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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man was fatally shot late Wednesday after a confrontation with police officers in Kansas City, Kansas — the second fatal shooting by police in the city this year.
The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday near a bridge that crosses the Kansas River, the Kansas City Star reported. An officer pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation, said Officer Donna Drake of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, which is handling the investigation as part of an agreement between the two agencies.
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Drake said a “confrontation ensued” and ended when the officer shot the driver. No further details about the confrontation were immediately released. The police officer was treated for minor injuries.
Names of the suspect and the officer have not been released.
In February, police in Kansas City, Kansas, fatally shot a man after he allegedly fled on a bicycle from a house where two people had recently overdosed on fentanyl, the Star reported. Police said the man had a gun.
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2023-04-27T14:12:14+00:00
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seattlepi.com
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https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/man-fatally-shot-by-police-during-confrontation-17922186.php
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SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Last week saw a flurry of activity in the ongoing debate about transgender athletes competing in school sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: Breaking news - transgender athletes will soon be banned from playing in women's sports in Kansas schools.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: The Biden administration has proposed a new rule. This plan essentially bars blanket bans of trans athletes, but it leaves wiggle room for schools to place some restrictions at more elite levels.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #3: The U.S. Supreme Court has denied West Virginia's request to let it fully enforce a state law that bans women who are transgender and girls from participating on public school sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
DETROW: The debate is heated, highly politicized, and it's taking place all across the country. According to the ACLU, 19 other states have enacted similar bans over the past three years. They generally state that only those who are assigned biologically female at birth will be allowed to compete on girls' and women's sports teams within the state. In Kansas and elsewhere, supporters say these bans are all about fairness, ensuring an even playing field for girls in particular.
So what does fairness mean really, and what is the extent that it can be measured? What do we know? We decided to ask a doctor to speak with us, an MD PhD who advises sports organizations on the issue of transgender athletes. Dr. Eric Vilain is a pediatrician and geneticist at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Vilain, thanks for joining us again on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
ERIC VILAIN: Always a pleasure to be here.
DETROW: Let's start just a little bit with those headlines. There was that new law in Kansas, then the Biden administration's proposed rule change to Title IX, which would outlaw broad bans against transgender athletes but give schools discretion to ban specific athletes. Do you think that strikes the right balance?
VILAIN: Well, on one hand, not having an indiscriminate ban suggests that the baseline for eligibility for all athletes, including trans athletes, should be inclusion. And I think that's a good thing. And that's actually what the International Olympic Committee has done in creating a framework for inclusion and fairness that's based on the principle of no presumption of advantage. And if a category is going to be excluded, it needs to be based on evidence. The problem here with the exclusion on a case-by-case basis is that it is likely not to be based on evidence. Who's going to undertake all the necessary research to demonstrate a disproportionate advantage, sport by sport, at so many different ages? Who will fund this? Likely not the school systems.
And the other problem is that the proposed rule will likely create a quite inequitable patchwork of inclusion and exclusion throughout the country, with some states or some cities more likely to include and others not. And the same trans athlete may be eligible in one school and, if they move, may not be in another school, which doesn't make much sense. And finally, all the schools that will ban participation will also prevent the collection of any data on trans athletes, which will further even more the inability to make policy supported by data.
DETROW: Is there a way - I mean, if you put the politics out of it, which, at this point, is a naive view and increasingly impossible because it's an incredibly political issue, but is there a balance that could take people and assess them on an individual basis, like you're saying is important, but also be equitable? Because if we're making different policies for specific people and specific places, it feels hard to have a broader policy in place.
VILAIN: The issue is we lack a lot of data, so we, in fact, know very little about advantages of trans girls and women athletes over their cisgender peers. That's true in elite competitions. That's true in school sports. What we know is that boys and men have an advantage in performance over girls and women, and that disadvantage increases after puberty. So the answer of competitive advantage will vary by class level, and the difference will be much smaller, of course, in elementary school, before puberty, than in high school. So it's a complicated debate. Some are making the argument that the difference between boys and girls should translate directly into concluding that there will be the same difference between trans and cisgender girl athletes. But there is no good evidence for this, in part because many cases are going to be different, some having undergone blocking of puberty at different ages.
I'll end by saying that the larger question really goes beyond a simple competitive advantage. It's whether there is a disproportionate competitive advantage between trans and cis athletes. So there are all sorts of advantages coming into play for athletic abilities - their genetic advantages, metabolic differences, physical characteristics, height, for example, and all the socioeconomic access to better nutrition, better coaching, better training equipment. Does all of these differences that provide some advantage are dwarfed by the fact of being trans athlete? We simply don't know.
DETROW: A lot of people say they're worried about inclusion. A lot of other people say they're worried about protecting female athletes. You're an expert in this field. What are you worried about?
VILAIN: I'm worried that outright bans will prevent inclusion. And it's especially worrying at the school level because there are already so much inequity of sports participation that comes from all sorts of other issues, such as socioeconomic status, access to sports, which are not addressed. So adding layers of exclusion is just not helpful.
DETROW: Dr. Eric Vilain is a pediatrician and a geneticist at the University of California, Irvine. Thanks so much for coming on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
VILAIN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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2023-04-10T02:16:59+00:00
|
wqcs.org
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https://www.wqcs.org/2023-04-09/arguments-that-trans-athletes-have-an-unfair-advantage-lack-evidence-to-support
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Which pet grooming wipes are best?
Our pets bring us hours of entertainment and enjoyment. Unfortunately, they also bring us dirt, dander, debris and odor. Even indoor pets need some help in the grooming department occasionally. For your pet’s health and your home’s cleanliness, it’s important to keep your pets clean, but there are times when a full bath isn’t possible. The best pet grooming wipes can help.
If your canine best friend needs a safe and effective quick wipe down or a full-body cleaning, Nature’s Miracle Deodorizing Spring Water Wipes are perfect.
What to know before you buy pet grooming wipes
Type of pet
Although some pet grooming wipes are suitable for all types of pets, others are not safe for every animal. This may be due to ingredients that might work well for one animal but not another. Read labels carefully to make sure the wipe you choose is safe for your type of pet.
Age of the pet
Puppies and kittens require special consideration when it comes to pet grooming wipes. Their immune systems are not fully formed, and ingredients that might be safe for older dogs and cats can cause sickness in their younger counterparts.
Cleaning needs
If your pampered indoor pooch goes outside infrequently and just needs the occasional pet wipe, you’ll be looking for a different product than the outdoor dog that requires full-body dunking once a week.
Wipes used for cleaning paws may be smaller and thinner than those recommended for full baths.
What to look for in quality pet grooming wipes
Safety first
The first and main criteria for quality pet grooming wipes is safety. They should be clearly labeled as non-toxic. Wipes should not contain:
- Synthetic dyes.
- Phthalates.
- Sulfates.
- Alcohol.
Fragrance-free
If you or your pet are sensitive to fragrances, look for fragrance-free options. Some fragrant wipes may also irritate the skin, so if your pet is particularly sensitive, skip the added smells.
Dual purpose
If you have a long-haired pet who resists all attempts at grooming, a dual-purpose wipe that cleans and conditions is your best choice. This is also important if you use wipes as your primary method of bathing.
Large size
Wiping down large-breed dogs with a wipe the size of an index card is challenging. You need a generously sized wipe to cover a lot of ground at once. Large wipes for big jobs are also more economical, as you won’t need to use an entire pack in one session.
Convenient package
A great place to stash pet grooming wipes is in the car. This way, you can wipe their paws after a trip to the dog park and keep your car clean. Convenient packaging that seals tightly and is smaller makes these more portable and convenient.
Compostable
Because you should never flush wipes of any kind, it’s important that your pet wipes are compostable. This is an environmentally friendly choice that reduces waste in landfills.
How much you can expect to spend on pet grooming wipes
Pet grooming wipes are an affordable bath alternative. The price is relatively stable across all brands, so you can expect to spend $12-$15 for a pack of 100 wipes.
Pet grooming wipes FAQ
Why do you need pet grooming wipes?
A. Keeping your pets clean is not just about how they look. It also affects their health. But because frequent baths can strip the hair coat of oils that benefit the skin, it is a good idea to save the full-body scrubbing for when it’s really necessary and use wipes for spot cleaning.
Wipes are also good for:
- Older cats that aren’t able to clean themselves.
- Pets with allergies.
- Pets with congenitally weepy eyes or runny nose.
- Dogs and cats in season.
- Animals with incontinence issues.
- Cleaning salt and snow off paws in winter.
- Cleaning cats that are not good with baths.
Are there specialized pet wipes for different areas of the body?
A. Yes. While the most common pet wipes are perfect for overall grooming, specialized wipes are formulated for specific areas of the body or cleaning tasks, including:
- Ear wipes.
- Eye wipes.
- Dental wipes.
- Anal gland wipes.
What are the best pet grooming wipes to buy?
Top pet grooming wipes
Nature’s Miracle Deodorizing Spring Water Wipes
What you need to know: These alcohol-free wipes are good for everything from quick touch-ups to whole-body grooming.
What you’ll love: They remove dirt, dander and odor. The formula is gentle enough to use every day. They come in a mild honey sage fragrance, in packs of 25, 100 and 900.
What you should consider: These are only suitable for dogs, so if your household includes cats you’ll need to keep looking.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top pet grooming wipes for the money
What you need to know: These are a great solution for indoor-outdoor cats and dogs that come in with muddy, messy feet.
What you’ll love: Nontoxic wipes are perfect for keeping puppy and kitten paws clean. They are safe enough to use every day. Veterinarians approve of their vitamin E, aloe and lanolin formula. They come in packs of 100 and 200.
What you should consider: Some pet owners found them dry and had to add water to make them effective.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Earthbath Hypoallergenic Grooming Wipes
What you need to know: These dispense easily to remove all manner of dander and dirt from your pet.
What you’ll love: The mild cleansers in this wipe are safe for all animals over 6 weeks old. The swipe has no soap, gluten, parabens, synthetic dyes, sulfates or phthalates. It is certified cruelty-free. It comes with a money-back guarantee.
What you should consider: The container does not seal tightly enough to keep wipes moist, but a little water helps them work.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Suzannah Kolbeck writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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2023-03-23T16:34:10+00:00
|
ksn.com
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https://www.ksn.com/reviews/br/pets-br/grooming-br/best-pet-grooming-wipes/
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Student shuttle buses further reduce Vanderbilt's carbon footprint.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Electrada, an electric fuel solutions company, today announced that Vanderbilt University continues to reduce its carbon footprint through Electrada's complete electric fuel solution, leading to the private research institution's VandyRide shuttles fleet's transition to all EVs. With the electric VandyRide shuttle buses in service for the Fall 2023 semester, Vanderbilt continues to contribute to its carbon neutrality.
"Vanderbilt is committed to lowering its carbon footprint, so switching to electric vehicles in our shuttle fleet is a top priority," said Lindsay Ganson, assistant director of mobility at Vanderbilt University. "We're so excited to have our shuttles in action before the fall semester begins and are looking forward to working with Electrada on our electric fuel needs."
Electrada's 360 Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) offers fleet operators across multiple vehicle classes and sectors a fully capitalized and performance-contracted electrification solution that simplifies the transition to electric vehicles. This unique approach to fleet electrification provides a predictably priced contract that eliminates the upfront capital investment, technology and energy cost risks that often prevent organizations from adopting a robust EV program.
Key to Vanderbilt's decision to launch its electrification strategy was the collaborative approach provided through Electrada's partnership with Holman, a global automotive service organization, which provides EV fleet management to Vanderbilt. Holman and Electrada have previously provided integrated electrification solutions in the logistics and telecom sectors, where like at Vanderbilt, asset performance and predictable electric fuel pricing are critical factors.
"Universities around the country have instituted sustainability goals to reduce or eliminate their carbon footprint. Fleet electrification is a visible, ROI-based means to materially advancing these objectives. We're proud to support Vanderbilt's unique FutureVU efforts as a national leader in higher education," said Kevin Kushman, Electrada's CEO. "Our 360 CaaS model presents the integrated electric fuel solution required across both local and national footprints, where use cases, duty cycles, utilities and energy prices call for a strong and knowledgeable partner."
For more information about Holman and Electrada's innovative electrification partnership, visit Holman.com or Electrada.com.
About Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a globally renowned research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. Ranked No. 13 among national universities, Vanderbilt offers an immersive living-learning undergraduate experience, with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, engineering, music, education and human development. The university also is home to nationally and internationally recognized graduate schools of law, education, business, medicine, nursing and divinity, and offers robust graduate-degree programs across a range of academic disciplines. Vanderbilt is committed to inclusive excellence, drawing the world's brightest students, faculty and distinguished visitors from across all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and provides a collaborative atmosphere of discovery that drives positive change in the world. Learn more at www.vanderbilt.edu.
About Electrada
Electrada is a Cincinnati-based developer, owner, and operator of electric vehicle infrastructure and related energy assets, serving multiple transportation segments using its unique 360 Charging-as-a-Service solutions. Electrada partners with fleets to expertly design and build a 100% tailored EV charging solution, then invests all the capital required to deliver a complete electric fuel program for a decade or longer at an electric-fueled cost per mile that's lower than liquid fuel from day one. Electrada clients only pay for their electric fuel needs – with no disruption to their operations. Electrada, founded in 2020 by energy, mobility, and utility experts, is a BlackRock Climate Infrastructure portfolio company established to build and support high-performance EV infrastructure across North America.
View original content:
SOURCE Electrada
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2023-05-18T17:49:52+00:00
|
wymt.com
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https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/05/18/vanderbilt-university-electrada-team-launch-electric-shuttle-program/
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After 20 years and $200 billion in revenue, Humira — an injectable treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and several other autoimmune conditions — has lost its monopoly. Early Tuesday morning, California-based biotech firm Amgen released Amjevita, the first close copy of the best selling drug of all time. At least seven more Humira copycats, known as biosimilars, are expected to debut later this year.
"It's about time!" said Sameer Awsare with a laugh and a smile. Awsare, associate executive director for the Permanente Medical Group, advises national insurer Kaiser Permanente on its prescription drug policies. Other groups representing insurers, patients or employers are also eager for these biosimilars to usher in more competition — in hopes that will enable them to slash their spending on the popular treatment.
But among industry watchers, the prevailing sentiment is uncertainty over whether competition alone will bring the price down.
"I am pretty anxious," said Marta Wosińska, an economist and fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Humira losing its monopoly creates the biggest test the fledgling U.S. biosimilars market has ever faced. It's a market critical to containing drug costs in the U.S., which relies primarily on competition rather than regulation to rein in spending.
If these challengers to Humira fail to pass this test, some will see it as a sign something about this market is fundamentally broken.
A golden opportunity for a beleaguered biosimilars market
Biosimilars are highly similar versions of a rapidly growing class of drugs called biologics, a broad range of treatments or preventatives that include immunotherapies, insulins and certain vaccines made from living cells.
While biologics are driving many of medicine's most exciting new advances — shrinking tumors, controlling diabetes, even delaying dementia — they are also consuming more of our money. Biologics account for nearly half of U.S. drug spending despite comprising less than 3% of prescriptions.
Since debuting in the U.S. in 2015, biosimilars have struggled to match the market-devouring, price-plummeting impact of generic drugs, which save U.S. patients and insurers $300 billion a year.
How biosimilars are different from generics
Unlike generics, biosimilars face a unique set of regulatory, manufacturing and business challenges. Conventional drugs can be replicated like a recipe in a cookbook using chemical processes. In contrast, because biologic drugs are grown in living cells, they are harder to mimic, making biosimilars more difficult and expensive to manufacture. Experts debate whether those unique challenges have doomed this market or if biosimilars simply need more time to establish themselves.
Humira offers by far the best opportunity this beleaguered market has had to succeed.
"All of the pieces seem to be there," Wosińska said. "Tons of money on the table [and] eight companies ready to jump in."
If biosimilars come up short again, Wosińska and others worry about the chilling effect that could have on future biosimilar investments, leading to less competition and a future where people pay higher drug prices, steeper insurance premiums and bigger tax bills for programs like Medicare.
A fierce fight for market share
In order to pass this test — and demonstrate biosimilars can have a strong, healthy future in the U.S. — Humira's challengers need to deliver big savings and devour market share.
Experts — and even Humira's own manufacturer, AbbVie — are confident this new competition will soon cut spending on the drug nearly in half. Those savings would mostly benefit insurers and their middlemen as well as employers, who pick up the bulk of drug costs for many Americans. According to original calculations done for Tradeoffs by the Health Care Cost Institute, employers spent more than $15 billion in 2020 on Humira. How much of the cost-savings will trickle down to patients, who can spend more than $70,000 a year on this drug, is less clear.
The much harder part of this test to pass will be snatching significant market share away from Humira manufacturer AbbVie. With its 20-year head start, the drugmaker has spent billions of dollars erecting barriers to "slow competitors down and protect as much of the market as possible," according to Robin Feldman, professor at University of California Law, San Francisco.
Company tactics have included tweaking Humira's formula to give the appearance that biosimilar competitors are less similar; AbbVie has also added two new drugs of its own that target similar patient populations and add to the company's market share. AbbVie recently projected the pair of drugs —– Rinvoq and Skyrizi —– will exceed Humira's record $20 billion in annual sales by 2027.
AbbVie declined multiple requests for comment but in addressing the forthcoming biosimilar competition on a February 2020 earnings call, chief executive Richard Gonzalez said, "Our goal is to maintain as much share as we can in as profitable of a way as we can."
AbbVie's actions are just one hurdle biosimilars face.
"Everybody is feeding at the trough," Feldman said.
The complex drug purchasing system in the U.S. — rife with confidential rebates and convoluted fees — creates perverse financial incentives.
For example, most insurers rely on middlemen to negotiate deals with drugmakers that in turn dictate which drugs get covered and what patients pay at the pharmacy counter. But those middlemen have their own profit motives and have been known to give favorable coverage to a more expensive drug if its manufacturer offers them a lucrative deal.
These contracts are confidential, but so far, in the case of Humira, two of the country's three largest insurance middlemen have said they plan to charge patients the same out of pocket costs for Humira as biosimilar alternatives.
"The patient won't pay any less if they switch to the biosimilar," Feldman said. "Why would you switch from [a brand] you already know to [one] that you don't know" if you are paying the same?
Patients lacking any financial incentive to switch makes competing that much harder for biosimilars, which are vying in many cases for patients who have relied on Humira for years — and their doctors. In a survey of physicians conducted by the research group NORC at the University of Chicago, only 31% said they were very likely to switch a patient doing well on any biologic over to a biosimilar version.
Additionally, pharmacists must get a whole new prescription for a biosimilar before swapping it in for a brand-name competitor. With traditional generics, that swap for the pharmacist is essentially automatic and requires no new prescription. While one of Humira's biosimilar competitors — Cyltezo, which will come to the U.S. market in July — has gotten a special Food and Drug Administration approval that allows for automatic swapping, most others have not.
