text
stringlengths 65
123k
| url
stringlengths 25
420
| crawl_date
timestamp[us, tz=UTC]date 2022-04-01 01:00:57
2022-09-19 04:34:04
|
|---|---|---|
LARAMIE – More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, operations at University of Wyoming are returning to normal. On Wednesday, the university announced it will halt its required testing program at the end of the semester.
Throughout the 2021-22 academic year, a random 3% sampling of students and employees have been selected to get a COVID-19 test each week in an effort to monitor the prevalence of the virus across the campus. The program will end May 6, the week before finals begin.
As of Monday, the university had conducted a total of 242,727 COVID-19 tests and identified 3,702 positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic. As of Wednesday, the school only has one active case of COVID-19 and a prevalence rate in the testing program of 0.8%.
“We have now reached a point where surveillance testing no longer will be necessary,” University President Ed Seidel said in a news release. “But it’s great to know that we have the capacity to restart it in the event of an extended surge in viral transmission in our community, as monitored by state and county health officials.”
Testing will still be available for students via on-campus health services. The tests will be free to students until the university runs out of tests provided free from the state, which hopefully won’t happen until the fall semester, UW spokesperson Chad Baldwin said. At that point, the university will buy tests and provide them at a cost to students.
The university also is set to end contact tracing and updates to its COVID-19 dashboard.
The eased requirements come after the university lifted an indoor mask mandate in February. Masks are still required in health care settings and on public transit.
While this could be a hopeful step for the university, officials will continue to monitor Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wyoming Department of Health guidelines and change their approach to the pandemic, as necessary, the news release said.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/coronavirus/end-is-near-for-uw-covid-19-testing/article_7b633560-d679-5e6b-86fc-80a143bf6820.html
| 2022-04-14T13:21:35Z
|
THURSDAY
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Second Story Book Group discusses “Billionaire Wilderness” by Justin Farrell: 6:30-8 p.m., via Zoom. Call 786-877-3912 or email taninel@bellsouth.net for information.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
PFLAG Laramie meets: 6:30 p.m., St. Paul’s United Church of Christ,, 602 E. Garfield.
Lenten Taize worship services: 7 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 Canby St. Every Thursday through Easter.
UW Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Fund Recital: 7 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets $40 in-person, $20 for livestream. Call 3766-6666 or visit uwyo.edu/finart_ticket/eventsticketed,aspx.
FRIDAY
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
UW planetarium presents “Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Are we alone in the universe?
”Everything but the Kitchen Sink” concert to open UW Percussion Festival: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Free.
SATURDAY
Kiwanis Club of Laramie Easter Egg Hunt: 10 a.m., Kiwanis Park in West Laramie.
Peeps and Paws puppy event by Laramie Animal Welfare Society: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1889 Venture Dr. It’s an Easter puppy party!
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Ester Extravaganza: 2-4 p.m., Trinity Baptist Church, 1270 N. 9th St.
UW planetarium presents “Distant Worlds — Alien Life?”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. For millennia our ancestors watched the stars and questioned the origin and nature of what they saw. Yet, Earth is the only planet we know for sure to be inhabited.
UW Percussion Festival free featured concert: 6 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall.
UW planetarium presents “Liquid Sky, Pop”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Enjoy a custom playlist from today’s top artists.
SUNDAY
Walk with a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m., UW Fieldhouse. Hear from health care professionals and get your steps in.
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
MONDAY
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
UW Music presents “Adzel Duo: Clarinets Alive”: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall. For tickets, call 307-766-6666 or visit uwyo.edu/finearts.
TUESDAY
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “Wyoming Skies”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. What’s up in the sky around Wyoming?
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
WEDNESDAY
Laramie Rivers Conservation District meets: Noon, 5015 Stone Road.
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Award-Winning Author Jesmyn Ward speaks: 5 p.m., UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Albany County post-redistricting meeting: 6-7 p.m., Albany County Commission room at the courthouse. Also via Zoom at {span}tinyurl.com/2p94p7nn. Use {/span}ID: 86733040896 and passcode: 411120.
UW Jazz Studies program presents jazz combos in concert: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Recital Hall. Free to attend.
Relative Theatrics presents “Black Sky”: 7:30 p.m., Gryphon Theatre at the Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St. Tickets are $16, and $14 for students and seniors. Get them online at relativetheatrics.eventbrite.com.
April 21
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
UW Jazz Studies presents UW Jazz Ensembles I and II in concert: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall. For tickets, call 307-766-6666 or visit uwyo.edu/finearts.
Relative Theatrics presents “Black Sky”: 7:30 p.m., Gryphon Theatre at the Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St. Tickets are $16, and $14 for students and seniors. Get them online at relativetheatrics.eventbrite.com.
April 22
Albany County CattleWomen meet: 11:30 a.m., location tbd. Visit wyaccw.com in the week before the meeting for location and more information.
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “Earth Day”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Observe our beautiful planet from the ground, sky and space as we learn about glaciers, atmospheric science, meteorology, extreme weather events and climate history.
Violin virtuoso Augustin Hadelich with UW Chamber Orchestra: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets available at uwyo.edu/finearts.
Relative Theatrics presents “Black Sky”: 7:30 p.m., Gryphon Theatre at the Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St. Tickets are $16, and $14 for students and seniors. Get them online at relativetheatrics.eventbrite.com.
April 23
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “From Earth to the Universe”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has been the subject of campfire stories, ancient myths and awe for as long as there have been people.
Relative Theatrics presents “Black Sky”: 7:30 p.m., Gryphon Theatre at the Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St. Tickets are $16, and $14 for students and seniors. Get them online at relativetheatrics.eventbrite.com.
April 25
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Wyoming’s energy economy panel discussion: 6 p.m., online at uweconomists.eventbrite.com. Features four University of Wyoming economists.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
America Sewing Guild Laramie Chapter meets: 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1215 E. Gibbon St.
April 26
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
April 27
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
April 28
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
April 29
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “Mars”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. The red planet is host to many questions; did it used to be like Earth? Did it once harbor life? Could it still support life?
April 30
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “Mexica Archaeoastronomy”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. Illustrates the important role played by astronomical observation for the evolution of pre-Hispanic cultures in central Mexico.
UW planetarium presents “Liquid Sky, Electronica”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Enjoy a custom playlist of music from today’s top artists.
May 2
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 3
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 4
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
May 5
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Diabetes Support Group meets: 5:30-6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Email questions@ivinsosnhospital.org for the link.
Cinco de Mayo at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site: 5:30-7:30 p.m., Horse Barn Theater at the site. Free to public.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 6
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 7
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
VFW Post 2221 Commander’s Charity Dinner: 5:30-8 p.m., 2142 E. Garfield St. Tickets 412 at the door, all proceeds to benefit VFW Poppy Fund and Albany County Search and Rescue.
May 9
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 10
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Albany County Republican Party meets: 6 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
May 11
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
May 12
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 13
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 14
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 8:30 a.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, undergraduate ceremony for the colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Engineering and Applied Science and School of Energy Resources.
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 10 a.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts, for the College of Law.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 12:15 p.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, for master’s and doctoral students from colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business, Education, Engineering and Applied Science, Health Sciences and Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 3:30 p.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, for undergraduate ceremony for colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and Office of Academic Affairs.
May 16
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 17
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 18
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
May 19
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 20
Albany County CattleWomen meet: 11:30 a.m., location tbd. Visit wyaccw.com in the week before the meeting for location and more information.
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 21
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 23
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
America Sewing Guild Laramie Chapter meets: 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1215 E. Gibbon St.
May 24
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 25
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
May 26
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 27
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 28
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 30
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 31
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Have an event for What’s Happening? Send it to Managing Editor Greg Johnson at gjohnson@laramieboomerang.com.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/announcements/whats-happening/article_9a06de06-7510-5162-80cd-1d4f60dc8aaa.html
| 2022-04-14T13:21:41Z
|
CASPER — Relatives of a Casper high school girl asked Natrona County School District board members last month why a certain student athlete was allowed to play school sports after committing a sex crime against her.
After hearing the family’s story, trustee Dave Applegate said Monday he thinks the student code of conduct needs to be “revised to better clarify its intent and to better ensure its consistent application” among students.
Students agree to the code of conduct to participate in school sports. The code defines behavioral expectations for student athletes and outlines disciplinary actions for violations of the code.
But the girl’s family and others who spoke during the March 14 meeting said the district seems to apply the code unequally and unfairly. A woman identifying herself as the girl’s grandmother questioned, for example, why other students lost their ability to participate in activities for what she described as less serious matters.
According to one email sent by the grandmother to a school official, the student athlete had been charged with a sexual crime against her granddaughter, but as a minor.
Juvenile cases are kept sealed from the public. Crimes committed by juveniles only become public if the defendant is charged as an adult. That, according to the family, did not happen in this instance.
The grandmother told trustees that the student athlete was ultimately convicted of a sexual crime and put on probation, which she said started in December and runs until August.
“But yet he continues to be eligible to participate in Natrona County School District sports,” she told board members. “Can anybody tell me why?”
The athlete at the center of the March 14 discussion competed in sports this fall and spring.
At that meeting, trustee Clark Jensen said the board couldn’t legally comment on the student athlete or any disciplinary action against him.
Applegate reiterated this on Monday. But Applegate said he had reviewed the code of conduct since that last meeting and had come to the conclusion that it needs scrutiny.
Overall, Applegate said the code should be more explicit — regarding self-reporting requirements, consequences of not reporting a code violation, expectations associated with intervention plans and the enforcement responsibilities of coaches and athletic directors.
, the difference in consequences for a misdemeanor versus a felony and the application of the code to coaches and others associated with school athletics.
Applegate also offered some thoughts on the school district’s extreme discipline matrix.
The school board developed the school extreme discipline matrix a few years ago after a school incident that “raised questions about consistency and fairness regarding student discipline,” Applegate said.
Community members brought those questions to board members. That prompted the creation of the matrix.
“It has been used extensively across the district, more times than we would hope it would be the case,” Applegate said. “It has improved discipline consistency across the district.”
But the matrix still leaves some flexibility, he noted. That flexibility lets administrators fit disciplinary action to specific situations. And the matrix doesn’t apply to all situations.
The district can’t control, for example, student behavior that isn’t under school supervision.
“Discipline issues outside of school and school activities are managed by parents, as they should be, and when necessary, law enforcement and the judicial system,” Applegate said.
He ended his comments saying that policies, rules and laws “will always fall short.”
“They are, in the end, blunt instruments,” he said. “A sense of fairness as reflected upon all parties is seldom achieved. But that is never an excuse for not trying to improve them.”
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/casper-girl-s-family-questions-school-district-code-of-conduct/article_a34bec31-ec13-5c72-aa8a-c35abcafc593.html
| 2022-04-14T13:21:47Z
|
Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory technician Morgan Mahlum, a biology major, left, uses a pass-through box to give materials to Dr. Amy Rhoad, who loads samples into the robotic COVID-19 testing machine in the UW Biocontainment Facility.
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, operations at University of Wyoming are returning to normalcy. On Wednesday, the university announced it will halt its required testing program at the end of the semester.
Throughout the 2021-22 academic year, a random 3% sampling of students and employees have been selected to get a COVID-19 test each week in an effort to monitor the prevalence of the virus across the campus. The program will end May 6, the week before finals begin.
As of Monday, the university had conducted a total of 242,727 COVID-19 tests and identified 3,702 positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic. As of Wednesday, the school only has one active case of COVID-19 and a prevalence rate in the testing program of 0.8%.
“We have now reached a point where surveillance testing no longer will be necessary,” University President Ed Seidel said in a press release. “But it’s great to know that we have the capacity to restart it in the event of an extended surge in viral transmission in our community, as monitored by state and county health officials.”
Testing will still be available for students via on-campus health services. The tests will be free to students until the university runs out of tests provided free from the state, which hopefully won’t happen until the fall semester, UW spokesperson Chad Baldwin said. At that point, the university will buy tests and provide them at a cost to students.
The university also is set to end contact tracing and updates to its COVID-19 dashboard.
The eased requirements come after the university lifted an indoor mask mandate in February. Masks are still required in health care settings and on public transit.
While this could be a hopeful step for the university, officials will continue to monitor Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wyoming Department of Health guidelines and change their approach to the pandemic as necessary, the press release said.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/end-is-near-for-uw-covid-19-testing/article_cb1c5bb8-4f72-54ce-9749-6c6b5e943ba9.html
| 2022-04-14T13:21:54Z
|
Laramie Regional Airport canceled commercial flights this week after an important piece of weather monitoring equipment malfunctioned. Materials for the repairs are expected to be on site by Friday, according to a statement from the airport.
Commercial flights in and out of Laramie Regional Airport have been canceled since Monday after an important piece of equipment malfunctioned.
Federal regulations require that the equipment, known as an automated surface observation system, be in working order for planes to land and take off from the runway. The system helps pilots monitor the weather and understand if visibility and other factors will allow for a safe landing, explained Elliott Arthur, a flight instructor at Laramie Aviation Resources, which operates out of the local airport.
The equipment is owned by the Federal Aviation Administration, which contracted the National Weather Service to make repairs, according to a press release from Airport Director Amy Terrell. The repair workers expect to receive all the parts they need to make the repairs by Friday.
“We are on the phone with them about every hour checking out where the parts are," Terrell said.
Until the equipment is up and running, commercial flights will continue to be canceled. As of Wednesday afternoon, four United Airlines flights had been canceled because of the malfunction.
Private flights are still allowed as they follow a different set of federal safety regulations that don’t require this monitoring system. Despite this, windy conditions Wednesday caused pilots to ground their planes anyway.
“It's always better to be on the ground wishing you could fly than in the air wishing you were on the ground,” Arthur said.
The airport does not have access to passenger information, but United Express is working with customers impacted by the flight cancellations, Terrell said. Anyone with altered travel plans should call United Airlines Reservations at 1-800-864-8331.
"We are working with customers on a case-by-case basis to determine the best option for re-booking their travel," the airline said in a statement to the Boomerang. "All impacted reservations can be changed free of any change fees (this includes Basic Economy tickets). If customers’ impacted travel becomes unnecessary, they can request a refund for their ticket."
United Airlines has permanently halted change fees for most economy and premium cabin flights in the United States. Customers can visit united.com or select "change flight" in the United mobile app to reschedule. They can also use an "agent on demand" feature to access customer service without having to wait in line at the airport.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/equipment-malfunction-grounds-commercial-flights-at-lra/article_bd024f1f-d0de-5e0d-a0c7-398bd9c22ee2.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:00Z
|
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland took steps last week to protect a wildlife migration corridor to Grand Teton National Park even as a court declined to constrain a gas field across a different part of the route.
Haaland announced a $250,000 grant that will help secure a conservation easement on the Twin Eagle Ranch — formerly the Carney Ranch — on the Upper Green River in Sublette County. The grant will boost The Conservation Fund’s effort to keep development off the ranch that includes the Path of the Pronghorn, where hundreds of antelope trek annually to and from the park in Teton County.
Only days before Haaland announced her seven-state, $2.7-million wildlife migration and habitat grant program, a federal court allowed Jonah Energy to continue its development of the 3,500-well Normally Pressured Lance gas field, which crosses the pronghorn route. U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl ruled against three conservation groups that contested the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s approval of, and conditions on, the 141,000–acre gas field.
The targeted Twin Eagle conservation property is on a ranch about 51 miles along the pronghorn path that extends south from Grand Teton. The NPL field is another 66 miles farther south on a route antelope follow to winter grounds that lie beyond that development. Biologists estimate up to 400 pronghorn use the path.
Both the Twin Eagle and NPL properties also are important habitats for greater sage grouse. The NPL is the site of a winter concentration area where biologists estimate some 2,000 sage grouse congregate.
“We remain unconvinced that the BLM has done enough to protect the Path of the Pronghorn and sage grouse wintering habitat,” said Linda Baker, director of the Upper Green River Alliance, one of the parties to the unsuccessful NPL court challenge. “We’ll keep fighting.”
The Department of Interior’s Twin Eagle grant will help prevent subdivision on the ranch of the late Chris Cline, who died in a helicopter crash in the Bahamas on July 4, 2019. The Conservation Fund’s project “will prevent a high threat of subdivision, maintain these migration corridors, protect habitat (including known nests) in the Greater Sage-Grouse Designated Core Area, support climate resiliency, and provide the opportunity for a future wildlife crossing,” according to a summary of grant funding.
Previous owners of the ranch — members of the Otis Carney family — began protecting the property from subdivision with conservation easements in about 1995. But Cline in 2016 began to build a cabin in one scenic and wildlife easement.
The Jackson Hole Land Trust said the building violated the easement and Cline’s builders subsequently took it down. Some parts of the ranch, owned by Twin Eagle Ranch LLC c/o Cline Trust Co. LLC, apparently remain available for subdivision or development that would be prevented by the new conservation easement.
But farther south along the Path of the Pronghorn — the first nationally recognized wildlife migration route — some antelope will have to navigate the NPL field. Baker’s Upper Green River Alliance, Western Watersheds Project and the Center for Biological Diversity asserted in court that the BLM failed to follow federal environmental and planning laws when it permitted that project.
Skavdahl rejected those claims, saying the BLM conducted its analysis properly, even though the project may affect both pronghorn migration and sage grouse winter habitat. BLM had a “reasoned basis” for its decision, which balanced the project’s goals with potential environmental impacts, he wrote in his 47-page decision filed April 5.
The NPL field is expected to generate $17.8 billion over the next 40 years. Jonah Energy did not respond to a request for comment.
The conservation groups argued that the BLM failed to consider development buffer zones along migration routes. Skavdahl said the federal agency did indeed consider migration, that the agency has limited the development density and has and will require other protections for pronghorn.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has not designated a migration corridor through the NPL, Skavdahl wrote. Agency biologists in 2019 recommended designation of a migration corridor for the Path of the Pronghorn. But politicians wrested that authority from the agency before it acted.
“We do know from 15 years of study they avoid intense areas of development,” Baker said of the migrating antelope. “Their migration patterns go through the NPL.”
Pronghorn antelope “have an incredible fidelity to these areas,” she said. “We don’t know why. It’s silly to say they can just go around when we can adjust our habitat more easily than they can.”
NPL also overlaps with part of a winter concentration area where sage grouse flock seasonally. “That’s one of the places they can reliably retire to when snows get really deep,” Baker said.
“It’s the only designated winter concentration area in Wyoming and anywhere,” she said.
The latest data on greater sage grouse in Wyoming indicate an “alarming” likelihood of populations regressing to a 1996 nadir, the state’s former top grouse biologist said earlier this year. Leslie Schreiber, who has since resigned, based her comment on counts of hunter-harvested grouse wings that foreshadow a smaller population this spring.
Wyoming has a healthy sage grouse population, Game and Fish Department director Brian Nesvik told a legislative committee earlier this year.
“It’s at the bottom of a trough in a cyclic trend that we’ve seen throughout time,” he said of the population.
Skavdahl wrote, among other things, that the BLM met its obligations in reviewing NPL’s effect on grouse and had imposed various conservation conditions.
“[T]he BLM was aware of the impacts to sage grouse, including loss of winter habitat, avoidance of the area, and adverse impacts to the overall population,” Skavdahl said. Quoting precedent, he wrote that environmental law “merely prohibits uninformed, rather than unwise decision making.”
Haaland’s $2.7-million grant program will be matched with another $7 million in non-federal contributions that will be distributed to the states and three tribes for 13 projects. In addition to the Twin Eagle conservation effort, the program will aid two others in Wyoming.
A $280,000 grant to the Game and Fish Department will boost a $560,000 project to improve mule deer habitat in the Platte River Valley and in Sublette County. Another $67,800 grant to the Jackson Hole Land Trust will aid a $702,800 effort to permanently protect 980 acres of big game migration habitat in the Upper Green River Basin along Middle Piney and Lead Creeks.
“[A]s habitats and migration routes continue to be impacted by climate change and become fragmented by roads, fences, energy development and other man-made barriers, wildlife are struggling to reach the necessary areas to feed, breed, and find shelter,” Haaland said in announcing the grant program.
Collaborative conservation and honoring private landowner rights are key points, she said. The program will reflect local needs and priorities, improve quality of life for people and support state-led science, she said, much of it focused on the sagebrush ecosystem.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/feds-aid-pronghorn-and-sage-grouse-but-court-allows-development/article_d95284b4-6888-5653-bafa-f859f7ef9f8f.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:06Z
|
When the Gillette Police Department handed out awards earlier last month to officers who had saved lives, they all involved administering CPR.
In most instances, they also used AED pads to get the person to resume breathing.
Those are the lifesaving techniques we’re accustomed to, those tried-and-true methods that have been around for years as one human being tries to keep another human being alive.
But the lifesaving techniques honored by the police department went beyond that.
Four of the five instances involved using naloxone, which reverses drug overdoses. Each of the four also involved using multiple doses of the drug.
As the seizure of opioid drugs like heroin and fentanyl have increased in Campbell County and Gillette in recent years, so has the presence of a potentially lifesaving tool to combat overdoses.
Naloxone, more commonly referred to by its brand name Narcan, has gained traction in Gillette as more law enforcement officers have joined Campbell County Health Emergency Medical Services in carrying and administering the overdose reversal drug in recent years.
The concept behind naloxone is simple. Once sprayed or injected, the medication spreads through the bloodstream and quickly reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids on the receptors triggered in the brain.
Earlier this year, Gillette Police Chief Chuck Deaton said his department has seen a “huge uptick” in the use of naloxone while responding to overdoses.
The Gillette Police Department added naloxone to its officers’ tool belts in January 2020. It recently awarded five officers with Life Saving Awards for their use of it while on calls.
By the numbers, that aligns with the increase in heroin seized in Gillette. In 2019, officers seized 6 grams of heroin. Then in 2020, that jumped to 23 grams, and by 2021, it nearly tripled to 60 grams. The Sheriff’s Office seized another 9 grams of heroin in 2021.
Meanwhile, there were four overdose deaths in 2021, all involving fentanyl. That matched 2020, which had four fentanyl-related deaths and one other drug overdose death attributed to an opiate.
Naloxone training and use was nothing new for CCH paramedics and EMTs, but it wasn’t until recently that law enforcement officers consistently began carrying the anti-overdose medication.
Since receiving grant funding to arm its officers with naloxone in 2020, the police department has logged nine incidents in which the medication was used. But those numbers do not account for how many doses were used during each incident or other uses that have not appeared in the statistics yet, Police Lt. Kelly Alger said.
CCH EMS administered its most naloxone doses in 2020, when paramedics used the opioid antagonist 29 times. That year included a summer stretch of multiple overdoses caused by a similar batch of “bad” heroin, said Shawna Cochran, manager of CCH EMS.
“I’d say we definitely picked up the usage of it in the last three to four years,” she said.
From 2019 through 2021, EMS administered 79 doses on its own, but that number increases when factoring in how often police officers and Sheriff’s Office deputies have used the medication.
On each ambulance, EMS stocks 8 mg combined of naloxone that can be doled out in 0.4 mg increments, while each law enforcement officer is stocked with two packs of canisters, each that are 4 mg and each single use.
Chris Beltz, CCH director of urgent and emergent services, said paramedics noticed a rise in opiate overdoses about the time it began hitting the rest of the country.
“When those really proliferated, that’s when I think us and everyone else in the country started seeing more and more overdoses from those prescription painkillers,” Beltz said.
From the paramedic perspective, there seemed to be a “gradual increase” in heroin in the community over the past few years, “just not to the epidemic that you are seeing in other areas,” Cochran said.
“I think we are still not in comparison to that at all, but I think we have been trending up,” she added.
Up until about 10 years ago, CCH paramedics would use naloxone on basically any unconscious person, whether they were suspected of overdosing on an opiate or not, Beltz said.
“It was kind of one of those, ‘If you think it might help, just give it,’” he added.
But as medicine evolved, so did their approach to naloxone use. Now they have more clear indicators to identify overdoses, most of which have two of the following three signs:
- Decreased pupil size
- Decreased respiratory rate
- Evidence of an opiate or paraphernalia in the area
“In that sense, we’ve probably reduced the usage,” Beltz said. “Now it’s only for clear clinical indication of an opiate overdose.”
Naloxone works on any opioid overdose. Those can range from elderly folks who accidentally take an extra dose of their pain medication to heavy heroin or fentanyl users who have amassed high tolerances to those drugs.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/naloxone-gives-extra-tool-against-opioid-overdose/article_a2a23565-1fbe-51f7-8548-0e7137060fff.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:12Z
|
JACKSON — Nadine Salas is interested in going into law enforcement but has had concerns, reflecting on what she’s heard about the profession and being a young Latina woman. She’s wondered whether the space is necessarily safe for her — and whether she should even ask questions about it.
“I think I’ve internalized a bit of that,” said Salas, 25. “I’m trying actively to break out of that.”
That’s why, a few weeks back, she decided to ask law enforcement ranger Shelby Barbay a handful of questions about policing in Grand Teton National Park.
Salas was one of 20 or so participants in this year’s National Park Service Academy, a federal program aimed at introducing a diverse slate of American students and young professionals to Park Service careers. Through a weeklong orientation in Grand Teton and internships at other American parks, participants get training, exposure to the Park Service’s different jobs and connection with mentors and peers.
For Salas, the program — and the conversation with Barbay, in particular — inspired her and gave her more confidence to explore a career in law enforcement.
“Which I know that I absolutely want to do,” Salas said.
Fear, she said, had been getting in the way.
On a gray afternoon in March, Salas and the other members of the 2022 National Park Service Academy cohort were bouncing around Grand Teton’s administrative headquarters, talking with Jenny Lake rangers about search and rescue and emergency medical services, getting experience throwing a mock spike strip under the wheels of a fleeing vehicle and experimenting with a fire hose connected to one of the park’s structure fire engines.
The games, the conversations on that gray afternoon — all of it was in service of introducing them to the Park Service’s various career paths.
But Julie Gonzalez, Grand Teton’s community engagement coordinator, said Park Service employment isn’t necessarily the end goal. She graduated from the program.
“If that’s a byproduct of what we do, we’re all here for it,” Gonzalez said. “But, really, we just want to create this understanding and connection with folks to what the National Park Service does. And help create that sense of belonging, that this is something that you can do if you want to.”
After their week of orientation in Grand Teton the participants in this year’s National Park Service Academy will go on to summer internships at Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Mount Rainier and Yellowstone national parks, Gonzalez said.
But the program isn’t focused on one type of work in the park — or participant. Internships focus on wildlife, trails, interpretation, fire and more. And, while there are people in the academy with backgrounds that center around environmental science and conservation, the program is open to people of all majors and backgrounds, including people from technical and vocational schools.
“I think that’s representative of the National Park Service as a whole,” Gonzalez said.
Marco Lopez, 27, works in the dental field and is finishing his associate degree in May. From Chicago he grew up visiting national parks like Glacier in Montana and Badlands in South Dakota. The outdoors resonates with him, and he started volunteering with his local forest preserve. So when he found out about the academy through his community college and got the offer, he dropped everything to make it happen.
“Let me put it this way,” Lopez said. “I drove 21 hours in my own personal car from Chicago, I quit my job. I turned my whole life around just to try and jump on this opportunity. It’s been the best thing ever for me.”
Lopez and Rowan Ball, 21, will both be working in law enforcement at Mount Rainier National Park this summer.
But unlike Lopez, Ball didn’t grow up visiting the national parks. They’re from eastern Pennsylvania and always felt like the parks were far removed from their life. Ball was working in the Southwest on a conservation crew when they found out about the National Park Service Academy through the American Conservation Experience’s Emerging Professionals in Conservation program. That’s a program that connects recent graduates with jobs in federal land and wildlife agencies.
Ball thought the academy would be a good opportunity to learn about the National Park Service before diving into it. And they haven’t been disappointed.
“Every night that I’m here I get a little emotional,” Ball said.
Plus, their cohort members and Grand Teton staff have been incredibly welcoming, something Ball worried about before getting into conservation.
“My main concern when I was considering pursuing conservation is not being taken seriously or respected because I’m nonbinary,” they said.
The Academy has helped alleviate that fear.
“I am not only accepted but celebrated and very respected,” Ball said. “It’s done wonders for my confidence and my concept of what my future might be.”
Gonzalez said the cohort has had conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the Park Service.
She acknowledged that “there’s a lot of work to be done” to have Park Service staff better represent the “mosaic” of American people, as the academy describes its goal. The space cultivated at the National Park Service Academy, for example, might not be representative of every park where graduates go on to work, Gonzalez said. But she said strides are being made. The leadership of the National Park Service’s individual units, Gonzalez said, has a lot to do with whether having “a representative, diverse and inclusive workforce is a priority.”
Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins has made that a priority, Gonzalez said, and that trickles down into other division chiefs.
“Which is part of why we see a lot of folks that go through this program and get hired,” Gonzalez said.
Three National Park Service Academy graduates currently work for Grand Teton, Gonzalez said: Two are permanent employees, and one is in a seasonal role. But during the summer, Gonzalez said, the park hires more. In 2021, she said, about six graduates were hired for seasonal work.
“What gives me hope is seeing that leadership has recognized this as a priority,” Gonzalez said.
For Salas, breaking into a career rooted in conservation and the outdoors was always a concern.
In the Mexican community she grew up in, it wasn’t common to go camping or climbing — or pursue the other adventure-driven sports associated with national parks like Grand Teton. Her family would go outside, visiting nearby lakes for people’s birthdays or getting together to eat in the local park.
“After coming to the Academy, I think my biggest fear, which was not belonging, has been completely eradicated,” Salas said. “Not only do I see myself in this space, this is the most diversity I’ve ever seen in any kind of working group.”
She’s interested in “holding space in a position in the National Park System” so she can resonate with people with similar life experiences.
That, Salas said, would be invaluable.
“Somebody could just see me and be like, ‘OK, I look like her. We might have the same background,’” she said. “’I feel like this is a space that I belong in, too.’”
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/park-service-program-aims-to-better-reflect-the-american-mosaic/article_5b8d4ea7-39b5-57e6-8074-bfc2e34a27b0.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:18Z
|
A convoluted tale of intimidation and revenge has left one Rawlins man hospitalized with a shotgun wound to the chest and another facing an attempted first-degree murder charge.
Dakota Brown, 29, was arrested Saturday after allegedly fleeing the scene of the victim’s house in the 1100 block of Mountain View in Rawlins, according to an affidavit filed in the case by Detective Thomas Shroyer of the Rawlins Police Department.
Police were contacted by Carbon County Memorial Hospital around 3:30 a.m. Friday about a gunshot victim, identified as Larry Brooks, who had gone in for treatment, Shroyer writes.
After first saying he was shot by an unknown man from Saratoga, Brooks later reported he was shot by another man named Zachariah Lawson, according to the affidavit. But after an initial investigation and interviews with other witnesses, it was determined Brown was the alleged shooter.
The confrontation seemed to escalate when a group of associates became upset with Brooks.
One witness “reported Larry Brooks has been burning a bunch of bridges lately and owed a lot of people money,” Shroyer writes in his affidavit.
When interviewed by another Rawlins police officer, Lawson said that he, Brown and three others were at Lawson’s house talking about alleged threat messages Brooks had made and they decided to go to his house to threaten and scare him, according to the affidavit.
Lawson said they brought a 9mm handgun and 20-guage shotgun to Brooks’ home. When they arrived, the women confronted Brooks inside while Brown and Lawson remained outside in the backyard. During the confrontation, Lawson said he and Brown were pointing the weapons at Brooks through a window.
“Mr. Lawson reported that he was pointing his 9mm at Mr. Brooks, and Dakota Brown was pointing the shotgun at Larry Brooks, slightly behind and to the side of Mr. Lawson,” Shroyer writes in the affidavit. “When Mr. Brooks raised his hands, Dakota Brown fired the shotgun.”
Then Lawson, Brown and the others at the home left in Lawson’s red Mitsubishi.
While driving on Highway 76, they discarded the shotgun, then dropped Brown off at the Interstate 80 truck stop in Sinclair, according to the affidavit. Officers went back to locate the shotgun but didn’t find it. They did, however, observe fresh tire tracks and recently discarded miscellaneous drug paraphernalia in the area.
