prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Which band, Matthew Good Band or Switchfoot is still together?

The following are given passages.
Context 1: Passage 1:
In a Coma
In a Coma: 1995-2005 is the title of the Matthew Good compilation album, featuring both his solo work and work from the Matthew Good Band 

Details
The album is often titled In a Coma: 1995-2005, and notably lacks either "best of" or "greatest hits" in the official title  It was released on September 20, 2005  However, even before its release, the album reached #1 on Amazon ca via pre-orders, and 200 signed copies sold out from Matthew Good's official site in under four hours 
The album is available in two forms: the regular version and the deluxe  The regular only includes disc one, the deluxe features two audio discs and one DVD  The first disc contains nearly all of the singles released by the Matthew Good Band and Matt solo, lacking only Good's most recent singles ("Near Fantastica", "It's Been a While Since I Was Your Man", "In Love with a Bad Idea") and the singles from the album The Audio of Being ("Carmelina", "Anti-Pop")  The first disc also contains two new songs ("Oh Be Joyful", "Big City Life"), as well as a b-side ("Pony Boy") recorded during the sessions for The Audio of Being 
For the second disc, Good entered the studio solo with an acoustic guitar and recorded new versions of several songs from his extensive catalog  For added effect, Good miked the street outside the studio as he performed, adding an ambiance to the session that Good particularly enjoyed  Given the scarcity of the two MGB EPs Lo-Fi B-Sides and Loser Anthems, Good decided to add the two discs to the latter half of the second disc as a nod to fans 
The DVD in the deluxe package includes every promotional video filmed during Good's career, solo and with the Matthew Good Band  As a bonus, Good recorded a commentary track with Bill Morrison, who directed the majority of the videos  The DVD also includes an animated video for "While We Were Hunting Rabbits", which was created by students at Sheridan College  After Good realized that his favourite songs had not been included in the package, a section featuring those songs accompanied by a slideshow of images similar to the cover artwork was added to the disc 
"Oh Be Joyful", the first single from In a Coma, was released on July 25, 2005  The song's release was accompanied by a video that many fans found confusing, as it contained little more than a burning fireplace  Matthew Good was quick to defend his video on his blog, saying that it was "one of the greatest temporary musical screen savers of all time" and that it was only intended to appear on his site, not to play on Much Music 

Track listing
Regular release
"Oh Be Joyful"  – 3:52 (previously unreleased)
"Big City Life"  – 4:15 (previously unreleased)
"Alert Status Red"  – 4:19 (from White Light Rock & Roll Review)
"Weapon"  – 6:06 (from Avalanche)
"In a World Called Catastrophe"  – 5:59 (from Avalanche)
"Hello Time Bomb"  – 3:56 (from Beautiful Midnight)
"Load Me Up"  – 3:42 (from Beautiful Midnight)
"Strange Days"  – 4:24 (from Beautiful Midnight)
"The Future Is X-Rated"  – 3:46 (from Beautiful Midnight)
"Everything Is Automatic"  – 4:18 (from Underdogs)
"Rico"  – 3:27 (from Underdogs)
"Apparitions"  – 5:14 (from Underdogs)
"Indestructible"  – 3:26 (from Underdogs)
"Symbolistic White Walls"  – 4:30 (from Last of the Ghetto Astronauts)
"Haven't Slept In Years (Alternate)"  – 3:35 (from Raygun)
"Alabama Motel Room"  – 3:20 (from Last of the Ghetto Astronauts)
"Pony Boy"  – 4:03 (previously unreleased)
"All Together" - 4:37 (previously unreleased) iTunes Pre-Order Track / ca 7digital com exclusive

Deluxe Edition
Part One: Rooms (acoustic reworkings)

"Truffle Pigs"  – 4:04
"Tripoli"  – 4:51
"Generation X-Wing"  – 3:55
"Apparitions"  – 4:05
"North American for Life"  – 3:13
"Advertising on Police Cars"  – 4:08
"Hello Time Bomb"  – 4:10
"Strange Days"  – 4:55
"Prime Time Deliverance"  – 4:22Part Two: Loser Anthems

 "Flashdance II"  – 4:44
"The Man from Harold Wood"  – 2:18
"My Life as a Circus Clown"  – 2:46
"Intermezzo: M  Good v  M  Trolley"  – 0:35
"Flight Recorder from Viking 7"  – 5:34
"Life Beyond the Minimum Safe Distance"  – 3:53
"The Fine Art of Falling Apart"  – 3:39Part Three: Lo-Fi B-Sides

 "Born to Kill"  – 5:14
"Enjoy the Silence"  – 3:11
"Fated"  – 3:31

Bonus DVD
Part One: Music Videos

Alabama Motel Room
Symbolistic White Walls
Everything Is Automatic
Indestructible
Apparitions
Rico
Hello Time Bomb
Load Me Up
Strange Days
The Future Is X-Rated
Carmelina
Anti-Pop
Weapon
In a World Called Catastrophe
Alert Status Red
It's Been a While Since I Was Your Man
While We Were Hunting Rabbits (new video)Part Two: The Making of "Rooms"

The Making of "Rooms" FeaturePart Three: Matthew's picks with special slide show

Avalanche
A Long Way Down
Pledge of Allegiance
Blue Skies Over Bad Lands
House of Smoke and MirrorsPart Four: Discography

Personnel
Matthew Good Band performs from Last of the Ghetto Astronauts to Loser Anthems  Others are performed by Matthew Good 

Matthew Good Band
Matthew Good - vocals, guitar, cover concept (Underdogs), piano, percussion, additional producer, strings, writing & arrangement, art director, producer
Ian Browne - drums
Geoff Lloyd - Bass guitar (Last of the Ghetto Astronauts, Raygun, Underdogs)
Rich Priske - Bass guitar
Dave Genn - Guitar, Keyboards

Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
Dave Genn - Organ, Rhodes (not part of MGB at this time)
John Shepp - Producer, mixer
Terry Brown - Mixer ("Alabama Motel Room", "Symbolistic White Walls")
George Leger - Mastering
Recorded at Utopia Parkway Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Manufacturer: Darktown Records
Distributor: A&M Records, a division of PolyGram Inc 
Words and music by Matthew GoodExcept "Alabama Motel Room", music by Good/Lloyd/Browne

Raygun
Dale Penner - Producer, engineer
Clif Norrell - Mixer
Stephen Marcussen - Mastering
Recorded at Greenhouse Studios, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Words and music by Matthew Good

Underdogs
Todd Kerns performs backing vocals on "Everything Is Automatic" and "Rico" (not part of MGB)

Warne Livesey - Producer, engineer, mixer
Dean Maher - Assistant
Zach Blackstone - Engineer
Stephen Marcussen - Mastering
Recorded at Greenhouse Studios, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Words by Matthew Good
Music by Matthew Good/Dave GennExcept "Rico", music by Good/Browne/Lloyd/Genn

Lo-Fi B-Sides (Disc Two, Part Three)
Warne Livesey - Producer, engineer, mixer

Beautiful Midnight
Todd Kerns (not part of MGB) performs backing vocals on "Hello Time Bomb"

Natasha Duprey - Phone Sex on "The Future is X-Rated"
Warne Livesey - Producer, Engineer, mixer
Zach Blackstone - Engineer
Steve Kaplan (BJG Studios, London) - Mixer
Tim Young - Mastering
Recorded at House of Brucifer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Words by Matthew Good
Music by Matthew Good/Dave GennExcept "Load Me Up", music by Good/Genn/Browne/Priske

Loser Anthems (Disc Two, Part Two)
Holly McNarland performs backing vocals on "Flight Recorder from Viking 7" (not part of MGB)

Avalanche
Pat Steward - Drums, Percussion
Richard Priske - Bass guitar, Additional Keyboards, Additional producer
Christian Thor Valdson - Electric Guitar
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra - Strings
Musica Intima - Choral Performances
Warne Livesey - Producer, engineer, mixer, strings Writing & Arrangement
Zach Blackstone - Engineer
Adam Ayan (Gateway Mastering) - Mastering
Recorded at Mushroom Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
All songs by Matthew Good

White Light Rock & Roll Review
Pat Steward - Drums
Rich Priske - Bass guitar
Christian Thor Valdson - Electric Guitar
Warne Livesey - Producer, engineer, mixer
Scott Ternan - Assistant engineer
Joel Livesey - Assistant engineer
Zach Blackstone - Assistant engineer
Kirk McNally - Assistant engineer
Mastered by Tim Young at Metropolis, London, UK
Tim Young (Metropolis, London, England) - Mastering
Recorded at Mushroom Studios and Warehouse Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
All songs by Matthew Good

New Songs ("Oh Be Joyful", "Big City Life")
Ryan Dahle - Lead guitar, engineer
Pat Steward - Drums
Megan Bradfield - Bass guitar
Zach Blackstone - Engineer
Randy Staub - Mixer
George Marino - Mastering
Recorded at Warehouse Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
All songs by Matthew Good

B-Sides ("Pony Boy") (unreleased from "The Audio of Being" sessions)
Matthew Good - Electric Guitar, vocals
Dave Genn - Electric Guitar, Keyboards
Rich Priske - Bass guitar
Ian Browne - Drums
Holly McNarland - Backing vocals
Warne Livesey - Producer, engineer, mixer
Recorded at Armoury Studios and Warehouse Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Words & Music by Matthew Good

Rooms
Recorded at Warehouse Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
All songs by Matthew Good

Music videos
Videos features music, words, and band members from the album they were released on, information on those can be found on each album's page All videos directed by Bill MorrisonExcept "Strange Days" (Morrison/Good), "Anti-Pop" (Chris Nelson), "Weapon" (officially Ante Kovac/Good, but Good fired Kovac halfway through the video), "In a World Called Catastrophe" (Kyle Davison), and "While We Were Hunting Rabbits (animation students of Sheridan College)Note: Because most of this album is a compilation, the personnel varies from song to song, which is why the albums were listed during Disc One  The information here is condensed; full information can be retrieved on the album's original page 
Passage 2:
Matthew Good discography
This is a comprehensive discography for the solo works of Matthew Good, a Canadian singer-songwriter 

Demos
Albums
Studio albums
Compilations and live albums
Note: Contains material from the Matthew Good Band as well as Matthew Good's solo releases 

Extended plays
Singles
Music videos
See also
Matthew Good Band discography
Passage 3:
Matthew Good Band
Matthew Good Band was a Canadian alternative rock band formed in Coquitlam, British Columbia in 1995  The band consisted of singer-songwriter/guitarist Matthew Good, guitarist/keyboardist Dave Genn, drummer Ian Browne and bassist Geoff Lloyd  Lloyd was replaced by Rich Priske in 1998  They became one of the most successful rock bands in Canada during the late 1990s and early 2000s, being nominated for 14 Juno Awards and winning the awards for "Best Group" and "Best Rock Album" (Beautiful Midnight) in 2000  The band broke up after the release of their 2001 album, The Audio of Being 

History
1995–1996: Formation, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
After beginning his music career as a folk musician, Matthew Good formed a three-piece rock band in 1995 composed of himself, drummer Charlie Quintana (later replaced by Ian Browne) and bassist Geoff Lloyd  Dave Genn originally only recorded with the band as a paid session musician  The four recorded the band's debut album, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts  The band released the album independently in 1995, after which Genn officially joined the band  The band was not originally called "Matthew Good Band"  In fact, the first 5000 copies of Last of the Ghetto Astronauts were just titled "MGB"  After the album was released, "Alabama Motel Room" began to receive significant radio airplay, and people began requesting the song on radio and the album at retail stores calling the band, "Matthew Good Band"  At the time, the band had been having conversations about their name, and decided that they would be called "Matthew Good Band"  Although initially popular only in the Vancouver area, they received more exposure across Canada in 1996, with the singles "Alabama Motel Room" and "Symbolistic White Walls" becoming significant hits on radio and their music videos being played on MuchMusic  In December 1996, Matthew Good Band signed a two-album deal with Private Music 

1997–1999: Underdogs
In mid-January 1997, on the first day of pre-production for their next album, the group was notified that BMG Entertainment North America was merging Private Music into Windham Hill/High Street Records, putting a halt to the production of the album  In mid-March, after negotiations, Windham Hill/High Street released the group from its contract  Good was paid what he was owed for the two albums, and the group then decided to record the new album without label support, using the money received from the divorce of their contract with Windham Hill/High Street to fund it  The group then agreed to release the upcoming album under a distribution agreement with PolyGram Group Canada  After releasing the EP Raygun in May 1997, the band later that year released their second full-length album, Underdogs  The album was produced by Warne Livesey, who would go on to produce every full-length MGB album and most of Good's subsequent solo albums  The album spawned the singles "Everything Is Automatic", "Indestructible", "Apparitions" and "Rico", all of which were hits in Canada 
The band toured across Canada with Edgefest during the summer of 1998  In November 1998, Geoff Lloyd left the band  Lloyd was replaced by Rich Priske shortly after  On January 21, 1999, Underdogs was certified Platinum in Canada 

1999–2000: Beautiful Midnight
In July 1999, the band again toured across Canada as a part of Edgefest, this time on the main stage  In September 1999, the band released Beautiful Midnight  The album debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart and featured the hit singles "Hello Time Bomb", "Load Me Up" and "Strange Days"  In January 2000, Good underwent vocal cord surgery after being diagnosed with sarcoidosis, prompting him to temporarily quit smoking  In March 2000, The band won two Juno awards for "Best Group" and "Best Rock Album"  Good himself did not attend the ceremony, and guitarist Dave Genn has been quoted as saying that he only attends for the open bar  Beautiful Midnight became the band's best-selling album, being certified Double Platinum in Canada and selling over 300,000 copies by 2016  In 2000, the band's song "Running for Home" was featured in an episode of Higher Ground 

2000–2001: The Audio of Being
In the summer of 2000, Good stayed in a hotel for three weeks in Whistler to work on songs for the new album  Good later wrote that he spent much of the time "trying to keep down food supplement bars, trying to forget the growing tension within the band, the high expectations of needing to produce 'hit songs' (whatever they are these days), throwing up, and trying to find some semblance of direction in my personal life"  The band entered the studio in late 2000 to record the material  The sessions saw a great deal of intra-band turmoil  In February 2001, the band began a brief tour of the United States to promote the American release of Beautiful Midnight  In June 2001, the band released the EP Loser Anthems, and followed it with what would be the band's final tour in the summer  In August 2001, Dave Genn quit the band, returning though four days later  The band released The Audio of Being on October 30, 2001 

Breakup
In November 2001, it was reported that Genn had left the band again and Ian Browne had also left the band  In February 2002, Universal Music Canada confirmed that the band had broken up  In March 2002, during his first interview after the breakup was confirmed, Good stated that the breakup was "a conscious effort on everybody's part"  In a 2009 interview for The Ongoing History of New Music, Good stated that he decided the band was done after The Audio of Being was released, citing him no longer wanting to placate the needs of the other band members and no one wanting to tour the new record as reasons 

2002–present: Aftermath
Since the breakup of Matthew Good Band, Good has pursued a successful solo career, with Priske continuing as Good's bassist until 2005  Genn has been a member of the Canadian rock group 54-40 since 2003 and has written and produced songs for several artists  Geoff Lloyd died in January, 2010  Good briefly reunited with Browne in 2011, with Browne drumming for Good on his Lights of Endangered Species tour  Rich Priske died on July 11, 2020 

Members
Matthew Good – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1995–2002)
Rich Priske – bass guitar (1998–2002)
Ian Browne – drums (1995–2001)
Dave Genn – lead guitar, keyboards (1995–2001)
Geoff Lloyd – bass guitar (1995-1998)

Discography
Last of the Ghetto Astronauts (1995)
Raygun (1997)
Underdogs (1997)
Lo-Fi B-Sides (1998)
Beautiful Midnight (1999)
Loser Anthems: B-Sides & Rarities (2001)
The Audio of Being (2001)

See also
Canadian rock
Music of Canada
Passage 4:
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California  The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals)  After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream recognition with the inclusion of four of their songs in the 2002 movie A Walk to Remember  This recognition led to their major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown, which was released in 2003 and featured the hits "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move"  The album sold over 2 6 million copies  They have since been noted for their energetic live shows, and their seventh studio album Hello Hurricane received a Grammy award in 2011 for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album 
According to Jon Foreman, the name "Switchfoot" comes from a surfing term  "We all love to surf and have been surfing all our lives so to us, the name made sense  To switch your feet means to take a new stance facing the opposite direction  It's about change and movement, a different way of approaching life and music "

History
Formation and early years (1996–2002)
Switchfoot was founded in 1996 as Chin Up, consisting of Jon Foreman and his brother Tim, along with Chad Butler on drums  After playing a few shows including the Foreman brothers' dad's megachurch North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad, California, the band was contacted by music industry veteran Charlie Peacock and eventually signed to his indie label Re:think Records under the current moniker, Switchfoot  Re:think went on to distribute the first three Switchfoot albums, The Legend of Chin, New Way to Be Human, and Learning to Breathe  Because Re:think was bought by Christian giant Sparrow Records before Switchfoot's first release, however, the band's and Peacock's intentions of being marketed outside of the Contemporary Christian music scene and reaching a wider audience were put on hold  Consequently, the band was mostly marketed to Christian radio and retail outlets early in their careers, a time Jon Foreman has described as when "half of who we were was lost "Of Switchfoot's first three albums, Learning to Breathe was the most successful, receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Gospel Album 
Later on in 2002, Switchfoot's music was featured prominently in the movie A Walk to Remember, starring singer and actress Mandy Moore, who sang Switchfoot's song "Only Hope" during a scene in the movie  In addition to Moore's cover of "Only Hope", Switchfoot's songs "You", "Learning to Breathe", and "I Dare You to Move" were showcased in the film, as well as their own original version of "Only Hope" towards the end of the film 

The Beautiful Letdown (2003–2005)
Following the exposure that came from A Walk to Remember, Switchfoot attracted attention from multiple record labels, and ultimately signed with Columbia Records/SonyBMG  Their major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown, under Columbia Records/Red Ink, represented the band's evolution from the predominantly lo-fi, indie rock sound of their early albums, toward a more layered, synth-influenced sound that helped launch the band to mainstream popularity  This shift sonically could be attributed to the fact that the album was the first to include keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas, formerly of industrial bands Mortal and Fold Zandura  Fontamillas had been touring with Switchfoot since 2000, following the release of Learning to Breathe 
The Beautiful Letdown has since been certified double platinum, selling more than 2 6 million copies, on the strength of constant touring and the huge mainstream radio hits "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move"  A live DVD depicting one of the band's live concerts, Live in San Diego, went platinum as well, and a third single, "This Is Your Life" was released to radio  In addition, the song "Gone" received major airplay on Christian radio stations as well 
Following the runaway success of The Beautiful Letdown, a compilation titled The Early Years: 1997-2000 was released, which featured Switchfoot's first three indie albums released under Re:think records including the original artwork for all the albums  This collection has since been certified Gold, with total sales of over 500,000 copies Switchfoot also received five 2005 Dove Award nominations, and won four, including Artist of the year 