Only one large insurer has said it will bring down the kind of financial hammer required to help biosimilars grab meaningful market share. David Chen, who directs specialty drug use for Kaiser Permanente, said the insurer plans to stop covering Humira by the end of 2023. He expects at least 90% of patients to switch to the biosimilar alternative, and said Kaiser should save hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
A reckoning on the horizon
If the biosimilar market once again falls short of its promise, economist Wosińska said she foresees a larger reckoning. She expects some drugmakers would deem the market fatally flawed and exit altogether, leaving fewer competitors to drive down the price of the next big biologic blockbuster.
Congress also could act to fix certain flaws, other experts said. They could change regulations, and try to make the market a cheaper, easier place for companies to thrive. Or, they could go in the opposite direction: embrace price regulation.
It's an option that was considered untouchable for many decades. But the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which gave the federal government new power to lower drug prices, has put that path squarely on the map.
This story comes from the health policy podcast Tradeoffs, a partner of Side Effects Public Media. Dan Gorenstein is Tradeoffs' executive editor, and Leslie Walker is a senior producer for the show, which ran a version of this story on January 26. Tradeoffs' coverage of health care costs is supported, in part, by Arnold Ventures and West Health.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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2023-01-31T12:41:41+00:00
|
delawarepublic.org
|
https://www.delawarepublic.org/npr-headlines/npr-headlines/2023-01-31/abbvies-blockbuster-drug-humira-finally-loses-its-20-year-200-billion-monopoly
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CHICAGO (AP) — Public safety officials are urging Chicago residents to exercise caution along the city’s lakefront after incidents spanning less than a week saw three people apparently drown and a woman lose her feet in a boating mishap.
Police and fire officials pleaded Thursday with boaters and swimmers to be responsible, wear personal flotation devices, swim with a partner and not to drink if they plan to boat or swim on Lake Michigan.
“We want to welcome everyone to the lakefront, but we want you to be safe,” Chicago Police Marine Unit Lt. Tony Mendez told reporters.
Last Saturday, a woman who was on a raft in the so-called “Playpen” near Chicago’s Navy Pier lost both her feet when a boat backed into the raft and she and others were pulled beneath it. Surgeons later had to amputated her legs below her knees.
Mendez spoke Thursday on the lakefront hours after a man apparently drowned after falling from a boat Wednesday evening. Police were still searching for his body.
That incident was the third apparent drowning this week along Chicago's lakefront, including two men, ages 38 and 43, who were pronounced dead after being pulled from the lake in separate incidents Wednesday and early Thursday.
At least 35 people have drowned in Lake Michigan so far this year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which tracks drownings.
|
2022-08-19T19:01:32+00:00
|
seattlepi.com
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https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Chicago-officials-urge-lakefront-caution-after-17384665.php
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BOGOTA, June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chief Executive Officer of Ecopetrol S.A. ("Ecopetrol" or the "Company") invites the Shareholders of the Company to attend the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting (the "Meeting") to be held on June 17, 2022, starting at 8:00 a.m., at Ecopetrol´s main building located at Carrera 13 No. 36 - 24 in Bogotá.
The agenda for the Meeting will be:
- Safety guidelines
- Quorum Verification
- Opening of the General Shareholders' Meeting by the Chief Executive Officer of Ecopetrol S.A.
- Approval of the Agenda
- Appointment of the President of the Meeting
- Appointment of the committee responsible for scrutinizing elections and polling
- Appointment of the committee responsible for reviewing and approving the Meeting minutes
- Update the dividend payment term to the majority shareholder of the company approved by the General Assembly of Shareholders held in March 2022
- Modification of the destination of a portion of the occasional reserve of the Company, previously approved at the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting of the Company held in March 2022 to distribute it
- Distribution of a portion of the occasional reserve as dividends
The Meeting will be broadcasted live via streaming on Ecopetrol's website.
The Shareholders may consult the supporting information of the agenda on Ecopetrol's website and shareholders who cannot attend the Meeting in person may be represented vía proxy (a.k.a. power-of-attorney) duly granted in writing to a trusted proxy, who must meet the requirements established in Article 184 of the Colombian Commercial Code. Proxy form templates can be downloaded on Ecopetrol's website.
Except in cases of legal representation, Ecopetrol administrators and employees may not represent shares other than their own while they are employed by the Company, nor substitute the powers conferred thereon.
For the legal representation of the shareholders, compliance will be given to the provisions of the Basic Legal Circular 029 of 2014 regarding the illegal, unauthorized and unsafe practices of securities issuers.
FELIPE BAYÓN PARDO
Chief Executive Officer
Recommendations
- In case you are representing other shares, have the respective proxy form and any respective additional documents handy.
- To avoid overcrowding, guarantee the adequate participation of all shareholders, the doors of Ecopetrol's Main Building and registration points will open as of 7 a.m.
- Only one Companion will be allowed for those shareholders requiring special attention.
- The admission or distribution of advertising elements and any other material that may affect the normal course of the Assembly is prohibited.
- If you have symptoms associated with COVID-19 please do not attend the Meeting. We suggest wearing a mask (over nose and mouth), maintain physical distancing of at least 1 meter and wash hands frequently.
- Kit or refreshments will not be provided.
Additional information is available at:
Shareholder Services Office
Bogota phone number: from abroad (+571) 307 7075 / from Bogota (601)
307 7057; rest of the country: (+57) 01 8000 113434 Email: shareholders@ecopetrol.com.co
www.ecopetrol.com.co
View original content:
SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.
|
2022-06-01T15:13:27+00:00
|
wymt.com
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https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/01/extraordinary-general-shareholders-meeting-ecopetrol-sa/
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WFO NORMAN Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, July 22, 2022
_____
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
1141 AM CDT Fri Jul 22 2022
...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of southeastern Foard,
Knox and southwestern Baylor Counties through 1215 PM CDT...
At 1141 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 5 miles north of Gilliland to 4 miles southwest
of Vera. Movement was southeast at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Munday, Benjamin, Goree, Vera, Truscott, Gilliland, Rhineland and
Bomarton.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms and may lead
to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
LAT...LON 3340 9978 3389 9987 3394 9950 3340 9940
TIME...MOT...LOC 1641Z 337DEG 8KT 3381 9969 3359 9963
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
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2022-07-22T18:00:04+00:00
|
sfgate.com
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https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/TX-WFO-NORMAN-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17322590.php
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TAIPEI, Oct. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Established by Dr. Samuel Yin in 2012, the Tang Prize celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with the 2022 Tang Prize Masters' Forum series that came to a successful conclusion in September. Six 2022 laureates, Professor Jeffrey Sachs for Sustainable Development, Drs. Katalin Kariko, Drew Weissman, Pieter Cullis for Biopharmaceutical Science, Professor Dame Jessica Rawson for Sinology, and Professor Cheryl Saunders for Rule of Law, delivered six edifying speeches, and exchanged views with leading experts in their specific fields. Tens of thousands of students, scholars as well as interested laypeople were drawn to the event venues. The livestream of the series on the Tang Prize Foundation's official YouTube channels also allowed a wider global audience to participate online in real time.
Exploring the theme of the forum, "Sustainable Development Pathways Toward 2030 and Beyond," Professor Sachs offered his insight about pressing issues that face the world at the moment, including raging inflation, fuel and food shortages, extreme weather and the urgent need to reach net zero by 2050. He also provided practical suggestions on how every country, Taiwan included, can achieve sustainable development, and reiterated the importance of encouraging international cooperation, advocating peace, fostering universal values, and taking swift action to resolve the crises we currently have.
(video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAAlSiyuC_k&t=5347s)
Known for their collaboration that has spanned for two decades, Dr. Kariko and Dr. Weissman delivered a speech on "History of mRNA Development for Therapy" and "Nucleoside-modified mRNA Therapeutics" respectively. They both stressed that scientific advancement requires team work while pointing out the advantage and great potential of the therapeutic use of mRNA.
(video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF-uFLbKTkQ&t=6109s)
At a separate forum, Dr. Cullis gave a talk on "Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs), Gene Therapy and the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine," sharing his experience as a researcher for fifty years and of developing lipid-based delivery systems for nearly thirty years. He also explained how LNP technology is being employed to enable mRNA-based gene therapy.
(video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoK94h9QFIM&t=8825s)
Elaborating on the topic of "Bronze, Jade and Gold: The Language of Objects and Their Context," Professor Rawson examined everyday articles and ritual pieces found in tombs, combed through inventories of items made of these three precious materials, investigated the social contexts and cultural norms hidden behind these objects, and revealed the traces that chronicle the encounter between the East and the West. By decoding the language of these unearthed treasures, she took the audience on a journey deep into China's rich and complex history.
(video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU-1DfBPBNM&t=5603s)
Speaking on the topic of "Public Participation in Constitutional Change—Reflections from a Comparative Perspective," Professor Saunders listed an array of examples to illustrate how citizens in several countries participated in constitutional reform and discussed the significance of these cases, as well as their modalities and limitations. She also expressed optimism about the referendum to be held on November 26 on whether the age of the Taiwanese eligible to exercise their civil rights should be lowered to 18. She believes it needs support from the government and all the political parties and the passing of this referendum would create a virtuous cycle that engages more people in related issues and movements.
(video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ5aqml-5Bc&t=2505s)
To learn more about the Tang Prize, visit our official website at
CONTACT:
thetangmedia@tang-prize.org
886-2-8772-5188 ext.103 | 886-953-672346
View original content:
SOURCE The Tang Prize Foundation
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2022-10-14T09:20:09+00:00
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live5news.com
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https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2022/10/14/2022-tang-prize-masters-forum-series-sheds-light-current-global-challenges/
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HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit a moon shot that sent Space City into a frenzy, and the Houston Astros to their second World Series title.
While the stain on Houston’s first championship might never completely fade, Alvarez’s majestic three-run homer helped fashion a fresh crown for the Astros — and the first for Dusty Baker as manager — in a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 on Saturday night.
“What happened before, it doesn’t ever pass over completely,” said Baker, the veteran manager hired by the Astros in the wake of their sign-stealing scandal. “But we have turned the page and hopefully we’ll continue this run.”
Alvarez blasted a ball over the 40-foot batter’s eye in center field during the sixth inning immediately after Phillies starter Zack Wheeler was pulled with a 1-0 lead.
As Alvarez’s 450-foot shot sailed, Astros starter Framber Valdez jumped and wildly screamed in the dugout while the crowd of 42,958 went crazy waving orange rally towels.
“When I was rounding second base, I felt the whole stadium moving,” Alvarez said through a translator.
The 73-year-old Baker finally got his first title in his 25th season as a manager. He’s spent the past three with the Astros after they hired him to help the team regain credibility after their trash can banging scheme cost manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs, and made Houston the most reviled team in baseball.
“I wasn’t here in 2017, but it’s definitely a weight off of everybody’s shoulders. Ain’t nobody can say (anything) now,” said closer Ryan Pressly, who finished the Series with another scoreless inning.
Baker, who won a World Series as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers and had been to the Fall Classic twice before as a skipper, is the oldest championship manager in any of the four major North American sports. The win came 20 years after a near-miss, when he came within five outs of taking the title while guiding the San Francisco Giants.
“What’s next? I said if I win one, I want to win two,” Baker said afterward.
Houston’s coaching and training staffs circled around Baker after Nick Castellanos flied out to end it, jumping up and down, and chanting “Dusty! Dusty! Dusty!” in the dugout before they joined the players on the field.
Astros rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña was the World Series MVP after getting another key hit, a single to set up Alvarez’s homer.
The 25-year-old star born in the Dominican Republic also won a Gold Glove award and AL Championship Series MVP — Peña is the first hitter to win those three awards in a career, and he did it all in his first season, per OptaSTATS.
Jerseys worn by Peña and Baker during the Series were headed to the Hall of Fame.
A year after watching the Atlanta Braves clinch the World Series title at Minute Maid Park, Justin Verlander and the Astros went 11-2 in the postseason and became the first team to seal the championship at home since the 2013 Boston Red Sox.
Alvarez homered for the first time since going deep in the first two games this postseason. Christian Vázquez added an RBI single later in the inning to make it 4-1.
Valdez earned his second win of this Series. He had been in the dugout only a few minutes after throwing his 93rd and final pitch while striking out nine over six innings.
But the lefty had walked off the mound with the wild-card Phillies up 1-0 on Kyle Schwarber’s homer leading off the sixth.
Schwarber, who hit his third homer in the past four games, rounded the bases waving his raised empty hand in the same motion as the fans with their towels.
But by the time Schwarber batted in the eighth, the NL’s home run leader was reduced to bunting, trying for a hit to stir a dormant Phillies offense. His bunt went foul with two strikes, resulting in a strikeout.
In the sixth, Houston got two runners on base against Wheeler for the first time in the game, when Martín Maldonado was hit by a pitch, Jose Altuve grounded into a forceout and Peña singled.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson went to left-handed reliever José Alvarado to face the lefty slugger for the fourth time in the series — Alvarez had popped out twice and been hit by a pitch the first three times.
“I thought Wheels still had really good stuff. It wasn’t about that. It was just I thought the matchup was better with Alvarado on Alvarez at that time,” Thomson said.
And Alvarado had allowed only three homers to lefty hitters in his six big league seasons, until his 2-1 pitch, when Alvarez crushed the 99 mph sinker.
“It’s kind of a dirty inning and I thought, I mean, going into the series it was always kind of Alvarado on Alvarez,” Thomson said. “It was the sixth inning and I felt like the normal back end of the bullpen guys could get through it.”
Alvarez hadn’t homered since Game 2 of the AL Division Series against Seattle, when his two-run shot in the sixth inning put them up to stay. That came after his game-ending, three-run shot in Game 1 for an 8-7 win.
Houston won an American League-best 106 games and reached its fourth World Series during a span in which it made it to the AL Championship Series six seasons in a row. The Astros made their only other World Series appearance in 2005, while still in the National League, and were swept in four games by the Chicago White Sox.
This was their third ALCS and second consecutive World Series since former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers revealed after the 2019 season, when he had gone from Houston for two years since being part of their 2017 championship, that the team had used a camera in center field to steal signs and signal hitters on which pitches to expect by banging on a garbage can.
“That will probably never go away but I think this just proves how good this team is and how good it’s been for a long time,” Astros owner Jim Crane said on the field afterward.
Philadelphia was 22-29 when Joe Girardi was fired in early June and replaced by bench coach Thomson, the 59-year-old baseball lifer getting his first chance a big league manager — he was on the Yankees big league staff for 10 seasons with Girardi, and was part of their last World Series and title in 2009.
The Phillies finished the regular season 65-46 under Thomson, their 87 wins good for the sixth and final spot in the NL playoffs, on the way to their first World Series since 2009.
UP NEXT
Phillies: In less than five months, the Phillies will be back in Texas to begin their 2023 regular season, about 250 miles away for the opener of an interleague series March 30 against the Texas Rangers.
Astros: Whether or not Baker and/or general manager James Click are back — neither is signed past this season — the World Series champs will play their 2023 season opener at home March 30 against the Chicago White Sox.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2022-11-06T12:37:05+00:00
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nwahomepage.com
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https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/national-sports/ap-alvarez-blasts-astros-to-world-series-title-in-g6-vs-phils/
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The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation launched a new relief fund Monday aimed at Black college students, alumni and dropouts overburdened by mounting education costs and the student loan debt crisis.
The foundation said it set aside $500,000 for the fund and plans to award more than 500 recipients with relief payments ranging from $750 to $4,500. A public application process for the fund opened on Monday, and recipients will receive their money in January if selected. Details about the fund were shared with The Associated Press ahead of the launch.
The BLM foundation’s Student Solidarity Fund is an expansion of a previous initiative it started last year as millions of Americans struggled to make ends meet amid economic uncertainty in the coronavirus pandemic. This time the foundation said it intends to use philanthropic dollars to draw attention to issues of economic injustice, especially while a proposed federal student debt forgiveness plan is held up by litigation from opponents.
“The fact of the matter is that Black people who work to get an education are struggling right now,” BLM foundation board chair Cicley Gay said. “We recognize that we can’t build a world of true liberation without the brilliance of Black people who are committed to furthering their education.”
The relief is meant for bachelor’s degree recipients, as well as those who did not complete their degree but still carry student loan debt. Applicants must have attended a college or university in the U.S. The foundation is asking applicants to submit loan documents to prove their eligibility.
If selected, applicants with $75,000 or less in debt will receive $1,500. Applicants with debt between $75,001 and $150,000 will receive $3,000. And applicants with $150,001 or more in debt will receive $4,500.
The money is not restricted for use only on student loan payments, but the foundation said its relief funds are meant to lower recipients’ overall debt burden.
In a second phase of the fund, the BLM foundation said it will give microgrants of $750 to relief fund applicants who are currently attending historically Black colleges and universities, to help with housing, food, technology, books and transportation costs.
Foundation board secretary Shalomyah Bowers, who runs the consulting firm that the movement organization hired to build out its philanthropic capacity, said Student Solidarity Fund applicants do not have to prove they are Black. But fund administrators will be working to weed out scammers.
“Black people shouldn’t have to jump through hoops and jump over hurdles to get the access that they need,” he said.
Tahir Murray, an HBCU ambassador for the BLM foundation’s Student Solidarity Fund, said he hears from Black students all the time that stress over the lack of scholarships and grants is a persistent distraction from their studies.
“Black students have disproportionate access to aid and resources that take into account historical discrimination and the experiences of Black people navigating a society that does not see or treat us as equal,” said Murray, who is a 2021 graduate of Howard University and owner of the HBCU lifestyle brand LegacyHistoryPride.
The relief fund comes less than two weeks after the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the Biden administration can proceed with a plan to broadly cancel student loans. In August, President Joe Biden said the government would forgive $10,000 in student loan debt for Americans with annual incomes below $125,000, and would cancel up to $20,000 for recipients of the Pell Grant.
More than 26 million people had already applied for the relief, with 16 million approved. But the government stopped processing applications in November after a federal judge in Texas struck down the plan. Conservative attorneys and Republican lawmakers are challenging the legality of the debt forgiveness plan on an argument that Biden cannot take this step without congressional approval.
A high court ruling is expected by early summer.
“We could sit around and wait, and hope that legislators do what they promised by providing loan relief, or we could step up and do it ourselves. And we’ve decided to do the latter,” Gay said.
Last year, while Americans waited for Congress to approve a $2 trillion coronavirus relief package that included direct payments of $1,400 to Americans earning less than $75,000, the BLM foundation gave out $3 million in microgrants of $1,000 to nearly 3,000 Black people.
That initiative launched just as the foundation opened up about the tens of millions in donations it took in after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, a case that helped spark racial justice protests across the U.S. and around the world. Earlier this year, the foundation revealed in a nonprofit tax filing that it had nearly $42 million in net assets at the end of the last fiscal year.
The tax filing also showed the foundation spent nearly $6 million on a Los Angeles-area property that includes a home with six bedrooms and bathrooms, a swimming pool, a soundstage and office space. The property is intended as a campus for a Black artists fellowship, the foundation said.
The financial revelations set off a fresh wave of criticism from the left and right in the political world and from both inside and outside of the broader BLM movement. Several months after the disclosures, the foundation’s structure remains the same. It is run by a three-member board of directors, including Gay and Bowers.