While Brooks was reluctant or unable to positively identify who shot him, other witnesses pointed to Brown, the affidavit says. One woman said she and her boyfriend walked over to a friend’s house and overheard two women complaining they were mad at Brooks. She later received an accidental phone call and heard someone mumbling that Brooks had been shot.
Another witness reportedly received a text message identifying Brown as the shooter.
A female acquaintance of Lawson also told investigators that Lawson called her sometime between 3:30 and 4:15 a.m. and “he appeared to be under high stress, and he requested to meet her on old Highway 76 between Rawlins and Sinclair,” according to the affidavit.
When she arrived, Lawson, Brown and two women were in a car, and the acquaintance said she learned of the shooting.
“They stated that he had been shot by a shotgun and she learned that Dakota Brown was the one who shot Larry Brooks,” the affidavit says. “She reported that all of them had been at Mr. Brooks’ house and a shotgun was used.”
After being shot, Brooks transported himself to the emergency room, according to a city of Rawlins press release. At the hospital, Shroyer reports that he saw evidence of the shotgun blast, which in many cases could have been fatal.
“Based on my training and experience, the multiple bb’s located inside Mr. Brooks’ chest cavity are consistent with wounds from a shotgun,” he says in his affidavit. “Based on the lack of stippling, the size of the shot pattern on Mr. Brooks’ chest, the shot pattern to the windowpane and the topography of the yard, it appears the shot was from mid-range.”
He also observed that three of the shotgun pellets “barely missed his heart” and several were embedded in the lungs.
Police searched for Brown for more than a day before he was apprehended by Rawlins Police detectives.
He faces charges of attempted first-degree murder or in the alternative attempted second-degree murder, along with felony aggravated assault and battery. He had his initial court appearance Monday and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. April 20 at the Carbon County Interim Justice Center.
For his part, Lawson has been charged with aggravated assault and battery for threatening with a firearm and accessory of a felony after the fact.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/rawlins-man-survives-shotgun-blast-to-chest-attempted-first-degree-murder-charge-for-alleged-shooter/article_90dbc9c4-26a4-5cc7-a457-e217ab450d68.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:25Z
|
The Center for Carbon Capture and Conversion at the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources recently broke ground on a demonstration house made of coal-derived carbon building materials and char bricks.
The house is being built in tandem with a second house made from conventional building products and Pacific Clay bricks. The coal-derived bricks are made using low-energy, eco-friendly process technologies developed in the CCCC.
“The goal of the project is to see how the coal-derived building materials, especially char bricks, stand up to different environmental conditions and compare to conventional building materials that are currently used in the market,” said ChooiKim Lau, the UW Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management graduate student leading the project. “Our team will evaluate performance characteristics, such as the mechanical integrity, thermal resistance, light weight, fire resistance, toxicity and electromagnetic radiation tolerance, with comparative durability, noise resistance, moisture absorption and weathering.”
Originally from Alor Setar, Malaysia, and now a resident of Laramie as a U.S. citizen, Lau is working alongside undergraduate students Noah Scott and Jon Scott of Cheyenne. They work under the direction of Kam Ng, an associate professor in the UW Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering within the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
The goal of the demonstration is to showcase the various building materials that are made from Wyoming coal and, in particular, the coal-derived char bricks.
Focusing on the future of Wyoming coal, the project is part of the Carbon Engineering Initiative at the CCCC dedicated to discovering and advancing new uses for coal by making commodity products that are nonenergy and fuel based.
In addition to the char bricks, researchers at UW have developed a multitude of coal-derived building materials, including mortar, plaster, flooring materials, roofing, insulation and structural units to supplement concrete, timber and steel.
“The goal is to ultimately utilize all of these materials to build a completely coal-derived carbon-based house,” Ng said. “While the other materials are in varying stages of development, the char bricks are well advanced and to the point that we can really find out how they compare to the industry-standard clay bricks, and also determine how well they work with existing construction materials and in conventional building designs.”
Last summer, the team manufactured more than 4,000 coal-derived char bricks in the span of 30 days using basic tools and equipment. The bricks were produced using a zero-waste construction method in which they can be manufactured, transformed and recycled in a comprehensive life cycle, minimizing residual materials.
“Our bricks are completely sustainable and unique, in that they are created from coal byproducts,” Lau said. “We use pyrolyzed char from coal as the feedstock for the bricks. The char is one of the byproducts from processing coal through an integrated pyrolysis and solvent extraction process. Furthermore, lower-quality bricks can be broken down and recycled as feedstock to make new, high-quality bricks.”
The initial findings regarding the properties of the char bricks show attributes that are superior to clay. They are lighter weight, provide better insulation and have the ability to regulate the moisture content in the building.
“The porosity and thermal properties of the coal char bricks are such that they have the ability to absorb moisture from inside buildings on humid days and release moisture on dry days, which means that the building is consuming less energy,” Lau said. “Additionally, according to the industry-standard fire endurance test, char bricks receive a rating of Class A, which is the highest score possible.”
The char bricks also are more economical to produce. The team made each individual brick by hand and used the Wyoming summer sun to dry and cure the bricks, bypassing the costly firing process used in the manufacturing of clay bricks.
Richard Horner, the CCCC’s director, said products derived from coal are an extremely important step forward for Wyoming.
“Our objective in the School of Energy Resources is not just to do research, but also to commercialize these efforts and create new jobs and industries in Wyoming,” he said. “Currently, coal is a main source of income for the state, so efforts to keep mines operating will allow us to have a continued revenue stream for our state to invest in education, infrastructure, medical care, emergency services and the overall well-being of Wyoming citizens.”
The efforts also will play a major role in growing Wyoming and creating diversification opportunities in the manufacturing industry, he said.
“The people in Wyoming coal communities have extensive knowledge of our coal and reserves and, therefore, their skills are very valuable,” Horner said. “The more mines we keep open, the more jobs we retain and, in the event a mine closes, we hope to have created a new employment opportunity in the manufacturing sector.”
Once construction of the demonstration houses is completed, the team will carry out yearlong performance monitoring tests to provide a baseline to see how the coal-derived building materials perform compared to conventional building materials. The data and results then will be shared with interested industry partners with the hope they’ll take the technology to market.
The team is optimistic about the feasibility for the scale-up or mass production of the technology.
“We are eager to gather performance data on our building materials,” Ng said. “We hope that our research will highlight the competitive advantages of our coal-derived char bricks to the construction industry and increase the products’ marketability, usage and consumption, further advancing to the next stage of commercialization and production.”
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/uw-breaks-ground-on-carbon-block-house/article_2ea7516d-ac61-5f0c-8686-b3fe08078def.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:31Z
|
Frison poster wins Society for American Archaeology award
For the 11th time, the poster celebrating Wyoming Archaeology Month has won the Society for American Archaeology poster contest.
This years poster, titled “George Carr Frison, Rancher Archaeologist,” honors Frison’s lifelong commitment to Wyoming’s 13,000-year human history.
Frison was the first head of the University of Wyoming Department of Anthropology and the first state archaeologist. He educated generations of Cowboy State archaeologists and documented his scientific contributions in more than a dozen books and 100 scientific publications.
The poster is free and available at the Anthropology Building on the UW campus at 12th and Lewis streets.
Base personnel detonate totaled HUMVEE near Kimball
A team from the 90th Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight assigned to F.E. Warren Air Force Base were scheduled to conduct a series of controlled detonations Tuesday to render the scene of a totaled HUMVEE safe following a fire while the vehicle was transiting Highway 71 near the city of Kimball, Nebraska, on Monday.
Nebraska State Patrol closed the highway in the interest of public safety during the detonations. Security forces airmen from the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron at F.E. Warren remained on scene to secure the vehicle, according to a news release from the base.
Security forces airmen assigned to the 790 MSFS safely egressed the vehicle near mile marker 23 after noticing flames while transiting the highway. However, they were unable to remove ammunition, including 40 mm grenades, from the burning vehicle due to the intensity of the flames.
The airmen quickly contacted local emergency responders and established a safety cordon. The Kimball sheriff and fire departments, as well as Nebraska State Patrol and Department of Transportation, all responded to the scene. Kimball County emergency officials extinguished the flames from the vehicle and nearby grass and field areas following the fire. No injuries were reported in the incident.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, and the incident is under investigation.
Cheney, colleagues seek to protect family owned farms, ranches
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., has joined more than 70 of her colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution recognizing the important role of the stepped-up basis in preserving family owned farms, ranches and small businesses.
A long-standing provision in the tax code, the stepped-up basis prevents heirs from paying capital gains taxes on inherited assets such as land, equipment or buildings, according to a news release from Cheney’s office.
“The stepped-up basis is an important provision of our tax code that helps farmers, ranchers and small businesses pass their assets on from generation to generation,” Cheney said in the release. “Our agriculture industry and small businesses have suffered during this pandemic, and should not be saddled with more government overreach and higher capital gains taxes.”
The resolution is supported by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, USA Rice, National Grange and National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 98% of farms are family owned. If the stepped-up basis is eliminated, 66% of all mid-sized farms would see an increased tax liability.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/worth-noting/article_e2d21733-6037-5e0d-8c61-7fbf4475af4b.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:37Z
|
Russia has found just the man to lead its ongoing assault on Ukraine, Gen. Aleksandr Dvornikov.
The top-level general takes over a war that had no single overall commander and as the Russian military has suffered embarrassing setbacks, retreating from its planned siege of Kyiv.
Dvornikov has led the Russian forces in the south and east of Ukraine, which Moscow will now make its main objective, and perfectly encapsulates the remorseless and long-running brutality of the Russian military.
He became known as the Butcher of Syria for his role leading the Russian campaign in Syria, most notoriously the reduction of Aleppo.
A United Nations human rights official called that city, after the Russians were done with it, “a slaughterhouse.” He depicted “a gruesome locus of pain and fear, where the lifeless bodies of small children are trapped under streets of rubble and pregnant women deliberately bombed.”
That ghastly description, of course, sounds all too familiar. Naturally enough, the Russian government honored Dvornikov for his bloody handiwork in Syria as a “hero of the Russian federation.”
Bucha is another tragic place name in a long catalogue of Russians atrocities — perpetrated against foreigners and its own people, perpetrated when the Soviets struggled for control during their rule, and afterward, perpetrated with relatively primitive military technology and with the most up-to-date modern firepower.
Where the Russian military goes, war crimes are sure to follow. It is a reflection of a twisted Russian political culture that has never developed an appreciation for individual worth, democratic accountability, or humanitarian norms. Vladimir Putin is not to be confused with Lenin or Stalin — he paints his horrors on a much smaller canvas. But his cold-eyed brutality is characteristically Russian.
For the last 100 years, Russia has been a brutalized and brutalizing country. It suffered nearly 3.5 million deaths in World War I, another 8 million dead in the Russian Civil War, and then 27 million more in World War II.
The founder of the Soviet state, Lenin, was a theorist and practitioner of “mass terror.” After the Revolution, the civil war between the Bolsheviks and their opponents was a series of atrocities. Then came the cataract of unspeakable violence in the death struggle with the Nazis.
The Red Army’s decisive march to Berlin at the end of the war was one long, pitiless war crime. The Russians raped 2 million German women. According to historian Antony Beevor, author of “The Fall of Berlin 1945,” one doctor believed that of 100,000 women raped in the city, 10,000 died as a consequence, many by suicide.
The English-speaking world features its share of shameful and brutal acts, but nothing on the mind-numbing scale of such depravities. And the crimes in the U.S. and elsewhere are looked back on with shame, whether slavery or the expropriation of indigenous people. In contrast, in the 21st century, when more civilized practices are supposed to have prevailed, Putin is adding more disgraceful blots to Russia’s woeful record.
What kind of force considers a hospital a legitimate military target? Terrorist groups — and the Russian military.
In Syria a few years ago, Russia bombed four hospitals in 12 hours, a savage performance forecasting the treatment they’d mete out to Ukraine. According to The New York Times, Syrian health care workers believed that a United Nations “humanitarian deconfliction” list containing the locations of hospitals was used as a target list by Russian forces.
Of course, Russia leveled the city of Grozny in the late 1990s, killing thousands of civilians. Its soldiers raped and tortured.
What the Russian lacks in planning and proficiency, it makes up in barbarity and utter disregard for humanity. War is hell, but almost all advanced nations try to keep it within some bounds of decency. Russia is an outlier. For it, the cruelty is the point — and the reflexive practice.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/the-russian-way-of-brutality/article_66f9a060-d0fc-5cba-a87d-de49704fde5a.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:43Z
|
Olga Sukhenko, the mayor of Motozhyn in Ukraine, was taken by Russian troops on March 23 along with her husband and son. She was tortured and all three were murdered. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been murdered, raped or tortured by Russian invaders.
A theater sheltering 1,300 civilians, clearly marked as sheltering children, was destroyed by Russia, killing 300. Humanitarian convoys have been blocked, starvation has been used as a Russian tactic and thousands of Ukrainians have been kidnapped and taken to camps inside Russia. An estimated 11 million Ukrainians have been displaced by war and are refugees.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, without provocation, disagreeing with Ukraine’s right as a sovereign nation to freely choose what countries it associates with. Russia’s invasion was ordered by dictator Vladimir Putin, who had previously destroyed Chechnya, large parts of Syria and parts of eastern Ukraine, all while turning Russia from a democracy back into a dictatorship.
By unleashing his army on a free country and a NATO partner, he has shown that he is a mad dog who must be put down like a mad dog. In the words of President Biden: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
After more than six weeks of war, Ukraine is winning, but it will take much more to win.
The Ukrainian people knew the Russians were coming and prepared well. They are a united people in arms, eloquently led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Their courage, aided by NATO armaments, turned the tide against the Russian Army, which is in full retreat in the north.
President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European leaders have led a united response to support Ukraine and deter Russia. Half of Russia’s assets have been frozen, Russia’s economy and trade have largely been shut down and NATO’s eastern flank has been reinforced with 315,000 allied troops there, stronger than any likely Russian attack force. Finland and Sweden are considering NATO membership. NATO has supplied huge quantities of armaments to Ukraine, including 17,000 antitank missiles and 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles.
Ukraine, the USA, 30 NATO nations, 53 nations that have aided Ukraine and 140 nations that supported Ukraine in the UN are in conflict with Russia. The USA and NATO are active allies of Ukraine without displacing Ukrainian sovereignty.
As a sovereign nation, Ukraine will decide regarding any agreement it may make with Russia to end the war. We as sovereign nations will decide whether to end any sanctions against Russia.
Because of the number of nations involved, this is a world war even if combat has not yet spread beyond Ukraine. World War II began in Asia in 1931 and in Europe in 1939. The United States became involved through sanctions and the Lend-Lease program long before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
We are at war, a war where all the blood is shed in Ukraine, but we have our role as the Arsenal of Democracy.
First, help Ukraine establish air superiority in its country. Supply Patriot air defense missile systems and provide Mig-29 fighters along with any other aircraft types that the Ukrainian air force can operate. Ignore Russian threats regarding such supplies as NATO has enough forces to stop any Russian attack.
Second, help create a superior Ukrainian Army that can recapture all territory, killing or capturing Russians who do not retreat. Provide a million small drones as quickly as we can make them. Mass produce the TALON infantry robot and send thousands to Ukraine. Provide all the tanks, artillery and armored personnel carriers that Ukraine wants.
Third, provide thousands of cruise missiles, of types that only carry conventional warheads, allowing Ukraine to attack targets several hundred miles inside Russia, including Moscow itself. If no military base, no leader, no railroad bridge and no gas pipeline in European Russia is safe from Ukrainian attack, so much the better. Include anti-ship missiles so Ukraine can destroy Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Fund the construction of a new Ukrainian navy, including submarines, in Bulgarian and Romanian shipyards.
Fourth, provide ample funding: $10 billion a month from the USA and 10 billion euros a month from Europe would contribute greatly to Ukrainian victory.
Putin began this war, but the free peoples of the world will finish it. Our terms are death or surrender for all Russian invaders, war crimes trials for all those responsible, Russia to again be a democratic and free country and Russia to pay complete reparations to Ukraine.
Some of you read that and think it is unreasonable. In January 1943 at the Casablanca conference, Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated, “The elimination of German, Japanese and Italian war power means the unconditional surrender by Germany, Italy and Japan.”
It was that policy that led to the German, Italian and Japanese peoples being free, democratic and allies of ours today. This war may end without freeing Russia, in which case it may simply be a rehearsal for the next war. Much better to completely win the war if we can.
I have been to both Kyiv and Moscow and look forward to the time when the Russian people, after future decades of freedom and democracy, join with us and with Ukraine in a NATO Alliance that stretches from the Bering Strait in Russia around the world to the Bering Strait in Alaska, a union of peaceful peoples that could be the basis for nuclear disarmament and the final elimination of dictatorship in the world.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/the-world-is-at-war-including-the-united-states-of-america/article_56f0d431-90d4-53c2-90cc-f61f48359420.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:49Z
|
CHEYENNE – On Saturday, the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players announced the schedule of shows for the 2022-23 season.
In its 93rd year, CLTP will maintain the same distribution of genres as it has in the past, including two musicals, one youth production and one Christmas production, throughout the seven-show lineup.
Ceara Madson, managing director of the Cheyenne Little Theatre, said the selection process went fairly smoothly this year, and it didn’t take long for the programming committee to whittle everything down to its final selections. The most time-consuming part of making the choices was surveying the influx of options.
Madson said she believes the committee did a good job of selecting a balanced schedule that appeals to the interests of both the actors and the audience.
“We try and balance what we think the community wants to see with what our actors would like to perform, for sure,” she said. “That’s always a big consideration when we’re choosing our season.”
During the announcement party Saturday night, CLTP was still finalizing the directors for every production, a situation that resulted in Madson joking that “TBD” was the “hardest working director” in the company.
But Wednesday, the committee finalized the list of directors for each production, including a replacement for Jim Rolf, who was scheduled to direct “The Outgoing Tide,” but died suddenly on March 22. A list of directors will be listed online soon.
“I am really excited about ‘The Outgoing Tide’ because it’s a script that a lot of our actors are really interested in doing,” Madson said. “It’s a really intriguing show. It’s not exactly a happy show, but it’s really well written.”
The small drama and dark comedy set on the Chesapeake Bay follows the story of a man and his family who are coming to terms with his increasing medical disabilities as he and his wife grow older.
The season will open with a production of the critically acclaimed musical “The Little Shop of Horrors,” directed by CLTP veteran Rory Mack. The show follows the bizarre story of Seymour Krelborn, a floral assistant that comes across a new breed of plant, one that’s giant, foul mouthed and hungry.
“‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is going to be at the Atlas (Theatre), and it’s going to be a dinner theater, so that’ll be really fun,” Madson said. “They’ve got such great creative ideas about how to fit that musical in that space, and I’m very excited about that.”
“The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge: A Christmas Comedy” will borrow themes from British pantomiming, a style of theatrical comedy that uses gags, slapstick comedy and lighthearted performance to build a family atmosphere.
“Anne of Green Gables” will be the youth production, and “Accomplice” is the featured murder mystery, or “whodunnit.”
“There’s so many twists and turns,” she said. “You think you understand what murder they’re investigating, but then there’s four different twists. We were having somebody read it who was interested in directing it who was like, ‘I’m almost having trouble following the plot.’”
The other show that Madson is particularly looking forward to is the 66th production of “The Old Fashioned Melodrama,” which, this year, was written by Cheyenne resident Lindsay Hamlin and will be directed by Nancy Stange. It’s titled “Treachery Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, or All’s Fair in Love and Villainy, or The Showdown at the Sarsaparilla.”
To bookend the season, CLTP is putting on the biggest show it’s had in recent years. “Cinderella” will feature a large cast, with substantial technical effects, for an extravagant family performance. It’s expected to surpass the stage production of last season’s “Mamma Mia.”
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/cltp-announces-2022-23-schedule-of-shows/article_e4a9ae94-9df1-565a-9290-7b04b941be37.html
| 2022-04-14T13:22:56Z
|
CHEYENNE – Mike Coughenour wasn’t necessarily thrilled to walk a block in high-heeled shoes in below-freezing temperatures.
But he was interested in what the action represented.
Coughenour was one of several men and women who took part in Wednesday’s “Walk in Her Shoes” event, put on by Cheyenne’s Safehouse Services, which provides shelter and resources to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, elder abuse and trafficking. Attendees walked in high heels around the Depot Plaza, with some of the men carrying signs with slogans like: “I am man enough to walk in her shoes.”
The event was held to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which takes place in April.
“From the military stance, from the society stance, we can do better,” said Coughenour, who works as security forces manager for the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 253rd Security Forces Squadron.
By putting on high heels, men were offered a humorous way to engage with a serious, pervasive issue. One out of six women have experienced rape or attempted rape in their lifetimes, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, also known as RAINN.
And although women are more likely to become victims, men also experience sexual assault: about 3% of American men have experienced rape or attempted rape in their lifetimes, RAINN says. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 43% of men reported some kind of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetimes. (For women, it’s 81%.)
Safehouse Executive Director Carla Thurin told the roughly two dozen people gathered inside the depot that, while the purpose of Wednesday’s event was to raise awareness for sexual assault, it rarely exists “in a silo” away from other offenses, such as domestic violence, stalking or human trafficking.
Anna Nasset, who runs advocacy organization Stand Up Resources, also briefly spoke to attendees about her decade-long experience with stalking. She said her stalker, a man she didn’t know, is currently serving 10 years in prison for the crime.
Now, with her “decade of freedom,” Nasset advocates for other victims and survivors of gender-based violence.
“I just go out and do whatever I can to make sure that others get that same justice,” she said.
Nasset, who is based in Vermont, said she was asked to visit F.E. Warren Air Force Base to give a couple of talks. On Thursday, she planned to share her survival story, talk about how bystanders can prevent things like sexual assault, discuss issues of consent and describe how to support someone who has disclosed a sexual assault.
“One important thing is to start by believing,” she told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Thurin said it was Cheyenne’s first “Walk in Her Shoes” event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A focus of this year’s event, the Safehouse director said, was to bring together members of Laramie County’s Coordinated Community Response Team. The team, which meets twice a month, seeks to serve all victims of crimes like intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child and elder abuse.
“(We) discuss what we’re doing to make sure no victims fall through the cracks,” she said. “Anybody who helps victims in our community comes to the table.”
Alongside law enforcement, the CCR Team includes Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners from Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office, victim advocates at F.E. Warren, CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates for children – and Safe Harbor, a children’s justice center, Thurin said.
Coughenour joked that, after the walk, he’d be skipping the gym for the day.
“My feet hurt, calves are on fire ... but it gives that perspective, for sure,” he said. “Doing things like this, bringing awareness – I can walk a little bit around the depot for a little bit more awareness.”
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/cheyenne-struts-for-sexual-assault-awareness/article_ef4c13d1-df3c-5b61-bd59-92751ff39f5a.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:02Z
|
CHEYENNE – Laramie County Community College’s Music Department will present a celebration of dance music, fittingly called “Let’s Dance,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in the Surbrugg/Prentice Auditorium.
The free concert will feature LCCC’s Brass Band, Jazz and Wind Ensembles, and will feature a variety of classic, contemporary, ballroom and folk pieces written to inspire movement.
“There are so many dances. And music and dance go hand-in-hand,” Frank Cook, LCCC music faculty, said in a news release. “I wanted to celebrate a wide variety of great dances from different times and cultures.”
The concert opens with the Cheyenne Brass Band, a group comprised of students and community members who will perform “Come Sweet Death” by Johan Sebastian Bach; “Divertimento” by Karel Husa, a suite of Czechoslovakian music; and will close with Michael Allen’s “Sing. Sing. Sing.”
LCCC’s Jazz Ensemble will perform “Absolutely Awesome” by Lenny Niehaus and "Sway" by Luis Demetrio and Pablo Beltrán Ruiz, with English lyrics by Norman Gimbel; featuring Cheyenne resident and LCCC student Karen Cotton.
The concert will close with the Wind Ensemble, performing “Street Tango” by Astor Piazzolla, arranged by Robert Longfield; “Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo” by Malcolm Arnold, arranged by John P. Paynter; and “The Clarinet Polka,” arranged by Bruce R. Smith, featuring the clarinet section. The Wind Ensemble will close with a new piece, “Jitterbug!,” by Robert Buckley.
With the performance coming toward the end of the school year, these musical selections are designed to challenge the students and showcase what they have learned and focused on during the year.
To learn more about LCCC’s Communications & Creative Arts Pathway and programs, visit lccc.wy.edu/Pathways or contact Cook at 307-778-1306 or fcook@lccc.wy.edu.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/lccc-music-department-presents-let-s-dance-next-tuesday/article_7066262d-0065-5150-81e3-b98551830304.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:08Z
|
President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s recess appointment of Earl Warren to Chief Justice of Supreme Court on Sept. 30, 1953, constituted a watershed mark in the history of the Court. His leadership of what was decidedly the Warren Court generated more landmark opinions in American constitutional law than any chief justice since John Marshall.
Chief Justice Warren, it has been rightly said, did more than any jurist in our nation’s history to ensure that the law, in W. H. Auden’s phrase, “found the notion of equality.” As the principal champion of racial equality during his tenure as chief justice, Warren steered the Court to unanimity in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and other landmark rulings that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and the doctrine that separate but equal satisfied the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment in every area of life.
Chief Justice Warren’s historic tenure, which ended in retirement in 1969, began with his first conference on Brown. His leadership skills as chief, perhaps exceeded only by those of John Marshall, another very astute politician, were, in the eyes of his brethren, demonstrable. Justice William Brennan, another Eisenhower appointee, described Warren’s leadership skills as “incredible.” Justice Harold Burton said the ruling in Brown would “not have been possible” under his predecessor, Chief Justice Fred Vinson.
Warren’s political instincts suggested his approach in tackling the issue of racial segregation in the schools. Observers noted that he steered cases by the way he framed the issues. In his first conference on Brown, Warren presented the question before the Court in terms of racial inferiority. He told his colleagues that the only justification for segregation was the belief that Black people were inherently inferior, and explained that Plessy, if it was to be upheld, could be sustained only on that basis.
The impact of that opening salvo was palpable: defenders of Plessy were put on the defensive. Warren’s simple approach appealed to the ultimate human values involved, placing the justices who were willing to uphold Plessy and separate but equal in the uncomfortable position of appearing to subscribe to racist doctrine. Justice Stanley Reed, an advocate of retaining Plessy, offered a clumsy, ineffective reply. He contended that he was not making “the argument that the Negro is an inferior race,” but he provided no other basis on which segregation could be upheld. He conceded that Plessy had not been satisfactory and “might not be correct now.” Indeed, he admitted that facilities for Blacks were inferior to those reserved for whites.
Chief Justice Warren was not interested in overwhelming his colleagues, or even in scoring debating points. His concern was to create a majority to overturn Plessy. Again, his political experience led him to seek common ground. He sought to proceed, he noted, “in a tolerant way.”
He acknowledged in a downstage voice of regret that precedents would have to be reversed, but explained that this was required if the Court wished to avoid continued support of outdated theories on which racism and segregation were based.
Again and again, Warren demonstrated political sensitivities for the difficult decision that Southern justices faced. He expressed no moral outrage, and his tone was not one that reflected moralizing. He avoided accusations altogether. He told his colleagues that he sought a decision that might reduce “emotion and strife.”
But Warren was no pushover. Indeed, scholars have adjudged Warren to be the “strongest” chief justice in American history. He was clear in his arguments to his colleagues that the Court “has finally arrived at the place where it must determine whether segregation is allowable in public schools.” The Court, he explained, “must now face the issue.”
It didn’t take long for Warren to recognize that a simple majority of justices voting to strike down Plessy would be insufficient to change history and the nation’s constitutional course on the issue of segregation in the schools. What he feared most was a dissenting opinion, and even a strong concurrence by Justice Robert Jackson who, although opposed to segregation, believed the Court’s problem lay in making a “judicial decision out of a political conclusion.” Jackson sought a “judicial basis for a political conclusion.” He wanted a properly written decision.
On Jan. 16, 1954, Chief Justice Warren conducted his second Brown conference. The momentum of the justices’ discussions, undertaken in the corridors of the Supreme Court building and the justices’ chambers, befitting Warren’s style of personal, intimate conversations with his colleagues, enabled the Court to consider potential remedies. With the exception of Justice Reed, who still exhibited some reluctance to overturn Plessy, the brethren were on board for what would prove to be a historic decision to rule segregation in the schools unconstitutional.
Reed’s recalcitrance threatened the goal of a unanimous decision. Warren continued his conversations with Reed – over lunch, in their respective chambers and in the hallways. Despite the contradictions of his reasoning, it appeared, as late as April, that Reed intended to dissent. Finally, Warren, in his low-key, solicitous manner, spoke directly to Reed: “Stan, you’re all by yourself on this now. You’ve got to decide whether it’s really the best thing for the country.” We turn next week to the Court’s historic ruling, delivered on May 17, 1954.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/adler-earl-warren-finding-the-notion-of-equality/article_c5e96c00-1e26-598c-8f20-0f4979e63999.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:14Z
|
When are you folks in our government going to stop dancing to Putin's tune? Putin threatens to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine or Europe, but this is very unlikely. Their military system is much like ours. If Putin actually called for some kind of a nuclear strike, it is unlikely that they would carry it out.
Our people and theirs do talk to each other regularly, or so we out here have heard. They and those of us out here who pay attention to such things understand fully what the “MAD” strategy means. If anything in Russia would surely cause “regime change,” it would be Putin's calling for nuclear action.
We who live here in Cheyenne are well aware of how F.E. Warren Air Force Base fits into our nuclear deterrent. We are also aware that many of the European nations don't want to get into a shooting war with Russia. However, the simple fact is that the combined NATO nations are much stronger than the Russian military is. Putin knows that he could not win a war with all the NATO nations combined, and that he would probably be removed if he was stupid enough to make that mistake.
China, with their highly organized and neat society, isn't likely to do much to help Putin out of the quicksand that he has gotten himself into. Russian history repeatedly demonstrates that regime change often occurs suddenly with violence, or at least removal to some Russian gulag.
The Ukrainian people and their leadership have demonstrated bravery, tenacity and patriotism worthy of our own Founding Fathers. The Ukrainian people should be given every system and weapon available to fight off Putin's evil war of conquest. It is sheer folly and cowardice to think that it would make any real difference to Putin's likelihood of creating a wider war.
The Ukrainians have already suffered death and destruction on a scale not seen since World War II. When are we going to fulfill our obligations to Ukraine when they agreed to denuclearize many years ago? When are we going to stand up for our historical American ideals?
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/an-open-letter-to-wyomings-congressional-delegation-about-putin/article_ce3e204e-d4ad-5ffa-ba54-cfd578324120.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:20Z
|
ROCK SPRINGS – Rock Springs High School senior Karli Nelson spent a portion of her high school career working toward and eventually achieving a specific goal: the Congressional Award.
The Congressional Award’s origin dates back to 1979, according to congressionalaward.org.
The United States Congress established the award to “recognize initiative, service and achievement in young people.”
“It began as a bipartisan effort in both the United Stated Senate and the House of Representatives.”
The program is open for those between the ages of 14-24 in the United States
In order to receive the Congressional Award, students work towards earning their Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals.
Each of the levels has participants achieving goals in the following areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration.
To earn the Bronze Medal, participants have to reach 100 hours of voluntary public service; 50 hours in personal development; 50 hours of physical fitness; a two day/one night trip for the expedition/exploration category.
In order to earn the Silver Medal, participants have to reach 200 hours of voluntary public service; 100 hours of personal development; 100 hours of physical fitness; a three day/ two night trip for the expedition/exploration category.
For those working to earn the Gold Medal, participants have to reach 400 hours of voluntary public service; 200 hours of personal development; 200 hours of physical fitness; a five day/four night trip for the expedition/exploration category.
After having an older brother go through the process of working toward the award, Nelson decided that she also wanted to achieve it.
“I was in the eighth grade when I started the process,” Nelson said. “It took me about a year to reach each medal.”
Recently, Nelson received her Gold Medal during a ceremony in Cheyenne.
