted supplier to Loto-Québec for more than five decades, celebrating the Lottery's 50th Anniversary in 2020 and employing generations of workers at its Canadian operations in Québec. Scientific Games is certified globally by the World Lottery Association as a Responsible Gaming Supplier.
"Scientific Games is a longstanding Loto-Québec business partner and employer in Québec. The company's leaders understand what we are trying to accomplish by creating new, exciting instant game entertainment for our players. They also support us in creating greener scratch games to reduce our environmental footprint," said Isabelle Jean, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Lotteries at Loto-Québec.
"We have made a significant investment in production technologies at our Montreal facility to innovate new games for the enjoyment of Québec players and support the lottery in its mission," said John Schulz, President, Americas & Global Instant Products for Scientific Games. "With five instant game production facilities on four continents, our global scale allows us to support Loto-Québec and all of our customers with unparalleled game production capacity and distibution solutions that make Scientific Games the lottery business partner of choice."
Scientific Games has produced more than 4,500 instant games for Loto-Québec at its Montreal facility over the past 50 years, including the Lottery's very first game. Games for four Canadian provincial lotteries and the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, as well as lotteries in the U.S., France, Hungary, Australia and other countries, are also produced at the facility.
Scientific Games is the world's largest instant games creator, producer and services provider, and the primary provider to nine of the Top 10 performing instant game lotteries in the world (La Fleur's 2022 World Lottery Almanac). The company's products generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales.
Scientific Games provides games, technology and services to 130 lotteries in 50 countries around the globe, including nearly every North American lottery.
© 2022 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
About Scientific Games
Scientific Games is a leading provider of lottery products, technology and services to government-sponsored lottery programs globally. From cutting-edge backend systems to exciting entertainment experiences and trailblazing retail and digital solutions, we elevate play every day. We push game designs to the next level and are pioneers in data analytics and iLottery. Built on a foundation of trusted partnerships, Scientific Games combines relentless innovation, performance, and unwavering security to responsibly propel the industry forward. For more information, visit scientificgames.com.
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SOURCE Scientific Games LLC | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/19/scientific-games-named-loto-qubec-primary-instant-games-partner/ | 2022-07-19T21:19:44Z |
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - First Mining Gold Corp. ("First Mining" or the "Company") (TSX: FF) (OTCQX: FFMGF) (FRANKFURT: FMG) is pleased to provide an update regarding its offer ("Beattie Offer") to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Beattie Gold Mines Ltd. ("Beattie Gold") as previously announced on July 18, 2022.
First Mining is pleased to announce that the remaining 45,000 common shares of Beattie Gold, representing 2.4% of Beattie Gold's outstanding common shares, have been tendered and deposited under the Beattie Offer. Together with the 97.6% of the outstanding common shares of Beattie Gold that have already been tendered and deposited under the Beattie Offer (as announced by First Mining on August 15, 2022), First Mining will own 100% of the outstanding common shares of Beattie Gold upon closing of the Beattie Offer.
As previously announced, First Mining has entered into binding share purchase agreements to acquire the issued and outstanding common shares of 2699681 Canada Ltd. ("269 Canada") and 2588111 Manitoba Ltd. (together, the Concurrent Transactions"). In addition to owning 100% of the outstanding common shares of Beattie Gold upon closing of the Beattie Offer, First Mining will also own 100% of the outstanding common shares of 269 Canada and 2588111 Manitoba Ltd. as the Concurrent Transactions will close simultaneously with the Beattie Offer in September 2022. Upon closing of the Beattie Offer and the Concurrent Transactions, First Mining will own 100% of the Duparquet Gold Project, one of the largest advanced-stage gold projects in Canada.
First Mining is a gold developer advancing a portfolio of gold projects in Canada, with our most advanced project being the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario, which is one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Canada, and where we have commenced a Feasibility Study and permitting activities are on-going with a draft Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") for the project submitted in June 2022. First Mining also owns the Cameron, Duparquet, Duquesne and Pitt gold projects, all advanced-stage gold projects in Ontario (in the case of Cameron) and Québec. Our portfolio of gold project interests also includes the Pickle Crow gold project (being advanced in partnership with Auteco Minerals Ltd.), the Hope Brook gold project (being advanced in partnership with Big Ridge Gold Corp.), an equity interest in Treasury Metals Inc., and a portfolio of 21 gold royalties.
First Mining was established in 2015 by Mr. Keith Neumeyer, founding President and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp.
Daniel W. Wilton
Chief Executive Officer and Director
This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "intends", "estimates", "envisages", "potential", "possible", "strategy", "goals", "opportunities", "objectives", or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the closing date of the Beattie Offer and the Concurrent Transactions; (ii) the Company's ownership of 100% of the outstanding common shares of Beattie Gold following completion of the Beattie Offer; (iii) the Company's plans with respect to advancing its portfolio of gold projects; and (iv) Feasibility and permitting activities related to the Springpole Project.. All forward-looking statements are based on First Mining's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Such factors include, without limitation the Company's business, operations and financial condition potentially being materially adversely affected by the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, such as COVID-19, and by reactions by government and private actors to such outbreaks; risks to employee health and safety as a result of the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, such as COVID-19, that may result in a slowdown or temporary suspension of operations at some or all of the Company's mineral properties as well as its head office; fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in the currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar); changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities, indigenous populations and other stakeholders; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; title to properties.; and the additional risks described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F filed with the SEC on EDGAR.
First Mining cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to First Mining, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. First Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on our behalf, except as required by law.
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SOURCE First Mining Gold Corp. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/first-mining-provides-further-update-regarding-acquisition-duparquet-gold-project/ | 2022-08-30T11:48:35Z |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — CNN White House correspondent John Harwood said he’s exiting the news channel, an abrupt departure that comes amid other CNN changes.
“Today’s my last day at CNN,” Harwood said in a tweet posted Friday. He said he was proud of the work and called himself “lucky to serve the best in American media,” including stints at the St. Petersburg Times, Wall Street Journal, NBC and CNN.
“Look forward to figuring out what’s next,” he said on Twitter. The channel didn’t respond to an email request for comment.
Last month, CNN canceled its weekly “Reliable Sources” media analysis show after three decades on the air, and host Brian Stelter left the network. The show appeared to be an early casualty in CNN’s effort to be less confrontational politically — a priority of Chris Licht, who became the network’s chairman and CEO in the spring, and his boss, David Zaslav, head of the Warner Bros. Discovery parent company.
Harwood came to CNN in 2020 from CNBC, where he was chief White House correspondent.
About two hours before Harwood announced he was leaving CNN, he was on-air discussing President Joe Biden’s speech Thursday, in which Biden called former President Donald Trump an extremist treat to the nation.
Harwood said that Biden’s “core point in that political speech about the threat to democracy is true. Now that is something that is not easy for us as journalists to say. We’re brought up to believe there’s two different political parties with different points of view, and we don’t take sides in honest disagreements between them.
“But that’s not what we are talking about. These are not honest disagreements. The Republican party right now is led by a dishonest demagogue,” Harwood said, in part. | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-john-harwood-exits-cnn-amid-changes-at-the-news-channel/ | 2022-09-03T02:51:11Z |
LOS ANGELES, May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Embark Technology, Inc. f/k/a Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp. II ("Embark" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: EMBK) for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Investors who purchased the Company's securities between January 12, 2021 and January 5, 2022, inclusive (the ''Class Period''), are encouraged to contact the firm before May 31, 2022.
If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.
We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at bschall@schallfirm.com.
The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.
According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Embark failed to perform appropriate due diligence into Embark Trucks Inc. ("Legacy Embark"). Due to this failure, the Company held no patents and only a few test trucks following the business combination. The Company overstated its technical capabilities and competence. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Embark, investors suffered damages.
Join the case to recover your losses.
The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.
CONTACT:
The Schall Law Firm
Brian Schall, Esq.,
www.schallfirm.com
Office: 310-301-3335
info@schallfirm.com
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SOURCE The Schall Law Firm | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/final-deadline-alert-schall-law-firm-encourages-investors-embark-technology-inc-with-losses-100000-contact-firm/ | 2022-05-31T16:42:54Z |
NEW YORK, May 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. (NASDAQ: SDIG) pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus (collectively, the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with the Company's October 2021 initial public offering ("IPO") of the important June 13, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Stronghold Digital Mining securities pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement 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 Stronghold Digital Mining class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=5313 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: According to the lawsuit, the IPO Registration Statement was materially false and misleading and omitted to state: (1) contracted suppliers, including MinerVa, were reasonably likely to miss anticipated delivery quantities and deadlines; (2) due to strong demand and pre-sold supply of mining equipment in the industry, Stronghold Digital Mining would experience difficulties obtaining miners outside of confirmed purchase orders; (3) as a result of the foregoing, there was a significant risk that Stronghold Digital Mining could not expand its mining capacity as expected; (4) as a result, Stronghold Digital Mining would likely experience significant losses; and (5) as a result, defendants' statements about Stronghold Digital Mining's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Stronghold Digital Mining class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=5313 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
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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/30/rosen-global-investor-counsel-encourages-stronghold-digital-mining-inc-investors-with-losses-exceeding-100k-secure-counsel-before-important-june-13-deadline-securities-class-action-sdig/ | 2022-05-30T22:20:00Z |
Successful procedures initiate U.S. limited market release
MIAMI LAKES, Fla., June 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cordis, a global leader in cardiovascular technologies, today announced the first-in-human use of the Radianz Radial Peripheral System™ by Jihad Mustapha, MD, FACC, FSCAI at Advanced Cardiac & Vascular Centers (ACV) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Radianz Radial Peripheral System™ solution includes BRITE TIP RADIANZ™ Guiding Sheath used to optimize lower extremity lesion access, the SABERX RADIANZ™ PTA Catheter to facilitate treatment, and the S.M.A.R.T. RADIANZ™ Vascular Stent System to help maintain patency for lasting favorable outcomes.
Radianz Radial Peripheral System™ is purposely engineered for radial access, which is proven to produce fewer vascular complications and higher patient satisfaction than femoral approaches.
According to Dr. Mustapha, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Endovascular Intervention at Advanced Cardiac & Vascular Centers (ACV) for Amputation Prevention, "My colleagues at ACV and I are pleased to have successfully performed the first procedures using the Radianz Radial Peripheral System™, said Dr. Mustapha. "We believe this portfolio represents true innovation in meeting the need for radial access solutions for lower extremity intervention."
Dr. Jihad Mustapha is recognized throughout the world as a pioneer for his groundbreaking work in critical limb ischemia, or CLI, which is marked by the severe obstruction of arteries, drastically reducing blood flow to the extremities. Left untreated, CLI can result in amputations.
"We are extremely pleased with the positive feedback from Dr. Mustapha and proud that these first-in-human cases were performed so successfully and by such a highly esteemed physician," said Cordis CEO Shar Matin. "When used as a comprehensive treatment solution for vascular disease, we believe the unique capabilities of the Radianz Radial Peripheral System™ have the potential to positively impact outcomes and improve quality of life for patients."
Multiple studies have demonstrated overwhelming patient preference for radial versus femoral access. An 85% reduction in access site complications and reduction of major bleeding by 73% give insight into the 80% patient satisfaction rate.
Studies show that patient ambulation time can be reduced from hours to minutes, and patients experience improved mobility and comfort from the outset. Radial approaches provide post-procedure complications of less than 1% compared to 2% to 4% with femoral access.
In addition to the well-documented clinical benefits of the Radianz Radial Peripheral System™, radial access can reduce the total cost of care. A systematic review of 14 randomized controlled trials found radial access lowered hospital costs in the U.S. up to $1,116 per procedure in duration-of-stay costs compared to femoral access.
The Radianz Radial Peripheral System™ portfolio is expected to launch later this year in the U.S. and in the near future in Japan.
Cordis is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacturing of interventional vascular technology with a more than 60-year history of pioneering breakthrough cardiovascular technologies to treat millions of patients. With a reputation for clinical acumen, training, and service, Cordis established a legacy of innovation in high-quality and less-invasive cardiovascular products and built a strong global footprint with operations in more than 70 countries around the world.
Jihad Mustapha, MD, FACC, FSCAI is a board-certified interventional cardiologist specializing in endovascular revascularization of PAD, specifically CLI. He serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and is a Founder and Director of the AMPutation Prevention Symosium as well as a Founding Board Member of the CLI Global Society.
Dr. Jihad Mustapha developed the notion early in his practice that a device to unblock arteries leading to the heart might be used to perform the same thing for legs. Known in some circles as "The Leg Saver," Dr. Jihad Mustapha performs artery and vein catheterizations that open up blocked vessels to improve circulation and reduce the need for amputations.
Launched in February 2018, Advanced Cardiac & Vascular Centers (ACV) for Amputation Prevention provides highly personalized and comprehensive cardiac, vascular, and vein care. Co-founded by Dr. Jihad Mustapha and Dr. Fadi Saab, ACV Centers has a special concentration on treating peripheral artery disease and the complications of critical limb ischemia. For further information, visit www.acvcenters.com.
Media contact:
Margaret-Sarah Alexander
Vice President, Head of Global Strategic Marketing
margaretsarah.alexander@cordis.com
m. 203-297-4182
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SOURCE Cordis | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/16/cordis-announces-successful-first-in-human-use-radianz-radial-peripheral-system/ | 2022-06-16T15:04:02Z |
2 Santa Cruz Starbucks stores vote to unionize, first in California
By Josh Copitch
Click here for updates on this story
SANTA CRUZ, California (KSBW) — Two Starbucks stores in Santa Cruz, California, voted to unionize, becoming the first two Starbucks store in California to do so. A third Santa Cruz store will vote to unionize in June.
By a vote of 15 to two the Starbucks store located at Mission and Dufour Street has voted to unionize. A second Starbucks located on Ocean and Water Street voted 13 to one to unionize. These are the first two stores in the state to do so, and among the first 50 in the country.
At least 51% of the store’s employees needed to vote in favor of the union for official recognition.
Union organizer Joseph Thompson for the Ocean and Water Street store told KSBW in January that the Santa Cruz store isn’t doing enough to protect its employees, claiming the location can be dangerous and experiences high rates of harassment and other hazardous situations.
Employees at a third Starbucks store are also voting to unionize. Their results will be known in early June.
Starbucks issued this statement after the vote:
“We are listening and learning from the partners in these stores as we always do across the country. From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed. We respect our partner’s right to organize and are committed to following the NLRB process.”
More than 230 Starbucks stores across the country have filed petitions to unionize and about 50 have voted to join, according to an NPR report on May 3.
A recent Gallup Poll found that 77% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 support labor unions. That contributes to an overall 68% approval rating among the American public, the highest approval rating in over half a century. In 1965 approval ratings measured at 71%.
“Young people are energetic,” Steven McKay, a sociologist professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said.
Despite high public approval, union membership has remained stagnant the past couple of years but has historically been declining since 1983, when 20% of Americans belonged to a union. Today 10% of Americans are in a union.
“The way work has been organized … has made it specifically difficult to join a union. So I’m not surprised that the attitude is high and going up,” McKay said.
According to the National Labor Relations Board, workers can initiate the process to unionize if they meet the minimum requirement: at least 30% of employees have signed cards or a petition saying they want a union.
Afterward, the NLRB will conduct an election. At least 51% of the store’s employees need to vote in favor of the union for official recognition.
Starbucks sent the following statement to KSBW 8 in January following the initial unionization vote in Santa Cruz.
“Employees nationwide have recently received multiple wage increases. In December 2020, Starbucks increased starting wages by 5% and then gave a 10% raise to all baristas and supervisors. Tenured employees received an 11% raise.
By Summer 2022, U.S. hourly employees will be paid an average of $17 per hour.
Company protocol dictates that employee schedules are set three weeks in advance, a Starbucks spokesperson said.
Starbucks stores can implement a security guard if the situation calls for it, a spokesperson for the coffee giant said.
According to the New York Times, the Starbucks union says that the company is cutting hours across the country in an attempt to have longtime employees quit the company. In other instances they have fired pro-union employees while siting safety and security policies.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. | https://localnews8.com/cnn-regional/2022/05/12/2-santa-cruz-starbucks-stores-vote-to-unionize-first-in-california/ | 2022-05-12T19:38:20Z |
The visual communication challenger launched the first version of its product, an illustration builder and customizer and plans to set the highest quality standards in web content libraries.
MONTREAL, June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Montreal-based startup designstripe received a $10M investment from New York-based global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners, with participation from Silicon Valley Bank to help it deliver intuitive and slick creative tools for everyone. The visual communication challenger will use the funding to enhance and expand its design tools in all creative categories including photo, motion and video.
designstripe was founded in 2020 by serial entrepreneur and investor Francois Arbour, who sold his first business PremiumBeat to Shutterstock in 2015. designstripe currently offers a combination of customizable content and intuitive tools for non-designers across consumer and enterprise clients. End users in need of design assets no longer have to start from scratch, as designstripe owns a large repository of customizable assets and illustrations with the ability to export to a variety of file types. Since the launch of its initial product the company has achieved significant growth in new clients and daily users.
"We noticed a gap between professional design services and inconsistent, low-quality content libraries on the web. Our initial launch addressed this divergence, allowing non-professional designers to create designs without sacrificing consistency or quality," said Francois Arbour, co-founder and CEO.
"With customizable content and intuitive tools, designstripe allows anyone to create professional looking designs. designstripe is already disrupting the design tool category and has enormous potential across multiple horizontal design categories," said Thilo Semmelbauer, Managing Director at Insight Partners. "We're excited to partner with Francois and his team as they continue to grow and scale up."
"Their easy-to-use, cost effective design tools offer clients the ability to create captivating imagery to enhance their user's online experience," said Karl Theard, Director of Tech Banking at Silicon Valley Bank in Quebec.
Fully remote since day one, and born amidst the pandemic, the founding team at designstripe has been passionate about building a well-being oriented culture, using it as a performance lever and to attract top talent. Long term, the company is uniquely positioned to grow by leveraging its organic reach and by acquiring valuable websites, which it has already demonstrated via the acquisitions of Drawkit, Growwwkit and other compelling design tools. designstripe's product strategy is one comparable to building blocks; its latest capital raise will help it build a scalable and powerful editing tool, and continue to invest in generating high quality, customizable and consistent design assets.
Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of February 24, 2022, the closing of the firm's recent fundraise, Fund XII, brings Insight Partners' regulatory assets under management to over $90B. Insight Partners has invested in more than 600 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and Palo Alto. Insight's mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Insight Partners meets great software leaders where they are in their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners
Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the world's most innovative companies and investors, provides commercial banking services, expertise and insights to the technology, life science and healthcare, private equity and venture capital industries across Canada. Silicon Valley Bank's commercial and international banking services help address the unique needs of its dynamic, fast-growing, innovative clients. Learn more at svb.com/canada.
Silicon Valley Bank is an authorized foreign bank branch under the Bank Act (Canada). © 2022 SVB Financial Group. All rights reserved. SVB, SVB FINANCIAL GROUP, SILICON VALLEY BANK, and the chevron device are trademarks of SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB), used under license. [SIVB-C]
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SOURCE designstripe | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/23/designstripe-raises-10m-insight-partners-silicon-valley-bank-build-smart-design-tools/ | 2022-06-23T13:20:46Z |
- Net Sales $43.7 Million
- Gross Margin 43.6%
- e-commerce Sales $20.5 Million -- Traditional Sales $23.1 Million
- Facility Consolidation Underway
COLUMBIA, Mo., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Select: AOUT), an industry leading provider of products and accessories for rugged outdoor enthusiasts, today announced financial results for the first quarter fiscal 2023 ended July 31, 2022.
First Quarter Fiscal 2023 Financial Highlights
- Quarterly net sales were $43.7 million, a decrease of $17.1 million, or 28.1%, compared with net sales of $60.8 million for the comparable quarter last year. E-commerce net sales of $20.5 million, which were driven by increased direct-to-consumer net sales, grew by 23.7%, while traditional net sales of $23.1 million, which were impacted by lower foot traffic at retail and lower shooting sports sales to OEM customers, declined by 47.6%. Compared with pre-COVID levels in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, total net sales grew 31.5%, while e-commerce net sales grew by 92.2% and traditional net sales grew by 2.7%.
- Quarterly gross margin was 43.6%, compared with quarterly gross margin of 47.7% for the comparable quarter last year, a decrease driven primarily by lower sales volumes and increased freight expenses.
- Quarterly GAAP net loss was $5.7 million, or ($0.42) per diluted share, compared with net income of $3.5 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the comparable quarter last year.
- Quarterly non-GAAP net income was $84,000, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared with non-GAAP net income of $6.8 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, for the comparable quarter last year. GAAP to non-GAAP adjustments for net income exclude acquired intangible amortization, stock compensation, technology implementation, stockholder cooperation agreement costs, and acquisition costs. For a detailed reconciliation, see the schedules that follow in this release.
- Quarterly Adjusted EBITDAS was $1.4 million, or 3.2% of net sales, compared with $9.6 million, or 15.7% of net sales, for the comparable quarter last year. For a detailed reconciliation, see the schedules that follow in this release.
Brian Murphy, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Given recent industry and economic conditions, I am pleased with our first quarter results, which reflect our ability to deliver net sales growth of over 31% above our pre-pandemic levels of fiscal 2020 while marking a number of achievements that support our strategic priorities and which reflect our dedication to building authentic, lifestyle brands that help consumers make the most out of the moments that matter."
"During the quarter, our e-commerce net sales grew nearly 24% year over year, supported by strength in our direct-to-consumer business, which includes MEAT! Your Maker meat processing equipment and Grilla grills. Together, these two brands generated over 15% of our net sales in Q1 and helped our Outdoor Lifestyle category generate over 53% of our total net sales in the quarter. We consider our direct-to-consumer sales to be one gauge of how well our brands are resonating with consumers since those sales are not impacted by retailer issues, such as inventory levels or limited open-to-buy. We remain excited about growth opportunities within our Outdoor Lifestyle category, which consists of products related to hunting, fishing, camping, and rugged outdoor activities, and which delivered two-year growth of 26.5% over the first quarter of fiscal 2021 and three-year growth of 54.2% over the pre-pandemic first quarter of fiscal 2020."
"We continued to leverage our Dock & Unlock™ strategy to deliver a steady flow of organically developed, exciting new products that generated nearly 26% of our first quarter revenue. We also attended ICAST 2022, the fishing industry's premier tradeshow, where our BUBBA fishing lifestyle brand received the award for 'Best Cutlery, Hand Pliers and Tools" for our innovative Multi-Flex Interchangeable Knife Sets. This marks the third consecutive year that BUBBA has taken home the award in this category. While at ICAST, we launched the BUBBA Voyager Gear Box, our first entry into waterproof storage, and we unveiled and previewed our proprietary BUBBA Electric Fish Scale, an exciting new product that truly energized and excited our core fishing retailers, distributors, and consumers, ahead of the full launch and shipping of initial inventory in Spring of 2023."
"A key part of our long-term strategy includes growing the brands in our portfolio by plugging them into our Dock & Unlock process and utilizing our leverageable business model. During the first quarter, we amended our Columbia, Missouri facility lease agreement to add 35,000 square feet of space that provides us the opportunity to increase our operational efficiency and leverage our Missouri facility. We then commenced plans to consolidate our Crimson Trace operations in Wilsonville, Oregon, as well as our Grilla operations in Holland, Michigan and Dallas, Texas, into the Missouri facility. We estimate that these consolidations will yield a net cost savings of approximately $1.5 million per year, beginning in our fiscal fourth quarter. We look forward to completing the consolidations in the next three months, bringing our teams together and moving us closer to our long-term profitability objectives." concluded Murphy.
Andrew Fulmer, Chief Financial Officer, said, "Our strong balance sheet has provided us with both the resources and the flexibility to pursue important growth opportunities, and we continued to fortify that balance sheet in the first quarter, demonstrating effective capital deployment. Cash from operations exceeded $5.0 million, allowing us to reduce the outstanding balance on our line of credit. Our cash balance of $17.5 million, combined with the capacity on our line of credit, provided us with up to $72.0 million of available capital at the end of the first quarter, and a net debt leverage ratio of less than 0.1 times our trailing 12-month Adjusted EBITDAS.
"While we are not giving specific guidance today, we are providing a framework for our revenue outlook for fiscal 2023. Consumer spending patterns over the balance of our fiscal year have yet to be determined, and we believe that retailers and distributors continue to be extremely cautious with regard to their inventory levels. That said, we also believe our brands are performing well and in alignment with recent consumer outdoor participation trends. As a result, we believe our revenue for fiscal 2023 could exceed pre-pandemic fiscal 2020 revenue by as much as 25%. We believe our solid financial position enables us to continue executing on our long-term strategic plan, investing in our business, and addressing the exciting growth opportunities we have identified for fiscal 2023 and beyond."
Conference Call and Webcast
The Company will host a conference call and webcast today, September 8, 2022, to discuss its first quarter fiscal 2023 financial and operational results. Speakers on the conference call will include Brian Murphy, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Andrew Fulmer, Chief Financial Officer. The conference call may include forward-looking statements and a discussion of non-GAAP financial measures. The conference call and webcast will begin at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time). Those interested in listening to the conference call via telephone may call directly at (833) 630-1956 and ask to join the American Outdoor Brands call. No RSVP is necessary. The conference call audio webcast can also be accessed live on the Company's website at www.aob.com, under the Investor Relations section.
Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In this press release, certain non-GAAP financial measures, including "non-GAAP net income," "non-GAAP income per share diluted," and "Adjusted EBITDAS" are presented. A reconciliation of these and other non-GAAP financial measures are contained at the end of this press release. From time-to-time, the Company considers and uses these non-GAAP financial measures as supplemental measures of operating performance in order to provide the reader with an improved understanding of underlying performance trends. The Company believes it is useful for itself and the reader to review, as applicable, both (1) GAAP measures that include (i) amortization of acquired intangible assets, (ii) stock compensation, (iii) technology implementation, (iv) acquisition costs, (v) stockholder cooperation agreement costs, (vi) income tax adjustments, (vii) interest expense, (viii) income tax expense, and (x) depreciation and amortization; and (2) the non-GAAP measures that exclude such information. The Company presents these non-GAAP measures because it considers them an important supplemental measure of its performance and believes the disclosure of such measures provides useful information to investors regarding the Company's financial condition and results of operations. The Company's definition of these adjusted financial measures may differ from similarly named measures used by others. The Company believes these measures facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period by eliminating potential differences caused by the existence and timing of certain expense items that would not otherwise be apparent on a GAAP basis. These non-GAAP measures have limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the Company's GAAP measures. The principal limitations of these measures are that they do not reflect the Company's actual expenses and may thus have the effect of inflating its financial measures on a GAAP basis.
About American Outdoor Brands, Inc.
American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Select: AOUT) is an industry leading provider of outdoor products and accessories, including hunting, fishing, camping, shooting, and personal security and defense products, for rugged outdoor enthusiasts. The company produces innovative, top quality products under its brands BOG®; BUBBA®; Caldwell®; Crimson Trace®; Frankford Arsenal®; Grilla Grills®; Hooyman®; Imperial®; LaserLyte®; Lockdown®; MEAT!; Old Timer®; Schrade®; Tipton®; Uncle Henry®; ust®; and Wheeler®. For more information about all the brands and products from American Outdoor Brands, Inc., visit www.aob.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed to be forward-looking statements under federal securities laws, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor created thereby. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained or incorporated herein by reference in this press release, including statements regarding our future operating results, future financial position, business strategy, objectives, goals, plans, prospects, markets, and plans and objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "targets," "contemplates," "projects," "predicts," "may," "might," "plan," "would," "should," "could," "may," "can," "potential," "continue," "objective," or the negative of those terms, or similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Specific forward-looking statements in this press release include our belief that our direct-to-consumer sales is one gauge of how well our brands are resonating with consumers; our excitement about growth opportunities within our Outdoor Lifestyle category; our long-term strategy to grow the brands in our portfolio by plugging them into our Dock & Unlock process and utilizing our leverageable business model; our estimate that the consolidations of our operations in Wilsonville, Oregon and Holland, Michigan, and Dallas, Texas into our Missouri facility will yield a significant cost savings of approximately $1.7 million per year, beginning in our fiscal fourth quarter and that these consolidations will occur within the next three months; and our belief that our solid financial position enables us to continue executing on our long-term strategic plan, investing in our business, and addressing the exciting growth opportunities we have identified for fiscal 2023 and beyond; our belief that retailers and distributors continue to be extremely cautious with regard to their inventory levels; our belief that our brands are performing well and in alignment with the recent consumer outdoor participation trends; and our outlook for fiscal 2023. We caution that these statements are qualified by important risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the effects of the COVID-19, pandemic, including potential disruptions in our ability to source the materials necessary for the production of our products, disruptions and delays in the manufacture of our products, and difficulties encountered by retailers and other components of the distribution channel for our products; economic, social, political, legislative, and regulatory factors; lawsuits and their effect on us; inventory levels, both internally and in the distribution channel, in excess of demand; natural disasters, pandemics, seasonality, news events, political events, and consumer tastes; future investments for capital expenditures; future products and product development; the features, quality, and performance of our products; the success of our strategies and marketing programs; our market share and factors that affect our market share; liquidity and anticipated cash needs and availability; the supply, availability, and costs of materials and components and related tariffs; our ability to maintain and enhance brand recognition and reputation; risks associated with the distribution of our products and overall availability of labor; and, other factors detailed from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022.
Contact:
Liz Sharp, VP, Investor Relations
lsharp@aob.com
(573) 303-4620
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SOURCE American Outdoor Brands, Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/american-outdoor-brands-inc-reports-first-quarter-fiscal-2023-financial-results/ | 2022-09-08T21:17:44Z |
FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OrthoTrophix, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the Company and its collaborators present clinical data strongly supporting joint bone shape change as part of a surrogate marker predictive of joint replacement in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients.