In August, a group of local chapters and activists known as BLM Grassroots filed a lawsuit in a California Superior Court against Bowers. The suit alleges that he and his consulting firm broke an agreement to turn over control of the foundation’s digital assets and its finances to the grassroots organizers of BLM, allowing him to profit personally and professionally from the surge in donations.
Bowers told the AP the allegations are “frivolous” and untrue. An attorney for the foundation last week filed a court motion asking a judge to dismiss the lawsuit.
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2022-12-12T19:48:19+00:00
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wcia.com
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https://www.wcia.com/news/national/blm-sets-up-student-relief-fund-as-loan-forgiveness-stalls/
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Donald Moore of Houston salutes during the playing of the National Anthem at a dedication ceremony on Nov. 9, 2022, naming sections of I-22 in Lee County the "Korean War Veterans Highway" and the "Vietnam Veterans Way" in honor of local veterans.
The Mississippi Department of Tranportation Honor Guard get ready for Wednesday's dedication of two sections of I-22 for veterans of both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts held at the Veterans Park in Tupelo.
Donald Moore of Houston salutes during the playing of the National Anthem at a dedication ceremony on Nov. 9, 2022, naming sections of I-22 in Lee County the "Korean War Veterans Highway" and the "Vietnam Veterans Way" in honor of local veterans.
Thomas Wells | Daily Journal
State Rep. Randy Boyd gives retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Bob Verell a commemorative tag following the ceremony.
Thomas Wells | Daily Journal
Veterans and other officials officially unveil the sign that will be placed along a section of I-22 in Lee County to honor veterans of the Korean War.
Thomas Wells | Daily Journal
The Mississippi Department of Tranportation Honor Guard get ready for Wednesday's dedication of two sections of I-22 for veterans of both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts held at the Veterans Park in Tupelo.
Thomas Wells
Ret. Lt. Col. Rex Moody speaks at Wednesday's dedication of two section of I-22 in Lee County for veterans of bothe the Vietnam and Korean conflicts.
Thomas Wells | Daily Journal
Vietnam veterans and other officials officially unviel the sign that will be placed along I-22 to honor veterans of the Vietnam War.
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2022-11-09T23:14:35+00:00
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djournal.com
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https://www.djournal.com/news/local/veterans-way/article_de80140b-cd19-53b0-a672-c2fc26593013.html
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Minnesota Lynx (5-13, 3-6 Western Conference) at Chicago Sky (12-5, 8-2 Eastern Conference)
Chicago; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Chicago will try to keep its three-game home win streak alive when the Sky face Minnesota.
The Sky are 5-2 in home games. Chicago averages 13.4 turnovers per game and is 3-1 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents.
The Lynx have gone 3-7 away from home. Minnesota is third in the WNBA with 36.4 rebounds per game. Sylvia Fowles paces the Lynx with 10.3.
The teams play for the second time this season. The Sky won the last meeting 82-78 on May 15. Emma Meesseman scored 17 points to help lead the Sky to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kahleah Copper is shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc with 1.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Sky, while averaging 14 points and 5.5 rebounds. Meesseman is averaging 14.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals over the past 10 games for Chicago.
Fowles is scoring 16.3 points per game with 10.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists for the Lynx. Kayla McBride is averaging 15.1 points and 1.6 steals over the last 10 games for Minnesota.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sky: 8-2, averaging 86.9 points, 36.5 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.9 points per game.
Lynx: 3-7, averaging 80.9 points, 36.0 rebounds, 20.0 assists, 5.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.0 points.
INJURIES: Sky: None listed.
Lynx: Moriah Jefferson: out (quad).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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2022-06-25T07:17:36+00:00
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seattletimes.com
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https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/chicago-takes-home-win-streak-into-matchup-with-minnesota/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all
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Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school district police chief at the time of the Robb Elementary school shooting, has been placed on administrative leave, according to the superintendent.
Dr. Hal Harrell, the superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, said Mike Hernandez will assume the duties of the district's chief of police.
"From the beginning of this horrible event, I shared that the district would wait until the investigation was complete before making personnel decisions. Today, I am still without details of the investigations being conducted by various agencies. Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the decision to place Chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on this date," Harrell said in a statement Wednesday.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Arredondo was the commander in charge during the May 24 school shooting in which 19 children and two teachers were killed. Arredondo, who testified Tuesday at a closed-door hearing of a Texas House committee, has said he didn’t consider himself in charge and assumed someone else had taken control.
Uvalde School Shooting Coverage:
Public outrage has been levied against officials and law enforcement for not doing enough to stop the massacre.
Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday that police had enough officers and firepower at the school to stop Ramos three minutes after he entered the building but they instead waited more than an hour before storming the classroom and killing him.
Please check back for updates to this developing story.
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2022-06-23T00:25:02+00:00
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nbcchicago.com
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https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/uvalde-school-district-puts-police-chief-on-leave-as-shooting-investigation-continues/2863573/
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REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vue.ai, the retail vertical of AI startup Mad Street Den, announces its partnership with Meta to generate automated and inclusive ad creatives using AI-powered models for brands using Meta's creative services.
There has been an increasing demand for fashion brands to be more inclusive while showcasing their products. However, shooting outfits on multiple models is a time-consuming and expensive process.
Vue.ai enables brands to feature their outfits on a diverse range of AI-generated across body types, sizes, and complexions. A single outfit can be draped on a wide range of models from sizes 4-20 with the help of Vue.ai's patented technology - VueModel, which enhances and diversifies the shopping experience for customers worldwide. These features are packed into a single dashboard and have proven to be faster than traditional photoshoots.
The AI networks are taught to recreate the garment's characteristics and comprehend how it will fit on a person's body, taking into account the postures and height variations of the models. These AI networks are also honed to comprehend the subtleties of clothing fitting on the human body using sophisticated machine learning algorithms already in place. Customers across the globe have consistently reduced time to go-live on their websites, cost of creative production and increased conversions with the help of VueModel.
For instance, Lane Crawford, the Asian designer retail company, implemented Vue.ai's technology through various advertising formats on Meta platforms and saw a 33% increase in their return on ad spending (ROAS), 55% higher Click-through rates(CTR) and 28% decrease in cost per action (CPA), thereby significantly boosting their business.
Another example is Showpo, an Australian fashion retailer, who has already implemented a trial run to test an inclusive advertising campaign to show more diversity to their customers using Vue.ai's models, with a plan to roll out the feature to their site and more if the campaigns end up being successful.
"AI technology can help us automate our on-model product photography process in a cost-efficient and scalable way while ensuring we can embrace diversity thanks to the diverse library of Vue.ai models," said Jane Lu, the founder of Showpo.
"Vue.ai is very pleased to partner with Meta's Creative Shop and participating brands to make size and ethnicity-inclusive presentation of garments a reality. Although AI-based image generation for fashion has long been a compelling use case, convincing garment-on-model imagery requires a level of fidelity to the product and high resolution that has been beyond reach. We are proud that Vuemodel has proven to provide excellent customer response while providing cost savings, convenience, and inclusivity to brands." said Costa Colbert, Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Vue.ai.
About Mad Street Den
Mad Street Den is an Enterprise AI company with a mission to make businesses and teams AI-native by driving top-down and bottom-up change in AI adoption. Vue.ai is Mad Street Den's proprietary AI stack for retail businesses to provide them with Computer Vision & NLP-led solutions that solve problems ranging from data unification & structuring to prediction & personalization as well as workflow and process automation.
With a combination of ready-to-use APIs, no-code, and low-code tools, Vue.ai enables marketing, product, sales, and technology teams to bring an order of magnitude improvement to lead generation, churn reduction, revenue growth, cost efficiency, and more. Blox.ai is currently deployed across several industries, including Retail (under the brand name Vue.ai), healthcare, finance, media and entertainment, education, and more. Retailers across the globe trust our AI stack as their revenue growth driver and cost-saving engine. They use the suite to personalize and curate the customer experience while enabling end-to-end retail automation across site merchandising, product, eCommerce & marketing operations.
Mad Street Den is backed by leading investors such as Avatar Growth Capital, Sequoia Capital and Alpha Wave Global (formerly known as Falcon Edge Capital) and works with some of the largest conglomerates across every geography.
View original content:
SOURCE Mad Street Den
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2023-02-28T16:40:40+00:00
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kalb.com
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https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/02/28/vueai-announces-new-ai-powered-models-generate-inclusive-ad-creatives-through-metas-creative-shop/
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HOUSTON, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stellus Capital Investment Corporation (NYSE: SCM) ("Stellus" or "the Company") today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Robert T. Ladd, Chief Executive Officer of Stellus, stated, "I am pleased to report positive results for the second quarter, in which we more than covered our regular dividend with GAAP and Core net investment income, grew our portfolio to $852 million at fair value, upsized our bank credit facility to $265 million and maintained asset quality. We are benefitting from the rising interest rate environment as our loan portfolio's yield has now risen 80 basis points from the end of the first quarter. In July, in addition to our regular dividend of $0.28 per quarter in the aggregate, our Board of Directors declared an additional aggregate dividend of $0.06 for the third quarter. These dividends total $0.34 per share in the aggregate, payable in monthly increments, for the third quarter."
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
($ in millions, except data relating to per share amounts and shares outstanding)
PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY
($ in millions, except data relating to per share amounts and number of portfolio companies)
Results of Operations
Investment income for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 totaled $16.1 million and $15.1 million, respectively, most of which was interest income from portfolio investments.
Operating expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, totaled $9.9 million and $9.6 million, respectively. For the same respective periods, base management fees totaled $3.7 million and $3.3 million, income incentive fees totaled $0.0 and $0.1 million, capital gains incentive fees (reversal) totaled ($1.0) million and $0.0 million, fees and expenses related to our borrowings totaled $5.5 million and $4.7 million (including interest and amortization of deferred financing costs), administrative expenses totaled $0.5 million for both periods, income tax totaled $0.4 million and $0.3 million and other expenses totaled $0.8 million and $0.7 million.
Net investment income was $6.2 million and $5.5 million, or $0.32 and $0.28 per common share based on weighted average common shares outstanding for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 of 19,543,117 and 19,486,003, respectively.
The capital gains incentive fee had a reversal of ($1.0) million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 due to the decrease in net realized and unrealized gains over the quarter. Such fees, as calculated and accrued, would not necessarily be payable under the investment advisory agreement, and may never be paid based upon the computation of incentive fees in subsequent periods. The income tax expense accrual of $0.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 was accrued based on estimates of undistributed taxable income, which was generated largely from net income. Core net investment income, which is a non-U.S. GAAP measure that excludes these accruals, for the three months ended June 30, 2022 was $5.6 million, or $0.29 per share; and for the three months ended June 30, 2021 was $5.8 million, or $0.30 per share.
The Company's investment portfolio had a net change in unrealized (depreciation) appreciation for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, of ($4.3) million and $1.7 million, respectively. For the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company had realized losses of ($0.4) million and ($1.8) million, respectively.
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations totaled $1.3 million and $5.6 million, or $0.07 and $0.29 per common share, based on weighted average common shares outstanding for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 of 19,543,117 and 19,486,003, respectively.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of June 30, 2022, our amended and restated senior secured revolving credit agreement with certain bank lenders and Zions Bancorporation, N.A. dba Amegy Bank, as administrative agent (as amended from time to time, the "Credit Facility") provided for borrowings in an aggregate amount of up to $265.0 million on a committed basis. As of June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Credit Facility had an accordion feature which allowed for potential future expansion of the facility size to $280.0 million. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had $203.6 million and $177.3 million in outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility, respectively.
Distributions
During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, we declared aggregate distributions of $0.34 per share and $0.25 per share ($6.6 million and $4.9 million, respectively) for each quarter. Tax characteristics of all distributions will be reported to stockholders on Form 1099-DIV after the end of the calendar year. None of these dividends are expected to include a return of capital.
Recent Portfolio Activity
On April 1, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the first lien term loan and committed $0.1 million in the revolver of International Designs Group LLC, a regional distributor, seller, and custom fabricator of high-end ceramic and stone tile products and accessories. Additionally, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of the company.
On April 1, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the first lien term loan and committed $0.1 million in the revolver of Tilley Chemical Company, Inc., a distributor of specialty chemicals, oils, and lubricants into the food & beverage, lubricants, flavor and fragrances, personal care, and other chemicals end-markets.
On April 4, 2022, we invested $11.3 million in the first lien term loan and committed $0.1 million in the revolver of Microbe Formulas LLC, a provider of dietary supplements and other natural solutions for detox and gut health.
On April 7, 2022, we received $1.3 million in full realization on the equity of Energy Labs Holding Corp., resulting in a $0.7 million realized gain.
On April 15, 2022, we invested $6.6 million in the first lien term loan of Anne Lewis Strategies, LLC, an existing portfolio company.
On April 15, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of Pure TopCo, LLC, an existing portfolio company.
On April 25, 2022, we received full repayment on the first lien term loan of SQAD, LLC for total proceeds of $14.1 million. We also received $2.4 million in full realization on the equity of the company, resulting in a $2.1 million realized gain.
On April 29, 2022, we invested $10.0 million in the first lien term loan and committed $0.1 million in the revolver and $0.1 million in the delayed draw term loan of Florachem Holdings, LLC, a distiller and supplier of natural citrus, pine, and specialty inputs. Additionally, we invested $0.4 million in the equity of the company.
On May 17, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the first lien term loan and committed $0.1 million in the revolver of AIP ATCO Buyer, LLC, a provider of quality assurance services for automotive OEMs and suppliers.
On May 20, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of TradePending Holdings, LLC, an existing portfolio company.
On May 24, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the first lien term loan and committed €0.1 million euro in the revolver and €0.1 million euro in the delayed draw term loan of Monitorus Holding, LLC, a provider of media monitoring and evaluation services.
On June 1, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of PCP MT Aggregator Holdings, L.P., an existing portfolio company.
On June 6, 2022, we invested $13.8 million in the first lien term loan and committed $0.1 million in the revolver of Lightning Intermediate II, LLC, a vitamins, minerals, and supplements brand. Additionally, we invested $0.4 million in the equity of the company.
On June 15, 2022, we invested $0.3 million in the equity of ADS Group Topco, LLC, an existing portfolio company.
On June 15, 2022, we invested $0.9 million in the first lien term loan of SIB Holdings, LLC, an existing portfolio company.
On June 24, 2022, we received full repayment on the first lien term loans of Grupo HIMA San Pablo, Inc. for total proceeds of $0.7 million, resulting in a $3.9 million realized loss.
On June 27, 2022, we invested $0.3 million in the equity of HV GS Acquisition, LP, an existing portfolio company.
On June 30, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of HV Acquisition VI, LLC, an existing portfolio company.
On June 30, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of Tower Arch Infolinks Media, LP, an existing portfolio company.
Events Subsequent to June 30, 2022
On July 1, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the first lien term loan and committed $0.1 million in the revolver of Heat Makes Sense Shared Services, LLC, a branded haircare platform. Additionally, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of the company.
On July 5, 2022, we invested $13.9 million in the first lien term loan Baker Manufacturing Company, LLC, a manufacturer of water well equipment, specialized filtration pumps, and custom castings. Additionally, we invested $0.7 million in the equity of the company.
On July 15, 2022, we received full repayment on the first lien term loan and revolver of International Designs Group, LLC for total proceeds of $0.1 million.
On July 15, 2022, we received full repayment on the first lien term loan of ASC Communications, LLC for total proceeds of $8.2 million. We also received $1.8 million in full realization on the equity of the company, resulting in a $1.8 million realized gain.
On July 15, 2022, we invested $1.0 million in the first lien term loan of Exacta Land Surveyors, LLC, an existing portfolio company. Additionally, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of the company.
On July 20, 2022, we invested $2.2 million in the first lien term loan of SIB Holdings, LLC, an existing portfolio company.
On July 28, 2022, we invested $0.1 million in the equity of USASF Blocker IV LLC, an existing portfolio company.
On July 29, 2022, we invested $13.0 million in the first lien term loan and committed $0.1 million in the revolver and $0.1 million in the delayed draw term loan of a provider of product testing and consumer insights. Additionally, we invested $0.7 million in the equity of the company.
Credit Facility
The outstanding balance under the credit facility as of August 3, 2022 was $198.2 million.
SBA-guaranteed Debentures
On July 1, 2022, the Company contributed $5.0 million in capital to its SBIC II subsidiary. To date, the Company has contributed $78.0 million of its $87.5 million regulatory capital commitment. The total balance of SBA-guaranteed debentures outstanding as of August 3, 2022 was $300.0 million.
Distributions Declared
On July 13, 2022, our board of directors declared a regular monthly distribution for each of July, August, and September 2022 as follows:
On July 13, 2022, our board of directors declared an additional monthly distribution for each of July, August, and September 2022 as follows:
Conference Call Information
Stellus Capital Investment Corporation will host a conference call to discuss these results on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 11:00 AM, Central Daylight Time. The conference call will be led by Robert T. Ladd, chief executive officer, and W. Todd Huskinson, chief financial officer, chief compliance officer, treasurer, and secretary.
For those wishing to participate by telephone, please dial (888) 394-8218. Use passcode 9390038. Starting approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call, a replay will be available through Friday, August 12, 2022 by dialing (888) 203-1112 and entering passcode 9390038. The replay will also be available on the company's website.
For those wishing to participate via Live Webcast, connect via the Public Company (SCIC) section of our website at www.stelluscapital.com, under the Events tab. A replay of the conference will be available on our website for approximately 90 days.
About Stellus Capital Investment Corporation
The Company is an externally-managed, closed-end, non-diversified investment management company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company's investment objective is to maximize the total return to its stockholders in the form of current income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in private middle-market companies (typically those with $5.0 million to $50.0 million of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization)) through first lien (including unitranche) loans, second lien loans and unsecured debt financing, with corresponding equity co-investments. The Company's investment activities are managed by its investment adviser, Stellus Capital Management. To learn more about Stellus Capital Investment Corporation, visit www.stelluscapital.com under the "Public (SCIC)" tab.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements included herein may contain "forward-looking statements" which relate to future performance or financial condition. Statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release, including statements about COVID-19 and its impacts, may constitute forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission including the final prospectus that will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.
Contacts
Stellus Capital Investment Corporation
W. Todd Huskinson, Chief Financial Officer
(713) 292-5414
thuskinson@stelluscapital.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Stellus Capital Investment Corporation
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2022-08-03T23:27:57+00:00
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ksla.com
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https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/08/03/stellus-capital-investment-corporation-reports-results-its-second-fiscal-quarter-ended-june-30-2022/
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Food and Drug Administration made a major announcement Thursday morning as the organization approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the United States.
The FDA approval was a major win for many medical organizations and reproductive healthcare providers. Planned Parenthood of Illinois told WAND News Thursday that this move will help bridge gaps to access to contraception and give people control over their health and their lives.
"Planned Parenthood of Illinois welcomes any and all increases in access to reproductive healthcare and that includes over-the-counter birth control," said Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Kristen Schultz.