“It was a really awesome experience. It was cool seeing other students get their medals, too.”
In order to get her personal development hours in for one of her medals, Nelson worked on the ACT.
“I was able to do a study class to help get those hours in. I also did some driving for my personal development hours,” Nelson said. “Due to the pandemic, there wasn’t much else to do.”
Nelson said that in order to complete her volunteer hours, she did a lot of volunteering through her school district.
“I volunteered when the high school national rodeo was here. I also got to volunteer during the fair,” Nelson said. “I got to meet a lot of different people while getting my volunteer hours in.”
Nelson also got the chance to plan a trip to complete her hours for the expedition/exploration category.
“We went up to Fremont Lake in Pinedale for a camping trip,” Nelson said. “My whole family went and we did some fishing and paddleboarding on the trip. It was a fun experience.”
For Nelson, she was able to learn a lot through the experience of planning out an entire trip.
“It can be kind of difficult. It’s definitely not as easy as it looks,” Nelson said. “You really have to put some time into it in order to plan it out.”
Nelson said that going through the process of achieving each of the medals has helped her to come out of her shell.
“At the beginning, I was really shy. I didn’t really want to talk to people. However, I learned that it’s just part of life and you have to learn to talk to people,” Nelson said.
Nelson also said that she would encourage other students thinking about starting the process to go through with it.
“Just have fun with it. Don’t make it a burden,” Nelson said. “Enjoy it, meet new people and make the most out of it.”
Along with the other students who achieved all three medals, Nelson will receive her Congressional Award during a future ceremony.
Following graduation, Nelson plans to attend the University of Wyoming to study criminal justice.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/reach-for-the-stars-rock-springs-karli-nelson-achieves-congressional-award/article_3c419a71-5497-5762-b130-7958f5dd7746.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:26Z
|
Federal lands are essential to the fabric of Wyoming. They highlight the state’s natural beauty, from the iconic vistas of Yellowstone and Grand Teton to the less trafficked, but still treasured, Red Desert and Bighorns. These public lands cover nearly half the state, providing public access for fishing, hunting and recreation and powering Wyoming’s energy economy.
While national parks draw much of the attention of tourists and underpin tourism economies, the majority of federal land in Wyoming is rangeland administered by the Bureau of Land Management. On these lands, which cover more than a quarter of the state, the BLM’s grazing program is failing its responsibility to safeguard public resources and allowing its grazing permittees to damage natural resources.
The responsibility to steward these public lands, and the blame for their current state, falls not on the overworked and understaffed employees of the agency, but on the BLM’s leadership and federal lawmakers.
Of the more than 17 million acres of BLM rangeland in Wyoming, more than 6 million acres, or one-third of grazing tracts, fail to meet rangeland health standards due to livestock grazing, according to BLM documents obtained by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). An additional 3 million acres don’t have up-to-date rangeland health surveys.
The agency’s inability to hold grazers accountable for their impacts on shared lands damages public resources and undermines the right of the public to speak out on behalf of this land all Americans hold in common.
Grazing lands fail to meet rangeland standards when herds damage resources that humans and ecosystems rely on. Some ways that cattle can harm ecosystems include increasing erosion that rechannels rivers and increases sedimentation, which contributes to flooding and poor water quality in arid environments where every ounce of clean fresh water is vital. Overgrazing by cows, sheep and goats can also promote the spread of invasive species like cheatgrass that drive ever-worsening rangeland wildfires.
The lack of oversight of BLM’s grazing program also increases conflict with native wildlife, which costs wild animals their lives and destroys habitat that is essential to Wyoming’s billion-dollar hunting, angling and wildlife watching economy.
Our work to draw awareness to the failures of the grazing program is borne from the belief that the agency is responsible for maintaining healthy public land. But, for that to happen, the agency needs strong leadership and to rebuild the ranks of its hollowed-out staff.
Former BLM employees in Wyoming have relayed to PEER the challenge of upholding federal environmental laws. “There’s an entrenched attitude of not interfering with cattlemen,” said one former BLM employee I spoke with, who didn’t want their name shared as they continue to look for work in the field. “People in the agency seem to want to be part of that cowboy culture of the West by being the good guy to producers.”
Breaking down this institutional attitude of service to one interest group, and not the public as a whole, requires strong leadership, from the head of the agency to state and local field offices.
However, strong leadership alone won’t solve the many challenges the BLM faces. The agency needs more funding in order to rebuild its staff and get more federal land managers out in the field. Over the past two decades, there’s been major staff attrition in the agency. From 2003 to 2020, the BLM’s workforce has been reduced by nearly 2,000 full-time staff, or roughly 20%. At the local level, that means less oversight of grazing activities and less opportunities for BLM staff to work with grazers to improve rangeland health.
As a nonprofit invested in supporting public employees so that they can do the work to protect the environment, PEER urges legislators and BLM leadership to modernize the federal grazing program and ensure public input in the fate of public lands in Wyoming. Progress is possible, but it requires an agency that has the personnel to do the job and leadership that values public input and empowers agency staff on the ground to carry out their duties.
To learn more about the impacts of grazing on the public lands, please visit PEER’s interactive rangeland health database at www.peer.org/mapping-the-range.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/rosenthal-wyoming-deserves-better-than-the-blm-s-failed-grazing-program/article_d0075e75-61c9-53c8-8f9c-74a8b6131b3b.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:33Z
|
The Laramie High track and field teams competed in the third meet of the spring outdoor season last Friday, and it was just a short trip over the hill to the East.
The Plainsmen and Lady Plainsmen joined eight other teams from around this corner of the state for the Okie Blanchard Invitational hosted by Cheyenne East.
The Plainsmen finished third as a team with 98.5 points. Cheyenne Central won with 161 and East was second at 121. The Lady Plainsmen were fourth at 64. The top three girls teams were: Central (137), Torrington (113) and East (104)
Plainsman junior Meyer Smith and Lady Plainsmen sophomore Addison Forry notched event wins for LHS. Smith won the 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes, 41.02 seconds. Forry claimed the 800 in 2:23.07.
Multiple Laramie athletes also placed in the top three.
Also in the boys 1,600 race, sophomore Dominic Eberle was right behind Smith for second place in 4:47.14. Senior Chris Alvarez was runner-up in the 110 hurdles in 18.17, and senior Cameron Burns was second in the 800 in 2:07.72. Placing in a tie for third in the high jump was freshman Gabe Sanchez at 5 feet, 8 inches, third in the pole vault was junior Adrien Calderon at 12-3 and freshman Jack Voos was third in the 3,200 in 11:31.75.
The Plainsmen 4x400 relay team of Smith, freshman Brayden McKinney, Burns and senior Russell King was third in 3:45.03.
Lady Plainsman junior Alex Lewis tossed a personal-best 35-11 in the shot put for runner-up in large field. The LHS 4x400 relay team of senior Cassandra Wulff, junior Kodi Johnson, senior Carey Berendsen and Forry were second in 4:21.03.
The LHS teams were initially scheduled to compete today at the Burns Invitational, but the meet was canceled. Another meet was then added to the schedule for the Plainsmen and Lady Plainsmen to compete Saturday at the Mountain Range Mustang Invitational in Westminster, Colorado.
Spring golf is underway
The Laramie High golf teams took advantage of one of the few days of warmth and sunny skies last Friday to begin the spring season at the Cheyenne Invitational.
The one-round tournament featured many boys and girls teams from around Wyoming at the Airport Golf Club.
Plainsman senior Jackson McClaren led LHS with a round of 77 on the par-70 course to finish in a tie for sixth place. LHS sophomore James Trask had the next-best round for the Plainsmen at 93 for 39th.
Scottsbluff’s Austin Thyne won the boys individual title with a 73, one stroke ahead of three players tied for second; Cheyenne Central’s Alexander Miller and Caden Cunningham and Kelly Walsh’s Tanner Warren.
The LHS boys finished ninth out of 14 teams with 370 strokes. The top three teams were Kelly Walsh (318), Scottsbluff (325) and Central’s Black team (326).
The Lady Plainsmen were led by junior Grace Kordon, who carded a round of 96 to tie for 10th place. Junior Samantha Kitchen was next for LHS with a 104 for a tie in 17th.
Natrona County’s Sophie Spiva finished with a 74 for the girls individual title. It was six strokes better than Kelly Walsh’s Carli Kalus.
The LHS girls were fourth out of five teams with 329 after adding the top three scorecards. The Kelly Walsh girls completed the sweep for the team title with 257. Natrona County was runner-up at 264 and Central third at 271.
The Plainsmen and Lady Plainsmen are next scheduled to play starting at 10 a.m. today for the Douglas Invitational at the Douglas Community Club & Golf Course.
There are currently six one-day rounds scheduled before the two-day East Conference tournament slated for May 15-16 in Sheridan.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/laramie_high/lhs-track-and-field-powers-through-early-spring-competition/article_04f1b36c-38b4-5663-99ba-7a37d498bca7.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:39Z
|
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/other_sports/community/cheyenne/cheyenne-sting-roundup-for-april-14-2022/article_7e0cddde-eed4-5dc3-b459-08a1a70ecf21.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:45Z
|
Baseball
CJL seeks umpires: Cheyenne Junior League baseball is looking for umpires for the upcoming season.
Applications can be completed during training. All applicants must be at least 15 years old.
Training will be held 6-8 p.m. April 26, May 3, May 5, May 9 and May 11 at the Springhill Suites, 429 W. Fox Farm Road. Prospective umpires need to attend all scheduled trainings and one field clinic.
Training will cover USSSA youth baseball rules, CJL bylaws, mechanics, positioning and overall umpire responsibilities.
Umpires are paid $25-45 per game, based on experience.
For more information, contact Keil Lindsay at 307-256-4713 or cjlpresident@gmail.com.
Cheerleading
East camp: The Cheyenne East spirit program will hold a youth cheerleading camp June 2-4.
The cost is $60 for athletes registered by May 27. The registration cost for each additional child from the same household is $45.
Participants will get a T-shirt and bow.
The camp runs 5:15-7:45 p.m. June 2, and 8:15-10:45 a.m. June 3 and 4. Campers will perform at 10 a.m. June 4 during halftime of the East football camp’s championship games.
The registration form can be found at https://bit.ly/EastCheerCamp. For more information, contact Emili Brooksmith at cheyenneehscheer@hotmail.com or 307-421-2385.
Football
Adult flag league: Registration for the city of Cheyenne’s 7-on-7 adult flag football league starts Monday, April 18. The league is for athletes 16 and older.
Games will be played Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each team is guaranteed six games. The cost is $200 per team, and the season runs July 11 through Aug. 18.
For more information, contact David Contreras at 307-637-6425 or dcontreras@cheyennecity.org.
Youth tackle league: Registration for the city of Cheyenne’s youth tackle football league starts May 2.
The cost is $140 per player, with an equipment deposit of $150. Registration includes use of a helmet, shoulder pads, practice pants and jersey, team photos and a participation award.
Teams are based on school triads. Practices start Aug. 1, and games start Aug. 20.
For more information, contact David Contreras at 307-637-6425 or dcontreras@cheyennecity.org.
Youth tackle officials training: Anyone who wants to officiate the city of Cheyenne’s youth tackle football league this fall can register for training starting May 23.
The training covers proper mechanics, positioning and how to approach the game. It runs 6-8 p.m. Aug. 3.
For more information, contact David Contreras at 307-637-6425 or dcontreras@cheyennecity.org.
Golf
Cegelski McLeod tourney: The annual Val Cegelski McLeod Memorial Scholarship golf tournament will be held June 5 at Airport Golf Course in Cheyenne.
The 18-hole scramble for four-person teams will feature a shotgun start around 12:30 p.m.
The cost is $320 per team, which covers greens fees and cart. The deadline is June 1.
For more information, contact Geoff Reed at geoffrey.reed@laramie1.org.
South camp: The Cheyenne South golf program will hold two golf camps this summer.
The cost is $20 per camper for each camp. The camp is limited to children who will be in third through ninth grades this fall.
The first camp runs 1-3 p.m. June 7-10 at Little America Golf Course, 2800 W. Lincolnway. The second camp runs 1-3 p.m. June 13-17 at Little America.
Each camp is limited to 20 students.
The registration form can be found at https://bit.ly/SouthGolfCamp.
For more information, email South golf coach Michael Loveland at michael.loveland@laramie1.org.
Kickball
Adult co-rec league: Registration for the city of Cheyenne’s adult co-recreational kickball league starts April 25.
The cost is $150 per team. Each team is allowed up to 20 players on its roster. Players must be at least 16 years old on July 5.
The league runs July 5-Sept. 2. Teams are guaranteed six games, plus a single-elimination postseason tournament. Games will be played at David Romero Park, 1317 Parsley Blvd.
For more information, contact David Mullen at 307-773-1039 or dmullen@cheyennecity.org.
Lacrosse
Youth fundamentals clinic: The city of Cheyenne and Cheyenne Lacrosse Club will partner for a co-rec youth lacrosse fundamentals camp for girls and boys in second through sixth grades.
Registration ends April 21.
The cost is $30 per player. The 12-lesson camp will be 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays starting May 17 in Sun Valley Park.
For more information, contact David Mullen at 307-773-1039 or dmullen@cheyennecity.org.
Pickleball
Summer 101 course: Registration for the city of Cheyenne’s adult summer Pickleball 101 course ends April 28.
The cost is $50 per player. The session runs 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 7-July 7 at the Martin Luther King Junior Park courts off Missile Drive.
For more information, contact David Contreras at 307-637-6425 or dcontreras@cheyennecity.org.
Soccer
Officials wanted: The Cheyenne Soccer Officials Association is looking for referees for the spring high school season, which starts in mid-March and ends in May.
Matches are available at all three Cheyenne high schools and Torrington. Pay ranges from $45-65 per match.
Anyone interested can reach out to George Oberstadt at georberstadt@comcast.net or 916-275-0961.
Softball
Adult early bird tournament: Registration for the city of Cheyenne’s early bird slow-pitch softball tournament ends April 28.
The cost is $250 for each USSSA-sanctioned team and $300 for non-sanctioned teams. The tournament will be held May 7 at the Brimmer and Converse softball complexes.
For more information, contact David Contreras at 307-637-6425 or dcontreras@cheyennecity.org.
Adult rec league: Registration for men’s and women’s softball leagues ends today, April 14.
The cost is $450 per team, a $20 fee per player, plus an additional $50 late fee. Regular season games start May 16, and will be played at the Brimmer and Converse softball complexes.
Registration can be done in person at 4603 Lions Park Drive, and registration forms are available online at www.cheyennerec.org. For more information, contact David Mullen at 307-773-1039 or dmullen@cheyennecity.org.
Girls rec umpire training: The city of Cheyenne will hold a training for anyone who wants to umpire youth fast-pitch softball April 30.
Registration for the free training is ongoing.
For more information, contact David Mullen at 307-773-1039 or dmullen@cheyennecity.org.
Soveroski Memorial tournament: Registration for the annual Lenny Soveroski Memorial slow-pitch softball tournament starts May 16.
The cost is $250 for USSSA-sanctioned teams and $300 for non-sanctioned teams. Proceeds benefit youth sports financial assistance programs.
The date for the tournament has not been determined.
For more information, contact David Contreras at 307-637-6425 or dcontreras@cheyennecity.org.
Tee ball
Cheyenne rec league: Registration for the city of Cheyenne’s tee ball league ends April 21.
The league is for children 3 to 6 years old. The cost is $55 per player. Each player will get a T-shirt, hat, team picture and participation medal.
Practices start May 30, and the season runs June 13 through July 14.
For more information, contact David Contreras at 307-637-6425 or dcontreras@cheyennecity.org.
Yoga
Chair classes: The city of Cheyenne is offering chair yoga classes at 9 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the Youth Activity and Community Center at Romero Park, 1317 Parsley Blvd.
The classes last 40 minutes, and punch cards – which are required to participate – can be bought at the Kiwanis Community House, 4603 Lions Park Drive. The class is free to those who qualify for Silver Sneakers.
For more information, contact Lori DeVilbiss at 307-773-1044 or ldevilbiss@cheyennecity.org.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/other_sports/community/community-sports-bulletin-board-for-april-14-2022/article_7ae63622-6131-5a6c-9874-4289ba40e1af.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:51Z
|
LARAMIE – While the arrival of two Power Five transfers at the cornerback position was one of the highlights of the University of Wyoming’s offseason, the development of players already within the program has been another source of positivity for the UW secondary.
Sophomore cornerback Cameron Stone is a prime example.
Seven practices into the spring, few, if any, defensive players have been mentioned by coaches more than Stone. He’s taken strides physically, in particular with his footwork, but his growth off the field is typically what’s mentioned first.
“(In terms of) confidence, maturity and seriousness, he’s grown since this time last year,” defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel said. “That’s the biggest thing. He’s a different, more mature guy. The other thing, too, when you bring in a couple people, he wants his. There’s competition there, and I think that’s something that’s always healthy in and of itself.”
Stone always believed he would assume a leadership role for the Cowboys, although he never imagined it would come this soon. He’s made the most of the opportunity, placing an emphasis on communication and leading by example.
“I manifested being a leader at one point,” Stone said. “I didn’t know I would take on the role this fast, but I’m enjoying it. It’s pretty cool. I’m learning to be a lot more vocal, and I’m just enjoying it as I go.”
Stone admits there was some uneasiness at first about the prospect of the Pokes adding two veteran transfers – Jakorey Hawkins from Ole Miss and Deron Harrell from Wisconsin – at the position. However, he’s since embraced the competition.
Sawvel says that, regardless of who gets the starting nods, there will be ample playing time available at cornerback. Last year, Azizi Hearn and C.J. Coldon received the bulk of the action, with Stone filling in briefly when needed. Given Stone’s development, as well as the SEC and Big Ten experience of Hawkins and Harrell, the Pokes plan to regularly use at least three players at the position.
“At first, I was a little worried,” Stone said. “I was like, ‘Dang, transfers are coming in,’ and usually you know what they bring transfers in for. But the competition has helped me a lot. It’s been fun, and I love working with those guys.”
Like at cornerback, the Cowboys also lost a pair of starters at the safety position. Despite several players stepping into larger roles, though, senior safety Miles Williams doesn’t expect much to change for a pass defense that led the Mountain West last season.
“With Sawvel being here a couple years, we might’ve had some turnover at positions this year, but we’re still working with the same dude,” Williams said. “The connection was never lost, because we’ve been here, and we know how stuff works. On the outside, things have changed, but it’s just the new layer of the same thing we’ve been doing.”
Williams, along with sophomore Isaac White – who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury – have both begun to reap the benefits of a productive offseason. Williams says the availability of starting spots hasn’t changed his approach this spring, although he does recognize that it’s “exciting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.”
With four seasons in the program under his belt, Williams notes that his greatest improvement since last year has been his comfort within the defense.
“Mainly, just being in a flow, and not worrying about messing up or having to build confidence,” he said. “Now that I feel like I’ve established myself firmly in that area, I’ve been able to really play instead of just being out there.”
Another individual who has caught the attention of the coaching staff is sophomore Wyett Ekeler, who was a key special-teams player last season, but could be in line to see increased action on defense this year.
“Wyett Ekeler is doing some good things, and it’s encouraging,” UW coach Craig Bohl said. “He’s tested out well in the past. Sometimes guys that test well, it doesn’t translate into the scrimmage downs. But he’s playing better, so he’s a guy I’d like to recognize.”
Like much of the roster, there is still plenty to be decided at the safety spot between now and the fall. Regardless of how it shakes out, though, Stone is excited about the hard-hitting, tenacious tendencies he’s seen from the group.
“They’re feisty,” Stone said. “They’ll give it to you, and I like that.”
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/football/improved-returners-spur-optimism-for-uw-secondary/article_c4c41662-8706-50a3-96f2-13df77843bf3.html
| 2022-04-14T13:23:57Z
|
LARAMIE – Following a weekend in which a trio of Pac-12 transfer announcements generated local and national excitement about the University of Wyoming men’s basketball program, the Cowboys made the good news official Wednesday.
The Pokes welcomed USC teammates Ethan Anderson and Max Agbonkpolo and UCLA’s Jake Kyman to the team, while also introducing preferred walk-on Nathanial Talich from Cheyenne Central.
Anderson, Agbonkpolo and Kyman’s commitments last Friday and Saturday put Wyoming at the center of the weekend’s college basketball discussion, with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein and FOX Sports Radio’s Doug Gottlieb among those who chimed in on the additions. The former AAU teammates were all on campus last week, and left Laramie committed to the Cowboys.
UW coach Jeff Linder says his coaching staff played a key part in landing the trio, as well as his returning players, “who did a tremendous job on the visit and really opened their arms and made them feel welcomed. That’s not the norm, and not necessarily always the case at this level.”
Linder, who began hopping on Zoom calls with the recruits as soon as they entered the transfer portal, said the Cowboys presented the recruits with statistics and video that highlighted why they could be successful at Wyoming. The Pokes’ facilities also provided them a boost while competing against a handful of high-level programs.
“You have all the things here at Wyoming to be successful,” Linder said. “When you come here on a visit, our facilities are just as nice as the facilities at UCLA and USC – if not maybe nicer. When you go over to the (High Altitude Performance Center) and you see the training table, the nutrition center, the barbershop, all those things, people are blown away. I think they expect something a little different when they come to Laramie.
“They think maybe the horses are still going to be coming down main street, and it’s going to be dirt roads. Then they get here, and it’s completely different than what they thought. … These guys had a lot of schools recruiting them, and a lot of really good programs. How you differentiate yourself is you have to show them what’s real. That’s what they recognized, that real recognizes real, and they’re at a place where they’re going to get coached every day. That’s what those guys want.”
The three transfer pickups all rank among the five highest-rated signees the program has had during the recruiting service area, according to 247sports, with Agbonkpolo ranking No. 1 on the list.
Wyoming’s success last season, which included an NCAA Tournament appearance and the program’s highest winning percentage since 1988, added to the allure of joining the Cowboys. The coaching staff was upfront that no roles were being promised, only the opportunity to play on a competitive team and continue to grow over their last two years of college eligibility.
“That shows you a lot about them,” Linder said. “Coming from living in Southern California their whole life, the sun, the beach, the girls, there’s a lot of things that come with Southern California. They know they’re coming here for basketball.
“All three are great students, they’ll have their degrees from USC and UCLA, so they’re like all the other guys I’ve got in that locker room right now. They just really fit in, and they saw that. They know, coming to Laramie, they’re coming here to capitalize. This is a basketball decision. They’ll continue to do what they need to academically, but they recognize they have two years left, and they want to do as much as they can basketball-wise – and they want to win.”
One more year?
With the three incoming transfers becoming official, the Cowboys have no more scholarships remaining for the upcoming season.
That could change, depending on whether all-conference point guard Hunter Maldonado decides to turn pro. For now, though, there’s optimism that Maldonado could return for one last season.
“He’s going through the (NBA Draft) process, and we’ll see what the process brings, but he’s here with us every day,” Linder said. “I know he’s excited about the guys we’re bringing in, and excited about the things we can do with those guys.”
The right fit
In addition to the incoming recruits, Linder also discussed his recent contract extension Wednesday.
Given the Cowboys’ massive turnaround over the past two years, with UW winning eight more games this season than it did during the two years before his arrival combined, it would seem natural that high-level programs will come calling for Linder’s services in the near future. After watching Mark Few take Gonzaga from a mid-major to a national powerhouse over the past two decades, however, he also knows the importance of finding the right fit – something he’s confident he’s found in Laramie.
“This is a place I want to be,” Linder said. “It’s not like I’m sitting here looking for the next job. A lot of jobs, it has a lot to do with fit. I’ve always thought this place fits me – the school, the conference, the community, where we live. I have four kids. My oldest goes to school here at the University of Wyoming, my other three go to school at the high school, elementary and middle school, so I have them all over the place. It’s a great place to raise kids.
“My thing is, as long as the administration shows they’re willing to continue to invest in the program and continue to make the program better, I learned from Mark Few. That’s why he stayed at Gonzaga when he had a lot of opportunities to go to other places. The university continued to make the program better, and didn’t just say, ‘Hey, this is what it is.’ As long as the university continues to show and the administration shows this is important, and wants to continue to invest in a good product, I’m not looking to go anywhere else.”
Scouting report
Here is what Linder had to say on each of the four student-athletes who will be joining the program this summer.
Ethan Anderson: “He’s just a really good guard. He’s 6-foot-1, 210 pounds. He probably needs to lose a few pounds, but when he walks in, coach Bohl is going to be trying to steal him over to the football field. He’s built like an NFL running back. He has a lot of size and a lot of burst. He’s a guy I’m really excited to start working with, especially playing in the pick-and-roll.
“He’s a guy that really takes the pressure off Maldo and those other guys, in terms of his ability to guard the smaller guards in our league. When you have to go up against a Jaelen House at New Mexico, (having) a guy that can really sit down and guard smaller guards really takes pressure off us and allows us to be that much better defensively.”
Max Agbonkpolo: “When I saw him play in high school, he was a top-75 player in the country, and he reminded me so much of Chandler Hutchison, who I recruited at Boise State. From a similar background, a similar area, they move the same way. I thought he was a guy that had a chance, with his talent, to legitimately be an NBA player.
“He’s had some injuries, and the other thing, too, is two years of COVID in California was a lot different than two years of COVID in Wyoming and some other places in the country. It was a lot more restrictive in terms of some of the things they could do, which might’ve hurt their development a little bit. But Max is a guy that, from a talent standpoint, he’s as talented as anybody in the Mountain West.”
Jake Kyman: “He’s just a really good basketball player. He had a really good freshman year, then Johnny Juzang transfers from Kentucky to UCLA. Now you’re sitting there with Juzang, (Jules) Bernard, (Jaime) Jaquez (Jr.). It wasn’t like he was playing on a bad team and sitting behind bums. He was sitting behind some NBA guys and playing on a Final Four team.
“Some people might think he’s just a shooter, but he’s a player. He has great feel, he can play the ball screens, and he allows us to space the floor – especially when you lose a guy like Drake (Jeffries), who made (94) threes last year. When he shoots the ball, you feel like it’s going in every time he shoots it. He just has a really high IQ.”
Nathanial Talich: “He has brown and gold in his blood, with his family and having gone to school here. I think this is a place where he’s always wanted to play. His grandfather’s name is on the floor, and I’m excited for him to have the opportunity. He’s been over here a couple times and is quite familiar with the Double-A. He’s just excited for the opportunity, and that’s my thing with walk-ons. I’ve had a lot of them play for me.
“At Boise State, we had Jeff Elorriaga and Rob Heyer that both started on NCAA Tournament teams that were walk-ons. At UNC, (we had) the ultimate walk-on with Jonah Radebaugh. Matt Johnson was a walk-on, and Trent Harris was a walk-on, so they know I have a track record of, if you’re good enough – it doesn’t matter if you’re a walk-on or a scholarship player – you’re going to play. It’s their job to make it to where I do play them, but they’re a big part. They’ve played a huge role in my success, and with the team, too. That’s the beauty of Wyoming – you can find some good walk-ons and guys that can help you.”
Josh Criswell covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/mens_basketball/linder-talks-new-additions-contract-extension/article_24423159-2d03-540e-a87c-f5b774bbc3d3.html
| 2022-04-14T13:24:04Z
|
BGR Supports Proposed New Orleans Early Childhood Education Property Tax
NEW ORLEANS — From the Bureau of Governmental Research:
BGR has released a new report intended to help New Orleans voters make an informed decision on whether to approve a new 5-mill, 20-year property tax dedicated to programs and capital investments that provide childcare and educational opportunities for children who have not yet entered kindergarten. It also provides BGR’s position in support of the tax.
BGR’s report finds that City of New Orleans, through an agreement with the parish’s lead agencies for early childhood education, would allocate revenue from the proposed tax to initiatives designed to increase access to early childhood education, improve the quality of available early learning programs and provide comprehensive child development services. The City’s agreement with the local nonprofit organization Agenda for Children and the Orleans Parish School Board directs the bulk of the estimated $19.4 million net revenue to serving at least 1,000 children annually through City Seats, an existing City-funded program. City Seats provides year-round early childhood education and support services for economically disadvantaged children from infancy to 3 years old.
High costs and limited public funding make access particularly challenging for the children City Seats serves. Currently, publicly funded early childhood education programs support only one quarter of economically disadvantaged New Orleans children under age 4, leaving an estimated 8,400 unserved. At the same time, national research finds that comprehensive early childhood education for children from low-income households can deliver strong returns on investment through its positive impacts on earnings, health and crime. City Seats incorporates several practices that research has linked to improved child development and later-life outcomes that benefit participants and society. City Seats’ income and age requirements also ensure that the tax revenue is eligible for State matching funds for early childhood education, which, depending on availability, could extend the program to an additional 1,000 children.
BGR’s report finds that the agreement includes several financial and programmatic reporting requirements that promote strong financial stewardship and accountability for the revenue from the proposed tax. The report also suggests additional measures that would facilitate public oversight and increase transparency. While the report discusses general accountability concerns with the tax’s 20-year term, it notes advocates’ contention that the duration helps assure the small business owners whose early learning centers provide the bulk of childcare of the security of making investments necessary to increase citywide access to quality early childhood education.
Based on this analysis, BGR takes the following position on the tax proposition:
FOR. The tax would provide a stable revenue stream for significantly expanding City Seats, a well-designed early childhood education program established with City funding that serves economically disadvantaged New Orleans children ages 0 to 3. While substantial costs and limited public funding make access to early childhood education particularly challenging for this group, national research finds that providing high-quality early learning programs to low-income children can generate strong returns by increasing incomes, reducing crime and improving health. City Seats incorporates several practices that research links to improved social development, school readiness and later-life outcomes. Although during much of City Seats’ four-year existence pandemic factors have limited the reliability of the nationally recognized assessments the program uses to measure early learning center and child performance, City Seats centers showed some early positive results. The program’s age and income requirements also ensure that the tax revenue is eligible for a 100% match from the State of Louisiana, which could double the tax’s impact and allow City Seats to serve at least 2,000 children annually – five times the current number. The spending plan for the tax revenue also includes critical funding to increase the capacity and quality of New Orleans’ early childhood education sector so it can meet the projected citywide need.
The City and New Orleans’ lead agencies for early childhood education have approved an agreement that would govern the tax revenue and direct it to various initiatives designed to grow City Seats, increase the capacity and quality of local early learning centers and improve the enrollment system for publicly funded programs. The agreement includes financial and programmatic reporting requirements that are essential for strong accountability. Its requirement for an annual external evaluation of program performance further supports effective use of the tax revenue. If properly fulfilled – and extended beyond the agreement’s five-year term – these requirements should provide the City Council with the information necessary to evaluate the revenue needs of the tax-funded initiatives during the tax’s 20-year duration.
|
https://www.bizneworleans.com/bgr-supports-proposed-new-orleans-early-childhood-education-property-tax/
| 2022-04-14T14:52:56Z
|
N.O. Tech Startup Aims to Bring Roleplaying Games to the Blockchain
NEW ORLEANS — Gripnr, a Web3 technology company bringing tabletop games to the blockchain, today announced its initial $2.5M investment round alongside its first 5E game and genesis NFT collection, The Glimmering.
The company said the oversubscribed investment round closed in 60 days. Funds are coming from XBTO Humla Ventures, Sopris Capital, Voodoo Ventures, Better Angels, Abstraction Ventures and Carl Sparks (managing partner of Interlock), as well a series of New Orleans-based investors.
With The Glimmering’s launch, Gripnr hopes to establish an industry-standard protocol for all tabletop RPG games looking to build on the blockchain. With its initial funding, Gripnr will design the gameplay, build the on-chain gaming platform, and launch the genesis NFT collection. In addition, it will finance and support the release of more tabletop games and other game designers and artists who want to use the company’s new protocol.
“Web3 has a home in New Orleans, and Gripnr is laying the foundation,” said Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., in a press release. GNO Inc. is a nonprofit regional economic development organization based in downtown New Orleans. “This very successful funding round is an indication that investors – local and around the country – believe that Gripnr will be a seminal product, porting a classic analogue experience into the web3 future.”