An abstract entitled, "Improved WOMAC Physical Function is Associated with Slowed Pathological Bone Shape Change after TPX-100: Towards a Surrogate Marker for Virtual Knee Replacement?" was presented today in a Plenary Session of 2022 OARSI World Congress on Osteoarthritis in Berlin, Germany (Abstract 26 in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Vol. 30 Suppl. S28–S29).
Functional impairment is a key risk factor for knee replacement even after adjusting for knee pain severity, based on the large NIH-sponsored Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (the "MOST" study) involving over 5,500 knees. In the TPX-100-5, a Phase 2 study, placebo-treated knees with more advanced pathological joint bone shape change at baseline showed much faster progression of pathological bone shape change and poorer knee function at the end of the 12-month study period. In marked contrast, TPX-100-treated knees demonstrated reduction in pathological bone shape change and robust improvement of knee function through 12 months, regardless of severity at baseline. Consequently, both clinical (knee function) and structural (bone shape) efficacies of TPX-100 as compared to placebo were confirmed including in subjects with moderate to severe knee OA.
"The current FDA draft guidance indicates that a positive effect on an imaging marker of OA must be associated with avoidance or delay of the need for joint replacement, or must persuasively reduce deterioration of function and worsening of pain. This is a high bar," commented Dr. Dawn McGuire, OrthoTrophix' Chief Medical Officer. "However, the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study findings and our clinical data collectively suggest that concordant improvements of bone shape change and clinical function could lead to a delay or elimination of the need for joint replacement surgery. These combined outcomes in structure and function could provide a 'virtual joint replacement' measure for the study of disease-modifying agents in individuals afflicted with knee OA."
The Company also will present an abstract entitled, "Intra Articular TPX-100 Significantly Improves Pain Measures and Slows Pathological Bone Shape Chage in Knee OA". This presentation demonstrates clinically meaningful improvements in overall knee pain and in specific key pain parameters in moderate to severe knee OA, linked to significant reductions in pathological bone shape change (Abstract 254 in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Vol. 30 S193).
About OrthoTrophix, Inc.
OrthoTrophix, Inc., based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on development and commercialization of a first-in-class Disease Modifying Osteoarthritis Drug (DMOAD). Founded by three co-founders in 2011, the primary focus of OrthoTrophix has been regeneration and repair of cartilage and underlying bones in the knee and other joints with its novel proprietary compounds.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements include statements regarding product development and cannot be guaranteed. OrthoTrophix undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect OrthoTrophix' business.
Company Contact
Yoshi Kumagai
President and CEO
Tel: (510) 488-3824
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SOURCE OrthoTrophix, Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/tpx-100-orthotrophix-presents-new-data-suggesting-joint-bone-shape-possible-surrogate-marker-virtual-joint-replacement-knee-osteoarthritis/ | 2022-04-08T11:16:52Z |
- Fulfillment essential to retailers' growth.
- Dada's on-demand fulfillment service system integrating 'warehousing-picking-delivery' capabilities exemplary in upgrading retailers' on-demand fulfillment performance.
- Dada's digitized in-store picking service, Dada Picking, fully rolled out to all Walmart China's stores by end of March.
- Number of China's on-demand fulfillment delivery orders over 30 billion in 2021, expected to exceed 40 billion in 2022.
SHANGHAI, May 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the development of on-demand retail is entering into a new phase where its coverage is expanding from scenarios of daily necessities buying to purchasing items such as freshly-released mobile phones and cosmetics, the importance of fulfillment is becoming eminent, increasingly.
New opportunities emerging in the 'micro-distance' e-commerce for retailers, future of on-demand fulfillment solutions, industry's best practices… were among the topics discussed during the 2022 China On-Demand Retail Fulfillment Services Summit. Themed 'Micro Distance, Big Consumption & Speedy Fulfillment', the online forum was hosted by Dada Now, the on-demand delivery platform operated by Dada Group (Nasdaq: DADA), and attended by China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA) leaders, industry observers and researchers, leading retail and delivery players.
The event also saw the release of 'On-Demand Retail Fulfillment Services 2022', a White Paper prepared by the Research Institute of Dada Group in collaboration with LOGResearch, a think tank expertizing in supply chain and logistics. As the very first report in industry looking into the on-demand fulfillment, the White Paper proposes a panoramic analysis on the needs, pain points, solutions and future trends of on-demand fulfillment, to provide a professional guidance for industry practitioners.
Fulfillment is not limited to delivery
Experts attending the forum believe a good fulfillment solution should not be limited to delivery, its scope should extend upstream to warehouse management and order picking. The all-round fulfillment solution integrating processes of warehousing, picking and delivery is becoming a major trend in the industry, according to the White Paper.
"Consumers expect to receive what they ordered in between 30 and 60 minutes, the raison d'etre of the on-demand retail lies in its time-sensitiveness," commented Jianzhen Peng, Secretary General of CCFA commented, "thus the fulfillment ability is by nature very important in the whole buying process. How to improve the efficiency of fulfillment has now become an important issue for the whole retail industry."
Jun Yang, Co-Founder and CTO of Dada Group, agrees. "The quality of fulfillment is an element often ignored by many yet essential in the development of on-demand retail, it's the level of fulfillment that determines how strong the growth of on-demand retail can be." He also pointed out that beyond delivery, an ideal on-demand fulfillment solution has a lot added value to offer. "An integrated fulfillment solution system covering warehouse management, order picking and packaging, dubbed 'warehousing-picking-delivery' fulfillment synergy, is becoming an important industry trend," weighed in the CTO.
"For merchants in food and drinks, fulfillment process is relatively short, because that does not always involve warehousing, for them, fulfillment is basically delivery," said Yonggang Pan, Dean of the Research Institute of LOGResearch, "but as to merchants in the on-demand retail, in addition to delivery, they need to take care of processes such as warehousing and picking, which are their major 'pain points' to deal with."
The White Paper provides an in-depth study on the fulfillment needs of diverse types of merchants in on-demand retail, and reveals their problems awaiting to be resolved as well. For instance, supermarkets may have issues picking orders efficiently facing their large number of SKUs, pharmacies are keen on delivery timeliness, while groceries selling fresh foods have stricter packaging requirements.
Dada's 'warehousing-picking-delivery' on-demand fulfillment service system
Consumption scenarios keep evolving and diversifying. How to fulfill orders effectively of different types from different scenarios? Retailers are actively discovering solutions in this regard. As a leading on-demand delivery platform in China, Dada Now has been leveraging its digital capabilities to innovate fulfillment solutions for its retail partners.
For instance, its digitized in-store picking service, Dada Picking, has been fully rolled out to all Walmart China's stores nationwide by the end of March.
Pan of LOGResearch also highlighted Dada's 'warehousing-picking-delivery' on-demand fulfillment service system as an exemplary innovation in addressing retailers' need of upgrading on-demand fulfillment performance while embracing the 'micro-distance' e-commerce.
Looking into the future of on-demand fulfillment development, Yang of Dada Group believes there are several industry trends to look at. "The first is all-process integration. Then there is the application of digital tools, for example, the emergence of autonomous delivery service. The third would be flexibility, which means a service can be provided to retailers in a flexible way," said Yang at the forum, from providing solely a service to providing 'service + system', Dada Now is always committed to working with partners to create an open intra-city logistics infrastructure system for the entire industry, and better serving, empowering its retail partners with its proprietary technology know-how.
Retailers in China are embracing the booming on-demand retail market. According to the White Paper, in 2021, the number of on-demand fulfillment delivery orders in China exceeded 30 billion, and the number of users has grown to over 600 million. It is expected that the number of orders will exceed 40 billion in 2022, and the number of users will exceed 750 million.
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SOURCE DADA GROUP | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/27/dada-group-releases-white-paper-discussing-fulfillment-on-demand-retail/ | 2022-05-27T11:38:42Z |
NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InvestorsObserver issues critical PriceWatch Alerts for VERU, CLSK, ML, VZIO, and FCEL.
To see how InvestorsObserver's proprietary scoring system rates these stocks, view the InvestorsObserver's PriceWatch Alert by selecting the corresponding link.
- VERU: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=VERU&prnumber=081120222
- CLSK: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=CLSK&prnumber=081120222
- ML: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=ML&prnumber=081120222
- VZIO: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=VZIO&prnumber=081120222
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SOURCE InvestorsObserver | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/thinking-about-buying-stock-veru-cleanspark-moneylion-vizio-or-fuelcell-energy/ | 2022-08-11T13:57:57Z |
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Patten Properties, a leader in premium recreation and residential property celebrates the 1st Anniversary of the Next Great Acreage Community in Texas, Republic Grand Ranch, Nearly 900 homesites have sold in the first year of this Montgomery County land development, featuring high elevation 2+ acre wooded homesites at pre-development pricing.
Residents of Republic Grand Ranch are enjoying the freedom of living in a community that offers privacy and boundless natural beauty, while just a short drive down a country road to the world class amenities of The Woodlands and Houston.
"There continues to be a high demand for acreage in Texas," says Gary Sumner, Developer of Republic Grand Ranch. "Quality of life is better when you love where you live. And our residents fall in love as soon as they drive in. It's a magical setting."
Republic Grand Ranch has been designed to maximize outdoor living and seclusion, with tree-lined walking and hiking trails, parks and a private 8-acre lake. Yet with modern touches like high-speed fiberoptic internet & underground utilities.
Republic Grand Ranch is celebrating their 1st Anniversary with a 2-Week Land Sale. New homesites will be available, including cul-de-sac and high elevation lots, as well as Manager's Specials, starting Friday, July 15th.
In conjunction with Camp Hope's 10th Anniversary, Republic Grand Ranch will be donating $100 for every property tour during their 1st Anniversary Land Sale to Camp Hope, a place Veterans can find help and healing while enduring the effects of post-traumatic stress.
2 + Acre homesites are available starting at $79,900 with excellent financing available.
Get a sneak peek now by scheduling your viewing online at https://republicgrandranch.com/schedule-a-viewing/. Or call (888) 473-5175 for more information.
ABOUT PATTEN PROPERTIES
Patten Properties and its partners are recognized as being among the industry's foremost authorities on real estate investment and development across the nation. Our culture is founded on integrity and professionalism, which we proudly combine with a commitment to creating value and opportunity in today's exciting real estate environment.
Contact: republicgrand@pattenco.com
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SOURCE Patten Companies | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/13/republic-grand-ranch-hosts-1st-anniversary-sale-celebration-nearly-900-homesites-sold/ | 2022-07-13T15:40:22Z |
Man suspected of burying mom, sister in backyard arrested
LYONS, Ill. (AP) - A man suspected of concealing the deaths of his mother and sister has been arrested on felony charges nearly a year after their bodies were found buried in the backyard of their suburban Chicago house.
Lyons Police Chief Thomas Herion said Thursday that 45-year-old Michael Lelko will be formally charged with two felony counts of concealment of a death. Herion said Lelko also could face federal charges in connection to his alleged cashing of his mother’s Social Security checks for years after she died.
In August, police discovered the bodies of 79-year-old Jean Lelko and 44-year-old Jennifer Lelko. Both bodies had been buried in plastic tubs that had been sealed with duct tape, according to the Associated Press. Police say Lelko told them his mother died in 2015 and his sister died in 2019.
Herion said charges were not filed for several months because the bodies were not positively identified until this year. Autopsies could not determine the cause of death for either woman.
Herion said Michael Lelko’s 41-year-old brother, John Lelko, remains the subject of an investigation, the AP reports. He could face obstruction charges because he initially told police that his mother and sister were alive and living elsewhere, even though he knew they were both dead.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/04/10/man-suspected-burying-mom-sister-backyard-arrested/ | 2022-04-10T05:55:13Z |
Acquisition integrates two nationally recognized, Michigan-based specialty insurance carriers
DETROIT, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AF Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and a nationally-recognized holding company whose affiliated brands provide specialty and workers' compensation insurance solutions across the United States, has entered into a definitive agreement through its subsidiary Accident Fund Insurance Company of America to purchase AmeriTrust Group from Fosun. Headquartered in Southfield, Mich., AmeriTrust offers specialty insurance programs and products including workers' compensation, commercial package and automotive business coverages, and comprehensive product offerings in various industry segments. AmeriTrust is a financially strong company rated "A-" (Excellent) by A.M. Best. The acquisition is expected to be completed after obtaining regulatory approvals.
"With the acquisition of AmeriTrust, AF Group and its subsidiary brands continue to elevate their growth trajectory in the specialty insurance and workers' compensation market, while Blue Cross accelerates our efforts toward greater diversification beyond our traditional core health insurance offerings," said Daniel J. Loepp, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan president and CEO. "Our evolution into a multi-business enterprise with national scale supports our efforts to provide affordable health insurance to our customers and members, by making Blue Cross less reliant on their premiums and administrative fees for our revenue."
BCBSM's diversification efforts are benefiting health insurance members substantially – most recently in the company's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of more than $900 million generated from BCBSM's investment portfolio and non-health lines of business in 2021, Blue Cross was able to absorb $860 million in COVID-19 costs for treatment, testing and vaccine administration without passing those costs through to fully-insured members' and customers' premiums in either 2021 or 2022.
With this acquisition, AF Group welcomes AmeriTrust's proven expertise in the property and casualty space to the Blue Cross enterprise and further enhances its successful specialty and workers' compensation products and its capabilities in other lines of insurance. The investment also reinforces AF Group's increasingly prominent position and reputation in the property and casualty insurance market, which has grown significantly over the last decade. AF Group is recognized for its financial strength as a Ward's 50 company and has earned an "A" (Excellent) rating by A.M. Best.
"This exciting acquisition aligns two world-class organizations toward a common goal of providing exceptional, customer-focused insurance products and services through our valued agents," said Lisa Corless, president and CEO of AF Group. "The reputation and performance of AmeriTrust is proven in the marketplace, and we're excited to welcome their exceptional team to our award-winning organization as we work together toward even greater success."
As private companies, BCBSM and AF Group do not disclose price associated with transactions of this nature. AF Group is using the strong balance sheet of Accident Fund Insurance Company of America to finance this transaction without other financial support provided by BCBSM.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides health benefits to more than 4.6 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies residing outside the state. The company has been committed to delivering affordable health care products through a broad variety of plans for businesses, individuals and seniors for more than 80 years. Beyond health care coverage, BCBSM supports impactful community initiatives and provides leadership in improving health care. For more information, visit bcbsm.com and MiBluesPerspectives.com.
About AF Group
AF Group is a nationally recognized holding company whose affiliated insurance brands are premier providers of innovative, specialty insurance solutions offered through independent agents nationwide. All policies are underwritten by a licensed insurer subsidiary. Accident Fund Insurance Company of America is a division of AF Group. For more information, visit afgroup.com. © AF Group.
About Fosun
Founded in 1992, Fosun is a global innovation-driven consumer group dedicated to providing high-quality products and services for families around the world in Health, Happiness, Wealth and Intelligent Manufacturing segments. In 2007, Fosun International Limited was listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 00656.HK). In 2021, Fosun International's total revenue was RMB161.3 billion and total assets amounted to RMB806.4 billion. Fosun International ranks No.459 on the 2021 Forbes Global 2000 List, with a MSCI ESG rating of AA.
About AmeriTrust Group, Inc.
Founded in 1955, AmeriTrust Group, Inc. is a nationally recognized commercial insurance underwriter and insurance administration services provider in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry. AmeriTrust is comprised of four distribution segments of the insurance marketplace: admitted carrier operations, excess & surplus lines carrier operations, wholesale MGU/MGA and third-party administration operations, and retail insurance agency operations. AmeriTrust offers a broad range of insurance solutions, including specialty products to independent agencies, governmental entities, select industry, trade and professional associations, and affinity partners. Carrier operations include five insurance companies which are licensed on both an admitted and non-admitted basis. For more detail, visit www.ameritrustgroup.com.
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SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/blue-cross-blue-shield-michigan-subsidiary-af-group-announces-acquisition-ameritrust-group/ | 2022-04-12T17:44:35Z |
BANGKOK (AP) — A U.S. coast guard cutter conducting patrols as part of an international mission to prevent illegal fishing was recently unable to get clearance for a scheduled port call in Solomon Islands, an incident that comes amid growing concerns of Chinese influence on the Pacific nation.
The cutter Oliver Henry was taking part in Operation Island Chief monitoring fishing activities in the Pacific, which ended Friday, when it sought to make a scheduled stop at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, to refuel and re-provision, the Coast Guard office in Honolulu said.
There was no response from the Solomon Islands’ government for diplomatic clearance for the vessel to stop there, however, so the Oliver Henry diverted to Papua New Guinea, the Coast Guard said.
When the stop in Solomon Islands had been scheduled wasn’t disclosed, but the Coast Guard said the Oliver Henry had arrived in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on Tuesday “following a patrol in parts of the Coral Sea and the Solomon Islands.”
Britain’s Royal Navy did not comment directly on reports that the HMS Spey, also taking part in Operation Island Chief, was also denied a port call in Solomon Islands.
“Ships’ programs are under constant review, and it is routine practice for them to change,” the Royal Navy said in an emailed statement.
“For reasons of operational security we do not discuss details. The Royal Navy looks forward to visiting the Solomon Islands at a later date.”
During Operation Island Chief, the U.S., Australia, Britain and New Zealand provided support through aerial and surface surveillance for Pacific island nations participating in the operation, including Solomon Islands.
China has been assertively trying to expand its presence and influence in the Pacific, and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare alarmed some neighbors, the U.S. and others after he signed a new security pact with China.
The pact has raised fears of a Chinese naval base being established within 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) of Australia’s northeast coast. A Chinese military presence in the Solomon Islands would put it not only on the doorstep of Australia and New Zealand but also in close proximity to Guam, the U.S. territory that hosts major military bases.
Both the Solomon Islands and China have denied their pact will lead to a Chinese military foothold in the South Pacific.
Sogavare also raised eyebrows earlier in August when he skipped a memorial service marking the anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal, a key battle in World War II in which American and other allied forces wrested control of the islands from Imperial Japan.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, whose father was wounded during the Guadalcanal campaign and who attended the memorial, said Sogavare “missed an important opportunity” by failing to attend.
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn met with Sogavare in the Solomon Islands on Wednesday but it was not clear whether she raised the issue of the Coast Guard’s refused port call.
The Tennessee Republican said in a statement on her website that her visit to the Solomon Islands as well as Fiji and Papua New Guinea “was an important step in showcasing America’s commitment to the region and expanding our strategic relationships.”
The Coast Guard, in the statement from Honolulu, said it respects the sovereignty of its foreign partners and looks forward to future engagement with Solomon Islands.
Coast Guard Lt. Kristin Kam told the Stars and Stripes newspaper that the U.S. State Department had been in touch with the Solomon Islands government following the refusal of the port call and that they “expect all future clearances will be provided to U.S. ships.”
___
Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report. | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-report-us-coast-guard-ship-denied-port-call-in-solomons/ | 2022-08-27T11:15:22Z |
Grizzlies coach: Ja Morant closer to return from sore knee
DENVER (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies would like for All-Star guard Ja Morant to play at least once before the regular season ends. The final decision for his return rests with the team’s medical staff. Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said Thursday night that Morant is doing great with the guard definitely getting close. Jenkins updated Morant’s status before the Grizzlies’ final road game of the regular season at Denver. The Grizzlies’ leading scorer has missed the last eight games after tweaking his right knee against Atlanta on March 18 and already had been declared out against the Nuggets. The Grizzlies conclude the regular season with back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/04/07/grizzlies-coach-ja-morant-closer-to-return-from-sore-knee/ | 2022-04-08T02:41:11Z |
DALLAS, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanoscope Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene therapies to treat retinal degenerative diseases, today announced that CEO and Co-Founder Sulagna Bhattacharya has been named a winner of Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Central Plains Award.
Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed. An independent panel of judges selected Ms. Bhattacharya based on her entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
"I am honored to be named a winner in this competition by such a prestigious business organization alongside this dynamic group of business leaders making a difference in their respective fields," said Ms. Bhattacharya. "This distinction is truly a win for the team at Nanoscope and reflects the passion and ingenuity we bring to work every day. It also underscores the tremendous progress we are making in the clinic advancing our groundbreaking platform of optogenetic therapies to restore blindness in people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa and other retinal diseases."
Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. As a Central Plains award winner, Ms. Bhattacharya will now be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 National Awards.
For over 35 years, EY US has celebrated the unstoppable entrepreneurs who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all. Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners have exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other members of the entrepreneurial community in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.
About Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc.
Nanoscope Therapeutics is developing gene-agnostic, sight restoring optogenetic therapies for the millions of patients blinded by retinal degenerative diseases, for which no cure exists. The Company's lead asset, MCO-010, is presently in Phase 2b multicenter, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled clinical trials in the U.S. for retinitis pigmentosa (NCT04945772) with top line data expected Q1, 2023. The company has also initiated a Phase 2 trial of MCO-010 therapy in Stargardt patients. MCO-010 has received FDA orphan drug designations for RP and Stargardt. Preclinical assets include non-viral laser delivered MCO-020 gene therapy for geographic atrophy.
Investor Contact:
Argot Partners
212-600-1902
Nanoscope@argotpartners.com
Contact:
Dan Eramian
Opus Biotech Communications
pr@nanostherapeutics.com
425-306-8716
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SOURCE Nanoscope Therapeutics | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/nanoscope-therapeutics-ceo-sulagna-bhattacharya-named-winner-ey-entrepreneur-year-2022-central-plains-award/ | 2022-06-27T11:33:50Z |
Published: Aug. 8, 2022 at 3:05 PM CDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
- Outstanding Business Volume of $24.5 Billion -
WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac; NYSE: AGM and AGM.A), the nation's secondary market provider that increases the availability and affordability of credit for the benefit of rural America, today announced its results for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 Highlights
Added $1.9 billion of gross business volume, resulting in net growth of $236.0 million
Net interest income grew $14.3 million year-over-year to $69.4 million
Net effective spread1 increased 8% from the prior-year period to $60.9 million
Net income attributable to common stockholders of $39.1 million compared to $25.4 million in second quarter 2021
Core earnings1 grew 3% year-over-year to $30.7 million, or $2.83 per diluted common share
90-day delinquencies were 0.08% across the entire $24.5 billion portfolio as of June 30, 2022
"Farmer Mac delivered another quarter of strong results, generating record core earnings and demonstrating the consistency of our fundamental business model as we continue to successfully execute against our multi-year growth plan," said President & Chief Executive Officer, Brad Nordholm. "These results are again noteworthy given the current economic and market backdrop, where inflationary pressures have created heightened uncertainty across credit markets and high volatility across a broad range of prices, including key agricultural commodities. Our continued strong credit quality, solid capital position, and growing execution capability has enabled Farmer Mac to consistently deliver on our mission to bring even greater efficiencies, and lower costs, in providing financing to lenders for the benefit of their farm and ranch, agribusiness, and rural infrastructure customers. We remain confident in our ability to navigate the current environment and make the necessary investments in our infrastructure to pursue strategic growth opportunities."
_______________ 1 Non-GAAP Measure
Second Quarter 2022 Results
Spreads
Net interest income for second quarter 2022 was $69.4 million, a $14.3 million increase compared to $55.1 million in the prior-year period, primarily due to a $7.8 million increase in the fair value of designated financial derivatives, a $4.3 million increase from net new business volume, and a $2.5 million decrease in funding costs. Net interest yield was 1.09% in second quarter 2022 compared to 0.94% in the prior-year period.
Net effective spread, a non-GAAP measure, for second quarter 2022 was $60.9 million, a $4.4 million increase from $56.6 million in the prior-year period. The $4.4 million year-over-year increase in net effective spread was primarily due to a $4.8 million increase from net new business volume, a $0.9 million increase in net coupon yields related to the acquisition of loan servicing rights, and a $0.4 million increase in cash-basis interest income. These factors were partially offset by a $1.4 million increase in non-GAAP funding costs. In percentage terms, net effective spread was 0.99% in second quarter 2022, compared to 1.01% in the prior-year period.
Earnings
Farmer Mac's net income attributable to common stockholders for second quarter 2022 was $39.1 million ($3.60 per diluted common share), compared to $25.4 million ($2.35 per diluted common share) in the prior-year period. The $13.7 million year-over-year increase in net income attributable to common stockholders was due to a $11.3 million after-tax increase in net interest income, a $5.1 million after-tax increase in the fair value of undesignated financial derivatives, and an increase in our release of credit losses of $0.4 million after tax. These factors were partially offset by a $2.5 million after-tax increase in operating expenses and a $0.9 million increase in preferred stock dividends.
Farmer Mac enters into financial derivatives transactions to hedge interest rate risks inherent in its business and carries its financial derivatives at fair value in its consolidated financial statements. The fair value fluctuations of these financial derivatives are not expected to have a cumulative net impact on Farmer Mac's financial condition or results of operations reported with GAAP if the derivatives are held to maturity, as is expected. Therefore, Farmer Mac uses core earnings, a non-GAAP measure that excludes the effects of fair value fluctuations, as a useful alternative measure to understand the business.
Farmer Mac's core earnings for second quarter 2022 were $30.7 million ($2.83 per diluted common share), compared to $30.0 million ($2.77 per diluted common share) in second quarter 2021. The $0.8 million year-over-year increase in core earnings was due to a $3.5 million after-tax increase in net effective spread and an increase in our release of credit losses of $0.4 million after tax. These factors were partially offset by a $2.5 million after-tax increase in operating expenses and a $0.9 million increase in preferred stock dividends.
Business Volume
Farmer Mac's outstanding business volume was $24.5 billion as of June 30, 2022, a net increase of $0.2 billion from March 31, 2022 after taking into account all new business, maturities, sales, and paydowns on existing assets. The net increase was primarily attributable to net increases of $193.0 million in the Rural Infrastructure Finance line of business and $43.0 million in the Agricultural Finance line of business.
The $16.4 million net increase in Farm & Ranch during second quarter 2022 resulted from $1.4 billion of new purchases, commitments, and guarantees, mostly offset by $1.4 billion of scheduled maturities and repayments. Farmer Mac purchased a total of $432.6 million in loans, which was primarily driven by improved borrower economics as well as a competitive, albeit an increasing interest rate environment resulting in demand for intermediate and long-term financing solutions. The $432.6 million in gross Farm & Ranch loan purchases was partially offset by $153.8 million in scheduled maturities and repayments.
Farmer Mac also purchased a total of $0.8 billion in Farm & Ranch AgVantage Securities during second quarter 2022, which primarily reflected the refinancing of maturing securities as well as financial counterparties seeking to add longer term AgVantage securities to manage their asset-liability maturity profile given recent increases in credit spreads and interest rates. The $0.8 billion in gross purchases was more than offset by $1.0 billion in scheduled maturities. Approximately $0.3 billion of the total $0.8 billion in gross purchases reflected purchases that refinanced maturing AgVantage securities and were issued at short-term tenors, which may create some volatility in AgVantage volumes throughout the year.
The $26.6 million net increase in Corporate AgFinance during second quarter 2022 resulted from $107.9 million of new loan purchases, which was offset by $81.4 million of scheduled maturities, repayments, and sales. Farmer Mac purchased a total of $85.4 million in loans, which was offset by $44.3 million in scheduled maturities, repayments, and sales. This net increase in loans was primarily due to Farmer Mac's continued focus to support loans to larger and more complex agribusinesses focused on food and fiber processing, and other supply chain production.
The $165.6 million net increase in Rural Utilities during second quarter 2022 resulted from $326.9 million of new purchases, commitments, and guarantees, which was partially offset by $161.3 million of scheduled maturities and repayments. Farmer Mac purchased a total of $196.5 million in Rural Utilities loans; electric distribution and generation and transmission comprised $161.5 million and telecommunication comprised $35.0 million, which was fueled by a competitive but increasing interest rate environment resulting in demand for long-term financing solutions for planned maintenance and capital expenditures. The $196.5 million in loan purchases was partially offset by $24.4 million in scheduled maturities and repayments.
The $27.4 million net increase in Renewable Energy during second quarter 2022 primarily reflects $35.3 million in loan purchases, partially offset by $7.9 million in repayments.
Credit
As of June 30, 2022, the total allowance for losses was $14.8 million, compared to $16.3 million as of March 31, 2022. The $1.5 million release from the total allowance for losses in second quarter 2022 was comprised of a $1.2 million release from the Rural Infrastructure Finance portfolio and a $0.3 million release from the allowance for the Agricultural Finance portfolio. The $1.2 million release from the allowance for the Rural Infrastructure portfolio was primarily attributable to updated credit loss model forecast assumptions and improvements in risk ratings. The $0.3 million release from the allowance for the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio was primarily due to a risk rating upgrade on an AgVantage counterparty.
As of June 30, 2022, Farmer Mac's 90-day delinquencies were $20.6 million (0.20% of the Agricultural Finance Mortgage Loan portfolio), compared to $63.1 million (0.70% of the Agricultural Finance Mortgage Loan portfolio) as of June 30, 2021. Across all of Farmer Mac's lines of business, 90-day delinquencies represented 0.08% of total outstanding business volume as of June 30, 2022, compared to 0.28% as of June 30, 2021.
Capital
As of June 30, 2022, Farmer Mac's core capital level was $1.3 billion, $506.3 million above the minimum capital level required by the company's statutory charter. Farmer Mac's Tier 1 capital ratio was 14.7% as of June 30, 2022.
Earnings Conference Call Information
The conference call to discuss Farmer Mac's second quarter 2022 financial results will be held beginning at 4:30 p.m. eastern time on Monday, August 8, 2022, and can be accessed by telephone or live webcast as follows:
When dialing in to the call, please ask for the "Farmer Mac Earnings Conference Call." The call can be heard live and will also be available for replay on Farmer Mac's website for two weeks following the conclusion of the call.