Nothing Is Sound (2005–2006)
In 2005, prior to the release of Nothing Is Sound, Switchfoot announced that guitarist Drew Shirley (previously the guitarist for All Together Separate) had become the band's fifth member after touring with the band since 2003  Nothing Is Sound was released on September 13, 2005, and with Shirley's inclusion saw Switchfoot's sound become even more densely layered and guitar-heavy, resulting in an album that was edgier and darker than any of their previous work  "Stars" was released as the first radio single to promote the album, and was a solid hit on mainstream and alternative rock radio stations  It was also used in ads for HBO  "We Are One Tonight" was released as the second single in early 2006, and was also featured in ads for the 2006 Winter Olympics 

The album debuted at No  3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, an all-time high for the band, while bassist Tim Foreman attracted headlines by speaking out against the copy-protection used by the label and providing fans a detailed workaround on the band's message board, which was quickly deleted by Sony  This copy-protection is known as Extended Copy Protection, which has been identified by leading anti-virus companies as a trojan horse and a rootkit 
During the Spring 2006 leg of the Nothing Is Sound Tour, the band introduced "a video diary of life on the road" in the form of free video podcasts available via iTunes and streaming online on YouTube  In addition to featuring snippets of upcoming songs and live performances, the videos gave fans an inside look at the more casual and humorous aspects of the band members' touring lives, as well as featuring footage of the band working on their follow-up to Nothing Is Sound 

Oh! Gravity  (2006–2007)
Switchfoot's next album, Oh! Gravity , was released on December 26, 2006, to considerable critical acclaim  It entered the Billboard chart at No  18 and peaked at No  1 on iTunes' Top Albums chart 

Before the release of the album, Switchfoot e-mailed a newsletter on June 2 which contained a free download of the song "Daylight to Break", a statement from Foreman implying that the band wanted to have a new album out by the end of the year, as well as a thanks to their fans for helping keep the band together for ten years  The band tried to involve their fans in the creation of the album, setting up a webcam in their recording studio and running a contest for a chance to play the cowbell in the studio with the band To promote the album, the band first released the song, "Dirty Second Hands", as a "preview" single via iTunes on September 26  The title track "Oh! Gravity" was also released to iTunes on October 21 and was sent to radio on October 31 as the lead single for the album, seeing limited success at alternative and modern rock radio  The album's second single, "Awakening", was released in early 2007  Although it saw virtually no play on mainstream radio, the accompanying band-funded music video song received over one million hits on YouTube in less than three months  Along with preorders of Oh! Gravity came a 3-song EP called Oh! Switchfoot  The short CD included three songs: "The Sound in My Mouth", "C'mon C'mon", and "Oh! Gravity (Acoustic)" 

Major-label independence, The Best Yet (2007–2008)
Later, on August 10, 2007, Jon Foreman revealed that the band had severed ties with Columbia Records in order to release music as an Indie band  "Neither party has any hard feelings," he said of the split a few months later  "I think for us, the reason why we signed with Columbia was because of the people that were there  So it's very understandable when all those people are gone, you don't hold any real bad feelings or good feelings towards a company name  I think that's part of the problem with the corporate entity as a whole is that there's no true responsibility " Later in October, the band announced that they had created a new record label called lowercase people records, in order to better make a direct connection with their fans 
Subsequently, Foreman began working on his own set of solo EPs (one named after each season of the year); the first of these was released on November 27, 2007, the last on June 10, 2008  "Your Love Is Strong" is the most well known from the string of releases  Each of Jon's EP's contained six songs  At the end of this, he released a sort of "best of" album called Limbs and Branches  Foreman wrote two additional songs for this called "Over the River" and "Broken from the Start"  Once all four EP's were released, they were released again on vinyl in limited quantity  Foreman also began a side project with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek originally called "The Real SeanJon" but later renamed "Fiction Family" 
With their new status as an independent band, Switchfoot embarked on their 2007 fall tour, playing shows with Relient K and Ruth  The tour, dubbed the "Appetite for Construction Tour", was designed to benefit Habitat For Humanity, with the bands donating one dollar per ticket sold to the cause  In addition, Foreman wrote the song "Rebuild" with Matt Thiessen from Relient K, and released it as a way to raise additional money for Habitat  By the end of the tour, the bands had raised over $100,000 for Habitat for Humanity  With no new album to promote, the band continued touring for philanthropic causes, booking a short national tour in March through May (titled the Up In Arms Tour), partnering with and benefitting the organization To Write Love on Her Arms In March 2008, the band wrote and recorded a new song called "This Is Home" for the film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian  The song was included on the film's official soundtrack and an accompanying music video was also filmed, with footage from the film Later that year, Columbia Records/Sony Music released a Switchfoot greatest hits compilation album titled The Best Yet, a sort of "final farewell from Sony" 

Hello Hurricane and Eastern Hymns for Western Shores (2008–2010)
Prior to the label split, Foreman had announced in a March 17, 2007 MySpace blog that Switchfoot had begun pre-production for a new album, saying that "the new SF record is underway " Later, on October 12, 2007, Foreman also announced that the band had begun construction of their own studio in their hometown of San Diego  The studio, named Spot X Studio, was completed in the spring of 2008, and the band began recording their follow-up to 2006's Oh! Gravity In April, the band announced that instead of one studio album, they had actually been at work on 4 albums-worth of material, and had decided at the time to release them one after another, starting with the first one on November 10, 2009, titled Hello Hurricane Upon completion of Hello Hurricane, the band began searching for "the right partners" to distribute the songs globally  On August 7, 2009, the band announced that lowercase people records was licensing the album to Atlantic Records, ensuring "these tunes are heard around the world " To help promote this new release, the band took a hands-on approach with their lead single, "Mess of Me", by hiding copies of the single all across the world and encouraging fans to share it around by finding the discs and making copies of their own to hide  Through this, the single spread all across the world in grassroots fashion in advance of a traditional radio release, which saw the track hitting the Top 15 of Modern Rock radio  This was followed by the release of "The Sound (John M  Perkins' Blues)", which went on to become the band's first Top 10 Modern Rock hit since "Dare You to Move" On December 1, 2010, it was announced that Hello Hurricane had been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album  It won the Grammy on February 13, 2011 
Late in 2010, Switchfoot announced, via newsletter, that they would be releasing an EP of songs that they wrote and recorded between Nothing Is Sound and Oh! Gravity  It was called Eastern Hymns for Western Shores  For a time the location of the masters of these tracks were unknown  Once found, Switchfoot announced that the EP would be available as part of their holiday fan pack which also included a Switchfoot calendar, poster, sweatshirt jacket, and limited edition post cards, one for each of the songs on the EP  In their newsletter the band described these songs as showing their "darker" side  The EP included five never before heard songs along with a different cut of the Oh! Gravity song "Dirty Second Hands" 

Vice Verses (2011–2012)
Switchfoot's eighth studio album, Vice Verses, was released on September 27, 2011, and debuted at No  8 on the Billboard 200  According to Butler, the core of the record rests thematically in the idea of the polarity of life  A release date of September 27, 2011, was announced on AllAccess, with "Dark Horses" hitting modern rock radio on July 20 In an interview with CBN com, Bassist Tim Foreman calls Vice Verses a cousin to Hello Hurricane, not a sequel to their last album, but related in some ways  Tim, speaking of his brother (Switchfoot's lead singer, Jon), said, "It features some of his best lyrical work," and that Tim is happy with the musical component of the project as well  "From the very beginning, we set goals, one of them being to make a very rhythmic record, a very soulful record, and a very hard-hitting record that really pushes the boundaries, the highs and the lows," he told CBN com Switchfoot performed a song for the Hawaii Five-0 soundtrack, released October 4, 2011, titled "Out of Control" 
On Record Store Day 2012, Switchfoot released their latest EP record, Vice Re-Verses  The digital download of the EP was later released on May 1 

Fading West album and film (2013–2015)
As of May 2013, Switchfoot was on tour and filming a movie called Fading West  The band's guitarist Drew Shirley has said that it was "a surf documentary mixed with behind the scenes footage of the band" and that "the soundtrack will be released as a CD and it will be [their] next album"  On September 17, 2013 Switchfoot released Fading West EP containing three songs from the full-length album  Two songs on the EP, "Who We Are" and "Love Alone Is Worth the Fight", were released to different radio formats as the lead singles promoting the upcoming album  The Fading West film premiered during the Fading West Tour that started in September 2013, and was released digitally on December 10, 2013  Switchfoot's ninth studio album, also titled Fading West, was released on January 14, 2014 through lowercase people and Atlantic Records In February 2014, in a YouTube Interview with Relevant magazine, Jon Foreman hinted that a new album was coming out in late 2014 or early 2015 that would mostly consist of the songs that were cut from the Fading West film  The album, an EP titled The Edge of the Earth, was released on September 9, 2014  Foreman also announced that he would be releasing between 30-50 new songs for his solo albums most likely during 2015 
Switchfoot toured in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands in May and June 2015 
In July and August 2015, Switchfoot toured with Needtobreathe, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors and Colony House during the second leg of the 2015 "Tour De Compadres" tour 

Where the Light Shines Through and hiatus (2015–2017)
In August 2015, it was reported that Switchfoot would be releasing their tenth studio album in 2016 
On April 29, 2016, Concord Music Group announced that the band had signed a worldwide recording and co-publishing deal with Vanguard Records imprint and Concord's sister publishing unit, The Bicycle Music Company 
On May 12, 2016, Switchfoot announced that the album, titled Where the Light Shines Through, would be released on July 8, 2016  It was produced by Switchfoot and John Fields, with whom the band has worked on The Beautiful Letdown, Nothing Is Sound and Oh! Gravity 
The band supported the album with the Looking for America Tour, featuring Relient K and traveled to over 70 cities from September 17, 2016 through February 2017 
On December 6, 2016, Switchfoot revealed through an email newsletter and on their website that the premiere of their new film, Live from Hollywood Palladium, would coincide with their 2017 Summer Getaway event 
In July 2017 the band took to the road touring with Lifehouse on the "Looking for Summer" tour  Where the band delivered 30+ shows across the U S  and Canada  It was the first time that both Lifehouse & Switchfoot had toured together, where rock fans across North America got to hear both dynamic Rock bands of the same era  A new single by Lifehouse and Switchfoot had been released to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey while on tour  The song, “Shine Like Gold” 
On December 15, 2017, Switchfoot announced via their website and mailing list that, after returning home from their fall tour, they will be taking a hiatus "for the foreseeable future"  The band said in their announcement, "For the first time in twenty years, we are taking an extended break "

Native Tongue and Covers (2018–2021)
On March 30, 2018, the band posted a clip on YouTube stating that they had come out of their hiatus and were working on something called "Project 11"  They also previewed a heavy metal version of "Meant to Live", claiming this to be their new sound  Two days later on April 1, this was revealed to be an April Fool's Joke On August 9, 2018, the band's song "You Found Me" was released as the single promoting the drama film Unbroken: Path to Redemption  The soundtrack album for the film was released on September 14, 2018 On October 19, 2018, Switchfoot announced the release of their eleventh album Native Tongue on January 18, 2019 through Fantasy Records  In support of the album, the band embarked on a 2019 concert tour of the United States, supported by Colony House and Tyson Motsenbocker  The first single "Native Tongue" and its music video were released in conjunction with the album announcement In Spring 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Switchfoot started working on an EP titled Covers, containing the band's take on songs by Frank Ocean, Vampire Weekend, The Chainsmokers, The Verve, Harry Styles and Jon Bellion  It was released on June 19, 2020 via Fantasy Records  They also played a monthly livestream concert called the "Fantastic Not Traveling Music Show" during which they played a variety of song requests spanning their career 

Interrobang (2021–present)
On May 7, 2021, Switchfoot released "I Need You (To Be Wrong)" as the first single from their twelfth studio album 
Interrobang  The album was released on August 20, 2021  A "deluxe" edition of the album was released on July 8, 2022, the six year anniversary of their 2016 album "Where The Light Shines Through"  Switchfoot returned to live touring opening for Needtobreathe on the "Into the Mystery Tour"  They also collaborated with Needtobreathe on an Amazon original Christmas song titled "Hometown Christmas" On February 21, 2022, the band announced that Drew Shirley and the band were parting ways In September 2022 the band announced their first Christmas album This Is Our Christmas Album will be released in November  The album was released on November 4, 2022 
In May 2023, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their album The Beautiful Letdown, the band released The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) and went on a subsequent tour playing the entire album live 

Style and influences
Since Switchfoot's first release in 1997, the band's sound has changed significantly  The style of the early albums with independent label re:think Records consisted primarily of guitar-driven alternative rock, hard rock with characteristics of a three-man lineup, though they also incorporated string arrangements with slower songs 

Switchfoot's frontman and guitarist Jon Foreman cites his musical influences as U2, The Beatles, and Keith Green, and has said that he admires the vocal "strength and vulnerability" of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash  Guitarist Drew Shirley cites U2, Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tommy Walker, Phil Keaggy, Michael Jackson, Dave Matthews Band, and the Brand New Heavies, while bassist Tim Foreman pays tribute to Stevie Wonder  Chad Butler also cites Dave Grohl as an influence for The Beautiful Letdown  "We've never fit in any of the genre boxes," says Jon Foreman  "I think that diversity is our strength" With regard to their lyrics, Foreman notes "we try to make music for thinking people", which can be characterized by his allusions to the works of philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard and Augustine of Hippo in the songs "Sooner or Later (Soren's Song)" and "Something More (Augustine's Confession)" respectively  "Meant to Live", the band's runaway hit, was inspired by T  S  Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men", while "Stars", the lead single off Nothing Is Sound, briefly "looks at things from the Descartes perspective," according to Foreman 

Switchfoot and Christian music
Switchfoot is often referred to as a Christian rock band; even after having been signed to the mainstream Columbia Records from 2003–2007, Atlantic Records from 2008–2016, and currently, Vanguard Records, their albums are still distributed to Christian retail outlets through Sparrow Records/EMI CMG, their songs are featured on Christian radio and charts, they play at Christian festivals, and they are presented with Dove Awards  The band has always philosophically disagreed with this label; "We're Christian by faith, not genre," Tim Foreman explained to Rolling Stone magazine in 2003 Says Jon Foreman, "We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from  For us, these songs are for everyone  Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them, and that's not what we're trying to do  Music has always opened my mind—and that's what we want" "[Signing to Columbia was] a realization of something that we'd wanted to be from the beginning," Foreman explains  "When we were signed to re:think Records [an indie label], the goal was to get the music out to everybody  [But] when Sparrow [a Christian label] bought re:think Records, it was evident that our music wasn't going to be in the hands of everybody  As a Christian, I have a lot to say within the walls of the church  But also, as a Christian, I've got a lot to say just about life in general     So to be able to be on Columbia and on Sparrow felt like the realization of the two sides of what we had to say  It's a dream come true to be able to have songs that are outside of the box "Following the release of The Beautiful Letdown, the band temporarily stopped playing at Christian festivals and doing interviews with Christian organizations, as they found the speculation about their faith to be distracting from the music  Three years later, they went back to headlining at large Christian-based music festivals, and also agreed to be featured on the June 2006 cover of CCM Magazine after declining the opportunity for years  Yet in many ways they used the opportunity to describe their split from the CCM industry  This has caused some, such as Spin writer Andrew Beaujon, to take the view that "their lyrics often have two different meanings, one meaning for a Christian audience and one meaning for the rest of us  They try to relate to two different groups of people at once " Jon Foreman has compared the Christian undertones of his music to the undertones of C S  Lewis's books 

Other projects
Switchfoot has been involved in a number of humanitarian causes, including DATA, the ONE Campaign, the Keep A Breast Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Invisible Children, and To Write Love on Her Arms In addition to supporting those causes, they founded the Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Contest, an annual benefit contest and concert to raise money for various organizations serving homeless kids in the band's hometown of San Diego  Also, before recording Nothing Is Sound, the band made a trip to several South African villages in January 2005, which inspired the album's song "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine"  Seeing an orphanage filled with infants who all lost their parents to AIDS, befriending orphans in the streets, and getting involved with a children's choir called the "Kuyasa Kids" moved them to start an organization called lowercase people  The organization originally published a quarterly online magazine for music, arts and social justice  They have also produced a CD by the Kuyasa Kids to help raise money for the children's communities 
In 2008, Switchfoot also got involved in the musical movement to spread awareness about 21st century slavery and human trafficking, performing "Awakening" for the documentary film Call + Response 
Jon Foreman has also released several solo projects, and is also involved in an acoustic collaboration called Fiction Family with Sean Watkins of the band Nickel Creek On Saturday, July 31, 2010, Switchfoot performed live at the 2010 Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree final arena show: "A Shining Light Across America" in Fort A P  Hill, Virginia  Jon and Tim Foreman were both Boy Scouts in their youth, and were honored by the opportunity to perform at the Scouts' 100th anniversary event Switchfoot performed at the Harvest America event on March 6, 2016 at ATT Stadium Switchfoot hosts a yearly charity event in their hometown of San Diego known as the "Bro Am"  Established in 2005, the event benefits local and national charitable organizations, including the band's own Bro Am foundation  The Bro Am festivities typically include a silent auction the night before the public event, wherein donors bid in a silent auction for charity  The Bro Am event consists of surf contests in the morning and musical performances in the afternoon, culminating in Switchfoot's capstone performance  Since its inception, the Bro Am has raised over $1 million for charitable causes In 2017, Switchfoot joined forces with the fellow rock band Lifehouse, to help raise funds for Hurricane Harvey victims through their song "Shine Like Gold” 

Members
Current membersJon Foreman – lead vocals, keyboards, piano (1996–present); lead guitar (1996–2004, 2022–present); rhythm guitar (1996–2001, 2005–2022 in studio; 2005–present live)
Tim Foreman – bass, backing and occasional lead vocals, occasional acoustic guitar (1996–present), keyboards (2000–2001)
Chad Butler – drums, percussion (1996–present)
Jerome Fontamillas – keyboards, piano, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)Current touring musiciansBoaz Roberts – lead guitar, backing vocals (2021–present)Former membersDrew Shirley – lead guitar, backing vocals (2005–2022; touring musician 2004–2005)Timeline

Discography
The Legend of Chin (1997)
New Way to Be Human (1999)
Learning to Breathe (2000)
The Beautiful Letdown (2003)
Nothing Is Sound (2005)
Oh! Gravity  (2006)
Hello Hurricane (2009)
Vice Verses (2011)
Fading West (2014)
Where the Light Shines Through (2016)
Native Tongue (2019)
Interrobang (2021)
This Is Our Christmas Album (2022)
The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) (2023)

Awards
Switchfoot won a Grammy Award for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album in 2011 with Hello Hurricane  They've also garnered eleven GMA Dove Awards and twelve San Diego Music Awards 
Passage 5:
Raygun (album)
Raygun is an EP released by the Matthew Good Band in 1997  The EP was distributed by A&M Records on Matthew Good's own imprint, Darktown  It was the first MGB album recorded with guitarist Dave Genn as an official member of the band  The EP includes a re-recorded version of Last of the Ghetto Astronauts song, "Haven't Slept In Years" 