She noted that offering birth control over-the-counter will greatly improve access for people who may not have a primary care doctor or Planned Parenthood clinic near them.The FDA approved the over-the-counter version of Opill for all people of reproductive age, including teenagers, to help reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies.
"There's decades of evidence showing that birth control pills are safe and effective and appropriate for over-the-counter use both for young people and for adults," Schultz explained.
The FDA first approved Opill as a prescription drug in 1973 and the contraceptive has been found to be 93% effective in preventing pregnancy with typical use. Schultz expects Illinois leaders to quickly act upon the new FDA approval to ensure that pharmacies and grocery stores will have Opill available without restrictions.
"It may mean that fewer people have to come in to see a practitioner with us which may mean that we're able to open access to more of those services that require an in-person visit," Schultz said. "So, it really does amplify access in other ways."
NBC News reports that the marker of Opill doesn't expect the over-the-counter drug to be available until early next year. More than 100 other countries have already made contraceptives available over-the-counter.
"Access to everyone is like a rising tide that lifts all boats," Schultz said. "So, I think access over-the-counter just reduces those increased barriers to getting an appointment and spending a lot of time and sometimes a lot of money to access these basic healthcare needs."
Copyright 2023. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
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2023-07-14T01:09:35+00:00
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wandtv.com
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https://www.wandtv.com/news/planned-parenthood-of-illinois-reacts-to-fda-approval-of-over-the-counter-birth-control/article_ecc4d69a-21cb-11ee-ad38-1f0b63b8a0e2.html
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Nearly half expect valuations to drop; operational efficiency will be focus of capital investment
Most expect inflation impact on dealing making to be mild
NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid a challenging economic environment defined by persistent inflation, rising interest rates, recessionary concerns and falling equity values increasing uncertainty, healthcare and life sciences (HCLS) investors are poised to forge ahead with 60% of respondents indicating they plan to increase their M&A activity in 2023 according to new findings from the 2023 KPMG Healthcare and Life Sciences Investment Outlook.
"2022 is a story of both tailwinds and headwinds," said Ash Shehata, KPMG National Sector Leader Healthcare and Life Sciences. "Hospital systems are dealing with rising labor and supply costs while biopharma and medical device companies have been exposed to supply chain, logistics, and labor issues that slow down production. Now is the time for HCLS leaders to adjust their strategies to build durability and resilience within their companies."
The 2023 KPMG Healthcare and Life Sciences Investment Outlook features insights from a survey of more than 300 industry executives who provide their perspectives on how evolving market factors and the policy environment may impact investment decisions in 2023.
- 60% of HCLS survey respondents say they expect to increase their M&A activity in 2023 compared to 2022, with a quarter of respondents saying they plan to do at least 10% more deals than in 2023 compared to 2022.
- Nearly half of HCLS respondents expect valuations to drop in 2023 compared to just 14% from the prior year. Most healthcare respondents expect to see decreased valuations in Dx companies and post-acute care while life sciences respondents expect to see the greatest decline in diagnostics manufacturers in the year ahead.
- Asked if rising inflation and the rising cost of capital could impact their companies' ability to do M&A in 2023, a majority of investors said they expect it will have a modest effect. However, views vary within sectors, as 39% of healthcare investors say it'll be a major headwind compared to a mere 26% of life sciences respondents.
- 56% of respondents said that deal activity exceeded their expectations set on January 1, 2022 with half saying more capital was deployed than originally planned.
When it comes to deploying capital in 2023, operational efficiency and expansion into new offerings, platforms and milestone-based deals are forecasted to be key capital deployment areas for HCLS respondents.
"The tailwinds that drove M&A in the last two years-the need for innovation and the need to fill pipelines-remain in force," said Kristin Pothier, Principal, National and Global Healthcare and Life Sciences Deal Advisory and Strategy Leader. "Companies are sitting on a lot of cash and assessing their opportunities to make strategic investments now that will set them up to gain a competitive advantage as we come out of a possible downturn. Whether investing in new technology platforms, enhancing their digital ecosystem, or reimagining approaches to new geographies, deals are likely to continue to reflect the new reality of the industry, a reality that balances scientific and clinical advancement with cost."
- In biopharma, 64% of investors said in 2023 they are more likely to acquire early stage, innovative assets with the same number indicating they will seek late stage, lower risk targets
- More than half of medical device investors said in light of FTC policy changes they are focusing more on asset deals while nearly 4 in 10 are focused on smaller tuck-in or bolt on deals
- More than 6 in 10 investors in diagnostic and testing companies expect an increase in deal volume in 2023, especially strategic partnerships.
- 65% of respondents in healthcare IT/digital ranked behavioral health as the service line most prone to transition from in person care to telehealth in 2023.
CONTACT: Marissa Ross, marissaross@kpmg.com, 302-740-5112
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE KPMG LLP
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2023-01-09T15:28:30+00:00
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kcbd.com
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https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2023/01/09/despite-recession-concerns-six-ten-healthcare-life-sciences-investors-plan-increase-mampa-activity-2023/
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LONDON (AP) — Twitter, Facebook parent Meta and other social media companies scrambled Friday to police videos on their platforms of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that break rules on harmful content.
Multiple videos of the attack by a gunman who fired a homemade, double-barreled weapon twice at Abe circulated on social media. Some only show the moments before and after the attack while others showed both shots.
Abe, who stepped down in 2020, was shot moments into a speech, airlifted to hospital, and later pronounced dead. Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene.
Twitter said its enforcement teams were working to “address harmful content” relating to the attack by “proactively removing” material that violates its rules, which include restrictions on sensitive media including graphic violence.
Twitter urged users to flag up any potentially sensitive material of the attack so it can take action. Videos of the attack could still be found easily on Twitter many hours after the attack.
Meta said it was deleting videos depicting the moment of the attack and had disabled the suspect’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe,” Meta said in a prepared statement.
“We do not and will not tolerate any violent behavior on our platform. To keep our platform a safe place to connect, we are working to remove any violating content related to the incident,” it said.
Meta said it took action under its policy on dangerous individuals, and that it’s labelling still photos of the attack as “disturbing.”
YouTube said its systems are giving prominence to videos related to the attack from “authoritative sources” such as news organizations, the video sharing site said, adding that it will remove any content that breaks its rules, which include a ban on violent or graphic content.
TikTok said it’s working to rapidly “identify content, accounts and hashtags related to this tragic incident” and removing any content and accounts that violates its rules.
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2022-07-09T05:22:41+00:00
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wivb.com
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https://www.wivb.com/news/business/facebook-twitter-remove-abe-assassination-videos/
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CHICAGO (WGN) — An 8-year-old boy who was one of the victims of the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Ill., is fighting for his life Thursday.
Cooper Roberts, remains in critical condition and had his spinal cord severed as a result of the shooting, according to medical staff and a GoFundMe set up for his family.
He was shot along with his mother, Zion Elementary School District 6 Superintendent Dr. Keely Roberts, and his twin brother Luke, who was grazed by shrapnel. His father was at the parade with them, but was not injured.
A family spokesperson said Cooper is currently in critical but stable condition and is on a ventilator. He sustained at least one gunshot wound to the chest.
Dr. Roberts was seriously injured but will recover, according to the hospital. Luke was shot and has since been released from the hospital.
The family is among dozens wounded after a 21-year-old man fired from a rooftop into the parade, killing seven.
A GoFundMe for the family had raised over $180,000 as of publishing time Thursday.
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2022-07-08T02:47:45+00:00
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wearegreenbay.com
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https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/national/8-year-old-boy-critically-wounded-at-highland-park-parade-may-not-walk-again/
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SAC CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — A Sac County woman who was arrested in June for the death of 1,000 pigs is set to take a plea agreement.
Elana Labor, 34, initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, a class C felony, and two counts of livestock neglect, a serious misdemeanor.
Court documents state that after taking her plea agreement, one of each charge will be dropped. As a result, Labor is now only facing one count of first-degree criminal mischief and one count of livestock neglect with the other two charges to be dismissed.
According to court documents, Labor will face a prison sentence that is not to exceed 10 years for criminal mischief and 365 days for cattle neglect. The two prison sentences will be served at the same time for a maximum 10-year sentence. Labor will have also to pay a total of $1,800 between the two charges with a crime services surcharge of 15%. Court costs are still pending.
Labor will reappear in court on September 26 for a plea hearing.
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2022-09-17T00:28:26+00:00
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keloland.com
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https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/siouxland-woman-to-take-plea-agreement-for-death-of-1000-pigs/
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600 arrested, 200 police officers hurt on France’s 3rd night of protests over teen’s killing
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Protesters erected barricades, lit fires and shot fireworks at police in French streets overnight as tensions grew over the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old that has shocked the nation. More than 600 people were arrested and at least 200 police officers injured as the government struggled to restore order on a third night of unrest.
Armored police vehicles rammed through the charred remains of cars that had been flipped and set ablaze in the northwestern Paris suburb of Nanterre, where a police officer shot the teen identified only by his first name, Nahel. On the other side of Paris, protesters lit a fire at the city hall of the suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois and set a bus depot ablaze in Aubervilliers. The French capital also saw fires and some stores ransacked.
In the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, police sought to disperse violent groups in the city center, regional authorities said.
President Emmanuel Macron planned to leave an EU summit in Brussels, where France plays a major role in European policymaking, to return to Paris and hold an emergency security meeting Friday.
Some 40,000 police officers were deployed to quell the protests. Police detained 667 people, the interior minister said; 307 of those were in the Paris region alone, according to the Paris police headquarters.
Around 200 police officers were injured, according to a national police spokesperson. No information was available about injuries among the rest of the population.
Schools, town halls and police stations were targeted by people setting fires, and police used tear gas, water cannons and dispersion grenades against rioters, the spokesperson said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Friday denounced what he called a night of “rare violence.” His office described the arrests as a sharp increase on previous operations as part of an overall government efforts to be “extremely firm” with rioters.
The government has stopped short of declaring a state of emergency — a measure taken to quell weeks of rioting around France that followed the accidental death of two boys fleeing police in 2005.
The police officer accused of pulling the trigger Tuesday was handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide after prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude “the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met.” Preliminary charges mean investigating magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing but need to investigate more before sending a case to trial.
The detained police officer’s lawyer, speaking on French TV channel BFMTV, said the officer was sorry and “devastated.” The officer did what he thought was necessary in the moment, attorney Laurent-Franck Lienard told the news outlet.
“He doesn’t get up in the morning to kill people,” Lienard said of the officer, whose name has not been released as per French practice in criminal cases. “He really didn’t want to kill.”
The shooting captured on video shocked France and stirred up long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The teenager’s family and their lawyers haven’t said the police shooting was race-related and they didn’t release his surname or details about him.
Still, anti-racism activists renewed their complaints about police behavior.
“We have to go beyond saying that things need to calm down,” said Dominique Sopo, head of the campaign group SOS Racisme. “The issue here is how do we make it so that we have a police force that when they see Blacks and Arabs, don’t tend to shout at them, use racist terms against them and in some cases, shoot them in the head.”
In Nanterre, a peaceful march Thursday afternoon in honor of Nahel was followed by escalating confrontations, with smoke billowing from cars and garbage bins set ablaze.
Tensions rose in places across France throughout the day. In the usually tranquil Pyrenees town of Pau in southwestern France, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a police office, national police said. Vehicles were set on fire in Toulouse and a tramway train was torched in a suburb of Lyon, police said.
Bus and tram services in the Paris area shut as a precaution, and many tram lines remained shut for Friday morning rush hour.
The town of Clamart, home to 54,000 people in the French capital’s southwest suburbs, imposed an overnight curfew through Monday because of the risk of public disturbances. A similar curfew was announced in the town of Neuilly-sur-Marne in the eastern suburbs.
The unrest extended as far as Brussels, the Belgian capital city and EU administrative hub, where about a dozen people were detained during scuffles related to the shooting in France. Police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said that several fires were brought under control.
Prache, the Nanterre prosecutor, said officers tried to stop Nahel because he looked so young and was driving a Mercedes with Polish license plates in a bus lane. He allegedly ran a red light to avoid being stopped then got stuck in traffic.
Both officers said they drew their guns to prevent him from fleeing. The officer who fired the shot said he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car, according to Prache.
The scenes in France’s suburbs echoed 2005, when the deaths of 15-year-old Bouna Traoré and 17-year-old Zyed Benna led to three weeks of riots, exposing anger and resentment in neglected housing projects. The boys were electrocuted after hiding from police in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois.
Deadly use of firearms is less common in France than in the United States, though several people have died or been wounded by French police in recent years, prompting demands for more accountability. France also saw protests against racial injustice after George Floyd’s killing by police in Minnesota.
A police spokesperson said 13 people who didn’t comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by police last year. This year, three people, including Nahel, have died in similar circumstances.
___
Corbet and Leicester reported from Paris. Jeffrey Schaeffer and Aurelien Morissard in Nanterre; Raf Casert in Brussels, Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2023-06-30T08:43:42+00:00
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kcrg.com
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https://www.kcrg.com/2023/06/30/600-arrested-200-police-officers-hurt-frances-3rd-night-protests-over-teens-killing/
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RAINES, Pamela Jo
Age 62, of Springfield, passed away on Dec. 11, 2022. A gathering of friends and family will be Dec. 18, from 2-4 p.m., at Jackson Lytle & Lewis Life Celebration, Springfield, OH.
View the obituary on Legacy.com
Funeral Home Information
Jackson, Lytle & Lewis Life Celebration Center
2425 North Limestone St.
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2022-12-14T07:26:58+00:00
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springfieldnewssun.com
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/obituaries/raines-pamela/YA3N7ZFPJFESRBZQ3YFB7AT3FI/
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Four House Republicans broke from the GOP on Wednesday to oppose a bill that would require inflation estimates for certain executive orders signed by President Biden, a measure that Republican leadership brought to the floor in reaction to rising costs — which the party has blamed the White House for.
The measure, dubbed the Reduce Exacerbated Inflation Negatively Impacting the Nation (REIN IN) Act, cleared the chamber in a bipartisan 272-148 vote.
Four Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Bob Good (Va.), Matt Rosendale (Mont.) and Chip Roy (Texas) — voted against the measure, while 59 Democrats supported the bill.
The measure specifically directs the director of the Office of Management and Budget and the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers to prepare reports on the inflationary impacts of executive orders that are projected to have an annual gross budgetary effect of at least $1 billion.
It would, however, exempt emergency assistance or relief requested by state and local governments, as well as measures that are “necessary for the national security or the ratification or implementation of international treaty obligations.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Roy railed against the conference for the “’emergency’ orders” exception.
“Leave it to House Republicans to pass a 3 page bill requiring the Executive branch to report on the inflationary impact of executive orders – but exempt “emergency” orders that are some of the primary drivers of inflation. I could not vote for final passage and allow the continuation of the games too often played in this town,” he wrote. “Republicans must do better.”
Roy proposed an amendment that would have struck the exceptions for emergency assistance, national security international treaty requirements from the bill, but the chamber rejected it in a 199-226 vote.
It remains unclear why Biggs, Good and Rosendale voted against the measure. The three were among the GOP lawmakers who never threw their support bring Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) during the race for the gavel. The trio did, however, move to vote “present” on the 15th ballot, ultimately allowing McCarthy to win the Speakership.
The Hill reached out to the three Republicans for comment on their votes.
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2023-03-02T03:49:38+00:00
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wivb.com
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https://www.wivb.com/news/political-news/us-political-news/hill-politics/these-four-house-republicans-broke-with-the-gop-to-oppose-inflation-estimates-bill/
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IN THIS ARTICLE:
- JanSport Fifth Ave Fanny Pack
- Maha Bodhi Handmade Hemp Festival Waistpack
- Columbia Men’s Zigzag Hip Pack
It’s official: Fanny packs are back in fashion. They’re so convenient and easy to carry that you’ll wonder why the trend didn’t reemerge sooner. They have certainly had a glow-up, and a wide range of sophisticated versions can now be found alongside more retro styles.
If you’re only just trying out this particular trend, you might be wondering which fanny pack to buy. Thankfully, there’s an option to suit most buyers, whether you want something compact or roomy, high fashion or kitsch.
What are fanny packs?
Fanny packs are small bags on belts that are traditionally worn around the waist. While they’re coming back into style, you’ll often see manufacturers refer to them as waist packs, waist bags or belt bags. These are all still fanny packs by another name, perhaps to put distance between them and any unflattering associations.
They’re usually large enough to carry essentials, such as keys, wallets, snacks, phones, sunglasses and hand sanitizer. However, they’re designed to be compact, so they can fit far less inside than a backpack.
Why are fanny packs popular?
You might be wondering about the benefits of fanny packs. It’s their versatility and handy features that have brought them back into popularity. While there isn’t just one reason why they’re popular, there are several contributing factors.
Compact size
Their compact size makes waist packs easy to carry nearly anywhere. They don’t weigh you down the same way that large purses, bags and backpacks can. With comfort at the forefront of many current fashion trends, the fact they’re small, light and comfortable to carry around only adds to their popularity. It can also keep you from overpacking when going out for the day, which is easy to do.
If you’re looking for an option that’s even more compact than a standard fanny pack, consider a running waist belt. These are similar but smaller and designed for use while exercising.
Convenience
Fanny packs are simply convenient to carry and use. Rather than digging through a large bag to find what you need, things are always easy to find. Not only is the main compartment relatively small, but most have at least a few more zippered compartments. This makes it easy to keep organized.
What’s more, they’re often worn on the front or side, or they can easily be swiveled round to the front. This makes it easy to rummage through them without taking them off and setting them down somewhere.
Hands-free wear
Like backpacks and messenger bags, these packs are hands-free. Shoulder bags, on the other hand, can easily slip off if you don’t hold onto them. They’re also compact enough that you can keep them on when you sit down, making them more convenient than any other type of bag.
Travel-friendly
The stereotype of fanny pack-wearing tourists exists for a reason: These packs are extremely travel-friendly. They’re light, easy to access and easy to wear on your front without looking strange in areas where pickpocketing is an issue.
Good looking
Although they have a bad reputation, fanny packs can look great. They’re now available in a far wider range of shapes, styles and materials than they have been in the past. This means there’s an option to suit most buyers, whether your style is cool and casual or sleek and sophisticated. With so many more options available, including those from designer brands, it’s a good reason to embrace the trend.
How should you wear a fanny pack?
Fanny packs are designed to be worn around the waist with the bag either on the front, back or side. However, in their new era of popularity, they’re frequently worn across the body with the bag at the front. While you can wear your pack any way you’d like to, this crossbody look is arguably the most fashionable way to do so.
Best fanny packs that cost under $30
Practical and affordable with a casual look, this fanny pack comes in a selection of four colors and patterns: black, red, blue and camo. It has a front pocket, as well as its main compartment, and is spacious without being bulky.
Sold by Amazon
Maha Bodhi Handmade Hemp Festival Waistpack
Thanks to its boho style, this is a great choice for everyday wear or festivals. It comes in solid orange, green and blue as well as a rainbow-colored version.