The Glimmering’s genesis NFTs of 10,000 individual characters include hand-drawn attributes designed specifically for gameplay. Each character will have unique rarities which include classes, ancestry, skills, and background, and ongoing character data will be kept on the blockchain. Members of the Gripnr community who mint the genesis collection will receive benefits right away while waiting for the on-chain play to begin.
“We are focused on building an active, respectful and super awesome community of tabletop gaming fans and NFT collectors who want to join our vision of bringing 5E gameplay to the blockchain,” said Brent McCrossen, CEO of Gripnr. “Gripnr was created to support the players, game masters, artists and game designers that have made TTRPGs for the last 50 years.”
To gain access to the pre-sale mint list, fans must participate in Gripnr’s #roll2mint activities to validate interest in the game. Activities included in #roll2mint are:
- Join and interact with Gripnr’s community on Discord, Twitter and Instagram
- Join Twitter Spaces or Clubhouse hours
- Play quick, one-shot adventures presented within the channels that introduce the world of The Glimmering
Gripnr’s team of large venture-backed tech founders includes entrepreneur Patrick Comer, whose research technology platform Lucid was acquired last year for over $1 billion; CEO and music industry veteran Brent McCrossen; creative director and agency veteran Kyle Mortensen; lead artist and rock poster designer Justin Kamerer; game developer Stephen Radney-MacFarland; and CTO Luke Ledet
“After the acquisition of Lucid, I was looking for my next frontier,” said Comer. “As a lifelong Dungeons & Dragons player, it was clear to me that tabletop roleplaying games are the perfect use case for the blockchain, so I decided to jump in and bring other gamers along for the ride.”
|
https://www.bizneworleans.com/n-o-tech-startup-aims-to-bring-roleplaying-games-to-the-blockchain/
| 2022-04-14T14:53:02Z
|
1-year-old needs 3 doses of Narcan after ingesting fentanyl, mother charged
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS5/Gray News) – First responders and medical staff had to use three doses of Narcan on a 1-year-old boy after he ingested fentanyl, according to court documents.
AZFamily reports emergency crews were called to respond to a home in southwest Phoenix for reports of a toddler not breathing.
His mother, 23-year-old Anna Chavez, gave him CPR until they arrived.
Paramedics gave the little boy two doses of Narcan and rushed him to the hospital where he was given a third dose.
According to police, tests revealed the 1-year-old had fentanyl in his system.
Court documents say officers found eight counterfeit pills and about $10,000 in cash inside the home.
Chavez denied there could’ve been fentanyl in the home, saying she cleans the home, according to police.
She told officers she gave the boy a bottle in the morning and afternoon, and he was breathing normally.
Chavez was charged with felony child abuse.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/1-year-old-needs-3-doses-narcan-after-ingesting-fentanyl-mother-charged/
| 2022-04-14T15:01:49Z
|
AP sources: Trump aide Stephen Miller to speak to 1/6 panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Miller, who served as a top aide to President Donald Trump, will appear Thursday before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Miller was a senior adviser for policy during the Trump administration and a central figure in many of the Republican’s policy decisions. He had resisted previous efforts by the committee, filing a lawsuit last month seeking to quash a committee subpoena for his phone records.
The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private testimony. It’s unclear whether Miller will appear in person or virtually. A spokesperson for the committee said the panel had no comment, and Miller did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Miller’s scheduled testimony before the committee comes weeks after Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, also agreed to sit down with congressional investigators, months after the committee had reached out.
The nine-member panel subpoenaed the former Trump adviser in November along with Steve Bannon and former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the chairman of the panel, said in a statement at the time that Miller had “participated in efforts to spread false information about alleged voter fraud” and to encourage state legislatures to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential election by appointing alternate electors.
Thompson has also said that Miller helped prepare Trump’s remarks for a rally on the Ellipse that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and was with Trump when he spoke.
The House voted last week to hold former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt for their monthlong refusal to comply with subpoenas. The move was the third time the panel has referred people in the former president’s orbit to the Justice Department for potential prosecution for contempt. The first two referrals, sent late last year, were for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Bannon.
The contempt referral against Bannon resulted in an indictment, with a trial set to start in July. The Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows, much to the committee’s frustration.
By agreeing to testify, Miller is looking to avoid the fate of the other former advisers and members of the Trump administration. The central facts of the Jan. 6 insurrection are known, but what the committee is hoping to do is fill in the remaining gaps about the attack on the Capitol. Lawmakers say they are committed to presenting a full accounting to make sure it never happens again.
The panel is looking into every aspect of the riot, including what Trump was doing while it unfolded and any connections between the White House and the Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol building.
____
Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/ap-source-trump-aide-miller-testify-jan-6-committee/
| 2022-04-14T15:01:57Z
|
Crash on I-77 kills ones
West Virginia State Police continues to investigate
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - The West Virginia State Police Turnpike Detachment is continuing to investigate a fatal crash on I-77 South.
According to the Turnpike Detachment, at approximately 6 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13, a Parkways employee discovered guardrail damage and a tractor trailer that had slipped over an embankment. Reports says the crash occurred near the 51 mile marker between Pax and North Beckley.
The driver was indentified as Anthony Hutchinson, 48, of Spring, Texas. Hutchinson appeared to have veererd off the left roadway edge, causing him to slip over the embankment. Responders, noted heavy damage to the tractor trailer.
Hutchinson was pronounced dead on scene.
The accident is still being investigated by the West Virginia State Police Turnpike Detachment, who could not share any further details.
WVVA will update this story as the investigation develops.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/crash-i-77-kills-ones/
| 2022-04-14T15:02:03Z
|
Experts eye ventilation improvements as COVID spikes continue
As another COVID-19 subvariant spikes around the country, experts want to mitigate further risks with indoor air quality control.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Another COVID-19 subvariant is causing a new spike in cases in some areas across the U.S. But as the country tries to live with the potentially deadly virus, health and technology experts are working to mitigate risks, with a push to improve indoor air quality to help curb COVID.
“Improving the quality of our indoor air through having adequate ventilation in the space will reduce our risk,” said Dr. Krystall Pollitt from Yale University.
Pollitt focuses on environmental health sciences at Yale. She said better ventilation will cut some risk in places like schools, but she cautions ventilation overhauls are not going to make indoor spaces completely safe.
“We also have to think about how many kids are going to be in that classroom, what are they doing in that classroom? So is it going to be a very packed space where they’re playing wind and brass instruments where we have a lot of aerosols being generated?” said Pollitt.
The Biden White House recently released a so-called “Clean Air in Buildings Challenge”, laying out a roadmap for building owners to inspect and maintain their HVAC systems, circulating outdoor air indoors, and enhancing air filtration. Some in the biodefense community, like Eric Schlote’s company Synexis, are getting involved in the fight for reduced transmission.
“It goes everywhere the air goes, and it reduces microbial load, viruses, molds on air and surfaces,” said Schlote of his company’s “Dry Hydrogen Peroxide” technology.
Schlote said the technology deployed in indoor spaces fights viruses and bacteria. He said their product takes naturally occurring oxygen and humidity from the air and is reused to zap bacteria.
Schlote notes they are already seeing success in children’s hospitals and other indoor environments. The Synexis CEO argues indoor air quality is a national security issue, and he hopes to be involved in the White House’s action plan to make business and schools low-risk as the search for a new, safe, normal continues.
“Filtration’s important, ventilation’s important. We augment that,” said Schlote.
The American Rescue Plan passed last year provided $122 billion to schools. The White House said those funds can be used for ventilation and filtration upgrades.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/experts-eye-ventilation-improvements-covid-spikes-continue/
| 2022-04-14T15:02:10Z
|
Florida governor expected to sign abortion restriction bill
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was expected to sign a 15-week abortion ban into law Thursday as the state moves to join a growing conservative push ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could limit access nationwide.
Republicans in several states have moved to place new restrictions on abortion after the conservative Supreme Court signaled it would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. The court’s decision, expected this summer, could potentially weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that declared a nationwide right to abortion.
The expected signing of the bill would also mark a significant blow to abortion access in the South, where Florida has provided wider access to the procedure than its regional neighbors.
The bill, which would take effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking. Under current law, Florida allows abortions up to 24 weeks.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/florida-governor-expected-sign-abortion-restriction-bill/
| 2022-04-14T15:02:18Z
|
How Congress plans to buoy your retirement savings
(CNN) - Congress is taking action to help avoid a potential retirement crisis.
A bill expected to reach President Joe Biden’s desk later this year could bring about new rules involving 401(k) programs and could impact your retirement savings.
“Part of this overhaul is to actually force people into saving in the 401(k) plan,” said Ted Jenkin, Financial expert & CEO at oXYGen Financial.
If passed and signed, the legislation, Secure Act 2.0, could require most employer-sponsored retirement plans to enroll eligible workers automatically at a 3% level.
That would increase by 1% until you’re contributing 10% of your paycheck annually, but workers would have the option to opt out or change their contribution level.
“Most people do not understand something called the ‘pay yourself first’ rule, and that means put money in your retirement plan before you start spending money on things like entertainment and travel,” Jenkin said.
The plan would also delay mandatory withdrawals and limit penalties for those who fail to withdraw on time.
The proposed act could also make it easier for those with student loans to save and for older workers to make catchup contributions.
It’s also a major change for part-time workers, who would be able to contribute to 401(k) plans for the first time.
With pension plans nearly extinct and the social security trust fund facing a 75-year deficit, experts said 401(k) plans are more critical than ever.
“The three-legged stool of retirement has basically turned into a pogo stick, and it’s going to be on your back and your responsibility to save money,” Jenkin said.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/how-congress-plans-buoy-your-retirement-savings/
| 2022-04-14T15:02:25Z
|
Missing California teen found safe in Utah years later
PARK CITY, Utah (KSTU) - Connerjack Oswalt, an autistic teenager who went missing in California in 2019, was recently found in Utah.
After years of fearing for his safety, the family is overjoyed.
Connerjack was 16 years old when he was reported missing from Clear Lake, California.
After his disappearance, his family didn’t see or hear from him.
A few weeks ago, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office started receiving reports about a man pushing around a shopping cart. One concerned citizen reported the same man sleeping in front of a store.
Body camera video shows officers approaching Connerjack in front of the store and asking if he would like to sit in the car to warm up after a very cold night.
In the car, Connerjack would not tell the officers his name, but he allowed deputies to scan his finger and with technology, it showed that he had a warrant out of Nevada.
Sheriff Justin Martinez said the officers felt there was something more to his story.
“There’s something more, this individual being resistant, reluctant to communicate,” he said.
The officers took it upon themselves to comb through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database. After nearly 20 pages of scouring through names and photographs and trying to find something that might match up, his name came up.
Deputies then called his family, who had moved from California to Idaho.
Connerjack’s stepfather, Gerald Flint, immediately drove from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Park City, Utah.
After fearing the worst for nearly two years, his family was finally reunited with Connerjack.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” Martinez said. “They’ve been reunited with this individual they haven’t seen for three years when he was 16. He’s now 19.”
Copyright 2022 KSTU via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/missing-california-teen-found-safe-utah-years-later/
| 2022-04-14T15:02:34Z
|
Woman killed by falling tree as storms hit Midwest, South
RISON, Ark. (AP) — A 20-year-old Arkansas woman was killed when a tree fell on her home as severe storms swept through the state and a possible tornado ripped roofs off homes in Alabama, officials said.
The woman’s death occurred Wednesday as part of a multiday severe weather outbreak that caused tornadoes, powerful winds and huge hail in parts of the central and southern United States.
A possible tornado tore roofs off homes in a public housing community and peppered cars with debris Wednesday night in rural Greene County, Alabama, located about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Birmingham. Billy Hicks, who lives in the area, told WBMA-TV he was lying down when he heard a rush of wind that lasted only a few seconds.
“I jumped up and put my clothes on, put my shoes on when everything was over with. I come to the side door and looked across the street. I knew that something had hit all these houses,” said Hicks, who got in his car to go check on neighbors.
Authorities swarmed the area but didn’t find anyone who was hurt, said Zac Bolding of Greene County Emergency Medical Services.
“Most of the people we talked to as we were doing a house-to-house search explained that they were in their bathroom or an interior hallway, so they were listening to those warnings and without that I think we would have been looking at a much different situation,” he said.
In Arkansas, the woman was died when a tree toppled on her home in Rison shortly after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, pinning her to the couch, said Stephen McClellan, Cleveland County’s emergency management coordinator. Rison is about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of Little Rock.
A day earlier, 23 people were injured in the central Texas town of Salado. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth said Wednesday that the twister was rated an EF3 with peak wind speeds of 165 mph (265 kph).
Tornadoes were also reported Tuesday in parts of Iowa and Minnesota. Residents in the small southeastern Minnesota farming community of Taopi were cleaning up after a devastating tornado destroyed half of the town’s homes, toppled tall trees and left piles of debris.
A tornado that was rated EF2 with peak wind speeds of 130 mph (209 kph) struck Taopi near the Iowa border late Tuesday night, tearing the roofs off houses, overturning vehicles and bringing down power lines. There were no reports of serious injuries.
Volunteers arrived Wednesday to help residents clean up the debris in the community of about 80 people. Family members sifted through rubble looking for keepsakes.
“Half the town is gone,” City Clerk Jim Kiefer said. Of Taopi’s 22 homes, at least 10 are beyond repair, with roofs and walls missing, he said. Kiefer said his house is OK, but his mother’s home is a total loss.
“She won’t be going home,” he said.
Also, a blizzard struck North Dakota this week, closing the state Capitol, schools, government offices and some businesses for a third day Thursday.
The National Weather Service’s blizzard warning for much of the state and smaller sections of South Dakota and Montana remained in effect Thursday. More than a foot of snow (30 centimeters) has fallen in Bismarck with about 2 feet (61 centimeters) in Dickinson and Glenburn.
“For the month of April it’s not uncommon to get the snow. Now, snow of this magnitude — this is something that’s a little bit more unique,” said Rick Krolak, at the weather service’s Bismarck office.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/woman-killed-by-falling-tree-storms-hit-midwest-south/
| 2022-04-14T15:02:42Z
|
alert Due to inclement weather your delivery of the print edition of the WTE may be delayed Apr 14, 2022 Apr 14, 2022 Updated 1 hr ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Due to inclement weather your delivery of the print edition of the LBG may be delayed.Click here to see the current travel forecast.If you need help accessing the e-edition, please click here. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Tags Edition Delivery Weather Printing Meteorology Print Help Inclement Route Click Travel Recommended for you Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Trending Now Some Cheyenne Regional employees upset by handling of Kronos hack Sweetwater County school bus hits light pole at Frontier Mall in Cheyenne, no one hurt New Zealand machinery manufacturer coming to Cheyenne Jury finds Cheyenne day care worker guilty of manslaughter Former Cheyenne city employee alleges discrimination, abuse by former mayor in lawsuit Latest Special Section Our Faces To view our latest Special Section click the image on the left. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. 2022 Wyoming Legislature Updates Sign up to receive daily headlines on the 2022 Wyoming Legislature session. News Updates Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! News Updates - Laramie Boomerang Want to keep updated on news headlines? Sign up today! News Updates - Rawlins Times Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! News Updates - Wyoming Business Report Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! You must select at least one email list. Please enter a valid email address. Sign up Manage your lists
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/due-to-inclement-weather-your-delivery-of-the-print-edition-of-the-wte-may-be/article_f9f12f6c-bbf6-11ec-95ed-0718c20f6151.html
| 2022-04-14T15:36:25Z
|
alert Due to inclement weather your delivery of the print edition of the Laramie Boomerang may be delayed
alert Due to inclement weather your delivery of the print edition of the Laramie Boomerang may be delayed Apr 14, 2022 Apr 14, 2022 Updated 49 min ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Due to inclement weather your delivery of the print edition of the Laramie Boomerang may be delayed.Click here to see the current travel forecast.If you need help accessing the e-edition, please click here. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Tags Edition Delivery Weather Printing Meteorology Print Help Inclement Route Click Travel Laramie Boomerang Recommended for you Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Latest e-Edition Laramie Boomerang To view our latest e-Edition click the image on the left. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. 2022 Wyoming Legislature Updates Sign up to receive daily headlines on the 2022 Wyoming Legislature session. News Updates Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! News Updates - Laramie Boomerang Want to keep updated on news headlines? Sign up today! News Updates - Rawlins Times Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! News Updates - Wyoming Business Report Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! You must select at least one email list. Please enter a valid email address. Sign up Manage your lists
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/due-to-inclement-weather-your-delivery-of-the-print-edition-of-the-laramie-boomerang-may/article_de3edae4-bbf6-11ec-b896-2739f5bb4bcd.html
| 2022-04-14T15:36:33Z
|
Sweetwater County Clerk Cindy Lane and Sweetwater County Historical Museum Executive Director Dave Mead check out the two “Obituary Scrapbooks” the clerk’s office donated to the museum.
This page, from 1996, chronicles the passing of singer Ella Fitzgerald and high-profile attorney Melvin Belli as well as seven Wyomingites, including Mary Mead, the daughter of former Wyoming Governor Cliff Hansen.
Sweetwater County Clerk Cindy Lane and Sweetwater County Historical Museum Executive Director Dave Mead check out the two “Obituary Scrapbooks” the clerk’s office donated to the museum.
Sweetwater County Historical Museum Photo
The scrapbooks’ timeline runs from 1972, when this page was created, to 2010.
Sweetwater County Historical Museum Photo
This page, from 1996, chronicles the passing of singer Ella Fitzgerald and high-profile attorney Melvin Belli as well as seven Wyomingites, including Mary Mead, the daughter of former Wyoming Governor Cliff Hansen.
SWEETWATER COUNTY -- Two special “Obituary Scrapbooks” donated to the Sweetwater County Historical Museum by the Sweetwater County Clerk’s Office provide a unique, if melancholy glimpse into events in Sweetwater County from 1972 to 2010.
Sweetwater County Clerk Cindy Lane explained that among a Wyoming county clerk’s office’s responsibilities is keeping track of deaths in the county to ensure that county residents who have passed on are removed from the voter rolls.
In 1972, a number of deputy county clerks began clipping Sweetwater County obituaries, pasting them into special scrapbooks. The practice continued until 2010, resulting in two very large scrap journals containing many hundreds of obituaries, not only from Sweetwater County, but around the world, primarily those of celebrities.
Lane contacted the museum not long ago about donating the books in order to preserve them and Executive Director Dave Mead took possession of them on behalf of the museum Tuesday.
Mead said the museum is making the “Obituary Scrapbooks” available for those who wish to examine them. Located at 3 E. Flaming Gorge Way in Green River, the museum is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. There is no charge for admission.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/public-can-see-obituary-scrapbooks-at-county-museum/article_d0a1246b-b211-52ed-9918-29e163d40c13.html
| 2022-04-14T15:36:34Z
|
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/city-of-green-river-lowers-flags-to-half-staff-in-honor-of-former-mayor/article_16f38ff6-e002-5d45-8159-a37c588edaf4.html
| 2022-04-14T15:36:34Z
|
Man pronounced dead following Clay Twp. house fire
A man was pronounced dead following a Clay Township house fire Wednesday night.
Rescue crews responded to the 7300 block of Bealane Road shortly after 8 p.m. for a report of heavy smoke and a house fire, according to the Clay Township Police Department.
Upon arrival, firefighters found flames and heavy smoke coming from the home. While firefighters battled the fire, emergency crews found an unresponsive man who was later identified as the only resident of the home, police said.
Firefighters removed the man from inside and took him to waiting members of Tri-Hospital EMS, who pronounced him dead, the department said.
The Clay Township police and fire departments, as well as the St. Clair County Fire Investigative Team, are investigating the cause of the fire.
The Ira Township and Algonac fire departments also responded to the scene.
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.
|
https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/04/14/man-pronounced-dead-following-clay-twp-house-fire/7316779001/
| 2022-04-14T16:46:46Z
|
Port Huron Police to hold Autism Acceptance Day
The Port Huron Police Department is hosting an Autism Acceptance Day later this month to foster positive relationships between local first responders and individuals with autism or developmental disorders.
The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 23 at Pine Grove Park in Port Huron. The Port Huron Fire Department, Tri-Hospital EMS, Blue Water YMCA, St. Clair County Community Mental Health and more will be there to interact with residents and hand out information.
Attendees will have the chance to meet first responders and check out the inside of police, fire and EMS vehicles. There will also be sensory activities, a bubble station, a craft table and communications boards for nonverbal individuals, said Jessica Proctor, a parent of an autistic child and records and identification clerk with the police department.
Sam Baker, a community service officer with the police department, said this year's event will be bigger than last year, with more businesses and organizations participating.
"It's basically breaking down barriers, building those relationships like we always try to do, but (it's) also information exchange, resource exchange," Baker said. "And also have a fun day for the kids and the individuals that may be special needs."
Baker and Proctor said the more people see first responders and their equipment — such as uniforms, emergency vehicles and emergency lights — in a safe, welcoming environment, the more comfortable they become with them. Then it creates a safer situation when they encounter first responders in an emergency situation.
"We're gonna have patrol cars there, we're gonna have some support vehicles there to let them see (something) that may come across as scary or intimidating," Baker said. "God forbid they ever have to sit in an ambulance or a car accident, they've already seen those vehicles, experienced that and the hopes is it wouldn't be as much of a shock or trigger if God forbid something does happen down the road."
Proctor said her son, Brady, used to be scared of police officers because he thought he was in danger or in trouble. The more he came to the station, the more comfortable he became, getting to the point where he is comfortable being in the station and interacting with officers.
Proctor said it makes her proud to know that law enforcement and the general public are moving towards awareness and acceptance of the autism community. She is proud that the entire department regularly receives training on the topic so officers know autistic individuals are not being defiant or uncooperative if they don't respond to an officer's commands.
“It makes me feel proud to work for the Port Huron Police Department because they are taking action and they are on the forefront of bringing awareness to law enforcement to help and to understand that not everyone who reacts a certain way is doing it to fight back," she said.
Tri-Hospital EMS Operations Manager Trish May said the agency is looking forward to interacting with the public and learning more about how to better serve residents. Attendees will be able to climb in a Tri-Hospital EMS ambulance, touch their equipment and a stretcher.
"Any time that we can find resources that help put more tools in our toolbox to better equip us with how to deal with these situations the better," May said.
Police better responding to calls with developmental disability forms
The police department will also be handing out developmental disability forms to parents and guardians. The forms have information such as the individual's age, description, triggers, and best form of communication, Baker and Proctor said.
The forms are then stored with the police department and St. Clair County Central Dispatch so if officers respond to an address with an individual with a disability, they can pull up the information to better help them respond to the call, Baker said.
He said while other departments would receive a premise alert from dispatch that a person with a developmental disability lives at the address, the information from the form is accessible only by the Port Huron Police Department.
The department will also be handing out stickers that tell those entering a home that a person with a disability or autism lives there.
To request a developmental disability form or sticker, or to update an existing form, call the Port Huron Police administration line at (810) 984-9710.
The forms were introduced last year.
Baker said he and other officers have responded to homes with the forms and/or stickers. Having that information makes officers more aware of how an individual might react and might change how they respond to an emergency situation. All department officers and employers received refresher training on the topic this month.
"It allows the officer to slow down . . . We still have a job to do and we still do the job but it just allows (officers) to put that voice in their head that somebody may be nonverbal, somebody may not respond at all or respond completely differently than you're asking them to," Baker said.
For questions, or to request partnership with the Port Huron Police Department for Autism Acceptance Day, contact Baker at (810) 984-9715 or bakers@porthuron.org.
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.
|
https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2022/04/14/port-huron-police-hold-autism-acceptance-day/7293370001/
| 2022-04-14T16:46:52Z
|
Gray Television, Inc. Advertising Non-Discrimination Certification
Published: Feb. 14, 2020 at 10:34 AM EST|Updated: 46 minutes ago
Stations licensed to Gray Television do not discriminate in the sale of advertising time, and will accept no advertising which is placed with intent to discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.
The parties to an agreement for the sale of advertising time on a station licensed to Gray Television affirm that nothing in that agreement will discriminate in any way on the basis of race or ethnicity.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2020/02/14/gray-television-inc-advertising-non-discrimination-certification/
| 2022-04-14T16:54:48Z
|
DNC officials approve plan to change states for first presidential primaries
(CNN) - Democratic Party officials approved a plan Wednesday that could shake up the presidential primary calendar.
The big unknown is which states will get to hold their primaries first in 2024.
The Democratic National Committee’s new plan does away with the current, traditional set of early states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
The updated process would prioritize more diverse battleground states that hold primaries, not caucuses.
States would apply for early primaries, and party officials would pick up to five to go before Super Tuesday.
Those four traditional early states can apply to keep their places.
However, Iowa’s spot would be especially threatened, in part because the largely white state is no longer a battleground.
Also, it is required by state law to hold caucuses.
State parties must submit applications by June 3.
The rules committee will decide in July, and final approval is in August or September.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/dnc-officials-approve-plan-change-states-first-presidential-primaries/
| 2022-04-14T16:54:55Z
|
E-cigs using synthetic nicotine come under FDA oversight
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators will soon begin cracking down on vaping companies using a now-closed loophole, including a line of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes that have become teenagers’ top choice.
Under a law taking effect Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration can regulate e-cigarettes and similar products that use synthetic nicotine.
The action targets Puff Bar and several other vaping companies that recently switched their formulas to laboratory-made nicotine to skirt FDA oversight.
The change “allows FDA to protect the public health from the harms of tobacco products, regardless of the source of nicotine,” the agency said in a statement Wednesday. Companies must register with the FDA and submit their products for review within 30 days.
Puff Bar did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The FDA’s action does not automatically ban Puff Bar and similar products. Instead it brings them under the same regulatory scheme as older e-cigarettes that derived their nicotine from tobacco.
“The synthetic nicotine products do not necessarily just disappear on their own,” Robin Koval, chief executive of the Truth Initiative, an advocacy group that runs anti-tobacco ads. “The FDA will have to decide how they want to enforce the law and hopefully they will.”
The FDA has been reviewing applications for an array of vaping devices, formulas and flavors — rejecting more than 1 million, usually because of their potential appeal to youngsters. Anti-tobacco advocates hope the agency will quickly do the same for any applications submitted by Puff Bar and other manufacturers.
Nicotine, the chemical the makes smoking and vaping addictive, occurs naturally in tobacco plants.
The 2009 law that first gave the FDA oversight of cigarettes and related products only referred to tobacco-based nicotine. That left an opening for artificial nicotine, which is being used in e-cigarette liquids, nicotine pouches and other products.
Last month, Congress passed language clarifying that the FDA can regulate any form of nicotine, regardless of the source.
After appearing in 2019, Puff Bar has grown to become the most popular e-cigarette among teenagers, by far, sold in flavors like blueberry, strawberry banana and mango. Under FDA pressure, the company said it was halting sales in 2020, pulling its disposable vaping devices out of convenience stores, gas stations and vape shops.
Last February, the company announced a “fresh launch” of its colorful devices using synthetic nicotine. In marketing language, the company said its products “do not contain tobacco or anything derived from tobacco.” That put Puff Bar in a legal gray area, because federal, state and local restrictions nearly always apply to tobacco-based products, not nicotine itself.
Stanford researchers last year found synthetic nicotine products for sale via online platforms that prohibit tobacco sales, such as Amazon, eBay and Target. Under the new law, synthetic nicotine will be subject to the same federal age limit and sales restrictions as other tobacco products.
Using synthetic nicotine is not a new idea. Tobacco companies experimented with chemically derived nicotine as early as the 1960s, but deemed it too expensive for mass production. Manufacturing advances in recent years finally made it a viable alternative to tobacco-derived nicotine.
A large government survey last year showed Puff Bar had leapfrogged over better-known brands to become the top choice among high schoolers who vape. Juul — which is widely blamed for initially sparking the teen vaping trend — was the fourth most popular brand.
In 2020, the FDA restricted flavors in cartridge-based e-cigarettes like Juul to just menthol and tobacco, which are generally preferred by adults. But the flavor ban didn’t apply to disposable e-cigarettes like Puff Bar and other types of vaping devices.
Anti-tobacco groups worry that the FDA is always one or two steps behind whichever products are making inroads among kids.
“The lesson we can all take away from this is that when the FDA’s actions are incomplete and happen after the fact — which has often been the case with e-cigarettes — you will always be playing whack-a-mole and catch-up,” said Koval.
___
Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter
___
The Associated Press Health & 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.wvva.com/2022/04/14/e-cigs-using-synthetic-nicotine-come-under-fda-oversight/
| 2022-04-14T16:55:01Z
|
Republican National Committee votes to withdraw from presidential debates group, reports say
(Gray News) - The Republican National Committee voted Thursday to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates.
This is according to media reports that cited a statement from Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who called the debates group biased.
“Today the RNC voted to withdraw from the biased CPD, and we are going to find newer, better debate platforms to ensure that future nominees are not forced to go through the biased CPD in order to make their case to the American people,” the news release said.
“To be clear, we are not walking away from debates. We are walking away from the CPD.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates was slammed by the RNC for debate timing and what the RNC said was an appearance of partisanship.
Among the issues, the news release criticized “waiting until 26 states had begun early voting before hosting the first presidential debate in 2020″ and “making unilateral changes to previously agreed upon debate formats and conditions, in some cases without even notifying the candidates.”
They also said a moderator at a debate had once worked for Joe Biden.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/republican-national-committee-votes-withdraw-presidential-debates-group-reports-say/
| 2022-04-14T16:55:08Z
|
Teacher would rather be redeployed to Iraq than go back to the classroom
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) – As a sergeant in the U.S. Army, Justin Bullock has endured demanding training, strict military discipline and even enemy fire, but nothing could prepare him for the stress and violence he faced as a teacher at Liberty Hill Academy.
“I have a lot of trauma now,” Bullock told WCSC.
He was deployed to Iraq in 2009 and was preparing to begin training to become a drill sergeant to instruct new soldiers. He says his future is now in jeopardy after suffering multiple injuries at Liberty Hill.
“I doubt that I will probably step my foot back inside a school in general for a very long time. I am terrified ... I don’t want to get beaten anymore,” Bullock said. “I don’t want to get sexually harassed any more. I don’t want to fear for my life.”
Last month, Bullock attempted to break up a fight between two students and was punched in the head multiple times.
He continued working but the next day went to the hospital where they took a brain scan and determined that he had a neck strain and was recovering from a concussion.
“By that Saturday, I was having major anxiety just like rethinking everything because I was also beaten in the back of my head in February 2021 by a student,” Bullock said. “I was also sexually harassed by a student who was also putting his hands on me. It took the school two and a half months to get him out of my classroom.”
Bullock was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
His husband, Caleb Ferrell, says he doesn’t want Bullock to go back to work.
“Honestly, I get terrified sometimes. He wakes up at night and has a hard time sleeping. It’s honestly heartbreaking,” Ferrell said. “Sometimes I am afraid that he’s not going to come home after work.”
Liberty Hill Academy is an alternative school for special needs students and those with behavioral issues.
Teachers and staff are given extra training, and Bullock has even taught at alternative schools in other districts, but he says they are wholly unprepared to deal with some of these students.
“I definitely felt like the upper administration needs to reevaluate the situation,” Bullock said. “This has become a really dangerous situation, and we really need to make some changes before a real, true tragedy occurs.”
Bullock is one of multiple staff members at Liberty Hill who have been assaulted by students.
On March 31, two staff members were injured breaking up a fight.
In December, former employee Vera Gordon filed a lawsuit alleging constant abuse from 2016 until the time she left in 2020.
Gordon’s lawsuit describes female employees “being punched in their face by students, headbutted, drugged [sic] by their hair, having trash cans slammed over their head, knocked unconscious, subjected to frequent racial and sexual slurs.”
She said these factors generally led to a state of heightened anxiety and fear while at work.
In March alone, the North Charleston Police Department was called to the school 14 times. On Friday, the Charleston County School District confirmed another fight among students was broken up by a number of teachers.
Given the choice between the classroom and deployment, Bullock said he’d take deployment.
“Iraq a million times over,” Bullock said. “Because at least I know that my chain of command has my back.”