Track listing
All tracks written by Matthew Good, except where noted 

"Raygun"  – 3:17
"Generation X-Wing"  – 4:32 (Good, Genn)
"Haven't Slept In Years (Alternate)"  – 3:31
"Alabama Motel Room"  – 3:22 (Good, Lloyd, Browne)
"So Long Mrs  Smith"  – 1:36

Production
Produced and engineered by Dale Penner for Paradise Alley Productions  Mixed by Clif Norrell at Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles, CA, except Alabama Motel Room, which was produced and engineered by John Shepp and remixed by Clif Norrell  Recorded at Greenhouse Studios and Utopia Parkway Studios, Vancouver, BC  Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles, CA 

Band members
Matthew Good - vocals, guitar
Geoff Lloyd - bass guitar
Ian Browne - drums
Dave Genn - guitar, keyboards
Passage 6:
Rich Priske
Rich Priske (August 29, 1967 –  July 11, 2020), also known as Rich Rock, was a Canadian bass guitarist  Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he had long been active in the B C  music scene, and played bass guitar and/or written songs for Art Bergmann, DSK, ShoCore, Chrome Dog, Bif Naked, The Real McKenzies, and others  Priske was best known for playing bass guitar in the Canadian band Matthew Good Band from 1998 to 2002  After the band's dissolution in 2002, he kept playing with Matthew Good until the end of the In a Coma tour in fall 2005  Later in life, he lived in Kelowna and played in the Jon Bos Band and Florida Man 

Writing
Priske was an avid writer, contributing to weblogs as a "citizen journalist" for kitsilano ca, and others  He contributed many technical and instructional articles to magazines such as CM (Canadian Musician)  Priske also wrote for Wine Trails, and other wine-industry publications  He had a long history with the web, and was an early adopter of what is now known as "web logging" or "blogging", beginning with his popular "Notes From The Road" feature on the now defunct Matthew Good Band website, circa 2001  He kept a blog on Blogger, but updated it rarely 

Film work
Priske was also involved in BC's thriving film and theatre industry, on stage and both in front of and behind the camera  As well as appearing in many music videos, he had bit parts in films like Red Scorpion 2, and Hard Core Logo, and appeared on stage in productions of Cabaret and You Can't Take It with You  Behind the scenes, Priske was active in the Art Department, earning an Emmy nomination for 2008's "Tinman" 

Death
On July 11, 2020, Priske died of a heart attack 

Discography
with Matthew Good Band:

Beautiful Midnight
Loser Anthems
The Audio of Beingwith Matthew Good:

Avalanche
White Light Rock & Roll Review
In a Comawith DSK:

Exploder
Imploderwith Bif Naked:

Bif Naked
Essentially Naked (greatest hits compilation)with The Real McKenzies:

Real McKenzies
Clash of the Tartanswith ShoCore:

untitled release (2007)with Brooke Nolan:

self-titled EPwith The Town Pants:

Weight of WordsSex With Nixon (1995) Self titled LP
Passage 7:
Weapon (song)
"Weapon" is a song by Canadian alternative rock artist Matthew Good  It was the first song released by Good as a solo artist after the break-up of the Matthew Good Band  The song was released in October 2002 as the lead single from his debut solo album, Avalanche   The song peaked at No  4 on Canada's Nielsen rock chart 

Track listing
Music video
The music video for "Weapon" was directed by Matthew Good and Ante Kovac  It was filmed on October 5, 2002, at Pier 94  In a later commentary, Good related that Kovac's first edit of the video was far too standard, with gratuitous and generic fades  After firing Kovac, Good flew to Toronto and worked with video editor Jay Deschamps to re-craft the footage  While working on the edit, Good began to experiment with overlaying text and adding still frames and stock photos to help deliver the message  Good noted that the video was his favourite from his catalogue 
The video won the award for "Best Video" at the 2003 Juno Awards  Good did not attend the ceremony and Kovac accepted the award alone 

In popular culture
The song is featured on MuchMusic's compilation album Big Shiny Tunes 7 
An excerpt of the song was used as the opening credits theme music for CTV's series The Eleventh Hour 
The song was featured on Hockey Night in Canada in the opening montage for Game 5 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals 
"Weapon" was also featured in the second-season finale of Smallville 
The song is used in the second-season episode "A Higher Echelon" of the J  J  Abrams series Alias 
The song appears in the third season of Queer As Folk 
The song was featured in the first season of Flashpoint in the episode "Between Heartbeats" 
Passage 8:
Ian Browne (musician)
Ian Browne (born November 12, 1973) is a Canadian-born musician and composer  He was formerly with psych-blues band No Sinner, and before that notably the drummer of the popular Canadian rock group Matthew Good Band  Browne plays drums and performs backup vocals on The Prettys' upcoming second LP "Soirée"  He also played on No Sinner's debut EP Boo Hoo Hoo, and played drums and produced tracks on their 2016 LP "Old Habits Die Hard"  He can also be heard on the Matthew Good Band albums Last of the Ghetto Astronauts, Raygun, Underdogs, Lo-Fi B-Sides, Beautiful Midnight, Loser Anthems, Audio of Being, and the greatest hits compilation In a Coma 
While with Matthew Good Band, Browne received Juno Awards in 2000 for Best Group of 1999 and Best Rock Album  of 1999  Browne also composed original music for the Sci-Fi network series Sanctuary  He now records and performs with The Prettys and occasionally other Vancouver, British Columbia based artists Rich Hope and Dustin Bentall 
As a composer, his work can be heard on the science fiction series Flash Gordon and Sanctuary  And Now and forever he’s playing in The Pierce Kingans , recording/playing on over 13 EPs 
Passage 9:
Yes to Everything
Yes to Everything is a 2005 album by Canadian alternative rock band 54-40  This was the first 54-40 album recorded with the band's new guitarist, Dave Genn (former guitarist of Matthew Good Band)   The album was recorded at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver using former Midnight Oil and Matthew Good producer Warne Livesey 

Track listing
"Easy to Love" – 3:48
"Can't Get Enough" – 3:58
"Golden Sun" – 4:35
"Stop Line" – 6:05
"This Is Here, This Is Now" – 4:21
"All About Love" – 3:12
"Blue Plate Special" – 3:44
"Beautiful Self" – 3:38
"Calling You Out" – 3:00
"Another Kiss" – 3:06
"On the Road Home" – 3:58
Context 2: Passage 1:
Shreekhandpur
Shreekhandapur (Nepal Bhasa: खम्पू) is a city situated in the Dhulikhel municipality in Kavrepalanchowk district in Nepal This historical town is about 28 km east from Kathmandu  The city is located roughly at 1400m above sea level  The main attraction of Shreekhandapur is the temple of Swet Bhairav, located approximately 1 km northeast of the town  The name Shreekhandapur was originally given due to the presence of the tree Shreekhand  Its name during the Licchavi period was खम्पू which is still used predominantly by the Newar community living in this town 

History
Shreekhandapur is historically important city which was a major part of the trade route towards the southern part of the country  Merchants would have to go through this city before the invent of modern transportation  The city was incorporated in the kingdom of Nepal by Prithvi Narayan Shah during his unification around 1820 Bikram Sambat  The various parts of the town have their own names as well 
The eastern part is referred to as bahatol, the part which has the Nasika temple towards north east is referred to as Nastol, the north west part is referred to as bhukhatol, the western part is referred to as basatol, and the middle part of the town is referred to as chaftol  The residents of chaftol were originally brought to Shreekhandapur from Bhaktapur and Lalitpur by Prithvi Narayan Shah to build economic foundation to this town during the unification of Nepal  Particularly, the Karmacharya's were from Bhaktapur and Dhunju's were from Lalitpur 

Festivals
Bisket Jatra is a major festival which is celebrated during the new year period based on the Bikram Sambat calendar  It is as important as the Dashain festival for the locals here in the city  A tree is brought from Bhaktapur and raised in the city for seven days to celebrate the festival  They carry the statue of Ganesh, Kumar, and Bhairav in specially made Chariot and take it around all parts of the town to celebrate the festival 
Gai Jatra is celebrated yearly by the locals to honor their late family members 

Transportation
The city is connected to the capital city Kathmandu through the Arniko Rajmarg 

Education
Shreekhandapur higher secondary school
Kathmandu University is located about 1 km towards east of the town
Passage 2:
Orosháza
Orosháza is a city situated in the westernmost part of Békés county, Hungary, on the Békés ridge bordered by the rivers Maros and Körös  Orosháza is an important cultural, educational and recreational centre of the region 

Main sights
The city's main attractions are the Orosháza-Gyopárosfürdő spa complex, the Szántó Kovács János Museum, the Darvas József Literary Memorial House, and the Town Art Gallery  The only museum in the country devoted to water wells is found in Orosháza  At the Rágyánszky Arboretum, more than 2000 plant species in 6000 varieties can be seen The Lutheran church, was built between 1777 and 1830 in late Baroque style  It is located in the centre of the town  The bell carried by the first settlers, who migrated from Zomba, is kept in front of the altar of the church 
A number of cultural and entertaining programmes are organised in the town every year 

Notable residents
The cantor Marcel Lorand was born in the city in 1912  He learned music with Béla Bartók and became the cantor of the Synagogue de la Paix in Strasbourg, France, in 1964  He died in 1988 
Júlia Goldman (b  1974), was born in Oroshaza and is noted as an "outstanding writer" of fantasy and adventure 
Gyula Gömbös, prime minister of Hungary was made an honorary citizen of the city in 1932 

Orosháza-Gyopárosfürdő spa complex
The Gyopárosfürdő dictrict of Orosháza is located 3 km from the city center  Gyopárosfürdő has been well known for its thermal water since 1869, which rises from a depth of 670 meters  Set in a 10-hectare park, the Orosháza-Gyopárosfürdő Thermal Spa, Park and Adventure Pools spa complex has 8 outdoor and 5 indoor pools, including adventure pools, thermal pools, children’s pools and even a 50-meter cold-water sports pool 
Official website: https://gyoparosfurdo-oroshaza hu/en

Gallery
Twin towns – sister cities
Orosháza is twinned with:
Passage 3:
Cachoeirinha
Cachoeirinha (lit  "Little Waterfall") is a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul  Cachoeirinha is an alternative for the people who want to be near Porto Alegre (capital of Rio Grande do Sul)  The city is situated at a strategic point in Rio Grande do Sul state  The city shares borders with Porto Alegre, Canoas, Esteio, Sapucaia do Sul, Gravataí and Alvorada  The city holiday is on May 15, the date on which the city declared its emancipation 

Municipal policy
The Executive of the Municipality of Cachoeirinha is represented by the mayor and his office of Secretary, following the model proposed by the Federal Constitution  Legislative Power is represented by the City Council, composed of 17 councilors elected to office for four years  The House vote enacts laws for the administration and the Executive, especially the municipal budget 

Population
One of Cachoeirinha's gaucho municipalities had higher population growth in the 1970s  As of 20, the city has 131,240 inhabitants and 43 9 square kilometers of land area 

Traditions
Traditions of the gaucho are celebrated by the Cachoeirinha Center Traditions  Rancho da Saudade holds popular events  The Creole round, held annually in the city, received the recognition of the Government of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and is included in the official calendar  Rodeos held in Cachoeirinha attract people from various cities of Brazil 

Education
The city has 15 public schools and 8 private at the elementary level and one college 

External links
Cachoeirinha Mayor's Office (in Portuguese)
Passage 4:
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Rancho Cucamonga ( RAN-choh KOO-kə-MUNG-gə) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States  About 37 mi (60 km) east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the 28th most populous city in California  The city's seal, which centers on a cluster of grapes, alludes to the city's agricultural history including wine-making  The city's proximity to major transportation hubs, airports, and highways has attracted the business of several large corporations, including Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Big Lots, Mercury Insurance Group, Southern California Edison, and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals The city had a population of 174,453 according to the 2020 United States Census  The city experiences an average of 287 sunny days per year, compared to a national average of 205 days  Its climate is classified as warm Mediterranean, or Csa, under the Köppen climate classification system In 2017, the California Department of Education announced that all four high schools were named California Gold Ribbon Schools The Jack Benny Program popularized the city's name, in particular the word "Cucamonga" 

History
By 1200 AD, Kukamongan Native Americans had established a village settlement in the area around present-day Red Hill, near the city's western border, where Red Hill Country Club stands today  Kukamonga derives its name from a Tongva word meaning "sandy place " Anthropologists have determined that this cluster of settlers likely belonged to the Tongva people or Kich people, at one time one of the largest concentrations of Native American peoples on the North American continent  In the 18th century, following an expedition led by Gaspar de Portola, the land was incorporated into the Mission System  established by Father Junipero Serra and his group of soldiers and Franciscan friars  

After a half century of political jockeying in the region, the land finally came under the control of Juan Bautista Alvarado, governor of Mexico  On March 3, 1839, Alvarado granted 13,000 acres of land in the area called "Cucamonga" to Tubercio Tapia, a first-generation Spanish native of Los Angeles, successful merchant, and notorious smuggler  Tapia went on to establish the first winery in California on his newly deeded land  Rancho Cucamonga was purchased by John Rains and his wife in 1858  The Rains family's home, Casa de Rancho Cucamonga, was completed in 1860 and now appears on the National Register of Historic Places During the ensuing years the town prospered and grew  In 1887, irrigation tunnels were dug into Cucamonga Canyon by Chinese laborers and the Santa Fe Railroad was extended through the area  Among the town's economic mainstays was agriculture, including olives, peaches, citrus, and, most notably, vineyards  In 1913, the Pacific Electric Railway was extended through Rancho Cucamonga in an effort to improve crop transportation  Several landmarks in existence today pay tribute to the city's multicultural founding  In particular, Our Lady of Mt  Carmel remains as a relic of the area's Mexican agriculture laborers while the Chinatown House stands as a reminder of the Chinese immigrants who labored in constructing the area's infrastructure In 1977, the unincorporated communities of Alta Loma, Cucamonga, and Etiwanda voted to incorporate, forming the city of Rancho Cucamonga 

Grapeland
The former community of Grapeland, first settled in 1869, lay roughly between today's Victoria Groves Park and Central Park  There was a schoolhouse which also doubled as a church  In 1890 an irrigation district was formed and $200,000 in bonds were sold to pay for improvements  The Sierra Vista reservoir was built in 1886-87 by J L  Scofield as the focal point of a network of irrigation pipes   The system was unused, however, because the bond issue was declared illegal  "Orchards and vineyards began to die," The Daily Report newspaper reported in a retrospective  "Residents moved out  The post office closed in 1905  Homes, buildings were destroyed or abandoned " The reservoir remained unused until 1956, when the Fontana Union Water Company filled it with 5 million gallons of water  The local school district was merged with the Etiwanda district in 1901  In 1957 the settlement was practically deserted, but there were still rabbit-proof stone walls marking boundaries of previous citrus orchards 

Geography
Rancho Cucamonga is part of the Inland Empire and San Bernardino County, a region that lies inland from the Pacific coast and directly east of Los Angeles County  Rancho Cucamonga is located about 37 mi (60 km) east of Los Angeles, bordered by Upland to its west, Ontario to its south, the San Gabriel Mountains to its north and I-15 and Fontana to its east  The city sits atop an alluvial plain and views of Cucamonga Peak, one of the tallest peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains, are available from all points throughout the city  The city has a total area of 39 9 sq mi (103 km2), 99 95% of which is land and 0 05% water 

Climate
The city's climate is classified as hot-summer Mediterranean, or Csa, under the Köppen climate classification system  Yearly precipitation is 17 68 in (449 mm) and the city experiences an average of 287 sunny days per year, compared to a national average of 205 days 

Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Rancho Cucamonga had a population of 165,269  The population density was 4,145 2 inhabitants per square mile (1,600 5/km2)  The racial makeup of Rancho Cucamonga was 102,401 (62 0%) White (42 7% Non-Hispanic White), 15,246 (9 2%) African American, 1,134 (0 7%) Native American, 17,208 (10 4%) Asian, 443 (0 3%) Pacific Islander, 19,878 (12 0%) from other races, and 8,959 (5 4%) from two or more races   There were 57,688 residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry, of any race (34 9%) The census reported that 162,145 people (98 1% of the population) lived in households, 136 (0 1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2,988 (1 8%) were institutionalized Out of a total of 54,383 households, 23,055 (42 4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 30,533 (56 1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 7,514 (13 8%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 3,257 (6 0%) had a male householder with no wife present, as well as 2,995 (5 5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships and 425 (0 8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships  9,956 households (18 3%) were made up of individuals, and 2,679 (4 9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older  The average household size was 2 98   Over the 41,304 families (76 0% of all households), the average family size was 2 90 The age distribution of the city was as follows: 42,550 people (25 7%) under the age of 18, 17,365 people (10 5%) aged 18 to 24, 48,600 people (29 4%) aged 25 to 44, 43,710 people (26 4%) aged 45 to 64, and 13,044 people (7 9%) who were 65 years of age or older   The median age was 34 5 years  For every 100 females, there were 97 6 males   For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95 2 males There were 56,618 housing units at an average density of 1,420 1 per square mile (548 3/km2), of which 35,250 (64 8%) were owner-occupied, and 19,133 (35 2%) were occupied by renters  The homeowner vacancy rate was 1 6%; the rental vacancy rate was 5 2%   110,570 people (66 9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 51,575 people (31 2%) lived in rental housing units During 2009–2013, Rancho Cucamonga had a median household income of $77,835, with 6 9% of the population living below the federal poverty line 

2000
As of the 2000 census, there were 127,743 people, 40,863 households, and 31,832 families residing in the city   The population density was 1,317 0/km2 (3,411 4/mi2)   There were 42,134 housing units at an average density of 434 4/km2 (1,125 2/mi2)   The racial makeup of the city was 66 53% White, 9 00% Asian, 0 67% Native American, 5 99% African American, 0 27% Pacific Islander, 13 25% from other races, and 5 41% from a biracial or multiracial background  Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27 78% of the population There were 40,863 households, of which 44 7% had children under the age of 18   60 2% of households consist of a married couple living together   12 8% had a female householder with no husband present   22 1% were non-families  16 8% of all households were single-person and 4 1% had a person of 65 years of age or older   The average household size was 3 04 and the average family size was 3 44 In the city, the population spread was as follows: 29 9% were under the age of 18, 9 9% were from 18 to 24, 33 2% were from 25 to 44, 21 0% were from 45 to 64, and 6 1% were 65 years of age or older   The median age was 32 years  For every 100 females, there were 100 1 males   For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98 0 males The median income for a household in the city was $78,428 and the median income for a family was $91,240  Males had a median income of $50,288 versus $40,952 for females  The per capita income for the city was $23,702   About 4 9% of families and 7 1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7 6% of those under age 18 and 7 3% of those age 65 or over 