More complete information about Farmer Mac's performance for second quarter 2022 is in Farmer Mac's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 filed today with the SEC.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
In the accompanying analysis of its financial information, Farmer Mac uses the following non-GAAP measures: "core earnings," "core earnings per share," and "net effective spread." Farmer Mac uses these non-GAAP measures to measure corporate economic performance and develop financial plans because, in management's view, they are useful alternative measures in understanding Farmer Mac's economic performance, transaction economics, and business trends. The non-GAAP financial measures that Farmer Mac uses may not be comparable to similarly labeled non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by other companies. Farmer Mac's disclosure of these non-GAAP measures is intended to be supplemental in nature and is not meant to be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or as more important than, the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP.
Core earnings and core earnings per share principally differ from net income attributable to common stockholders and earnings per common share, respectively, by excluding the effects of fair value fluctuations. These fluctuations are not expected to have a cumulative net impact on Farmer Mac's financial condition or results of operations reported in accordance with GAAP if the related financial instruments are held to maturity, as is expected.
Core earnings and core earnings per share also differ from net income attributable to common stockholders and earnings per common share, respectively, by excluding specified infrequent or unusual transactions that Farmer Mac believes are not indicative of future operating results and that may not reflect the trends and economic financial performance of Farmer Mac's core business. For example, we have excluded from core earnings losses on retirement of preferred stock and the re-measurement of the deferred tax asset.
Farmer Mac uses net effective spread to measure the net spread Farmer Mac earns between its interest-earning assets and the related net funding costs of these assets. Net effective spread differs from net interest income and net interest yield because it excludes: (1) the amortization of premiums and discounts on assets consolidated at fair value that are amortized as adjustments to yield in interest income over the contractual or estimated remaining lives of the underlying assets; (2) interest income and interest expense related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties, which are presented on Farmer Mac's consolidated balance sheets as "Loans held for investment in consolidated trusts, at amortized cost"; and (3) the fair value changes of financial derivatives and the corresponding assets or liabilities designated in a fair value hedge accounting relationship.
Net effective spread also principally differs from net interest income and net interest yield because it includes: (1) the accrual of income and expense related to the contractual amounts due on financial derivatives that are not designated in hedge accounting relationships ("undesignated financial derivatives"); and (2) the net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives. More information about Farmer Mac's use of non-GAAP measures is available in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations" in Farmer Mac's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed February 28, 2022 with the SEC.
For a reconciliation of Farmer Mac's net income attributable to common stockholders to core earnings and of earnings per common share to core earnings per share, and net interest income and net interest yield to net effective spread, see "Reconciliations" below.
Forward-Looking Statements
Management's expectations for Farmer Mac's future necessarily involve assumptions and estimates and the evaluation of risks and uncertainties. Various factors or events, both known and unknown, could cause Farmer Mac's actual results to differ materially from the expectations as expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this release, including uncertainties about:
the availability to Farmer Mac of debt and equity financing and, if available, the reasonableness of rates and terms;
legislative or regulatory developments that could affect Farmer Mac, its sources of business, or agricultural or rural infrastructure industries;
fluctuations in the fair value of assets held by Farmer Mac and its subsidiaries;
the level of lender interest in Farmer Mac's products and the secondary market provided by Farmer Mac;
the general rate of growth in agricultural mortgage and rural utilities indebtedness;
the effect of economic conditions and geopolitics on agricultural mortgage or rural utilities lending, borrower repayment capacity, or collateral values, including fluctuations in interest rates, changes in U.S. trade policies, fluctuations in export demand for U.S. agricultural products, supply chain disruptions, increases in input costs, labor availability, volatility in commodity prices, and the effects of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine;
the degree to which Farmer Mac is exposed to interest rate risk resulting from fluctuations in Farmer Mac's borrowing costs relative to market indexes;
developments in the financial markets, including possible investor, analyst, and rating agency reactions to events involving government-sponsored enterprises, including Farmer Mac;
the effects of the Federal Reserve's efforts to achieve monetary policy normalization and slow inflation;
other factors that could hinder agricultural mortgage lending or borrower repayment capacity, including the effects of severe weather and drought, climate change, or fluctuations in agricultural real estate values; and
the duration, mitigation efforts, spread, severity, and social and economic disruption of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the business operations of agricultural and rural borrowers, the capital markets, and Farmer Mac's business operations.
Other risk factors are discussed in "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A in Farmer Mac's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as filed with the SEC on February 28, 2022. Considering these potential risks and uncertainties, no undue reliance should be placed on any forward-looking statements expressed in this release. The forward-looking statements contained in this release represent management's expectations as of the date of this release. Farmer Mac undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of revisions to any forward-looking statements included in this release to reflect new information or any future events or circumstances, except as otherwise required by applicable law. The information in this release is not necessarily indicative of future results.
About Farmer Mac
Farmer Mac is a vital part of the agricultural credit markets and was created to increase access to and reduce the cost of credit for the benefit of American agricultural and rural communities. As the nation's secondary market for agricultural credit, we provide financial solutions to a broad spectrum of the agricultural community, including agricultural lenders, agribusinesses, and other institutions that can benefit from access to flexible, low-cost financing and risk management tools. Farmer Mac's customers benefit from our low cost of funds, low overhead costs, and high operational efficiency. More information about Farmer Mac (including the Annual Report on Form 10-K referenced above) is available on Farmer Mac's website at www.farmermac.com.
* * * *
Reconciliations
Reconciliations of Farmer Mac's net income attributable to common stockholders to core earnings and core earnings per share are presented in the following tables along with information about the composition of core earnings for the periods indicated:
The following table presents a reconciliation of net interest income and net yield to net effective spread for the periods indicated:
The following table presents core earnings for Farmer Mac's reportable operating segments and a reconciliation to consolidated net income for the three months ended June 30, 2022:
Supplemental Information
The following table sets forth information about outstanding volume in each of Farmer Mac's lines of business as of the dates indicated:
The following table presents the quarterly net effective spread (a non-GAAP measure) by segment:
The following table presents quarterly core earnings reconciled to net income attributable to common stockholders:
The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/08/farmer-mac-reports-second-quarter-2022-results/ | 2022-08-08T21:44:26Z |
One killed in semi-truck crash in Atoka County
Published: May. 27, 2022 at 10:29 AM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
ATOKA COUNTY, Okla. (KXII) - A woman is dead after a crash with a semi- truck in Atoka County Wednesday night.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said it happened on OK-43 near Stringtown at 10:31 p.m.
Troopers said 81-year-old Mary F Roebuck, of Coalgate, was pronounced dead at the scene by the medical examiner.
The driver of the semi-truck, Amir- Jamal Walton Bufkin was not injured.
Troopers said it was raining at the time of the crash, and both of the drivers were wearing their seatbelts.
No other information has been made available.
Troopers said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Copyright 2022 KXII. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/05/27/one-killed-semi-truck-crash-atoka-county/ | 2022-05-27T16:42:10Z |
Maria Maccecchini, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO, will be participating on a panel discussing the Systems Biology of Alzheimer's Disease moderated by Jeffrey Cummings, MD, ScD, and Krista Lanctôt, Ph.D.
BERWYN, Pa., July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE: ANVS) ("Annovis" or the "Company"), a late-stage clinical drug platform company addressing neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that Maria Maccecchini, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO, will be participating on the Systems Biology of Alzheimer's Disease Panel at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference ("AAIC"). The panel will focus on the need and underpinning rationale for advancing novel therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer's disease. The four companies will present their novel approaches as well as outlook on developments impacting clinical trials and patients.
This panel is aligned with AAIC's "Part the Cloud" program, which strives to promote and fund novel research with the highest probability of slowing, stopping or ultimately curing Alzheimer's disease.
The panel is scheduled to take place on August 4th, 2022, at 8-9:15 AM Pacific Time / 11 AM - 12:15 PM Eastern Time. Interested parties may access a live panel discussion through the AAIC 2022 conference site and archived webcast of the presentation on the Company's investor relations website at: www.annovisbio.com.
Details of the panel are as follows:
Panel Moderators:
- Jeffrey Cummings, MD, ScD, Director of the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University; and Principal Investigator/Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences-funded Center for Neurodegeneration and Translational Neuroscience
- Krista Lanctôt, Ph.D., Senior Scientist and Director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Research Group at Sunnybrook Research Institute
Participants:
- Raymond J. Tesi, MD, President, CEO, and acting CMO of INmune Bio
- Hans Moebius, MD, Ph.D., CMO of Athira Pharma
- John Didsbury, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO of T3D Therapeutics
- Maria Maccecchini, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO of Annovis Bio
About Buntanetap
Buntanetap (previously known as ANVS401 or Posiphen) is an oral translational inhibitor of neurotoxic aggregating proteins (TINAPs), which mode of action leads to lower levels of neurotoxic proteins and consequently less toxicity in the brain. In a Phase 2a clinical trial in AD and PD patients, treatment with buntanetap resulted in statistically significant improvement in motor function in PD patients and cognition in AD patients. Additionally, buntanetap was shown to reduce biomarkers associated with AD or PD, it was well-tolerated and safe, and its pharmacokinetics were found to be in line with levels measured earlier in humans, meeting primary, secondary and exploratory endpoints.
About Annovis Bio, Inc.
Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. is a late-stage clinical drug platform company developing transformative therapies that treat neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and other chronic and acute neurodegenerative diseases. The Company believes that it is the only company developing a drug that inhibits more than one neurotoxic protein, improves the information highway of the nerve cell, known as axonal transport, reduces inflammation and protects nerve cells from dying in chronic and acute neurodegeneration. Annovis conducted two Phase 2 studies: one in AD patients and one in both AD and PD patients. In the AD/PD study, buntanetap showed improvements in cognition and memory in AD as well as body and brain function in PD patients.
For more information on Annovis Bio, please visit the Company's website www.annovisbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release contain "forward-looking statements" that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "will," "may," "should," "estimate," "project," "outlook," "forecast" or other similar words, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the timing, effectiveness, and anticipated results of buntanetap clinical trials. Forward-looking statements are based on Annovis Bio, Inc.'s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled "Risk Factors" in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Annovis Bio, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.
Media and Investor Contact:
Nic Johnson
Russo Partners, LLC
(303) 482-6405
nic.johnson@russopartnersllc.com
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SOURCE Annovis Bio | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/14/annovis-bio-present-alzheimers-association-international-conference/ | 2022-07-14T13:01:54Z |
Event to be webcast online at: http://investors.sunpower.com/events.cfm
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ:SPWR) will discuss its second quarter 2022 financial results on Tuesday, August 2 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The conference call can be accessed live by registering at https://register.vevent.com/register/BI8045a492c8dd47d6be8faf25537fcfbd.
The results are scheduled to be released at 8:05 a.m. ET. The live audio webcast and supplemental financial information will be available on SunPower's investor website at http://investors.sunpower.com/events.cfm.
About SunPower
SunPower is a leading solar and energy services provider in North America. SunPower offers the only solar + storage solution designed and warranted by one company that gives customers control over electricity consumption and resiliency during power outages while providing cost savings. For more information, visit www.sunpower.com.
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SOURCE SunPower Corp. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/11/sunpower-announce-second-quarter-2022-results-august-2-2022/ | 2022-07-11T21:31:21Z |
Almost 400 gallons of paint and primer will be used to spruce up the iconic landmark
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sherwin-Williams and The Hollywood Sign Trust are partnering to give Hollywood's biggest celebrity, the Hollywood Sign, a makeover to celebrate its 100th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2023. Beginning September 19, a crew of 10 workers will prep, pressure wash, prime and paint the 45-foot-high sign. The Sign was last refurbished in 2012 by Sherwin-Williams and the Trust when the cultural and historic landmark celebrated its 90th anniversary.
The Hollywood Sign initially read as "Hollywoodland" and served as an outdoor advertisement for an upscale real estate development. In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce shortened the Sign to the nine-lettered "HOLLYWOOD" we see today. The internationally known symbol of the entertainment industry has been repaired and refurbished over the years and even completely rebuilt in 1978.
Sherwin-Williams will help usher the Hollywood Sign into its next century with High Reflective White SW 7757 in Emerald® Exterior premium paint. Emerald® Exterior offers stunning results that stand the test of time in fewer coats with resistance to blistering, peeling, fading and dirt pickup. The product also has a mildew-resistant coating and meets the most stringent VOC regulations.
Los Angeles-based commercial painting company Duggan and Associates is handling the task of prepping and painting the Sign to shine once again. As each letter is 45 feet high and 31 to 39 feet across, the project will take approximately eight weeks, with equipment setup beginning on September 19, painting preparation between September 26 and September 30, and priming and painting beginning October 3. The project is scheduled to end by November 1.
"The Sign is the pride of Los Angeles and we are excited for fans all around the world to see this makeover for a very special 100th anniversary," said Jeff Zarrinnam, chair, Hollywood Sign Trust. "The opportunity to partner again with Sherwin-Williams on this extensive project will help continue the legacy of the Sign, a symbol of a place where magic is possible and where dreams can come true."
For more information on Sherwin-Williams, visit www.Sherwin-Williams.com. The entire painting project can be seen on the Hollywood Sign's webcams at www.hollywoodsign.org/webcam.
For more than 155 years, Sherwin-Williams has been an industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings. As the nation's largest specialty retailer of paint and painting supplies, Sherwin-Williams is dedicated to supporting both do-it-yourselfers and painting professionals with exceptional and exclusive products, resources to make confident color selections and expert, personalized service at its more than 4,300 neighborhood stores across North America. For more information, visit sherwin-williams.com. Join Sherwin-Williams on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn.
The Hollywood Sign Trust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit trust formed on October 7, 1978, with the express purposes of repairing, maintaining, refurbishing, and providing capital improvements to the Hollywood Sign or related thereto for the benefit of the public at large and so as to help preserve and maintain the image of Hollywood as the Worldwide Center of Motion Pictures and Cinema Arts; and shall be operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes. The Trust is also the official source for news and information about the Hollywood Sign and maintains the Hollywood Sign website www.HollywoodSign.org and its social media platforms.
Contact:
Sherwin-Williams
sherwin-williams@clynch.com
Hollywood Sign Trust
Betsy Isroelit
betsyisroelit@gmail.com
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SOURCE Sherwin-Williams | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/sherwin-williams-hollywood-sign-trust-give-tinseltowns-marquee-celebrity-centennial-makeover/ | 2022-09-15T18:17:36Z |
GoFundMe raises funds for funeral, children of victim of rain-slickened I-135 crash
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A Gofundme has been created to pay for the funeral of the victim of the fatal crash along rain-slickened I-135, as well as trusts for his two young children.
Family and friends of Damian Conner, of Whitewater, the victim of a fatal crash along rain-slickened I-135 in Wichita, say he was on his way to celebrate his birthday with them when the accident occurred. He leaves behind his partner and two children, ages 2 years and 2 months.
A skilled craftsman, and passionate for his young family, friends said he was just beginning his journey. And now that his young family has been left without a father, they said they created a GoFundMe to help pay for expenses of the funeral and their immeasurable day-to-day needs.
Levi Hobart, the organizer of the GoFundMe, said the funds raised will be used to pay for the funeral and start a trust for the children in Conner’s name.
Just before noon on Saturday, Sept. 10, crews were called to the area of I-135 and 53rd St. when Conner rear-ended a semi-truck as he was traveling at highway speeds on the rain-slickened road and approached stopped traffic.
To access the GoFundMe, click HERE.
Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/09/13/gofundme-raises-funds-funeral-children-fatal-rain-slickened-i-135-crash/ | 2022-09-13T13:53:37Z |
All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated
VANCOUVER, BC, May 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Maverix Metals Inc. ("Maverix" or the "Company") (NYSE American: MMX) & (TSX: MMX) is pleased to announce operating and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022.
- Revenue of $14.7 million;
- Gold equivalent ounces ("GEOs") sold of 7,7381;
- Cash flow from operating activities of $8.0 million;
- Cash flow from operating activities, excluding changes in non-cash working capital, of $10.5 million1;
- Average cash cost per GEO of $190, resulting in a cash operating margin of 90% or $1,704 per ounce1;
- Net income of $3.5 million, or $0.02 per share;
- Adjusted net income of $5.7 million1, or $0.04 per share; and
- Acquired a package of three gold royalties on Nevada properties owned by Gold Standard Ventures Corp. ("Gold Standard").
Dan O'Flaherty, CEO of Maverix, commented, "Maverix had a productive start to 2022 with the acquisition of a strategic package of three gold royalties in Nevada. We are also excited about the continued organic growth within our portfolio as several of our royalty counterparties announced positive operational updates, including the Camino Rojo mine achieving commercial production shortly after the quarter ended. Consistent with our strategy for growth and value creation, we remain focused on evaluating new opportunities to add to and complement our robust organic growth."
Summary of Quarterly Results
For complete details please refer to the unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements and associated Management Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2022, available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), EDGAR (www.sec.gov) or on Maverix's website (www.maverixmetals.com).
To listen to Maverix's President, Ryan McIntyre, discuss the first quarter results please use this link: MMX Q1 2022 Results
Maverix is on track to achieve its previously announced guidance of 32,000 to 35,000 attributable GEOs1 for 2022 at approximately a 90% cash margin with approximately 99% of expected revenue derived from gold and silver. Similar to 2021, the Company expects attributable GEOs to increase in the second half of the fiscal year.
Orla Mining Ltd. ("Orla") declared commercial production at its Camino Rojo oxide mine effective April 1, 2022, after a successful commissioning period which included the ramp up of mining and processing to sustained throughput levels. All major construction activities have now been completed and Camino Rojo has demonstrated its ability to sustain ongoing production levels. Record monthly processing throughput was achieved at Camino Rojo in March 2022. The average daily stacking throughput for the month was 17,444 tonnes per day ("tpd") or 97% of nameplate capacity of 18,000 tpd. Achieving nameplate capacity is expected during the second quarter of 2022. Orla will continue to seek opportunities to improve and optimize the throughput and availabilities to achieve and ultimately exceed design nameplate capacities.
For more information, please refer to orlamining.com and see the news releases dated April 6, 2022 and March 31, 2022.
On April 7, 2022, Karora Resources Inc. ("Karora") announced an updated consolidated gold mineral resource highlighted by the maiden gold resource for the Larkin Zone at the Beta Hunt mine. Beta Hunt gold measured and indicated mineral resources increased by 7% to 1.12 million ounces and the gold inferred mineral resource increased by 46% to 786,000 ounces. Significant Beta Hunt additions include the maiden Larkin Zone mineral resource comprising gold measured and indicated resources of 1.44 million tonnes at 2.6 grams per tonne ("g/t") for 119,000 ounces and a gold inferred resource of 2.17 million tonnes at 2.3 g/t for 162,000 ounces. The Larkin Zone has been delineated to a strike length of over 1,000 metres and a depth of 150 metres and remains open along strike and at depth providing significant potential for further expansion as the drill program at Beta Hunt continues. Targeted drilling at Beta Hunt continues to grow the gold mineral resource inventory in support of Karora's growth plan which is underpinned by an expansion to 2.0 million tonnes per annum production from Beta Hunt by 2024.
For more information, please refer to karoraresources.com and see the news release dated April 7, 2022.
On April 22, 2022, Navarre Minerals Limited ("Navarre") announced high-grade gold, silver and copper drilling intercepts at its Mt Carlton United deposit ("MCU"), part of the recently acquired Mt Carlton Operation ("Mt Carlton"). With drill intercepts of up to 22.9 g/t gold, 1,327 g/t silver and 4.2% copper, the results confirm the outstanding grade and continuity of the mineral inventory at MCU, approximately four kilometres southwest of the Mt Carlton processing facility. While drilling continues in 2022 as part of an ongoing exploration program, Navarre anticipates the drilling results released to date will be incorporated into an updated resource estimate for MCU which is expected to be published in September 2022, along with updated mineral resources for other Mt Carlton deposits such as V2, Telstra Hill and Crush Creek.
For more information, please refer to navarre.com.au and see the news release dated April 22, 2022.
On April 25, 2022 Polymetal International plc ("Polymetal") announced it continues to operate safely and profitably and is fully focused on ensuring business continuity and long-term viability. Polymetal also reconfirmed its fiscal 2022 production guidance. Sanctions announced in the period between March 9, 2022 and April 25, 2022 did not have a material impact on the business of Polymetal and it complies rigorously with all relevant legislation and is implementing comprehensive measures to observe all applicable international sanctions. The scope and impact of any new potential sanctions (and any countersanctions) are yet unknown, however they might further affect key Russian financial institutions as well as mining companies, including Polymetal. Maverix understands that contingency planning has been initiated by Polymetal proactively to maintain business continuity in the event of adverse developments, but no assurances can be made in this regard. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine and any restrictive actions that have or may be taken in response thereto, such as sanctions, export and or currency controls, could have negative impacts on Polymetal's ability to continue operation of the Omolon hub and Polymetal's ability to make payments to the Company.
For more information, please refer to polymetalinternational.com and see the news releases dated April 25, 2022 and March 30, 2022.
On March 11, 2022, Endeavour Mining plc ("Endeavour") announced that it had closed the sale of its 90% interest in its Karma mine to Néré Mining. A key consideration of the sales process was the selection of a party that will maintain Endeavour's trusted partnerships in Burkina Faso, by committing to operate the mine in the best interests of employees and stakeholders. Néré Mining is a Burkina Faso based consortium led by a board member of both Karma and a subsidiary of Endeavour that holds the mining license for the Endeavour Group's Mana mine.
For more information, please refer to endeavourmining.com and see the news release dated March 11, 2022.
On February 28, 2022, Centerra Gold Inc. ("Centerra") announced it completed the acquisition of the Goldfield District project ("Goldfield") for $206.5 million. Goldfield is a conventional open-pit, heap leach project located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Goldfield is comprised of three known deposits including the Gemfield, Goldfield Main, and McMahon deposits. The Gemfield deposit is fully permitted and shovel ready and was identified by Centerra as the first pit for potential development. In 2019, Waterton Global Resource Management, Inc. announced it was completing a feasibility study for the project with project average annual production in excess of 125,000 ounces of gold. Centerra expects to release an updated resource estimate in the first half of 2023 and an updated feasibility study thereafter.
For more information, please refer to centerragold.com and see the news releases dated February 28, 2022 and February 22, 2022.
On February 14, 2022, Montage Gold Corp. ("Montage") announced the results of a definitive feasibility study ("DFS") for the Koné gold project in Côte d'Ivoire including an after-tax net present value of $746 million and an internal rate of return of 35% at a $1,600 per ounce gold price. The DFS outlined a 14.8 year mine life with average annual gold production of 257,000 ounces in the first nine years and an average of 207,000 ounces over its mine life. The permitting process at Koné is well underway with all requisite approvals expected in the third quarter of 2022 and an advisor has been appointed to assist Montage in the raising of project finance for the development of the project.
For more information, please refer to montagegoldcorp.com and see the news releases dated March 9, 2022 and February 14, 2022.
On February 22, 2022, Bluestone Resources Inc. ("Bluestone") announced the results of a feasibility study on its flagship Cerro Blanco project in Guatemala. The feasibility study outlined a robust, high-grade operation with average annual production of 241,000 ounces of gold over the first 10 years of operation and an initial mine life of 14 years with additional opportunities to extend the mine life given the extensive exploration potential of the land package. Bluestone recently submitted the environmental permit amendment application for the change in mining method and based on current estimates Bluestone believes it will be possible to receive approval of the permit amendment in Q3 2022, followed by a construction license and a forestry license.
For more information, please refer to bluestoneresources.ca and see the news release dated February 22, 2022.
On February 23, 2022, Gold Standard announced the results of a robust feasibility study on its South Railroad project in Elko, Nevada. The feasibility study outlines a 10.5 year mine life with total gold production of over one million ounces and average gold production of 152,000 ounces over the first four years. Gold Standard intends to launch the construction financing process this quarter and anticipates concluding it before the end of the year. Construction of the South Railroad project could commence as early as the second quarter of 2023, with first gold production in the third quarter of 2024.
For more information, please refer to goldstandardv.com and see the news release dated February 23, 2022.
On April 21, 2022, Integra Resources Corp. announced a simplified strategy to advance the heap leach stage of the project into permitting and development on a standalone basis. Permitting work at DeLamar has been initiated and baseline study work is well underway to support the submittal of a Plan of Operations in H1 2023. Advancing the DeLamar gold-silver project towards permitting and development of the heap leach stage as a standalone mining operation is a lower cost, lower risk option, creating strong economic returns and rapid payback. Non-oxide milling expansion will continue to be optimized through further study work and could be pursued under the right market conditions.
For more information, please refer to integraresources.com and see the news release dated April 21, 2022.
On April 28, 2022, Coeur Mining, Inc. ("Coeur") announced a new discovery at the Silvertip mine that indicates significant potential to grow the mineral resources of the mine immediately west of existing infrastructure. Surface and underground drilling led to the discovery of a new high-grade chimney west of the Camp Creek resource located at a shallower depth, called Camp Creek West. The first full drill holes into the zone returned the highest grade-thickness assays at Silvertip to date. For the remainder of 2022, Coeur expects to continue infill drilling in the Southern Silver and Central zones from underground. An additional surface core rig is expected to be added following the snow melt to perform expansion drilling at Camp Creek West.
For more information, please refer to coeur.com and see the news release dated April 28, 2022.
On March 7, 2022, i-80 Gold Corp. announced that the underground, advanced-exploration, program at the McCoy-Cove project had commenced. Construction of the decline is now underway and the Phase 1 program will include construction of an initial level with multiple drill bays to provide access for upgrading resources. Approximately 40,000 metres of underground definition and expansion drilling is anticipated to commence in H2 2022 followed by a feasibility study anticipated to be completed in 2023. The Cove deposit represents one of North America's highest grade gold deposits with grades in excess of 10 g/t gold. The deposit remains open for expansion down-dip.
For more information, please refer to i80gold.com and see the news release dated March 7, 2022.
The Company is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has approved the payment of the quarterly cash dividend of $0.0125 per common share. The dividend will be paid on or about June 15, 2022, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 31, 2022.
The dividend is designated as an "eligible dividend" for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada). Dividends paid by Maverix to shareholders outside Canada (non-resident investors) will be subject to Canadian non-resident withholding taxes. The declaration, timing, amount and payment of future dividends remains at the discretion of Maverix's Board of Directors.
Further to the Company's development of environmental, social and governance initiatives, as overseen by the Company's Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee, and to foster sound corporate social responsibility in its operations, the Company recently made a donation to the Canadian Red Cross.
Brendan Pidcock, P.Eng., is Vice President, Technical Services for Maverix, and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release.
Maverix is a gold-focused royalty and streaming company with a globally diversified portfolio of over 120 assets. Maverix's mission is to increase per share value by acquiring precious metals royalties and streams. Its shares trade on both the NYSE American and the TSX under the symbol "MMX".
For further information, please visit our website at www.maverixmetals.com.
Information contained or referenced in this press release or in the documents referenced herein concerning the properties, technical information and operations of Maverix has been prepared in accordance with requirements and standards under Canadian securities laws, which differ from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K ("S-K 1300"). The terms "mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" used in this press release or in the documents incorporated by reference herein are mining terms as defined in accordance with NI 43-101 under guidelines set out in the Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves adopted by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Council. While the terms are substantially similar to the same terms defined under S-K 1300 there are differences in the definitions. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral resources that the Company may report under NI 43-101 will be the same as resource estimates prepared under the standards adopted under S-K 1300. Because the Company is eligible for the Multijurisdictional Disclosure System adopted by the SEC and Canadian Securities Administrators, the Company is not required to present disclosure regarding its mineral properties in compliance with S-K 1300. Accordingly, certain information contained in this press release concerning descriptions of mineralization and mineral resources under these standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by US companies subject to reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC.
Maverix has included certain performance measures in this news release that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") including adjusted net income, total GEOs sold, average realized gold price per GEO, average cash cost per GEO, cash operating margin and cash flow from operating activities, excluding changes in non-cash working capital. Adjusted net income is calculated by excluding the effects of the non-cash cost of sales related to the prepaid gold interests, non-cash change in fair value of the prepaid gold interests, other income/expenses, impairment charges, gains/(losses) on sale or amendments of royalty and streams and unusual non-recurring items. The Company believes that adjusted net income is a useful measure of the Company's performance because it adjusts for items which may not relate to or have a disproportionate effect on the period in which they are recognized, impact the comparability of our core operating results from period to period, are not always reflective of the underlying operating performance of our business and/or are not necessarily indicative of future operating results. The Company's royalty revenue and silver sales are converted to a GEO basis by dividing the royalty revenue and silver sales for a period by the average gold price based on the LBMA Gold Price PM Fix per ounce for the same respective period. These GEOs when combined with the gold ounces sold from the Company's gold streams and prepaid gold interests equal total GEOs sold. Average realized gold price per GEO is calculated by dividing the total revenue by the GEOs sold. Average cash cost per GEO is calculated by dividing the total cost of sales, less depletion less non-cash cost of sales of the prepaid gold interests, by the GEOs sold. In the precious metals mining industry, these are common performance measures but do not have any standardized meaning. Cash operating margin is calculated by subtracting the average cash cost per GEO sold from the average realized gold price per GEO sold. The Company presents cash operating margin as it believes that certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance in comparison to other companies in the precious metal royalty and streaming sector who present results on a similar basis. The Company has also used the non-IFRS measure of operating cash flows excluding changes in non-cash working capital. This measure is calculated by adding back the decrease or subtracting the increase in changes in non-cash working capital to or from cash provided by (used in) operating activities. The presentation of these 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. Other companies may calculate these non-IFRS measures differently. The 2022 forecast herein assumes a gold price of $1,750 per ounce and a silver price of $21.00 per ounce. The forecast was derived using information that is available in the public domain as at the date hereof, which included guidance and estimates prepared and issued by management of the operators of the mining operations in which Maverix holds an interest. The forecast is sensitive to the performance and operating status of the underlying mines. None of the information has been independently verified by Maverix and may be subject to uncertainty. There can be no assurance that such information is complete or accurate. Maverix's business, operations, financial condition, and financial outlook could be materially adversely affected by the continued impact of the COVID-19 global health pandemic. At this time, Maverix cannot reasonably estimate the duration of any potential business disruptions, impact to underlying operations that Maverix holds an interest in or any related financial impact that is related to or caused by COVID-19.