Next week, Bullock is meeting with his commanding officer to see if he is still mentally fit for military service.
Copyright 2022 WCSC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/teacher-would-rather-be-redeployed-iraq-than-go-back-classroom/
| 2022-04-14T16:55:14Z
|
WATCH: Dolphin attacks trainer during performance at Miami Seaquarium
Published: Apr. 14, 2022 at 11:09 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hours ago
(CNN) - A dolphin show took an unexpected turn at the Miami Seaquarium this weekend.
The incident was caught on camera Saturday during a show in front of families and young children.
One of the dolphins, named Sundance, attacked a trainer.
Photographer Shannon Carpenter was there with his family and captured the video.
A spokesperson for the Miami Seaquarium said that the trainer and the dolphin collided by accident. The dolphin apparently responded by striking the trainer.
The trainer was taken to the hospital but did not sustain any serious injuries.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/watch-dolphin-attacks-trainer-during-performance-miami-seaquarium/
| 2022-04-14T16:55:23Z
|
WATCH: Puppy rescued from rubble in Ukraine
Published: Apr. 14, 2022 at 12:27 PM EDT|Updated: 26 minutes ago
(CNN) - The amazing rescue of a puppy from the rubble in eastern Ukraine was caught on camera.
The rescue took place in the village of Mykhailvka on Wednesday.
Video shows rescuers digging through a pile of rubble until they reach the puppy buried underneath. The dog was miraculously pulled out alive and reunited with its 77-year-old owner.
According to the National Police of Ukraine, the blast nearly killed the man.
Both the owner and the dog were given medical care. The police said, “All is well with them.”
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/14/watch-puppy-rescued-rubble-ukraine/
| 2022-04-14T16:55:29Z
|
Warm week with limited rain
Well above average highs this week but spring wildfire season continues.
THURSDAY: Breezy for the day, gusty winds up to 30 mph at times especially across our WV locations. Still warm with highs in the low to mid 70s in the early afternoon and more sunshine working in for the late afternoon. As a cold front crosses the area, there won’t be a lot of moisture for our region. So, an isolated shower or storm for the afternoon. Timing for any rain would be 12 - 4pm from west to east.
While the rain or storms will be very limited in coverage for our area, there will be more activity east of the Blue Ridge Thursday afternoon and Thursday night. For us, staying mild into the evening with temperatures dropping into the 60s and winds out of the northwest behind the front. Cooler overnight with lows in the mid to upper 40s.
FRIDAY: Plenty of sunshine to start the day and crisp with temperatures rising into the 50s. A sunny and comfortable day. Not as warm as the last few days but still a warm afternoon and very pleasant. Highs in the mid to upper 60s. A clear and comfortable evening with temperatures in the 60s. Turning chilly overnight with lows in the low to mid 40s.
SATURDAY: A pleasant start with temperatures rising into the 50s and clouds. Another warm day with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s and an isolated shower or storm in the afternoon as another cold front crosses. A mild evening with temperatures in the 60s and chilly overnight with lows in the upper 30s to low 40s.
SUNDAY: A chilly start with temperatures in the 40s and a few clouds. An abundance of sunshine for the day and pleasant with highs around 60. A pleasant evening with temperatures in the 50s and chilly overnight with lows in the upper 30s to low 40s.
MONDAY: Plenty of clouds to start and chilly with temperatures rising into the 40s. More clouds than sun for the day and not as warm as the previous week, but still pleasant with highs in the mid to upper 50s. A comfortable evening with temperatures in the 50s and staying cloudy. Overnight lows in the mid to upper 30s.
TUESDAY: Chilly to start with temperatures rising into the 40s and more clouds than sun. Sticking with clouds for the day with a few peeks of sunshine and pleasant with highs in the low to mid 50s. Chilly overnight with lows in the mid to upper 30s.
WEDNESDAY: Intervals of clouds to start the day and chilly with temperatures rising into the 40s. A pleasant afternoon with a good amount of sunshine and a few clouds, highs in the mid to upper 50s. A pleasant evening with temperatures in the 50s and chilly overnight with lows in the mid 30s.
As always, you can get the latest updates by downloading and checking the WHSV Weather App.
**A reminder that spring wildfire season is underway for both Virginia and West Virginia. No outdoor burning before 4pm in Virginia until April 30th. No outdoor burning in West Virginia before 5pm through May 31.**
Copyright 2021 WHSV. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/11/warm-week-with-limited-rain/
| 2022-04-14T17:00:09Z
|
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Man tosses Molotov cocktails at Florida home, police say
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CNN) - A man was caught on camera throwing Molotov cocktails at a house, according to police.
It happened on Sunday in Fort Pierce, Florida.
In the video, a man is seen running up to the window of a house and throwing something inside. Flames were then seen starting to shoot out of the window.
Police reported the object was a Molotov cocktail.
The man is then seen running out of frame and another Molotov cocktail appears to be tossed over the roof, before rolling and landing at the side of the house.
Family of the homeowner said there were three people inside when all of this happened and fortunately, they are all doing OK.
Police, however, are still searching for the man in the video.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/13/caught-camera-man-tosses-molotov-cocktails-florida-home-police-say/
| 2022-04-14T17:00:16Z
|
AP sources: Trump aide Stephen Miller to speak to 1/6 panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Miller, who served as a top aide to President Donald Trump, will appear Thursday before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Miller was a senior adviser for policy during the Trump administration and a central figure in many of the Republican’s policy decisions. He had resisted previous efforts by the committee, filing a lawsuit last month seeking to quash a committee subpoena for his phone records.
The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private testimony. It’s unclear whether Miller will appear in person or virtually. A spokesperson for the committee said the panel had no comment, and Miller did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Miller’s scheduled testimony before the committee comes weeks after Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, also agreed to sit down with congressional investigators, months after the committee had reached out.
The nine-member panel subpoenaed the former Trump adviser in November along with Steve Bannon and former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the chairman of the panel, said in a statement at the time that Miller had “participated in efforts to spread false information about alleged voter fraud” and to encourage state legislatures to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential election by appointing alternate electors.
Thompson has also said that Miller helped prepare Trump’s remarks for a rally on the Ellipse that preceded the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and was with Trump when he spoke.
The House voted last week to hold former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt for their monthlong refusal to comply with subpoenas. The move was the third time the panel has referred people in the former president’s orbit to the Justice Department for potential prosecution for contempt. The first two referrals, sent late last year, were for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Bannon.
The contempt referral against Bannon resulted in an indictment, with a trial set to start in July. The Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows, much to the committee’s frustration.
By agreeing to testify, Miller is looking to avoid the fate of the other former advisers and members of the Trump administration. The central facts of the Jan. 6 insurrection are known, but what the committee is hoping to do is fill in the remaining gaps about the attack on the Capitol. Lawmakers say they are committed to presenting a full accounting to make sure it never happens again.
The panel is looking into every aspect of the riot, including what Trump was doing while it unfolded and any connections between the White House and the Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol building.
____
Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/ap-source-trump-aide-miller-testify-jan-6-committee/
| 2022-04-14T17:00:23Z
|
DNC officials approve plan to change states for first presidential primaries
(CNN) - Democratic Party officials approved a plan Wednesday that could shake up the presidential primary calendar.
The big unknown is which states will get to hold their primaries first in 2024.
The Democratic National Committee’s new plan does away with the current, traditional set of early states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
The updated process would prioritize more diverse battleground states that hold primaries, not caucuses.
States would apply for early primaries, and party officials would pick up to five to go before Super Tuesday.
Those four traditional early states can apply to keep their places.
However, Iowa’s spot would be especially threatened, in part because the largely white state is no longer a battleground.
Also, it is required by state law to hold caucuses.
State parties must submit applications by June 3.
The rules committee will decide in July, and final approval is in August or September.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/dnc-officials-approve-plan-change-states-first-presidential-primaries/
| 2022-04-14T17:00:31Z
|
E-cigs using synthetic nicotine come under FDA oversight
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators will soon begin cracking down on vaping companies using a now-closed loophole, including a line of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes that have become teenagers’ top choice.
Under a law taking effect Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration can regulate e-cigarettes and similar products that use synthetic nicotine.
The action targets Puff Bar and several other vaping companies that recently switched their formulas to laboratory-made nicotine to skirt FDA oversight.
The change “allows FDA to protect the public health from the harms of tobacco products, regardless of the source of nicotine,” the agency said in a statement Wednesday. Companies must register with the FDA and submit their products for review within 30 days.
Puff Bar did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The FDA’s action does not automatically ban Puff Bar and similar products. Instead it brings them under the same regulatory scheme as older e-cigarettes that derived their nicotine from tobacco.
“The synthetic nicotine products do not necessarily just disappear on their own,” Robin Koval, chief executive of the Truth Initiative, an advocacy group that runs anti-tobacco ads. “The FDA will have to decide how they want to enforce the law and hopefully they will.”
The FDA has been reviewing applications for an array of vaping devices, formulas and flavors — rejecting more than 1 million, usually because of their potential appeal to youngsters. Anti-tobacco advocates hope the agency will quickly do the same for any applications submitted by Puff Bar and other manufacturers.
Nicotine, the chemical the makes smoking and vaping addictive, occurs naturally in tobacco plants.
The 2009 law that first gave the FDA oversight of cigarettes and related products only referred to tobacco-based nicotine. That left an opening for artificial nicotine, which is being used in e-cigarette liquids, nicotine pouches and other products.
Last month, Congress passed language clarifying that the FDA can regulate any form of nicotine, regardless of the source.
After appearing in 2019, Puff Bar has grown to become the most popular e-cigarette among teenagers, by far, sold in flavors like blueberry, strawberry banana and mango. Under FDA pressure, the company said it was halting sales in 2020, pulling its disposable vaping devices out of convenience stores, gas stations and vape shops.
Last February, the company announced a “fresh launch” of its colorful devices using synthetic nicotine. In marketing language, the company said its products “do not contain tobacco or anything derived from tobacco.” That put Puff Bar in a legal gray area, because federal, state and local restrictions nearly always apply to tobacco-based products, not nicotine itself.
Stanford researchers last year found synthetic nicotine products for sale via online platforms that prohibit tobacco sales, such as Amazon, eBay and Target. Under the new law, synthetic nicotine will be subject to the same federal age limit and sales restrictions as other tobacco products.
Using synthetic nicotine is not a new idea. Tobacco companies experimented with chemically derived nicotine as early as the 1960s, but deemed it too expensive for mass production. Manufacturing advances in recent years finally made it a viable alternative to tobacco-derived nicotine.
A large government survey last year showed Puff Bar had leapfrogged over better-known brands to become the top choice among high schoolers who vape. Juul — which is widely blamed for initially sparking the teen vaping trend — was the fourth most popular brand.
In 2020, the FDA restricted flavors in cartridge-based e-cigarettes like Juul to just menthol and tobacco, which are generally preferred by adults. But the flavor ban didn’t apply to disposable e-cigarettes like Puff Bar and other types of vaping devices.
Anti-tobacco groups worry that the FDA is always one or two steps behind whichever products are making inroads among kids.
“The lesson we can all take away from this is that when the FDA’s actions are incomplete and happen after the fact — which has often been the case with e-cigarettes — you will always be playing whack-a-mole and catch-up,” said Koval.
___
Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter
___
The Associated Press Health & 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.whsv.com/2022/04/14/e-cigs-using-synthetic-nicotine-come-under-fda-oversight/
| 2022-04-14T17:00:38Z
|
Tesla CEO Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter for $43 billion
That’s $54.20 per share he doesn’t already own
(AP) - Tesla CEO Elon Musk is offering to buy Twitter, saying the social media platform he has criticized for not living up to free speech principles needs to be transformed as a private company.
Twitter Inc. said in a regulatory filing on Thursday that Musk, currently the company’s biggest individual shareholder, has proposed buying the remaining shares of Twitter that he doesn’t already own at $54.20 per share, an offer worth more than $43 billion.
Musk called that price his best and final offer, although he provided no details on financing. The offer is non-binding and subject to financing and other conditions.
“I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy,” Musk said in the filing. “However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company.”
Twitter shares rose to $47.83, up 4.3% but well below Musk’s offer price, a sign that some investors may doubt the deal will go through. The stock is still down from its 52-week high of about $73.
Twitter said it has received Musk’s offer and will decide whether it is in the best interests of shareholders to accept or continue to operate as a publicly traded company.
Analyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush said in a client note that he believes “this soap opera will end with Musk owning Twitter after this aggressive hostile takeover of the company.” He thinks it would be hard for any other bidders or consortium to come forward and said Twitter’s board will likely be forced to accept Musk’s offer or start a process to sell the company.
Musk revealed in regulatory filings over recent weeks that he’d been buying shares in almost daily batches starting Jan. 31, ending up with a stake of about 9%. Only Vanguard Group’s suite of mutual funds and ETFs controls more Twitter shares. A lawsuit filed Tuesday in New York federal court alleged that Musk illegally delayed disclosing his stake in the social media company so he could buy more shares at lower prices.
The billionaire has been a vocal critic of Twitter in recent weeks, mostly over his belief that it falls short on free speech principles. The social media platform has angered followers of Donald Trump and other far-right political figures who’ve had their accounts suspended for violating its content standards on violence, hate or harmful misinformation. Musk has described himself as a “free speech absolutist” but is also known for blocking other Twitter users who question or disagree with him.
After Musk announced his stake, Twitter quickly offered him a seat on its board on the condition that he not own more than 14.9% of the company’s outstanding stock, according to a filing. But the company said five days later that he’d declined.
He didn’t explain why, but the decision coincided with a barrage of now-deleted tweets from Musk proposing major changes to the company, such as dropping ads — its chief source of revenue — and transforming its San Francisco headquarters into a homeless shelter.
Twitter hasn’t done as well as its social media rivals and lost money last year. The company reported a net loss of $221 million for 2021 largely tied to the settlement of a lawsuit by shareholders who said the company misled investors about how much its user base was growing and how much users interacted with its platform. Its co-founder Jack Dorsey resigned as CEO in late November and was replaced by new CEO Parag Agrawal.
Musk’s more than 81 million Twitter followers make him one of the most popular figures on the platform, rivaling pop stars like Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. But his prolific tweeting has sometimes gotten him into trouble with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and others.
Musk and Tesla in 2018 agreed to pay $40 million in civil fines and for Musk to have his tweets approved by a corporate lawyer after he tweeted about having the money to take Tesla private at $420 per share. That didn’t happen, but the tweet caused Tesla’s stock price to jump. Musk’s latest trouble with the SEC could be his delay in notifying regulators of his growing stake in Twitter.
Both his 2018 comments about taking Tesla private at $420 per share and his latest bid to take Twitter private at $54.20 per share seemed to jokingly reference the number 420, a slang reference to marijuana.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/elon-musk-offers-buy-twitter/
| 2022-04-14T17:00:46Z
|
Abortion restriction bill signed by Florida Gov. DeSantis
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban into law Thursday as the state joined a growing conservative push to restrict access ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could limit the procedure nationwide.
The new law marks a significant blow to abortion access in the South, where Florida has provided wider access to the procedure than its regional neighbors.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking. Under current law, Florida allows abortions up to 24 weeks.
“This will represent the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill at the “Nación de Fe” (“Nation of Faith”), an evangelical church in the city of Kissimmee that serves members of the Latino population.
DeSantis, a Republican rising star and potential 2024 presidential candidate, signed the measure after several women delivered speeches about how they chose not to have abortions or, in the case of one, regretted having done so.
Some of the people in attendance, including young children, stood behind the speakers holding signs saying “Choose life,” while those who spoke stood at a podium to which was affixed a sign displaying an infant’s feet and a heartbeat reading, “Protect Life.”
Debate over the proposal grew deeply personal and revealing inside the Florida legislature, with lawmakers recalling their own abortions and experiences with sexual assault in often tearful speeches on the House and Senate floors.
Elsewhere in the United States, Republican lawmakers have introduced new abortion restrictions, some similar to a Texas law that bans abortion after roughly six weeks and leaves enforcement up to private citizens, which the U.S. Supreme Court decided to leave in place.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed a bill to make it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to a decade in prison. Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in March signed legislation to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks if the U.S. Supreme Court leaves Mississippi’s law in place.
If Roe is overturned, 26 states are certain or likely to quickly ban or severely restrict abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights. During debate of the Florida legislation, Republicans have said they want the state to be well placed to limit access to abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds Mississippi’s law.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/florida-governor-expected-sign-abortion-restriction-bill/
| 2022-04-14T17:00:53Z
|
HFD Community Fire Academy deadline extended
Published: Apr. 14, 2022 at 11:26 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hours ago
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - With the holiday weekend approaching, the city is extending the deadline for applications to the Harrisonburg Fire Department Community Fire Academy to Monday, April 18.
This unique program allows participants to take a deep dive into learning about all HFD does to protect the community, including giving attendees a chance to get hands-on with the equipment the team uses every day to serve Harrisonburg.
Anyone with questions may contact HFD Lt. Erin Stehle at erin.stehle@harrisonburgva.gov.
Those interested in applying for the free academy can do so here.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/hfd-community-fire-academy-deadline-extended/
| 2022-04-14T17:00:59Z
|
Patrick Lyoya shot in head by Michigan officer, videos show
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Black man facedown on the ground was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer, the violent climax of a traffic stop, brief foot chase and struggle over a stun gun, according to videos of the April 4 encounter.
Patrick Lyoya, 26, was killed outside a house in Grand Rapids. The white officer repeatedly ordered Lyoya to “let go” of his Taser, at one point demanding: “Drop the Taser!”
Citing a need for transparency, the city’s new police chief, Eric Winstrom, on Wednesday released four videos, including critical footage of the shooting recorded by a passenger in Lyoya’s car on that rainy morning.
“I view it as a tragedy. ... It was a progression of sadness for me,” said Winstrom, a former high-ranking Chicago police commander who became Grand Rapids chief in March. The city of about 200,000 people is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
GRAPHIC WARNING: Videos in this story may contain disturbing content.
Video shows Lyoya running from the officer who stopped him for driving with a license plate that didn’t belong to the vehicle. They struggled in front of several homes while Lyoya’s passenger got out and watched.
Winstrom said the fight over the Taser lasted about 90 seconds. In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times to subdue him.
“From my view of the video, Taser was deployed twice. Taser did not make contact,” Winstrom told reporters. “And Mr. Lyoya was shot in the head. However, that’s the only information that I have.”
State police are investigating. Kent County’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Stephen Cohle, said he completed the autopsy but toxicology tests haven’t been finished.
The traffic stop was tense from the start. Video shows Lyoya, a native of Congo, getting out of the car before the officer approached. He ordered Lyoya to get back in the vehicle, but the man declined.
The officer asked him if he spoke English and demanded his driver’s license. The foot chase began soon after, video shows.
Winstrom didn’t identify the officer, a seven-year veteran who is on paid leave during the investigation.
“Me being from Chicago for the last 20 years, I’ve handled many police shootings myself, so I do have a lot of experience in this,” the chief said. “I was hoping to never have to utilize that experience here.”
Video was collected from Lyoya’s passenger, the officer’s body camera, the officer’s patrol car and a doorbell camera. Prosecutor Chris Becker, who will decide whether any charges are warranted, objected to the release but said Winstrom could act on his own.
Becker said the public shouldn’t expect a quick decision.
“While the videos released today are an important piece of evidence, they are not all of the evidence,” he said.
The officer’s body camera was turned off before the shooting, which happens when a button is pushed for three seconds, Winstrom said. He said it appears it was deactivated unintentionally due to body pressure during the struggle, but he would not discuss any officer statements about it.
“That will come out once the investigation’s complete,” Winstrom said.
City Manager Mark Washington warned that the videos would lead to “expressions of shock, of anger and of pain.” Several hundred protesters gathered outside the Grand Rapids Police Department following the release of the videos, with some cursing and shouting from behind barricades. The group demanded that officials make public the name of the officer in the shooting.
Some businesses closed early Wednesday. Some boarded up windows. But the demonstration remained nonviolent.
Lyoya had two young daughters and five siblings, said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who spoke to his family.
“He arrived in the United States as a refugee with his family fleeing violence. He had his whole life ahead of him,” Whitmer, a Democrat, said.
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, speaking on behalf of Lyoya’s family, on Wednesday called for the officer to be fired and prosecuted.
“The video clearly shows that this was an unnecessary, excessive, and fatal use of force against an unarmed Black man who was confused by the encounter and terrified for his life,” Crump said in a release.
“It should be noted that Patrick never used violence against this officer even though the officer used violence against him in several instances for what was a misdemeanor traffic stop,” he added.
Crump and Lyoya’s family were expected to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Winstrom last week said he met Lyoya’s father, Peter Lyoya, and that they both cried.
“I get it as a father. ... It’s just heart-wrenching,” the chief told WOOD-TV.
As in many U.S. cities, Grand Rapids police have been occasionally criticized over the use of force, particularly against Black people, who make up 18% of the population.
In November, the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit over the practice of photographing and fingerprinting people who were never charged with a crime. Grand Rapids said the policy changed in 2015.
A downtown street has been designated Breonna Taylor Way, named for the Black woman and Grand Rapids native who was killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, during a botched drug raid in 2020.
___
White reported from Detroit. AP reporters Corey Williams in West Bloomfield, Michigan; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; and John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, contributed to this story.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/patrick-lyoya-shot-head-by-michigan-officer-video-shows/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:05Z
|
Brooklyn subway attack suspect ordered held without bail
NEW YORK (AP) — The man charged in this week’s Brooklyn subway attack has been ordered held without bail, with prosecutors saying he terrified the “entire city.”
Frank James was arrested in Manhattan on Wednesday, a day after the attack, and made his first appearance in federal court Thursday. Authorities say he unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets in a train full of morning commuters, shooting 10 people. All were expected to survive.
Investigators are continuing the examine the 62-year-old’s possible motive.
James is charged with a federal terrorism offense, which pertains to violent attacks on mass transit systems. There is no evidence connecting him to terror organizations, international or otherwise, at this time, authorities say.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of opening fire on a crowded subway train in Brooklyn is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday as investigators continue to examine his possible motive.
Frank James, 62, was arrested in Manhattan on Wednesday, a day after the attack. Authorities say he unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets in a train full of morning commuters, shooting 10 people.
“He fired approximately 33 rounds in cold blood at terrified passengers who had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide,” federal prosecutors wrote Thursday in court papers asking that James be held without bail.
GRAPHIC WARNING: Videos in this story may contain disturbing content.
They called the shooting premeditated and calculated, saying that James wore a hard hat and construction worker-style jacket as a disguise and then shed them after the gunfire to avoid recognition. Prosecutors suggested James had the means to carry out more attacks, noting that he had ammunition and other gun-related items in a Philadelphia storage unit.
A lawyer appointed to represent him didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. James didn’t respond to shouting reporters Wednesday as he was led from a police precinct into a car headed for a federal detention center.
Authorities say a trove of evidence connects James to the attack. His credit card and a key to a van he had rented were found at the shooting scene. Officers also found the handgun they said was used in the shooting; tracing records show James purchased the gun from a licensed gun dealer in Ohio in 2011.
Investigators were examining many hours of videos that James posted on social media, including one a day before the attack, in which he delivered profanity-laced diatribes about racism, society’s treatment of Black people, homelessness and violence. He also talked about his history of psychiatric treatment, and he complained about New York’s mayor is dealing with homeless people on subways and with gun violence.
James was born and raised in New York City but had moved to Milwaukee. He’d recently left Wisconsin and had briefly lived in Philadelphia.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/police-search-motive-brooklyn-subway-suspects-videos/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:12Z
|
Pope visits Italian prison for Holy Week foot-washing ritual
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis traveled to a prison near Rome to wash the feet of a dozen inmates, a Holy Thursday ritual that symbolizes humility and highlights his papacy’s attention to those on society’s margins.
He arrived Thursday afternoon in a motorcade that included Italian police cars, which entered through a gate of the prison in Civitavecchia, a port city, 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Rome. The ritual was closed to the public for security reasons and to protect the privacy of the inmates.
Hours earlier, during a Holy Thursday Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis advised the 1,800 priests in attendance not to focus on worldly concerns such as power or status but exhorted them to “serve, with a clear conscience, the holy and faithful people of God.”
Francis made no reference to decades of scandals involving Catholic priests who sexually abused children and were often transferred from parish to parish by bishops who tried to avoid embarrassment rather than protect minors.
This year’s Holy Week celebrations come as the pope is struggling with mobility issues. Francis suffers pain from a knee ligament problem and for years has been plagued by sciatica, a nerve inflammation affecting the legs and back.
During the Holy Thursday Mass, large urns of oil are blessed for use in ceremonies in churches in the Rome area. When Francis went to bless the oil by breathing into it, an aide helped him rise from his chair and walk toward the silver urn. At the end of the ceremony, Francis descended the steps down from the altar clinging to an aide’s arm, and even while assisted limped his way out of the basilica.
The Vatican did not say what accommodations were made to enable the pope to perform the foot-washing ceremony.
Holy Week, which draws hundreds of thousands of faithful to the Vatican, began with Palm Sunday Mass on April 10 in St. Peter’s Square and culminates with Easter Sunday, when the faithful mark the resurrection of Jesus.
This year, the Good Friday torch-lit Way of the Cross procession in Rome returns to its traditional venue at the ancient Colosseum after a two-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Vatican has invited a Russian woman and a Ukrainian woman, who work together at a Rome hospital, to carry a cross together during the procession. That has angered some Ukrainians, including Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See and the archbishop of Kyiv. Their objections center on whether such a gesture, implying reconciliation, is suitable, given Russia’s invasion of its neighbor Ukraine and its ongoing war against the country’s people.
The Vatican is still going ahead with the procession’s lineup of participants, who take turns carrying a lightweight cross during the procession, which is presided over by the pontiff and recalls Jesus’ death by crucifixion.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/pope-marks-holy-thursday-ahead-prison-feet-washing-ritual/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:20Z
|
Prescribed burn in Rockingham County Friday
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - The Gauley Ridge prescribed burn unit is south of Gate Mountain and 20 miles northeast of the City of Harrisonburg.
Fire specialists will begin the 1,320 acre burn on Friday, April 15, if weather conditions allow. The ignition phase may take one to two days. You may see smoke from this prescribed burn for several days.
This prescribed burn improves wildlife habitat by restoring open woodlands and grasslands to the forest landscape. Many animals need open grass and shrub habitats to survive, according to Forest Service officials. This burn will assist the USDA Forest Service with fuel reduction and help eradicate invasive plant species.
Slate Lick Run Road (Forest Service Road 230) and the Gauley Ridge Road (Forest Service Road 423) will be temporarily closed for short periods of time during the burn. Residents of Harrisonburg, Fulks Run, Broadway, Timberville and Singers Glenn may see or smell smoke, as may travelers on State Routes 259 and 612.
Depending on wind direction, this controlled burn may have lingering smoke effects.
Safety is the Forest Service’s top priority, and forest fire managers will conduct this prescribed burn only under appropriate weather conditions.
For the most up-to-date information, visit the InciWeb site and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/prescribed-burn-rockingham-county-friday/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:27Z
|
Republican National Committee votes to withdraw from presidential debates group, reports say
(Gray News) - The Republican National Committee voted Thursday to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates.
This is according to media reports that cited a statement from Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who called the debates group biased.
“Today the RNC voted to withdraw from the biased CPD, and we are going to find newer, better debate platforms to ensure that future nominees are not forced to go through the biased CPD in order to make their case to the American people,” the news release said.
“To be clear, we are not walking away from debates. We are walking away from the CPD.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates was slammed by the RNC for debate timing and what the RNC said was an appearance of partisanship.
Among the issues, the news release criticized “waiting until 26 states had begun early voting before hosting the first presidential debate in 2020″ and “making unilateral changes to previously agreed upon debate formats and conditions, in some cases without even notifying the candidates.”
They also said a moderator at a debate had once worked for Joe Biden.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/republican-national-committee-votes-withdraw-presidential-debates-group-reports-say/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:33Z
|
Rockingham County Fair to host kickoff party
Published: Apr. 14, 2022 at 12:07 PM EDT|Updated: 53 minutes ago
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - It’s about that time to announce what’s coming to the Rockingham County Fair for 2022.
The fair will host a kickoff party on April 23, 7-10 p.m. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets go on sale at 8:30 p.m.
Admission to the event is free. There will be a food truck, music by Big City Band, and drawings for grandstand events.
Learn more on the fair’s Facebook page.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/rockingham-county-fair-host-kickoff-party/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:39Z
|
Teacher would rather be redeployed to Iraq than go back to the classroom
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) – As a sergeant in the U.S. Army, Justin Bullock has endured demanding training, strict military discipline and even enemy fire, but nothing could prepare him for the stress and violence he faced as a teacher at Liberty Hill Academy.
“I have a lot of trauma now,” Bullock told WCSC.
He was deployed to Iraq in 2009 and was preparing to begin training to become a drill sergeant to instruct new soldiers. He says his future is now in jeopardy after suffering multiple injuries at Liberty Hill.
“I doubt that I will probably step my foot back inside a school in general for a very long time. I am terrified ... I don’t want to get beaten anymore,” Bullock said. “I don’t want to get sexually harassed any more. I don’t want to fear for my life.”
Last month, Bullock attempted to break up a fight between two students and was punched in the head multiple times.
He continued working but the next day went to the hospital where they took a brain scan and determined that he had a neck strain and was recovering from a concussion.
“By that Saturday, I was having major anxiety just like rethinking everything because I was also beaten in the back of my head in February 2021 by a student,” Bullock said. “I was also sexually harassed by a student who was also putting his hands on me. It took the school two and a half months to get him out of my classroom.”
Bullock was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
His husband, Caleb Ferrell, says he doesn’t want Bullock to go back to work.
“Honestly, I get terrified sometimes. He wakes up at night and has a hard time sleeping. It’s honestly heartbreaking,” Ferrell said. “Sometimes I am afraid that he’s not going to come home after work.”
Liberty Hill Academy is an alternative school for special needs students and those with behavioral issues.
Teachers and staff are given extra training, and Bullock has even taught at alternative schools in other districts, but he says they are wholly unprepared to deal with some of these students.
“I definitely felt like the upper administration needs to reevaluate the situation,” Bullock said. “This has become a really dangerous situation, and we really need to make some changes before a real, true tragedy occurs.”
Bullock is one of multiple staff members at Liberty Hill who have been assaulted by students.
On March 31, two staff members were injured breaking up a fight.
In December, former employee Vera Gordon filed a lawsuit alleging constant abuse from 2016 until the time she left in 2020.
Gordon’s lawsuit describes female employees “being punched in their face by students, headbutted, drugged [sic] by their hair, having trash cans slammed over their head, knocked unconscious, subjected to frequent racial and sexual slurs.”
She said these factors generally led to a state of heightened anxiety and fear while at work.
In March alone, the North Charleston Police Department was called to the school 14 times. On Friday, the Charleston County School District confirmed another fight among students was broken up by a number of teachers.
Given the choice between the classroom and deployment, Bullock said he’d take deployment.
“Iraq a million times over,” Bullock said. “Because at least I know that my chain of command has my back.”
Next week, Bullock is meeting with his commanding officer to see if he is still mentally fit for military service.
Copyright 2022 WCSC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/teacher-would-rather-be-redeployed-iraq-than-go-back-classroom/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:45Z
|
Russian warship badly damaged after Ukrainians claim strike
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian military sustained a major blow Thursday when the flagship of the country’s Black Sea fleet was badly damaged and its crew evacuated. Ukrainian officials said their forces hit the vessel with missiles, while Russia acknowledged a fire aboard the Moskva but no attack.
The warship named for the Russian capital was 60 to 65 nautical miles south of Odesa when the fire ignited, and the vessel was still battling flames hours later while heading east, according to a Pentagon official. The loss of the ship would be a major military setback and a devastating symbolic defeat for Moscow as its troops regroup for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine after retreating from much of the north, including the capital.
Despite an early report from one Ukrainian official saying the ship had sunk, the Moskva was still moving on its own power, at least for now, a senior U.S defense official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. military assessments, said the Pentagon could not confirm what caused the fire.