Economy
While most of the city's land area is devoted to residential areas, Rancho Cucamonga, like its neighbors Ontario and Fontana, is a major center for the logistics industry in Southern California  This is due to its proximity to two interstate highways and Ontario International Airport, and the space afforded by the large tracts of former agricultural land in the southern section of the city In the area around Milliken Avenue, between Archibald and Etiwanda Avenues, Foothill Boulevard, and Fourth Street, about seven square miles of land are primarily occupied by numerous massive distribution centers, and even more, smaller manufacturing companies  This area is ringed by office parks, mostly along Haven Avenue, and shopping strips, such as the Terra Vista Town Center (part of a nearly two-square-mile master-planned community in the center of the city), and malls, such as Victoria Gardens, and the Ontario Mills, across Fourth Street in Ontario The city is also home to a CMC Steel (formerly Gerdau, formerly TAMCO Steel) minimill, the only producer of long steel in California  This mill recycles ferrous scrap, such as junked cars and appliances, to produce rebar The city hosts LoanMart Field, (formerly known as The Epicenter), a minor-league baseball stadium, home of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes  The Quakes' mascot, Tremor, is a "Rallysaurus "

Victoria Gardens
Victoria Gardens is a lifestyle center near the eastern end of the city, at the intersection of Foothill and Day Creek Boulevards  Since the city had never developed a traditional commercial downtown like neighboring cities Ontario and Upland had, efforts were made in the design of Victoria Gardens to bring elements of more traditional and urban town design to what had historically been a suburban city  While retaining many characteristics of traditional shopping malls, such as large anchor stores, a food court, and vast parking lots and garages, the smaller stores are arranged as city blocks in a grid of two-lane streets, featuring lush landscaping and metered "teaser parking" in front of the stores, which open onto the sidewalk  There are two "Main Streets", which run from west to east across the center  Running from north to south between them is a pedestrian axis leading from one of the Macy's anchor stores, through a "town square" between a pair of mixed-use office buildings, to the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, which contains the Lewis Playhouse (a 570-seat theater) and a branch of the city library  The east side of the development has Southern California's only Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World superstore; the 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m2) facility includes a Tracker Boat Center and the Islamorada Fish Company restaurant  There are restaurants throughout the center, both well-known chains and unique eateries, including California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, Fleming's, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining, Johnny Rockets, King's Fish House, Lucille's Bar-B-Que, N7 Creamery, P F  Chang's China Bistro, Richie's Diner, T G I  Friday's, and Yard House  The center features a 12-screen AMC Theatre 

Top employers
According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the city are:

Government
Local government
Rancho Cucamonga is a General Law City, incorporated in 1977 under the "Council-Manager" form of local government  The four-member Council, plus the Mayor, City Clerk, and City Treasurer, are all elected at-large by the voters of the city  The Council then appoints the City Manager, who acts as the administrative head of the city government, and is responsible for the day-to-day operations, code enforcement, and the fiscal soundness of the municipal government  The council itself serves as a local legislative body  
The city's elections, which are plurality, are held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years 
L  Dennis Michael has been the city's mayor since 2011, with John Gillison as the city manager According to a city Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $278 3 million in revenues, $243 6 million in expenditures, $1,400 7 million in total assets, $492 1 million in total liabilities, and $583 3 million in cash and investments 

Politics
In the California State Legislature, Rancho Cucamonga is in the  23rd Senate District, represented by Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, and in the  40th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Pilar Schiavo In the United States House of Representatives, Rancho Cucamonga is in California's  33rd congressional district, represented by Democrat Pete Aguilar In 2005, the non-partisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research ranked Rancho Cucamonga as the 28th most conservative city in the United States 

Law enforcement
Since incorporation in 1977, law enforcement services in Rancho Cucamonga City have been provided through a contract with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Rancho Cucamonga is also home to the Foothill Communities San Bernardino County Courthouse, which is housed in a building adjacent to the Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center, in a government complex located at Haven Avenue and Civic Center Drive in the city  The Civic Center houses the Rancho Cucamonga city hall, the city police department, and other local government offices 

Education
Schools
Rancho Cucamonga has multiple public K–12 schools, operating under several different school districts, within its borders: Alta Loma School District, Central School District, Cucamonga School District, Etiwanda School District, and Chaffey Joint Union High School District  Private schools include Upland Christian Academy  In addition, Rancho Cucamonga is the home to Chaffey College and satellite campuses of the University of La Verne, Cambridge College, University of Redlands, Everest College, and University of Phoenix, as well as the automotive trade school 
High Schools

Alta Loma High School
Etiwanda High School
Los Osos High School
Rancho Cucamonga High School

Libraries
The city of Rancho Cucamonga has two public libraries, with a combined total of over 200,000 volumes  The library at 7368 Archibald Avenue opened in 1994 and was remodeled in the summer of 2008  The Paul A  Biane library at 12505 Cultural Center Drive at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center opened in August 2006  In 2013, the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library was a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Services, the nation's highest honor that can be bestowed on a Library or Museum 

Infrastructure
Rancho Cucamonga's location at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains has necessitated the use of numerous control channels and basins to reduce the seasonal flood danger from the several streams descending from the range  In past years, some of the city's roads were known for flooding  Hermosa Avenue, in particular, now features many high curbs and extra-large storm drain grates to reduce flooding 

Transportation
Rancho Cucamonga is served by Omnitrans bus service,  train service from Metrolink's Rancho Cucamonga station on the San Bernardino Line, and nearby Ontario International Airport, one of four major Los Angeles-area passenger airports with multiple daily flights by most domestic carriers as well as a major shipping hub for companies like UPS and FedEx 
Interstate 15 (I-15) and State Route 210 (SR-210) run through Rancho Cucamonga as well as the historic U S  Route 66 (as Foothill Boulevard) 
I-15 sits atop an elevated berm, and cuts a curve through the southeastern part of the city, isolating a mostly industrial area, a small shopping center, and several housing tracts from the larger part of the city  Further north, I-15 forms part of the northeastern border with neighboring Fontana before entering the Cajon Pass through the San Gabriel Mountains  I-15 provides connectivity with the High Desert, Nevada, and points north for the Inland Empire and much of Southern California 
SR-210 runs nearly straight east–west through the northern part of the city, roughly bisecting the residential communities of Alta Loma and Etiwanda, providing connection (in addition to I-10 and SR-60) from the San Gabriel Valley and points west to the San Bernardino area 

Utilities
Rancho Cucamonga receives natural gas from the Southern California Gas Company  The city's water supply and sewage are managed by the Cucamonga Valley Water District  Garbage collection is by Burrtec Disposal, phone service is from Frontier Communications and cable TV is provided by Charter Communications Electric power in Rancho Cucamonga is provided by Southern California Edison and the Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility, and the city is also home to the Reliant Energy Etiwanda Generating Station, on Etiwanda Avenue  This facility, one of five Reliant stations in California, is a natural gas-fired power plant, which began operation in 1963  At 640 MW (860,000 hp) net capacity, it is Reliant's second-highest capacity plant on the West Coast  It utilizes four steam turbine generators; of which units three and four remained active after turbines one and two, as well as a combustion turbine, were retired in 2003 and 2004, respectively  Several systems are in place to control gas emissions, and annually, over 900,000,000 US gal (750,000,000 imp gal; 3 4 GL) of recycled water are used for cooling On November 29, 2011, the Inland Empire Utilities Agency installed the first wind turbine in Rancho Cucamonga 

In popular culture
The name "Cucamonga" became well known to fans of Jack Benny's popular radio program, in which an announcer, voiced by Mel Blanc, would call out: "Train leaving on track five for Anaheim, Azusa and Cu-camonga!" This running gag became so well known that it eventually led to a statue of Benny in Cucamonga The city is the primary setting of the TV series Workaholics and the feature film Next Friday  Further mention of the city was made in the Netflix series Unsolved 
The city was claimed as the location where the "Flamin' Hot" flavor of Cheetos was created in the 1980s at the Frito-Lay factory Cucamonga is referenced in the Grateful Dead song "Pride of Cucamonga" on the From the Mars Hotel album, and in "Cucamonga" on Frank Zappa’s album Bongo Fury 

See also
List of people from Rancho Cucamonga, California
List of U S  cities with large Hispanic populations
Passage 5:
Witbank
Witbank (), officially Emalahleni, is a city situated on the Highveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa, within the Emalahleni Local Municipality  The name Witbank is Afrikaans for "white ridge", and is named after a white sandstone outcrop where wagon transport drivers rested  The city is known for its coal-mining in the surrounding region 
Witbank was renamed to Emalahleni meaning the place of coal in 2006 by the government of Mpumalanga, matching the municipality 

History
Witbank was founded in 1890 and early attempts to exploit the coal deposits failed until the railway from Pretoria reached the area in 1894  It was proclaimed a town in 1903 and became a municipality in 1914 
There are many stories about the city and its origination but the top story would be the arrival of Winston Churchill at the nearby Transvaal and Delagoa Bay Colliery during his escape from Boer imprisonment in Pretoria, on his way to Delagoa Bay (later Lourenço Marques, and then Maputo, in Mozambique)  
Some local residents, loyal to the Crown, assisted him in hiding and making the final leg of his escape, thus gaining Witbank the consequent credit once the details of these events could be made known  The town has grown since then from a farming community into a business destination where companies such as Anglo American, BHP, Evraz, Eskom, Exxaro, Komatsu, the Renova Group, SABMiller, and Xstrata, among many others have found substantial returns on their investments 

Name change
On 3 March 2006, Witbank was officially renamed to Emalahleni, meaning place of coal matching the name of the municipality that contains it  A large number of signs to the town have already changed, but many still remain  Some landmarks bearing the name Witbank have remained, while others (such as the Witbank/Emalahleni dam) have been renamed 
Despite attempts by governing bodies to establish the use of the name, Emalahleni, for the city as well as for the district, locals still tend to call the city by its original name  Similarly to the anglicised pronunciation of Johannesburg, English-speaking residents pronounce the name as “wit•bank” and not as “vit•bunk” as in the original Afrikaans pronunciation, nor as “vit•bank” as English-speaking visitors are prone to say 

Transport
Witbank is located along the railway line linking Pretoria to Maputo and for many years served as the transport gateway to the Mozambiquean port  In recent years, this line has been under frequent threat of collapse due to underground coal fires in disused mines in the area 
Two national highways, the N4 from Pretoria and the N12 from Johannesburg, converge at Witbank and then continue to Komatipoort, on the border of Mozambique  Together, these routes form the Maputo Corridor, a strategically important alternative to the South African ports of Richards Bay and Durban on the Indian Ocean shores of the country 

Economy
Witbank is in a coal mining area with more than 22 collieries in the municipal radius  There are a number of power stations (such as the Duvha Power Station), as well as a steel mill (Evraz Highveld Steel and Vanadium Limited) nearby which all require coal  The farm land surrounding Witbank is fast being bought by investors, coal mining companies and real estate developers to accommodate the rapid growth of the city which is good for local businesses and residents  The region has the dirtiest air in the world due to the coal mining and plant power stations Likewise, the sustained growth of the commercial areas and suburbs has presented significant challenges to the municipal government  Potable water supplies, sewage treatment, electricity distribution, refuse collection and road maintenance are particularly affected, arousing sustained ire amongst the local residents  Relatively high summer rainfall since 2008 has caused significant damage to municipal roads, creating large numbers of potholes and leaving large amounts of debris on the road surfaces 

Demographics
The 2001 census found that Witbank had a population of 61,093, of which 50 6% were female and 49 4% male 
As of 2011 (Statistics South Africa) the city's population stood at 108,674 people 

Ethnic groups
According to the 2011 census the largest ethnic groups in Witbank were Black African at 48 1%, Whites at 46 8% and the remainder consisting of Coloureds (2 0%) and Asians (2 5%) 

Language
Among the white population, Witbank (like the rest of Mpumalanga) is mainly Afrikaans speaking  The Black population speak mostly isiZulu, isiSwati, and isiNdebele, and Asians mostly English  According to the 2001 census the largest languages in Witbank were: Afrikaans (48 8%), Zulu (23 1%), English (11 7%), Northern Sotho (5 2%) and Swazi (3 0%) 

Communities
To the west of the city, two large communities, Vosman and Kwa-Guqa (“the Place of Kneeling” in Zulu), and two smaller communities, Lynnville, Ackerville and Schoongesicht, are home to approximately 440,000 (in 2005) residents, predominantly black  While many of these residents aspire to relocate to the more spacious suburbs around the city center, generally this has only been affordable to a few thousand, due to the prices of the suburban real estate  There are now communities on the northwest side of the city that have been established at Pine Ridge (consisting predominantly of Indian residents), Klarinet and Siyanqoba  Pressure to develop the city's suburbs has been exacerbated by the gradual de-population of the surrounding colliery villages as well as the continued development of new coal-fired power stations in the area 

Tourism
As Witbank is en route to travellers  from the Gauteng province to the Kruger National Park, attempts have been made to capture some of the potential tourist spend  Apart from a few hotels, there are many guest houses  These vary from the utilitarian to the luxurious, and also cater for many of the business travellers visiting Witbank as well as those travelling to Mbombela, eSwatini and Mozambique  A casino complex is accessible within a few hundred meters from the N4 highway, providing two hotels, cinemas, ten-pin bowling and restaurants as well as the traditional gambling facilities  The Highveld Mall is built immediately next to the casino and is a retail hub for locals as well as for many residents of towns in the vicinity 

Witbank dam
The Witbank dam is reputed to be the largest municipal dam in South Africa  Once a thriving resort for camping, water-sports and animal viewing, the area has come under increasing criticism due to degradation of the facilities 

Notable people
Anneline Kriel, Miss World of 1974, was born and brought up in Witbank 
Jackson Mthembu, South  African politician born in Witbank
Hugh Masekela, international jazz artist was born in Witbank 
Lindiwe Ntshalintshali,  MEC for the Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation  Former Deputy President of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
Francois Pienaar, Captain of 1995 Springbok rugby team who won the world cup 
Percy Tau, (born 13 May 1994) in Witbank is a South African professional footballer
Leon Labuschagne, para-Olympic gold medalist for discus and shotput

Sport
Witbank was the home town of the Mpumalanga Black Aces who are dissolved football team and used to be the home town of the Pumas provincial rugby union which has since moved to Mbombela 

See also
Roman Catholic Diocese of Witbank
Witbank Spurs F C  – A football club based in Witbank
Tshwane University of Technology - Witbank Campus (incl  Mabaleng Residence)
Witbank magistrate Court
Passage 6:
Geography of Thiruvananthapuram
The Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram is located in Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala  The city is located at 8 5°N 76
Context 3: Passage 1:
Beth Turner
Beth P  Turner (born May 13, 1958 in Maine) is an American politician who served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives for the 141st district from 2011 to 2018  She was first elected on March 1, 2011, in a special election following the death of Rep  Everett McLeod in December 2010 
Turner served on the MSAD 31 School Board and the Select Board in her hometown of Burlington, Maine prior to her election the House of Representatives 
Passage 2:
San Diego mayoral special election, 2005
The 2005 San Diego mayoral special election was a special election held on Tuesday, November 8, 2005, to elect the mayor for San Diego  The special election was necessary due to the resignation of former Mayor Dick Murphy 
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though some candidates do receive funding and support from various political parties  The non-partisan special primary was held Tuesday, June 3, 2008  San Diego City Council member Donna Frye and former San Diego police chief Jerry Sanders received the most votes and advanced to the November special general election  Sanders was elected mayor with a majority of the votes in November 

Dick Murphy resignation
On April 25, 2005, Dick Murphy announced that he would resign as mayor of San Diego, effective July 15, 2005  Murphy had only recently been reelected as mayor in the highly contested 2004 mayoral election  Murphy's resignation occurred during investigations by the SEC and the FBI into the San Diego pension scandal   The city held a special election to fill the vacancy at mayor  Following Murphy's resignation, Michael Zucchet served as acting mayor for three days before he too resigned due to a corruption conviction that was later overturned  Council member Toni Atkins then served as acting mayor until the mayoral election was complete 

Candidates
Declared
Jerry Sanders, former San Diego police chief  (Voter registration: Republican)
Donna Frye, city council member (Voter registration: Democratic)
Steve Francis, businessman (Voter registration: Republican)
Pat Shea, lawyer (Voter registration: Republican)
Richard Rider, retired stock broker and financial planner (Voter registration: Libertarian)
Myke Shelby, Harley Davidson dealer (Voter registration: Republican)
Shawn A  McMillan, lawyer (Voter registration: Republican)
Jim Bell, environmental designer (Party preference: Democratic)
Ed Kolker
Jeremy Ledford
Thomas Knapp

Campaign
The special election to replace Murphy attracted a crowded field of eleven official candidates on the ballot  Donna Frye, a member of the San Diego City Council who had almost beaten Murphy with a write-in campaign in the 2004 election, was the only democrat among the top-tier candidates  Former police chief Jerry Sanders ran on a platform of executive experience, having successfully turn around the financial situations of the local chapters of the Red Cross and United Way since retiring as police chief  Steve Francis, founder and chairman of AMN Healthcare Services emphasized downsizing city government and implementing business principles  Francis outspent his rivals in the campaign, putting nearly $2 million of his own money into his campaign  Lawyer Pat Shea ran on a platform that San Diego should declare bankruptcy to deal with the pension scandal, a position that the other front runners disagreed with Frye won the plurality of votes in the July primary and advanced to the general election along with runner-up Sanders  However, Sanders and third-place finisher Francis, both republicans, combined for a majority of votes cast in the primary  After conceding the primary election, Francis endorsed Sanders for the general election   Sanders was elected mayor with a majority of the votes in the November general election 

Primary election
Polling
Results
General election
Polling
Results
Notes
Passage 3:
David Jacoby
David or Dave Jacoby may refer to:

David Jacoby (politician)
David Jacoby (sportscaster)
Dave Jacoby (powerlifter)
David Jacoby (historian)
Passage 4:
Greg Gianforte
Gregory Richard Gianforte ( JEE-ən-FOR-tay; born April 17, 1961) is an American businessman, politician, software engineer, and writer serving as the 25th governor of Montana since 2021  A member of the Republican Party, Gianforte served as the U S  representative for Montana's at-large congressional district from 2017 to 2021 
In 1997, Gianforte and his wife, Susan, co-founded RightNow Technologies, a customer relationship management software company  The company went public in 2004; by that time, it employed over 1,000 workers  RightNow Technologies was acquired by Oracle Corporation for $1 5 billion in 2011 In 2016, Gianforte ran for governor of Montana as the Republican nominee, losing to incumbent governor Steve Bullock  In May 2017, Gianforte defeated Democratic nominee Rob Quist in a special election for Montana's at-large congressional seat to fill a vacancy created by the appointment of Ryan Zinke as U S  Secretary of the Interior  Gianforte was convicted of assault in state court in June 2017 stemming from his election-eve body-slamming attack on The Guardian political reporter Ben Jacobs in May 2017  He was fined and sentenced to community service and anger management therapy  Gianforte was reelected in 2018, defeating Democratic nominee Kathleen Williams 
Gianforte did not seek reelection to the House of Representatives in 2020 and instead was a candidate in the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election  In the November general election, he defeated incumbent lieutenant governor Mike Cooney  He is the first Republican to serve as governor of Montana since Judy Martz left office in 2005 