This release contains certain "forward looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. The forward-looking information contained herein is provided for the purpose of assisting readers in understanding management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's annual guidance and or organic growth in respect of its portfolio of assets, developments in respect of Maverix's portfolio of royalties and streams and those developments at certain of the mines, projects or properties that underlie the Company's interests. Forward-looking statements and information are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that, while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual actions, events or results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: the impact of general business and economic conditions; the absence of control over mining operations from which Maverix will purchase gold and other metals or from which it will receive royalty payments and risks related to those mining operations, including risks related to international operations, government and environmental regulation, delays in mine construction and operations, actual results of mining and current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; accidents, equipment breakdowns, title matters, labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions in operations; problems inherent to the marketability of gold and other metals; the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; industry conditions, including fluctuations in the price of the primary commodities mined at such operations, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and fluctuations in interest rates; government entities interpreting existing tax legislation or enacting new tax legislation in a way which adversely affects Maverix; stock market volatility; regulatory restrictions; liability, competition, the potential impact of epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises, including the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 on Maverix's business, operations and financial condition, loss of key employees, as well as those risk factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Maverix's annual information form dated March 16, 2022, available at www.sedar.com. Maverix 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 are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Maverix undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available.
The disclosure herein and relating to properties and operations on the properties in which Maverix holds royalty, stream or other interests is based on information publicly disclosed by the owners or operators of these properties and information/data available in the public domain as at the date hereof, and none of this information has been independently verified by Maverix. Specifically, as a royalty or stream holder, Maverix has limited, if any, access to properties included in its asset portfolio. Additionally, Maverix may from time to time receive operating information from the owners and operators of the properties, which it is not permitted to disclose to the public. Maverix is dependent on, (i) the operators of the properties and their qualified persons to provide information to Maverix, or (ii) on publicly available information to prepare disclosure pertaining to properties and operations on the properties on which Maverix holds royalty, stream or other interests, and generally has limited or no ability to independently verify such information. Although Maverix 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. Some information publicly reported by operators may relate to a larger property than the area covered by Maverix's royalty, stream or other interest. Maverix's royalty, stream or other interests often cover less than 100% and sometimes only a portion of the publicly reported mineral reserves, mineral resources, and production of a property.
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SOURCE Maverix Metals Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/13/maverix-announces-first-quarter-2022-results-declares-quarterly-dividend/ | 2022-05-13T11:48:50Z |
Thunderstorms, scattered showers and gusty winds
Scattered showers with gusty winds as an area of low pressure settles into the region for this weekend.
FRIDAY NIGHT: A chance of showers and thunderstorms with gusty winds. Lows into the lower 50's, with southwest winds at 15-30 MPH.
SATURDAY: Rain and thunderstorms with gusty winds. Highs into the upper 50's, with winds at 15-35 MPH. Saturday Night, rain showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. A low around the lower 40's. South southwest wind 20 to 30 MPH.
SUNDAY: Showers and thunderstorms with colder temperatures. Highs into the lower 50's, with winds 15-25 MPH. A chance of mountain snow showers, with mostly cloudy skies. Sunday night, look for showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40°.
MONDAY: Showers with thunderstorms also possible after noon. High into the upper 40's.
FLOOD ADVISORY FOR SNOWMELT IN EFFECT FROM THIS MORNING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE:
- WHAT…Lowland flooding caused by snowmelt and rainfall is expected.
- WHERE…Big Wood River near Hailey.
- WHEN…From this morning until further notice.
- IMPACTS…At 3.7 feet, or 1199 cfs… Near bankfull from Ketchum down-river to Glendale Road Bridge south of Bellevue. Some lowland seepage and ponding is possible in the Draper Preserve and in residential areas near the river especially in the Della View subdivision on far western War Eagle Drive. Gimlet subdivision may experience ponding.
- ADDITIONAL DETAILS…
- At 8:45 AM MDT Friday the stage was 3.7 feet.
- Forecast…The river is expected to rise to a crest of 3.9
feet early Sunday afternoon. - Action stage is 3.7 feet.
- Flood stage is 5.0 feet.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood | https://localnews8.com/weather/local-forecast/2022/05/27/thunderstorms-scattered-showers-and-gusty-winds/ | 2022-05-27T22:58:53Z |
A 4,000-acre wildfire in New Mexico has destroyed or damaged 150 structures, officials in the town of Ruidoso said Tuesday evening.
Many of the 7,600 residents were told to evacuate to the convention center. More evacuation orders are possible, they said.
The McBride Fire was covering 4,312 acres as of Tuesday night, the New Mexico Forestry Division said in a news release.
"The fire is 0% contained at this time and has moved into the Kokopelli subdivision. Approximately 150 structures burned or were damaged, including homes, and many more remain threatened," the release said.
Crews knocked the fire back near the middle school, town officials said on Facebook, and 1,700 students from the high school, middle school and elementary school were evacuated to the convention center.
Officials added that power outages continued in the area.
Laura Reynolds, who lives in the Rancho Ruidoso Valley Estate subdivision in nearby Alto, recorded video showing the smoke from the fire looming over her neighborhood. While she was talking to CNN, she said authorities gave orders to evacuate.
The video shows a huge plume of gray smoke coming over the ridges of several mountains while tree branches rustle in the wind.
The fire began Tuesday afternoon, according to New Mexico Fire Information -- an interagency website with information from federal and state agencies.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the McBride Fire.
Another major wildfire burning near Albuquerque
About 100 miles to the northwest, another major wildfire, the Big Hole fire, has scorched approximately 900 acres as of Tuesday evening, according to an update from New Mexico Fire Information.
At least one firefighter suffered a minor burn injury Monday and is recovering at home, Valencia Fire Chief Matt Propp said. One home and 18 outbuildings have been damaged or destroyed, the department said in a Facebook post.
The fire started in the community of Belen, about 30 miles south of Albuquerque. The cause of the fire, which began Monday, is under investigation. About 100 fire personnel are involved in battling the blaze.
Containment lines have been established, the chief said, but he didn't yet have a containment percentage figure.
Propp said the area was seeing 40-50 mph wind gusts.
About 200 structures are still threatened by the blaze, according to fire officials.
"Approximately 75% of the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area (WWCA) land area has also been impacted. The WWCA center (building) is not affected," Wendy Mason, a wildfire prevention and communications coordinator with the state, wrote on the website.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.albanyherald.com/news/wildfire-forces-evacuations-and-damages-homes-in-new-mexico/article_4cbc2b7e-c684-522d-9fdc-d9c0acda9a4f.html | 2022-04-13T09:19:44Z |
A former employee at Abbott Nutrition filed a whistleblower complaint about the company's Sturgis, Michigan, plant with the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration in February 2021, months earlier than previously known, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday.
The complaint was filed February 16, 2021, and was passed on to Abbott and the US Food and Drug Administration three days later, the source said.
The news was first reported Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal, which also said the whistleblower was terminated in August 2020 and filed a discrimination complaint with Michigan OSHA shortly after.
Abbott submitted a formal response to the February complaint in April 2021, according to documents and an unnamed source, the Journal said. The whistleblower then filed a complaint with the FDA in October 2021 that expanded on the safety claims made in the February complaint, the Journal reported.
The October 2021 complaint was released in late April by US Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who called its allegations "extremely disturbing."
Abbott said Wednesday that it wasn't aware of that complaint until its release in April, "and there's an open investigation into these allegations."
The FDA interviewed the whistleblower in December 2021, and FDA inspectors conducted in-person "for cause" inspections of the Sturgis facility between January and March 2022. At the same time, the FDA was learning about four dangerous Cronobacter infections in infants who had consumed formula, and Abbott recalled three of its popular formula products.
While the inspection was ongoing, Abbott closed the facility to address problems identified by the FDA. The recalls and closure hindered an industry already hobbled by supply chain problems, contributing to a nationwide formula shortage.
In April, Abbott submitted a corrective action plan to the FDA, and they entered into a consent decree regarding the plant's reopening in May. The Sturgis facility resumed producing infant formula on Saturday.
The company said Wednesday, "Abbott takes employee concerns very seriously and we foster a culture of compliance to produce the best and highest-quality products. ... We believe this to be a former employee who was dismissed due to serious violations of Abbott's food safety policies.
"While at the company, the former employee did not bring forward product safety complaints to our Office of Ethics and Compliance. After dismissal in August 2020, the former employee brought forward a complaint to Michigan OSHA in October 2020 unrelated to product safety. That complaint was dismissed. The federal OSHA complaint from February 2021 was a new complaint that raised new and different topics. And it continued a pattern of ever-evolving, ever-escalating allegations. We investigated the federal OSHA complaint and have not been able to confirm the allegations."
DeLauro said Wednesday's news is "damning."
"We must get to the bottom of who knew what and when, and we will not be able to do that if everyone involved wants to skirt accountability," she said.
An FDA spokesperson acknowledged the questions surrounding the timeline Wednesday but said, "Our top priority right now is addressing the dire need for infant formula in the U.S. market, and our teams are working night and day to help make that happen -- including ensuring Abbott takes the appropriate corrective action to address insanitary conditions observed by the FDA."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.albanyherald.com/features/health/former-employee-filed-whistleblower-complaint-about-abbotts-sturgis-facility-eight-months-before-previously-known/article_ed67a5cc-06a3-5887-873a-a6f4d234af31.html | 2022-06-09T03:48:02Z |
Acquisition Gives UTA a Significant Industry Advantage to Deliver Clients More Impactful Insights
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global entertainment, talent, and sports agency UTA has acquired MediaHound, a software and data analytics company that helps entertainment and media companies develop proprietary insights to most effectively utilize information to benefit talent, content, and audiences.
The acquisition will accelerate UTA's already substantial data and analytics capabilities and allow it to drive value for the agency's clients at scale. UTA IQ - the agency's research, data analytics, and digital strategy division - will utilize MediaHound's proprietary technology, which includes The Entertainment Graph®, a deep database of film and television content and talent that has been used by leading studios, streamers, and agencies to produce actionable insights and fuel user recommendation engines.
MediaHound and its team of engineers and product developers will become part of UTA IQ.
"Although Talent and creativity remain the coin of the realm, data aligned with strong insights is also a critical tool for our colleagues and clients," said Jeremy Zimmer, UTA CEO. "Today's acquisition is a strong addition to the potency of our capabilities in this space."
"Since the launch of UTA IQ in 2018, our team has been synthesizing information from multiple sources to create unique tools and insights for our clients and agents, and along the way we became aware of the impressive products and services MediaHound offers the industry," said Joe Kessler, Partner and Global Head of UTA IQ. "Now that we can combine MediaHound's capabilities with ours, we can exponentially expand and hasten UTA's ability to navigate multiple layers of data to support critical client transactions and provide insights to inform their strategies."
"In UTA, we found a partner that shares our vision and ideals about the growing value and impact of data-driven software solutions in entertainment and media," said Addison McCaleb, CEO and founder of MediaHound. "We could not be happier than to move into the next phase of our evolution as part of such a dynamic, visionary company."
In addition to its technical expertise and unique IP, MediaHound operates two consumer web sites, "Autum" and "Date Night," that help streaming consumers select content that will appeal to them based on their preferences and prior viewership.
MediaHound's financial advisor for the deal was Qualia Legacy Advisors.
UTA unites ideas, opportunities and talent. The company represents some of the world's most iconic, barrier-breaking artists, creators and changemakers—from actors, athletes and musicians to writers, gamers and digital influencers. One of the most influential companies in global entertainment, UTA's business spans talent representation, content production, as well as strategic advisory and marketing work with some of the world's biggest brands. UTA is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, New York and London. More information can be found at unitedtalent.com.
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SOURCE United Talent Agency | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/08/uta-acquires-mediahound-accelerate-data-analytics-capabilities/ | 2022-06-08T17:45:38Z |
US clears updated COVID boosters targeting newest variants
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common omicron strain. Shots could begin within days.
The move by the Food and Drug Administration tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna that already have saved millions of lives. The hope is that the modified boosters will blunt yet another winter surge.
“You’ll see me at the front of the line,” FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks told The Associated Press shortly before his agency cleared the new doses.
Until now, COVID-19 vaccines have targeted the original coronavirus strain, even as wildly different mutants emerged. The new U.S. boosters are combination, or “bivalent,” shots. They contain half that original vaccine recipe and half protection against the newest omicron versions, called BA.4 and BA.5, that are considered the most contagious yet.
The combination aims to increase cross-protection against multiple variants.
“It really provides the broadest opportunity for protection,” Pfizer vaccine chief Annaliesa Anderson told the AP.
The updated boosters are only for people who have already had their primary vaccinations, using the original vaccines. Doses made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are for anyone 12 and older while Moderna’s updated shots are for adults — if it has been at least two months since their last primary vaccination or their latest booster. They’re not to be used for initial vaccinations.
There’s one more step before a fall booster campaign begins: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must recommend who should get the additional shot. An influential CDC advisory panel will debate the evidence Thursday — including whether people at high risk from COVID-19 should go first.
“As we head into fall and begin to spend more time indoors, we strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to consider receiving a booster dose with a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement.
The U.S. has purchased more than 170 million doses from the two companies. Pfizer said it could ship up to 15 million of those doses by the end of next week.
The big question is whether people weary of vaccinations will roll up their sleeves again. Just half of vaccinated Americans got the first recommended booster dose, and only a third of those 50 and older who were urged to get a second booster did so.
It’s time for U.S. authorities to better explain that the public should expect an updated COVID-19 vaccination every so often, just like getting a fall flu shot or a tetanus booster after stepping on a rusty nail, said University of Pennsylvania immunologist E. John Wherry.
“We need to rebrand it in a societally normal-looking way,” rather than a panicked response to new mutants, Wherry said. “Give a clear, forward-looking set of expectations.”
Here’s the rub: The original vaccines still offer strong protection against severe disease and death from COVID-19 for most generally healthy people, especially if they got that important first booster dose. It’s not clear just how much more benefit an updated booster will bring — beyond a temporary jump in antibodies capable of fending off an omicron infection.
One reason: The FDA cleared the modifications ahead of studies in people, a step toward eventually handling COVID-19 vaccine updates more like yearly flu shots.
First, FDA checked human studies of earlier Pfizer and Moderna attempts to update their vaccines — shots matching the omicron strain that struck last winter. That recipe change was safe, and substantially boosted antibodies targeting the earlier variant — better than another dose of the original vaccine — while adding a little protection against today’s genetically distinct BA.4 and BA.5 omicron versions.
But FDA ordered the companies to brew even more up-to-date doses that target those newest omicron mutants instead, sparking a race to roll out shots in less than three months. Rather than waiting a few more months for additional human studies of that recipe tweak, Marks said animal tests showed the latest update spurs “a very good immune response.”
The hope, he said, is that a vaccine matched to currently spreading variants might do a better job fighting infection, not just serious illness, at least for a while.
What’s next? Even as modified shots roll out, Moderna and Pfizer are conducting human studies to help assess their value, including how they hold up if a new mutant comes along.
And for children, Pfizer plans to ask FDA to allow updated boosters for 5- to 11-year-olds in early October.
It’s the first U.S. update to the COVID-19 vaccine recipe, an important but expected next step -- like how flu vaccines get updated every year.
And the U.S. isn’t alone. Britain recently decided to offer adults over 50 a different booster option from Moderna, a combo shot targeting that initial BA.1 omicron strain. European regulators are considering whether to authorize one or both of the updated formulas.
___
AP Health Writer Matthew Perrone contributed to this report.
___
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.mysuncoast.com/2022/08/31/us-clears-updated-covid-boosters-targeting-newest-variants/ | 2022-08-31T14:40:13Z |
"This is serious business; lives are at stake. We do everything we can to relieve the suffering and stigma of substance use disorders. We save lives by helping individuals find recovery and supporting their families and communities in the process…"
– Dr. Heidi Ginter, RCA Chief Medical Officer for Massachusetts
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz25srIqRlQ
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- When Recovery Centers of America helps even one person break free from addiction, we help every person that is impacted by that person's substance use – family, friends, coworkers, therapists, law enforcement, and the list goes on and on.
During this National Recovery Month, with substance use disorder rates at an all-time high, RCA reminds us that freeing one life from the grip of addiction impacts entire communities. RCA treats hundreds of individuals a day, collaterally helping countless communities of people every year end their suffering, too.
"My addiction destroyed my family," says Vincent Douglas, alumni coordinator at RCA's Bracebridge Hall in Maryland. "I had burned every bridge. In my mind, the only options I had left were death or jail. I went into treatment, at first, just to feel better. But here I am, 7 years sober. I'm a dad now. I'm a coach. When I healed, everyone else could heal."
Douglas started abusing pills as a young teen, then got hooked on heroin. He spent every day, all day, for more than a decade feeding that addiction. His moment of clarity came, and he chose life. Now he works at Recovery Centers of America helping others start and maintain their sobriety journey.
"There's still a stigma associated with addiction recovery," Douglas said. "It's time to recover out loud so other people can see that addiction is a disease, and we have the solution."
Serious Treatment for Serious Problems
RCA is committed to saving lives. Expanding its mental health treatment enables RCA to treat underlying causes of addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. Dr. Peter Vernig joined the team with the focus of expanding RCA's behavioral health strategy.
"We already provide mental health services in our existing programs for people with co-occurring disorders," Vernig said. "What we have done is expand to treat people whose primary concern is mental illness, with or without a drug or alcohol use problem."
Vernig, a renowned psychologist with decades in the mental health field, says when a person's coping mechanisms – such as drugs or alcohol – are peeled away, that's when mental health issues can start to come to the forefront.
"We address more than just the substance use, which is often a symptom. We treat the underlying illness which is the source of the problem: it can be depression, anxiety, trauma, or other issues," Vernig said. "By treating the source at RCA, not just symptoms, a person may have a better chance to achieve lasting recovery."
Recognizing the growing need, mental health treatment is offered with or without a substance use disorder. And evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment programs are customized to each person's individual needs. Programs include PRISE, Discover, Evolutions, RESCU, Frontline, Thrive and Balance.
No one knows better about the ripple effects of addiction than the staff at RCA, many of whom once sought treatment at one of our many facilities, then found purpose in employment here so they could give back and help others in need.
"As we recover, our families recover," Douglas said. "As I recover, my entire community recovers, my friends recover, my family, even people you don't even know."
Recovery Month kicks off today with observance of International Overdose Awareness Day. Drug and alcohol abuse has risen sharply in recent years. The pandemic was no friend to addiction, exacerbating an already rampant problem. Drug overdose deaths rose another 15% in 2021, with more than 107,000 falling victim. Alcohol-related deaths continue to be responsible for over 5% of all deaths worldwide.
Fentanyl, and other synthetic opioids, are the latest growing threat, terrorizing communities and claiming more lives each year. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin which can lead to rapid overdose and death. It is often mixed with heroin and other non-opioid drugs, putting many unsuspecting drug users at risk. RCA is leading the way with therapies and programs to combat this new threat.
Dr. Heidi Ginter, RCA's Chief Medical Officer for Massachusetts, knows all too well the devastation being created by fentanyl. The New England states have been hit particularly hard.
"Fentanyl is so potent, we have adjusted our medication protocols to ensure patients feel comfortable fast," Ginter says. "If a patient's withdrawal symptoms can be managed quickly and effectively, that person will be better positioned to do the ongoing work in their recovery."
Dr. Ginter uses every tool – medication and behavioral techniques - at her disposal to help people stay alive and engaged in treatment.
We've Heard All The Excuses; The Time is Always Right Now
Getting someone to finally say 'Yes' to treatment can be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome.
"I justified my addiction in any way I could," Douglas said. "I had a million excuses to keep using, but my addiction left a huge wake of destruction for not only myself but everyone around me. It's like when you're an addict, the people around you are forced to be addicts, too. Getting clean saved my life and let everyone dealing with my addiction finally heal."
"There literally is no excuse good enough to keep using," Douglas said. "The right time to get clean is always right now."
Recovery Centers of America is dedicated to helping patients achieve a life of recovery through evidence-based alcohol and drug addiction treatment, as well as treatment for mental health disorders. RCA has ten inpatient facilities in Earleville and Waldorf (near Washington D.C.), Maryland, Danvers and Westminster, Massachusetts; Devon (near Philadelphia), and Monroeville (near Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania; South Amboy and Mays Landing, NJ; St. Charles, Illinois (outside of Chicago), and Indianapolis, Indiana. A full spectrum of outpatient treatment is also provided at many of these facilities. Patients can obtain immediate substance use disorder care and mental health treatment by calling 1-800-Recovery with complimentary transportation provided in most cases. For the third year, RCA is recognized as having multiple sites atop Newsweek's 2022 America's Best Addiction Centers rankings for excellence.
For media inquiries, contact Joe E Carmean at j.carmean@recoverycoa.com.
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SOURCE Recovery Centers of America | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/09/01/national-recovery-month-with-addiction-rates-soaring-recovery-centers-america-reminds-us-that-saving-one-life-saves-many/ | 2022-09-01T13:24:04Z |
"Demining in Cambodia" Event Hosted by the Ambassador of Cambodia to the U.S.
WASHINGTON, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mine Detection Dog Rico was the star guest at an event hosted by H.E. Keo Chhea, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the U.S., on Capitol Hill yesterday to highlight the ongoing problems of landmines in Cambodia and the international efforts that are going into removing them.
Cambodia is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Despite ongoing demining operations conducted since 1979, it is estimated that up to 7 million landmines and other UXO remain in Cambodia. From 1979 to 2021, nearly 65,000 people were killed or injured by landmines. There are approximately 40,000 amputees in Cambodia due to landmines.
Moderating the event, Dr. Suzanne Fiederlein, Ph.D., of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), spoke of the tremendous progress that has been made in the last 30 years. However, "The largest challenge we face to continue and complete this work is funding."
Hosting the event, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the United States H.E. Keo Chhea, described how the task to remove landmines from Cambodia was huge. Landmines and other unexploded devices are "a continuing threat to farmers, to children, to transportation, to development—even to wildlife." Ambassador Keo Chhea continued, "I am grateful for the support of the United Nations and friendly governments like the United States. Cambodian citizens themselves have answered Prime Minister Hun Sen's fundraising drive to hasten demining efforts by contributing over US$20 million since July 1."
Matthew Hovell, Head of Region for South East Asia at The Halo Trust, expressed thanks to the U.S. government and taxpayers for their support. "We have seen the breathtaking transformation of villages that have been cleared of landmines, turning into thriving communities that are living, farming, trading and learning in safety. This has only been possible due to the support of the United States, HALO's lead donor." But there is considerable work to be done, with over 700 km2 still to be cleared. "I congratulate the Cambodian Government on their ambitious plan to be mine free by 2025 but would ask donors to stay the course considering the scale of the challenge remaining. This work remains both life changing and life saving," he added.
Alex Pate of Mines Advisory Group said, "In 2021 alone, MAG released 17 million square meters of land, returning it to the communities it belongs to, and destroying over 8,000 UXOs. That amounts to 45,000 square meters of land released per day. I am grateful to our partners, the Government of Cambodia, and our donors here in Washington DC."
Charlie Richter, APOPO U.S. Director, expressed thanks to Ambassador Keo Chhea and all partner organizations. "The Cambodian Mine Action Authority and Cambodian Mine Action Center have been extremely effective partners, open to APOPO's mine detection animal and other innovations and committed to a mine free Cambodia. APOPO hopes more international funding will come to the country to help the country strive towards a mine free declaration."
Elise Becker, Executive Director of The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), described the incredible work of Mine Detection Dogs (MDDs), and introduced Rico, a recently retired landmine detection dog. Together with then handler Kenan, Rico contributed to the clearance of more than 600,000 square meters of land in Bosnia & Herzegovina during their six years together. He now serves as MLI's Canine Ambassador.
A video providing more information on landmines and the Cambodia Government's demining program can be viewed here. https://lion.box.com/s/kt25lemv0tbacjv2j3rqp2qzqfncn4ba
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SOURCE The Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/14/mine-detection-dog-rico-visits-capitol-hill-highlights-challenges-millions-face-due-landmines/ | 2022-07-14T19:30:14Z |
Former Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old in back charged with murder, DA says
By Eric Levenson and Melissa Alonso, CNN
A former Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot a 12-year-old boy in the back in March has been charged with first-degree murder, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Monday.
Edsaul Mendoza, 26, was one of four plainclothes officers inside an unmarked police car on the evening of March 1 when they pulled up to 12-year-old Thomas “TJ” Siderio and a 17-year-old identified as “NK,” Krasner said. A bullet entered the police car’s rear window, “likely” fired by Siderio, Krasner said. Three officers took cover, but Mendoza then engaged in a “tactically unsound” foot chase of the boy and shot at him three times, Krasner said.
During the chase, Siderio tossed aside the gun, Krasner said. Even so, Mendoza fired twice at the boy after the gun was discarded, including a fatal shot when the 12-year-old was lying face down on the ground, Krasner said. Immediately afterward, Mendoza directed another officer to the spot where the boy had thrown the gun, which was found 40 feet away, the DA said.
“Thus when Officer Mendoza fired the third and fatal shot, he knew the 12-year-old, 5-foot tall, 111-pound Thomas Siderio no longer had a gun and no ability to harm him,” Krasner said.
In announcing the charges, Krasner cited a presentment, or formal charging document, by a grand jury that was based on unreleased video of the shooting. Mendoza was charged in the presentment with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and possession of an instrument of crime with intent to use it criminally, said Krasner.
He was taken into custody Monday morning and is being held without bail, Krasner said. A preliminary hearing is set for May 16, according to court records.
The charges come two months after Police Commissioner Danielle M. Outlaw moved to fire Mendoza because the shooting violated the department’s use of force directive, she said.
“Based off of the evidence that I reviewed, it was clear that the use of force policy was violated,” Outlaw said at the time. “I will tell you that all use of force has to be proportionate to the resistance they’re trying to overcome. I will also tell you that our policy clearly states that excessive force will not be tolerated.”
A 9 mm semi-automatic handgun equipped with a laser was recovered from the scene, according to a March police statement. The gun was reported stolen and was loaded with one round in the chamber and five rounds in the magazine. The 17-year-old boy who was at the scene was not hurt, authorities said. He was questioned and released pending further investigation.
One of the officers was injured in the eye by glass when the car was shot, the police statement said. The bullet went through the passenger side rear window and through the headrest of the front passenger’s seat where another officer sat, the statement said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Aaron Cooper, Raja Razek and Amy Simonson contributed to this report. | https://localnews8.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/05/02/former-philadelphia-police-officer-who-fatally-shot-12-year-old-in-back-charged-with-murder-da-says/ | 2022-05-02T17:59:16Z |
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology Partners, LLC (dba ImagineSoftware™), a leading provider of medical billing automation software and revenue cycle management applications, announces the acquisition of Exchange EDI, LLC, a leading patient engagement and workflow automation organization. The addition of Exchange EDI builds on ImagineSoftware's service offerings and will further optimize patient billing and collections functionality.
"Since our founding, ImagineSoftware has focused on bringing solutions that center around our clients and their patients, adding ExchangeEDI builds on that mission," said Sam Khashman, president and CEO of ImagineSoftware. "With our combined technology and the insights it provides, we are uniquely positioned to improve communication between providers and their patients."
Over the past year, ImagineSoftware has seen significant growth in its patient financial engagement tools. Through the acquisition of ExchangeEDI, ImagineSoftware complements an already robust suite of EDI solutions that further expand the product roadmap. The combined entity aims to address key trends in the industry, including the ongoing growth of patient consumerism. The acquisition will provide a best-in-class patient estimation engine that will assist providers with education. In addition, it will provide the functionality to help streamline the complexity of the prior authorization process.
"Our two companies already have amazing synergy and have long worked together side-by-side in health care technology," said Patti Velasco, CEO of Exchange EDI. "Both companies are passionate about leveraging technology to improve the RCM process. By joining forces, we will be able to expand the efficiencies we can create."
ImagineSoftware is the leading provider of medical billing automation software and revenue cycle management applications. Offering powerful technology solutions for medical billing offices, practices, and hospitals for over 20 years, ImagineSoftware currently serves more than 75,000 physicians across 43 specialties. ImagineSoftware solutions improve financial efficiency, build provider reputation, and ultimately enhance the patient experience. For more information, visit imagineteam.com and follow us on Twitter @ImagineTeam or connect with us on LinkedIn "ImagineSoftware (Technology Partners, LLC)."
MEDIA CONTACT
Ben Buchanan
ImagineSoftware Chief Marketing Officer
bbuchanan@imagineteam.com
704-553-1004
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SOURCE Technology Partners, LLC. (dba ImagineSoftware) | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/imaginesoftware-acquires-exchange-edi-expands-product-offerings/ | 2022-07-21T18:45:53Z |
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Home prices began falling in June in the metro areas of San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Riverside-San Bernardino, Sacramento, and San Diego, according to analysis by the American Enterprise Institute's Housing Center. At the same time, housing supply remains at historically low levels and homes remain out of reach even for middle-class workers. This is a crisis, and the AEI Housing Center is hosting events across the state to provide cities and homeowners with the tools they need to address it.