Sold by Amazon
This lightweight bag has one large main compartment and a smaller front pocket to house anything you need quick access to. You can choose from black, blue and camo versions.
Sold by Macy’s
Carhartt Adjustable Waist Pack
Made from a rugged fabric with a water-repellent coating, this is a durable choice for work, recreation or exercise. The belt extends up to 52 inches and can be fastened around the waist or across the body.
Sold by Amazon
Best fanny packs that cost $30 to $45
A versatile choice thanks to its understated design, this fanny pack is roomy and practical but still looks good. It’s made with excellent attention to detail, such as the easy-access front pocket and striped inner lining.
Sold by Amazon
The North Face Explore Hip Pack Bag
This pack is practically designed with sleeves inside for your phone and coins plus a key fob loop to keep your keys safe. It’s spacious enough for the essentials without being overly bulky.
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With its eye-catching black and white zigzag stripes, this is a perfect fashion-forward choice. However, it’s also practical, thanks to convenient pockets and its machine-washable design.
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Best fanny packs that cost over $45
You’ve probably seen the backpacks made by this popular brand, but its fanny packs are just as stylish and practical. It features two zippered exterior pockets, an interior pocket and a key clip, so organizing your belongings won’t be an issue.
This stylish faux leather fanny pack is available in doe or lemon hues. There’s a slip pocket and zippered pocket for interior organization, and it comes with a detachable coin purse.
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Its spacious design gives you plenty of storage options, including two exterior zippered pockets and one zippered pocket inside the main compartment. It’s lightweight yet durable and water-resistant, so it’s great for drizzly days.
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2023-05-21T19:22:08+00:00
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nwahomepage.com
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https://www.nwahomepage.com/reviews/br/fashion-accessories-br/handbags-wallets-br/fanny-packs-are-officially-back-which-ones-best/
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-Contest from men's grooming leader Wahl awards $20,000 to winner and $5,000 to winner's charity-
STERLING, Ill., Sept. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryan Baudhuin from Green Bay, WI, is a combat veteran who uses his charity 'High Point Adventures' to organize dream hunting trips for veterans struggling with return to civilian life. As the winner of the Wahl 'Benevolent Beards' Contest, Baudhuin scores $20,000 for himself, and $5,000 for his charity. He'll also be crowned the new 'Wahl Man of the Year,' when Wahl hosts him at a beard grooming event during a Green Bay Packers game on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022.
"The goal of this contest is to celebrate bearded men who combine good grooming with goodwill," said Steven Yde, division vice president for Wahl. "By shining a spotlight on men who are making the world a better, or 'bearder,' place to live, we hope it will inspire others to do the same. Ryan is a perfect example of this, and we're proud to call him our new 'Wahl Man of the Year.'"
According to Baudhuin, the healing effects of the outdoors saved his life after his return home from war. He now feels it's his duty to serve other veterans who have sacrificed so much. "My charity is small, and budgets are tight, so this prize will go far in helping to cover about seven hunting trips," he continued. "It's amazing the impact these trips can have on the lives of the veterans who attend – I'm so grateful I'm able to help even more people now."
Baudhuin says he's overwhelmed by the number of family, friends and acquaintances who embraced his cause and voted for him. He's also proud to be among the following runners-up, who he calls "Class Acts":
- Greg Young from Fort Lauderdale, FL, overcame alcoholism and homelessness to open his own barbershop; he now helps others with similar struggles through his charity 'Backpack Barber Foundation.' By offering the homeless population free grooming and hygiene products, his goal is to change lives one haircut and one conversation at a time.
- Ray Atesiano from Miami, FL, took 'Bearded Villains Miami' from a social club of bearded brethren to an independent charity that serves their community with projects that include fulfilling wishes for seriously ill children.
- Ryan Boyette from Nashville, TN, started 'To Move Mountains' after living and working in Sudan's war zone of the Nuba Mountains for 15 years; his charity offers life-changing education for children who have grown up in conflict.
- Kenneth Griffin from Chicago, IL, is a youth police officer who uses his charity 'No Matter What' to mentor at-risk kids from the same South Side neighborhood he grew up in; he offers them new experiences like summer camps where they can feel safe and have fun.
The Wahl 'Benevolent Beards' Contest started this past April with a quest to discover guys who are making the world a 'bearder' place to live. The goal was to reward bearded men who are doing good through charitable efforts. Men from across the country submitted a video of themselves either explaining or demonstrating how they support a charity. What kind of charity? As long as it was a 501(c)(3) organization with a goal to impact the world positively, all charities were considered. Five fuzzy-faced finalists were chosen, and America's votes decided the winner.
In celebration of Baudhuin's win, Wahl will park its giant Mobile Barbershop outside Lambeau Field on game-day Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. (central), it will be located on the West Side of the stadium by the Kwik Trip Gate. All whiskers are welcome to visit the barbershop, and for every FREE beard trim Wahl will donate $100 to support his charity 'High Point Adventures,' up to $5,000.
For more information about the Wahl 'Benevolent Beards' Contest, or for facial hair tips and tools visit WahlUSA.com or follow @WahlGrooming on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Celebrating its 103rd anniversary, Wahl continues to help men look and feel their best with innovative products manufactured to define and elevate the men's grooming category. The company set the standard with the first-ever practical electric hair clipper in 1919, and later strengthened its leadership with the world's first battery-powered facial hair trimmer. Wahl crossed its centennial milestone by introducing a complete line of beard care products including a beard oil and beard softener. It's this continued commitment to excellence that has solidified Wahl's place as the world's go-to brand for men's grooming solutions. For more information, visit WahlUSA.com
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SOURCE Wahl
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2022-09-29T18:25:34+00:00
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kalb.com
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https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/09/29/combat-veteran-named-most-benevolent-beard-america-celebrates-with-green-bay-packers/
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(NEXSTAR) – A shooter at Dallas Love Field Airport caused panic and a police response Monday morning.
It started when a 37-year-old woman was dropped off near the Southwest ticket counter at 10:59 a.m., Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a news briefing after noon.
The woman went into a restroom, changed her clothing, and then exited, Garcia said. An officer who was in the area then saw her pull out a handgun and begin firing.
Garcia said the woman was “aiming at the ceiling.”
The officer “engaged” the suspect, Garcia said, hitting her in the “lower extremities.” She was taken into custody and was taken to the hospital, he said.
No others were injured in the shooting, according to Dallas police.
The shooting prompted some evacuations Monday morning. A short video reportedly taken from inside the airport showed travelers crouching down behind seats in a terminal.
“The terminal is secure at this time,” the Dallas Police Department tweeted at noon.
Dallas Love Field (DAL) is one of several airports in the Dallas area. The airport is a hub for Southwest Airlines.
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2022-07-25T18:40:51+00:00
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kron4.com
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https://www.kron4.com/news/national/dallas-police-respond-to-reports-of-shots-fired-at-airport/
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NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg today announced the forthcoming retirement of Bloomberg Index Services Limited (BISL) Chief Executive Officer Steve Berkley, and appointment of Dave Gedeon as CEO upon Berkley's retirement in March 2023. Gedeon is currently serving as Deputy CEO and Head of Index Product.
"On behalf of Bloomberg and BISL's management teams, I'd like to extend our immense appreciation to Steve Berkley for his service to our index business, which has flourished through his expertise, leadership and vision for building world-class benchmarks for the global markets," said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman, Bloomberg. "As a thoughtful and strategic leader, Steve has rightfully earned the utmost respect of his team, our clients, and the wider financial community and we wish him the best in his next chapter. With this transition we are pleased to welcome Dave Gedeon into this new role and are confident he is the right individual to further build upon the success of Bloomberg Indices which he has already greatly contributed."
In his time with BISL, Gedeon has overseen the strategy and development of products and services for Bloomberg's Multi-Asset Index business, including the commodity and alternatives index suite, multi-asset strategies, third-party calculation efforts and the global equity indices launch and subsequent expansion into emerging markets and thematic benchmarks. Prior to Bloomberg, Gedeon was the Global Head of Research & Development at Nasdaq and was responsible for index product management, development, and research of Nasdaq Global Indexes. A recognized leader in index design and implementation, Gedeon has overseen the launch of thousands of indices and subsequent product growth during his tenure in the industry.
"Joining Bloomberg Indices with the opportunity to help craft the multi-asset strategy was an immense professional opportunity as it brought me into an organization with renowned index experience and leadership which guided our flagship fixed income benchmarks through decades of market fluctuations," said Gedeon. "I am incredibly honored to lead the Bloomberg Index business forward into our next chapter as we strive to continually enhance our offerings in the goal of serving the unique needs of our global client base."
Berkley was directly involved in Bloomberg's acquisition of Barclays Risk Analytics and Index Solutions (BRAIS) in 2016, which included indices widely considered the industry standard for fixed income investors, namely the Global, US, and Euro-Aggregate Indices created during his lengthy career as Head of Index at Lehman Brothers. During that time, he was voted winner of Institutional Investor's Index Award from its inception in 1997 until his departure from Lehman in 2005.
Under Berkley's leadership, Bloomberg Indices has quickly expanded beyond its flagship fixed income offering to include benchmarks for equities, commodities, ESG, multi-asset and thematic strategies, as well as index-linked products such as the Bloomberg Short Term Bank Yield Index (BSBY) and Bloomberg's Tradable Trackers. Total assets tracking Bloomberg's indices total in the trillions of dollars.
"It has been an honor to serve as CEO of Bloomberg Indices for the past eight years and to collaborate with my colleagues to build resilient, time-tested products on which the capital markets depend," said Berkley. "The business is in good hands. Dave Gedeon has been an invaluable partner and I'm pleased to know he will lead this business forward in its next phase."
During this transition period, Berkley and Gedeon will continue to work together to focus on implementing BISL business strategy, continuing to innovate on our flagship fixed income offerings, expanding into further multi-asset and equity offerings, and ultimately remaining responsive to market shifts and opportunities for clients as they arise.
To learn more about Bloomberg Indices, visit
or {I
Bloomberg's index team has a proven track record in creating industry leading and bespoke indices across asset classes, including best in class fixed income and commodity indices. Bloomberg Index Services Limited (BISL) takes an innovative approach to delivering strategic benchmarks that help market participants address their evolving needs. As an integral part of Bloomberg, BISL has access to a comprehensive range of trusted data and reliable technology for calculations, analytics and workflow automation, along with distribution capabilities that can help amplify the visibility of our customers' products.
Bloomberg is a global leader in business and financial information, delivering trusted data, news, and insights that bring transparency, efficiency, and fairness to markets. The company helps connect influential communities across the global financial ecosystem via reliable technology solutions that enable our customers to make more informed decisions and foster better collaboration. For more information, visit Bloomberg.com/company or request a demo.
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2023-01-10T14:12:49+00:00
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wsfa.com
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https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2023/01/10/bloomberg-index-services-limited-names-dave-gedeon-next-chief-executive/
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TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX: XLY) (OTCQX: CBWTF) ("Auxly" or the "Company") today released its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022. These filings and additional information regarding Auxly are available for review on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. All amounts are Canadian dollars except common shares ("Shares") and per Share amounts.
- Total net revenues from sale of adult use cannabis in Canada of $27.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, a 31% increase from the same period last year;
- SG&A remained relatively flat quarter-over-quarter as the Company continues to focus its efforts on reducing costs;
- Adjusted EBITDA improved to negative $4.0 million, an improvement of 37% as compared to the previous quarter;
- Auxly Leamington continues to contribute to positive gross margins through low-cost cultivation and increased yields;
- Continued to hold the #1 LP position in Cannabis 2.0 sales nationally as the Company continues to launch new and exciting cannabis products to the Canadian market;
- Successfully launched 27 new SKUs to the Canadian market in the first half of 2022 including five first-to-market products such as Dosecann's CBN capsules and two new unique dried flower strains, Sticky Monkey and Tranquil Elephantizer under Kolab Project;
- Further strengthened the Company's balance sheet with the sale of both Nova Scotia cultivation assets for total proceeds of $10.1 million to date.
Hugo Alves, CEO of Auxly, commented: "We continued to make meaningful progress towards our strategic objectives during Q2. With an increasingly competitive market, we have been able to maintain our position as the #1 LP in cannabis 2.0 sales, driven by our leadership position in the vapour category where we ended the first half of the year as the #1 LP in the category with over 17% share of market. We successfully increased revenues and gross profits during the quarter while maintaining our SG&A spending largely flat. We have also strengthened our balance through the sale of non-core assets for total proceeds of $10.1 million to date, which will support our continued growth. We remained focused on our consumers and their evolving needs and preferences by launching 27 new SKUs during the first half of the year and will continue to prioritize investments in innovations in key growth categories. Finally, as we enter the second half of 2022, we will continue to focus on cost control and margin enhancement through continue process improvements and investments in automation to further support our key objective of Adjusted EBITDA profitability in 2022."
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, net revenues were $27.3 million and $50.0 million as compared to $20.9 million and $30.0 million during the same period in 2021, an improvement of 31% and 66% respectively. Revenue in the second quarter of 2022 was comprised of approximately 40% in sales of dried flower and pre-roll Cannabis Products, with the remainder from oils and Cannabis 2.0 Product sales. Net revenues improved from the Company's expansion of its Cannabis 1.0 Products and continued leadership in Cannabis 2.0 Products. Consistent with prior periods, as the Company does not participate in the Quebec market, approximately 85% of cannabis sales during the second quarter of 2022 originated from sales to British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
Auxly realized a gross profit of $9.8 million and $13.5 million for the three and six months ending June 30, 2022 resulting in a 36% and 27% Gross Profit Margin1 respectively, as compared to $8.0 million (38%) and $10.3 million (34%) during the same periods in 2021. Cost of Finished Cannabis Inventory Sold Margin1 was 25%, 12% lower than the same period of 2021, however 2% greater than the first quarter of 2022.
Following the acquisition of Auxly Leamington in November 2021, the Company recognizes gross profit or loss from Auxly Leamington as part of the costs of finished cannabis inventory sold only as product is sold to the Company's customers after being further processed by Auxly Ottawa or Auxly Charlottetown. Realized and unrealized fair value gains and losses reflect accounting treatments associated with Auxly Leamington cultivation and sales. The positive impact on gross profit is the result of a significant reduction in cultivation costs and increased product availability. Prior to the acquisition of Auxly Leamington, the net operating results of Auxly Leamington were recorded in other income and expenses on an equity basis in proportion to the Company's ownership in the joint venture.
Biological and inventory impairments during the current period of $1.8 million are primarily a result of the write-off of certain third-party products, with year-to-date charges of $7.4 million inclusive of the closures of the Auxly Annapolis and Auxly Annapolis OG facilities.
Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") are comprised of wages and benefits, office and administrative, professional fees, business development, and selling expenses. SG&A expenses were $12.9 million during the second quarter of 2022, in line with the previous quarter and $1.8 million greater than the second quarter of 2021 primarily due to the inclusion of Auxly Leamington in 2022. Year-to-date expenditures of $25.6 million in 2022 are $5.5 million greater than the same period in 2021 primarily due to the addition of Auxly Leamington and expenditures associated with increased revenues.
Wages and benefits were $5.1 million during the second quarter of 2022, approximately $0.4 million higher than the same period of 2021, primarily due to the addition of Auxly Leamington partially offset by reductions associated with the Auxly Annapolis and Auxly Annapolis OG closures. Year-to-date expenditures of $10.7 million were higher than those of $8.9 million during the same period of 2021. The increases relate to the inclusion of Auxly Leamington and workforce additions to support dried flower and pre-roll sales, partially offset by cost reductions from the closure of the Auxly Annapolis and Auxly Annapolis OG facilities.
Office and administrative expenses were $2.6 million during the current quarter, decreasing by $1.0 million compared to the same period in 2021. The decreased expenditures primarily relate to higher product cost absorption, reduced waste and the timing and cost associated with product innovation. For the first six months of 2022 expenditures were $6.2 million, approximately $0.5 million below the same period of 2021 reflecting reductions in the current quarter partially offset by the addition of Auxly Leamington.
Auxly's professional fees were $1.1 million during the second quarter of 2022 and $1.5 million year-to-date which were $0.4 million greater than the same periods in 2021. Professional fees incurred during the period primarily related to accounting fees, regulatory matters, reporting issuer fees, and legal fees associated with certain corporate activities.
Business development expenses were $0.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and $0.2 million after six months, as compared to $Nil during the same periods in 2021. These expenses were nominal during the COVID-19 pandemic and primarily relate to acquisition, business development and travel related expenses which have increased modestly as a result of loosening restrictions and the resumption of business travel.
Selling expenses were $4.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and $7.0 million year-to-date, increases of $2.1 million and $3.6 million over the same periods in 2021, as a result of cannabis sales activities comprised of brokerage fees earned by Kindred, Health Canada fees related to higher revenues, and increased marketing initiatives for Cannabis Products.
Equity-based compensation for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 was $2.9 million and $3.1 million respectively. During the same periods of 2021 these amounts were $1.0 million and $1.2 million. The charges for the current quarter reflects the impact of prior option grants and restricted share units ("RSU") granted in June 2022, in respect of services provided by employees in 2021. The expense related to options is primarily a function of the number of grants, the weighted average aging of the grants and the share price at the time of grant. The RSU charge is primarily determined by the number of units granted, vesting periods and forfeiture assumptions, and the Share price at the time of grant.
Depreciation and amortization expenses were $3.9 million for the period ended June 30, 2022, and $8.5 million year-to-date increasing by $1.7 million and $3.9 million respectively over the same periods in 2021. The increase in expense during the current period is primarily related to additional capital expenditures and inclusion of Auxly Leamington in 2022.
Interest expenses were $5.3 million and $10.4 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $0.5 million and $1.0 million over the same periods in 2021 primarily as a result of the inclusion of Auxly Leamington. Interest expense includes accretion on the convertible debentures and interest paid in kind on the $123 million Imperial Brands Debenture. Interest payable in cash was approximately $1.6 million for the current quarter.
Total other incomes and losses for the quarter were a net gain of $0.9 million inclusive of gains related to the sale of Auxly Annapolis and the extension of the unsecured convertible debentures, partially offset by other losses, as compared to a gain of $3.1 million during the same period in 2021, which were primarily driven in 2021 by a gain on the Imperial Brands Debenture extension agreement partially offset by an impairment related to the sale of a non-core asset.
Total other incomes and losses for the six months ending June 30, 2022 of $23.1 million include the first quarter losses associated with the closure of the Auxly Annapolis and Auxly Annapolis OG facilities where the carrying value exceeds the fair value less cost to sell.
The share of losses on investment in joint venture during 2021 represented the Company's proportionate share of Auxly Leamington's earnings prior to its acquisition in November 2021, which results are presently consolidated into the Company's financial statements.
Auxly is exposed to foreign exchange fluctuations from the U.S. dollar to CAD dollar exchange rate primarily related to inventory, capital purchases and Inverell net assets. During the current period ended June 30, 2022, the Company reported a foreign exchange gain of $0.6 million as compared to a loss of $0.6 million during the same period of 2021.