Early life and education
Gregory Richard Gianforte was born on April 17, 1961, in San Diego, California  He is the oldest son of Frank Richard Gianforte, who had a career as an aerospace engineer and, later, as a landlord  His mother, Dale Douglass, worked for General Dynamics in San Diego, and later was a school math teacher  Gianforte is of Italian, English, and Scottish ancestry  He has two younger brothers, Douglass and Michael  After the age of three, Gianforte was raised in the Valley Forge and King of Prussia suburbs northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including Wayne, an affluent unincorporated township community that extends into Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware Counties During his high school years in the 1970s, Gianforte started a software business  He attended Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, where he was elected class president during his junior and senior years  Gianforte was also captain of his school football team, where he played left offensive guard  He graduated from high school in 1979 
Gianforte graduated in 1983 from his father's alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology, with a BE in electrical engineering and a master's degree in computer science  He directed a computer lab with 12 programmers  He was a member of the Delta Tau Delta men's fraternity, and enjoyed playing squash 

Career
Software entrepreneurship
Gianforte began his career in 1983 at Bell Laboratories, working in product acquisition  Frustrated by the bureaucratic corporate hierarchy at Bell Labs, Gianforte departed to co-found Brightwork Development Inc , a developer of server-based LAN management software for the banking industry, which was based in Tinton Falls, New Jersey  He and his partners sold the company to McAfee Associates for $10 million in 1994  Gianforte then began working for McAfee as head of North American sales  In 1995, he moved to Bozeman, Montana Gianforte and his wife, Susan, a mechanical engineer by trade, co-founded RightNow Technologies in 1997  Part of Gianforte's strategy was to leverage the internet as a means to overcome geographic barriers to building a globalized business  By the time the company went public in 2004, it employed over 1,000 workers and executives in Bozeman and globally, with offices in the U K , Asia, and Australia  Future U S  senator Steve Daines was among its executives  The company was acquired by Oracle Corporation for $1 5 billion in 2011  At the time, Gianforte's 20% stake in the company was worth about $290 million  Right Now Technologies had contracts with federal agencies, including handling all of the online search queries for the Social Security Administration and Medicare websites  In 2012, Gianforte sued the Montana Democratic Party for defamation, alleging the House campaign ads it aired critical of then House candidate Daines were libelous  Gianforte alleged the party aired television ads that claimed that Right Now Technologies capitalized itself with public contracts, and then offshored jobs In 2005, Gianforte and Marcus Gibson co-wrote the book Bootstrapping Your Business: Start and Grow a Successful Company with Almost No Money  He has offered business lectures on entrepreneurship and building a global business 

Philanthropy and civic life
In 2004, Gianforte and his wife founded the Gianforte Family Foundation, which has promoted his creationist beliefs in the public sphere, and has made tens of millions of dollars in charitable contributions  The foundation describes its primary mission as supporting "the work of faith-based organizations engaged in outreach work, strengthening families, and helping the needy; organizations in Montana that work to improve education, support entrepreneurship, and create jobs; and organizations that enhance the local community of Bozeman, Montana " Gianforte, his wife, and his son, Richard, are the foundation's three trustees  The foundation had assets of $113 million in 2013 The Gianforte Family Foundation has given nearly $900,000 to the Montana Family Foundation, in some years making up half of that organization's total revenue  The Montana Family Foundation has promoted conservative and Christian values in the Montana legislature  Asked why he donated to the group, Gianforte said it was because the organization aligns with his views Through his nonprofit, the Gianforte Family Charitable Trust, Gianforte has contributed substantial funds to several conservative organizations  Some have led legal efforts to dismantle federal campaign finance regulations  Gianforte has donated to the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, which advocate for a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage, as well as the Montana Family Foundation, which is "the state's primary advocate against LGBT policies"  Gianforte served on the board of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, an education reform organization founded by economist Milton Friedman which advocates for school vouchers Gianforte believes in Young Earth creationism  He has donated at least $290,000 to the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum, a Montana creationist museum that teaches visitors that the theory of evolution is false, that the Earth is about 6,000–6,400 years old, and that humans and dinosaurs coexisted during the same period  The museum claims dinosaurs were aboard Noah's Ark, and that they likely went extinct 4,300 years ago during the great flood described in the Book of Genesis  The Gianforte Family Foundation also donated a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton replica to the museum 

Affiliations and investments
Gianforte has had a variety of business interests and investments  In November 2013, he was appointed to the board of FICO, which profiles consumer credit risks for lenders  The same month, Gianforte acquired 8,000 shares of FICO, which were then valued at more than $464,000 00  He is a partner in MGRR No  1, a limited liability company that has received grain subsidies since 1995  Gianforte was the founding board chair of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance  He resigned as chair in June 2017, when he was sworn into Congress In financial disclosure forms filed in 2017, Gianforte indicated that he owned $150,000 worth of shares in VanEck Vectors Russia ETF and $92,400 in the IShares MSCF Russia ETF, totaling just under $250,000 in two exchange-traded funds focused on investments in Russia  The investments attracted attention because they included shares in Gazprom and Rosneft, which have been subject to U S  sanctions since the Russian invasion of Crimea, but because the per-person ownership stake in these companies is so small in such index funds, they are exempt from sanctions  After the issue was raised in Gianforte's 2017 congressional campaign, Gianforte stated that his Russia holdings were a small portion of his overall investments and pledged to place all of his assets in a blind trust if elected Through a holding corporation, Gianforte owns a 12-seat private jet, which he has used as a strategic asset on the campaign trail  He made the aircraft available to others in his congressional caucus to travel back to Washington for important votes 

U S  House of Representatives (2017–2021)
Elections
2017 special election campaign
On March 1, 2017, Republican Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana's at-large congressional district resigned his seat after the United States Senate confirmed him as United States Secretary of the Interior  A special election was scheduled to fill the remainder of Zinke's term  Gianforte had already announced his intention to seek the seat on January 25, before Zinke's resignation  At a March 6 convention, the Republican Party nominated Gianforte  He faced Democratic musician and former Montana Arts Council member Rob Quist and Libertarian nominee Mark Wicks in the general election In a departure from previous pledges made during his gubernatorial campaign, Gianforte relaxed his past pledges to refuse all PAC money, and began to turn away only corporate PAC funding  His campaign began accepting contributions from political party and leadership PACs Gianforte distanced himself from Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary and did not attend Trump's sole rally in Montana, citing a scheduling conflict  But he endorsed Trump in the 2016 general election and continued to express support for him during his 2017 special election campaign for Congress  Gianforte's campaign was supported by Vice President Mike Pence and Donald Trump Jr , who both stumped for Gianforte in the state  Gianforte tacked close to Trump's political narratives, promoting his outsider status as a first time political candidate, touting his experience as a technology entrepreneur, and criticizing policies leading to sanctuary cities and "the liberal elite "Gianforte supported repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)  He declined to say whether he supported the American Health Care Act, the House Republican legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act  On May 4, 2017, Gianforte held a private conference call with Republican-leaning lobbyists in Washington in which he offered a more supportive view of the AHCA  He said that it "sounds like we just passed a health care thing, which I'm thankful for  Sounds like we're starting to repeal and replace " Later that May, he said he would not "vote for a repeal and a replace unless I know it protects people with preexisting conditions, lowers rates and preserves rural access"  Gianforte assaulted a reporter in response to questions about how the AHCA would make health insurance too expensive for people with preexisting conditions 
Gianforte opposed the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, comparing marijuana to more addictive drugs  He supported allowing the use of medical marijuana for "people in chronic pain, under the care of a doctor "Gianforte opposes abortion except in cases where a woman's life is in danger  He favors removing federal funding from Planned Parenthood  He has said that he supports government enforcement of nondiscrimination for workers, but not for customers  He opposed increasing in the minimum wage  Gianforte supported Executive Order 13769, to ban immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries  He opposed resettlement of refugees in Montana  He opposed sanctuary cities policies  Gianforte blamed the Obama administration for "the situation with Russia" and favored a multilateral strategy to stand against Russian aggression  He supported Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey Gianforte opposed efforts to transfer federal lands to the states  He called for changes to the Endangered Species Act  He supported amending the Equal Access to Justice Act to reduce environmental litigation, saying that "environmental extremists" had abused the act  He acknowledged human-caused climate change but "did not have specific ideas on how to address climate change"  He has said that "the climate is always changing" and believes that closing coal-fired power plants would not help mitigate climate change  He supported Trump's repeal of the Clean Power Plan and has called for investments in clean coal technology  Gianforte has criticized the length of time the Department of Interior spends to evaluate applications to drill and frack for shale gas 
Gianforte outlined his position on retirement by using the Biblical example of Noah  He said:There's nothing in the Bible that talks about retirement  And yet it's been an accepted concept in our culture today  Nowhere does it say, "Well, he was a good and faithful servant, so he went to the beach"  The example I think of is Noah  How old was Noah when he built the ark? 600  He wasn't, like, cashing Social Security checks  He wasn't hanging out  He was working  So I think we have an obligation to work  The role we have in work may change over time, but the concept of retirement is not biblical 

Election-eve assault on journalist
On May 24, 2017, the day before the House special election, Ben Jacobs, a political reporter for The Guardian newspaper who was covering the election, reported to the Gallatin County, Montana Sheriff's Office that Gianforte had assaulted him at Gianforte's Bozeman campaign office after Jacobs asked him a question about health care policy  Jacobs said that Gianforte "bodyslammed" him to the floor and broke his glasses  Jacobs was hospitalized after the attack In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Gianforte made misleading statements to a Gallatin County Sheriff's Office sergeant who reported to Gianforte's campaign office to investigate Jacobs's complaint   Gianforte told the sergeant, "the liberal media is trying to make a story " In the hours after the assault, the Gianforte campaign issued a press release falsely blaming the reporter, claiming that Jacobs grabbed Gianforte's wrist and caused them both to fall to the ground  But an audio recording of the incident appeared to support Jacobs's statement, and other reporters who were present at the scene corroborated Jacobs's version of events  An eyewitness to the attack, Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna, testified that "Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground", then "began punching the man" and "yelling something to the effect of 'I'm sick and tired of this!'" Acuna said, "at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte, who left the area after giving statements to local sheriff's deputies " Another journalist who was an eyewitness to the assault, Alexis Levinson, tweeted that she "heard a giant crash and saw Ben's feet fly in the air as he hit the floor "The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office cited Gianforte for misdemeanor assault  On August 25, 2017, he was briefly booked into jail, fingerprinted, and had his mugshot taken, after his legal team lost a bid to avoid that process  On October 10, 2017, Gianforte's mugshot was released publicly by a Gallatin County court order The Helena Independent Record editorial board rescinded its endorsement of Gianforte and noted that before the attack, Gianforte had encouraged his supporters to boycott certain newspapers, singled out a reporter in a room to point out that he was outnumbered, and joked about choking a news writer  Two other well-circulated Montana newspapers, the Billings Gazette, and the largest in the state, the Missoulian, also rescinded their endorsements of Gianforte  Speaker Paul Ryan and other members of Congress urged Gianforte to apologize In his acceptance speech the night of his May 25 victory, Gianforte apologized to Jacobs and the Fox News crew for his assault  On June 7, he made a written apology to Jacobs and donated $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which accepted the funds because it was part of the settlement and said it would put them towards the U S  Press Freedom Tracker  In return, Jacobs agreed to not pursue a civil claim against Gianforte Gianforte subsequently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in Gallatin County District Court, acknowledging that Jacobs "did not initiate any physical contact with me" and writing a letter to Jacobs saying that Jacobs did not start the physical altercation  Gianforte was originally sentenced to four days in jail, to be completed in part through a work program, but he was ineligible for the work program due to the assault conviction  The judge then switched the sentence to 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management therapy, a 180-day deferred sentence, and a $300 fine along with an $85 court fee During the court hearing, Jacobs said that he hoped to interview Gianforte in the future, as he was trying to do at the time of the assault  Gianforte said in court to Jacobs, "I am sorry, and if and when you are ready, I look forward to sitting down with you in D C " As of October 2017, Gianforte had not sat down with Jacobs for an interview, and the issue was not pursued further 
 Since the assault, Jacobs has, through his attorney, accused Gianforte of whitewashing his guilt, twice sending Gianforte cease-and-desist letters about his accounts of his culpability in the assault  Gianforte met with the Missoulian newspaper editorial board in October 2018, and, when asked about the assault, maintained that his original false statement to sheriff's deputies in the immediate aftermath of the incident was his best recollection of events, a statement that Gianforte later contradicted under oath in court with an admission of guilt connected to his guilty plea On October 18, 2018, during a rally in Missoula, Montana, President Donald Trump congratulated Gianforte for his assault on Jacobs  While verbally praising Gianforte's prowess in carrying out a body slam, Trump made gestures with his hands and arms to pantomime a fighting maneuver  According to analysts, this marked the first time a sitting president had "openly and directly praised a violent act against a journalist on American soil" Gianforte's assault of Jacobs achieved political notoriety  During an October 2018 campaign event with then Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Representative Jody Hice implored the small crowd that had gathered to oppose the resurgence of Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterm elections  Hice declared, "It's time for this so called blue wave to be body-slammed!"

2018 House campaign
In 2018, Gianforte ran against Democratic nominee Kathleen Williams, a state legislator and natural resources expert from Bozeman, and Libertarian Party candidate Elinor Swanson, a lawyer from Billings Gianforte opposed Williams's proposal to allow those 55 and older to buy into Medicare, remarking, "Medicare for all is Medicare for none", and cautioned that Medicare would be at risk of spending cuts if Democrats won a majority in the House  Williams criticized Gianforte for introducing a bill to remove federal protections from several wilderness study areas in Montana without holding any public meetings on the issue Polling data in the weeks leading up to the election showed Gianforte and Williams in a close contest within the margin of error  Gianforte was reelected by a 5% margin  Exit polling data indicated that Gianforte had his strongest support at the polls from men older than 44 and from those with annual incomes above $50,000 

Tenure
115th Congress
Gianforte was sworn into the House of Representatives on June 21, 2017  At his inauguration ceremony, he announced his support for congressional term limits, barring members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, and withholding congressional pay if no budget is passed  It is unusual for members of Congress to announce such support for legislation in their inauguration  Montana Democrats mailed Gianforte an orange prison jumpsuit on the day of his inauguration The first bill Gianforte introduced, on June 21, 2017, was H R  2977, the Balanced Budget Accountability Act, which, as he summarized it, would withhold pay from members of Congress unless a balanced budget is passed  The bill did not achieve a committee hearing Gianforte touted refundable tax credits for low income parents as an achievement of the Republican Caucus in the 115th Congress In 2018, Gianforte expressed opposition to the aluminum and steel tariffs imposed by President Trump, expressing fears about the impact of retaliatory tariffs (the trade war) on Montana agricultural exports Gianforte chaired the Interior Subcommittee of the Oversight Committee through the end of the 115th Congress in 2018  He introduced legislation to nullify Wilderness Study Area (WSA) designations from more than 800,000 acres of land in Montana under the stewardship of the federal Bureau of Land Management and the U S  Forest Service 

116th Congress
In the 2018 midterm elections, the Republicans lost control of the House to the Democrats, and Gianforte began his second term in January 2019 in the minority caucus  Over his career, Gianforte voted in line with Trump's position in about 93 3% of key votes



ground_truth: Switchfoot

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Where does the city situated where Kellyville Ridge is located?

The following are given passages.
Context 2: 9°E﻿ / 8 5; 76 9 on the west coast, near the southern tip of mainland India  The city situated on the west coast of India, and is bounded by Arabian Sea to its west and the Western Ghats to its east  The city and the suburbs spans an area of 250 km2 (96 53 sq mi)  The average elevation of the city is 16 ft above sea level  The highest point within the city limits is the observatory  (60 metres (197 ft)) Agastya Mala, which has an elevation of 1,868 metres (6,129 ft) is only about 60 km from the city  The Ponmudi hill station which has an elevation of 1,100 metres (3,609 ft) is also near the city 

Geography
The district is situated between North latitudes at 8 17°–8 54° and East longitudes 76 41°–77 17°  The southernmost extremity, Parassala, is just 54 kilometres (34 mi) away from the southern peninsular tip of India, Cape Comorin (Kanya Kumari)  The district stretches 78 kilometres (48 mi) along the shores of the Arabian Sea on the west, Kollam district lies on the north with Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu on the east and south respectively Unlike the flat portion of the Kerala coast, at the northern coastal region cliffs are found adjacent to the Arabian Sea at Varkala  These tertiary sedimentary formation cliffs are considered as a unique geological feature  It is known among geologists as the "Varkala Formation" and a geological monument as declared by the Geological Survey of India 
The district can be divided into three geographical regions: Highlands, Midlands, and Lowlands  The Varkala, Chirayinkeezhu and Thiruvananthapuram taluks are in the midland and lowland regions, the Nedumangad taluk lies in the midland and highland regions, and the Neyyattinkara taluk stretches over all three 
The highland regions on the east and the northeast comprises the Western Ghats  This area is ideal for major cash crops like rubber, tea, cardamom and other spices  Timber trees like teak and rosewood are grown in this region  The Ghats maintain an average elevation of 814 metres (2,671 ft)  The part Agasthyarkoodam, which is the second-highest peak in the Western Ghats (1,869 m or 6,132 ft above sea level), lies in the district  The forests in the tail end of Western Ghats form the most diverse and unknown ecosystem in Peninsular India The midland region lying between the Western Ghats and lowlands is made up of small and tiny hills and valleys  This is an area of intense agricultural activities  This region is rich in produce such as paddy, tapioca, rubber, eucalyptus, spices and cashews  The lowlands are comparatively narrow, consisting of rivers, deltas and seashore  This area is densely covered with coconut trees  Water bodies cover about 55 25 km2 (21 3 sq mi), while forest area is estimated to be 498 61 km2 (193 sq mi) 

Forests
Thiruvananthapuram district has a reserve forest area of 495 1 km2 (191 sq mi) and vested forest area of 3 534 km2 (1 4 sq mi)  The forests are spread over three ranges: the Kulathupuzha range in the north, Palode range in the middle, and the Paruthipalli range in the south 
These forests may be broadly classified into three categories: Southern tropical wet evergreen forests, Southern tropical and semi-evergreen forests, and Southern tropical moist deciduous forests  Social forestry programmes are being implemented under the World Bank-aided Kerala Social Forestry Project, National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) and Rural Fuel Wood Schemes to assist small and marginal farmers 

Rivers
Among the three rivers in the district, the Neyyar (56 km or 35 mi), the southernmost river of the Kerala state, has its origin in the Agasthyamala, the second-highest peak in the Western Ghats  The Karamana river (67 km or 42 mi) originates from Vayuvanthol (Vazhuvanthol), another mountain in Western Ghats  The Vamanapuram River has its origin from Chemunji Mottai of the Western Ghats  There are 10 major back waters in the district  The major lakes are Veli, Kadinamkulam, Anchuthengu (Anjengo), Kaappil, Akathumuri and the Edava-Nadayara  Besides these, there is a fresh-water lake at Vellayani in Thiruvananthapuram taluk, which has the potential to become the major water source of Thiruvananthapuram city in future 