Think of modest "Light Touch" increases in housing density as the tortoise in the effort to increase supply. Slow but steady increases to supply over say 10 years will dramatically increase California's housing supply, create more affordable new homes, and unlock wealth for current homeowners, according to a new study of 200 metros released by the American Enterprise Institute's Housing Center. The key ingredient for affordability is that with light tough density, home price appreciation over time will rise more in line with wages. Thus light touch density can help address California's chronic housing supply shortfall while retaining the look and feel of small scale residential neighborhoods.
The AEI Housing Center is bringing this message to six cities across the state in a series of free events open to the public. On August 2nd AEI released a free Housing and Economic Analysis Toolkit (HEAT) to help inform local policymakers, interested groups, and citizens across California on how to implement achievable solutions that increase housing with a "light touch."
In San Diego County, for example, light-touch increases in single family detached density could result in 31% more homes built per year, a 10% reduction in price, and a 21% increase in property taxes. This light touch density achieves natural affordability without reliance on subsidies, income limits, or expensive infrastructure improvements. Light touch density, when applied to existing homes, gives homeowners the right to unlock the hidden value in the lot under their homes by repurposing their land.
Registration is open for 6 California free conferences to be held the week of September 19, 2022.
These conferences are free and open to all—please forward to anyone else who might have an interest. Each conference will be packed with information and presentations to help to tackle the most pressing housing issues facing Californians.
Visit aei.org/california-housing-conference to register
Conference dates, times, and locations
Media Contact Details:
Arthur Gailes
American Enterprise Institute Housing Center
aei.org/california-housing-conference
Arthur.gailes@aei.org
804-662-0874
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SOURCE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/homes-are-losing-value-across-california-this-is-how-homeowners-can-fight-back/ | 2022-08-15T18:56:41Z |
BOGOTA, Colombia, April 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The arrival of greenfield Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) had a significant rebound in the Bogota Region in 2021, exceeding USD 1,551 million through 115 investment projects. The investment amounts show a 78% growth compared to 2020, according to the analysis conducted by the investment promotion agency Invest in Bogota.
"FDI growth was in line with the significant economic recovery experienced by the city. We found that the main countries of origin of the projects were the United States (34%), Mexico (10%), Spain (9%), Argentina (6%) and China (5%)," explained the Executive Director of Invest in Bogota, Isabella Muñoz.
The sectors that led FDI attraction during 2021 in Bogota Region were software development, IT and outsourcing services (26%), communications (16%), corporate services (8%), consumer products (7%) and leisure-entertainment (7%).
FDI in new and expansion projects received by Bogota Region generated more than 20,000 direct jobs, double what was recorded during 2020.
Mergers and acquisitions, investment drivers
In addition to greenfield FDI, Bogota Region received investments through mergers and acquisitions through 140 transactions valued at more than USD 2,050 million during 2021. The main countries of origin of mergers and acquisitions were the United States (46%), Brazil (11%), Mexico (9%), Chile (8%) and Spain (7%).
"We celebrate that today Bogota is one of the most attractive cities for investors in the region. However, we have the challenge of continuing to generate confidence, strengthening the ecosystem to attract much more capital, but, above all, to ensure that all these projects translate into jobs and well-being for all Bogota residents," said Alfredo Bateman, Bogota's Secretary of Economic Development.
2022, the year to boost investment
In terms of FDI, the city aims to recover the dynamism it had before the pandemic. By 2022, the communications, software development, IT and service outsourcing sectors are expected to be the main industries receiving investment, in line with the capital's service vocation.
"From Invest in Bogota we have been working to strengthen the strategy of business attraction through FDI and, recently, the attraction of events and meetings in the capital. We are aware of the relevance of FDI as a driver of economic and social development, so we are focused on identifying opportunities that contribute to the generation of employment, the transfer of technology and knowledge, as well as investments that promote the Sustainable Development Goals in the city," Muñoz concluded.
CONTACT: Miguel Hernández, ahernandez@investinbogota.org
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SOURCE Invest in Bogota | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/04/21/foreign-direct-investment-bogota-grew-78-2021/ | 2022-04-21T17:30:14Z |
NEW YORK, July 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.
This lawsuit is on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired common shares of Energy Transfer stock between April 13, 2017 and December 20, 2021, both dates inclusive.
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 2, 2022
No obligation or cost to you.
Learn more about your recoverable losses in ET:
https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/energy-transfer-lp-loss-submission-form-2?id=29468&from=4
Energy Transfer LP NEWS - ET NEWS
CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Energy Transfer LP made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (a) Energy Transfer had inadequate internal controls and procedures to prevent contractors from engaging in illegal conduct with regards to drilling activities, and/or failed to properly mitigate known issues related to such controls and procedures; (b) Energy Transfer, through its subsidiary Rover Pipeline, LLC, hired a third-party contractor to conduct Horizontal Directional Drilling Activities for the Rover Pipeline Project, whose conduct of adding illegal additives in the drilling mud caused severe pollution near the Tuscarawas River when a large inadvertent release took place on April 13, 2017; (c) Energy Transfer continually downplayed its potential civil liabilities when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") was actively investigating the Energy Transfer's wrongdoing related to the April 13 release and consistently provided it with updated information about FERC's findings on this matter.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Energy Transfer you have until August 2, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Energy Transfer securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the ET lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/energy-transfer-lp-loss-submission-form-2?id=29468&from=4.
J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
J. Klein, Esq.
Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue
59th Floor
New York, NY 10118
jk@kleinstocklaw.com
Telephone: (212) 616-4899
www.kleinstocklaw.com
View original content:
SOURCE The Klein Law Firm | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/05/et-alert-klein-law-firm-announces-lead-plaintiff-deadline-august-2-2022-class-action-filed-behalf-energy-transfer-lp-shareholders/ | 2022-07-05T10:00:34Z |
NEW YORK, July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Missfresh Limited ("Missfresh" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: MF) and certain of its officers, on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Missfresh securities pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and related prospectus (collectively, the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with Missfresh's June 2021 initial public offering (the "IPO"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/mf.
This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act").
The Complaint alleges the Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements that misrepresented and failed to disclose the following adverse facts pertaining to the Company's business, operational and financial results. Specifically, the Registration Statement contained false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Company provided false financial figures in its Registration Statement; (2) the Company would need to amend its financial figures; (3) the Company, among other things, had lesser net revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2021; and (4) as a result, Defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times and negligently prepared.
A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/mf or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Law Clerk and Client Relations Manager, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Missfresh you have until September 12, 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.
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Contact:
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
Peretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson
212-697-6484 | info@bgandg.com
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SOURCE Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/15/bronstein-gewirtz-amp-grossman-llc-notifies-missfresh-limited-mf-investors-class-action-encourages-investors-contact-firm/ | 2022-07-15T15:14:59Z |
DALLAS (KDAF) — It’s April and Spring is in full spring. Take advantage of the great weather this season and go out for some fishing!
Don’t know where the best spots are? Here are some suggestions from local Dallasites on the R/Dallas subreddit:
Now this one is a bit of a drive, but Redditors say this one is worth it. Maybe make this one a fun weekend road trip? It’s about a two-hour drive east of Dallas located in Wood County. Officials say this premier fishing spot holds the records for 34 out of the Top 50 largemouth bass caught in Texas. For more information, go to lakeforktexas.org.
According to lake-grapevine.com, this lake is about 8,000 acres and is home to more than just fishing. People can partake in a number of outdoor activities including recreational boating, camping, hiking and more. Sounds like a great weekend camping getaway.
This park is on 40 acres in Allen and has four ponds to offer for plenty of fishing. This park also has hiking and bike trails, a play area, plenty of picnic sites and much more. Perfect for just a day of fishing!
This ginormous North Texas lake spans 22,000 acres, providing plenty of shoreline for fishermen and plenty of open water for activities. Lake officials say there are plenty of parks also located around the lake so kids can play while dad (or mom) fish from the shore. If that isn’t enough to convince you, there are nice beaches and hiking trails also located around the lake.
If you want to do some research for yourself, check out the Texas Bank Fishing Map by clicking here. | https://cw33.com/news/local/best-fishing-spots-around-north-texas-according-to-reddit/ | 2022-04-01T19:18:46Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will mark the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Sunday by delivering remarks and laying a wreath at the Pentagon, the White House said Tuesday.
The day will commemorate the 2001 terrorist attacks when hijackers took control of commercial planes in order to use them as missiles, crashing into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks by al-Qaida. The U.S. and its allies responded by launching the Afghanistan war.
Jill Biden, the first lady, will speak Sunday at the Flight 93 National Memorial Observance in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband will go to New York City for a commemoration ceremony at the National September 11th Memorial. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-biden-to-commemorate-anniversary-of-9-11-attacks-at-pentagon/ | 2022-09-07T01:29:34Z |
- Deloitte reports record FY2022 revenue of US$59.3 billion, a 19.6% increase in local currency
- Recognized for the fourth consecutive year by Brand Finance as the strongest and most valuable commercial services brand in the world; ranks as one of the world's best workplaces
- Workforce expanded to approximately 415,000 globally
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Deloitte today reported aggregate global revenue of US$59.3 billion for the fiscal year ending 31 May 2022 (FY2022), a 19.6% increase in local currency from FY2021. In seven years, Deloitte revenue has grown US$24 billion, or 69%, in USD terms.
"Over the past several years, we have steered a remarkable course to become the leading professional services organization in the world. The power of our multi-disciplinary and private partnership model along with our global strategy drives our performance, allowing Deloitte to serve clients with distinction, take care of our people, give back to our communities, and uphold the public's trust," says Punit Renjen, Deloitte Global CEO. "These principles have also helped us successfully navigate another tumultuous year of further unexpected shocks—from geopolitical conflicts to an ongoing pandemic to extreme environmental events and the highest inflation in a generation. By staying true to our purpose to make an impact that matters, our people have demonstrated their resilience by flexing and adapting to meet the challenges of the past year, all the while focusing on building better futures—for our people, clients, and communities."
At a time when uncertainty has become the new normal and change is happening at warp speed, Deloitte has proven it has the agility and capabilities to rise to the most unexpected challenges, while helping clients do the same.
In April, we announced a first-of-its-kind "partnership with purpose" with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Through this partnership, Deloitte will provide a global team with wide-ranging management and business consulting capabilities to support the IOC with its digital transformation strategy, advance the IOC's Olympic Agenda 2020+5 goal, and drive initiatives related to sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, and athlete career transition and well-being.
As Deloitte continues to take measurable, decisive actions on climate change throughout our operations and business, we are also assembling one of the largest global networks of sustainability capability through Deloitte's Sustainability & Climate practice, to help clients accelerate their journeys to a more sustainable future.
We have sustained our relentless focus on quality. We have transformed our Audit & Assurance practice through use of new technologies, training, and process improvement. As a result, Deloitte continues to be an industry leader in audit quality.
Through the power of our global organization, delivery centers, and strong collaboration between Consulting, Advisory, and Tax, we have increased our global alliance and ecosystems sales by 23% from the previous year, contributing to ~27% of Deloitte's FY2022 aggregate sales. We have strengthened our relationships with 15 alliances globally by co-creating innovative assets, going big on social venture initiatives (e.g., Sustainability and Climate, Diversity and Inclusion), and executing ecosystem strategies that drive short and long-term benefits to clients.
Among the businesses, Consulting revenue grew fastest at 24.4% in USD, followed by Financial Advisory, which grew 22.1%. Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) was the fastest growing industry, followed by Financial Services. Among the regions, the Americas grew the fastest at 22.1%, followed by Asia Pacific (APAC) at 17.1%.
- Audit & Assurance (A&A) continued its commitment to quality, integrity, and independence in upholding Deloitte's vital role in the financial reporting ecosystem. Ongoing investments in the development of our A&A practitioners, solutions, and technologies enabled Deloitte to redefine what's possible in corporate reporting, audit, and assurance. This includes a critical focus on climate and sustainability and ESG reporting to further help clients provide transparent, reliable, and meaningful performance disclosures that respond to evolving market demands and stakeholder needs. Audit & Assurance revenue grew 8.7% in USD.
- Consulting helped clients build organizational resilience, pivot business models, and shape better futures using its scale, depth of experience, and breadth of offerings to deliver a full suite of Advise, Implement, and Operate services. We continued to invest in, and accelerate, digital transformation and help clients address sustainability and climate initiatives by scaling our practices in software engineering, artificial intelligence, and cloud and edge computing. Our practitioners continued to deliver solutions built with alliances and ecosystems and evolve cloud-based industry solutions like Converge™. We made targeted acquisitions to enhance our services in areas such as product engineering and digital content production. Consulting revenue grew 24.4% in USD.
- Financial Advisory supported clients on more than 10,000 transactions this year, covering the M&A lifecycle, debt and capital strategies, and Turnaround & Restructuring programs. Our Forensic practice collaborated with public, private, and third-party organizations around the world to identify vulnerabilities to global financial crime and design solutions for information sharing, legislative reform, and asset recovery. Our practitioners advised clients on strategies to drive sustainability and climate opportunities, model net-zero transformations, and strengthen stakeholder trust. Our Infrastructure practice shaped the future of mobility by improving transportation options for more than one billion people. Financial Advisory revenue grew 22.1% in USD.
- Risk Advisory developed sophisticated solutions to support organizations' evolving risk and regulatory needs. An example is RegHub, which enhances how companies structure, source, and manage compliance using digital cloud platforms to track and address regulatory change. In addition, Deloitte Cyber practitioners used leading-edge technology to help clients protect against, and respond to, an array of cyber risks. Practitioners in Deloitte Cyber Operate teams also assisted global companies with digital identity and threat detection and response. Risk Advisory revenue grew 19.5% in USD.
- Tax guided clients through the shifting tax and economic landscape, helping them navigate the global push for tax transparency, the digitization of tax authorities, and other complex challenges arising from global tax reforms. With advanced tools that automate processes, speed response times, and improve accuracy, Deloitte worked together with clients to anticipate and address these issues, including major implications for data quality and access. At the same time, the acceleration of new business models drove demand for solutions to transform the way clients operate tax functions through outsourcing, in-sourcing, and co-sourcing routine compliance and reporting activities.
Similarly, Legal helped clients transform with tech-based solutions for managing contract lifecycles, collaborating with advisors in real-time, and automating routine tasks, which improve the accuracy and speed of processes while producing cost efficiencies. Where permissible under local laws and regulations, Deloitte Legal practices also worked with clients to help them manage their intellectual property, navigate compliance with ESG regulations, navigate transactions and streamline contracts, and design and roll out policies to address the changing work environment and resolve disputes. Tax & Legal revenue grew by 11.5% in USD.
Our growth is powered by empowering our people to lead with purpose and enable them to develop their careers and thrive in an equitable and inclusive environment. To enable this, our member firms around the world have enhanced total rewards and added benefits. They have implemented new ways of working focused on flexibility to improve our people's well-being. Our culture, underpinned by Deloitte's Shared Values, encourages our people to take care of each other and connect to make a positive impact for our clients, our planet, and the communities in which we live.
Through our WorldImpact initiatives, we are focused on making a tangible impact on society's biggest challenges and creating a more sustainable and equitable world. In FY2022, our societal impact investment was US$284 million, bringing our seven-year investment total to US$1.7 billion.
Aiding Ukraine: Our commitment to our people also means supporting them when the unthinkable happens. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Deloitte responded swiftly to assist our people in Ukraine and move their families to safety. Our member firms and people around the world demonstrated incredible solidarity to support humanitarian response efforts, raising more than US$7 million in financial donations and providing in-kind, volunteer, and pro bono support to organizations across the region. We also joined the Tent Partnership for Refugees, committing to support people forced to flee their homes in Ukraine, including supporting Ukrainian refugee women across Europe. Deloitte is committed to supporting education, skills building, and employment opportunities for refugees and displaced persons around the world.
WorldClimate: Climate change is the defining global challenge of our time. Through our WorldClimate strategy, we are making responsible climate choices within our organization and beyond. We launched a climate learning program last year, resulting in more than 300,000 professionals completing the learning, and 95% of professionals committing to reducing their climate impact. Recognizing that we must work with others to create the needed change, last year we joined the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and the World Economic Forum's First Movers Coalition.
WorldClass: We have accelerated progress toward our WorldClass ambition to reach 100 million individuals by 2030. Through our WorldClass Education Challenge, we selected 12 innovators dedicated to addressing education challenges in their communities across Africa and Asia. We are applying our business skills to help scale their solutions to enable more of the world's students to have access to the highest quality education.
- In Nigeria, Job Oyebisi co-founded StanLab, a 3D virtual laboratory app where teachers set up virtual labs for students to learn, practice, and master STEM subjects. Deloitte Africa is supporting the expansion of their virtual 3D science laboratory platform to 10 new countries across Africa by 2023.
- In India, Utsav Kheria works directly with parents and educators to transform childhood education. Through Rocket Learning's tech-savvy program, they have reached one million children aged three to eight by sharing daily learning activities with parents via messaging applications. Deloitte India is helping Utsav scale his work even further, allowing him to reach more children, and expanding the ages he serves, too.
In FY2022, Deloitte reached 13.6 million individuals through more than 1,150 WorldClass programs and initiatives around the world. Since 2017, we have reached 34 million individuals.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): Our global DEI strategy—ALL IN—emphasizes a workplace culture founded on respect and characterized by inclusive behaviors and an appreciation for diversity in all forms. ALL IN is focused not only on helping all our people live our values and thrive in a culture that is always respectful and inclusive, but also on designing and implementing specific interventions that can make a positive impact when it comes to our DEI aspirational goals.
Throughout the year, Deloitte has developed a range of internal resources—from inclusive leadership training and conversation guides to practical tips, programs, learning resources, and guidance on DEI-related topics, including race, LGBT+ inclusion, gender balance, mental health, neurodiversity, and disability.
Learning and development: Deloitte continued to provide virtual learning as part of a hybrid approach to professional development and to complement in-person training programs.
As our offices around the world reopened, learning teams worked to balance in-person classroom activities and virtual learning delivery. Deloitte University (DU) is our cultural home, providing in-person moments that matter—augmented by online learning programs. As the pandemic recedes, DU will be an even more important place for our people and leaders to meet safely in a renewed context of inclusion and physical and mental well-being. Time spent together in person at DU is focused on capability building, coaching, mentoring, and making connections.
We are also leveraging our virtual learning platform, which uses artificial intelligence to provide customized, online learning options covering more than 400,000 learning assets from internal and external sources. The platform personalizes learning based on the learner's needs and interests and democratizes the process by giving our people both a voice and a choice in their learning while enabling collaboration and individual contribution. By the end of FY2022, more than 360,000 of our people had accessed the platform.
Measuring and reporting our ESG progress: We continue to make progress toward our science-based targets, with renewable energy increasing to 91% compared to our base year of FY2019 when it only made-up 12% of energy. We continue to communicate to our suppliers the importance we place on addressing climate and now have more than 240 suppliers who have set science-based targets, up from 130 suppliers last year. This year we were honored to be named as a Supplier Engagement Leader by CDP, a leading global nonprofit that promotes corporate environmental reporting. This recognition for effectively engaging our suppliers on climate change is awarded to only the top 8% of organizations who made disclosures to CDP on climate matters. Deloitte is committed to transparency when reporting our emissions. This includes a public CDP disclosure, a global report following the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures, and our Global Impact Report, which follows the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative and includes disclosure of the Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics.
"This is a decisive decade. The role public policy makers, NGOs, and, particularly, business leaders need to play is changing. As the world evolves, the challenges we face are becoming as complex as they are unpredictable," adds Renjen. "By working together to develop and scale solutions for addressing climate change, advancing equity, and returning to economic growth, among other issues, we can lead the way in building better futures for more of the world's people."
To learn more about Deloitte's societal impact and FY2022 performance, please read our 2022 Global Impact Report.
"Deloitte," "us," "we" and "our" refer to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited ("DTTL"), its global network of member firms, and their related entities (collectively, the "Deloitte organization"). DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") and each of its member firms and related entities are legally separate and independent entities, which cannot obligate or bind each other in respect of third parties. DTTL and each DTTL member firm and related entity is liable only for its own acts and omissions, and not those of each other. DTTL does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more.
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. Our professionals deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world. Building on its 175-plus year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's approximately 415,000 people worldwide make an impact that matters at www.deloitte.com.
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SOURCE Deloitte | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/deloitte-reports-record-fy2022-revenue/ | 2022-09-08T10:37:20Z |
NEW YORK, May 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Arqit Quantum Inc. f/k/a Centricus Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: ARQQ).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/arqit-quantum-inc-f-k-a-centricus-acquisition-corp-loss-submission-form/?id=27764&from=4
This lawsuit is on behalf of: (i) all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Arqit securities between September 7, 2021 and April 18, 2022, inclusive; and/or (ii) all holders of Centricus securities as of the record date for the special meeting of shareholders held on August 31, 2021 to consider approval of the merger between Arqit and Centricus (the "Merger") and entitled to vote on the Merger.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until July 5, 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, Arqit Quantum Inc. f/k/a Centricus Acquisition Corp. issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Arqit's proposed encryption technology would require widespread adoption of new protocols and standards for telecommunications; (2) British cybersecurity officials questioned the viability of Arqit's proposed encryption technology in a meeting in 2020; (3) the British government was not an Arqit customer but, rather, providing grants to Arqit; (4) Arqit had little more than an early-stage prototype of its encryption system at the time of the Merger; and (5) as a result, Defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
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
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SOURCE Jakubowitz Law | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/05/27/arqq-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-arqit-quantum-inc-fka-centricus-acquisition-corp-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-july-5-2022/ | 2022-05-27T11:11:01Z |
Appalachia Rises: How you can help Eastern Kentucky
Here’s how to get involved:
Appalachian Regional Healthcare Foundation Flood Relief Fund: ARH is taking monetary donations online. If you’d like to donate cleaning supplies, non-perishable food items or water, they’re being accepted at omar + elsie, REACH fitness, Morton James, Norwalk Furniture & Design or the ARH Lexington office at 2260 Executive Dr. ARH says they’re in the most need of Enfamil baby formula, first aid kits, bug spray and industrial cleaning supplies.
Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Crisis Fund: The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky has created a crisis fund for flood victims.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Following historic flooding in Eastern Kentucky, WKYT in Lexington, WYMT in Hazard, and WSAZ in Charleston/Huntington, W. Va., are once again partnering with organizations committed to relief efforts.
In “Appalachia Rises | A Week of Giving,” the stations will spotlight throughout every newscast and on across their digital platforms the much needed work being done and how you can help.
In less the 48 hours, parts of Eastern Kentucky received between 8 and 10 1/2 inches of rain creating flash floods that washed away or inundated countless homes and businesses.
“Appalachia Rises” will support the ARH Foundation Fund for Flood Relief and the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Crisis Fund.
“Having been born and raised eastern Kentucky, my heart goes out to everyone that has been impacted,” said WKYT Vice President and General Manager Jeff Anderson. “By supporting these two charities, we are directly providing aid to the impacted areas and will make sure all donations are used specifically for assistance in Eastern Kentucky to help people that have lost loved ones, homes, cars and basic necessities that we can sometimes take for granted.”
Relief fundraising efforts received a major boast from Hazard-native Joe Craft and his wife, former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Knight Craft. The couple will match every dollar raised for the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Crisis Fund up to $1 million.
The three Gray Television stations serve Eastern Kentucky viewers being impacted by the flooding. Gray Television will be donating $50,000 toward relief efforts.
“I vividly remember the ‘77 flood. It nearly destroyed my grandparents’ home. Some of my friends lost everything. I learned then how special these mountains are,” said WYMT Vice President and General Manager Neil Middleton. “The devastation is greater this time. But our region and our people have a long history of rising to the occasion. When hard times come, our people roll up their sleeves and get to work. Neighbor helping neighbor. That’s what we mountain folk do. We share in the grief, the sorrow, and the pain. And we support one another with love, compassion, and donations; we chip in and do anything we can do to help.”
“Our hearts break for everyone impacted by these devastating floods. Eastern Kentucky will spend years recovering from this tragedy but with the help of the amazing people in our community we will rise and move forward,” said WSAZ Vice President and General Manager David Hughes. “The entire WSAZ family stands with Eastern Kentucky.”
Copyright 2022 WKYT. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/08/01/appalachia-rises-how-you-can-help-eastern-kentucky/ | 2022-08-15T19:47:12Z |
Choosing the best beach ball for summer fun
Tossing a beach ball from the sandy shore or poolside is as classic as summertime gets. The multi-colored stripes are timeless and playful, evoking nostalgia for all who toss the ball. But with so many varieties available, how do you know which beach ball will last for many summers to come?
Elements such as materials, inflation style and size affect which beach ball is right for you. So do your style, party plans and budget.
What to look for in a beach ball
A few quality features can ensure your water toys stay inflated, suit your play style and are durable enough to withstand lots of tossing and punching.
Material
Most beach balls are made from polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. This lets them stay thin and lightweight while also offering strength and durability. Not all manufacturers use the same level of quality assurance, so check the reviews. Look for reliable beach balls that stay inflated, seal correctly, are thick enough to prevent pops and are weather-resistant.
Design
Beach balls come in a wide variety of designs. From stripes to polka dots and glitter to graphics, you can find many options to complement your decor, preference or party theme. If the design includes premium elements such as loose confetti or LED lights, they may come at a premium price.
Size
Most beach balls list their sizes by deflated measurements. They lose about 30% of their length when they go from flat to round. For example, a 24-inch beach ball measures roughly 17 to 18 inches across when fully inflated.
- Mini: Mini beach balls typically measure less than 9 inches in diameter. They are the lightest option, easy to hold in one hand. Mini beach balls are useful for games like dodgeball, volleyball and catch.
- Regular: Most traditional beach balls measure around 20 inches deflated but can range from 12 to 24 inches. They are ideal for tossing in small groups, at pools or the beach.
- Jumbo: Oversized beach balls are ideal for larger crowds or playing rolling ball games outdoors. Follow safety instructions, as jumbo beach balls are generally designed for laying or sitting on, though they may resemble exercise balls. Since jumbo balls are so large — sometimes larger than a tall adult — it’s best to inflate them with a pump. When deflated, they generally measure 36 inches or longer, up to 12 feet long.
Inflation style
You can inflate beach balls either by blowing air through a mouthpiece or using a hand pump. Smaller balls, naturally, are easier to inflate. Pumps are recommended for larger beach balls, especially jumbo balls.
Best beach balls
Icnice Glow-In-The-Dark LED Beach Balls, 2-Pack
Light up your playtime at night with these remote-operated multicolor LED beach balls. The waterproof 16-inch beach balls offer 13 colors and four lighting modes. Sold by Amazon
4E’s Novelty Beach Balls, 3-Pack
For a traditional aesthetic, opt for these classic beach ball designs. The 20-inch toys feature recognizable rainbow stripes and a simple inflation nozzle. Sold by Amazon
Top Race Mini Beach Balls, 25-Pack
Make sure everyone at the party gets a beach ball with this 25-pack of mini beach balls. These classic designs make great decorations, toys and party favors. Sold by Amazon
Ninostar Star Wars Beach Balls, 3-Pack
Pop culture and sci-fi fans can enjoy themed beach balls too with these detailed “Star Wars” designs. The set of 14-inch balls includes R2-D2, BB-8 and the Death Star. Sold by Amazon
Big Mo’s Toys Beach Balls, 12-Pack
For a multi-pack of medium-sized beach balls, this 12-pack is a great value. It includes a dozen 12-inch beach balls with a classic rainbow design. Sold by Amazon
Intex Jumbo Inflatable Pool Ball, 42 Inches
A jumbo beach ball offers the chance to mix up water play with a larger-than-life toy. This polka-dotted ball measures 42 inches and features multi-colored dots all around. Sold by Amazon
Emoji Party Pack Inflatable Beach Balls, 12-Pack
Introduce even more fun at the beach or at the pool with this 12-pack of emoji-themed beach balls. Measuring 16 inches each, they feature classic emoji faces on bright yellow balls. Sold by Amazon
Pangda Inflatable Globe Beach Ball, 2-Pack
Have fun while learning world geography with this two-pack of inflatable globes. The 16-inch globes feature every continent, ocean, country and capital, with major cities clearly labeled. Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://cw33.com/reviews/br/camping-outdoors-br/beach-br/8-best-beach-balls/ | 2022-08-25T12:07:26Z |
PALO ALTO, Calif., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Futu Singapore Pte. Ltd. ("Futu SG" or "Futu Singapore"), a subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed Futu Holdings (Nasdaq: FUTU) offering securities trading services via moomoo app in Singapore, had the gong-strike ceremony today to mark it becoming the first digital brokerage with full Singapore Exchange memberships.
Futu SG is officially admitted as a Trading and Clearing Member of Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading Limited and Trading Member of Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited. In addition, it will hold clearing membership in SGX subsidiary The Central Depository (Pte) Limited, as well as becoming a depository agent of the financial institution. Futu SG is now one of the twelve SGX members with full memberships among other 79 members.
In honour of the occasion, SGX Group CEO Mr. Loh Boon Chye, Futu Holdings Senior Partner and Senior Vice President Mr. Robin Xu, Futu SG CEO Mr. Ivan Mok and Managing Director Mr. Gavin Chia and other members of the SGX and Futu SG struck the gong of the SGX on the IPO Arena on Thursday, 30 June 2022 at market open.
Mr. Leaf Hua Li, Futu's Founder, Chairman, CEO & Chairman of the Technology Committee commented: "Receiving all the memberships from SGX was a significant milestone for our company as we moved toward strengthening our market leading position as a trusted, reliable, stable full-service investment and wealth management super-app (moomoo), and as the go-to partner for comprehensive financial inclusion and financial literacy in Singapore."
Mr. Pol de Win, Senior Managing Director, Head of Global Sales and Origination, SGX Group, said, "We are pleased to welcome Futu Singapore as the first digital broker to receive full trading and clearing memberships of our securities and derivatives markets. Futu Singapore is primed to play a prominent role in increasing retail participation in Singapore's market, with millions of users worldwide across Futu Holdings' investment platforms. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Futu Singapore to serve the growing retail and institutional demand for SGX Group's investment and risk management products across the region."