Russia said the fire aboard the ship, which would typically have 500 sailors on board, forced the entire crew to evacuate. It later said the fire had been contained and that the ship would be towed to port with its guided missile launchers intact.
The ship can carry 16 long-range cruise missiles, and its removal from combat would greatly reduce Russia’s firepower in the Black Sea. Regardless of the extent of the damage, any attack would represent a huge blow to Russian prestige in a war already widely seen as a historic blunder. Now entering its eighth week, Russia’s invasion has stalled because of resistance from Ukrainian fighters bolstered by weapons and other aid sent by Western nations.
Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC show the Moskva steaming out of the port of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula on Sunday. But cloud cover on Thursday made it impossible to use satellite images to locate the ship or determine its condition.
The news of the flagship’s damage overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol, where they have been battling the Ukrainians since the early days of the invasion in some of the heaviest fighting of the war — at a horrific cost to civilians.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday that 1,026 Ukrainian troops surrendered at a metals factory in the city. But Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, rejected the claim, telling Current Time TV that “the battle over the seaport is still ongoing today.”
It was unclear how many forces were still defending Mariupol.
Russian state television broadcast footage that it said was from Mariupol showing dozens of men in camouflage walking with their hands up and carrying others on stretchers. One man held a white flag.
Mariupol’s capture is critical for Russia because it would allow its forces in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to fully link up with troops in the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland and the target of the coming offensive.
Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukraine in the Donbas since 2014, the same year Russia seized Crimea. Russia has recognized the independence of the rebel regions in the Donbas.
The loss of the Moskva could delay any new, wide-ranging offensive.
Maksym Marchenko, the governor of the Odesa region, across the Black Sea to the northwest of Sevastopol, said the Ukrainians struck the ship with two Neptune missiles and caused “serious damage.”
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, then said the ship sank, calling it an event of “colossal significance.” But Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, later said he was unable to confirm that the ship was sunk or even hit by Ukrainian forces. He said he was aware of the comments by other Ukrainian officials but “could neither confirm nor deny” what happened.
“If or when this is confirmed, if it is confirmed, we can only have a sigh of relief because this means that fewer missiles will reach Ukrainian cities,” he told The Associated Press.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said ammunition on board detonated as a result of a fire, without saying what caused the blaze. It later said the ship was afloat and would be towed in for repairs. It said its “main missile weapons” were not damaged. In addition to the cruise missiles, the warship also had air-defense missiles and other guns.
The Neptune is an anti-ship missile that was recently developed by Ukraine and based on an earlier Soviet design. The launchers are mounted on trucks stationed near the coast, and, according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, the missiles can hit targets up to 280 kilometers (175 miles) away.
The U.S. was not able to confirm Ukraine’s claims of striking the warship, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. Still, he called it “a big blow to Russia.”
“They’ve had to kind of choose between two stories: One story is that it was just incompetence, and the other was that they came under attack, and neither is a particular the good outcome for them,” Sullivan told the Economic Club of Washington.
During the first days of the war, The Moskva was reportedly the warship that called on Ukrainian soldiers stationed on Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender in a standoff. In a widely circulated recording, the soldier responds: “Russian warship, go (expletive) yourself.”
The AP could not independently verify the incident, but Ukraine and its supporters consider it an iconic moment of defiance. The country recently unveiled a postage stamp commemorating it.
Russia invaded on Feb. 24, but its ground advance stalled in the face of strong Ukrainian resistance with the help of Western arms, and Russia has lost potentially thousands of fighters. The conflict has killed untold numbers of Ukrainian civilians and forced millions more to flee. It’s also threatened the global economy and further inflated already high prices at grocery stores and gasoline pumps around the world.
Russian authorities on Thursday accused Ukraine of sending two low-flying military helicopters across the border and firing on residential buildings in the village of Klimovo in Russia’s Bryansk region, some 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the frontier. Russia’s Investigative Committee said seven people, including a toddler, were wounded.
Russia’s state security service had earlier said Ukrainian forces fired mortar rounds at a border post in Bryansk as refugees were crossing, forcing them to flee.
The reports could not be independently verified. Earlier this month, Ukrainian security officials denied that Kyiv was behind an air strike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, some 55 kilometers (35 miles) from the border.
___
Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/ukraine-says-missiles-hit-russian-flagship-crew-evacuates/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:52Z
|
VCU recieves nearly $1 million grant to help prevent gun violence in Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - 12 families in central Virginia have had their lives changed forever by gun violence - just in the last week. On Thursday, VCU will receive a grant designed to try and prevent gun violence before it happens.
Congressman Donald McEachin will present a check for almost $1 million for VCU’s RVA Gun Violence Prevention Framework to help establish an evidence-based gun violence prevention public health response.
The goal is to identify the behaviors and signs of gun violence, then find solutions to prevent any shots from being fired.
Along with prevention, it’s also designed to help victims of shootings and their families.
Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved.
Want NBC12’s top stories in your inbox each morning? Subscribe here.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/vcu-receive-nearly-1-million-grant-help-prevent-gun-violence-richmond/
| 2022-04-14T17:01:58Z
|
Virginia State Police warning residents of scammers posing as law enforcement over the phone
Published: Apr. 14, 2022 at 11:39 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Virginia State Police is warning residents to be on guard against phone scammers claiming to be troopers or local police officers.
According to VSP, the scammers will ask you to send money in order to have charges dropped. Those calls even come from numbers that look like they belong to state police.
VSP says it will never contact citizens by phone for payment.
Anyone who gets a call like this is asked to report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved.
Want NBC12’s top stories in your inbox each morning? Subscribe here.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/virginia-state-police-warning-residents-scammers-posing-law-enforcement-over-phone/
| 2022-04-14T17:02:06Z
|
WATCH: Dolphin attacks trainer during performance at Miami Seaquarium
Published: Apr. 14, 2022 at 11:09 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hours ago
(CNN) - A dolphin show took an unexpected turn at the Miami Seaquarium this weekend.
The incident was caught on camera Saturday during a show in front of families and young children.
One of the dolphins, named Sundance, attacked a trainer.
Photographer Shannon Carpenter was there with his family and captured the video.
A spokesperson for the Miami Seaquarium said that the trainer and the dolphin collided by accident. The dolphin apparently responded by striking the trainer.
The trainer was taken to the hospital but did not sustain any serious injuries.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/watch-dolphin-attacks-trainer-during-performance-miami-seaquarium/
| 2022-04-14T17:02:12Z
|
WATCH: Puppy rescued from rubble in Ukraine
Published: Apr. 14, 2022 at 12:27 PM EDT|Updated: 34 minutes ago
(CNN) - The amazing rescue of a puppy from the rubble in eastern Ukraine was caught on camera.
The rescue took place in the village of Mykhailvka on Wednesday.
Video shows rescuers digging through a pile of rubble until they reach the puppy buried underneath. The dog was miraculously pulled out alive and reunited with its 77-year-old owner.
According to the National Police of Ukraine, the blast nearly killed the man.
Both the owner and the dog were given medical care. The police said, “All is well with them.”
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
|
https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/14/watch-puppy-rescued-rubble-ukraine/
| 2022-04-14T17:02:22Z
|
Report highlights the company's clean energy goals; diversity, equity and inclusion strategy; human rights commitment; and ESG governance
ALLENTOWN, Pa., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) published its annual Sustainability Report today, highlighting the company's progress and approach on a wide range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, including its clean energy goals; diversity, equity and inclusion strategy; human rights commitment and ESG governance.
In addition to providing an overview of PPL's strategy and governance approach to key issues, the report includes a comprehensive record of PPL's 2021 performance in advancing a transition to a cleaner energy future; supporting communities; attracting and retaining a diverse, talented workforce; and providing long-term value to customers and shareowners.
"The past year was transformational for PPL Corporation as we took significant steps to strategically reposition our company for the future, while making progress on our environmental, social and governance strategy and performance," said Vincent Sorgi, president and chief executive officer of PPL Corporation. "This report tracks our progress as we pursue a long-term strategy that seeks to create value for all stakeholders. PPL has set goals and commitments to address climate change; make the grid more reliable and resilient; boost diversity, equity and inclusion; and make a long-term, positive impact in the communities we serve."
As highlighted in the report, PPL's 2021 ESG accomplishments included:
- Clean Energy – We set a new goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with interim reduction targets of 70% by 2035 and 80% by 2040, and we are committing to not burn unabated coal by 2050. We have also added ESG metrics as a performance measurement to long-term executive compensation.
- Innovation – We are deeply involved in industry efforts focused on advancing research in several key technology areas, including joining Energy Impact Partners' global investment platform, serving as an anchor sponsor of the Low Carbon Resources Initiative and launching an innovative partnership with the University of Kentucky's Center for Applied Research to study the capture of carbon dioxide emissions at natural gas combined cycle power plants.
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – We are dedicated to making a long-lasting impact through enterprise-wide DEI commitments. In 2021, we increased ethnic and racial diversity in senior leadership by 5% and women in senior leadership by 14%. We recently created a chief diversity officer position to lead these efforts across the company.
- Human Rights Commitment – We have published a Human Rights Policy Statement to affirm our commitment to promote, protect and support internationally recognized human rights principles.
- Governance – We have added corporate political contributions to the oversight function of the board's Governance, Nominating and Sustainability Committee (GNSC), the body responsible for overseeing PPL's sustainability strategy and ESG practices and positions. Our transparent disclosure has earned a trendsetter ranking by the CPA-Zicklin Index, which benchmarks the political disclosure and accountability policies and practices of leading U.S. public companies.
PPL's 2021 sustainability report is available online at www.pplsustainability.com.
PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL), based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a leading U.S. energy company focused on providing electricity and natural gas safely, reliably and affordably to 2.5 million customers in the U.S. PPL's high-performing, award-winning utilities are addressing energy challenges head-on by building smarter, more resilient and more dynamic power grids and advancing sustainable energy solutions. For more information, visit www.pplweb.com.
Note to Editors: Visit our media website at www.pplnewsroom.com for additional news and background about PPL Corporation.
Contact for news media: Lissette Santana, 610-774-5997, losantana@pplweb.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE PPL Corporation
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/2021-sustainability-report-highlights-how-ppl-corporation-is-moving-energy-forward-our-community-customers-shareowners/
| 2022-04-14T17:02:29Z
|
TAIPEI, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Organization of Smart Cities (GO SMART), founded by Taipei City Government in 2019, is committed to becoming a platform for capacity sharing and matchmaking of all the stakeholders in the smart city development. To discover valuable inter-city PoC projects, since the establishment, GO SMART has called for solutions and is having the 4th edition this year. 2022 GO SMART Award attracted 42 projects from over 20 cities. GO SMART encourages cross-border and cross-domain smart city development projects from all over of world. After diversified and professional review, this year GSA has 3 winners, "I3 Systems and the City of Los Angeles" from the US; "Taipei Urban Intelligence Center" from Taipei, Taiwan and "Qlue Smart City Project: Alam Sutera Intelligent Mobility System" from Indonesia. Here is the briefing.
Citizen's mobility and transportation are one of the sectors that are affected by the exponential growth in urban areas. The increasing population and urban density will affect how people move inside the area. Alam Sutera as one of the growing urban areas in South Tangerang, Indonesia has been facing these problems in recent years. The traffic density inside city has rapidly increased due to its business and entertainment activities. It leads to increased traffic violations, citizen safety, and traffic congestion.
Qlue introduces the "Intelligent Mobility System," an AIoT based solution to help the decision maker and respond to real-time traffic conditions. Alam Sutera implemented four technologies, the Integrated Dynamic Traffic Controller, Illegal Parking detection, License Plate Recognition and Voice Guard Smart Speaker alert system. Each of these technologies has a different function and can solve different problems within the area.
GO SMART developed its technologies as smart city ecosystem solutions by leveraging AI and IoT. It works as an end-to-end process from acquiring, visualizing, analyzing, and dispatching data to the responsible decision-makers. The data then becomes the baseline for Alam Sutera to gain the insights of their town performance, especially in mobility sectors.
The project successfully reduces queues in intersections by 47%, traffic congestions by 35 % and significantly improves travel times by 30% faster. Align with Indonesia's mission to accelerate the transportation system as an effort to boost economic growth and social welfare, Qlue Intelligent Mobility System will provide urban authorities with comprehensive insights, helping them to make data-driven decisions to build better mobility for the people.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE GO SMART
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/2022-go-smart-award-winners-ii-qlue-smart-city-project-alam-sutera-intelligent-mobility-system/
| 2022-04-14T17:02:40Z
|
Highly Anticipated Subsea Cable System Set to Connect 3 Billion People Upon Completion
GENOA, Italy, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2Africa consortium, comprised of China Mobile International, Meta, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC, announced today the first landing of the 2Africa cable - in Genoa, Italy. The landing sets the tone for more landings in the coming months as the cable is extended to a total of 46 locations by the completion of the project in 2024.
Announced in May 2020, the 2Africa subsea cable system together with its Pearls extension are designed to deliver seamless international connectivity to approximately 3 billion people, representing 36% of the global population and connecting three continents, Africa, Europe and Asia.
At 45,000km, it will be the longest subsea cable ever deployed, serving communities that rely on the internet for services from education to healthcare and business, with all experiencing the economic and social benefits that come from this increased connectivity.
Vodafone, the 2Africa landing party in Genoa, has partnered with Equinix to land the cable directly into the Equinix Carrier Neutral Data Center (CNDC), with Retelit delivering the fronthaul. As with all 2Africa cable landings, capacity will be available to service providers in Genoa on a fair and equitable basis, encouraging and supporting the development of a healthy internet ecosystem.
Working with a local Italian operator, 2Africa has also developed a new terrestrial route connecting the Genoa cable landing station (CLS) directly to major CNDCs in Milan.
Good progress on the survey work and manufacturing continues with the 2Africa project remaining on track for completion in 2024.
China Mobile International Limited (CMI) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile, mainly responsible for the operation of China Mobile's international business. In order to provide better services to meet the growing demand in the international telecommunications market, China Mobile established a subsidiary, CMI, in December 2010. CMI currently has over 70 terrestrial and submarine cable resources worldwide, with a total international transmission bandwidth of over 109T, and a total of 225 PoPs. With Hong Kong, China as its launchpad, CMI has significantly accelerated global IDC development, creating a strong network for data center cloudification.
Leveraging the strong support by China Mobile, CMI is a trusted partner that provides comprehensive international information services and solutions to international enterprises, carriers and mobile users. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, CMI has expanded its footprint in 36 countries and regions. For more information, please visit www.cmi.chinamobile.com, or to connect with us on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/china-mobile-international-limited.
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.
GlobalConnect is a Pan-African digital wholesale and infrastructure services company, and an operating company in the MTN Group. GlobalConnect manages MTN's international and national major wholesale activities, in addition to offering reliable wholesale and infrastructure solutions for fixed connectivity and wholesale mobility solutions that include international mobile services, Voice, SMS, signalling, roaming and interconnect. The MTN Group launched in 1994 is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world and is inspired by the belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. Embracing the Ambition 2025 strategy, MTN is anchored on building the largest and most valuable platform business, with a clear focus on Africa. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code "MTN".
For more information, please visit www.globalconnect.solutions - https://www.mtn.com
Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with sales of 42.3 billion euros in 2020 and 140,000 employees worldwide at 31 March 2021, including 80,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 262 million customers worldwide at 31 March 2021, including 217 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its new "Engage 2025" strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model. While accelerating in growth areas and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model, the Group will be an attractive and responsible employer, adapted to emerging professions.
Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.
With its headquarter in Riyadh, stc group is the largest in the Middle East and North Africa based on market cap. stc's revenue for 2020 amounted to 58,953million SAR (15,721 million US dollars) and the net profit amounted to 10,995 million SAR (2,932 million US dollars). stc was established in 1998 and currently has customers around the globe. It is ranking among the world's top 50 digital companies and the first in the Middle East and North Africa according to Forbes. It focuses on providing services to enterprise and consumer customers through a fiber-optic network that spans 217,000 kilometers. stc group was among the first in MENA region to launch 5G networks and was considered one of the fastest globally in deploying 5G network as stc already deployed around 4,000 5G towers as end of 2020. stc group has 14 subsidiaries in the Kingdom, gulf and around the world, and its own 100% of stc Bahrain, 51.8% stake in stc Kuwait and 25% stake in Binariang GSM Holding in Malaysia which owns 62% of Maxis in Malaysia.
In Saudi Arabia (the group's main operation site) stc operates the largest modern mobile network in the Middle East as it covers more than 99% of the country's populated areas in addition to providing 4G mobile broadband to about 90% of the population across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition to the above-mentioned, stc is a strong regional player in IoT, managed services, system integration, cloud computing, information security, big data Analytics fintech and artificial intelligence. For more information, please visit https://www.stc.com.sa; or to follow us on Twitter: @stc , @stc_ksa
Telecom Egypt is the first total telecom operator in Egypt providing all telecom services to its customers including fixed and mobile voice and data services. Telecom Egypt has a long history serving Egyptian customers for over 160 years maintaining a leadership position in the Egyptian telecom market by offering its enterprise and consumer customers the most advanced technology, reliable infrastructure solutions and the widest network of submarine cables. Aside from its mobile operation "WE", the company owns a 45% stake in Vodafone Egypt. Telecom Egypt's shares and GDRs (Ticker: ETEL.CA; TEEG.LN) are traded on The Egyptian Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Please refer to Telecom Egypt's full financial disclosure on ir.te.eg
For more information, contact: The investor relations team, Email: investor.relations@te.eg
Unique in its scale as the largest pan-European and African technology communications company, Vodafone transforms the way we live and work through its innovation, technology, connectivity, platforms, products and services. Vodafone operates mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries, and partners with mobile networks in 47 more. As of 31 December 2021, we had over 300m mobile customers, more than 28m fixed broadband customers and over 22m TV customers.
Vodafone is a world leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), connecting more than 142m devices and platforms through innovation that aligns with the aspirations of society for cleaner and safer cities, better transport and improved agriculture. Vodafone's digital leadership is also changing how governments deliver healthcare and education, and how businesses, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), serve customers.
We have revolutionised fintech in Africa through M-Pesa, which celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2022. It is the region's largest fintech platform, providing access to financial services for more than 51m people in a secure, affordable and convenient way.
Our purpose is to connect for a better future, enabling an inclusive and sustainable digital society. We are taking significant steps to reduce our impact on our planet by becoming net zero by 2040, purchasing 100% of our electricity from renewable sources in Europe and across our entire operations by 2025, and reusing, reselling or recycling 100% of our redundant network equipment. Vodafone proactively works to expand access to connectivity for rural communities, students and jobseekers. For more than 30 years, Vodafone's Foundation has supported communities in Europe and Africa in the areas of health, education, and equality.
We support diversity and inclusion through our maternity and parental leave policies, empowering women through connectivity and improving access to education and digital skills for women, girls, and society at large. We are respectful of all individuals, irrespective of race, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, belief, culture or religion.
For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com, follow us on Twitter at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.
WIOCC is building Africa's first, truly hyper-scale network infrastructure. With the ability to efficiently deliver 100Gbps capacity and an extensive investment programme to develop our pan-African solution even further, WIOCC is the natural partner for OTTs, content providers, telecom operators, and ISPs looking to take advantage of Africa's opportunities. The company utilises more than 55,000km of terrestrial fibre and in excess of 75,000km of submarine cable assets to offer affordable, reliable, managed connectivity to over 550 locations across 30 African countries. WIOCC's international reach extends to key commercial centres in Europe, Asia, and North America, providing a one-stop shop for fully-scalable international connectivity into, within, and out of Africa. Operating exclusively as a wholesaler, the company's focus is on putting you, our client, first. Building and maintaining strong, long-term relationships means WIOCC can develop bespoke solutions to meet your current requirements, with the flexibility to match future demands for growth and extra resilience and geographical expansion. You will find that only WIOCC has the depth of experience, local expertise, capacity, flexibility, and scalability to take you where you want to be. For more information, please visit http://wiocc.net/.
Alcatel Submarine Networks, part of Nokia, leads the industry in terms of transmission capacity and installed base with more than 650,000 km of optical submarine systems deployed worldwide, enough to circumnavigate the globe 15 times. From traditional Telecom applications to Content and "Over The Top" Service Provider infrastructures, as well as to offshore Oil and Gas applications, ASN provides all elements of a turnkey global undersea transmission systems, tailored to individual customer's needs. An extensive Services porLolio completes its comprehensive offering for the submarine business, including project management, installation and commissioning, along with marine and maintenance operations performed by ASN's fully owned fleet of cable ships. For more information, please visit https://web.asn.com/en/.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE 2Africa
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/2africa-deployment-underway-with-first-landing-genoa-italy/
| 2022-04-14T17:02:47Z
|
LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") announces that investors with substantial losses have opportunity to lead the securities fraud class action lawsuit against Acutus Medical, Inc. ("Acutus" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: AFIB).
Class Period: May 13, 2021 – November 11, 2021
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: April 18, 2022
If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Acutus lawsuit, you can submit your contact information at www.glancylaw.com/cases/acutus-medical-inc/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at shareholders@glancylaw.com to learn more about your rights.
The complaint filed alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) a material percentage of the AcQMap systems under evaluation had been randomly installed at sites with little, if any, consideration given to whether the healthcare providers at the selected locations were likely to adopt, or desire, Acutus's products; (2) a material percentage of the AcQMap systems under evaluation had been installed in locations where Acutus did not possess the infrastructure necessary to appropriately educate, train, and support medical service providers on the system's operations; (3) as a result of the foregoing, Acutus was in the process of designing a strategic plan to terminate and relocate approximately 20% of then-existing AcQMap systems evaluation arrangements; (4) the termination and relocation of approximately 20% of existing AcQMap systems evaluation arrangements was reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on Acutus Medical's 2021 financial results; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.
To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Charles Linehan, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to shareholders@glancylaw.com, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/afib-investors-have-opportunity-lead-acutus-medical-inc-securities-fraud-lawsuit/
| 2022-04-14T17:02:55Z
|
DALLAS, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Artisan Design Group ("ADG") is pleased to announce the addition of Steve Margolius as Chief Executive Officer. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ADG is a leading interior finishes provider to the single family and multifamily industry, operating from a national footprint.
Steve has over thirty years of operational and financial leadership experience in distribution, fabrication, installation services and manufacturing earned while serving in executive leadership roles at Distribution International ("DI"), HD Supply, Arrow Electronics and GE. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer and member of the DI Board of Directors, having held those positions since June 2017. Mr. Margolius has a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Albany and has attended business leadership programs at Harvard Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
"Steve is the perfect fit to lead ADG on a continued path for success and we look forward to working with him," said Kent Wallace, Partner at The Sterling Group. "We would also like to thank Larry Barr and Wayne Joseph for their leadership since acquiring ADG, they were essential in building the company to what it is today and will continue to support ADG as members of our Board of Directors."
About Artisan Design Group
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ADG operates more than 135 distribution, design and service facilities and coordinates installation through over 3,000 personnel across 25 states. ADG was formed in 2016 through the combination of Floors Inc. and Malibu Floors. ADG has completed thirteen acquisitions over the past four years under Sterling's ownership. The company has completed twenty-one total acquisitions since its founding in 2016. ADG continues to seek local and regional market leaders to add to its family of flooring, cabinets and countertops specialists.
View original content:
SOURCE Artisan Design Group
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/artisan-design-group-announces-addition-steven-margolius-chief-executive-officer/
| 2022-04-14T17:03:02Z
|
Market to Expand across All Customer Classes, Driven by Growing Interest in Decarbonization and Resiliency
MONTREAL, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - A report from research firm Atlas Energy Intelligence on the North American energy service company (ESCO) market highlights the importance of financed energy solutions in organizations' ESG strategies and decarbonization initiatives.
Using financing structures such as energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs), ESCOs have enabled public and private sector organizations to leverage the value latent in their own facilities to pay for needed infrastructure improvements for decades. In recent years, the ESCO model has expanded into renewable distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar PV, energy storage batteries, and microgrids that enable facility owners to pursue net-zero and protect their facilities against grid outages.
"The last few years have seen renewed interest in the ESPC model as organizations turn to ESCOs to address deferred maintenance challenges and increase their use of renewable energy without using their own capital or taxpayer funds," said Eric Bloom, Managing Director, Atlas Energy Intelligence. "Looking to the future, we see major also pursuing adjacent models such as energy-as-a-service (EaaS) in order to help customers finance clean energy infrastructure and improve their record on ESG metrics."
The report, The North American Energy Service Company (ESCO) Market, forecasts ESCO revenues increasing from $4.9 billion in 2021 to $6.5 billion in 2027 at a combined annual growth rate of 4.8%. The report provides detailed information on all customer verticals and segments the market by service type (ESPC, design-build, and O&M services), with individual forecasts for the United States and Canada. It also includes detailed analysis and market share data for the leading North American ESCOs including Ameresco, Energy Systems Group, Engie, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, McKinstry, NORESCO, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and Trane. An executive summary and table of contents for the report can be downloaded at the Atlas Energy Intelligence website.
Atlas Energy Intelligence is a market research and strategy consulting firm that helps all types of organizations navigate the rapidly changing clean energy landscape. The company's deep expertise in analyzing market developments for renewable energy, energy efficiency, intelligent grid technologies, smart cities, and other segments of the clean energy sector helps position customers for success in the ongoing energy transition.
View original content:
SOURCE Atlas Energy Intelligence
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/atlas-energy-intelligence-north-american-energy-service-company-esco-market-will-grow-65-billion-by-2027/
| 2022-04-14T17:03:10Z
|
The acquisition expands the company's growing presence in Australia and helps position it exceptionally well for future expansion across the region.
BALTIMORE, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Jensen Hughes, the global leader in engineering, consulting and technology that make the world safe, secure and resilient, announced that it has acquired Morris Goding Access Consulting (MGAC), the preeminent pure-play accessibility code consulting firm in Australia. Five months after the company acquired Australia-based BCA Logic, this strategic acquisition expands the rapidly growing global enterprise's presence in Australia and helps position the company exceptionally well for future expansion across Australia and New Zealand as well as globally.
Co-founded in 2000 by two of Australia's most prominent universal design and accessibility code consulting experts, Nick Morris and David Goding, the award-winning MGAC brings to Jensen Hughes a powerful new springboard for capitalizing on the Australian market as well as opportunities around the world. Over the last 20+ years, MGAC has served as a critical contributor to international events and projects in countries such as Dubai, India, Hong Kong, China, Brazil, Qatar, France, Turkey, Russia and Azerbaijan.
Both MGAC and BCA Logic will continue to partner with commercial certification providers to provide building code and fire safety engineering services. BCA Logic discontinued its commercial certification services 10+ years ago to concentrate on code consulting and fire safety engineering. This partnering approach ensures that MGAC can continue to deliver independent insights and expertise to consulting firms across Australia.
"This new partnership increases opportunities here in our home market to provide a range of services through one world-class organisation while – at the same time – we continue to deliver the consistently high levels of personal and customized service that our clients have learned to expect from us," Morris says. "Every one of our employees – 100% – are joining the new partnership. We'll continue to support our clients exactly how we have in the past – albeit with far greater global depth in resources, competencies and experience." Goding agrees. "We'll also be leveraging Jensen Hughes's offices and people across Australia and the region," he says, "with many more opportunities to advance our client service, uncover new opportunities and cross-sell internally."
"This is a win-win for Jensen Hughes and for our new colleagues coming from MGAC," says Raj Arora, CEO of Jensen Hughes. "Both firms share a similar purpose, emphasizing the value of people, clients, industry and performance with an unwavering commitment to technical excellence and exceptional client service.
Pankaj Duggal, President and COO of Jensen Hughes, concurs. "Accessibility consulting is integral to our core service mix," he says. "Many of our clients already recognise the importance of accessibility and universal design as both a compliance requirement and a critical pillar of their culture – and providing an inclusive, respectful and enabling environment for every employee. On behalf of our worldwide team, I'm delighted to welcome our new MGAC colleagues to Jensen Hughes and our growing global family!"
For more information, visit jensenhughes.com.
About Jensen Hughes
Jensen Hughes is the global leader in engineering, consulting and technology that make our world safe, secure and resilient. Worldwide, we are recognized most widely for our leadership in fire protection engineering – a legacy of responsibility we have advanced with honor and pride since 1939. Our commitment to safety, security and resilience extends to other critical competencies core to our purpose, strategic capabilities we have been expanding for years. These include accessibility consulting, risk and hazard analysis, process safety, forensic investigations, security risk, and emergency management as well as digital innovation across many of our services. Today, our 1,500+ engineers, consultants, analysts and strategists work from 90+ offices supporting clients in 100+ countries across all markets – from Government, Healthcare, Science, and Technology to Energy, Mission Critical and Transportation. For more information, visit www.jensenhughes.com.
About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $8.3 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with enterprise values ranging from approximately $100 million to $600 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon's capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.
Contact: Ariane Wolff, ariane@warnerpr.com, 978-729-3542
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Jensen Hughes
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/australias-preeminent-accessibility-consulting-provider-mgac-joins-jensen-hughes/
| 2022-04-14T17:03:17Z
|
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric vehicle subscription company Autonomy, the cheapest, fastest, and easiest way to get a Tesla Model 3, continues to expand its services in the state of California, adding Orange County as a new market coverage area, the company announced today.
The news follows last week's announcement of an expansion of company services to San Diego, after the company held a successful commercial launch in Los Angeles in January and added services in the San Francisco Bay Area in March.
The firm has in a short time drawn several hundred active subscribers to its service.
"Our mission is to provide consumers with easy, affordable access to electric vehicles," said Scott Painter, founder and CEO of Autonomy. "Orange County has become a growing hub for electric vehicles over the past few years, with Southern California taking a big chunk of the state's leading position for the research, design, and manufacturing of EVs.
"California is known to be the car capital of the world and an early adopter of disruptive new technologies that improve quality of life. We began in L.A., have expanded into San Diego, and plan to continue to build our presence throughout the state. We are excited to now launch our service in Orange County."
Customers eager to drive a Tesla Model 3 will have access to Autonomy's fast, easy, and affordable subscription service. With new pricing announced in March, Autonomy's monthly subscription costs less than Tesla's own leasing or financing plans. Subscribers can reserve a Model 3 via Autonomy's app or website and a $100 refundable deposit. A payment dial allows customers to personalize subscriptions from as low as $490 per month with an initial $4,900 start fee, to $1,000 per month with an initial $1,000 start fee. A $500 refundable security deposit is required when the subscription is activated.
Autonomy's monthly payments cover the traditional costs of ownership, including annual registration fees, routine maintenance, roadside assistance, and wear and tear on tires, which are all additional expenses with a traditional lease or loan.
Adding to the cost advantage, Autonomy drivers have the flexibility to subscribe month to month after a three-month minimum hold period. The platform becomes a viable option for those who do not want or cannot afford the long-term commitment of buying or leasing an electric car.
Autonomy's subscription model offers a new radical solution to the rising demand for electric cars. An additional advantage is the company's stock of Model 3s that are available for delivery in days not months, compared with the six- to nine-month wait for a lease or loan.
Autonomy is the first U.S. company to offer a comprehensive monthly subscription for a Tesla Model 3, with other popular EV models scheduled in the near future. Founded by serial auto entrepreneurs Scott Painter (CarsDirect, TrueCar, Fair) and Georg Bauer (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Tesla, Fair), Autonomy is designed to provide a quick and efficient customer experience. A vehicle can be ordered on the app in as little time as 10 minutes and picked up from a vending center the next day or scheduled for delivery within a week.
"In Orange County electric cars are becoming mainstream, especially among younger drivers," said Georg Bauer, co-founder and president of Autonomy. "The county is working to ensure there are enough electric charging stations to meet demand and further promote the use of EVs. This will make it even more convenient for consumers looking to get an Autonomy subscription."
Autonomy recently received $83 million in debt and equity financing to support its expansion.