Climate
The climate of Thiruvananthapuram district is generally hot tropical  The large forest reserves favourably affect the climate and induce rains  Cold weather is experienced in the mountain ranges, whereas lower down, the weather is bracing and is generally hot in the coastal regions  The mean maximum temperature is 95 °F (35 °C) and the mean minimum temperature is 69 °F (20 °C) 
As the district stretches from north to south with the Arabian Sea in the west side, the relative humidity is generally high  It rises up to about 95% during the South-West monsoon The total annual average rainfall in the district is about 1,500 mm (59 in) per annum  The southwest monsoon, from June to September is the principal rainy season  The district receives most of its annual rainfall in this season  The second rainy season is the Northeast monsoon  It is from October to November 
The district also gets thunderstorm rains in the pre-monsoon months of April and May December to February are the coolest months  The average temperature goes down to 69 °F (20 °C) in these months  It is generally considered as the winter season  The summer season starts in February and continues until May  The average temperature goes up to 95 °F (35 °C) in these months 

Seismology
The Geological Survey of India has identified Thiruvananthapuram as a moderately earthquake-prone urban centre and categorized the city in the Seismic III Zone 
Passage 7:
Kellyville Ridge, New South Wales
Kellyville Ridge is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia  Kellyville Ridge is located 41 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of City of Blacktown  It is part of Greater Western Sydney 

History
The suburb takes its name from the ridge, the main geographical feature of vertical significance in the northern part of the area  Kellyville Ridge is thought to be the area where the Castle Hill Rebellion (also known as the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill) took place, many roads and reserves are named after it in Kellyville and a memorial was placed in Castlebrook Lawn Cemetery in 1988  Kellyville Ridge was originally part of Kellyville and became a separate suburb when the area west of Windsor Road was renamed in 2002 

Heritage listings
Kellyville Ridge has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Merriville House and Gardens

Population
In the 2016 Census, there were 10,468 people in Kellyville Ridge  58 2% of people were born in Australia  The next most common countries of birth were India 8 3%, Philippines 4 0%, China 2 1%, Fiji 2 0% and England 1 9%  58 6% of people spoke only English at home  Other languages spoken at home included Punjabi 4 5%, Hindi 4 3%, Mandarin 2 6%, Tagalog 2 0% and Arabic 1 5%  The most common responses for religion were Catholic 29 7%, No Religion 15 4%, Anglican 10 1% and Hinduism 9 1% 

Growth
Kellyville Ridge is one of the fastest growing suburbs in Sydney  Population estimates by the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicated that Kellyville Ridge and surrounding neighborhoods had the largest growth in 2013–14 in Sydney  The area experienced one of metropolitan Sydney's fastest growth rates, with a 9 per cent increase in population in 12 months 

Commercial area
The Ponds Shopping Centre, opened on 30 May 2015, is the main shopping facility that services Kellyville Ridge  It is located on the western perimeter of the suburb at the intersection of The Ponds Boulevard and Riverbank Drive  It houses Woolworths plus other 25 specialty stores, cafes and restaurants  It also features a Medical and Dental Centre and a Priceline Pharmacy Stanhope Village is a shopping centre adjacent to the suburb, with Aldi, Coles, Kmart and other specialised retail, service, fashion and food outlets 
Alternative shopping is provided by the Rouse Hill Town Centre, located 1 kilometre away at Rouse Hill, where approximately 250 retail stores are available featuring Coles, Woolworths, Target, Big W and Reading Cinemas  Castle Towers, located 9 kilometres away, and Westpoint Blacktown, located 10 kilometres away, provide for other places of shopping 

Education
School located in Kellyville Ridge includes:

Kellyville Ridge Public School (Public Primary School, Corner of Greenwich St & Singleton Ave, Kellyville Ridge NSW 2155)Kellyville Ridge has the following public school catchment:

John Palmer Public School (Public Primary School, The Ponds) 
The Ponds High School (Public High School, The Ponds) 
Rouse Hill High School (Public High School, Rouse Hill) 

Transport
Road to Sydney CBD
Transport to the city is provided by the M2 and M7 motorway  Driving time to Sydney CBD is approximately 34 minutes by car 

Train to Sydney CBD via Parramatta
Kellyville Ridge is located within 8 minutes drive (5 2 km) to Schofields railway station and 10 minutes (6 km) to Quakers Hill railway station  Trip by train from these stations to Sydney CBD takes around 47 minutes  Both stations have free all-day commuters parking  The train services also stop at the busy business area of Parramatta, Westmead and Strathfield 

Buses to Sydney CBD
CDC NSW services take around 1 hour to Sydney CBD from Kellyville Ridge  The suburb is serviced by the 616X which travels through Kellyville Ridge 

Sydney Metro to Chatswood
The North West Rail Link which opened 26 May 2019 – now known as Sydney Metro Northwest – provides high frequency services to Kellyville Ridge, linking it to Sydney CBD in around 50 minutes, which will drop to 40 minutes on completion of the second stage of the project  The metro service passes through Norwest Business Park, Castle Hill, Epping, Macquarie Park and University, North Ryde, Chatswood, and North Sydney Kellyville Ridge is positioned in a strategic location surrounded by three railway stations sitting on its perimeters; Tallawong, Rouse Hill and Kellyville  Both Tallawong and Kellyville provide all-day commuter parking  CDC NSW route 663 and Busways route 731 connect Kellyville Ridge with the Rouse Hill metro station, whilst CDC NSW routes 603, 632 (from Merriville Road and Perfection Ave) and 651 (from Merriville T-way) connect to Kellyville station 

Buses to other business areas
CDC NSW provides services to Parramatta (603, 663, 665), Rouse Hill (603, 632, 651, 663, 665), Epping (651) and Pennant Hills (632) 
Busways provides services to Blacktown (731, 735) and Rouse Hill (731, 735) 

Entertainment
The Ettamogah Pub renovated in 2014 is located on the corner of Merriville & Windsor Roads  The hotel received from the Australian Hotel Association the award for Best Family Friendly Hotel in New South Wales 

Housing
Kellyville Ridge has gone under many new developments since 2002, with new estates developing quickly  There are also several medium-rise apartments on the southern side of the suburb, backing Windsor Road 
Passage 8:
Halkarni
Halkarni is a city situated in the south west corner of Maharashtra, TK: Gadhinglaj Taluka, Kolhapur district - 416506, India  The population of Halkarni is around 9,000  It is surrounded by hills  The distance between Gadhinglaj and Halkarni is about 20  km  Buggdikatti and  Terani  are  villages  surrounding it   A police  station  is situated  in  the village  for  the security  of people  There are  number  of  private  hospitals and medicals are available in  the village  A government  hospital  was  built  Water is  supplied to the  whole  village  through  a well  in  NAREWADI  village  through a pipeline  Farming  is the  main  occupation  of  the  villagers  They  have  a  side  business  of  selling  milk  cow or buffalo to  the  milk dairies  A Maharashtra state  electricity board (MSEB) substation  is  installed  outside  the village  Halkarni  is  connected  to  Gadahinglaj  via  state  transport  buses (ST buses)  Halkarni  is  also  connected  to Karnataka  via  Khanapur  through Karnataka  state  transport  buses   The  route  of  entering  in  Karnataka  from  Maharashra is  HALKARNI TO  SANKESHWAR 
Private  traveller  companies  came  to  exist  which  gives  services  to  reach  Mumbai and  Pune 

Language
Marathi being the state language is also spoken as a local language in Halkarni  Marathi is widely understood in Halkarni  English is also used in social communication 
Halkarni is popular for its market area  It is famous for tobacco powder (in Marathi called as Tapkir)  It is surrounded by Basarge, Khanapur, and there are many temples like Ramling, Virbhadra, laxmi, Hanuman, the Jain temple, etc 
The schools are in Halalkarni :
Halkarni Bhag High School, Halkarni  Now junior college is also started   
Urdu Vidya Mandir Halkarni, Now started Urdh High School    
Passage 9:
Lansing, Kansas
Lansing is a city in Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States   It is situated along the west side of the Missouri River and Kansas-Missouri state border   As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,239   It is the second most populous city of Leavenworth County and is a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area   The Lansing Correctional Facility (formerly the Kansas State Penitentiary), which includes the state's main maximum-security prison, is located in Lansing 

History
Lansing is named for James Lansing, a pioneer settler   Formerly William Lansing Taylor, James changed his name upon his enlistment in 1862 as a hospital steward in the 7th Kansas Cavalry   Following the Civil War, he earned a position at the new state penitentiary in Kansas as a hospital steward   He later resigned and opened a general mercantile store, which held the post office and an apothecary business, in the area called “Town of Progress”   “Doc Lansing”, as he became known, and his friend John C  Schmidt became co-owners of 90 acres (360,000 m2) of land that was platted into town lots in 1878; they named the area “Town of Lansing”   Lansing did not become an incorporated city until 1959 The Kansas State Penitentiary, later renamed the Lansing Correctional Facility in 1990, was authorized by the Kansas Constitution in 1859; it is the state's largest and oldest facility for detention and rehabilitation of male adult felons   With the opening of the coal mine at the prison the town became an important shipping point for this product Lansing was ranked 88 in the top 100 of Money Magazine's 2007 list of best places to live 

Geography
Lansing is located at 39°14′55″N 94°53′31″W (39 248689, -94 891880)   The city is situated along the western bank of the Missouri River which also marks the Kansas-Missouri state border   It is bordered by the city of Leavenworth to the north; Kansas City is less than a half-hour to the southeast   U S  Route 73 passes through the city 
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12 50 square miles (32 37 km2), of which, 12 39 square miles (32 09 km2) is land and 0 11 square miles (0 28 km2) is water 

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters   According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lansing has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps 

Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,265 people, 3,180 households, and 2,496 families living in the city  The population density was 909 2 inhabitants per square mile (351 0/km2)  There were 3,371 housing units at an average density of 272 1 per square mile (105 1/km2)  The racial makeup of the city was 80 2% White, 13 2% African American, 0 8% Native American, 2 0% Asian, 0 1% Pacific Islander, 0 8% from other races, and 2 8% from two or more races  Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5 1% of the population 
There were 3,180 households, of which 41 9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62 4% were married couples living together, 11 8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4 3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 21 5% were non-families  18 1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older  The average household size was 2 79 and the average family size was 3 15 
The median age in the city was 37 6 years  22 9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8 1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31 2% were from 25 to 44; 29 3% were from 45 to 64; and 8 3% were 65 years of age or older  The gender makeup of the city was 59 4% male and 40 6% female 

2000 census
As of the U S  Census in 2000, there were 9,199 people, 2,435 households, and 1,913 families living in the city  The population density was 1,080 1 inhabitants per square mile (417 0/km2)  There were 2,548 housing units at an average density of 299 2 per square mile (115 5/km2)  The racial makeup of the city was 81 0% White, 12 5% Black or African American, 1 2% Native American, 1 3% Asian, 0 2% Pacific Islander, 1 3% from other races, and 2 6% from two or more races  Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3 9% of the population 
There were 2,435 households, out of which 42 2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65 0% were married couples living together, 9 4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21 4% were non-families  18 4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older  The average household size was 2 79 and the average family size was 3 17 
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22 0% under the age of 18, 8 8% from 18 to 24, 38 5% from 25 to 44, 23 1% from 45 to 64, and 7 5% who were 65 years of age or older  The median age was 36 years  For every 100 females, there were 164 8 males  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 184 9 males 
The median income for a household in the city was $60,994, and the median income for a family was $65,639  Males had a median income of $36,326 versus $28,315 for females  The per capita income for the city was $21,655  About 1 9% of families and 2 4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1 5% of those under age 18 and 3 5% of those age 65 or over 

Education
The community is served by Lansing USD 469 public school district, and operates four schools with more than 2,000 students 
Lansing Elementary School, grades K–3
Lansing Intermediate School, grades 4–5
Lansing Middle School, grades 6–8
Lansing High School, grades 9–12

Notable people
John Bradford, member of Kansas House of Representatives 
Paul Ranous Greever, United States Representative from Wyoming born in Lansing 

See also
Lansing Man
Passage 10:
City of Blacktown
Blacktown City Council is a local government area in Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia  Established in 1906 as the Blacktown Shire and becoming the Municipality of Blacktown in 1961 before gaining city status in 1979, the City occupies an area of 246 9 square kilometres (95 3 sq mi) and has a population of 366,534, making it the second most populous local government area in Sydney The mayor of the Blacktown City Council is Cr  Tony Bleasdale, OAM, a member of the Australian Labor Party, who was elected on 9 October 2019 following the resignation of Stephen Bali, MP 

Suburbs and localities of the City of Blacktown
These are the suburbs and localities in the local government area:

History
The first road from Prospect to Richmond became known as the "Black Town Road" and in 1860 the Railway Department gave the name of "Black Town Road Station" to the railway station at the junction of the railway and the Black Town Road, with the name shortening to "Blacktown" by 1862  The Blacktown area was first incorporated on 6 March 1906 as the "Shire of Blacktown" alongside 132 other new shires across the state as a result of the passing of the Local Government (Shires) Act, 1905  The first five-member temporary council was appointed on 15 May 1906 and first met on 20 June in the Rooty Hill School of Arts  The Blacktown Shire became the "Municipality of Blacktown" on 17 June 1961 and was granted city status on 9 March 1979, becoming the "City of Blacktown" 

Blacktown Council Chambers and Civic Centre
In 1937 Blacktown council discussed the need for new Council Chambers, with the present arrangements seen as inadequate and unable to accommodate growing staff needs  In August 1938, the council discussed two schemes from architect Leslie J  Buckland for the new council chambers, with the scheme that created a new wing facing Flushcombe Road while retaining the old council chambers for other uses being the most favoured  Designed in the modernist Inter-war Functionalist style by Buckland and constructed by J  H  Abbey of Epping at a cost of £7,000, the Council Chambers were officially opened on 29 July 1939 by the Minister for Public Works and Local Government, Eric Spooner By the early 1960s, Blacktown Council resolved to develop a new council seat and 'civic centre' and an International style design by Parramatta architects, Leslie J  Buckland & Druce (George Harley, project architect), for a multi-storey administration building, a performance hall, library and basement parking was accepted at a cost of £500,000  Built of concrete and brick, with decorative facade panels and glass curtain walling, the Civic Centre was constructed by S  J  Wood & Co Lty Ltd, with A  S  Nicholson as the consulting engineer The foundation stone for the Civic Centre was laid by Premier of NSW, Bob Heffron, on 17 June 1961, on the same occasion marking the change of Blacktown from a Shire to a Municipality  The Civic Centre was officially opened on 25 October 1965 by the Minister for Local Government and Highways, Pat Morton, with the mayor, Alfred Ashley-Brown, declaring "It is my sincere wish we will as a council cherish the heritage which brings us here tonight – that this chamber will be a place wherein good government within our sphere of responsibility will be made manifest, and that all decisions which are made shall be for the good of the people of the Municipality of Blacktown"  On 10 April 1967, the old 1939 Council Chambers were transformed into the first Blacktown Municipal Library, which was later demolished and became the Max Webber Library from 1980 In 1984, with the Civic Centre being overcrowded and suffering from lack of space, the council approved significant extensions to the Civic Centre at a cost of $2,781,550 that added 2,000 square metres of office floor space and enabled the consolidation of all council departments in a single location  The extensions were constructed by McNamara Constructions Pty Limited 

Blacktown City Libraries
In 1947, Blacktown Shire Council formally adopted the Act 1939/ {{{4}}} (NSW), which had been passed to encourage (including financial subsidies) local governments to establish free public libraries, but no further action was taken due to a lack of finance  However it was not until the 1960s, with the significant growth in the area's population, the Council identified a clear need for a library service, and when the Civic Centre opened in 1965, council appointed the first Chief Librarian in 1966 and resolved to establish the first library in the old 1939 Council Chambers building on the opposite side of Flushcombe Road  The first Blacktown Municipal Library was officially opened on 10 April 1967 The Blacktown City Libraries service expanded with the opening of Library Branches at Lalor Park (1968), Mount Druitt (1977) and Riverstone (1978)  In 1979, Blacktown council commissioned a new Blacktown branch library, with the old library and 1939 Council Chambers building demolished and replaced by a new building designed by architects Allen Jack & Cottier, and constructed by R  W  Tims (Builders) Pty Ltd  On 31 October 1979, Council resolved to name this new library after the Town Clerk of Blacktown, Max Webber, and the Max Webber Library was officially opened by the Deputy Premier Jack Ferguson on 8 March 1980  A new branch library in Stanhope Gardens was officially opened on 7 August 2009, and was also named after a former Town Clerk as the Dennis Johnson Branch Library 

Demographics
At the 2016 census, there were 336,962 people resident in the Blacktown local government area, of these 49 7 per cent were male and 50 3 per cent were female  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2 8 per cent of the population, roughly equal to the NSW and Australian averages of 2 9 and 2 8 per cent respectively  The median age of people in the City of Blacktown was 33 years, which was significantly lower than the national median of 38 years  Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 22 8 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 9 0-10 3 per cent of the population  Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 52 3 per cent were married and 9 9 per cent were either divorced or separated Population growth in the City of Blacktown between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 6 47 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 10 82 per cent  At the 2016 census, the population in the local government area increased by 11 91 per cent  When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8 8 per cent, population growth in Blacktown local government area was in excess of 35% more than the national average  The median weekly income for residents within the City of Blacktown was generally on par with the national average At the 2016 census, the proportion of residents in the Blacktown local government area who stated their ancestry as Filipino, was in excess of six times the national average  The proportion of residents who stated a religious affiliation with Hinduism was in excess of three times the national average; the proportion of Catholics was 33 per cent above the national average; and the proportion of residents with no religion about half the national average  Meanwhile, as at the census date, the area was linguistically diverse, with Tagalog, Hindi, Punjabi, or Filipino languages spoken in households, and ranged from five times to eight times the national averages  Pacific Island languages such as Samoan and Tongan were also noticeable in the area 

Council
Current composition and election method
Blacktown City Council is composed of fifteen councillors elected proportionally as five separate wards, each electing three councillors  All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office  The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council and since 2016 has served a two-year term  The mayor from 2014 to 2019, Stephen Bali was required to stand down from council as a mayor and councillor by October 2019, due to the Local Government Amendment (Members of Parliament) Act, 2012 which requires state members of parliament to relinquish local government offices no more than two years after their election  With Bali's resignation on 9 October 2019, Cr Tony Bleasdale was elected Mayor The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows:
The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election by ward, is:

Office-holders
Shire Presidents and Mayors
Shire/Town Clerks and General Managers
Coat of arms
After becoming a city in 1979, the council resolved to investigate and if possible obtain a coat of arms, making a request to the Chester Herald of Arms, Hubert Chesshyre  With the design completed by March 1981, Council resolved to adopt the Coat of Arms at its meeting on 1 April 1981 

Heritage listings
The City of Blacktown has a number of heritage-listed sites, including those on the New South Wales State Heritage Register:

Prospect, Upper Canal System
Prospect, Great Western Highway: Veteran Hall Remains
Prospect, Ponds Road: St Bartholomew's Anglican Church and Cemetery
Prospect, Reservoir Road: Former Great Western Road Alignment, Prospect
Prospect, Reservoir Road: Prospect Reservoir
Prospect, East of Reservoir: Prospect Reservoir Valve House
Prospect, 385 Reservoir Road: Royal Cricketers Arms Inn
Prospect, 23 Tarlington Place: Prospect Post Office