Futu Holdings Senior Partner and Senior Vice President Mr. Robin Xu said: "With the full memberships, we will be able to execute and settle transactions through our clearing system, strengthening the synergy with other Futu's subsidiaries. Owing to this, we expect to see a rise in retail participation across all Futu's clients on the SGX market, and for us to become an investment platform that connects SGX to global investors."
Futu SG and moomoo had achieved countless breakthroughs and advancements in Singapore. Since its debut in March 2021, Futu SG had acquired the first 100,000 paying clients in less than three months. As of June 2022, the number of moomoo users in Singapore exceeds 21.5% of the 20 to 70-year-old permanent resident population.
Meanwhile, the average asset value of the accounts held by the Singapore paying clients acquired in January had doubled by the end of March, as moomoo's penetration into higher income and education population increases.
In addition, the wealth management business also thrives in Singapore, as the scale of asset under management boosted 93% with the client number surging 95% quarter-over-quarter, as of the end of first quarter.
Later this year, Futu Holdings will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary, marking over 18 million users globally with presence in four key markets – Singapore, United States, Australia and Hong Kong SAR.
About Futu Holdings Limited
Futu Holdings Limited ("Futu") (Nasdaq: FUTU) is an advanced technology company transforming the investing experience by offering a fully digitized brokerage and wealth management platform. Futu provides investing services – including stock trading and clearing, margin financing, wealth management, market data and information, and interactive social features for Hong Kong SAR, US and China Connect stocks – to individual investors through its proprietary one-stop digital platforms, Futubull and moomoo. Futu also provides Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) solutions and IPO distribution services through its enterprise service brand FUTU I&E, with a focus on providing employee stock ownership plans to corporate clients.
Futu aims to become an influential financial services platform globally, by building a complete financial technology ecosystem with the mission of "making investing easier and more collaborative." For more information about Futu Holdings, please visit the company's official website www.futuholdings.com
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SOURCE Futu Singapore Pte. Ltd. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/01/futu-sg-strengthens-its-leading-position-first-digital-brokerage-receive-full-sgx-memberships/ | 2022-07-01T07:08:53Z |
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits recently retaken, devastated city
IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the recently retaken city of Izium on Wednesday, greeting soldiers and thanking them for their efforts in retaking the area, as the Ukrainian flag was raised in front of the burned-out city hall building.
Russian forces left the war-scarred city last week as Ukraine pressed forward in a sweeping counteroffensive that has reclaimed vast swaths of territory in the country’s northeastern Kharkiv region in a matter of days.
Much of Izium has been devastated. Apartment buildings are blackened by fire and pockmarked by artillery strikes. The entire center of one residential building had collapsed, a gaping hole and piles of rubble where homes used to be.
“The view is very shocking but it is not shocking for me,” Zelenskyy said in brief comments to the press, “because we began to see the same pictures from Bucha, from the first de-occupied territories … so the same destroyed buildings, killed people.”
Bucha is a neighborhood near Kyiv where the bodies of civilians, many of them bearing signs of torture, were found dumped in the streets, in mass graves and in yards after Russian forces withdrew hastily in March.
On the northern outskirts of Izium, the remains of Russian tanks and vehicles lie shattered along the road.
“Our soldiers are here. That’s a very important thing. It supports people,” Zelenskyy said. “I see how people meet them, in what a sensitive moment. It means that with our army, the life comes back.”
Ukrainian troops have recently carried out a dramatic counteroffensive that has allowed them to recapture large swaths of territory around Kharkiv and inflict a stunning blow on Moscow’s military prestige.
Following those gains, a new front line has started to emerge in the war, a Washington-based think tank said Wednesday.
The Institute for the Study of War said the Oskil River appeared to be becoming the new front line in the area after Kyiv’s significant gains in recent days.
The Oskil River flows south and largely represents the eastern edge of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
“Ukrainian forces are continuing localized ground assaults to threaten Russian positions behind the Oskil River,” the institute said.
“Russian troops are unlikely to be strong enough to prevent further Ukrainian advances along the entire Oskil River because they do not appear to be receiving reinforcements, and Ukrainian troops will likely be able to exploit this weakness to resume the counter-offensive across the Oskil if they choose, “it added.
The counter-offensive has also left more weapons in Ukrainian hands.
Russian forces likely left behind dozens of tanks, armored personnel carriers and other heavy weaponry as they fled Ukraine’s advance in the east of the country, a Ukrainian think tank said Wednesday.
The Center for Defense Strategies said one single Russian unit that was around Izium left behind 39 T-80 tanks and 35 infantry fighting vehicles, known by the acronym BMP. Another unit left behind 47 tanks and 27 armored vehicles.
The center said Russian forces tried to destroy some of the abandoned vehicles through artillery strikes as they fell back. Typically, armed forces destroy equipment left behind so their opponent can’t use it.
However, the chaos of the Russian withdrawal apparently saw them leave untouched ammunition and weapons behind.
In other areas, Russia has continued its attacks over the past day, causing the death toll to keep rising in the war that has now dragged on for more than seven months.
Russian shelling of seven Ukrainian regions over the past 24 hours killed at least seven civilians and wounded 22 more, Ukraine’s presidential office reported on Wednesday morning.
Two people were killed and three injured after Russia attacked Mykolaiv with S-300 missiles overnight, said regional Gov. Vitaliy Kim. An educational institution, infrastructure objects and residential buildings were damaged. Settlements near the frontline in Mykolaiv region remain under constant fire.
The Nikopol area, which is across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, was shelled three times during the night, but no injuries were immediately reported, said regional Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko. Nikopol city itself was shelled two times, which left almost 3,000 families without electricity. Reznichenko said the electricity has been partially restored.
In the Kharkiv region, where Ukrainian forces have retaken more than 300 cities and villages, the process of demining is underway; three people have been injured over the past 24 hours.
In the neighbouring Luhansk region, where some of the Russian troops retreated from the Kharkiv region, mobile internet has been shut down, according to the region’s governor Serhiy Haidai, and intense shelling of Ukrainian forces continues.
The fighting continued in the Donetsk region as well. Avdiivka, Bakhmut and Kramatorsk have come under a barrage of shelling, which killed five civilians and wounded 16 more.
“Every night in Donbas is restless. The civilians should leave the region. It’s a matter of life and death,” Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
___
Jon Gambrell in Kyiv contributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/09/14/ukraines-zelenskyy-visits-recently-retaken-devastated-city/ | 2022-09-14T11:12:54Z |
Manhattan Fire Department to start annual fire hydrant flowing
MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - Manhattan residents will soon see members of Manhattan Fire Department in their neighborhoods performing tests on the fire hydrants.
Fire hydrant flowing and maintenance are essential to the continued safety of the community.
Manhattan Fire Department has started the annual fire hydrant flowing and maintenance.
This process tests the water pressure at each hydrant which allows the water lines to be flushed.
“We just basically ensure the operation at the hydrant is operating, so if it is needed for an emergency that we don’t have any issues and we can head off any problems or maintenance.” Manhattan Fire Department, Battalion Chief, Mark Whitehair says.
MFD asks for community members to use caution in the area of hydrant flowing as the water flowing could be damaging to vehicles, as well as keeping children out of the water to avoid injury to them as well.
Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/06/18/manhattan-fire-department-start-annual-fire-hydrant-flowing/ | 2022-06-18T03:08:52Z |
Former White House counsel, deputy counsel subpoenaed in DOJ’s Jan. 6 probe
(CNN) – The Justice Department is escalating its investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, with CNN learning of new subpoenas to former White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former deputy counsel Patrick Philbin.
Cipollone and Philbin are the highest-ranking White House officials to be subpoenaed so far in the probe.
“This is probably bad for former President Trump,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., a member of the House Jan. 6 select committee.
Prosecutors are already deep into their investigation of plans from Trump allies to overturn the 2020 election.
Two top aides to former Vice President Mike Pence, Marc Short and Greg Jacob, appeared before a grand jury last month.
Subpoenas have already been served to several people who schemed to create fake slates of electors saying Trump won the 2020 election in several swing states.
Earlier this summer, FBI agents seized lawyer John Eastman’s phone and raided former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark’s home.
Cipollone’s subpoena is significant because he was close to the president and in the West Wing on Jan. 6, 2021.
Cipollone sat for several hours of a closed-door deposition with the Jan. 6 House select committee, careful not to divulge any conversations directly with Trump.
Former prosecutor Elie Honing said those executive privilege concerns could prove to be a hurdle for Justice Department prosecutors.
“Donald Trump might try to step in and claim executive privilege in front of a grand jury,” Honing said. “You can claim executive privilege, but there is a difference between claiming executive privilege and actually winning on executive privilege. This is exactly what happened in the Richard Nixon tapes case back in 1974.”
Nixon’s tapes were ultimately ordered released by the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the Jan. 6 House committee was blindsided by revelations of more missing text messages from government phones.
CNN has learned the Defense Department wiped the phones of top departing Defense Department and Army officials at the end of the Trump administration, deleting any texts that might have existed from key witnesses in response to the Capitol attack.
When asked if the House Jan. 6 committee was aware of the deleted Defense Department records prior to Wednesday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a committee member, said: “I do not believe so. I was not, which is another concerning matter – that this was not disclosed to us by the Department of Defense.”
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/08/04/former-white-house-counsel-deputy-counsel-subpoenaed-dojs-jan-6-probe/ | 2022-08-04T01:56:11Z |
DALLAS (KDAF) — River Legacy is hosting another installment of its Creature Features series on April 23 and this time, you will get to meet ferret Artichoke.
This series gives people a free opportunity to learn about the ferret lifestyle by directly interacting with them. To register for the event, click here. | https://cw33.com/news/meet-artichoke-during-river-legacy-nature-centers-creature-features/ | 2022-04-14T05:53:37Z |
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Haig Partners LLC, the leading buy-sell advisory firm to auto, heavy truck and RV dealers in the U.S., served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to Minneapolis based Forest Lake Auto Group in its sale to Morrie's Auto Group. Forest Lake Auto Group consists of Forest Lake Chevrolet and Forest Lake Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-RAM of Forest Lake, MN, outside Minneapolis.
Randy Wilcox, the owner of Forest Lake Auto Group, stated, "It's been my pleasure to work with a great staff at these two stores to serve many thousands of customers in the greater Minneapolis area. We built a terrific business and I expect Morrie's will provide even more opportunities for our people and our customers. I wish them all much success for the future. I'd like to thank Alan Haig and Nate Klebacha from Haig Partners for running a confidential sale process that brought me the outcome that I wanted. Also, I'd like to thank Chris Penwell and Scott Weaver at Siegel Brill for their astute legal advice to help get this transaction closed."
Mr. Wilcox has been a successful entrepreneur for over 40 years. Prior to investing in auto dealerships, he built BIX Produce into a leading specialty produce processing and distribution company serving the Upper Midwest. It was acquired by Northwest Equity Partners in 2015.
Morrie's Auto Group is one of the largest dealership groups in the upper Midwest. Including this transaction, Morrie's has acquired 14 additional locations since 2016 through seven transactions. They now represent 22 brands across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. "We are excited to add these dealerships to the Morrie's platform and expand our presence in Minnesota," said Lance Iserman, CEO of Morrie's. "This acquisition will strengthen our offering across the Midwest as we continue to grow and acquire additional stores. The Forest Lake dealerships share a similar strategy and community approach to that of Morrie's, with a customer friendly, best-price sales process and a focus on customer experience. We look forward to working with the existing team to drive benefits for our collective customers, employees and brand partners."
Alan Haig, President of Haig Partners which represented the seller, said, "We congratulate Randy Wilcox on the sale of his dealerships to Morrie's. He grew his stores into two of the highest-performing domestic dealerships in the upper Midwest. Also, we applaud the Morrie's team with this acquisition that adds further strength to their position in Minneapolis. This transaction demonstrates that buyers remain confident about the future of auto retail and want to continue to grow."
The team at Haig Partners has been involved in the purchase or sale of 12 dealerships in Minnesota in recent years. Haig Partners has advised on the sale of 29 dealerships nationwide so far in 2022.
Haig Partners LLC helps dealers to maximize the value of their businesses when they are ready to sell. The team at Haig Partners has unmatched experience with executives from leading retail dealer groups and financial institutions. They have advised on the purchase or sale of more than 575 dealerships for over $9.0 billion, and have represented 22 groups that qualify for the annual Automotive News Top 150 Dealer Groups list, more than any other firm. Haig Partners leverages its expertise and relationships to lead clients through a confidential and customizable sales process that also maximizes the value of their businesses. They author the Haig Report, the leading industry quarterly report that tracks trends in auto retail and their impact on dealership values, and are co-author of NADA's Guide, "Buying and Selling a Dealership." For more information, visit www.haigpartners.com.
Transaction Contact:
Alan Haig, Founder and President
Haig Partners
alan@haigpartners.com
(954) 646-8921
Media Contact:
Aimee Allen, Director of Marketing and Business Development
Haig Partners
aimee@haigpartners.com
(603) 933-2194
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SOURCE Haig Partners | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/13/haig-partners-serves-exclusive-advisor-sale-forest-lake-auto-group-morries-auto-group/ | 2022-07-13T18:39:18Z |
ATLANTA, July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Azalea Health, a leading provider of fully-integrated cloud-based healthcare solutions and services, has announced today that they have won the Inc 5000 award for the 5th year in a row, making it the 5th time Azalea Health Innovations is a part of their distinguished list of fastest growing companies. The award showcases entrepreneurial leaders and celebrates innovation within multiple industries, metro areas, revenue brackets, company sizes, and women and minority run companies.
"This yearly award marks and recognizes Azalea's continual growth and commitment to progress on behalf of its employees and its clients," Baha Zeidan said, CEO of Azalea Health Innovations. "In 2021, our leadership team focused on fostering a collaborative and culturally diverse environment to bring together new perspectives, ideas, and ways to address the unique challenges of our client base."
Azalea's cloud-based EHR technology is revolutionizing health IT, particularly for community hospitals and clinics in underserved rural and urban communities. Azalea Health seeks to bring compassionate innovation into the EHR space, creating products that are interoperable and easy to use in order to meet the ever-increasing needs and challenges that providers face.
Azalea Health Innovations saw a 138% growth rate over the past 3 years, and since then has doubled its number of employees.
"All of us at Azalea, especially those who have been around a long time, remember our humble beginnings in rural Valdosta - to be where we are now is a testament to our dedication to the healthcare industry and to our rural clients."
To learn more about Azalea Health Innovations click here.
Azalea Health, an Atlanta-based company, is changing the way health IT platforms connect community-based healthcare providers and patients across the lifecycle of care. Offering a 100% cloud-based integrated solution, Azalea delivers electronic health records, revenue cycle management, and telehealth solutions, all designed for rural and community practices and hospitals. Quick to deploy and intuitive to use, Azalea solutions ensure better care coordination and communication – enabling better outcomes and a meaningful competitive advantage. The Azalea platform also provides tools and resources to help customers meet their Meaningful Use requirements, as well as strategies to navigate accountable care and alternative payment models. www.AzaleaHealth.com
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SOURCE Azalea Health | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/26/azalea-health-wins-inc5000s-fastest-growing-company-award-5th-year-row/ | 2022-07-26T19:23:13Z |
Hope Solo arrested on DWI, child abuse charges
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 5:19 PM EDT|Updated: 44 minutes ago
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo has been arrested in North Carolina after police say she was found passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle with her two children inside.
A police report says Solo was arrested in a shopping center parking lot in Winston-Salem and charged with driving while impaired, resisting a public officer and misdemeanor child abuse.
She has been released from jail and has a court date of June 28.
Arrest reports say a passerby noticed Solo passed out behind the steering wheel for more than an hour with the vehicle’s engine running and two children in the backseat.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/04/01/hope-solo-arrested-dwi-child-abuse-charges-2/ | 2022-04-01T22:04:36Z |
DENVER, July 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AirDNA's mid-year outlook report reveals the short-term rental (STR) industry is expected to reach 20.3% more demand in 2022 than in 2021, despite rising interest rates, stock market volatility, and travel disruption.
"2022 will be a record year for STRs, with more nights stayed in a rental than at any other point in history," said Jamie Lane, AirDNA's VP of Research. "A huge influx of new supply has even outpaced demand growth, pushing occupancy down."
Investment has accelerated in the first half of 2022, especially in pandemic-favorite destinations such as mountain, lake, and rural areas. Listing totals are now projected to reach 21% growth for 2022, with AirDNA's forecast calling for available supply to reach a record 1.4 million listings in 2023, up 8.6% from 2022.
Long-term stays of 28 days or more are helping to boost demand in suburban areas, up 10.8% from 2019, whereas their inner-city counterparts are still lagging 21.6% behind pre-pandemic levels. Urban centers are the only location type with occupancy still below 2019, though they have grown 5.2% year over year.
With hosts feeling the pressure of rising costs, average daily rates are forecast to rise by 6.3% this year. So far, these increases have exceeded inflation, but as occupancy rates continue to decline, competition to attract guests may push hosts to lower prices. In 2023, rates are expected to halve their growth.
"Despite relentless growth for U.S. STRs, turbulent trends are the new normal in the industry," said AirDNA's COO, Demi Horvat. "Leveraging data is essential for all industry stakeholders to turn these trends to their advantage and enhance their profitability through timely strategic planning."
As international travelers from key feeder markets like Canada and the U.K. begin to return to the U.S., larger cities should benefit. For the summer, the majority of coastal and mountain markets are seeing demand even higher than last year's record figures. With lead times still lagging behind 2019 levels, 2022 bookings are likely to end up surpassing their current pacing, showing the golden age of the STR sector is far from being over.
CONTACT:
press@airdna.co
(720) 372-2318
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SOURCE AirDNA | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/11/airdna-mid-year-outlook-pent-up-demand-strengthens-industry/ | 2022-07-11T14:35:26Z |
COLUMBIA, Md., May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blend360 announced today that they will be sponsoring LPGA player Ana Belac. A rising star in the world of golf, the 25-year-old competes on the LPGA Tour (Ladies Professional Golf Association). Since going pro in 2020, Ana already scored her first win at the Epson Tour's Carolina Golf Classic. As part of their partnership, Ana will wear the Blend360 logo on the right shoulder blade of her shirt, a look that she debuted in the recent Palos Verdes Championship.
Blend360's Founder and CEO Patrick Hennessey explained why Ana was the perfect partner for Blend360, saying, "Ana continues to show her hard work and dedication to the sport of golf, and we're excited to partner with an athlete who portrays the strong competitive Blend spirit. Her love for statistics, her work ethic, and her winning attitude make her the perfect brand ambassador. We can't wait for the Blend360 team to root for her!"
A Duke University graduate with a degree in statistics, Ana led the team to an NCAA championship and is currently tied for the fourth-lowest scoring average in school history. During her time at Duke, she was awarded Golfweek and WGCA First Team All-American, the All-American Strength and Conditioning Athletes of the Year, and was featured on the ANNIKA Award Watchlist. "I am very honored to be a part of the team at Blend360. Our shared love for statistics and immediate connection made this feel so natural. I am proud to represent them on the LPGA Tour and am confident that this will be a great partnership," says Ana.
Prior to her professional career, Ana made a mark on her home country's national golf team. Ana was awarded Athlete of the Year (Piran Municipality, Slovenia) and represented Slovenia at the Youth Olympic Games. She earned a bronze medal at the XVIII Mediterranean Games. Outside of golf, she competes in Olympic weightlifting.
About Blend360
Blend360 is a leading provider of data science and talent solutions services, serving Fortune 500 companies. It continues to be awarded as one of the fastest-growing companies, making the Inc. 5000 List of Fasting Growing Companies every year they have been in business. They have over 500 employees with offices domestically in NY, MD, CO, and CA and internationally throughout the EMEA region and India.
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SOURCE Blend360 | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/05/17/blend360-announces-lpga-partnership-sponsoring-ana-belac/ | 2022-05-17T16:21:53Z |
PITTSBURGH, April 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I wanted to create a fast-paced card game that can be enjoyed by everyone," said an inventor, from Indianapolis, Ind., "so I invented the MOOS-JA. My design could provide a fun addition for game nights and parties."
The patent-pending invention provides a new card game for families and friends. In doing so, it offers a challenging alternative to traditional games. As a result, it enhances entertainment and fun and it could spark friendly competition. The invention features a portable design that is easy to learn and play so it is ideal for the general population.
The original design was submitted to the Indianapolis sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-IPL-335, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
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SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/04/07/inventhelp-inventor-develops-fun-fast-paced-card-game-ipl-335/ | 2022-04-07T16:10:49Z |
HOULTON, Maine, Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Katahdin Bankshares Corp. (OTCQX: KTHN), the parent company of Katahdin Trust Company, a community bank founded in 1918 serving northern Maine and the greater Bangor and Portland regions, announced that it has declared a cash dividend of $0.138 per share for the third quarter of 2022.
In making the announcement, Jon J. Prescott, Katahdin Trust President & CEO, stated that it represented a 10.4% increase over last year's third quarter dividend. The dividend will be payable on September 23, 2022, to shareholders of record as of September 16, 2022.
About Katahdin Bankshares Corp.
Katahdin Bankshares Corp. is the bank holding company of Katahdin Trust Company. Founded in 1918, Katahdin Trust is a community bank based in Houlton, Maine with more than $965 million in assets and 16 banking offices that serve Aroostook, Penobscot, and Cumberland counties. The Bank has nearly 180 employees and, in 2022, was named one of the Best Places to Work in Maine for the fifth year in a row and recognized the past three years as one of the Top 200 Community Banks in the country by American Banker magazine. Katahdin Bankshares Corp. common stock is quoted on the OTC Markets (OTCQX) under the symbol KTHN. Learn more about the Company and its subsidiary bank at www.katahdintrust.com and follow Katahdin Trust on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
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SOURCE Katahdin Bankshares Corp. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/24/katahdin-bankshares-corp-announces-dividend/ | 2022-08-24T21:50:50Z |
VISTA, Calif., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Since breaking into the alternative THC industry, Serene Tree has established itself as a leader in CBD and Delta-THC based products. Their reputation for quality and full spectrum purity has made them an industry innovator since day one. By continuing to lead the way with its enamoring artistry, Serene Tree has leveled consumer expectations by having the most potent Delta-9 infusions on the market. As well as now offering the first Delta-THC based subscription box for consumers to try and tailor specifically to their needs.
Delta-9 is one of the newer cannabinoids to hit the scene, gaining popularity with its psychotropic effects and physically relieving qualities. Streamlining behind its partnering cannabinoids, Delta-8, and CBD within legal states.
The most significant difference between Delta-9 compared to its predecessors is its psychotropic effects on consumers while still landing within the legal gray area of acceptability. Delta-9 THC is a cannabinoid found within the cannabis plant and is somewhat cost-effective to extract and simple within its processes. Though it is commonly derived from marijuana plants, today's bioengineering advancements have given consumers choices with both hemp and cannabis-based Delta-9.
Hemp-based is just like regular Delta-9 from the cannabis plant; however, hemp contains less than 0.3% of it at its dried weight. This percentage is significant because though it's an identical chemical to the Delta-9 that comes from cannabis, hemp-based also produces that high feeling recreational cannabis users seek. While also being protected under the 2018 Farm Bill, making it legal for manufacturing, sale, and consumption.
The fact is that Delta-9 is taking the cannabis industry by storm and has been in development for quite a while by a handful of alternative-based manufacturers. With only a few contenders succeeding in its balance between quality, options, and cost.
Serene Tree is one of the few to have perfected the process, becoming the most reviewed and trend-setting brand on the web. Rolling out with fresh infusions at every turn, the most recent being a Delta-9 subscription box. This subscription box will be backed by Serene Tree's admirable quality, offering consumers various products such as tinctures, vapables, smokables, and edibles to fit every need.
Serene Tree Delta-9 subscription boxes are available for purchase on their site. Becoming the first manufacturer and developer of this hemp-derived box, this company continues to grow as an industry leader in emerging cannabis and hemp-based innovation. To learn more about Serenetree, the Delta-9 subscription box, and other products they offer, click here: https://serenetree.com
CONTACT: 760-440-8171
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SOURCE Serene Tree | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/16/delta-9-thc-legal-subscription-boxes-national-shipping/ | 2022-09-16T18:43:11Z |
ARLINGTON (KDAF) — Take me out to the ball game! Over at Globe Life Field the Texas Rangers won’t be the only ones playing nine innings.
The City of Arlington says that the Rangers announced the opening of Oatly Park this week! Oatly Park is a kid-friendly wiffle ball park at Globe Life Field. “Kids 12 and younger will get to take five swings free of charge. Oatly Park opens 30 min before first pitch until the last out.”
The City of Arlington writes, “The Texas Rangers held a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening Oatly Park during a media event at Globe Life Field. Rangers Youth Academy athletes were among the first to take swings in the new park and were joined by Texas Rangers players Josh Smith and Joe Barlow, as well as long-time public address announcer and EVP of ballpark, entertainment, promotion and production, Chuck Morgan.”
What you need to know about Oatly Park according to the Texas Rangers
- Located on upper concourse in center field above Grand Slam Team Store
- Dimensions of the new park are 59 feet to center field, 51 feet down the right-field line, and 49 feet down the left-field line
- Oatly Park will be open 30 minutes prior to the game’s first pitch until the game’s final pitch, and operates on a first come, first served basis with no admission necessary
- Each youngster 12 and under will get five swings | https://cw33.com/news/local/texas-rangers-announce-opening-of-kid-friendly-wiffle-ball-park-oatly-park/ | 2022-07-08T19:44:42Z |
Texas’ juvenile prison system is nearing total collapse.
Its five lockups are dangerously understaffed, an ongoing problem that worsened dramatically last year when its turnover rate hit more than 70%. The state has desperately tried to recruit employees, but most new hires are gone within six months.
Teachers and caseworkers routinely work in security roles so the prisons’ nearly 600 youth can get out of their cells to go to the bathroom or take showers. Still, children have reported being left to use water bottles as makeshift toilets.
On weekends, youth are often locked alone in cramped cells with only a mounted bookshelf and a thin mattress on a concrete block for up to 23 hours a day. The lucky ones have a small window to the outside.
The agency has largely stopped accepting newly sentenced teenagers from crowded county detention centers, fearing it can’t even protect the children already in its care.
And more and more, children are hurting themselves — sometimes severely — out of distress or as a way to get attention in their isolation. Nearly half of those locked in the state’s juvenile prisons this year have been on suicide watch.
The emergency is the predictable result of a state agency that has been entrenched in crisis for more than a decade. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department is under federal investigation for an alleged pattern of mistreatment and abuse, and it has gone through several iterations of major and moderate reform following scandals marked by sexual abuse and violence, including a full restructuring in 2011.
But the agency has never escaped its problem of chronic understaffing, exacerbating systemic failures and spurring a vicious cycle of worsening conditions for imprisoned children, as well as more difficult work and longer hours for the staff that remains. The agency consistently loses detention officers at a faster rate than any other position in Texas government, outpacing other hard-to-fill jobs like adult prison officers and caseworkers for Child Protective Services.
The staffing crisis only worsened following the pandemic and the subsequent wave of resignations throughout the country. And although agency leaders believe the flood of departures has eased, they are left clinging to startlingly few workers. In June, less than half of the agency’s officer positions were filled by active employees.
Ultimately, the answer comes down to money. TJJD leaders and independent legislative analysts have said the agency first needs more money to hire and retain officers, while juvenile justice advocates and lawmakers have pushed for closing the state’s five prisons and investing in better care at the local level, or creating smaller, narrowly focused facilities in urban areas with more mental health resources.
But while the governor and lawmakers have denounced agency failures, replaced leadership and demanded change after abuse reports in recent years, their outcries are not typically reflected in the budget.
Unlike adult prisons and Child Protective Services, TJJD was not spared from a 5% budget cut ordered by state leaders at the beginning of the pandemic. As a result, the agency said it temporarily eliminated prevention and intervention services that juvenile justice experts say are the best way to keep children out of the criminal justice system.
The Legislature last year also rejected agency requests to, among other things, fund more services for detained children in suicidal crises or with other emergency mental health needs. And four times during the pandemic, Gov. Greg Abbott and the Legislature have taken away money the agency received in federal coronavirus relief funds to spend on other state expenses, including Abbott’s ever-expanding, multibillion-dollar border security mission.
TJJD leaders were able to implement emergency 15% raises for staff earlier this year by postponing reentry programs and using savings from unfilled positions. But they said salaries are still too low, and the current economy puts them in competition for workers with far less strenuous jobs, like cashier and retail positions. Shandra Carter, the department’s interim leader, said she can’t attract and retain staff because the state hasn’t provided enough resources for the department to fulfill its responsibilities.
“The first step in addressing these shortages and moving us out of survival mode is to provide a competitive salary,” Carter said in an email to The Texas Tribune last month. “Having the necessary number of employees to ensure safety and supervision of youth will allow for enhanced training, opportunities for leadership development, and an increased ability to safely manage the milieu.”
(Carter took the helm of the agency in April, after its longest-serving director quit without notice on the same day Abbott most recently pulled the agency’s coronavirus relief funding for his border operation. The former director has not publicly given a reason for her departure.)
Advocates, agency leaders and legislative analysts acknowledge the crisis within TJJD has reached a breaking point. Although they have differing views on how to break out of a system of failure, they agree that without meaningful change — and funding — the next step for Texas’ juvenile prisons could be “systemic collapse,” according to an agency report last month.
“People are unwilling to imagine a different way, but clearly we need to,” said Brett Merfish of Texas Appleseed, a social justice advocacy group that has sought to phase out state-run juvenile prisons by investing in local systems instead.
“What is it going to take to say we need to do this?” she asked, noting the emergencies that are already taking place. “Is it going to be kids left in their cells for 22 hours a day? Is it going to take suicide rates going up by X%?”