Net losses attributable to shareholders of the Company were $14.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, representing a net loss of $0.02 per share on a basic and diluted basis. The net loss of $54.1 million through six months of 2022 includes the net impact of approximately $25.7 million related to the closure of the Auxly Annapolis and Auxly Annapolis OG facilities during the first quarter of 2022.
Adjusted EBITDA during the three months ended June 30, 2022 was negative $4.0 million, a decrease from the same period of 2021, however, improved by approximately $2.0 million over the most recent quarters.
On May 27, 2021, the Company announced that it had reached an agreement to sell KGK to Myconic Capital Corp. (now Wellbeing Digital Sciences Inc.) ("Wellbeing"), and on June 2, 2021, completed the sale of KGK to Wellbeing. As a result of the sale, results from operations and cash flows from KGK have been presented as discontinued operations, as applicable, on a retrospective basis.
In 2022, Auxly remains committed to building on its success as a Canadian market leader. The Company plans to drive organic growth through continued innovation, increased brand traction, and ubiquitous distribution, while prioritizing operational efficiencies and profitability. The Company's high-level objectives for 2022 are:
- Improve revenue and Gross Profit Margin to achieve positive Adjusted EBITDA
- Win with consumers and increase brand traction
During the second quarter the Company made positive progress towards its strategic objectives. Despite operating in a challenging macroeconomic environment, the Company increased revenues and gross profits during the quarter. Coupled with largely flat SG&A spending, Auxly improved its Adjusted EBITDA by approximately 34% since the fourth quarter of 2021, bringing it closer to its objective of Adjusted EBITDA profitability in 2022.
The Canadian cannabis industry continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace. The challenges posed by increasing competition and fragmentation; oversupply of cannabis; high taxation and price compression have been exacerbated by inflation, global supply chain disruptions, and constrained capital markets. While the Company's share of market decreased across certain product categories during the quarter, it will continue to pursue growth in key categories by continuing to deliver high-quality, innovative products to our consumers.
Auxly remains focused on cost control and margin enhancement through continued process improvements and investments in automation. Auxly Leamington has quickly become one of the lowest cost cultivation facilities in Canada. The improvements made at Auxly Leamington positively impacted consolidated operating results through reduced cultivation costs and increased flower quality and availability. Further, the Company anticipates an increase in its dried flower and pre-roll capabilities, commencing in Q3, 2022 as its new automation equipment is commissioned and comes online, enabling it to continue to meet consumers growing demands for its expanding flower portfolio.
The Company has and will continue to put its consumers first by delivering safe, effective, high-quality products that address their evolving needs and preferences and help them live happier lives. The Company continues to be leaders in product innovation and during the quarter successfully launched 17 new SKUs, each delivering strong early performance. Auxly has now launched a total of 27 new SKUs in 2022 and will continue prioritizing investments in innovation in key growth categories. Finally, through its continued focus on insights-driven innovation, product quality and targeted marketing efforts, the Company's brands continue to gain the trust and loyalty of its consumers which allowed it to maintain leading market share positions in its key product categories.
Please see the Company's MD&A dated June 30, 2022, under "Non-GAAP Measures" for a further description of the following financial and supplementary financial measures.
These are non-GAAP measures used in the cannabis industry and by the Company to assess operating performance removing the impacts and volatility of non-cash and other adjustments. The definition may differ by issuer. The Adjusted EBITDA reconciliation is as follows:
Gross Profit Margin
"Gross Profit Margin" is defined as gross profit divided by net revenues. Gross Profit Margin is a supplementary financial measure.
Cost of Finished Cannabis Inventory Sold Margin
"Cost of Finished Cannabis Inventory Sold Margin" is a supplementary financial measure and is defined as Cost of Finished Cannabis Inventory Sold divided by net revenues.
"Debt" is defined as current and long-term debt and is a supplementary financial measure. It is a useful measure in managing our capital structure and financing requirements.
Auxly's management team will host a conference call today, Monday August 15, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. EST to discuss its financial results. Participants can access the conference call by telephone by dialing: 888-664-6383 or by audio webcast at: https://app.webinar.net/ZxQ6J3oJ7nd.
For those unable to participate in the conference call at the scheduled time, it will be available for replay on the Company's website within 24 hours after the conclusion of the call.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"Hugo Alves" CEO
Auxly is a leading Canadian consumer packaged goods company in the cannabis products market, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The Company's focus is on developing, manufacturing and distributing branded cannabis products that delight wellness and recreational consumers and deliver on its consumer promise of quality, safety and efficacy.
Learn more at www.auxly.com and stay up to date at Twitter: @AuxlyGroup; Instagram: @auxlygroup; Facebook: @auxlygroup; LinkedIn: company/auxlygroup/.
This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to: the proposed operation of Auxly, its subsidiaries and partners; the intention to grow the business, operations and existing and potential activities of Auxly; the Company's response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's current and future operations; the Company's execution of its innovative product development, commercialization strategy and expansion plans; the Company's intention to introduce innovative new cannabis products to the market and the timing thereof; the anticipated benefits of the Company's partnerships, joint ventures, research and development initiatives and other commercial arrangements; the anticipated benefits of the Company's acquisition of Auxly Leamington; the expectation and timing of future revenues and of positive Adjusted EBITDA; expectations regarding the Company's expansion of sales, operations and investment into foreign jurisdictions; future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis and cannabis products; the timing and outcomes of regulatory or intellectual property decisions; the relevance of Auxly's subsidiaries' current and proposed products with provincial purchasers and consumers; consumer preferences; political change; competition and other risks affecting the Company in particular and the cannabis industry generally.
A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from a conclusion, forecast or projection contained in the forward-looking information in this release including, but not limited to, whether: the Company will be able to execute on its business strategy; Auxly's subsidiaries and partners are able to obtain and maintain the necessary governmental and regulatory authorizations to conduct business; the Company is able to successfully manage the integration of its various business units with its own; there are not materially more closures or lockdowns related to the COVID‐19 pandemic; the Company's subsidiaries and partners obtain and maintain all necessary governmental and regulatory permits and approvals for the operation of their facilities and the development of cannabis products, and whether such permits and approvals can be obtained in a timely manner; the Company will be able to successfully integrate Auxly Leamington's operations with its own, and whether the expected benefits of the acquisition materialize in the manner expected, or at all; the Company will be able to successfully launch new product formats and enter into new markets; there is acceptance and demand for current and future Company products by consumers and provincial purchasers; the Company will be able to increase revenues and achieve positive Adjusted EBITDA; and general economic, financial market, legislative, regulatory, competitive and political conditions in which the Company and its subsidiaries and partners operate will remain the same. Additional risk factors are disclosed in the annual information form of the Company for the financial year ended December 31, 2021 dated March 30, 2022.
New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all of those factors or to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information currently available and what management believes are reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking information speaks only to such assumptions as of the date of this release. In addition, this release may contain forward-looking information attributed to third party industry sources, the accuracy of which has not been verified by the Company. The forward-looking information is being provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding the Company's financial performance, financial position and cash flows as at and for periods ended on certain dates and to present information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future, and the reader is cautioned that such forward-looking information may not be appropriate for any other purpose. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information contained in this release.
The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.
Neither Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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SOURCE Auxly Cannabis Group Inc.
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2022-08-15T13:07:03+00:00
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kcbd.com
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https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/auxly-reports-q2-2022-financial-results/
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NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard Motor Products, Inc. (SMP) has introduced 214 new part numbers in its December new number announcement. Included in the release is new coverage for 88 product categories, and 84 part numbers for 2021, 2022, and 2023 model-year vehicles.
SMP is committed to providing replacement parts for hybrid and electric vehicles through its Standard® and Four Seasons® brands, which is evident in this release. The December release includes a Drive Motor Battery Pack Charging Cord Adaptor for 2023-08 Tesla vehicles, as well as parts for the 2022-21 Ford Mustang Mach-E, 2020-19 Ford SSV Plug-In Hybrid, and 2019-11 Nissan Leaf. Additionally, Four Seasons® has introduced a new line of Battery Cooling Fan Motors with an initial release of 15 part numbers covering 3.4 million import and domestic vehicles. Applications include the 2017-11 Lexus CT200, 2015-04 Toyota Prius, and 2018-13 Ford C-Max. The addition of more than 110 new Sensors, Switches, Actuators and Connectors also expands SMP's powertrain-neutral coverage.
Jack Ramsey, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, SMP, stated, "We're proud to close out the year with the addition of more than 200 new products, bringing our total number of new products to 2,400 for 2022. Standard Motor Products is grateful for the unwavering support and loyalty of our distribution partners and service providers, and we look forward to strengthening these partnerships in the new year."
Standard's Collision Repair program continues to expand with the release of additional Radiator Active Grille Shutter Assemblies, Vehicle Speed Sensors, Tailgate Latch Assemblies, and much more. Additionally, the Standard® ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist Systems) program continues to grow, with 13 new Park Assist Cameras added. New coverage includes popular vehicles like the 2020-18 Chevrolet Equinox, 2020-18 Honda Odyssey, 2021-17 Jeep Compass, and 2020-18 Ford F-150.
Standard® has fuel injection covered, adding an array of new products to support its growing offering. Numerous Fuel Feed Lines have been added for Audi, BMW, Buick, and Chevrolet vehicles. Direct Injection High Pressure Fuel Pumps have also been added for 4.7 million Ford, Toyota, and Lexus vehicles. Fuel Injectors for GDI, Diesel, and MFI categories, as well as Fuel Injector Seal Rings and Fuel Injector O-Rings are also included in the release.
Engine Oil Coolers are now available for popular vehicles like the 2021-11 Ford F-150, 2020-15 Nissan Rogue, and more, while new Ignition Coils are available for the 2020-17 RAM ProMaster. Also included in this month's release are multiple new Blower Motor Resistors, Electronic Throttle Bodies and Power Sunroof Motors.
All new applications are listed in the catalogs found at StandardBrand.com and 4S.com, and in electronic catalog providers.
About SMP
With over 100 years in business, Standard Motor Products, Inc. is a leading independent manufacturer and distributor of premium automotive replacement parts utilized in the maintenance, repair and service of vehicles in the automotive aftermarket industry. In addition, SMP continues to increase its supplier capabilities with a complementary focus on specialized original equipment parts for manufacturers across multiple industries such as agriculture, heavy duty, and construction equipment. SMP sells its products primarily to automotive aftermarket retailers, program distribution groups, warehouse distributors, original equipment manufacturers and original equipment service part operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Mexico and other Latin American countries. For more information, download the SMP Parts App or visit smpcorp.com.
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SOURCE Standard Motor Products, Inc.
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2022-12-22T17:21:48+00:00
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wcjb.com
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https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/12/22/standard-motor-products-closes-year-with-214-new-part-numbers/
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CONSUMER REPORTS (WSYR-TV) — Connected gadgets around the home can be super-convenient. Lights that turn on automatically, doors that lock and unlock from your phone, and the list goes on and on.
But making sure all those different devices work together is often an annoying struggle. That could soon change. As Consumer Reports explains, our modern connected lives are about to get a lot simpler.
You have to choose if you want to work mainly with Alexa, Google, Apple, or something different altogether. But thanks to a new home standard called Matter, that’s all changing.
The new standard was created by several tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and other companies so that consumers could choose their smart home devices based on features and price rather than compatibility with a specific system.
The goal of the new standard is interoperability. That means getting devices to work together and getting them to be easier to use, easier to set up, and more secure so that you don’t have to worry about being hacked.
Another big benefit for consumers: increased competition.
Consumers will see a lot more product options in the marketplace, and that should help to lower prices and make these products more affordable.
Right now, Matter supports a handful of smart home products like door locks, lightbulbs, thermostats, and TVs.
But you can expect much more in the future, including home appliances, security cameras, and smart speakers.
So how do you know which smart home devices support Matter? For new devices, it will be very easy to tell. You should see a Matter logo on the packaging or in the user manual.
For products you already own, some are being updated via software to support Matter, and for others, you’ll probably get an email or notification in the app for the devices.
Matter also lets you control devices via multiple smart home systems at the same time.
That means you can turn on your lights from your Samsung smartphone, dim them by asking Alexa on an Amazon Echo speaker, and then turn them off from your iPad.
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2022-12-23T16:17:56+00:00
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localsyr.com
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https://www.localsyr.com/news/consumer-reports/consumer-reports-new-standard-for-home-tech/
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kurt Busch might have received a proper sendoff this weekend in Las Vegas, where his hometown track treated him cruelly over 21 tries until he broke through for a win in 2020.
Yet, those scenarios are implausible now for the 44-year-old Busch, his career prematurely curtailed because of lingering effects from a concussion suffered in a wreck during qualifying last summer at Pocono Raceway.
Busch instead is now a de facto consultant for his old 23XI Racing team and Toyota. He counseled Travis Pastrana at the Daytona 500. He championed crew chief Billy Scott as the next Chad Knaus, and Busch has thrown his arms around anyone in the garage who needs advice. He’s chatted up sponsors and is doing the grunt work needed to make the gears turn on the team co-owned by Michael Jordan.
He just can’t race.
Busch is still walking out of a fog from the blunt impact his brain absorbed in the crash. He’s vowed to race in a competitive series again -- even if a Cup Series ride is out of reach -- but he has not yet been cleared by doctors.
“When you look at the therapist, and he’s looking back at you, there’s work to be done,” Busch said. “That’s really all I can give you.”
Busch is hopeful a new physical therapy program designed to strengthen balance and eye movement will aid in a full recovery. Until then, Busch keeps pushing in a journey without a true finish line in sight.
“Go-karting has been fine for me, the simulator has been fine,” Busch said. “It’s just when I had my head in the headrest and there’s that movement, that bothers me.”
NASCAR’s dramatic safety upgrades that included SAFER barriers and head-and-neck restraints in the wake of Dale Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500 lulled fans into thinking drivers were bullet proof inside their modernized cars. NASCAR has not suffered a racing death in its three national series since 2001 and most drivers -- think Ryan Newman surviving a fiery crash at the 2020 Daytona 500 -- escape even the scariest wrecks relatively unscathed.
Jeff Burton, an NBC Sports announcer and former driver, said Busch “was still as good as he’s ever been” when the 2017 Daytona 500 champion took his No. 45 Toyota out last July for what should have been a routine qualifying lap on the 2½-mile track in Pennsylvania. Busch, though, seemed to lose control as the Toyota slid up the track and the right rear slammed square into the wall.
The car whipped around and the nose violently tagged the wall, as well.
Looked bad, yes. But certainly not any worse to the naked eye than most wrecks. Busch apologized over the radio and then waved to the crowd to signal he was “OK” as he walked to the waiting ambulance -- and hasn’t been inside a Cup car for a race since.
Busch told The Associated Press he was told the rear hit registered at a brain-rattling 30 G’s -- consider, modern fighter pilots pull a G-force of about nine -- and the front smacked the wall at 18 G’s, numbers that raised concerns about safety in the Next Gen cars.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman missed five races with a concussion late last season after his Chevrolet hit the wall at Texas Motor Speedway, and multiple other drivers complained about the violence of routine hits and wondered if they too had suffered a concussion.
The drivers suddenly didn’t seem so invincible.
“The wreck might not look like it wasn’t that violent. But primal fear is — I leaned forward knowing I was backing into the fence,” Busch said, as he pulled his hands to his head. “If you feel fear coming from behind, you lean away. So I exaggerated the hit by leaning forward and that 30 G’s backward was something I never felt before. I don’t remember the right front hit. That’s when things got serious in the infield care center.”
Busch, who won 34 races in 776 starts over 23 years, and the 2004 Cup championship, said his examination in the moments after the wreck turned scary when he couldn’t stand up straight. Busch also couldn’t answer questions from doctors about thee impact of the front collision.
Busch returned to his motorhome and took a call from his dad. Busch told his dad, Tom, a former racer who built and won in his own cars, he wasn’t cleared to race at Pocono and surrendered his ride to rookie Ty Gibbs. Tom Busch told his son “it was probably that right front hit.”
“I go, ‘Why are you asking me the same thing?’ I don’t remember the right front hit,” Busch said. Tom Busch ended the conversation and told Kurt to watch a replay.
“That’s when it settled in,” Busch said. “That’s a whole different view.”
Busch, who also got divorced last year, leaned on his parents in the aftermath; his mother, Gaye, accompanied him on his doctor visits. The update is always the same: Busch is not cleared to race.
“There’s huge progress,” Busch said. “But to race with the best of the best, I’m not 100% and I feel it.”
Busch’s absence from the Daytona 500 meant there are no active Cup drivers who raced against Earnhardt. There’s a youth movement in NASCAR -- fellow 40-something driver and NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick is calling it quits at the end of the season -- and Busch conceded 2023 would have been his last one anyway.
“I see him doing a lot of different things and looking at his schedule and talking with some of the folks around him, he is somewhere doing something every day,” Kyle Busch said. “He is fine off the track, as much as it can be inside a Busch’s head anyway.”
Busch has told 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin he wanted to graduate into a coaching/adviser role once he retired.
Busch just wished the move could have come on his own terms. Busch served as one of the grand marshals at the Daytona 500 -- he was selected as a driver who both won a Cup championship and the “Great American Race” -- and tried to put a bright spin on his early retirement.
He soaked in the Florida sun and enjoyed the bustle of the fans, the camaraderie inside the garage and the thrill of another race day ahead -- just like normal.
“Fans are here for the race and they’re all still rooting me on,” he said. “It’s like they want me to get back in the car and I feel that spirit.” ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2023-02-28T20:47:23+00:00
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washingtonpost.com
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/auto-racing/concussion-lingers-for-former-nascar-champion-kurt-busch/2023/02/28/33ec8d40-b7a2-11ed-b0df-8ca14de679ad_story.html
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NEW CONCORD, Ohio (June 22, 2022) - Chelsey Fulps of Coweta has been named to the Spring 2022 Academic Merit List at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio.
The Academic Merit list contains the names of undergraduate degree-seeking students who started the semester as a part-time student (minimum load of 6 completed hours) and earned a term GPA of 3.60 or above on A-F graded coursework.
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2022-06-22T21:11:40+00:00
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tulsaworld.com
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https://tulsaworld.com/community/wagoner/news/coweta-native-honored-at-muskingum-university/article_cb6028be-f266-11ec-be2e-e7d4234448e6.html
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Haaland: US expanding Native American massacre site
DENVER (AP) — Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced an expansion Wednesday of a National Park Service historical site dedicated to the massacre by U.S. troops of more than 200 Native Americans in what is now southeastern Colorado.
Haaland, the first Native American to lead a U.S. Cabinet agency, made the announcement during a solemn ceremony at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historical Site about 170 miles (272 kilometers) southeast of Denver to honor the dead, survivors and their descendants.
The move marks the latest step taken by Haaland to act on issues important to Native Americans in her role as Interior Secretary. Haaland’s “Tribal Homelands Initiative” supports fundraising to buy land and requires federal managers to seek out Indigenous knowledge about resources.