Sister cities
Blacktown City Council has sister city relations with the following cities:
 Porirua, Wellington Region, North Island, New Zealand, since 1984
 Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea, since 1994
 Liaocheng, Shandong, China, since 2003
 Liverpool Plains, New South Wales, Australia, since 2005
Context 3:  He voted with Trump's position more often than Montana U S  Senator Steve Daines, a fellow Republican In January 2019, during the 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown, Gianforte said that he "didn't come here to Washington to shut the government down" but expressed support for Trump and blamed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for the shutdown  He opposed the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump over the Trump-Ukraine scandal, calling it a "sham", and voted against both articles of impeachment against Trump (abuse of power and obstruction of Congress)  Gianforte voted against a measure to bar Trump from initiating military action against Iran without congressional consent; a spokesman for Gianforte said in 2019 that he would not "discuss the conditions under which he would vote in favor of authorizing military force against Iran because talking about it strengthens the position [of] Iran's regime " Gianforte voted against the 2020 House Democrats police reform bill; against restoring part of the Voting Rights Act; against universal background checks for gun purchases; and against the 2020 D C  statehood bill  In line with Trump's position, he voted against legislation to block U S  arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but he opposed Trump's decision in 2019 to withdraw U S  forces from northern Syria, where they had been stationed as part of U S  efforts to block Turkish attacks on Kurdish forces  Gianforte voted against legislation in 2019 to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour  He voted against legislation to overturn Trump's emergency declaration to divert federal appropriations for construction of a border wall  He opposed federal action to combat climate change and supported Trump's withdrawal of the U S  from the Paris Agreement on climate change, voting against legislation to block Trump from withdrawing from the agreement  Gianforte voted against reauthorizing the Export–Import Bank and against a bill allowing the government to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs  He voted for the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement on trade Gianforte is one of the few tech executives to be elected to political office in the U S  After Representative Darrell Issa left office in 2019, Gianforte became the wealthiest member of Congress, a distinction he held until the January 2020 appointment of Kelly Loeffler to represent Georgia in the Senate In December 2020, Gianforte was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v  Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Trump  The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion"  She also reprimanded Gianforte and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House  Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions "Committee assignments

Natural Resources Committee
Subcommittee on Federal Lands
Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans
Oversight Committee
Subcommittee on Information Technology
Subcommittee on Interior (Chair, 115th Congress)
Subcommittee on Intergovernmental AffairsCaucus memberships

Congressional Western Caucus

Governor of Montana
Elections
2016
On January 20, 2016, Gianforte announced his candidacy for the Republican Party's nomination for governor of Montana in the 2016 election  A citizen of Butte filed a political practices complaint against him, alleging that he began campaigning before registering; the complaint was dismissed In a campaign speech that year, Gianforte stated that he had been involved in discussions with Facebook about bringing a new call center to Montana, but that Facebook had declined because of that state's business equipment tax  A Facebook spokesman disputed Gianforte's claims, saying that no discussions with him had taken place and that the tax was not the reason the company decided not to locate a call center in Montana  Gianforte stood by his statement, saying he had spoken with a Facebook executive the previous fall During his gubernatorial campaign, Gianforte pledged not to accept special interest PAC money and ran television ads criticizing his opponent for doing so  He came under scrutiny when an audio tape surfaced revealing his past advocacy to replace state income tax and state business tax revenue with a state sales tax Management of public lands was a point of contention in Gianforte's 2016 campaign for governor  In 2009, Gianforte's LLC filed a lawsuit against the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks about the boundaries of an easement for public access to the East Gallatin River adjacent to his property  Gianforte's suit against the state became an issue in the 2016 campaign, with his critics characterizing it as a wealthy out-of-stater's effort to block public access to a popular stream  Gianforte consistently denied the allegations and called the issue a misunderstanding, noting the suit was never served, though the lawsuit was settled outside of court  Gianforte opposes same-sex marriage and abortion Incumbent governor Steve Bullock defeated Gianforte in the November general election, 50%–46% 

2020
Gianforte contended with Attorney General Tim Fox and State Senator Al Olszewski for the Republican nomination in the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election  Gianforte drew parallels between his experience building a large technology company in Bozeman and Trump's business background, and shared anecdotes of visits to the White House meant to illustrate their ties Gianforte won the Republican nomination  In the November general election, he defeated incumbent lieutenant governor Mike Cooney 

Tenure
Gianforte was sworn in as governor on January 4, 2021 
On February 12, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gianforte lifted Montana's statewide mask mandate  The previous day, he signed a bill giving liability protections to businesses and healthcare providers  In May 2021, Gianforte signed a bill into law that limited the ability of hospitals and other businesses to require that their staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 and prohibited businesses from requiring that customers be vaccinated in order to access facilities  Montana became the only state with such a ban on employers On February 18, 2021, Gianforte signed a constitutional carry bill into law On March 16, 2021, Gianforte signed a bill changing Montana's system of choosing judges, giving the governor, with the state senate's approval, more control over the process On April 2, 2021, Gianforte signed a bill banning sanctuary cities in Montana; at the time, there were no sanctuary cities in Montana  Montana became the 13th state to ban sanctuary cities 
Later that April, Gianforte signed a bill into law that ended same-day voter registration in Montana, in addition to a separate bill that prevented students from using a student ID as voter ID  He also signed a bill making it easier for individuals to challenge government regulations for violating their religious beliefs, and signed three bills restricting abortion On April 30, 2021, Gianforte signed a bill requiring individuals to undergo gender reassignment surgery in order to change their birth certificate  On May 7, 2021, he signed a bill banning transgender athletes from girls' sports in public schools  On April 28, 2023, he signed a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors 

Personal life
While working at Bell Labs in New Jersey in the 1980s, Gianforte met his wife, Susan, the first-generation daughter of German immigrants  They married in 1988  Gianforte and his wife have resided in Bozeman since moving from New Jersey in 1995  They have four children  Gianforte was raised Presbyterian  He and his wife attend Grace Bible Church, a nondenominational church in Bozeman Gianforte is an avid hunter  In a 2016 interview, he described entertaining investment bankers from Scotland and New York at his Montana home, in connection with his company's public stock offering, where he served them a dinner of mountain lion teriyaki, antelope chops wrapped in bacon, and elk tenderloin  On October 28, 2000, he was fined $70 for violating state Fish and Wildlife Commission rules by killing an elk  In February 2021, he violated state hunting regulations by trapping and shooting an adult black wolf known as "1155"  While born in Yellowstone National Park and radio collared in 2018, it was roughly 10 miles (16 km) north of the park's boundary  As Gianforte had not completed a wolf trapping certification course, he was issued a written warning by Fish, Wildlife and Parks  In December, he killed a mountain lion near the same area that was also being monitored by the National Park Service  "M220" was radio collared in 2019 and was estimated to be five years old when he was driven up a tree by the hunting group's dogs and shot in compliance with Montana state laws Gianforte received an honorary doctorate from Stevens Institute of Technology and gave the commencement speech in 2012  In 2007, he received an honorary doctorate from Montana State University's College of Engineering  In 2007, Gianforte was inducted into the CRM Hall of Fame  He received the 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology's Stevens Honor Award  Gianforte was named Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2003 As of 2018, Gianforte's net worth was more than $189 million, which made him one of Congress's wealthiest members 

Electoral history
Writings
Gianforte, Greg; and Gibson, Marcus (2005)  Bootstrapping your business: start and grow a successful company with almost no money  Adams Media 
Gianforte, Greg (2008)  Eight to great : eight steps to delivering an exceptional customer experience  www BookSurge com 
Gianforte, Greg (2012)  Attack of the customers : why critics assault brands online and how to avoid becoming a victim  Self-published 
Passage 5:
Ryan Zinke
Ryan Keith Zinke (; born November 1, 1961) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U S  representative for Montana's 1st congressional district since 2023  A member of the Republican Party, Zinke served in the Montana Senate from 2009 to 2013 and as the U S  representative for the at-large congressional district from 2015 to 2017  He was appointed United States Secretary of the Interior by President Donald Trump in 2017 and served until his resignation in 2019 following a series of ethical scandals Zinke played college football at the University of Oregon and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology  He also has a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in global leadership  He was a U S  Navy SEAL from 1986 until 2008, retiring with the rank of commander  The first Navy SEAL to be elected to the U S  House, Zinke formerly served as a member of the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee  As a member of Congress, Zinke supported the use of ground troops in the Middle East to combat ISIS and opposed the Affordable Care Act, various environmental regulations, and the transfer of federal lands to individual states 
Zinke was appointed as United States Secretary of the Interior by Donald Trump  He was confirmed on March 1, 2017, becoming the first Navy SEAL and the first Montanan since statehood to occupy a Cabinet position As Secretary, Zinke opened some federal lands for oil, gas and mineral exploration and extraction  His actions as Secretary of the Interior raised ethical questions and were investigated by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General  In October 2018, Interior's inspector general referred the investigation to the Justice Department  On December 15, 2018, Trump announced that Zinke would leave his post as of January 2, 2019, to be replaced by his deputy, David Bernhardt  The Inspector General's report concluded that Zinke had repeatedly violated ethical rules and then lied to investigators  His tenure as Secretary of the Interior was plagued by scandals, including his insistence that special flagpoles be erected so that flags could be raised or lowered when he was in residence, spending over $200,000 of taxpayer money to do so  Zinke left his post at the Department of the Interior at end of 2018 after serving two years amid mounting misconduct allegations related to his Whitefish corruption scandal 

Early life and education
Zinke was born in Bozeman, Montana, and raised in Whitefish  He is the son of Jean Montana (Harlow) Petersen and Ray Dale Zinke, a plumber  He was a Boy Scout and earned his Eagle Scout award  He was a star athlete at Whitefish High School and accepted a football scholarship to the University of Oregon in Eugene; recruited as an outside linebacker, he switched to offense and was an undersized starting center for the Ducks of the Pac-10 under head coach Rich Brooks  Zinke earned a B S  in geology in 1984 and graduated with honors  He intended to pursue a career in underwater geology  Despite never working as a geologist, Zinke publicly calls himself a geologist  He earned an M B A  from National University in 1993 and a Master of Science in global leadership from the University of San Diego in 2003 

Military career
Zinke served as a U S  Navy SEAL from 1986 to 2008, retiring at the rank of commander  He graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) class 136 in February 1986 and subsequently served with SEAL Team ONE  Following SEAL Tactical Training and completion of a six-month probationary period, he received the 1130 designator as a Naval Special Warfare Officer, entitled to wear the Special Warfare insignia also known as "SEAL Trident"   Zinke was assigned as a First Phase Officer of BUD/S from 1988 to 1991  In 1991, he received orders to United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG) and completed a specialized selection and training course  Zinke served at the command until 1993, during which time he planned, rehearsed and operated during classified operations  He then served as a Plans officer for Commander in Chief, U S  Naval Forces, Europe and served a second tour with NSWDG as team leader, ground force commander, task force commander and current operations officer from 1996 to 1999 In the late 1990s, Zinke paid back the Navy $211 after improperly billing the government for personal travel expenses  His former commanding officer, now-retired Vice Admiral Albert M  Calland III, said that as a result, Zinke received a June 1999 Fitness Report that blocked him from being promoted to a commanding officer position or to the rank of captain  Zinke acknowledged the error but maintains that the incident did not adversely affect his career  His promotion from lieutenant commander to commander was approved the next year From 1999 to 2001, Zinke served as executive officer for the Naval Special Warfare Unit Two and then as executive officer, Naval Special Warfare Center from 2001 to 2004  In 2004, Zinke was the deputy and acting commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula  His campaign website stated that he was "the deputy and acting commander" of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force–Arabian Peninsula and "led a force of more than 3,500 Special Operations personnel in Iraq" in 2004  Retired Major General Michael S  Repass, who was Zinke's superior in Iraq, told The New York Times that these claims "might be a stretch" but that Zinke "did a good job" and was "a competent guy"  After his tours in Iraq, Zinke served "as the second-ranking officer (and briefly acting commander) of the main SEAL training center " In 2006, he was selected to establish the Naval Special Warfare Advanced Training Command, serving as dean of the graduate school until his retirement from active duty in 2008  The graduate school had 250 educators, offering over 43 college-level courses to over 2,500 students annually at 15 different locations worldwide  Zinke retired from the Navy in 2008 

Awards and decorations
Business ventures
In 2005, Zinke formed Continental Divide International, a property management and business development consulting company  His family members are officers of the company  In 2009, Zinke formed the consulting company On Point Montana  He served on the board of the oil pipeline company QS Energy (formerly Save the World Air) from 2012 to 2015  In November 2014, Zinke announced that he would pass Continental Divide to his family while remaining in an advisory role 

Political career
Montana Senate (2009–2013)
Zinke was elected to the Montana Senate in 2008, serving from 2009 to 2013, representing the city of Whitefish  While serving in the State Senate, he "was widely seen as a moderate Republican" but drifted to the right  Zinke was selected as chair of the Senate Education Committee and promoted technology in the classroom, rural access to education and local control over schools  He also served on the Senate Finance and Claims Committee  As a state senator, Zinke was also a member of the SEMA-supported State Automotive Enthusiast and Leadership Caucus, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers sharing an appreciation for automobiles 

Global warming and clean energy
In 2008, Zinke said he "support[s] increased coal production for electrical generation and believe[s] it can and should be done with adequate environmental safeguards" and that he "believe[s] the use of alternate energy sources and clean coal is preferred over petroleum based fuels"  In 2010, he signed a letter calling global warming "a threat multiplier for instability in the most volatile regions of the world" and saying that "the clean energy and climate challenge is America's new space race"  The letter spoke of "catastrophic" costs and "unprecedented economic consequences" that would result from failing to act on climate change and asked then-President Obama and then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to champion sweeping clean-energy and climate legislation 

2012 campaign for lieutenant governor
Zinke was the running mate of Montana gubernatorial candidate Neil Livingstone in the 2012 election  The Livingstone/Zinke ticket finished fifth out of seven in the Republican primary with 12,038 votes (8 8% of the vote) In 2012, Zinke founded the super PAC Special Operations for America (SOFA) to support Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign  It raised over $100,000 and paid $28,258 to Continental Divide International, Zinke's company, for fundraising consulting  Zinke appointed right-wing commentator Paul E  Vallely, a promoter of "birther" claims and other anti-Obama conspiracy theories, to SOFA's board  Zinke announced he was resigning as chairman of SOFA on September 30, 2013, with his friend former Navy SEAL Gary Stubblefield taking his place  While Zinke's financial disclosure report for 2014 listed him as chairman of SOFA, SOFA had been making independent expenditures in support of Zinke's campaign since November 20, 2013  In 2014, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission regarding coordination between Zinke's campaign and SOFA  As of December 2016, the FEC had taken no action on the matter 

Radio show
In 2013, Zinke hosted a radio show in which he engaged with and promoted fringe conspiratorial views, including birtherism (the contention that Obama was not born in the United States)  Zinke said on the show that he was not sure whether Obama was a foreign citizen and called on Obama to release his college transcripts  Later, in 2016, as a congressman, Zinke appeared on the radio show Where's Obama's Birth Certificate, known for its promotion of birther conspiracy theories 

2014 House election
In the spring of 2014, Zinke announced his candidacy for Montana's at-large congressional district, a seat vacated when the incumbent, Steve Daines, successfully sought a seat in the U S  Senate During the Republican primary, Zinke attracted attention for calling Hillary Rodham Clinton "the real enemy" and the "anti-Christ " He touted his anti-abortion credentials and was endorsed by the Montana Right to Life Association Zinke won the five-way Republican primary with 43,766 votes (33 25%) and defeated Libertarian perennial candidate Mike Fellows and Democratic nominee John Lewis, a former state director for U S  Senator Max Baucus, in the general election,
with 55 4% of the nearly 350,000 votes cast statewide 

U S  House of Representatives (2015–2017)
In Congress, Zinke supported the deployment of U S  ground troops to combat ISIS, "abandoning" the Affordable Care Act, and cutting regulations  He supported a Republican effort to repeal the estate tax Zinke condemned the "anti-Semitic views" held by neo-Nazis planning a march in support of Richard B  Spencer in Whitefish, Montana, in January 2017 

Political positions
Education
In 2015, Zinke voted for an amendment proposed by Representative Dave Loebsack that provided for the expansion of the use of digital learning through the establishment of a competitive grant program to implement and evaluate the results of technology-based learning practices  The amendment passed, 218–213 

Environmental regulation
Zinke frequently voted in opposition to environmentalists on issues including coal extraction and oil and gas drilling  When Trump opened nearly all U S  coastal waters to extractive drilling, rescinding Obama's protections, nearly a dozen coastal states protested  Zinke visited with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and exempted only Florida's coast from drilling 

Climate change
Zinke has shifted over time on the issue of climate change  In 2010, while in the Montana Senate, Zinke was one of nearly 1,200 state legislators who signed a letter to President Obama and Congress calling for "comprehensive clean energy jobs and climate change legislation " But since 2010, he has repeatedly expressed doubt about anthropogenic climate change; in an October 2014 debate, Zinke said, "it's not a hoax, but it's not proven science either " During Senate confirmation hearings on his nomination as Interior Secretary, Zinke said that humans "influence" climate change, but did not acknowledge the scientific consensus that human activity is the dominant cause of climate change 

Transfers of federal lands to states
Zinke broke with most Republicans on the issue of transfers of federal lands to the states, calling such proposals "extreme" and voting against them  In July 2016, he withdrew as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in protest of the portion of the party's draft platform that would require that certain public lands be transferred to state control  Zinke said he endorsed "better management of federal land" rather than transfers 

Committee assignments
Committee on Armed Services
Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Committee on Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

2016 House election
In 2016, Zinke ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 7 and faced Democratic nominee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau in the general election on November 8  He defeated Juneau with 56% of the vote



ground_truth: on the Cumberland Plain

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: On May 25, 2017 Greg Gianforte won the special election following the resignation of a politican that current holds what position?