Downward spiral
Texas’ youth prisons have changed significantly over the past two decades, most often spurred by repeated reports of sexual and physical abuse.
Following a sexual abuse scandal at one prison in 2007, the agency was rebranded and restructured to merge with local juvenile justice systems. After similar crimes made headlines a decade later, Abbott replaced much of the agency’s leadership and provided emergency funding and Texas Rangers to further investigate criminal behavior among staff.
In recent years, a new focus on keeping kids in trouble closer to home and a drop in juvenile arrests have led to far fewer kids being sent to a shrinking number of state-run prisons, a feat celebrated by both juvenile justice advocates and state leaders.
But the children who remain in the state’s five prisons are generally the most difficult to manage and care for, often because of violent behavior, severe mental health needs or both. The needs of the detainees have changed, and providing adequate safety and rehabilitation requires more resources.
The facilities, which are in remote parts of the state with small labor pools, struggle to find and keep qualified mental health professionals and security staff.
“The large campuses in rural Texas, some of them have 200 and 300 acres,” said state Sen. John Whitmire, a Houston Democrat and chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. “That was fine when you ran them as a school for nonviolent, disturbed kids. But they have not been modified … for youth that have committed more serious offenses.”
He noted that fights, sometimes gang-related, tend to break out when teens from separate dorms are moved around the campuses for things like education or recreation.
And as staff flee for easier work with the same pay, kids can be locked up almost all day, often exacerbating mental illnesses. Without at least two officers in a dorm of 16 detainees, teens have to remain in their individual cells.
The short-staffing impacts every piece of the youths’ prison lives.
Basketball and football seasons have been canceled. A popular program for imprisoned children to foster and train shelter dogs is on pause. Often, meals are eaten in dorms instead of the cafeteria, and students get work packets instead of being taught in classrooms.
Amy Mason’s 17-year-old son has been at the Giddings Unit, about 60 miles east of Austin, for about a year. She said he no longer can get out of his cell on weekends to call her or, sometimes, even use the bathroom.
“My son told me, ‘Mom, I don’t have any water or anything to drink because I’m having to urinate in my water bottles,” Mason said.
Other children at the Gainesville prison in North Texas have told state inspectors, who visit the five prisons once a month, that they have used cups or water bottles as makeshift toilets on weekends, according to inspection reports. An officer said kids were given extra cups and bottles specifically for this purpose. TJJD officials called the practice “entirely unacceptable” and said it had not been reported recently.
Under the harsh conditions, children are also more often engaging in suicidal behavior and self-harm, out of depression, protest or both.
Since 2018, Texas’ youth prison population has shrunk by more than a third, but the number of times teens were put on suicide watch jumped by nearly 50%, according to TJJD suicide assessment data obtained by the Tribune. If a teen is on suicide watch, an officer is at minimum required to check on them, often in their cell, at least every 10 minutes, according to agency policy.
This year, 45% of those held in Texas’ juvenile lockups have been on suicide watch, a percentage that has steadily grown over several years.
In the last year, teens have forced springs from pens into their necks or pieces of metal into their urethras, according to inspection reports. Many have used ligatures to strangle themselves.
Some told inspectors they hurt themselves as a means to get relief from their isolation. They were distraught about being left in their cells so much of the time and said if multiple people in a dorm were placed on suicide watch, it would typically lead to a second officer being assigned to them — meaning they could get out of their cells.
“Usually when people talk about suicides, it’s a cry for help,” said Camille Gibson, executive director of the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center at Prairie View A&M University. “And if they don’t have staff, and they’re being locked up for several hours a day on top of whatever problems they have going on, I’m not surprised they’d be making a cry for help.”
Last month, Giddings’ medical staff said several of the unit’s fewer than 100 boys had been taken to the emergency room this year after suicide attempts.
Having to more often resort to basic supervision of teens without additional programming or activities has raised not only suicidal behavior but aggressive tendencies, which in turn leads to even more employees quitting, according to a legislative analysis.
The result is a lack of control over the workforce. Employees regularly skip their shifts, knowing the agency would be hard pressed to fire them, officials reported at an advisory council meeting. And new staff are often thrown into the job without adequate training just to fill the gaps.
“They’re kind of grabbing any and everybody who is willing to do the work,” said one officer who asked to remain anonymous because he was not permitted to speak to the media.
He began working at a youth prison this summer and said he was taken out of training after only a week to work in the prison’s control room after a COVID-19 outbreak sickened most of the staff. The agency seemed to be grasping to put bodies in roles, he said, and often staff don’t know how long they’re working or what they’re doing until the last minute.
“They let us know on Friday that on Monday we would be working the [control room], and they gave us no training on it,” he said. “They weren’t sure where we were going to be or what we were going to do until literally we were walking out the door.”
Carter acknowledged that new hires are given the minimum training necessary in the staffing emergency. She said employees are quickly placed in authoritative positions “out of sheer need.”
“The instability, lack of safety, and low morale causes significant churn of new hires, furthering the crisis,” she said via email. “Frustration and fatigue run high which can contribute to staff making poor decisions. A lack of necessary staff also decreases peer monitoring that comes naturally when a full team is working together. This can increase opportunities for predatory staff to engage in abuse or exploitation.”
The agency in July reported the arrests of three officers on official oppression charges for allegedly using excessive force against detained teens.
‘We got to have a plan’
Last month, Carter halted all intake of children into TJJD from local detention centers, which have also recently struggled with maintaining employees. Texas’ youth prisons couldn’t take any more children, Carter said, because the state agency wouldn’t be able to guarantee their safety. Since then, the agency has accepted a handful of children as spots open up, but more than 100 children remain in county detention centers waiting to be moved into the state system.
The state of crisis has led the agency to scrap planned programs to help teens avoid being arrested again when they are released, and it canceled therapeutic programming targeting violent behavior. The intensive program, which aims to teach teens how to manage their emotions and reactions to stress while keeping them out of isolation, is one of three anti-violence programs that coincided with a 33% reduction in acts of aggression from 2020 to 2021, the agency reported last year.
One local juvenile probation chief responded to an agency survey saying county employees who work in juvenile justice don’t believe kids “are getting anything from TJJD commitment but incarceration.”
Despite the loss of programming and safety in the units, Abbott has not personally spoken out on the move to halt intake this month. When asked about the crisis last month, his staff said that the governor considers safety at TJJD a priority, while defending repeated transfers of money away from the department by saying it had a net-zero impact on the budget.
On Monday, an Abbott spokesperson said the governor will support TJJD’s “request to increase the salaries needed to hire and retain a qualified workforce” when lawmakers set a new budget next year.
For agency leaders and legislative analysts conducting a decennial review of whether TJJD should continue to exist under the state’s Sunset Review process, one answer to TJJD’s problems is more money from the state. The agency gets about $130 million a year for its state-run lockups and halfway houses. Another nearly $190 million goes toward community services, including probation, parole, and other oversight and administrative roles.
The agency was able to make permanent the emergency 15% pay raise implemented in April for all officers, bumping starting annual salaries up from around $36,200 a year to $41,700. Before the raise, Carter said, the entry-level pay for an officer at Giddings was comparable to working at the nearby Buc-ee’s as a cashier.
The new salary puts TJJD starting salaries about on par with adult prison officers.
In the last few months, agency officials say they have been able to “stanch the bleeding” of officers fleeing the job. But the amount of remaining employees is startlingly low, raising the risk of burnout as teachers and case managers continue to work security roles and mandatory overtime shifts continue.
Staffing data obtained by the Tribune showed there was another jump in officers quitting in June. TJJD said the loss was offset by new hires.
In their routine review of the functions and efficacy of the agency, Sunset analysts said lawmakers need to commit to investing in TJJD, allowing it to pull itself out of crisis by retaining staff and continuing to transition toward keeping troubled children closer to home.
“Only then can Texas make the vital transition toward fewer large, scandal-ridden state facilities in the future,” the state report said.
Although the agency has focused primarily on increasing officer salaries as a crisis measure, Whitmire and advocates are pushing for more substantial change. Simply investing more money into a failing agency, they said, will lead to more failure.
“They want more money for doing the same old, same old,” Whitmire said. “We got to have a plan.”
The senator hopes that, with a Sunset Review and a windfall of money for lawmakers to manage next year, the agency can finally begin the move away from large, rural facilities and invest in at least two smaller, urban lockups and a specialized mental health facility.
His vision doesn’t go as far as that of juvenile justice advocates, who have pushed to close all state-run youth prisons within 10 years. Several organizations hope the government can instead provide necessary treatment and services in smaller facilities managed by teens’ home communities.
“TJJD has serious problems, and serious problems require serious and systemic reform,” read a June letter to legislative analysts from Texas Appleseed, Disability Rights Texas, Texas Network of Youth Services and Texans Care for Children. “Raising salaries is a short term patch and alone will not allow for TJJD to shift its focus from crisis management to the worthy tasks of bolstering regionalization and diversion amongst the counties.”
For Gibson at Prairie View A&M, the biggest question is whether policymakers will decide in next year’s legislative session to invest in preventive treatment, providing care to families and children before they are introduced to the juvenile justice system.
“This is a problem that has been developing over years,” she said. “We just need to decide that this is important. It’s not a particularly flashy subject right now, but if crime is a problem, then this is important.” | https://www.tdtnews.com/news/article_82ad1802-12be-11ed-a404-273829deaef4.html | 2022-08-03T01:44:09Z |
ATLANTA , Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Grady Health System has been named a Level I Emergency Cardiac Care Center (ECCC) by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). This designation is Georgia's highest level of emergency cardiac care and recognizes Grady's commitment to excellence.
"We are honored to receive this distinct recognition from the Georgia Department of Public Health," said Annie Cheek, Vice President of Heart and Vascular Services at Grady. "Our designation as a Level I Emergency Cardiac Care Center is a true testament to the collaboration among our heart and vascular team and highlights Grady's ongoing commitment to providing high-quality cardiac care to help improve patient outcomes."
Georgia DPH conducts a thorough evaluation process for all healthcare organizations seeking ECCC accreditation, which includes a site inspection and an assessment of emergency cardiac care procedures and equipment. The Level I designation means a hospital can perform open heart surgery and interventional cardiac catheterizations.
In 2017, legislation was signed into Georgia law to establish the Office of Cardiac Care at the Georgia DPH. Its mission is to improve survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and heart attacks through quality improvement, benchmarking, and evidence-based guidelines. A three-level designation system was implemented to help identify a hospital's capability of providing emergency cardiac care services.
In a letter sent to Grady, Georgia DPH Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey applauded the health system for its contributions to the health and well-being of Georgians. "We believe that improving emergency cardiac care throughout Georgia can best be achieved by adopting a 'systems approach' to care," said Toomey. "As a Georgia designated Emergency Cardiac Care Center, you have become an integral part of a growing emergency cardiac care system throughout the state."
To learn more about Grady's Heart and Vascular Center, visit https://www.gradyhealth.org/care-treatment/heart-vascular-center/.
Grady Health System is one of the largest safety net health systems in the United States. Grady consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial Hospital, six neighborhood health centers, Crestview Health & Rehabilitation Center, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, which is operated as a Children's affiliate. With its nationally acclaimed emergency medical services, Grady has the premier Level I trauma center in the Metro Atlanta region and serves as the 911 ambulance provider for the city of Atlanta. Grady's American Burn Association/American College of Surgeons verified Burn Center is one of only two in the state. And the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center is a Joint Commission designated Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center. Other key services/distinctions include Grady's Regional Perinatal Center with its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Georgia's first Cancer Center for Excellence, The Avon Comprehensive Breast Center, the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, and the Ponce de Leon Center - one of the top HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country. Grady is one of an elite group of hospitals to earn the Baby-Friendly USA international recognition as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility. For more information visit http://www.gradyhealth.org/.
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SOURCE Grady Health System | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/04/grady-earns-level-i-emergency-cardiac-care-center-designation/ | 2022-08-04T18:43:20Z |
Man held in fatal stabbing of girl at California high school
Published: Apr. 19, 2022 at 10:46 AM EDT
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Police have identified a 52-year-old man as the suspect in the stabbing death of a 15-year-old girl on a California high school campus.
The Stockton Police Department says Anthony Gray was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail for investigation of murder.
The girl was stabbed several times around 11 a.m. Monday at Stagg High School and died at a hospital.
Authorities say the assailant attacked before school security and staff could stop him. A police statement says detectives believe it was a random act and are trying to determine the motive.
It was not known whether Gray had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/04/19/man-held-fatal-stabbing-girl-california-high-school/ | 2022-04-21T07:52:04Z |
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank on Thursday kept its main interest rate unchanged for a fourth month even as surging inflation has hit a 20-year high and eroded people’s purchasing power.
In a statement following a monetary policy committee meeting, the bank said it was keeping its policy rate “constant” at 14%.
The decision was in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s opposition to high borrowing costs in a bid to boost growth, investment and exports. The Turkish leader insists that raising interest rates cause inflation — a position that contradicts established economic thinking.
Turkey’s central bank has cut rates by 5 percentage points since September despite high inflation, then has paused them since January. The series of rate cuts last year triggered a currency crisis and rising consumer pricesthat have been aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and soaring energy costs.
Yearly inflation hit 61.14% in March, deepening the squeeze on households that were already struggling to purchase basic goods. The Turkish lira lost 44% of its value against the U.S. dollar last year.
In an effort to soften the blow on households, the government has implemented tax cuts on basic goods and has adjusted electricity tariffs.
In comparison, the United States, United Kingdom and the 19 countries that use the euro currency have seen decades-high levels of inflation — 8.5%, 7% and 7.5%, respectively — but are nowhere close to Turkey’s eye-watering rate. Central banks in the U.S. and U.K. have raised interest rates to combat inflation. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/turkeys-central-bank-keeps-rate-steady-amid-high-inflation/ | 2022-04-15T07:31:24Z |
NEWPORT, R.I., July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hinckley, the builder of America's finest yachts for nearly 95 years, was the first to bring the marine space the world's first fully electric luxury yacht in 2017 (Dasher), and now is back with a new hybrid upgrade for its iconic Picnic Boat which can run in full silence with its trademarked SilentJet technology.
"We know our clients want what's next, and they also want common sense solutions," says Geoff Berger, CEO of The Hinckley Company. "The electric Dasher turned heads as all our new models always do, but the practicality of going any distance on electric given the best current technology wasn't ideal for our clients. With SilentJet you can travel farther with the hybrid diesel system than with Dasher's electric platform. Furthermore, we learned that electric powered water jets are much quieter and produce less vibration than traditional propellers. To deliver a truly silent cruising experience that feels almost like sailing, we knew our water jet propulsion system was the best fit."
Hinckley started conceptualizing a hybrid solution shortly after the 2017 launch of electric Dasher. Ongoing conversations with Twin Disc led to collaborating on the project, and the team integrated the new hybrid technology into Hinckley's JetStick™ control system which featured automatic components that no one had brought to market before.
"By collaborating with Hinckley to implement a complete hybrid solution, we advanced our development with a proven builder who embraces electric and hybrid technology," said Mike Gee, Vice President - Hybrid Engineering. "Twin Disc focused on Hinckley's needs and tailored our technology and software to provide an automatic mode that seamlessly manages diesel/electric operation. The functionality perfectly complements Hinckley's already existing user-friendly control system."
The SilentJet technology maintains the standard of excellence found in all Hinckley products. Quiet propulsion and less time lost at the fueling dock make SilentJet the best way to spend time on the water with family and friends. With SilentJet engaged, the Picnic Boat 40 S's cruising speed is seven knots. Range is at least an hour (at seven knots, and up to 90 minutes at 5.5 knots), and the Picnic Boat 40 S cruises at 35 knots (depending on load) under diesel power.
"With SilentJet, you glide away from the dock and cruise through the harbor in total silence," says Scott Bryant, Hinckley's Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "When faster speeds are desired or the battery requires charging, the diesel engine comes on automatically, replenishing the battery in just 30-45 minutes. Since all the electrical loads on the Picnic Boat can be supported by the battery while at anchor, there's no need for a noisy generator. It's a complete paradigm shift in the onboard Hinckley Experience."
SilentJet is just the latest Hinckley innovation. Since 1928, Hinckley has pioneered beautiful, timeless, and highly innovative yachts. The company has a long tradition of innovation in pursuit of the perfect yachting experience. From the early use of fiberglass in the Bermuda 40 in the 1960's, to the development of the first recreational joystick control(JetStick) on the category-defining Picnic Boat in 1990's, they've always worked to combine the latest technology with cutting edge naval architecture to do what has not yet been done.
The world's most luxurious new hybrid yacht has arrived. To inquire and arrange a test ride, please visit hinckleyyachts.com.
Key Specifications for Picnic Boat 40 S with SilentJet Propulsion:
- 2 x 90 Kilowatt (kW) electric motors, 2x Cummins 550hp diesel engines.
- 1 x 80 kw/h battery which can be charged manually or while under diesel power.
- 7+ knot cruise under electric power for 60-90 minutes or more depending on speed and conditions.
- Batteries can support air conditioning and other systems at anchor overnight or longer depending on overall loading (without generator).
- 30-45 minute charge time while underway. 8-10 hours to charge on shorepower.
Hinckley has been building and caring for America's finest yachts since 1928. Founded to build and care for the boats of the local lobstermen in Southwest Harbor, Maine, Hinckley quickly developed a reputation for unsurpassed quality and innovation. The years that followed saw the company building true classics of American yachting from the Bermuda 40 to the Picnic Boat.
Today, Hinckley builds carbon/epoxy powerboats from 34 to 57 feet and supports its owners and other yachtsmen with its network of service yards from Maine to Florida. Two other distinguished boat builders, Hunt Yachts and Morris Yachts, were acquired in 2013 and 2016 respectively. For further information, please visit www.hinckleyyachts.com
Media Contacts:
Scott Bryant | 401- 683-7089 | sbryant@hinckleyyachts.com
Richard Matthews | 203-644-2328 | richard@mattmedia.com
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SOURCE Hinckley Yachts | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/19/hinckleys-iconic-picnic-boat-is-now-quietest-ride-water-industry-leader-partners-with-twin-disc-silentjet-experience/ | 2022-07-19T12:09:08Z |
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are making another run at rising on Wall Street Tuesday as more reports pour in on how much profit companies made during the spring.
The S&P 500 was 1.6% higher in morning trading, a day after an early 1% gain gave way to a loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 433 points, or 1.4%, at 31,505, as of 10:40 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.5% higher.
Stocks have dropped roughly 20% so far this year on worries about rising interest rates and high inflation, which puts an even brighter spotlight than usual on how much profit companies are making. If earnings hold up, it would provide a major support for markets. But if CEOs warn about troubles ahead, another tumble may be on the way.
More types of companies are reporting how much they earned during the spring, broadening out from the banks that dominated the earliest part of the reporting season.
Toy company Hasbro jumped 2.9% after it reported stronger profit than analysts expected. Oilfield services provider Halliburton rose 0.9% after its profit and revenue topped forecasts. Health care giant Johnson & Johnson added 0.6% after it likewise beat expectations.
IBM, though, fell 6.5% even though it reported stronger revenue and earnings than expected. The company’s profit margins fell short of some analysts’ expectations amid concerns about how the dollar’s recent strength is undercutting the value of revenue made abroad in other currencies.
Crude oil prices eased a bit, which offered some relief across the market. So too, counterintuitively, may have a report that showed an extreme level of pessimism among investors.
Expectations for economic growth and profits have plunged, according to the latest results from Bank of America’s monthly survey of global fund managers. That has them sitting on their highest cash levels since 2001 and their lowest allocations to stocks since 2008.
“Full capitulation,” is how Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist, called it in a a BofA Global Research report. Contrarian investors see such dire levels of pessimism as an encouraging signal that could presage better times ahead if everyone who was going to sell has already.
Given all those fears, though, big swings have become routine on Wall Street recently. The S&P 500 has been flip-flopping between weekly gains and losses over the last month, after a rough run where it dropped in 10 of 11 weeks. The swings have even hit hour to hour, with early morning gains quickly evaporating by the afternoon. On Monday, a 1% gain ended up as a 0.8% loss.
Stock markets overseas were mixed Tuesday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% after reopening following Monday’s national holiday, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9%. Indexes across much of Europe rose.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank is expected to raise interest rates for the first time in 11 years in hopes of knocking down high inflation.
The Federal Reserve has already raised rates three times this year, and by increasing amounts each time. It will announce its next increase next week, and the only question among investors is whether it will go with another increase of 0.75 percentage points or a moster hike of a full point.
The yield on the two-year Treasury, which tends to track expectations for Fed action, rose to 3.18% from 3.17% late Monday. The 10-year yield rose to 3.02% from 2.96%.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell 0.4% to $99.07 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, slipped 0.2% to $106.08.
___
AP Business WRiter Yuri Kageyama contributed. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/asian-shares-slip-as-investors-eye-inflation-earnings/ | 2022-07-19T16:20:07Z |
Texas Military Department searching for soldier following operation on Rio Grande
By Rosa Flores and Rosalina Nieves, CNN
A Texas Army National Guard soldier who was participating in a mission along the border with Mexico is missing, according to the state’s military department.
Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said earlier a Texas National Guard member tried to rescue a female who was crossing the Rio Grande in the area of Eagle Pass, Texas, and he “never came up.”
The female made it to the US side of the border and was taken into custody by federal authorities. The identity of the guard member has not been released, Schmerber said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol are helping in the search, according to a statement from the Texas Military Department.
The soldier was assigned to Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s effort to combat what he says is a crisis at the US-Mexico border.
The governor said his office is working “with the Texas National Guard and other law enforcement agencies as they search for the missing soldier in Eagle Pass. Updates will be provided as additional details become available.”
Abbott, who is up for reelection, launched Operation Lone Star last March. The operation — which leaned on resources from the state’s public safety department and Texas National Guard — has swelled to more than 10,000 service members.
The National Guard role in Operation Lone Star is often supporting law enforcement. Members of the military are barred from carrying out law enforcement activities, such as arrests or searches, without prior authorization.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this story. | https://localnews8.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/04/22/texas-military-department-searching-for-soldier-following-operation-on-rio-grande/ | 2022-04-22T23:25:49Z |
Biden offering additional 8 free COVID-19 tests to public
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government website for people to request free COVID-19 at-home tests from the U.S. government is now accepting a third round of orders.
The White House announced Tuesday that U.S. households can request an additional eight free at-home tests to be shipped by the U.S. Postal Service.
The announcement comes as coronavirus cases are rising again in some areas of the country.
President Joe Biden committed in January to making 1 billion tests available to the public free of charge, including 500 million available through covidtests.gov. But just 350 million of the amount available for ordering online have been shipped to date to addresses across the continental U.S., its territories and overseas military bases, the White House said.
People who have difficulty getting online or need help placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 for assistance.
The third round brings to 16 the total number of free tests available to each U.S. household since the program started earlier this year. Households were eligible to receive four tests during each of two earlier rounds of ordering through the website.
Biden has requested an additional $22 billion from Congress to buy vaccines and therapeutics to prepare for a fall spike in COVID-19 cases, but lawmakers have balked at the price tag.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/05/17/biden-offering-additional-8-free-covid-19-tests-public/ | 2022-05-17T12:41:23Z |
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq. and the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") are investigating the proposed sale of Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NasdaqGS: VIVO) to SD Biosensor, Inc. and SJL Partners LLC. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, shareholders of Meridian will receive only $34.00 in cash for each share of Meridian that they own. KSF is seeking to determine whether this consideration and the process that led to it are adequate, or whether the consideration undervalues the Company.
If you believe that this transaction undervalues the Company and/or if you would like to discuss your legal rights regarding the proposed sale, you may, without obligation or cost to you, e-mail or call KSF Managing Partner Lewis S. Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) toll free at any time at 855-768-1857, or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgs-vivo/ to learn more.
To learn more about KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General, visit www.ksfcounsel.com.
Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200
New Orleans, LA 70163
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SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/meridian-bioscience-investor-alert-by-former-attorney-general-louisiana-kahn-swick-amp-foti-llc-investigates-adequacy-price-process-proposed-sale-meridian-bioscience-inc-vivo/ | 2022-09-15T02:38:39Z |
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- To enhance the management and land control needs of recreational areas of all scope and sizes, iSportsman is now offering customizable pricing and packaging options for agencies, organizations, and companies that offer recreational management on their lands. iSportsman works with clients who serve more than 400,000 recreationists across 10.6 million acres of forest, fields, trails, and waterways in the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. The new pricing offers those interested in iSportsman the ability to adjust the features necessary to manage their program and keep within budget.
Organizations can now get iSportsman for as low as $5,999 with the Core Service Package. Other competitively priced packages, such as the Sales Package and the Lottery Package, range from $7,999 to $9,999.
Features in these packages include but are not limited to:
- Website & CMS Initial Setup
- Registration
- Permit Sales
- Check-in/Out
- Harvest Surveys (limited)
- Email Messaging
- Online training (8hrs)
For the full suite of services iSportsman also offers the Unlimited Package which starts at $34,999 and offers the following features:
- Website & CMS initial Setup
- Registration
- Permits (free)
- Check-In/Out
- Area Scheduler
- Harvest Surveys
- Email Messaging
- Merchant Service
- Integration
- Lottery Services
- Online Safety Brief
- Interactive Web Maps
- BOLO
- Secure Doc Transfer
- Full Survey Suite
- Harvest Controls
- Text Messaging
- Unlimited Users, Areas, Activities
- On-site training Included (8hrs)
Additional options and add-ons can be included in any package deal.
Additional options and add-ons include but are not limited to:
- On-site Training: $2,000
- Weatherized Kiosk: $14,000
- Ruggedized Tablet: $2,000
- Software Setup: $700
- Internet Connectivity
- FedRAMP Security: $4,199
- Ongoing Site Content Support
- Merchant Service Integration: $2,999
- Lottery Service: $3,400
- Online Safety Brief: $1,799
- Interactive Web Maps: $4,999
- Harvest Controls: $1,699
- 24-hr Reservations: $3,499
- Telephony: $9,299
Since 2009, iSportsman has seamlessly migrated hunting and fishing programs for federal and state agencies to a digital platform. iSportsman reduces staff administrative costs and saves approximately $86,000 annually per location. Visit www.iSportsman.com for more information.
About iSportsman: iSportsman™ is the leading recreational program management tool by ASciS Solutions in the nation, serving the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corp, Army National Guard, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism. ASciS delivers customized SaaS solutions for more than 10.6 million acres of forest, fields, trails and waterways across the United States, Alaska and Hawaii. Visit iSportsman.com for more information.
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SOURCE iSportsman | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/28/isportsman-offers-new-customized-packaging-prices/ | 2022-07-28T15:44:48Z |
A look at what’s happening around the majors on Monday:
___
JUDGE VS. JAYS
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has hit five home runs in his last five games, part of a surge that’s helped New York win nine in a row.
Judge has connected in three straight games. The Yankees lead the majors with a 16-6 record going into a three-game series at Toronto.
George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays split four games at Yankee Stadium from April 11-14 in a series that included three shutouts — two by New York pitching. Surprising, considering all the power packed into these lineups.
This series marks the final leg of an early test for Toronto — 16 consecutive games (the last 10 at home) against three 2021 AL playoff teams: Boston, Houston and New York.
OHTANI OK
Angels star Shohei Ohtani said he expects to be back in the lineup a day after making an early exit because of tightness in his right groin.
The two-way AL MVP was the Angels’ designated hitter when he was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.
“I was taken out for safety reasons. I was perfectly OK with it,” Ohtani said through a translator.
Angels manager Joe Maddon said Ohtani might have tweaked his groin running to first in the seventh inning on a grounder back to pitcher Jose Ruiz that the White Sox turned into a double play.
Ohtani is batting .228 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and four stolen bases this season. As a pitcher, he’s 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA, striking out 30 in 19 1/3 innings.
CORREA’S STREAK
After a slow start since signing with the Twins, star shortstop Carlos Correa is finding his stroke.
Correa posted his fourth straight multi-hit game Sunday as Minnesota beat the Rays 9-3. The streak has raised his batting average from .167 to .256.
Correa, who got a $105.3 million, three-year contract from the Twins, tries to keep the string going when Minnesota begins a series at Baltimore.
MAKING THE CUT
Rosters for big league teams will be cut from 28 players down to 26 starting this week, forcing teams to make some tough choices.
The expanded rosters helped clubs deal with a shortened spring training after the MLB lockout. Teams can continue to carry 14 pitchers through May 30.
Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt was optioned back to Triple-A after getting the win Sunday at Kansas City. The 26-year-old righty has a 1.08 ERA in four games.
“It’s a real tough pill to swallow,” Schmidt said. “It’s a tough part of the game but it’s a business also.”
NL EAST WATCH
In their initial matchup of the season, the first-place New York Mets host Ronald Acuña Jr. and the World Series champion Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.
Chris Bassitt (3-1, 2.25 ERA) pitches for the Mets against Max Fried (2-2, 3.00) in the opener of a four-game series that includes a single-admission doubleheader Tuesday. Fried has won his last two starts, allowing one run and six hits with 12 strikeouts over 13 innings.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/leading-off-judges-homers-power-yanks-9-game-win-streak/ | 2022-05-02T20:39:57Z |
NEW YORK (AP) — Back when Katie Taylor had to pretend she was a boy so she could box, or even not long ago when Amanda Serrano was fighting for thousands of dollars with a resume that in men’s boxing would earn her many millions, it was hard to imagine where they are now.
They meet Saturday night in what has been called the most significant women’s boxing match ever, the first to headline Madison Square Garden. At stake are the unbeaten Taylor’s four lightweight titles, but this bout goes beyond just the belts.