Haaland’s selection to lead the federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for nearly two centuries was hailed as historic by Democrats and tribal groups who said it meant that Indigenous people — who lived in North America before the United States was created — would for the first time see a Native American lead the powerful department where decisions on relations with the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes are made.
Earlier this year, the agency released a first-of-its-kind report about Native American boarding schools that the U.S. government supported to strip Indigenous people of their cultures and identities. She has also formally declared “squaw” a derogatory term and taken steps to remove it from federal government use and to replace other derogatory place names.
Expansion of the Sand Creek Massacre site will provide more opportunities for visitors to learn about the 1864 massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho, most of them women and children, Haaland said Wednesday. She declared that it is her department’s “solemn responsibility” to “tell the story of our nation.”
“The events that took place here forever changed the course of the Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, and Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes,” she said. “We will never forget the hundreds of lives that were brutally taken here – men, women and children murdered in an unprovoked attack. Stories like the Sand Creek Massacre are not easy to tell but it is my duty – our duty – to ensure that they are told. This story is part of America’s story.”
The historic site near Eads, Colorado, preserves the haunting landscape of the Nov. 29, 1864, attack by a volunteer U.S. Cavalry regiment. Troops swept into a sleeping encampment of 750 Native Americans along Sand Creek, killing more than 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho, most of them women, children and the elderly.
The expedition ostensibly was to retaliate for Native American raids on white settlers. Soldiers carried body parts back to Denver in celebration. But some commanders refused to attack, saying Native American leaders who believed they had made peace with the U.S. commander of nearby Fort Lyon tried to wave white flags. Congress condemned leader Col. John M. Chivington for an unprovoked massacre.
Max Bear, the tribal historic preservation officer for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, welcomed Haaland’s homage as sustaining the storytelling mission he and countless others have dedicated their lives to.
“We don’t want our children and grandchildren to fight an uphill battle to know what happened to our folks,” said Bear, a descendant of Cheyenne Chief Black Whiteman, who sought food and shelter for the widowed and the orphaned after the attack.
Whiteman also signed the Treaty of Medicine Lodge in 1867, intended to end retaliatory Indian raids by forcibly settling Cheyenne, Arapaho and other tribes to reservations on “Indian Territory” in what is now Oklahoma, Bear said.
“We weren’t at war. ... You can’t call Sand Creek a battle,” Bear said. “In this time of book banning, I think it’s more important than ever that our history be told correctly.”
Sand Creek was established as a National Park Service historic site in 2007. The service has collaborated with the Northern Cheyenne of Montana, the Northern Arapaho of Wyoming and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.
The new expansion also will preserve what Haaland called one of the largest intact shortgrass prairie ecosystems within the National Park system.
In recent years, Colorado officials have attempted redress.
State and U.S. officials are preparing to rename Mount Evans, a prominent Rocky Mountains peak named after Territorial Governor John Evans, who resigned after the Sand Creek massacre.
Last year, Gov. Jared Polis rescinded an 1864 proclamation by Evans that called for citizens to kill Native Americans and take their property. In 2014, Gov. John Hickenlooper apologized on the state’s behalf to tribal members on the 150th anniversary of the massacre.
Tribal representatives, National Parks Service Director Chuck Sams and Colorado officials, including Hickenklooper, now a U.S. senator, attended Wednesday’s ceremony.
Incorporating land from a private seller, the expansion was financed by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, established by Congress in 1964, and Great Outdoors Colorado, which invests state lottery proceeds to wildland preservation. The lands include significant archaeological remains and are considered sacred by the tribes.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2022-10-05T19:56:36+00:00
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wsfa.com
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https://www.wsfa.com/2022/10/05/haaland-us-expanding-native-american-massacre-site/
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Association of National Advertisers (ANA) names BizMark the Small B2B Agency of the Year (Bronze) at 46th Annual B2 Awards
WESTPORT, Conn., June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, BizMark, a leading independent B2B marketing agency, took home a Top Award at the B2 Awards hosted by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
ANA members represent the most powerful and influential brands in the world, and the prestigious B2 Awards signify the best in modern B2B thinking and business results. In addition to the top award, four additional BizMark campaigns were recognized as the best in the industry.
- Best Microsite or Landing Page – Gold – Broadridge
- Best Sales Enablement Program – Gold – Pitney Bowes
- Best Marketing on a Small Budget – Gold – Quorum Federal Credit Union
- Best Enterprise Lead Generation – Bronze – Pitney Bowes
"This recognition is a testament to a great team, including amazing clients who consistently seek excellence," notes Ed Gillespie, Executive Director at BizMark. "B2B marketing is so challenging. Our clients offer complex, nuanced solutions. They need to convince multiple people within an organization to switch – and that takes creativity, innovative thinking and a commitment to marketing fundamentals. It's exciting to be part of their success."
BizMark is also featured on the Chief Marketer 200, a list of the top marketing agencies for 2022. The agency serves a growing roster of global clients including Broadridge, Pitney Bowes, BlueTriton Brands, Investment Metrics, Wolters Kluwer, Quorum, DataStax, Confluence, Brookfield Oaktree and the Insurance Information Institute.
View original content:
SOURCE BizMark
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2022-06-07T16:27:14+00:00
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kcbd.com
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https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/06/07/bizmark-wins-third-b2b-agency-year-award/
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Elizabeth Holmes will start 11-year prison sentence on May 30 after losing her bid to remain free
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes will remain free through the Memorial Day weekend before surrendering to authorities on May 30 to begin her more than 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors in a blood-testing scam.
U.S. District Judge Edward Davila set Holmes’ revised prison-reporting date after her lawyers proposed it in a Wednesday filing. It came after a federal appeals court late Tuesday rejected Holmes’ bid to remain out of prison while she attempts to overturn her January 2022 conviction on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy.
The punishment also includes a $452 million restitution bill that Davila ordered Holmes to pay in a separate ruling issued late Tuesday.
Holmes’ lawyers asked Davila to approve the May 30 prison reporting time to her two weeks to sort out several issues, including child care for her 1-year-old son William and 3-month-old daughter Invicta. Holmes had originally been ordered to begin her prison sentence on April 27, but won a reprieve with a last-minute legal maneuver that gave her more time with her children.
Holmes, 39, became pregnant with William shortly before the start of her high-profile trial in September 2021 and became pregnant with Invicta shortly after she was convicted of crimes that could have resulted in a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
The father of both children is William “Billy” Evans, whom she met after breaking up with her former romantic and business partner, Ramesh “Sunny,” Balwani, who began serving a nearly 13-year prison sentence last month in Southern California. Balwani, 57, was convicted for 12 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy committed while he was Theranos’ chief operating officer and living with Holmes.
In Wednesday’s filing, Holmes’ lawyers didn’t disclose the location of the prison that she has been assigned to serve her sentence. But they noted she has to prepare to travel outside of California, where she has been living in the San Diego area while free on bail. Davila has recommended that Holmes be imprisoned in Bryan, Texas.
When Holmes is finally incarcerated, it will bring down the curtain on a saga that cast a bright light on a dark chapter in Silicon Valley that brought her fame and fortune before her scandalous downfall.
After dropping out of Stanford University in 2003 to found Theranos while still a teenager, Holmes promised to revolutionize healthcare with a technology that she promised would be able to scan for hundreds of diseases and other potential problems with just a few drops of blood. The idea helped her raising nearly $1 billion from sophisticated investors that included Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who is owed $125 million under the restitution order.
But Theranos’ blood tests never came close to working the way Holmes had boasted with the support of Balwani, resulting in the company’s collapse and a tale that has been the subject of a book, “Bad Blood,” an HBO documentary, “The Inventor,” and a Hulu mini-series, “The Dropout,” which won Amanda Seyfried an Emmy in the starring role.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2023-05-17T21:11:19+00:00
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wagmtv.com
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https://www.wagmtv.com/2023/05/17/elizabeth-holmes-will-start-11-year-prison-sentence-may-30-after-losing-her-bid-remain-free/
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OLD GREENWICH, Conn., Dec. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The founder of Clearview Capital Group ("Clearview"), Adam Cassidy, has completed the successful sale of the Tempest hotel in Tempe, AZ. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Cassidy and Clearview pursue a variety of hotel development initiatives including direct investment in value-add renovations, ground up development and adaptive reuse.
The Tempest, which is adjacent to the Arizona State University Campus, was sold to a local hotel group doing business as Jay Sagar LLC. The property was previously a Quality Inn. Cassidy repositioned it to be a more upscale boutique hotel with a new lobby bar and beer garden to serve the campus-oriented community.
Cassidy held the property under the entity 1875 E. University Owner LLC.
"We opened the hotel in late 2019, months before COVID began," said Cassidy. "The fact that we were able to survive pandemic shutdowns and sell with interest rates at an all-time high is a sign of just how strong the Tempe market is right now. Clearview Capital Group is currently pursuing five more transactions in similar high-growth markets."
Clearview Capital Group is currently undertaking transactions in rapid-growth markets located in Virginia, Colorado, Florida and South Carolina. Before forming Clearview Capital Group, Cassidy was a development executive at Dream Hotels for 10 years.
Clearview Capital Group ("Clearview") pursues a variety of transactions including direct investment in value-add renovations, ground up development, adaptive reuse, and other hotel development initiatives. Clearview targets properties and partners in U.S. markets which benefit from committed ownership, advantaged locations, defensible business models and favorable long-term growth prospects. For more information, please visit Clearview Capital Group's website: www.clearviewcapitalgroup.com.
Media Contact:
Kate Shepherd, Kate@KateShepherdCommunications.com, 317-442-1674
View original content:
SOURCE Clearview Capital Group
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2022-12-20T16:15:38+00:00
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newschannel10.com
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https://www.newschannel10.com/prnewswire/2022/12/20/clearview-capital-group-founder-sells-hotel-tempe-az/
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WFO SAN DIEGO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, August 4, 2022
_____
AREAL FLOOD WATCH
Flood Watch
National Weather Service San Diego CA
131 PM PDT Thu Aug 4 2022
...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING...
* WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be
possible.
* WHERE...A portion of Southern California, including the following
areas, Apple and Lucerne Valleys, Coachella Valley, Riverside
County Mountains, San Bernardino County Mountains, San Diego
County Deserts, San Diego County Mountains and San Gorgonio Pass
Near Banning.
* WHEN...Until 10 PM PDT this evening.
* IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers,
creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flash
Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be
prepared to take action should flooding develop.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
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2022-08-04T21:11:40+00:00
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lmtonline.com
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https://www.lmtonline.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-SAN-DIEGO-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17352271.php
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For the first time in three years, El Niño is back, and its arrival is earlier than expected. Its formation usually means quieter hurricane seasons in the Atlantic basin.
That’s because El Niño’s warming in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean typically causes more wind shear to flow into the Caribbean and Gulf, inhibiting storm formation. Over the last three decades, El Niño years have produced about half the number of hurricanes that La Niña years have produced in the Atlantic Basin.
But this year could be different. A sudden spike in ocean temperatures across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans has far surpassed record levels. That extra energy could cancel out El Niño’s calming effects.
“We look at storms that have formed during El Niño years, and there are not a lot over the past 30 years,” WFLA Meteorologists Amanda Holly said. “But there are storms that impacted the United States during the EL Niño years, some of those being significant storms.”
WIAT Meteorologist Alex Puckett pointed to the below-average hurricane season of 1992 as one example.
“Only four hurricanes during the entire season,” Puckett said. “One of them was Andrew. So it only takes that one storm.”
Scientists all around the world are struggling to explain the phenomenon. The question remains: Which feature will steer the 2023 hurricane season?
Puckett said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) forecast of a “near-average season” is “a tough one.”
“I really tend to think this will be a feast or famine season for us,” he said. “It only takes the one storm. At the end of the day, you can have a below-average season but if you have an Andrew, it’s a bad year.”
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2023-06-14T19:32:35+00:00
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mytwintiers.com
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https://www.mytwintiers.com/news-cat/national-news/tracking-the-tropics-could-rising-ocean-temperatures-mean-more-hurricanes-despite-el-nino/
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NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels rookie catcher Logan O'Hoppe was forced from Thursday's 9-3 loss to the New York Yankees by a recurrence of intense left shoulder pain after a swing in the ninth inning.
“I felt it pop, come out the back, and will be evaluated the next couple days,” O'Hoppe said. “Let's hope it's nothing too serious.”
O’Hoppe was acquired from Philadelphia last August in the trade for outfielder Brandon Marsh and made his big league debut Sept. 28. The 23-year-old, considered a top AL Rookie of the Year candidate. is hitting .283 with four homers and 13 RBIs.
He initially hurt the shoulder during Monday’s 5-4 win at Boston, but stayed in that game.
“I think in Boston it freaked me out more," O'Hoppe said. "This time, it hurt a little bit more just because I knew it was the same thing. It didn't feel as bad, this one, but I was just more aware.”
He lined a 2-2 sweeper from Yankees pitcher Greg Weissert into the left-field corner, fell to the ground and grabbed his left shoulder with his right hand.
O'Hoppe ran to first, getting a single rather than a double, bent over and smacked his helmet into the ground in frustration. In pain, he remained bent over and covered his eyes with a hand as an athletic trainer and manager Phil Nevin came out to meet him at first, then put his helmet back on and walked to the dugout and into the clubhouse after his first three-hit game in the big leagues.
On Monday at Boston, O'Hoppe fouled off a 3-2 pitch from Brayan Bello on the ninth pitch of his first-inning at-bat and fell, grasping his left shoulder. After a delay of almost two minutes, O'Hoppe remained in the game, fouled off another pitch and then singled.
“It hadn't happened before,” O'Hoppe said.
He went 1 for 4 and came to New York, where the Long Island native estimated hundreds and friends and family would see him play. O'Hoppe went 4 for 8 in the three-game series.
O'Hoppe was returning with the Angels to California after the game.
“It feels all right," he said. "Just haven't moved it too much. Not too much pain.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2023-04-21T02:06:58+00:00
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lmtonline.com
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https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/angels-rookie-o-hoppe-forced-from-game-by-17909773.php
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Two drones were brought down outside Moscow as they approached the warehouses of a local military unit, Moscow region Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said Wednesday, in what could be the latest attempt by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia during the early stages of Kyiv’s most recent counteroffensive.
The wreckage of a third drone was found about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the site of the crash, Russian media reported. No damage or casualties were reported.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it was “an unsuccessful attempt at a terrorist attack” by “the Kyiv regime” on its facilities in the Moscow region, adding in a statement that all three drones were brought down by radio-electronic means.
Ukraine, which usually doesn’t confirm attacks on Russian soil, made no immediate comment about the downed drones. Previously, Ukrainian officials have emphasized the country’s right to strike any target in response to Russia’s invasion and war that started in February 2022.
In December, Moscow claimed it had shot down drones that targeted military air bases in the Saratov and Ryazan regions in western Russia.
Other drones have reportedly flown deep into Russia multiple times. Since February, when a UJ-22 crashed 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly approached the Russian capital.
Last month, a drone attack jolted the Russian capital, though it caused only slight damage, in what appeared to be one of Kyiv’s deepest and most daring strikes into Russia. It was the second reported strike on Moscow that month after Russian authorities said two drones targeted the Kremlin.
At that time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s air defense “worked in a satisfactory way,” but added it was “clear what we need to do to plug the gaps” in the system.
Meanwhile, train traffic was disrupted on the Crimean Peninsula on Wednesday, according to its Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov.
Aksyonov didn’t say what caused the disruption, but some Russian media outlets reported that the rail lines were blown up overnight in apparent sabotage operations.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considers illegal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that his country aims to reclaim the peninsula in a counteroffensive that began in recent weeks.
In response to Ukraine’s military threat using advanced weapons supplied by Western allies, Russia has in recent weeks expended “significant effort” on assembling “elaborate” defensive lines on the approaches to Crimea, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
For the Kremlin, ensuring control of Crimea is “a top political priority,” the ministry said in a tweet Wednesday. There is “intense fighting” in parts of southern Ukraine where Kyiv’s forces are testing Russian defenses, it added.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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2023-06-21T10:20:24+00:00
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wboy.com
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https://www.wboy.com/news/world/russia-says-it-downed-3-drones-outside-moscow-suspects-it-was-attack-by-ukraine/
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CBS reportedly replacing 'Late Late Show' with '@midnight' game show
When late-night host James Corden leaves his post this spring, CBS reportedly will replace his “The Late Late Show” with a reboot of the game show “@midnight.”
The broadcast network is said to be launching a revival of the cable-channel game show with the help of “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert, who is on board as executive producer, according to trade publications Deadline, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
The show “@midnight,” like Colbert, hails from Comedy Central. The game show debuted on the cable network in 2013 and aired about 600 episodes before ending its run in August 2017 following a mutual decision by Comedy Central, host and executive producer Chris Hardwick and production company Funny or Die.
The reboot reportedly will land in “The Late Late Show’s” 12:30 a.m. time slot. The maneuver, Variety said, would cut costs and revive the programming concept controlled by the network’s parent company, Paramount Global.
Representatives for CBS declined to comment Wednesday when reached by the Los Angeles Times. Representatives for Paramount and Colbert did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Chris Hardwick of “Nerdist” fame hosted the program, which won two Emmys for creative achievement in interactive media social TV experience. The game show posed internet-themed questions to three guest comedians, who competed for points by riffing on the most interesting or absurd social media moments of the day. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Hardwick, who was embroiled in an abuse controversy in 2018, is not expected to have direct involvement with the revival.
Corden announced in April that he would be signing off of “The Late Late Show” to pursue other projects. A final episode date has not yet been announced but the show, which has run for 28 years on the network, is expected to end this spring.
|
2023-02-08T20:32:48+00:00
|
detroitnews.com
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https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/television/2023/02/08/cbs-reportedly-replacing-late-late-show-with-midnight-game-show/69885962007/
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NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Sema4 Holdings, Corp. (NASDAQ: SMFR) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.
Class Period: March 14, 2022 to August 15, 2022
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: November 7, 2022
No obligation or cost to you.
Learn more about your recoverable losses in SMFR:
https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/sema4-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=31583&from=4
Sema4 Holdings, Corp. NEWS - SMFR NEWS
CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Sema4 Holdings, Corp. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) there was a significant risk that Sema4 would reverse a material amount of previously recognized revenue that it could not recoup from third party payors; (2) the Company was experiencing declining selling prices for its reproductive health segment; (3) as a result of the foregoing, Sema4's financial results would be adversely affected; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Sema4 Holdings Corp. you have until November 7, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Sema4 Holdings Corp. securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the SMFR lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/sema4-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=31583&from=4.
ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM
J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
J. Klein, Esq.
535 Fifth Avenue
4th Floor
New York City, NY 10017
jk@kleinstocklaw.com
Telephone: (212) 616-4899
www.kleinstocklaw.com
View original content:
SOURCE The Klein Law Firm
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2022-09-13T11:08:18+00:00
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kxii.com
|
https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/smfr-alert-klein-law-firm-announces-lead-plaintiff-deadline-november-7-2022-class-action-filed-behalf-sema4-holdings-corp-shareholders/
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Ross Janssen provides afternoon weather update
Published: Apr. 14, 2023 at 3:36 PM CDT|Updated: 50 minutes ago
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - With severe storms on the way to central and eastern Kansas later Friday, Storm Team 12 meteorologist Ross Janssen gave an update on what to expect where you live.