The following are given passages.
Context 3: 

Secretary of the Interior (2017–2019)
Donald Trump Jr  recommended to his father that Zinke be nominated for Secretary of the Interior  Zinke was named as then-President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for United States Secretary of the Interior on December 13, 2016  The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved his nomination by a 16–6 vote on January 31, 2017, and he was confirmed by the full Senate by a 68–31 vote on March 1  Among the senators expressing support for Zinke's confirmation was Jon Tester of Montana  Zinke was sworn into office by Vice President Mike Pence the same day The day after his swearing-in, Zinke rode a United States Park Police horse named Tonto several blocks to the entrance of the Department of Interior's Main Interior Building to his official welcoming ceremony On May 24, 2017, in the Montana special election to fill Zinke's vacated House seat, Republican nominee Greg Gianforte defeated Democratic nominee Rob Quist, with 49 7% of the vote to Quist's 44 1% 

Rescinded ban on lead bullets
On his first full day in office, Zinke rescinded the policy implemented by outgoing Fish and Wildlife Service Director Daniel M  Ashe on January 19, 2017, the last day of the Obama administration, that banned the use of lead bullets and lead fishing tackle in national wildlife refuges  Zinke said: "Over the past eight years … hunting, and recreation enthusiasts have seen trails closed and dramatic decreases in access to public lands across the board  It worries me to think about hunting and fishing becoming activities for the land-owning elite  This package of secretarial orders will expand access for outdoor enthusiasts and also make sure the community's voice is heard " The regulation was meant to help prevent lead contamination of plants and animals The move was opposed by the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and other environmental groups  The rollback was praised by Senator Steve Daines, the National Rifle Association, and National Shooting Sports Foundation, as well as other "gun rights advocates, sportsmen's groups, conservatives and state wildlife agencies "

National Monument reductions
In April 2017, Zinke began reviewing at least 27 national monuments to determine whether any of them could be reduced in size  In June 2017, he recommended that Bears Ears National Monument's boundaries be scaled back  In August, he added the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to the list of monuments to be shrunk, while also calling for new management rules for multiple national monuments to decrease the number of actions that are prohibited within the monuments In December 2017, Trump signed executive proclamations that reduced Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument by almost 46%  These moves prompted several legal challenges  A day later, Zinke issued a report recommending that Trump also shrink two more national monuments—Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada and Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon  He also recommended changes to the management of six other national monuments  These changes were welcomed by Republicans such as Representative Rob Bishop, the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, but condemned by Democrats and environmentalist groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club After The New York Times took Zinke's Interior Department to court, it won and got 25,000 documents, of which 4,500 pages were related to Zinke's multi-monument review, and which showed the administration set out to increase coal, oil and gas mining access  The documents also showed that the Zinke administration's new map largely matched a map previously promoted by longtime Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, whose plan claimed it "would resolve all known mineral conflicts for SITLA [Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration] within the Bears Ears… the real [beneficiaries] are Utah schoolchildren and the people of San Juan County", a claim the Utah Diné Bikéyah tribe disputed as hypocritical 

Expenditure controversies
In September 2017, it was reported that on June 26, Zinke had chartered a jet belonging to an oil industry executive for a flight from Las Vegas to Kalispell, Montana  Zinke had been in Las Vegas to make an announcement related to public lands and to deliver a speech to the National Hockey League's Vegas Golden Knights, an expansion franchise owned by William P  Foley, a major donor to Zinke's congressional campaigns  The chartered flight cost taxpayers $12,375  Costs for commercial flights between Las Vegas and Kalispell typically start at $300  Upon arrival in Kalispell, Zinke spent the night at his private residence before delivering remarks at the annual meeting of the Western Governors Association the next morning  Zinke and his staffers returned to Washington on a commercial flight the next day Zinke used private aircraft and performed political duties in relation to an April 1 trip between St  Croix and St  Thomas in the U S  Virgin Islands  Zinke had been in St  Croix on March 30 for an official meeting with Governor Kenneth Mapp during the day, and spent the night at a fundraiser for the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands, where donors of between $1,500 and $5,000 were allowed to have their pictures taken with Zinke  The next morning, he took a private flight costing the government $3,150 to St  Thomas to celebrate the centennial of the islands' handover to the United States by Denmark In December 2017, Politico reported that Zinke had booked government helicopters for more than $14,000 to travel in June and July 2017  One of these trips was the swearing-in ceremony of his successor in Congress; the Department of Interior defended the use of government helicopters instead of a two-hour car drive by saying Zinke would otherwise not be able to fully participate in the ceremony  An Interior spokesperson also told a Politico reporter asking about the expenses, "Shame on you for not respecting the office of a member of Congress " Another of these trips was the use of a Park Police helicopter to have a horseback ride with Vice President Mike Pence; the Interior Department justified the use of the helicopter over the three-hour car drive by saying, "the Secretary will be able to familiarize himself with the in-flight capabilities of an aircraft he is in charge of" and that Park Police staff would "provide an added measure of security to the Secretary during his travel " Zinke dismissed Politico's reporting as "total fabrications and a wild departure of reality" but did not identify any inaccuracies in it In March 2018, the Associated Press reported that the Interior Department spent approximately $139,000 to upgrade three sets of double doors in Zinke's office  A spokesperson claimed Zinke was unaware of the relevant work contract 

Inspector general investigations and other inquiries
In October 2017, the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) launched an investigation into Zinke's use of three charter flights during his tenure as Interior Secretary  In April 2018, OIG released its report, concluding that Zinke's chartered flight to give the June 2017 speech to the Las Vegas Golden Knights was authorized "without complete information" and that the speech was not official business because Zinke did not discuss the Interior Department or his role as Interior Secretary  OIG concluded that the two other charter flights, one to Alaska and the other to the U S  Virgin Islands, "appeared to have been reasonable as related to official DOI business "In October 2017, the United States Office of Special Counsel launched a Hatch Act investigation into Zinke's meeting with the Vegas Golden Knights In a March 2018 Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Zinke said it was false that he had taken a "private jet anywhere," noting that the charter flights he took were on aircraft with propellers, not jet engines As of October 30, 2018, the OIG had referred Zinke to the Department of Justice for investigation, including of whether he lied to the OIG about his involvement in reviewing a tribal casino project in Connecticut  The two Connecticut tribes claim that the Interior Department refused to sign off on the casino project after intense lobbying by MGM Resorts International and two Nevada Republican lawmakers  Zinke said the OIG interviewed him twice about the casino decision and that he was truthful both times  In late 2019, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen stalled the probe into Zinke  Federal prosecutors had proposed to move forward with possible criminal charges against Zinke over his involvement in the casino deal  In doing so, Rosen also prevented the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General from making a report about the casino deal public 

Flying of Secretarial flag
Assuming his duties as Interior Secretary, Zinke ordered Interior Department officials to fly the official Secretarial Flag over the Main Interior Building whenever he was in the building, and that of his deputy, David Bernhardt, whenever Zinke was away and Bernhardt the highest-ranking official present  According to The Washington Post, "no one can remember [the flag ritual] ever happening in the federal government "

Trophy hunting
In November 2017, it was announced that Trump, on Zinke's advice, wanted to lift the import ban on elephant and other big-game trophies from Zambia and Zimbabwe to the United States  A passionate hunter, Zinke justified himself to critics by saying that he had his best childhood memories of hunting with his father and that he was anxious to promote hunting for American families  Trump and Zinke received considerable criticism for the decision  Critics feared that lifting the import ban would trigger a wave of U S  hunters, and that the decision would be a major blow to the survival of the elephant species  Two days later, Trump put his decision on hold, saying that he wanted to better inform himself on the issue  In 2014, before the Obama Administration instituted the ban, U S  hunters killed 671 elephants, 741 lions, 311 leopards, 1,412 Cape buffaloes and 32 rhinos, and shipped them to the U S 

Greater sage-grouse
In 2017, Zinke took steps to unwind a 2015 plan that protected the greater sage-grouse  The Interior Department sought to change sage grouse habitat management plans in 10 states in a way that could open the sage-grouse habitat to mineral extraction and grazing  These proposals were welcomed by the oil and gas industry and condemned by environmentalists  In April 2021, a federal judge blocked this expansion of livestock grazing in Nevada across four hundred square miles (1,000 km2) of some of the highest-priority sage-grouse habitat in the West 

Migratory Bird Treaty Act
Under Zinke, the Interior Department adopted a restrictive interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, issuing a guidance document stating that the killing of birds "resulting from an activity is not prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act when the underlying purpose of that activity is not to take birds " The move was opposed by a bipartisan group of 17 former top Interior Department officials, including seven former heads of migratory bird management at the U S  Fish and Wildlife Service, who served in each administration from Nixon to Obama  In a letter sent to Zinke and members of Congress, the former officials wrote, "This legal opinion is contrary to the long-standing interpretation by every administration (Republican and Democrat) since at least the 1970s "

Interior Department employees
In June 2017, Zinke called for the elimination of 4,000 jobs from the Interior Department and supported the White House proposal to cut the department's budget by 13 4%  The same month, he ordered 50 Interior members of the Senior Executive Service to be reassigned, "forcing many into jobs for which they had little experience and that were in different locations " The scope of the move was unusual  One reassigned Interior senior executive, scientist Joel Clement, published an op-ed in The Washington Post saying that the reassignment was retaliation against him "for speaking out publicly about the dangers that climate change poses to Alaska Native communities " The moves prompted the Interior Departments' Office of Inspector General to launch a probe In 2017, in a speech to the National Petroleum Council, Zinke said that one-third of Interior Department employees were disloyal to Trump and that "I got 30 percent of the crew that's not loyal to the flag"  His remarks prompted objections from the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, Public Lands Foundation and Association of Retired Fish and Wildlife Service Employees (which called the comments "simply ludicrous, and deeply insulting") and Senator Maria Cantwell, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (who said that Zinke had a "fundamental misunderstanding of the role" of the federal civil service) 

Budget proposals
In 2018, Zinke proposed budget cuts to the Interior Department for fiscal year 2019, mostly from the Bureau of Land Management, U S  Fish and Wildlife Service, and U S  Geological Survey  His proposed budget would also have cut the Land and Water Conservation Fund to $8 million from $425 million in 2018 

2018 wildfires
In August 2018, Zinke said that "environmental terrorist groups" were to blame for the wildfires in California, and that they had "nothing to do with climate change"  Fire scientists and forestry experts reject that, attributing the increasingly destructive wildfires to heat and drought caused by climate change  Later that month, Zinke acknowledged that climate change played a part in the fires  He also said that preventing removal of dead trees has increased the amount of flammable material and hurt timber salvaging 

Calendar omissions
In October 2018, FOIA requests revealed that Zinke's calendar, which was supposed to cover the Secretary of the Interior's activities, contained glaring omissions  Zinke met with lobbyists and business executives on a number of occasions  Reporting from September 2018 noted that the calendars of his activities were "so vaguely described    that the public is unable tell what he was doing or with whom he was meeting "

Departure from office
On December 15, 2018, Trump announced that Zinke would leave "the Administration at the end of the year"; he later tweeted that he would name the new Secretary of the Interior the following week  According to The Washington Post, Zinke had submitted his resignation the same morning  Zinke himself later posted a statement on Twitter, saying, "I cannot justify spending thousands of dollars defending myself and my family against false allegations…It is better for the President and Interior to focus on accomplishments rather than fictitious allegations " His resignation came just a week after former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly's departure was announced 
Zinke was facing several federal probes, including the "Montana land deal" in which a foundation of Zinke's and the chairman of energy firm Halliburton, David Lesar, were accused of wrongdoing in relation to a development project in Zinke's home town of Whitefish, Montana  The DOJ also was investigating his use of personal email In May 2020, Zinke criticized the investigations that led to his departure, saying they were politicized and that such investigations would result in only billionaires being able to afford to serve in a public office 

Later career
In January 2019, Zinke began a new job as the managing director of Artillery One, a cryptocurrency investment firm founded by investor Daniel Cannon, saying that he was "going to make Artillery One great again " In an interview, he said, "I'm focused on cybersecurity, protection of infrastructure and emerging countries that can act as a test bed for new technologies  There is some suspicion that blockchain does not really work  We think it does and we want to showcase the utility and flexibility of the model " The company is working on a test bed project in Kosovo, where Zinke served during his time in the U S  Navy  Zinke also took consulting jobs with several energy firms 

2022 congressional election
In June 2021, Zinke officially announced his candidacy for reelection to the U S  House of Representatives  He sought election in Montana's 1st congressional district, which was reconstituted after the 2020 census  Montana had been split between two districts from 1919 to 1993, but for the next three decades had been represented by a single member 
Zinke narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Monica Tranel to return to Congress  He represents the western third of the state, including Missoula, Butte, Bozeman, Kalispell, and his hometown of Whitefish 

Tenure
Syria
In 2023, Zinke voted against H Con Res  21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U S  troops from Syria within 180 days 

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
Zinke was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House 

Personal life
Zinke married Lolita Hand on August 8, 1992  Both had been married before; Hand was a widow with a young daughter  He and Hand also have two children together Zinke splits his time among Washington, D C ; Whitefish, Montana; and Santa Barbara, California, his wife's hometown  Politico reported that he no longer resides at his Whitefish house and spends more time in Santa Barbara  Zinke is Missouri Synod Lutheran 

Electoral history
See also
Environmental policy of the Donald Trump administration
List of members of the United States House of Representatives in the 115th Congress by seniority
List of Montana state senators
Political appointments of Donald Trump#Department of the Interior
United States Senate election in Montana, 2018
Whitefish Energy
Passage 6:
Louisiana State Treasurer special election, 2017
The Louisiana State Treasurer special election took place on October 14, 2017, to elect the state treasurer of Louisiana, with a runoff election to be held on November 18, 2017, if necessary  Incumbent Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy was elected to the U S  Senate in 2016   First Assistant Treasurer Ron Henson replaced Kennedy as treasurer, and served until the special election  Henson did not run in the special election Under Louisiana's jungle primary system, all candidates appeared on the same ballot, regardless of party and voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation  If no candidate receives a majority of the vote during the primary election, a runoff election will be held between the top two candidates  Louisiana is the only state that has a jungle primary system (California and Washington have a similar "top two primary" system)  Republican candidates received over 65% of the vote as John Schroder and Derrick Edwards advanced to the runoff  Republican John Schroder defeated Democrat Derrick Edwards in the runoff 

Candidates
Republican Party
Declared
Angele Davis, businesswoman and former commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Administration
Terry Hughes
Neil Riser, state senator and candidate for LA-05 in 2013
John Schroder, state representative

Withdrew
Julie Stokes, state representative

Declined
Ron Henson, incumbent state treasurer
Rob Maness, retired United States Air Force colonel and candidate for U S  Senate in 2014 and 2016

Democratic Party
Declared
Derrick Edwards, attorney and candidate for U S  Senate in 2016

Libertarian Party
Declared
Joseph D  Little

Jungle primary
Runoff
Passage 7:
Kevin Aguiar
Kevin Aguiar (born September 7, 1972) is an American politician who represented the 7th Bristol district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives  He was first elected in a 2008 special election following Robert Correia's resignation to become Mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts From 2002 to 2009, Aguiar served as a member of the Fall School Committee  He was defeated for re-election in the 2012 Democratic primary by challenger Alan Silvia, who succeeded him 
Passage 8:
Mike Aguirre
Jules Michael Aguirre (born 1949), more commonly known as Michael Jules Aguirre, was the City Attorney for the City of San Diego, California, from 2004 to 2008 
In 2013, he was a candidate for mayor in a special election following Mayor Bob Filner's resignation  He lost to Kevin Faulconer, placing fourth in a field of eleven candidates 

Early life
Aguirre was born to Julio and Margaret Aguirre  His father was of Spanish and Mexican descent and his mother is of Mexican descent 

Early career
Aguirre worked as Assistant U S  Attorney for the Department of Justice and directed a grand jury investigation of pension racketeering  He was then appointed as assistant counsel to the U S  Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations  After leaving government work, Aguirre set up his own firm specializing in securities fraud In the 1990s, Aguirre continued his securities practice and his electoral campaigns  In 1990, Aguirre allied with the Chicano Movement to file a successful federal voting rights lawsuit to overturn San Diego’s redistricting  In 1993, Aguirre successfully defended the United Farm Workers Union in Yuma, Arizona, in a case with lettuce grower Bruce Church  Aguirre took over the defense of the case after UFW President Cesar Chavez died following two days of testimony  Aguirre finished the jury trial, which the UFW lost, but he succeeded in getting the case overturned on appeal In 1996, Aguirre went to court to throw out a 1995 contract between the City of San Diego and the San Diego Chargers football team  In the contract, the city agreed to issue $60 million of bonds to renovate the football team's stadium, and, in a controversial clause, promised to constantly maintain the stadium as a state-of-the-art venue  The city had also agreed to guarantee the sale of 60,000 game tickets at prices to be set by the Chargers  Aguirre’s suit and the ensuing scandal surrounding the maintenance clause compelled the city to renegotiate with the Chargers in 1998 

City Attorney
Aguirre ran for San Diego City Attorney in 2004, in the midst of a financial crisis and investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission  Scandal had erupted in the summer of 2003 over a pension deal that municipal employees received between 1996 and 2002  Workers were given increased benefits during this period, but the city did not contribute enough to municipal pension funds to cover the increased benefits  The resulting deficit of some $1 4 billion left the city’s finances in shambles and made it virtually impossible to issue municipal bonds  Aguirre ran as a "clean up the mess" outsider, with support from Democrats in the officially nonpartisan race, and won with 50 4% of the vote  A 2008 Wall Street Journal article praised Aguirre’s efforts to address the City of San Diego's hundreds of millions of dollars of unfunded pension liabilities In October 2007, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that during the California wildfires of October 2007, Aguirre had called for an evacuation of the entire City of San Diego  Aguirre was heavily criticized for the idea but said that the paper had distorted his position  Aguirre's claim was that he had written a memo to the San Diego Mayor at the height of the fires, advising that the city should draw up a voluntary evacuation plan in light of federal regulations, the immediate threat of the fire, as well as concerns over weather conditions and air quality As City Attorney, Aguirre filed a legal action to force a developer to reduce the height of an already constructed office building near an airport  Federal Aviation Administration officials had later determined that the height of the building posed a threat to public safety, even if a city building permit had been issued  In 2009, a California Superior Court judge affirmed the City Attorney's position by determining the developer had no legal right to erect the building to the unsafe height, and the top several stories were ordered to be removed from the building In 2005, immediately upon taking office, Aguirre attempted unsuccessfully to overturn a city grant of $900 million in pension benefits to police and other city workers, which Aguirre contended had been illegal Aguirre sued Countrywide Financial in July 2008 over lending practices  and convinced a federal multi-district litigation judicial panel to move all Countrywide Financial foreclosure cases to the jurisdiction of the City of San Diego 
In 2008, Aguirre ran for a second term as City Attorney but was challenged by several other candidates  The president of the San Diego City Council Scott Peters ran with the backing of city unions, while Superior Court Judge Jan Goldsmith was backed by the Republican political establishment  In the five-candidate nonpartisan primary election in June 2008, Aguirre qualified for the general election by coming in second place after Goldsmith  In the general election on November 4, 2008, Aguirre lost to Goldsmith: 59 5 percent to 40 5 percent 

After leaving office
After leaving his post as City Attorney, Aguirre returned to private legal practice by forming the law firm of Aguirre Morris & Severson, along with two colleagues from the City Attorney's office: Mia Severson, who had headed the City Attorney's civil litigation division; and Chris Morris, who had headed the City's Criminal Division  Aguirre also started the National Center for Regulatory Reform, which has issued extensive reports on the Market Crash of 2008 
Following the resignation of Mayor Bob Filner in August 2013, Aguirre declared his intention to run in the special election for mayor to replace him  In the primary election held November 19, 2013, Aguirre came in a distant fourth with 4 44 percent of the vote, and thus did not advance to the runoff election held in November In 2014, Aguirre represented a woman named Ruth Hendricks who was challenging the $4 7 billion settlement deal for the failed San Onofre nuclear plant in San Diego County  His questions during the settlement approval process were not addressed  By 2015, his questions about backchannel dealings between regulators and utility companies were being taken more seriously, as criminal investigators seized notes from a secret meeting in Poland where the framework of a San Onofre deal was first discussed 

Electoral history



ground_truth: United States Secretary of the Interior