It’s grown even bigger than what organizers hoped, with a sold-out crowd possible, the Empire State Building lighting up in the colors of the fighters’ countries and unprecedented media attention for women’s boxing. Those involved say it proves that if the best fight the best, with the proper promotional push, it doesn’t matter what gender they are.
“Women’s boxing wasn’t even a sanctioned sport in Ireland,” Taylor said. “Now here we are many years later headlining Madison Square Garden, the most iconic venue in boxing, and making history as the biggest fight in female boxing history. This is just incredible.”
Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs) became the undisputed champion with a victory at the Garden in 2019, while Serrano (42-1-1 30 KOs), a champion in seven weight classes who moves up two divisions for this fight, has fought in the smaller Hulu Theater at MSG, but never in the main arena.
Organizers at first considered the Hulu Theater for this fight, but after deciding it was big enough for the big room, planned on configuring the venue for around 10,000 seats. They had to make more available when those were all purchased. About 15,000 already have been sold, with a significant number of Irish fans coming to support the 2012 Olympic gold medalist.
There will be plenty more for Serrano, a Puerto Rican who lives in Brooklyn and is a slight favorite, according to Fanduel Sportsbook.
“I can’t wait until Saturday night to prove that we’re deserving of this opportunity, of this spotlight, just everything all together,” Serrano said.
Promoter Eddie Hearn sees it as a culmination of Taylor’s quest to never stop trying to do more than what seemed possible for her. She would wear headgear into and out of the gym to conceal her appearance and not use her first name when she began fighting, because girls weren’t allowed to in Ireland. He credits her with pushing the International Olympic Committee to make women’s boxing a medal sport and for always seeking the biggest events once she turned pro.
“When Katie came into my office six years ago, we had a dream and we always said, ‘One day you’ll headline at Madison Square Garden and make a million dollars,’ and I’m thinking probably not, but we’ll just keep saying it,” Hearn said. “And here we are.”
Serrano, despite her decorated career, was earning $5,000 or $10,000 purses not long ago, according to promoter Jake Paul. But once she hooked up with Paul, the YouTube star-turned boxer and promoter, and fighting on his cards, she went to another tax bracket as easily as she bounces between weight classes.
“To think that we are here a year later is massive,” Paul said, adding that the event’s hype “feels like a unification of the heavyweight division.”
Talks fell through for a match a couple of years ago, when they would have fought with no fans because of the coronavirus pandemic. Serrano — whose sister, Cindy, was beat by Taylor in 2018 — figured there was too much demand for the matchup to not be put back together.
“I was pretty confident the fight was going to happen, but not at this magnitude,” she said.
Taylor and Serrano are featured on a billboard in Times Square and atop taxis in New York. They appeared together earlier this week on NBC’s “Today” show and on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, which on Saturday will be lit in a mixture of Ireland’s green and orange, and the red, white and blue of Puerto Rico. Some 200 members of the media are expected a couple of blocks away that night inside MSG.
“This is reflective of a broader trend in sport,” said Joseph Markowski, the executive vice president of DAZN, which will stream the card. “People are starting to realize that women, when they’re given the platform, the marketing, the PR polish that their male counterparts get, the eyeballs come. When the eyeballs come, people are entertained and amazed by what these athletes do. This is long overdue.”
Trailblazing women’s athletes such as tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King and boxers Laila Ali and Christy Martin have gotten in on the promotion. Ali’s father fought the most famous boxing match at Madison Square Garden, with Joe Frazier beating Muhammad Ali in their first fight in 1971.
Now it’s Taylor and Serrano who will write boxing history in the arena.
“No matter what happens Saturday night, I think the real winners are the fans and women in general and the sport of women’s boxing, because it’s only going to grow from now on,” Serrano said.
___
More AP boxing: https://apnews.com/hub/boxing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/taylor-vs-serrano-at-msg-is-a-main-event-for-womens-boxing/ | 2022-04-30T00:47:38Z |
LIVE: White House COVID Response Team holds briefing as FDA works to allow boosters for all adults
Published: Jul. 12, 2022 at 7:22 AM CDT|Updated: 17 minutes ago
(CNN) - The White House wants to make second COVID boosters available to all adults.
Second boosters are currently only authorized for people who are at least 50 years old or immunocompromised.
The Food and Drug Administration is working to change that.
Some experts are worried younger adults’ immunity is waning, and the Ba.5 sub-variant of omicron is more likely to reinfect people than previous variants.
One question that remains is how many people would get second boosters.
Only about half of Americans eligible for a first booster have gotten one.
Just more than a quarter of those already qualified for a second booster have gotten that shot.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/12/fda-working-allow-boosters-all-adults/ | 2022-07-12T13:47:48Z |
When Juan Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year deal to stay with the Washington Nationals, it ensured Tuesday’s 6 p.m. EDT trade deadline would have a little juice.
That wasn’t a certainty when Major League Baseball and the players’ union agreed to an expanded postseason format this spring. With 12 October spots available — and no more one-game wild-card rounds — some had concerns about whether there would be enough star power left among sellers to satisfy a potentially growing number of buyers.
A quick glance at the standings shows at least 18 teams with legitimate playoff aspirations — 18 clubs that might benefit from Willson Contreras, Josh Bell or Frankie Montas, among others.
With Soto, there could be even more bidders than that.
The 23-year-old is a two-time All-Star, a Home Run Derby champion, a World Series winner and famously one of the most difficult at-bats in baseball. Pry him away from the Nationals, and a club could enjoy 2½ seasons of Soto and his signature batter’s box shuffle before he can test free agency.
Of course, with so many suitors, Washington is sure to extract a heavy haul for Soto’s services. The Nationals haven’t seemed keen on a long-lasting rebuild, prioritizing near-ready talent when trading away Max Scherzer and Trea Turner last year. The industry expects GM Mike Rizzo to eye similarly advanced prospects in Soto talks.
A few contenders seem like better bets to convince Rizzo that now is the time to part with the franchise cornerstone:
— St. Louis Cardinals: No franchise has more consistently churned out quality young big leaguers over the past few decades than St. Louis, and the Cards are flush with the sort of players Washington wants. Outfielders Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill, infielders Nolan Gorman and Tommy Edman, and left-hander Matthew Liberatore will surely be asked about. Infield prospects Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn — both at Double-A — would also be enticing. The Cardinals trail Milwaukee in the NL Central but have a good shot at a wild card in the final seasons for Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.
— San Diego Padres: Rookie shortstop C.J. Abrams is a consensus top-10 prospect in all of baseball but expendable because of Fernando Tatis Jr., so that’s a start. Young left-hander MacKenzie Gore also seemed like a prime trade chip after a strong start to the season, but he went on the injured list last week with a sore elbow, clouding his value. Outfield prospects Robert Hassell III and James Wood are consensus top 100 prospects who could also be moved as the Padres chase the Dodgers in the NL West. Speaking of …
— Los Angeles Dodgers: LA reportedly outbid the rival Padres for Scherzer at last year’s deadline and have the pieces to do the same for Soto, who was serenaded with “Future Dodger!” chants at Chavez Ravine during All-Star week. The Dodgers top prospect is 20-year-old High-A catcher Diego Cartaya — a bit far away for Washington’s historic liking, but a possibility. Triple-A slugger Michael Busch and Double-A pitcher Bobby Miller could certainly work, and the Nats might also be interested in 24-year-old starter Dustin May, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Among other possibilities: The Texas Rangers have emerged as a surprise bidder in the rumor mill, and Soto would fit nicely into a lineup along with splashy free-agent signings Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. The New York Yankees and crosstown Mets are both in first place. Soto could be insurance beyond 2022 if Aaron Judge leaves in free agency, but New York seems hesitant to move Double-A shortstop Anthony Volpe, ranked among the game’s top prospects. The Mets, meanwhile, might have to pay a premium as a division rival. The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants have also been floated as potential landing spots.
Of course, Soto isn’t the only star expected to move by Tuesday. Here are some other players to watch:
— C Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs: The three-time All-Star got a standing ovation last week in his likely Wrigley Field finale, with Chicago almost certain to find him a new home before he reaches free agency this fall. The Mets and Astros are among contenders that could use an upgrade behind the dish.
— RHP Frankie Montas, Oakland Athletics: After Cincinnati traded right-hander Luis Castillo to Seattle last week, Montas is likely the top starter available from a pool that also includes Giants LHP Carlos Rodón, Marlins RHP Pablo López, Angels RHP Noah Syndergaard, Red Sox RHP Nathan Eovaldi and Reds RHP Tyler Mahle. Montas is 4-9 despite a 3.18 ERA and isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2023 season.
— 1B Josh Bell, Washington Nationals: The 2019 All-Star has had a resurgent year, cutting down his strikeout rate considerably while batting .302 with 14 home runs. The 29-year-old free agent-to-be is also considered a positive clubhouse presence. As a switch-hitter, he’d fit into any contender’s lineup but might best improve the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves, who haven’t gotten much production at DH from Marcell Ozuna.
— DH J.D. Martinez, Boston Red Sox: Boston is only 3 1/2 games out of the last AL wild-card spot, but with three other teams between them and the Rays. Martinez is a five-time All-Star with World Series experience, and he remains an offensive force at age 37. If the Red Sox decide to sell, plenty of teams would be asking on Martinez.
And a few others of note: Cubs OF Ian Happ is a free agent after 2023 but could be moved this week after making his first All-Star team. Chicago teammate David Robertson is likely the best relief pitcher available. … Cincinnati also figures to sell INF-OF Brandon Drury, who hit his career-high 20th homer Sunday. … Versatile sparkplug Whit Merrifield could be dealt by the Royals, but his status is murky because he has refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Merrifield has said he’d reconsider if it meant playing postseason games in Toronto, where travel restrictions have barred unvaccinated players this year.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/trade-deadline-preview-juan-soto-sweepstakes-down-to-wire/ | 2022-08-01T16:11:00Z |
As the number of Covid-19 cases grows in the United States, experts wonder if the country fully understands the current threat from the pandemic.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that only 7% of positive Covid-19 cases in the US are being detected, meaning case rates are actually 14.5 times higher than officially reported. The last time the infection detection rate was this low was at the outset of the pandemic, in March 2020.
"It's a dynamic situation, and things are changing fast," said Ali Mokdad, a professor and chief strategy officer of population health at the institute.
Cases have long been undercounted, but one reason they may be so off is that the number of Covid-19 tests being done in non-traditional settings, like at home, has already surpassed the number being done in laboratories, according to the National Institutes of Health.
As the use of at-home Covid-19 tests rises, so does the concern that most of those test results go unreported, leading to an undercount of the true number of Covid-19 cases across the country.
Another reason detection is so low, Mokdad said, is that the majority of people infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant don't show symptoms, so they don't even know to take a test.
Why tests are important
A lot of diseases have low detection rates, Mokdad said, like flu.
"The difference is, this is a pandemic," he said.
When people hear that there are a lot of Covid-19 cases in their area, some may become more cautious. That can keep them from getting sick and from spreading the virus.
Testing can also tell public health experts what measures to put in place to keep people safe. For example, when Philadelphia recently saw cases rise, it brought back an indoor mask mandate.
"We have to always stay ahead of this and not just hope it's gone away," said Mara Aspinall, testing expert and a professor of practice in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University.
Testing is important at an individual level, too. It tells people if they need to isolate so they don't get other people sick. It also tells them if they need to seek Covid-19 treatments, which work best when the illness is caught early.
Changing the model
State health departments in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York say percent positivity rates are no longer a reliable metric. Nevada has removed case counts from its data dashboard altogether.
State officials recognize that the ubiquitous availability of home tests has led to an underreporting of cases, particularly of mild to moderate disease, and they say it's difficult to quantify the impact of this missing data.
But the New Jersey Department of Health says the unreliability of case data probably doesn't impede its ability to characterize the severity of the pandemic. There are other metrics that can offer a sense of how much disease is in the community.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its own metrics to determine what Covid-19 restrictions may be necessary. Rather than relying on case counts, hospitalizations are weighed more heavily. The agency also tracks other indicators, like the levels of virus being detected in wastewater.
Cases are a good indicator of surges, but they aren't everything, said Spencer Fox of the University of Texas' Covid-19 Modeling Consortium. Its model is based off hospital admissions checked against antibody levels in blood samples.
Fox says it is the "gold standard" of estimation early on, but it's "becoming increasingly complex because the landscape of immunity in the country is changing."
Omicron is highly transmissible, and reinfections are becoming more common.
In general, though, he thinks the understanding of the case data in the pandemic is not necessarily worse than it's been before -- "but it's possible things are changing."
Efforts to streamline delivery of at-home test results
States like Tennessee encourage people who use at-home tests to submit their results to the manufacturers so they can be tracked. It's unclear how many people actually do that, but there are several efforts underway to track home tests better.
The Association of Public Health Laboratories is working with the NIH under a contract to use the association's electronic lab reporting platform, AIMS, to help streamline the reporting of Covid-19 home test results.
This approach still relies on people who use at-home tests to report their results to manufacturers, but Association of Public Health Laboratories CEO Scott Becker hopes the AIMS system eases the process of manufacturers reporting to public health authorities.
The initiative "is in recognition of the fact that this gap exists in reporting," Becker said.
"From a public health perspective, that's sort of a missing data point, if you will, in the universe of testing," Becker said of at-home test results. "That's kind of a blind spot."
The Association of Public Health Laboratories announced in March that it was awarded the NIH contract, limited to $8.8 million over three years, to work on improving the reporting of over-the-counter at-home Covid-19 test results to public health officials. The contract employs AIMS to collect data from at-home test manufacturers and then distribute the data to states and jurisdictions.
"An at-home test has a digital tool that goes with it, and we're trying to build out, essentially, a spec that allows the data to flow through the hub to the places where it needs to get for state reporting," Becker said. "There are states that are interested in getting that data and that's really for situational awareness."
Another platform pushing for more efficiency is ReportStream, a cloud-based data routing system set up by the US Digital Service in partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The US Food and Drug Administration requires at-home Covid-19 test manufacturers to develop a mobile phone app or website "to further facilitate results reporting by the individual" using the at-home test.
"The FDA had asked for post-market digital solutions to report, but beyond that, the guidance was limited, and what that meant was when digital solutions were being built and these tests were being reported, the way the reporting was happening was inconsistent in different formats, and that just made the data collection poor. It made the data analysis very difficult," said Dr. Krishna Juluru, a presidential innovation fellow at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering who is advising digital health solutions for the RADx initiative.
Juluru and his colleagues have worked on "setting up standards and common pathways for communications of these results."
Platforms like AIMS and ReportStream, called hubs, serve as destinations where at-home Covid-19 test results can be sent and then transmitted to state health departments that want the data. An additional de-identified copy of the message is sent to a federal system called HHS Protect, creating a unified national view of Covid-19 test results.
On the state level, AIMS connects to all US states and territories and has long been used to route laboratory test results to government health systems, according to the NIH, and ReportStream connects to the majority of states.
"So, it takes away that burden from the test manufacturer, from the app developer, from having to develop direct connections with all the states," said Andrew Weitz, a program director at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and co-lead of the RADx Mobile Application Reporting through Standards program, or RADx MARS, with Juluru.
Every lab-based Covid-19 testing site is required to report diagnostic and screening test results to state or local public health authorities, but individuals who give themselves self-tests are not required to report the results. This can lead to many at-home test results going unreported, resulting in gaps in data.
"Although it is still dependent on individuals to choose to report, we still hope to address that blind spot," Juluru said.
'We have to be more strategic'
There are estimates of how many at-home tests might go unreported.
One preprint study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts and other US institutions, published this month, suggests that when people use at-home Covid-19 tests, only about 8.1% of them will also use the "digital assistant" or app that comes with it.
Of those who used the app, though, more than 75% reported their results to their state public health authorities. People were less likely to report if they had a positive test result.
"The voluntary reporting overall was low, but what we also found was that when people used a digital solution -- when they actually accessed their digital tool to help guide their test, to help give them instructions on how to do it -- we found that the rate of reporting was very high, in the order of more than 75%," Juluru said. "That's actually very encouraging."
The overall low usage of the app may be due to a lack of education about the importance of reporting test results, the researchers said.
When it comes to Covid-19, the number of cases reported in each state will continue to ebb and flow, and it will be important to track that data and monitor the spread of disease, Becker said.
Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and professor at Brown University, thinks more needs to be done to monitor the pandemic to make up for the lack of data.
"We're going to see a signal. It's just going to be harder to interpret and know what to do about it," said Nuzzo, who is director of the Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response at Brown.
Population-targeted surveys would help.
"We have to be more strategic. You just can't make more home tests available," Nuzzo said. "If you go out and intentionally sample in these neighborhoods, we would have a better understanding."
Nuzzo's main concern is that the country is now at a real disadvantage in understanding how the virus is transmitted. "If people are getting sick in the grocery store, then you need to know that so you encourage people to wear masks. If it is 5-year-olds, you can take measures there," she said.
"We have so many more tools, and we are not using them in a strategic and meaningful way."
Becker said that anyone who has Covid-19 symptoms -- even just a sniffle -- should get tested.
"People have this ability to test themselves with a really good degree of confidence," he said. "The best approach is, if you test yourself and you're positive, that's when you reach out to a clinical setting, to your physician or a local health agency, to get a confirmatory test."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.albanyherald.com/features/health/rise-in-at-home-testing-means-we-could-be-undercounting-covid-19-cases-even-more/article_d51a0eaf-9978-5acf-b741-b143759aad0c.html | 2022-04-18T13:52:15Z |
Portfolio Quality Underscored by April Sales and Strong Leasing Activity at Key Assets
PHILADELPHIA, June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PREIT (NYSE: PEI) (the "Company"), a leading real estate investment trust highlighted continued sales, traffic and leasing momentum across its portfolio.
Traffic, sales and leasing activity at Cherry Hill Mall, Springfield Town Center and Woodland Mall demonstrate the strength of PREIT's portfolio despite continued inflationary pressure on consumers. Across these three properties, traffic through May was up nearly 10% over last year, rolling 12-month comparable sales grew by over 3% since the end of 2021 and leasing volume represents nearly 50% of portfolio new leasing activity year-to-date. These results are indicative of the momentum-building strategies, centered around a strong and relevant tenant mix, the PREIT team employs.
At Cherry Hill Mall, PREIT's crown jewel where many new tenants enter the Philadelphia market, sales have improved to $944 per square foot, up from $936 as of December 31, 2021. To date, PREIT has executed new leases with nearly 45,000 square feet of tenants yet to open on the heels of the opening of new-to-portfolio additions, Warby Parker and Marc Cain, earlier this year.
At Springfield Town Center, PREIT continues the transformation of the property into a vibrant multi-use hub and entertainment destination complete with amenities to complement top-notch restaurants, entertainment destinations that include the Regal Cinema, Dave & Buster's and the region's only Lego Discovery Center expected to open in 2023. Sales per square foot are up to $580 compared to just $558 at year end 2021. Leasing activity has been robust accounting for one third of the portfolio activity.
Woodland Mall underwent a transformative redevelopment that was completed in 2019 and has experienced tremendous demand from consumers and tenants, with sales up 5.6% over year end to $667 per square foot. In 2021, the mall welcomed many new-to-portfolio tenants including Rose and Remington, Lovisa and Offline by aerie. This past April, Phoenix Theatres reinvented the moviegoing experience at the property.
"Our strategic portfolio management strategy designed to own top-tier assets in top suburban markets and the top retail destinations in secondary markets continues to yield results," said Joseph F. Coradino, PREIT's Chairman and CEO. "We have attracted new tenants and uses to key locations which fuels consumer demand which leads to success for our tenants and drives the value of our properties."
About PREIT
PREIT (NYSE:PEI) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns and manages innovative properties developed to be thoughtful, community-centric hubs. PREIT's robust portfolio of carefully curated, ever-evolving properties generates success for its tenants and meaningful impact for the communities it serves by keenly focusing on five core areas of established and emerging opportunity: multi-family & hotel, health & tech, retail, essentials & grocery and experiential. Located primarily in densely-populated regions, PREIT is a top operator of high quality, purposeful places that serve as one-stop destinations for customers to shop, dine, play and stay. Additional information is available at www.preit.com or on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "may" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans, strategies, anticipated events, trends and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future events and conditions and are based on currently available financial, economic and competitive data and our current business plans. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that may affect our operations, markets, services, prices and other factors as discussed in the Risk Factors section of our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. While we believe our assumptions are reasonable, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements as it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the effectiveness of strategies we may employ to address our liquidity and capital resources in the future, our ability to achieve our forecasted revenue and pro forma leverage ratio and generate free cash flow to further reduce our indebtedness; our ability to manage our business through the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a weakening of global economic and financial conditions, changes in governmental regulations and related compliance and litigation costs and the other factors listed in our SEC filings. Additionally, our business might be materially and adversely affected by changes in the retail and real estate industries, including bankruptcies, consolidation and store closings, particularly among anchor tenants; current economic conditions, including consumer confidence and spending levels and supply chain challenges and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health and governmental response as well as the corresponding effects on tenant business performance, prospects, solvency and leasing decisions; our inability to collect rent due to the bankruptcy or insolvency of tenants or otherwise; our ability to maintain and increase property occupancy, sales and rental rates; increases in operating costs that cannot be passed on to tenants; the effects of online shopping and other uses of technology on our retail tenants; risks related to our development and redevelopment activities, including delays, cost overruns and our inability to reach projected occupancy or rental rates; social unrest and acts of vandalism and violence at malls, including our properties, or at other similar spaces, and the potential effect on traffic and sales; the frequency, severity and impact of extreme weather events at or near our properties; our ability to sell properties that we seek to dispose of or our ability to obtain prices we seek; our substantial debt and the liquidation preference of our preferred shares and our high leverage ratio and our ability to remain in compliance with our financial covenants under our debt facilities; our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness when it matures, on favorable terms or at all; our ability to raise capital, including through sales of properties or interests in properties and through the issuance of equity or equity-related securities if market conditions are favorable; and potential dilution from any capital raising transactions or other equity issuances.
Additional factors that might cause future events, achievements or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements include those discussed herein, and in the sections entitled "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. We do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
Heather Crowell
heather@gregoryfca.com
preit@gregoryfca.com
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SOURCE PREIT | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/09/preits-premier-properties-continue-grow-sales-face-macro-headwinds/ | 2022-06-09T12:33:18Z |
ISTANBUL (AP) — A Ukrainian singer and former Eurovision song contest winner appealed to Turkey’s president on Monday to save Ukrainian fighters from the besieged city of Mariupol amid Russia’s war.
Ruslana, whose song “Wild Dances” catapulted her to No. 1 in the music contest in 2004, spoke at a news conference in Istanbul. She was flanked by the mothers and wives of the “Mariupol defenders” — Ukrainian fighters who are defending the city’s steel mill.
“Stand with Ukraine. Unite for Ukraine. Help Mariupol. Help Azovstal. Help our brave Ukrainian soldiers,” she said. “I truly believe that today Turkey’s leader President Erdogan, who has an international role and presence, will help our citizens in need.”
Several hundred Ukrainian fighters are estimated to be holed up at the sprawling Azovstal steelworks plant, the last pocket of resistance in a city largely reduced to rubble over the past two months.
Ruslana’s comments came as Europe pushed to toughen its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Sweden joining Finland in deciding to seek NATO membership and European Union officials working to rescue proposed sanctions against Russian oil.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/singer-ruslana-seeks-turkeys-help-for-ukrainian-fighters/ | 2022-05-17T14:26:58Z |
Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx Delivers Commencement
CHICAGO, June 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- North Park University School of Restorative Arts held a graduation ceremony at Stateville Correctional Center (Stateville) for 28 resident scholars in honor of earning their Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (MACM) from North Park Theological Seminary. Two students began the program inside Stateville and upon release completed their studies on North Park's campus.
The graduation was the first of its kind in an Illinois Department of Corrections facility and represents a profound commitment to liberative and restorative education. Commencement speaker Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx, who was invited to speak by the students, acknowledged that while she was not the obvious choice, identified with the graduates in powerful ways saying, "I am you."
The inaugural graduating School of Restorative Arts (SRA) cohort brings together free and incarcerated students to study in the shared Stateville on-site space – unifying a transformative learning experience for all. In his remarks during the June 15th ceremony, SRA inside student Jamal Bakr said, "We are receiving our Master's degree because our potential is not defined by our worst mistakes. Let today's event be an example of what happens when opportunities are created, potentials are unignored and complete restoration is always the aim of justice."
This one-of-its-kind Master's degree offered in prisons throughout Illinois, prepares individuals for ministries of restoration in contexts impacted by violence and generational trauma through non-violent communication and trauma-informed healing. The four-year degree is offered to over 100 students at Stateville and Logan Correctional Centers.
Many graduates shared how they'd grown throughout the program. "I'm bringing the knowledge of my degree to all those I meet in this prison, this knowledge is so badly needed here," said William Jones.
The faith-filled celebration was attended by North Park President, Mary K. Surridge and seminary faculty. "Some might doubt that love and beauty could be so evident in such a dreary setting, but all who were present witnessed how creative collaboration, belief in the transformative power of God's Spirit, and tenacious commitment to justice can accomplish what might first appear to be impossible," said North Park's Rev. Dr. Dennis R. Edwards.
North Park University is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st Century America.
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SOURCE North Park University | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/17/north-park-theological-seminary-awards-masters-degree-stateville-correctional-center-resident-scholars/ | 2022-06-17T12:24:28Z |
At least five Russian businessmen have died by apparent suicide in just three months
By Ivana Kottasová and Uliana Pavlova, CNN
At least five prominent Russian businessmen have reportedly died by suicide since late January, with three of them allegedly killing members of their families before taking their own lives.
Four of the dead men were associated with the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom or one of its subsidiaries.
CNN’s calls to Gazprom have not been returned.
A top executive at Gazprom was found dead in his cottage in the village of Leninsky near Leningrad on January 30, 2022, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.
RIA reported that a suicide note was found at the scene and that the investigators were investigating the death as a suicide. Russian national broadcaster RenTv has identified the man as Leonid Shulman, the head of transport at Gazprom Invest.
Just a month after that, another top executive at Gazprom was found dead in the same village. Alexander Tyulakov was found dead in his garage on February 25, according to Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper. Novaya Gazeta reported he died by suicide.
CNN has asked Russia’s Investigative Committee for comment on the two cases but has not received a response.
Mikhail Watform, a Ukrainian-born Russian billionaire, was found dead in his home in Surrey, England on February 28.
Surrey Police told CNN that the death is being investigated by the coroner, who said a hearing will be held on July 29.
Another Russian businessman, Vasily Melnikov, was found dead alongside his family in Nizhny Novgorod in late March, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
Melnikov owned MedStom, a medical supplies company. According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, a 43-year-old man, his wife, 41, and two children aged four and 10 were found stabbed to death on March 23.
The committee did not name Melnikov, but the ages of the dead and the location of the incident match the Kommersant report.
The regional branch of the investigative committee has not updated the status of its investigation and did not return CNN’s request for comment. At the time of the incident, in March, it said there “were no signs of unauthorized entry into the apartment,” and “knives were found and seized.”
“[Investigators] are considering several versions of what happened, including the murder of the children and wife by the head of the family, followed by self-inflicted death,” the committee said.
And earlier this month, two more Russian businessmen died in apparent murder-suicide incidents.
Vladislav Avayev, the former vice-president of Gazprombank, was found dead with his wife and daughter in his Moscow apartment on April 18, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
Citing a source in law enforcement, Tass claimed authorities were investigating the Avayevs’ deaths as a murder-suicide.
Yulia Ivanova, a representative of the Investigative Committee for Moscow, was quoted by Tass as saying that a relative discovered the Avayevs’ bodies after being told by the family driver and the nanny that they could not contact them on the phone or get into the apartment, since the door was closed from the inside.
Igor Volobuev, former VP of Gazprombank, who has recently left Russia for Ukraine, told CNN he did not believe Avayev killed himself.
“His job was to deal with private banking, that means dealing with VIP clients. He was in charge of very large amounts of money. So, did he kill himself? I don’t think so. I think he knew something and that he posed some sort of risk,” Volobuev told CNN.
Just a day later, on April 19, Sergey Protosenya, former executive at the gas producer Novatek, which is partially owned by Gazprom, was found dead north of Barcelona. The bodies of his wife and daughter were found nearby, an official source close to the investigation told CNN last week.
Protesenya, his wife and daughter were found at their home in Lloret de Mar, a Mediterranean resort near Barcelona.
The bodies of the two women, showing signs of having suffered violence, were found inside the family’s luxury home, and the body of Protosenya was found in the garden outside, according to the source. The case is being investigated as a double-murder and subsequent suicide in a domestic violence case.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Protosenya’s son questioned the version of the events, suggesting instead his father was murdered.
‘He loved my mother and especially Maria my sister. She was his princess. He could never do anything to harm them. I don’t know what happened that night but I know that my dad did not hurt them,” said Fedor Protosenya, who was at the family home in France at the time of the incident.
Catalan police in the province of Girona, where the town of Lloret de Mar is located, told CNN on Friday that “the hypothesis continues to be a domestic violence case despite the statements by the son.”
“The Catalan police have taken statements from the son. Other hypotheses have been ruled out. Also ruled out was a triple homicide,” the police’s press official told CNN.
“That this was the work of the Russian mafia? Well, no,” the official added.
Novatek, Protosenya’s former employer, said he was “a wonderful person and a wonderful family man.”
“Unfortunately, there have been speculations on this topic in the media, but we are convinced that these speculations are not related to reality. We hope that the law enforcement agencies of Spain will conduct a thorough and objective investigation and sort out what happened, ” the company said in a statement.
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™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
How to get help: In the United States, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also can provide contact information for crisis centers around the world. | https://localnews8.com/news/national-world/cnn-europe-mideast-africa/2022/04/29/at-least-five-russian-businessmen-have-died-by-apparent-suicide-in-just-three-months/ | 2022-04-29T19:43:05Z |
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