ABOUT AUTONOMY
Autonomy is a technology company on a mission to make access to mobility easy and affordable through car subscriptions. The company was founded by auto retail, auto finance, and auto insurance disruptors Scott Painter and Georg Bauer, who founded Fair, the first-ever used-vehicle subscription offering, pioneering the Car-as-a-Service (CaaS) category. Building upon that experience, Autonomy has created a turnkey vehicle subscription platform for consumers and the automotive industry that enables vehicle subscriptions to scale profitably and become a mainstream alternative to traditional car buying. Autonomy is innovating through technology, finance, and insurance to power car subscriptions for the battery, electric vehicle, and zero-emissions vehicle sectors. Autonomy relies on partnerships with automakers and brick-and-mortar car dealerships to provide benefits to both consumers and the industry. Autonomy represents freedom from long-term debt, freedom from long-term commitments, and even freedom from fossil fuels. It means new choices and more control over your financial well-being. Autonomy is based in Santa Monica, California.
Autonomy PR Contacts:
Shadee Malekafzali
Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
shadee@autonomy.com
Matt Swope
Corporate Communications Manager
matts@autonomy.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Autonomy
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/autonomy-brings-ev-subscriptions-orange-county-boosting-california-expansion/
| 2022-04-14T17:03:24Z
|
Guitar Center revisits twice-yearly guitar sales event with exclusive deals for musicians of all ages and skill levels.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Guitar Center announces Spring Guitar-A-Thon 2022, the company's iconic guitar event where musicians, from beginner to professional, can find exclusive deals on the latest guitars, amps, gear, and accessories online and in stores nationwide from now through May 4. Guitarists can also expect great deals on repairs as well as a special deal on rentals.
In celebration of the greatest guitar sale on earth, Guitar Center has partnered with Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada of the Black Pumas. The six-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated musicians tell their unique story about how two "rhythm players" found an unintentionally retro sound. As the face of this year's Guitar-A-Thon, the Black Pumas will be featured in the retailer's television spots and online videos, reflecting on their love for music and hopes that their guitar-forward retro-soul music will inspire people of all ages to pick up the instrument.
In an interview with Guitar Center, Burton recalls his natural fascination with the guitar: "The guitar is a big inspiration for me. I was attracted to the guitar at an early age, eight or nine. I used to play the violin, and I have some history with strings in general, but the guitar is just pretty much the most accessible instrument. Learning to play the instrument is immediate."
Quesada reflects on how the guitar gave him confidence as a kid: "When I was growing up, I was an introvert (still am in many ways) and often kept to myself. The guitar was a good way to find my voice when I was young. It was a way to express myself when I couldn't any other way."
Both Burton and Quesada's passion for playing the guitar goes beyond the instrument itself, as they "hope to break down cultural and social barriers" when they play their songs for their fans. Burton even said that he "would like for people to walk away from our shows knowing that they are worthy of being where – exactly where they were." Watch the Black Pumas' and Guitar Center's new Guitar-A-Thon longform video here.
During the retailer's Spring Guitar-A-Thon, inspired musicians will find special offerings from top manufacturers such as Breedlove, Fender, Gibson, Jackson, Martin, PRS, Sterling by Music Man, Taylor and more. These instruments sit alongside great deals on vintage and used gear and the full power of Guitar Center's multi-channel "endless aisle," which gives customers the ability to combine in-store, online and phone options to purchase music equipment from anywhere at any time.
Also, during the sale, any musician bringing in a guitar for a GC Repairs Platinum Setup will receive complimentary D'Addario premium replacement strings – either XS (electric/acoustic) or NYXL (bass) strings – as part of the guitar tune-up. Additionally, GC Rentals customers can save 15 percent on any lighting package rental during the sale.
"For over fifty years, Guitar Center has been committed to giving musicians access to the best gear at various price points to help them find their sound, and Guitar-A-Thon is a great opportunity to pick up a guitar, bass or recording equipment and try something new," said Jeannine D'Addario, SVP, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Guitar Center. "From emerging to experienced, any musician that comes into a Guitar Center store will have the unique opportunity to get hands-on with the most desirable guitars and receive expert advice from Guitar Center's knowledgeable sales associates. Guitar Center also provides tons of helpful resources for musicians, such as lessons, rentals, repairs, instructional videos and so much more."
For more information, visit GuitarCenter.com or Guitar Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Guitar Center
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/black-pumas-partner-with-guitar-center-celebrate-guitar-a-thon-2022/
| 2022-04-14T17:03:32Z
|
The sustainable food company, whose mission is to fight food waste by Upcycling spent grain from craft breweries, launches their cracker and pita chip line nationally with Sprouts Farmers Market in conjunction with Earth Day
SOMERVILLE, Mass., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Brewer's Foods, a family-owned food company who upcycles brewer's "spent grain," today announced their national launch with Sprouts Farmers Market retailers.
This is the first U.S. grocer to provide the upcycled food line with national exposure. Sprouts Farmers Market will carry their pita chip line as well as their flatbread crackers in more than 380 stores. Brewer's Foods has seen tremendous growth and success regionally in the North East selling in Whole Foods Market, local retail chains, specialty stores and cheese shops.
"Launching Brewer's Foods in Sprouts is a dream on its own but to be able to coincide the launch with Earth Day really makes it special," says co-owner Kyle Fiasconaro. "The more people who learn about upcycling and our mission of fighting food waste, the better. We are so thankful to Sprouts Farmers Market for giving us the opportunity to spread our message across the country."
About Brewer's Foods
Brewer's Foods is a "spent grain" food company leading the drive to reduce food waste in the craft-brewing industry. Brewer's Foods takes the spent grain from breweries to create their line of sustainable products. Brewer's estimates that to date they have saved over 500,000 lbs. of high quality "spent grain." To learn more about Brewer's, please visit brewersfoods.com and follow the brand on social media via Instagram: @brewersfoods.
About Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.
Sprouts is the place where goodness grows. True to its farm-stand heritage, Sprouts offers a unique grocery experience featuring an open layout with fresh produce at the heart of the store. Sprouts inspires wellness naturally with a carefully curated assortment of better-for-you products paired with purpose-driven people. The healthy grocer continues to bring the latest in wholesome, innovative products made with lifestyle-friendly ingredients such as organic, plant-based and gluten-free. Headquartered in Phoenix, and one of the largest and fastest growing specialty retailers of fresh, natural and organic food in the United States, Sprouts employs approximately 31,000 team members and operates more than 380 stores in 23 states nationwide. To learn more about Sprouts, and the good it brings communities, visit about.sprouts.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Matthew Fiasconaro
(631) 793-9983
matthew@brewersfoods.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Brewer's Foods
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/brewers-foods-celebrates-earth-day-by-launching-with-sprouts-farmers-market/
| 2022-04-14T17:03:40Z
|
PA Consulting's 2021 financial results show that it is one of the fastest growing major consultancies
NEW YORK, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PA Consulting (PA), the consultancy that's bringing ingenuity to life, today announces a record performance for the year ending December 2021. PA's teams of experts have applied their ingenuity to deliver innovation for their clients during a transformative year. PA's strong results make it one of the fastest growing major consultancies in 2021.
In 2021 PA:
- generated global fee income of £691.5 million, with 24 percent YOY growth. In the US, PA generated £81.3 million in revenue, and saw 46 percent YOY growth.
- recruited 50 new partners into the firm, a record number, including 16 partners in the US.
- welcomed circa 1400 people globally.
- launched and committed £10 million to The PA Foundation to support disadvantaged groups across its global communities
- achieved outstanding testimonials from its clients, with 98 percent of clients saying they would recommend PA.
PA is the only company with the expertise to accelerate new growth ideas from concept, through design, development, and to commercial success. And to revitalize organizations, building the leadership, culture, systems, and processes to make innovation a reality.
In 2021, PA continued delivering exciting work across the consumer and manufacturing, defense and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport sectors. PA also continued to hire world-class talent and re-doubled its investment in creating a culture where its people excel.
The completion of Jacobs' strategic investment in March 2021 marked the beginning of a successful new chapter for PA. Jacobs' complementary capabilities have further strengthened PA's ability to deliver innovative solutions for its clients.
2021 highlights
Innovating for clients
PA continued its purpose of bringing ingenuity to life to build a positive human future through delivering outstanding work for clients in an ever-changing world. It has a unique range of experts – strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers and technologists – who deliver end-to-end innovation, together with its clients.
In 2021, PA designed the UK's new EV chargepoint concept to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles in the global efforts against climate change.
PA also joined forces with Unilever to rapidly evolve its workforce strategy, protecting employees as the pandemic accelerated. Together, PA and Unilever designed a world-leading digital tool that provided real-time and predictive intelligence from a global and regional level down to individual Unilever sites.
PA partnered with start-up Wildtype to take its sustainable lab-grown salmon to market to preserve the environment while meeting consumer demand, and worked with TeakOrigin to create nutritional intelligence to enable better food buying decisions. Both projects were honored in the Fast Company 2021 Innovation by Design Awards.
Additionally PA developed a device to improve end-of-life patient comfort for Bearpac Medical, worked with Philips to develop agile skills to achieve faster, more focused innovation, and enabled clean energy innovation for wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.
Investing in people
PA's people bring real-world skillsets and experience to tackle the biggest challenges for its clients. In 2021, PA welcomed 1,392 people globally, including 50 new partners. In the US, PA has brought in John Cala to lead its Americas team, John Edson as US Head of Design and Engineering, Scott Schlesinger to lead the US Data and Analytics team, and Aris Karcanias as Global Head of Energy and Utilities. So far in 2022, PA has welcomed Tracey Countryman as Head of Markets, Rina Ladva as Head of Alliances, Platforms and Products, Charlene Li as Chief Research Officer, Will Lambe as Chief Financial Officer, and Kelly Olsen as Chief Information Officer. Their appointments will further accelerate PA's rapid growth.
Ensuring PA people's personal and professional growth, wellbeing and fulfilment is at the heart of PA's people strategy. In 2021, PA expanded its mentoring and virtual learning opportunities via the PA Academy. It rolled out company-wide Race Allyship training, launched its Women in Leadership program and continued to grow its employee networks, including Mental Health & Wellbeing, Military, Pride, RISE (Racial Inclusion and Social Equity), and the Women's network.
2021 also saw PA people continue to give back to their communities, volunteering their skills and experience for societal good. PA interns were invited to tackle real technology challenges – from creating more cost-effective diagnostic devices to designing a global asset tracking system – at its Global Innovation and Technology Centre in Cambridge, UK. And PA helped disadvantaged students develop leadership skills through its UK and US "Springboard" work experience program. Its Women in Tech team trained women in digital skills, whilst its ninth Raspberry Pi Competition promoted STEM education by encouraging schoolchildren in the UK and the Netherlands to use a Raspberry Pi microcomputer to innovate during the pandemic.
At the end of 2021, PA also established The PA Foundation. PA will work together with The PA Foundation to develop and inspire people, particularly those facing disadvantage, to be the innovators and leaders of tomorrow, applying their ingenuity to solve the world's biggest challenges. PA has committed £10 million over the next five years to The PA Foundation as well as 10,000 hours of skills-based volunteering in its first year, to amplify the impact of its giving back and volunteering work.
Ken Toombs, PA Consulting CEO, says: "It has been another remarkable year for PA – especially in the US. I have witnessed, with great pride, our teams applying their ingenuity to tackle transformational issues and deliver end-to-end innovation for clients in extraordinary times. This momentum is reflected in our strong business performance. I am pleased that we generated global fee income of £691.5 million in 2021, and in the US, our team saw 46% year on year growth, generating £81.3 million in revenue. What sets us apart is our dedication to innovating our clients' experience of working with us and creating value – bringing ingenuity to life in every interaction. We are proud of our ability to take something from concept, through design, development, and to commercial success to help our clients innovate and revitalize their organization. We thank them for their trust and collaboration."
Ken adds: "A strong 2021 means we are in a great position for growth – for our clients and our people. Our purpose and strategy are clear. In 2022, we will focus growth by investing in building our deep sector expertise and bringing together our end-to-end capabilities to create even more ingenious responses to clients' biggest challenges. And we will ensure we continue to recruit amazing talent, and further invest in creating opportunities for our people to learn, develop, and build exciting and rewarding careers."
Read PA's Ingenuity Review 2021 here.
About PA.
We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future.
As strategies, technologies and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity.
Our diverse teams of experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough use of technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results.
An innovation and transformation consultancy, we are over 4000 specialists in consumer and manufacturing, defense and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport. Our people are strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers and technologists.
We operate globally from offices across the UK, US, Netherlands and Nordics.
Discover more at paconsulting.com and connect with PA on LinkedIn and Twitter.
PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life.
View original content:
SOURCE PA Consulting
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/bringing-ingenuity-life-leads-record-year-pa-consulting/
| 2022-04-14T17:03:47Z
|
LINCOLN, Neb., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified Piedmontese is excited to announce the launch of the Certified Piedmontese store on Amazon featuring all snack items from the company's Grass Fed Grass Finished beef snacks product line. Consumers are now able to purchase the all-natural, healthy jerky snacks on Amazon and have it shipped to their door with Amazon Prime shipping.
Over the past year, Certified Piedmontese has been elated to supply an increasing demand of grass-fed beef snack products to health-conscious jerky lovers. While Certified Piedmontese's raw beef steaks have always been present on Amazon, it was not until March this year that the company made the switch to Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) that falls more in line with shelf-stable snack items, reimagining the customer experience and providing increased ease of access to consumers across the nation.
"The structured processes built by Amazon realizes a selling efficiency that is out of reach with our current retail e-commerce site and brick-and-mortar store. With the Grass Fed Grass Finished beef snacks line becoming increasingly popular, we gladly take this next step for an Amazon launch to make healthy gourmet snacks accessible to millions of households, while continuing to increase exposure to our brand," said Joe Finegan, Customer Service Manager of Certified Piedmontese.
The Certified Piedmontese Grass Fed Grass Finished beef snacks are a delicious addition to the average diet with verified all-natural Nebraska beef that are certified a product of USA. Made from heritage Piedmontese cattle that are 100% ranch-to-fork traceable, they are verified by Where Food Comes from Inc. and are never introduced to hormones, antibiotics, or steroids.
The company differentiates itself by the steadfast committed to positively impacting human health and the environment. Certified Piedmontese beef are raised with environmental sustainability, humane animal handling, and responsible resource management at every step. "It's a rare sight in the market to find a jerky product that is traceable to exactly where and how the animal is raised," said Joe. "We are presenting consumers with a new alternate option."
Certified Piedmontese Grass Fed Grass Finished beef snacks combine tenderness and a true beef flavor that is enhanced by minimal seasonings to offer low fat, high protein, on-the-go snacking that prolongs satiety and keep hunger at bay. The variety and flavors available on Amazon are:
- All-Natural Beef Snack Sticks (12pcs): Original, Jalapeno, Mixed Variety
- All-Natural Jerky (3pks): Teriyaki, Hickory, Bold & Spicy, Mixed Variety
- All-Natural Biltong (3pks): Original, Garlic & Herb, Spicy, Mixed Variety
Certified Piedmontese Grass Fed Grass Finished beef snacks are now available on our Amazon store. The snack stick, jerky, and biltong are sold in bundle packs of the same flavor and in mixed variety packs. All snack bundles are all marked at the retail price of $22.99. For more information on Certified Piedmontese's commitment to quality healthy beef products, visit www.piedmontese.com.
About Certified Piedmontese: Certified Piedmontese provides America with the rare Italian-heritage Piedmontese beef with a farm-to-fork approach that ensures traceability, environmental sustainability, humane animal handling, and responsible resource management at every step. Our cattle are raised on family ranches across the Midwest and are verified all-natural, never given antibiotics, steroids, or hormones. To learn why retailers, chefs, and our customers choose Certified Piedmontese for top-notch beef that doesn't sacrifice health for flavor or tenderness, visit TheFancyRancher.com or join us at Facebook.com/CertifiedPiedmontese and Instagram.com/certifiedpiedmontese.
Shop Certified Piedmontese at Piedmontese.com.
For all media inquiries, please contact:
Joe Finegan
Certified Piedmontese
(402) 890-4502
Joe-finegan@piedmontese.com
General
(800) 414-3487
customer-service@piedmontese.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Certified Piedmontese Beef
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/certified-piedmontese-beef-snacks-arrive-amazon/
| 2022-04-14T17:03:54Z
|
LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Child Neurology Foundation (CNF), a national nonprofit organization serving the one in five children in the U.S. who have a neurologic condition and the medical professionals who care for them, announced today that Breanna McCormley has joined its team as the Director of Development. McCormley most recently served as the Regional Advancement Director for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and has also held development roles for The Chordoma Foundation, WakeMed Hospital Foundation, and Health Services of North Texas.
"After spending much of my career in the rare disease nonprofit space, I'm so excited to continue that journey with an organization that is doing such impactful work on a broad scale," said McCormley. "CNF has a number of unique programs in place that speak to so many different diseases. I'm looking forward to helping them continue their success, as well as find new ways to expand their donor relations efforts."
Based in Lexington, Kentucky, CNF serves thousands of children and families across all 50 states and in over 70 countries around the world. CNF's research grants, family grants, medical symposiums and other programs have positioned the organization as the leader in this field,
convening the voices, minds and passions of families, physicians, teachers, caregivers, and researchers to change the conditions of care and the continuum of care for these young lives.
"We are so excited for Breanna to join our team at the Child Neurology Foundation," said Amy Brin, CEO and Executive Director. "Her experience in overseeing major fundraising initiatives at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society combined with her intricate knowledge of the heath-focused nonprofit industry will position her to build upon and contribute to the fundraising and revenue growth that CNF has seen over the last decade."
The appointment of McCormley follows a thorough recruitment process overseen by CNF in partnership with Envision Consulting—a nonprofit consulting firm based in Los Angeles, specializing in executive search, organizational strategy, merger exploration and executive leadership transitions. Envision's commitment to DEI is integrated into its practices, including inclusive surveys and stakeholder interviews, focus groups, structured hiring processes, a focus on anti-biased decision making and more. In 2021, Envision was named by the Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy as a Top 10 Search Firm that Works for Women of Color. www.envisionnonprofit.com
View original content:
SOURCE Envision Consulting
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/child-neurology-foundation-welcomes-director-development-breanna-mccormley/
| 2022-04-14T17:04:01Z
|
- Complaint Offers No Specific Factual Allegations Against Ms. Bronfman -
NEW YORK, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In a motion to dismiss the Plaintiffs' Complaint, Clare Bronfman's legal team argued that the Complaint has no allegations tying Ms. Bronfman to the bulk of the alleged events in question. This entire lawsuit is a travesty of justice and a mockery of our legal system. It's the continuation of Plaintiff's attorney's years long effort, which began with the criminal trial, to target Clare Bronfman in order to secure a big pay day for the lawyers and litigants.
In fact, every attempt in the Complaint to implicate Ms. Bronfman is simply an attempt to lump her into allegations regarding activities in which she played no part and of which she had no knowledge. Plaintiffs misuse RICO in an attempt to do this and to get treble damages. "For her part, Clare Bronfman had little-to-nothing to do with most of the accusations," stated Ms. Bronfman's attorney Craig Martin. "Associating her with such outrageous allegations, is a thinly veiled attempt to take her money. Plain and simple." "Plaintiffs obviously perceive Clare Bronfman as a deep pocket," he continued. "However, Plaintiffs' shameless attempt to use this litigation as a vehicle for a windfall should not be tolerated."
Even Plaintiffs own filings confirm that some of the lead plaintiffs were recruiters and leaders in NXIVM and engaged in the very conduct that they now claim harmed them. Plaintiffs benefitted financially from the program, but now believe they have found a cash cow in the person of Clare Bronfman. Any competent notion of justice frowns at this obvious attempt at a money grab.
Further, the Plaintiffs lack standing for reasons including impermissible group pleading, failure to plead a short and plain statement as required by law, lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, and insufficient factual matter to state a claim for relief.
"Plaintiffs specious legal tactics are about one thing: Clare Bronfman's money," said Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr., an attorney for Ms. Bronfman. "The Court should not reward this transparent attempt for self-enrichment and the Complaint should be dismissed immediately with prejudice as to Clare Bronfman in its entirety."
View original content:
SOURCE Ronald Sullivan Law, PLLC
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/clare-bronfmans-legal-team-files-motion-dismiss-plaintiffs-spurious-complaint-plaintiffs-are-using-litigation-vehicle-financial-windfall/
| 2022-04-14T17:04:11Z
|
Shareholders with $400,000 losses or more are encouraged to contact the firm
LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces that investors with substantial losses have opportunity to lead the securities fraud class action lawsuit against Cerence Inc. ("Cerence" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: CRNC).
Class Period: February 8, 2021 – February 4, 2022
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: April 26, 2022
If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.
The complaint filed alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that the global semiconductor shortage had a materially negative impact on demand for Cerence's software licenses; (2) that Defendants masked the impact of the semiconductor shortage on demand for the Company's software licenses by pulling forward sales; and (3) as a result, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
Follow us for updates on Twitter: twitter.com/FRC_LAW.
To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to info@frankcruzlaw.com, or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
View original content:
SOURCE The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, Los Angeles
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/crnc-investors-have-opportunity-lead-cerence-inc-securities-fraud-lawsuit/
| 2022-04-14T17:04:17Z
|
Databricks users will now be able to get started with dbt Cloud from directly within the Databricks interface.
PHILADELPHIA , April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- dbt Labs, the pioneer in analytics engineering, today announced the availability of dbt Cloud on Databricks Partner Connect. With this move, Databricks customers now have a risk-free, fast and frictionless way to experience the benefits of dbt Cloud on the lakehouse.
dbt has emerged as the industry standard for data transformation over the past two years, with demand largely driven by the industry-wide shift to cloud-based data platforms like Databricks. It enables data teams to transform data in-warehouse, and deploy analytics code following software engineering best practices.
Through Databricks Partner Connect, all Databricks users will now have the ability to quickly provision a new dbt Cloud trial that is pre-connected to their Databricks account. In just a few clicks, users will be set up with a dbt Cloud account - ideal for those looking to quickly get a feel for what the two can achieve together through a streamlined, pre-configured workflow.
"The dbt Community has long had interest in a joint solution with Databricks, and thanks to this accelerating partnership, we're now able to deliver a turnkey experience to Databricks customers looking to experience dbt Cloud," said Margaret Francis, Chief Product Officer at dbt Labs. "It's a natural fit - with dbt as the transformation framework running on top of a unified lakehouse, data teams have access to an open platform with incredibly deep community support."
"At Databricks, we want data analysts, engineers and scientists to have access to the same data-and-AI driven insights," said Adam Conway, SVP of Products at Databricks. "dbt and Databricks offer our joint customers a powerful set of tools to help eliminate data silos and unlock more value from their data in the lakehouse. Partner Connect makes the joint experience that much more frictionless."
The news comes amid a series of significant joint milestones as the two companies continue to expand and strengthen their partnership:
- Databricks has developed a new, dedicated dbt-Databricks adapter, bringing an easier installation process and a more optimized performance.
- Databricks Ventures participated as a strategic investor in dbt Labs' Series D funding round in February 2022.
- There are more than 1,000 members of the Databricks and Spark channel within the dbt Community Slack
- Databricks and dbt Labs will be hosting a joint hands-on workshop on April 20th, featuring a detailed look at what a workflow using the two solutions together looks like in practice.
- The two companies will be in close collaboration at each of their respective 2022 conferences. dbt Labs will be a Diamond Sponsor at the Databricks Data & AI Summit 2022 where the keynote will include CEO Tristan Handy, and Databricks will be an active participant at dbt Labs' Coalesce 2022 later in the year.
Felippe Felisola Caso, Business Analytics Manager at Loft, a Brazilian prop-tech company, had this to say: "dbt running on Databricks has made modeling accessible directly to business analysts. It all lives in one place and it's all access controlled, so we don't have to worry about writing to a separate data warehouse or a separate cloud... Having everyone in the same environment and accessing the same version of the same data, every time, is huge."
Since 2016, dbt Labs has been on a mission to help analysts create and disseminate organizational knowledge. dbt Labs pioneered the practice of analytics engineering, built the primary tool in the analytics engineering toolbox, and has been fortunate enough to see a fantastic community coalesce to help push the boundaries of the analytics engineering workflow. Today there are 11,000 companies using dbt every week, 27,000 practitioners in the dbt Community Slack, and 2,000 companies paying for dbt Cloud.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE dbt Labs
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/dbt-labs-announces-availability-databricks-partner-connect/
| 2022-04-14T17:04:24Z
|
Burns Charest LLP secures win for GT Resources over 2.3-million-acre property in Costa Rica
DENVER, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Denver-based GT Resources LLC won a $41 million jury verdict on Wednesday for claims against Black Hills Corporation of South Dakota and two of its subsidiaries in connection with a dispute over a 2.3-million-acre oil and gas concession in Costa Rica. After a seven-day trial and nearly another full day of deliberations, the Denver jury awarded GT Resources $33 million in damages against Black Hills and $8 million against a Black Hills subsidiary. The jury also found liability against the second Black Hills subsidiary but awarded nominal damages.
GT Resources founder George Mallon Jr. obtained oil and gas production rights to the massive property from the Costa Rican government in 2000. After a series of transactions, the concession rights were sold to and held by a Black Hills subsidiary, Black Hills Gas Resources. Under a contract with the subsidiary, GT Resources retained rights to a royalty interest over the property and a possible reassignment of the concession. But Black Hills failed to pursue the opportunity and eventually lost the concession. The jury found the actions of the company violated the duty of good faith and fair dealing and concluded that Black Hills had interfered with GT Resources' prospective business advantage for receipt of the concession.
"The jury worked hard to dig through both a complex set of facts and technical evidence regarding damages in terms of oil and gas valuation," said counsel for the plaintiff, Daniel H. Charest of Dallas-based Burns Charest. "At the end of the day, the justice behind the claims showed through."
Co-counsel Christopher Cormier of Burns Charest added, "I am gratified that this Denver jury decided, after careful and lengthy deliberation, to render this verdict for our client and their principals, George and Trey Mallon, who stuck with this case through two years of pretrial discovery to reach this verdict. And I'm proud of the significant effort by the entire trial team."
Other members of the trial team included Larry Vincent, Chase Hilton and Andrew Bynum of Burns Charest and Lance Astrella of Astrella Law.
The case is GT Resources, LLC v. Black Hills Corporation, No. 2020CV30751, in the District Court for Denver County.
A copy of the verdict can be accessed here.
Media Contact:
Barry Pound
800-559-4534
barry@androvett.com
View original content:
SOURCE Burns Charest LLP
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/denver-jury-returns-41-million-verdict-oil-gas-dispute/
| 2022-04-14T17:04:32Z
|
- New plant expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
PLAINFIELD, Ind. AND WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new, efficient source of power for Duke Energy's Indiana customers and Purdue University is now operating.
The Duke Energy Combined Heat and Power Plant at Purdue University is a 16-megawatt natural gas-powered plant on the southern edge of the university's West Lafayette campus.
Built, owned and operated by Duke Energy, the plant produces electricity for the company's customers and is a new source of thermal energy in the form of steam for Purdue's heating and hot water needs.
"We're creating a reliable source of steam for Purdue's power needs and an efficient source of power for our Indiana customers," said Duke Energy Indiana President Stan Pinegar. "We've collaborated with one of our leading customers to add a new, cleaner resource to our generation fleet."
The plant is a natural gas-fueled facility that generates energy more efficiently. By capturing and utilizing heat that would otherwise be wasted during the production of electricity, combined heat and power plants require less fuel to produce the same amount of total energy. This translates into reduced environmental emissions.
"Duke Energy continues to be a dependable partner, open to innovative ideas and process improvements," said Purdue University President Mitch Daniels. "This collaborative relationship has yielded a new plant that moves us further down the path of carbon reduction and meets the needs of both partners more efficiently than either of us could have achieved alone."
The environmental benefits can be significant with combined heat and power plants.
The new plant is projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 50,000 metric tons, or the equivalent of removing 10,000 passenger vehicles from the road. This is because the plant will enable the university to use steam produced from heat that would otherwise be wasted.
Purdue University uses steam as an efficient method to provide heat and hot water to campus facilities. By using steam from the new plant, the university will have more operational flexibility. Also, in the event of a major regional electric grid disruption, the new plant can provide emergency power to the university that would help keep the campus running.
Through an approved agreement, Duke Energy will sell to the university the steam the plant produces, and revenues from the steam sale will benefit Duke Energy customers. The plant can produce up to 150,000 pounds of steam per hour.
Duke Energy's Indiana customers will have a new source of electricity produced from cleaner-burning natural gas, helping to diversify the company's current power generation fleet. The plant also will improve the stability and reliability of the electrical grid serving the Lafayette/West Lafayette area by having a local source of power generation.
Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,300 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 870,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana's largest electric supplier.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050 net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today's toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu.
Media contacts:
Duke Energy – Angeline Protogere
Cell: 317.431.1910
Media line: 800.559.3853
Purdue University – Rebecca Terry
Phone: 765.413.5103
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Duke Energy
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/duke-energy-purdue-university-collaborate-new-efficient-energy-source/
| 2022-04-14T17:04:40Z
|
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elastics.cloud, a Smart Interconnect Technology company, has raised an additional $17 million in funding, bringing the total Pre-Series A capital investment to over $26 million. The proceeds will enable the company to expand its engineering teams in San Jose, CA and Austin, TX. In addition, the company has opened a new design center in Bangalore, India, while also strengthening its strategic customer partner/support resources in the USA, Asia, and Europe.
"This funding comes as a direct effect of our technology and our engagement with the ever-growing ecosystem of companies worldwide that have embarked on the architecture revolution towards composability," said George Apostol, Founder and CEO of Elastics.cloud. "We are now able to grow the execution team globally to deliver our robust, innovative solutions rooted in the evolution of Compute Express Link (CXL)."
The company is planning to provide a glimpse into its technology at the Intel Vision Event held on May 10th and May 11th, 2022, in Grapevine, TX. The technology demonstration will showcase two methods of memory expansion and pooling using FPGA cards connected via a CXL interface:
- Memory pooling where devices can access a locally attached memory pool over a CXL connection
- Memory expansion where devices can access a remote appliance with CXL based memory pools
These are the first steps in creating more efficient and performant composable architectures which allow memory to be expanded and shared across multiple intelligent servers or compute complexes to meet the varying demands of heterogeneous workloads, enabling system solutions with the best performance, flexibility, and lowest total cost of ownership.
About Elastics.cloud
Elastics.cloud, Inc. is a Smart Interconnect technology company focused on enabling efficient and performant architectures to create flexible, scalable, low latency composable systems. The company provides silicon, hardware, and software which leverages the Compute Express Link (CXL) interconnect standard to provide high-performance connectivity to a broad ecosystem of components.
For more information visit: www.elastics.cloud.
Media Contact:
Kishore Moturi, Sr. Director Corporate Strategy
Kishore.Moturi@elastics.cloud
408-396-5962
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Elastics.cloud
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/elasticscloud-inc-announces-an-additional-17m-funding-accelerate-global-growth-product-development/
| 2022-04-14T17:04:47Z
|
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elizabethtown College announced alumna Jennifer Breen Feist, J.D. '94 will serve as this year's Commencement speaker for the 119th exercises on Saturday, May 14 at 11 a.m. in the Dell on the College's campus.
"I am thrilled and honored to join the Class of 2022 as this year's commencement speaker," Jennifer Breen Feist '94 said. "I look forward to being back on campus and to sharing my experience of life after college with this years' graduates."
An advocate for the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare workers, Feist worked to get a federal bill passed in her sister's memory this year to boost mental health resources for healthcare employees. Feist is the Co-Founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation and sister of Dr. Lorna Breen—who tragically died by suicide after working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R. 1667), AHA-supported legislation was signed to authorize grants for programs that offer behavioral health services for front-line health care workers.
"Jennifer's exemplary efforts with her non-profit serve as an example of taking our College's Educate for Service motto and putting it into action to make profound impacts on society," Elizabethtown College President Betty Rider said. "We are pleased to have Jennifer return to Elizabethtown College and share her story and message of resilience with our soon-to-be graduates."
"We started our work in honor of my sister Dr. Lorna Breen, and we continue this work in honor of the thousands of health care providers who risk their own personal safety and wellbeing every day in care of others," Feist said. "We know that Lorna cared about her colleagues as much as she cared about her patients, and we believe this work is an extension of her passion and professional calling."
Feist is a Political Science graduate of the College. She also holds a Juris Doctorate from Penn State Dickinson School of Law. Currently, she is a lawyer in Charlottesville, Virginia specializing in finance, real estate and wealth management. In addition to her foundation, Feist also serves as Treasurer of the Central Virginia Chapter of Girls on the Run and is also a co-founder of Women United, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting causes that benefit women and children.
Elizabethtown College will host one ceremony inclusive of all seven Schools. The ceremony will also be live streamed at etown.edu.
About Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown College, located in southcentral Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a private coed institution offering more than 50 health, science, engineering, political science business, communications, fine art and music, humanities, and education degrees. Discover more: etown.edu.
Contact:
Keri Straub
Executive Director of Marketing and Communications
Elizabethtown College
(717) 725-6907
straubk@etown.edu
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Elizabethtown College
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/elizabethtown-college-names-2022-commencement-speaker-jennifer-breen-feist-jd-94/
| 2022-04-14T17:04:54Z
|
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the March 2022 criminal conviction of a former Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) put forth the following statement:
"ACEP strongly supports the culture of safety in medicine and efforts to reduce, prevent and disclose medical errors. However, the recent criminal prosecution of medical errors sets a worrisome precedent.
"Every medical error is regrettable and emergency physicians are trained to operate and thrive in complex and pressure-packed scenarios. Still, all clinicians are human, and mistakes can happen. Emergency departments that successfully embrace a culture of safety are those that encourage every clinician to report, assess, and learn from an error. The threat of criminal prosecution can undermine these efforts.
"Physicians and administrators can also work together to limit errors by reducing the factors that contribute to them. These efforts should include prioritizing fully resourced, sufficiently staffed, and safe work environments for emergency physicians and care teams.
"Every health care professional should be able to rely on their institution to support an environment where efforts to improve patient safety constructively focus on training, education and continuous improvement, rather than criminal punitive action."
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the national medical society representing emergency medicine. Through continuing education, research, public education, and advocacy, ACEP advances emergency care on behalf of its 40,000 emergency physician members, and the more than 150 million Americans they treat on an annual basis. For more information, visit www.acep.org and www.emergencyphysicians.org.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/emergency-physicians-wary-unintended-consequences-criminal-prosecution-medical-errors/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:00Z
|
Shareholders with $100,000 losses or more are encouraged to contact the firm.
LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces that investors with substantial losses have opportunity to lead the securities fraud class action lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. ("Meta" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: FB).
Class Period: March 2, 2021 – February 2, 2022
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 9, 2022
If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.
The complaint filed alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Apple's iOS privacy changes were having a material impact on Meta's ability to provide the kind of targeted advertising that its customers wanted and, as a result, customer ad spending was dropping precipitously; (2) Meta's mitigation efforts were either not properly implemented or ineffective; (3) measurement of ads was not accurate as mitigation efforts were failing; and (4) Meta did not have a plan in place to properly address the impact of the iOS privacy changes; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
Follow us for updates on Twitter: twitter.com/FRC_LAW.
To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to info@frankcruzlaw.com, or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
Contacts
The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, Los Angeles
Frank R. Cruz, 310-914-5007
fcruz@frankcruzlaw.com
www.frankcruzlaw.com
View original content:
SOURCE The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, Los Angeles
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/fb-investors-have-opportunity-lead-meta-platforms-inc-securities-fraud-lawsuit/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:07Z
|
PITTSBURGH, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB) announced that its banking subsidiary, First National Bank, has been ranked by Forbes as one of the World's Best Banks for a second consecutive year. FNB is one of only 75 banks in the United States, and 435 worldwide, to be included in the 2022 rankings, which are based solely on consumer feedback.
"We are proud of this recognition from Forbes, especially because it speaks to the overall FNB customer experience and the trust that consumers have placed in us to meet their financial needs," said Vincent J. Delie Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of F.N.B. Corporation and First National Bank. "Our customers' best interests are at the center of everything we do, and we continue to use technology to enhance access to the products, services and resources they need to achieve their financial goals."
In developing its 2022 rankings, Forbes worked with its market research partner, Statista, to conduct surveys of more than 45,000 consumers across 27 different countries. Those surveyed rated banks based on overall satisfaction, likelihood to recommend the bank and five criteria, including trust, terms and conditions, customer services, digital services and financial advice.
This ranking is just the latest third-party recognition for FNB. Thus far in 2022, FNB again has been named as one of America's Best Banks by Forbes, received 17 Greenwich Excellence and Best Brand Awards and was recognized as a Top Workplace USA by Energage for a second consecutive year. For more information about the recognition FNB has earned for its differentiated culture, which focuses on doing what is right for all of its stakeholders, visit the Company's Awards and Recognition webpage at fnb-online.com.
F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial services company operating in seven states and the District of Columbia. FNB's market coverage spans several major metropolitan areas including: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point) in North Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. The Company has total assets of approximately $42 billion and more than 340 banking offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Virginia.
FNB provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking and wealth management solutions through its subsidiary network which is led by its largest affiliate, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, founded in 1864. Commercial banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, government banking, business credit, capital markets and lease financing. The consumer banking segment provides a full line of consumer banking products and services, including deposit products, mortgage lending, consumer lending and a complete suite of mobile and online banking services. FNB's wealth management services include asset management, private banking and insurance.
The common stock of F.N.B. Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FNB" and is included in Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) Regional Banks Sub-Industry Index. Customers, shareholders and investors can learn more about this regional financial institution by visiting the F.N.B. Corporation website at www.fnbcorporation.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE F.N.B. Corporation
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/fnb-again-named-one-worlds-best-banks-by-forbes/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:14Z
|
Technological synergies will power faster loan processing through more efficient data validation
CHICAGO, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gateless, a visionary technology company providing the mortgage industry with intelligent automation, announces it has integrated Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter® (DU®) into its Gateless Smart Underwrite™ solution. Connecting these two products will empower Gateless Smart Underwrite™ to make the entire loan process even more efficient for all stakeholders.
Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) facilitates equitable and sustainable access to homeownership and quality, affordable rental housing across America.
Gateless is committed to developing the future of mortgages through industry-leading innovations like its Gateless Smart Underwrite™ product. By merging the best and most effective components of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), this tool finds and clears underwriting conditions and automates data quality checks quickly and efficiently. This enables Gateless Smart Underwrite™ to extract as much as 10-15 days from the time it takes to manufacture a loan, taking significant costs out of the process.
"Gateless knows that partnering with Fannie Mae, to incorporate feedback generated by Desktop Underwriter, is critical in empowering us to take our intelligent automation to the next level and make the loan process better for everyone involved," says Rick Lang, Chief Operating Officer at Gateless.
Gateless debuted in March 2021 with the mission of transforming the mortgage industry with technology that can significantly reduce limitations in the loan process. Driven by its award-winning AI Mortgage tools, Gateless is adding speed and efficiencies to all aspects of originating loans.
To learn more, please request a demo.
About Gateless, Inc.
Gateless, an innovative mortgage technology company, combines veteran industry expertise with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create real, proven solutions that span the entire mortgage process. Founded by Guaranteed Rate President and CEO Victor Ciardelli, the company was formed when Guaranteed Rate acquired AI Foundry, a business unit of Kodak Alaris. The solutions provided by Gateless incorporate the latest AI with patent-pending machine learning and machine-vision technology that help automate the mortgage process, increase productivity, and lower costs. Visit gateless.com or email info@gateless.com to learn more.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Gateless
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/gateless-announces-integration-with-fannie-maes-desktop-underwriter/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:21Z
|
Enhanced technology solution will provide mortgage originators access to seamless automation that can reduce costs, mitigate risk and improve borrower experience.
CHICAGO, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gateless, a visionary technology company providing the mortgage industry with intelligent automation, announces it has integrated Freddie Mac Loan Product Advisor® (LPASM) into its Gateless Smart Underwrite™ solution. This integration will enable Gateless Smart Underwrite™ to take immediate advantage of policy changes and/or new product features introduced by Freddie Mac, enhancing automation for all Gateless customers.
Gateless offers next-generation technology to the mortgage industry through its suite of proprietary products, including Gateless Smart Underwrite™. This industry-leading service leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to identify and clear underwriting conditions, automate data quality checks, and meet other requirements needed to underwrite, close and ultimately sell a loan. Smart Underwrite™ can eliminate 10-15 days in unnecessary loan manufacturing time, drastically reducing the cost to originate a loan, while delighting borrowers in the process.
"Gateless is on a mission to simplify lending through intelligent automation, and collaboration with partners like Freddie Mac will make that vision a reality," says Rick Lang, Chief Operating Officer at Gateless.
"Gateless brings a unique perspective to solving mortgage lending's biggest challenges so our shared clients can more effectively take advantage of our automated solutions, helping them streamline loan origination and reduce risk," said Kevin Kauffman, Freddie Mac Single-Family Vice President of Client & Partner Delivery.
Gateless was launched in March 2021 to bring the industry next-generation loan processing solutions by eliminating limitations. The company's award-winning suite of AI Mortgage technology is designed to accelerate and modernize the entire loan origination process.
To learn more, please request a demo.
About Gateless, Inc.
Gateless, an innovative mortgage technology company, combines veteran industry expertise with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create real, proven solutions that span the entire mortgage process. Founded by Guaranteed Rate President and CEO Victor Ciardelli, the company was formed when Guaranteed Rate acquired AI Foundry, a business unit of Kodak Alaris. The solutions provided by Gateless incorporate the latest AI with patent-pending machine learning and machine-vision technology that help automate the mortgage process, increase productivity, and lower costs. Visit gateless.com or email info@gateless.com to learn more.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Gateless
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/gateless-announces-integration-with-freddie-mac-loan-product-advisor/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:28Z
|
First-of-its-kind Montessori-inspired cooking academy will be changing lives from scratch throughout Illinois with multi-unit development deal
CHICAGO, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Today, Little Kitchen Academy (LKA), the key ingredient for an independent child and the first-of-its-kind, Montessori-inspired cooking academy for kids ages three through teen, announced its expansion into Illinois, with a deal for three locations in the Greater Chicago area. LKA Chicago, LKA Naperville, and LKA Plainfield will be opened by local entrepreneur Randall Barba, Chris Cukrowski, and Phable Meyerhoff. Barba, the former CEO and President of Antique Reflections, a design, manufacturing, and import company, owns and operates six Goldfish Swim Schools in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, employing more than 100 people. Meyerhoff, in addition to being a proud mother, has led multiple Goldfish Swim School locations to success as operations director. The group's first location in Illinois, LKA Naperville, will open in Fall 2022.
"I am so excited to bring the gift of Little Kitchen Academy to Illinois," said Randall Barba, franchise partner for LKA Chicago, LKA Naperville, and LKA Plainfield. "Teaching children practical life skills is not just good business, it's an important part of creating a better future for them. I know that by sharing the gift of Little Kitchen Academy with families in Illinois, we will help children in our community develop their independence, both inside and outside of the kitchen."
"We are delighted to have such passionate and like-minded partners to share Little Kitchen Academy with the communities throughout Illinois," said Brian Curin, co-founder/co-CEO and president of Little Kitchen Academy. "Not only is Chicago an important place to me, having grown up in the area, but it is also an important market that continues our expansion throughout the Midwest. With Randall and his team's incredible experience, we know they are the right people to bring LKA to families throughout the Greater Chicago Area!"
This new deal for the highly impactful concept comes on the heels of the recent announcement of a multi-unit deal in Michigan and brings the total number of LKA locations in development to 149, contributing to the company's target of 423 locations globally by the end of 2025. The company currently has seven locations open throughout North America with more to come, including LKA Bridgeport Village, the company's second location in the U.S., which will open in Portland this summer.
LKA is currently seeking like-minded multi-unit franchisees and development partners based exclusively in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. In Canada, there are limited opportunities in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. Globally, Australia, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, MENA region, Singapore, Spain, and the U.K. are markets available for development.
Little Kitchen Academy is the key ingredient for an independent child. The first-of-its-kind, Montessori-inspired cooking academy for kids ages three through teen is focused on providing a safe, inspiring, and empowering space for children to identify, develop, and refine their senses. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the concept was co-founded by proven global brand and franchise expert and serial entrepreneur Brian Curin, his wife, Montessori-trained, culinary expert, and visionary Felicity Curin, and social impact investor and entrepreneur Praveen Varshney, on the belief that by empowering children with practical life skills and knowledge in a positive and joyful environment, they and their company will effect positive lifestyle changes that result in a healthier world. True to its mission, LKA lives to create a more educated, able, and healthy society through mindful, healthy eating choices, and is committed to changing lives, from scratch to consumption. Part of that mission includes empowering students to learn how they can make the world a better place through How Can I Help by Little Kitchen Academy, LKA's signature philanthropic program, supporting Crisis Text Line, The Global FoodBanking Network, Kids Help Phone, and One Tree Planted. In addition to charitable partnerships, LKA has forged strategic global brand partnerships with Iron Chef Cat Cora, AeroGarden, BIRKENSTOCK, ChefWorks, Emeco, ChopValue, Welcome Industries, and PRISE Inc. Little Kitchen Academy's flagship venues are located in Vancouver, B.C., and Los Angeles, Calif.
For a taste of Little Kitchen Academy, visit littlekitchenacademy.com or join its communities on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Little Kitchen Academy Ltd.
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/greater-chicago-has-new-go-to-childrens-cooking-classes-little-kitchen-academy/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:36Z
|
Providers to Grow Outpatient and Home Services by 20% and New Partnerships/Alliances by 13%, According to CU Denver and Guidehouse Study
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Workforce resiliency, talent acquisition, digital transformation, and new partnerships are the top areas of focus for health system CEOs, according to a newly released 2022 Health Systems' Climate Study from the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) and Guidehouse.
More than 130 health system CEOs participated in the study's survey, suggesting they plan to grow their business lines to provide approximately 20% more services than in 2021 outside of the hospital and/or in the home (i.e., outpatient, non-surgical, preventive/wellness, lab/pharmacy, home health). However, the study also showed that the greatest challenges to achieving growth are non-clinical and clinical labor shortages, as well as the attraction and retention of staff post-COVID-19.
"This survey attracted a wide array of leadership participation, pointing to critical barriers facing health systems in an increasingly volatile environment," said David Burik, partner and leader of the Guidehouse Center for Health Insights. "Though it's no surprise the analysis confirmed that staff availability is the primary limitation for growth, it is encouraging to see the creative steps leaders are taking to implement change by prioritizing caregiver and consumer satisfaction."
To address labor shortages, attract new talent, and better care for patients, most leaders are improving their focus on reskilling and upskilling employees (90%) as well as hiring a broader range of talent (87%) to meet the needs of their communities. According to the study, 84% of CEOs agreed that improving workforce diversity enhances brand and reputation, as well as consumer satisfaction.
"We want people who have differing ideas, experiences, and opinions because we need to grow and accelerate our thinking to achieve what is best for our community," said Ashley Vertuno, CEO, JFK Medical Center. "Diversity and inclusion will make us more competitive in the marketplace, but, more importantly, it will help us align with and live up to our mission."
Fiscal burdens and the ability to keep up with technology were also cited as top concerns for CEOs. In fact, 22% more CEOs see digital health as a disruptor compared to 2021, and leaders cited digital transformation as a top area of focus with virtual care as the most important service to achieve overall growth in 2022.
"Digital technologies are powering value-based care as well as improving the workflows and processes that support this paradigm shift," said study co-author Rulon Stacey, PhD, director of Programs in Health Administration at CU Denver and a partner at Guidehouse. "Pacing consumer expectations—not chasing them—is everything."
The study found that health systems are optimizing digital health via tele- and remote technologies to improve access and affordability, mobile technologies for engagement, and data mining and analysis to enhance care delivery. However, amid heightened threats of data breaches, ransomware, and other cyberattacks, which prey on legacy systems, CEOs suggested that having cybersecurity-related capabilities is the most pressing requirement to manage adoption of new technologies.
Jiban Khuntia, PhD, associate professor of Information Systems and director of the Health Administration Research Consortium at the Business School at CU Denver, who led the study, shared: "There are three clear actions for health system leaders based on this analysis. First, engaging consumers is vital—whole-person care requires a people-focused mentality. Second, treat your workforce like you treat your patients—have a plan to achieve a diverse workplace through proactive recruitment strategies and employee relationships. Finally, use innovative digital strategies across the organization—from serving consumers to managing talent."
Improving strategic partnerships is critical to compete in a post-COVID-19 economy. CEOs cited a 13% increase in interest to pursue new partnerships and alliances in 2022. This includes collaborations with operating partners to improve efficiencies, with CEOs citing supply chain and logistics organizations and consultancies as the top two, followed by academia and peer/competing systems.
To develop the 2022 Health Systems' Climate Study, a survey was conducted and analyzed by CU Denver's Health Administration Research Consortium and the Guidehouse Center for Health Insights.
About Guidehouse
Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. By combining our public and private sector expertise, we help clients address their most complex challenges and navigate significant regulatory pressures focusing on transformational change, business resiliency, and technology-driven innovation. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and digital services, we create scalable, innovative solutions that help our clients outwit complexity and position them for future growth and success. The company has more than 13,000 professionals in over 50 locations globally. Guidehouse is a Veritas Capital portfolio company, led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets, and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit www.guidehouse.com.
About the Health Administration Research Consortium and CU Denver
The Health Administration Research Consortium (HARC) is focused on thought leadership in health administration and business research, relevant to health systems, health and diversity, digital and intelligent health, and health leadership. Dr. Jiban Khuntia serves as the founding director of the consortium. Dr. Rulon Stacey helped build HARC through the Graduate Programs in Health Administration (HA) support at the CU Denver Business School while serving as the director of the HA programs. The HA Program is at the forefront of education and research at the CU Denver Business School. It is among a small group of top-ranked institutions offering specialized business education focused on the healthcare industry. The CU Denver Business School has been developing leaders capable of changing the business world for the better.
Media Contact:
Guidehouse
Cecile Fradkin cfradkin@scprgroup.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Guidehouse
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/health-system-ceos-cite-workforce-resiliency-digital-transformation-top-strategies-growth-2022/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:45Z
|
Jopari Solutions offers All Payer Attachments model
CONCORD, Calif., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 30, 2022, the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) sent a letter of Recommendations to Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The letter included recommendations to modernize aspects of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other Health Information Technology (HIT) standards to improve Patient Care and achieve Burden Reduction.
The purpose of the NCVHS letter was to advise HHS & Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) to take prompt action in four key areas including Electronic Prior Authorization, Electronic Attachment Standards, HIPAA Transaction Regulatory Flexibility and Streamlining the HIPAA Adoption Process.
In summary, the letter included the following recommendations:
- Publish the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization proposed rule, which includes HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard to support API's. This marks the first time HL7 FHIR is named as a part of a HIPAA standard, which has been tested by many large stakeholders and can facilitate a national roll-out.
- Adopt a standard(s) for Electronic Attachments as soon as possible. The standard will allow the industry to exchange Attachments necessary in such workflows as Prior Authorization, Claims and Referrals.
- Evaluate and Adopt Regulatory Flexibility Strategies to permit HIPAA Covered Entities to implement new technologies, such as FHIR standards. With clear Federal Guidance, regulatory flexibility would allow for an Electronic Prior Authorization rule to be the first adopter of an API-based standard (HL7 FHIR), it would also allow the use of FHIR without being mandated to use X12 278 when the business case does not require it.
- Streamline the process for adopting HIPAA transaction Standards so that it is reliable, efficient, and timely. Historically, industry stakeholders have been frustrated that HIPAA rulemaking process does not deliver necessary nor timely updates to adopted standards. NCVHS urges HHS/CMS to modernize its' rulemaking process to better meet industry need.
Jopari offers a streamlined and compliant All Payer Attachments model
In January 2021, Jopari announced the addition of their new All Payer Attachments model for Commercial and Government Payers. This solution supports a consistent, streamlined, and compliant process allowing providers to send electronic Attachments to All Payers, regardless of electronic or paper submission to the payer – all for one cost-effective price.
"We invested significantly several years ago to develop the processing of electronic attachments and we are fortunate to be in this position", stated Steve Stevens, CEO of Jopari Solutions. "Jopari highly supports NCVHS' recommendations to HHS and the opportunity to facilitate the exchange of this important information as we know it expedites the handling of Claims and Prior Authorizations".
If you are a Health Plan or an Electronic Medical Record / Practice Management software vendor, and you're interested learning more about Jopari's Attachments solutions, visit www.jopari.com or email info@jopari.com.
About Jopari
Jopari Solutions, Inc. is a healthcare information technology company supplying innovative healthcare Attachment management and flexible medical payments products; and integrated eBill compliance and flexible medical payments for Workers' Compensation and Auto Medical markets. Jopari has established an extensive connectivity network linking Payers, Providers, practice management systems and clearinghouses, and offers innovative solutions to assist with the management of attachments. Jopari enhances Payers' ability to manage medical bills and disbursements, allowing reductions in associated expenses in addition to compliance with applicable federal rules and jurisdiction eBill/ePay regulatory requirements. Jopari is compliant with federal and state regulatory security and privacy regulations in addition to maintaining best practices verified by annual third party certification for SOC2 Type II, SOC3 Cybersecurity, and Shared Assessments Third Party AUP Risk Assessment. For more information, please visit www.jopari.com , email info@jopari.com or call 800.630.3060
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Jopari Solutions, Inc.
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/healthcare-it-update-ncvhs-sends-key-recommendations-hhs/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:53Z
|
BEIJING, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Huaneng Power International, Inc. ("HPI", the "Company") (NYSE: HNP; HKEx: 902; SSE: 600011) today announced its on-grid electricity for the first quarter of 2022.
According to the preliminary statistics of the Company, for the first quarter of 2022, the Company's total on-grid electricity by power plants within China on consolidated basis amounted to 107.717 billion kWh, representing an increase of 2.42% over the same period of 2021. For the first quarter of 2022, the Company's average on-grid electricity settlement price for its power plants within China was RMB501.96 per MWh, representing an increase of 19.47% over the same period last year. For the first quarter of 2022, the Company's market-based electricity sold ratio was 88.92%, representing an increase of 31.58 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
The increase in the Company's total electricity sold was mainly attributable to:
- The increase in the Company's electricity was mainly attributable to the significant year-on-year rise in power generation side driven by an increased electricity demand and the heating season in the first quarter of 2022. The power plants of the Company in areas such as Guizhou, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jilin, Hebei, Shandong, Guangxi and Hainan saw a relatively large growth in power generation;
- The Company continued to promote green and low-carbon transformation, the installed capacity of new energy significantly increased year-on-year, which led to the fast growth in new energy generation year on year.
The on-grid electricity (in billion kWh) of the Company in China are listed below:
Note 1: In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Ministry of Finance's "the Interpretation No. 15 of the Accounting Standards for Business Enterprises " notice, the on-grid electricity generated by the commissioning units is included in the electricity statistics, and the on-grid electricity generated by the commissioning units in the same period of the previous year is restated and adjusted.
For the first quarter of 2022, the power generation of Tuas Power Limited in Singapore, which is wholly-owned by the Company, accounted for a market share of 22.7% in Singapore, representing an increase of 2.1 percentage point compared to the same period of last year.
In the first quarter of 2022, the Company's of newly installed units is as follows: (unit: MW)
Note 2: According to Note 1, the statistical caliber of installed capacity is adjusted accordingly.
Besides, the installed capacity of certain power plants invested by the Company changed in the first quarter of 2022.
In conclusion, as of 31 March 2022, the Company had a controlled installed capacity of 121,118 MW, and an equity-based installed capacity of 108,588 MW.
About Huaneng Power International, Inc.
Huaneng Power International, Inc. is one of China's largest listed power producers with controlled generation capacity of 121,118 MW and equity-based generation capacity of 108,588 MW. The power plants of the Company are located in 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China. The Company also has a wholly owned power company in Singapore, and an invested power company in Pakistan.
For enquiries, please contact:
Huaneng Power International, Inc.
Mr. CHEN Zhelu / Ms. LIU Tianyu
Tel: (8610) 6322 6554 / 6322 6595
Fax: (8610) 6322 6888
Email: zqb@hpi.com.cn
Wonderful Sky Financial Group Limited
Ms. Ketrina Yang / Ms. Hester Li
Tel: (852) 3970 2171 / (852) 3970 2239
Fax: (852) 3102 0210
Email: hpi@wsfg.hk
View original content:
SOURCE Huaneng Power International, Inc.
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/huaneng-power-international-inc-domestic-on-grid-electricity-first-quarter-2022-increased-by-2-42-year-on-year/
| 2022-04-14T17:05:59Z
|
MALVERN, Pa., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As a fast growing Contract Research Orgnization (CRO) and clinical diagnostics laboratory, iCura Diagnostics has focused its services on advanced diagnostic techonologies such as multiplexing immunofluorescence (IF)/immunohistochemicstry (IHC), Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC), and genomic servcies to promote clinical trials, translational research, and clinica diagnosis. Although the most use cases are toward oncology research, the services are also widely adopted and applied to nerological disorders, cardiovascular disorders, as well as microbiology and congenital defects.
Recently, iCura Diagnostics has been awarded as a fully qualified CRO partner from one of the most widely used multiplexing IHC/IF platform vendor, Akoya Biosciences. This qualifcation confirms and recognized the quality of services provided by iCura and it is the fist of its kind issued by Akoya Biosciences.
iCura Diagnostics is conveniently located in Great Valley Industrial Park, the tri-state area outside of Philadelphia, and close to New Jersey, Delaware, as well as Maryland. The company provides diagnostic testing and servcies for the pharmaceutical industry, academic research center, and partner CRO and laboratories. iCura has a CLIA registered laboratory which has Pennsylvania Department of Health issued laboratory permit for clinical diagnostic tests as well. The company has a highly experienced team composed of board-certified pathologists and PhD level scientists, with active medical licenses and other professional certifications.
The details of the service items could be found on their website, www.icuradx.com, including digital pathology, whole slide imaging, immunohistochemistry, mutiplexing immunofluorescence, image analysis on cancer diagnosis, circulating tumor cells (CTC), biomarker discovery and development, and consultation services for laboratory certification, CLIA and CAP compliance, as well as laboratory permit applications. A full line of genomic services for oncology, microbiology, cardiovascular, as well as other genetic research, including, rtPCR, digital PCR, next generataion sequencing (NGS), is also under development. The company have obtained contracts from and performed services for major pharmaceutical companies, academic research centers, as well as other CRO and laboratory partners. For further information or potential interest for iCura's service, users can fill out a client request form on the website, or call iCura directly at office: (484)5886055; mobile: (424)6452254.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE iCura Diagnostics , LLC
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/icura-diagnostics-became-first-fully-qualified-multiplex-ihcif-service-partner-akoya-biosciences/
| 2022-04-14T17:06:08Z
|
CHICAGO, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sedans are some of the best-selling used cars in the auto world. These cars asking prices, gas mileage, and longevity are appealing to drivers of all ages, even those who just got their drivers license. Being one of the best sellers of autos, sedans are also one of the most commonly insured cars. Insurance Navy, the fastest-growing car insurance broker in Illinois, handles car insurance policyholders with sedans regularly as well and has noticed some correlations in how much a sedan driver will pay for their car insurance coverage.
"Some sedans are less to insure than others," said Insurance Navy CEO Fadi Sneineh, "There are certain vehicle makes and models that have better safety features and are more reliable in the long run. Another great thing we found out about insuring cars such as sedans is that repairs and parts cost less. Solid cars like these have lower auto insurance premiums than average."
Car manufacturers such as Ford, Chevrolet, Honda, Toyota, and more have put many car models forward with a total cost of car ownership that is worth it for many drivers. Some of the most inexpensive cars to insure (and to buy) sedans are:
- Ford Fusion
- Honda Accord
- Toyota Corolla
- Infiniti i35
- Toyota Camry
- Honda Civic
- Hyundai Sonata
- Kia Rio
- Nissan Versa
- Nissan Altima
Visit www.insurancenavy.com to see more of Insurance Navy's most affordable vehicle lists.
Insurance Navy is a provider of non-standard auto insurance, selling products in over 30 storefronts, a call center, and online in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas, and California. In addition to auto insurance, the company sells other financial products and services, including homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and roadside assistance.
Insurance Navy provides non-standard car insurance to drivers for liability coverage that meets their state's minimum limits. Insurance Navy specializes in providing SR22 insurance, which is a certificate of financial responsibility for high-risk drivers. They also offer homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and roadside assistance to complement their auto insurance offerings.
Insurance Navy is dedicated to helping our customers connect with trusted companies to find the best and most cost-effective insurance policy. Regardless of your level of risk, Insurance Navy provides options for auto, home, and life policies that make being covered easy and affordable. Above all, Insurance Navy prides itself on high-tier customer service.
View original content:
SOURCE Insurance Navy
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/insurance-navy-names-most-affordable-used-cars-buy-car-insurance/
| 2022-04-14T17:06:17Z
|
The company also recently added a VP of Customer Support and VP of Digital Marketing to its senior leadership team
SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Intercom, the Engagement OS, today announced L. David Kingsley has joined the company as its first Chief People Officer. David will lead the company's global People organization, including talent acquisition, onboarding, learning and development, HR business partners, total rewards, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and real estate and workplace experience.
Previously the Chief People Officer at Alteryx (NYSE: AYX), David has over 20 years of experience building motivated, highly engaged teams, and developing values-driven people programs. Prior to Alteryx, he was the Chief People Officer at Vlocity and held senior leadership roles at Mulesoft, Salesforce and Accenture.
"As a company, Intercom is known for innovation, and we're focused on delivering breakthrough value to customers," said Karen Peacock, CEO of Intercom. "David is an inspiring, experienced leader who will build on the fantastic culture and employee experience that we've developed at Intercom to help us continue to grow and build the future. David and I both believe that great cultures and employee experiences result in exceptional customer experiences."
More than 25,000 organizations use Intercom to build better relationships with their customers and drive ongoing customer engagement, including Amazon, Atlassian, IBM and Microsoft. Intercom's platform is used to send over 500 million messages per month and enables interactions with over 600 million monthly active end users. The company's success starts with a steadfast focus on its mission to make internet business personal and values that guide the way its people work, interact with each other, make decisions and turn decisions into action.
"I've long admired Intercom because of the special company the team has built — Intercom's mission, people and values-centered culture immediately resonated with me," said David Kingsley, Chief People Officer at Intercom. "As Intercom helps companies serve their customers in a more personal way, my focus is to do the same for our employees — to equip our people to do the best work of their careers and make sure we stay true to our values as we scale."
David's hire as Chief People Officer follows several key additions to the company this year. Intercom recently welcomed Declan Ivory, VP of Customer Support, who held previous leadership roles at Google, Tableau Software and Amazon Web Services, and Laurie Borgen, VP of Digital Marketing, who previously held senior leadership roles with Accenture, Intuitive and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
For more information, visit www.intercom.com.
About Intercom
Intercom, the Engagement OS, enables businesses to build stronger customer relationships that drive growth and scale. With its all-in-one customer communications platform, Intercom offers next-generation solutions for sales, marketing and support teams to work together to convert prospects into paying customers, engage customers throughout their journey and provide world-class support.
Intercom is redefining the customer journey and unifying business silos to deliver ongoing, personalized engagement through in-context communications. More than 25,000 global organizations, including Atlassian, Amazon and Lyft Business, rely on Intercom to deliver unparalleled user experiences at any scale. Intercom's platform is used to send over 500 million messages per month and enables interactions with over 600 million monthly active end users.
Founded in 2011 and backed by leading venture capitalists, including Kleiner Perkins, Bessemer Venture Partners and Social Capital, Intercom is on a mission to make internet business personal.
Media Contact
Christine Curtin
christine.curtin@intercom.io
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Intercom, Inc.
|
https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/14/intercom-welcomes-l-david-kingsley-its-first-chief-people-officer/
| 2022-04-14T17:06:23Z
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.