Copyright 2023 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com
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2023-04-14T21:28:51+00:00
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kwch.com
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https://www.kwch.com/2023/04/14/ross-janssen-provides-afternoon-weather-update/
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Florida aims to revoke Miami hotel’s liquor license for drag show
MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is moving to revoke the liquor license of a Miami hotel that hosted a Christmas drag show, a crackdown that comes as the Republican governor looks to shore up his conservative credentials ahead of an expected 2024 presidential bid.
The state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation filed an administrative complaint earlier this week against the Hyatt Regency Miami for hosting the Christmas-themed show. It alleged that the performance was “sexually explicit” and that children were present for the “lewd, vulgar and indecent” display.
The Hyatt Regency Miami said the programming and ticketing at the venue were managed by a third party and the hotel’s role was to serve food and beverages. Amir Blattner, the hotel’s general manager, said the liquor license remains active as the complaint is being reviewed.
The producers of the drag show didn’t immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press seeking comment Thursday.
DeSantis has filed similar complaints against other venues hosting drag shows in the past. He is known for his aggressive defense of conservative causes and has marketed his administration as a blueprint for strong Republican leadership as he considers a challenge to former President Donald Trump in 2024.
The complaint says the state warned the hotel ahead of the Dec. 27 performance to stop children from attending, but the hotel only made it a recommendation and allowed minors who went with adults, the complaint says. It also alleged that performers simulated sex acts and exposed “prosthetic female breasts.”
DeSantis has championed other landmark conservative priorities that his critics have dismissed as anti-LGBTQ, including a law that bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
“Governor DeSantis stands up for the innocence of children in the classroom and throughout Florida,” the Republican governor’s office said in a statement regarding the hotel’s liquor license.
On Tuesday, Florida Republicans advanced a measure that expands on the controversial law that critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The new bill would bar school lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity through the eighth grade. It would also ban school requirements on use of pronouns that don’t correspond to the person’s sex at birth.
Another bill would restrict venues from allowing children to attend drag shows if they have sexual content.
Copyright 2023 WWSB. All rights reserved.
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2023-03-17T14:07:21+00:00
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mysuncoast.com
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https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/03/17/florida-aims-revoke-miami-hotels-liquor-license-drag-show/
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Delivery driver stops attempted carjacking by causing crash
BALTIMORE (WBAL) - A Maryland delivery driver jumped into action and stopped a would-be carjacker in the act, grabbing him through the window as he tried to drive away.
Police say a delivery driver left the door to his car open when he ran into Baltimore’s RYMKS Bar and Grille to get food just before 11 p.m. Sunday. When he came back out, a 17-year-old allegedly got into the driver’s seat and took off down the street.
Police say the victim grabbed hold of the suspect through the window. The car crashed, slamming into the side of the restaurant.
“The car was moving pretty fast. The driver was actually hanging on the window, trying to get him out, as he crashed,” said Justin Crowder, manager at RYMKS.
The video shows after the crash, the victim pulled the suspect out of the car. Workers say he held him down until police got there and arrested the teenager.
No one was seriously injured in the incident. Crowder says, thankfully, no employees were outside when the car crashed.
“Just thinking about the fact that somebody could’ve been out here during that time, but they weren’t. So, that was just God. That was God,” he said.
Crowder says there was no damage to their building, just their dumpster, and they spent Monday cleaning up.
The incident adds insult to injury, Crowder says, coming just three weeks after the restaurant’s co-owner, Trevor White, was murdered.
“Words can’t explain the emotional pain that comes with it, but we’re striving every day to make sure we fulfill his dream,” Crowder said.
Still, Crowder is relieved the suspect is in custody and hopes it will serve as a warning to other teens.
“I just hope that there’s a life lesson from it, not just for him but for anyone else who may be in the same position, to just really think twice of what you’re doing, who’s watching, how this could impact your life,” he said.
Copyright 2022 WBAL via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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2022-07-13T05:51:01+00:00
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live5news.com
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https://www.live5news.com/2022/07/13/delivery-driver-stops-attempted-carjacking-by-causing-crash/
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FLINT, MI -- Genesee County officials are considering pink slips for employees who work in the city of Flint’s lockup as talks about reimbursements have broken down and the facility continues to operate under the terms of an expired contract.
Sheriff Chris Swanson asked the county Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, May 3, not to lay off 22 employees who are paid with state funds that keep the holding facility in operation and to quietly lobby Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley to sign a new deal to continue the arrangement.
An annual appropriations resolution approved by commissioners requires the county to remove positions from its budget if employees are paid with outside grants or cost-sharing agreements that are not received.
The county says the city has not paid more than $1 million in expenses related to the lockup’s operation since a previous contract expired last September.
This week, commissioners were told that the county’s human resources department should process layoffs for those employees paid with lock-up funds immediately but the county board took no action to do that on Wednesday.
The lockup, located on the second floor of the Flint Police Department, is owned by the city, operated by the county and paid for by the state of Michigan but in the 10 years that arrangement has been in place, there have been consistent disagreements about reimbursements and annual contracts.
Neeley has suggested the city might handle the work without the sheriff in the future and county officials have registered complaints about the jail’s condition, late reimbursements from the city, and difficult negotiations over the annual operating agreement.
The city said in a statement to MLive-The Flint Journal that the most recent fully executed contract for county operation of the lockup ended Sept. 30 and the city paid all invoices for the contract in full. It says it sent a new contract to the county in September 2022 that was never executed.
The statement says it proposed a replacement contract that would require lockup services be provided only on-site after officials learned Swanson had closed the lockup temporarily and shifted operations to the county jail earlier this year.
In March, the sheriff said he had moved the operation of the lockup to the jail, saying staffing and other issues required him to make the move in the midst of the latest jail overcrowding emergency.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the lockup was also closed for 17 months and those who would have been held in the facility were also lodged in the county jail, the sheriff has said.
Swanson said Wednesday that he’s tried to keep the lockup population in its fixed location despite problems with elevators and equipment, and cells that cannot be used because of their condition. He said the facility’s shortcomings have resulted in it “barely passing inspection” by the state.
Last week, commissioners approved the replacement contract for operating the lockup only on-site and delivered it to City Hall on Wednesday.
The city said it is reviewing the agreement “to ensure that all terms and conditions can be met by the county.”
“It is my focus for the city to have continuous operation to protect and serve residents of the city of Flint,” Neeley said in a statement released by the city. “This agreement must be upheld to the highest standards on both sides. The new contract reflects that, and actions therein must follow.”
The city has received funding for the operation of the lockup since the state agreed more than a decade ago to fund it through legislation for distressed cities.
Flint has contracted with the county to operate the facility since that time but the relationship has been tenuous.
Despite the difficulties, Swanson said the city and county have maintained “a great partnership” and said the lockup’s continued operation is critical.
“If we don’t keep this open there are going to be losses and it won’t (just) be money” that’s lost, Swanson told commissioners during a committee meeting Wednesday.
Boosters of the city lockup program have long described it as an essential part of crime-fighting efforts here, giving all police departments in the county a place to house individuals who have been arrested but who otherwise would not be booked into the chronically overcrowded county jail.
By housing those arrested at the lockup for up to three days, police have said they prevent additional problems by providing a cooling-off period for individuals who would otherwise be released shortly after their arrests.
County Commissioner Shaun Shumaker, R-Fenton Twp., said Flint officials should be put on notice that the county won’t operate the lockup without a contract in place the future.
“We’ve got to put a line in the sand,” Shumaker said.
Read more at The Flint Journal:
Faced with staffing shortage, sheriff moves Flint lockup population to county jail
Demolition could be next for historic Flint church with ties to city’s auto pioneers
Northbound I-75 at I-475 closing for 8 days starting May 5
Flint asks state, feds to find source of mysterious booms that ‘feel like fireworks underground’
|
2023-05-04T17:46:53+00:00
|
mlive.com
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https://www.mlive.com/crime/2023/05/as-talks-break-down-over-flint-lockup-genesee-county-considers-options-employee-layoffs.html
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday afternoon's drawing of the Missouri Lottery's "Pick 3 Midday" game were:
8-0-6
(eight, zero, six)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday afternoon's drawing of the Missouri Lottery's "Pick 3 Midday" game were:
8-0-6
(eight, zero, six)
|
2022-06-23T19:22:27+00:00
|
expressnews.com
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https://www.expressnews.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Pick-3-Midday-game-17261207.php
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If Lake Powell recedes much further, one of the nation’s largest reservoirs could be at risk of no longer generating hydropower for the region.
The lake was just under 24 percent full as of last week, and had lost 16 feet in the last year. Its depth level currently stands at around 3,530 feet.
How much power does the lake generate?
Northern Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam, which creates the lake, has a full capacity of 1,320 megawatts, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. However, the receding water levels have already greatly reduced the reservoir’s generating capacity, to about 800 megawatts—about 60 percent.
Glen Canyon Dam, Colorado River, Arizona. Getty Images.
How many people rely on it?
Lake Powell generates power for about 5.8 million households and businesses in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
In addition to the power the lake generates directly, it is a major source of grid resilience when full, serving as a quick backup source in cases where solar or wind power can’t meet demand.
The loss of generation from the lake would deprive the grid of about a quarter million households’ worth of power.
On top of the hydropower the lake generates, it’s the source of drinking water for the 7,500 residents of Page, Az., and the 1,443 members of the LeChee chapter of the Navajo Nation.
If allocations from the Colorado River dip below the levels necessary for some customers to receive hydropower, “the real question [becomes] what can our grid accommodate from a hydropower perspective in terms of compensating production losses from Glen Canyon?” said Justin Mankin, an assistant professor of geography at Dartmouth College.
“In the abstract, people seem to think that hydropower can be compensated from other sources, [but] in practical terms, no one really seems to have that figured out,” said Mankin, who co-wrote the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Drought Task Force’s annual report in 2021.
What’s the point of no return?
“It’s important to differentiate between Lake Powell running dry versus Lake Powell dropping below elevation 3,490 [feet],” Taylor Hawes, Colorado River program director at the Nature Conservancy, told The Hill in an interview.
Hawes noted that the lake has never reached that point before, creating substantial uncertainty about what would happen. “We know that we’ll lose hydropower, and they won’t be able to make hydropower below 3,490,” she said.
Complicating matters are the ongoing talks on allocation between the seven states on the Colorado River, the source of the lake’s waters.
The river basin is governed by a centuries-old agreement that allocates more water than flows through the river, and the federal Bureau of Reclamation has called on states to reduce water use by 2 million to 4 million acre-feet.
What happens if we pass that point, and what can be done?
Officials have already taken some stopgap measures to avert the lake getting down to the pivotal 3,490-foot mark.
Earlier this year, the Bureau of Reclamation released about 500,000 acre-feet from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Utah and Wyoming to Lake Powell, increasing its elevation about 16 feet. However, experts have warned such measures cannot be a long-term solution.
In addition, Mankin said, interventions like the Flaming Gorge release treat the western U.S.’s 20-year drought as a localized phenomenon rather than a regional one.
“The idea that these smaller upstream reservoirs can continue to compensate Powell’s losses, that’s not the case,” he said. “Powell is not drying out in a vacuum.”
If the lake’s levels drop below 3,490, Hawes added, the Bureau of Reclamation will have to run water through a series of river outlet tubes, the lowest delivery mechanism in the lake, for the first time since the 1980s, and bureau officials “don’t actually know if they can handle that much water,” she said.
If the outlet tubes can’t meet the reservoir’s needs, she said, the flow of water in the Grand Canyon itself could be reduced to a trickle.
“This is very unpredictable and these are going to be difficult conversations in the coming years.”
Taylor Hawes
Colorado River program director at the Nature Conservancy
The Glen Canyon Institute has advocated for draining Lake Powell, both to replenish Lake Mead and to restore Glen Canyon, which was flooded to create Lake Powell. Institute Executive Director Eric Balken said taking such a step would better position stakeholders to address the drought on their own terms rather than simply running out.
If the water level continues falling on its own, “below minimum power pool, the dam is physically incapable of releasing a lot of water. And so this creates a lot of potential problems downstream in the Grand Canyon, it creates management problems for the reservoir itself in Glen Canyon, and most importantly, it jeopardizes the upper [Colorado River] basin’s ability to meet its delivery obligation downstream,” Balken said.
“If it’s done intentionally, the drawbacks of losing the reservoir could be minimized and the benefits could be maximized,” Balken told The Hill. “If decision makers do nothing and take no action and just let the reservoir crash without structurally modifying the dam, there will be a lot of really big problems.”
Ultimately, experts said the future of the lake must be addressed in a way that creates the certainty it was intended to provide.
Lake Powell “is supposed to buffer water supply during times of drought [and] it is not performing that function now. It is not creating certainty in the water market,” Mankin said.
On the contrary, he said, “it’s actually become this locus of huge uncertainty, which doesn’t allow downstream users to make effective plans, because they don’t know what their allocations are going to be. And it doesn’t allow ratepayers who rely on power production from the canyon to be forward-thinking and operate under conditions of certainty.”
“Cities, farmers and fish all need certainty when it comes to water, and this is the opposite of certainty,” Hawes said. “This is very unpredictable and these are going to be difficult conversations in the coming years.”
|
2022-10-04T13:57:47+00:00
|
wivb.com
|
https://www.wivb.com/hill-politics/what-happens-if-lake-powell-runs-out-of-water/
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UNLEASH World returns to Paris for its 10th Anniversary from 12-13th October 2022
LONDON, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After a three year hiatus, UNLEASH World is back with a bang in Paris this October, gathering Europe's HR thinkers, strategists and innovators in person to mark its tenth anniversary.
As HR continues to transform, UNLEASH World 2022 is bringing together la crème de la crème to showcase the next wave of breakthrough technologies and global innovators changing the future of work. Despite everything, the heart and soul of HR remains the same – people, passion and purpose.
Held at the Paris Convention Centre, UNLEASH World will be the epicentre of the ultimate HR experience, hosting over 200 inspirational speakers and exhibitors sharing their expertise and thoughts on the people challenges that organisations face today.
UNLEASH will roll out the red carpet for some of the brightest minds of the business world, including:
- Q Hamirani, Global Head of Live and Work Anywhere - Airbnb
- Josh Novelle, Global Director of Digital Learning Solutions - Warner Music Group
- Beatriz Jaén Caparrós, Director People Technology and Analytics - Virgin Media O2
- Costas Markides, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship - London Business School
- Béatrice Guillaume-Grabisch, CHRO - Nestle
- Hannah Fry, Mathematician and BBC Television Presenter
- Shakti Jauhar, Head of Global Digital HR Transformation and People Experience - McDonald's
Other people leaders taking the stage include Elisa Bassi, Global Learning Director for Transformation at L'Oreal, Antonio Bebba, DE&I Regional Operations Lead (Europe) at Pfizer, Peter Hinssen, Founder of nexxworks, Erin Mayer, Professor of Management Practice from Insead and Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia, plus many more.
Visitors can also expect to hear exclusive announcements live at the event from Avature, Benify, Crunchr and Remote.com.
Marc Coleman, CEO and Founder of UNLEASH:
"With the success of UNLEASH America back in May under our belts, we cannot wait to host our flagship event in Paris and deliver an in-person HR experience like none other. The last few years have been a whirlwind for the HR community, reinventing itself in the face of the challenges of the pandemic. However, we want to put the focus back on how the heart and soul of HR remains untouched with people, passion and purpose at its core. Our ultimate objective is for UNLEASH World to shine a light on HR superpowers shaping the future of work."
For more information on UNLEASH World, or to join the best HR experience of your career, visit: https://www.unleash.ai/unleashworld/.
About UNLEASH
UNLEASH is a global digital media and events business that brings the latest news, analysis and market trends to HR, technology, learning and recruitment leaders.
Since 2011, UNLEASH has served the global HR community. It drives transformation and pushes the industry forward. UNLEASH exists to inspire, connect and empower HR leaders worldwide to stay one step ahead in the fast-changing world of work.
View original content:
SOURCE UNLEASH
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2022-08-09T08:26:19+00:00
|
witn.com
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https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/09/unleash-world-turns-ten-paris/
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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — US Forest Service resumes prescribed burns amid climate risks after 3-month hiatus, strategic review.
- Police: Man broke into home to sexually molest his ex
- '400 per person': Teen offered cash for smuggling migrants
- Affidavit: Man flicked off cop, obstructed rush hour traffic
- Photos: One of Laredo's most historic homes hosts 'Jazz in the Garden'
- Video: Texas UFO? 'Mysterious' lights recorded near Austin
- Police nab woman walking along Interstate 35
- WWE Royal Rumble coming to South Texas in 2023
- Laredo police announce DWI operation results
- Two Laredo cops assaulted during domestic disturbance
- City moves toward increasing garbage fees
- Elderly man assaults his wife
- Women tried smuggling heroin from Monterrey to Laredo
- CBP: Juarez-Lincoln Bridge to be temporarily closed on 9/11
- Laredo talks plans for $1.6B for roads; Mines Road traffic addressed
- Webb County Jail inmate 'disciplined for being disrespectful'
- Stage 2 water conservation continues as area dams' statuses improve
|
2022-09-08T20:32:47+00:00
|
lmtonline.com
|
https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Alert-US-Forest-Service-resumes-prescribed-burns-17428357.php
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You don’t need to wait for Prime Early Access to snag discount kitchen appliances
The Prime Early Access Sale is the perfect time to pick up that kitchen appliance you’ve wanted for a while. From air fryers to pod coffee makers, you can score some great deals on even the best-known appliance brands.
But you don’t have to wait until the Prime Early Access sale to save money on popular kitchen tools. Check out these excellent deals you can snag right now on some of the most convenient, time-saving appliances you can find for your kitchen.
Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale will highlight live deals every day leading up to the main event. These deals were updated on: Oct.4, 11 a.m. ET.
Best early Prime Early Access kitchen appliance deals
Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL 8-quart Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer
This multipurpose pressure cooker performs 10 functions, including pressure cooking, slow cooking, air frying and baking. The pressure cooker function can prepare recipes 70% faster than regular cooking methods, while the air frying function uses 75% less fat than traditional frying methods.
Sold by Amazon
This famous single-serve coffee maker can brew three different sizes, so it’s as strong as you like. The large water reservoir lets you brew at least six cups without refilling, and the auto-off feature shuts down the machine after two hours when not in use.
Sold by Amazon
Cuisinart Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill
Coffee aficionados will appreciate this burr grinder that can provide fresh ground coffee for the best-tasting brew. The hopper holds 8 ounces of beans, which produces enough grounds for up to 32 cups. The one-touch operation makes it extremely user-friendly, too.
Sold by Amazon
Crock-Pot 2-quart Round Manual Slow Cooker
This compact slow cooker is large enough to prepare meals for up to three people. In addition to high and low settings, it also has a warm function to keep prepared recipes ready to eat. The insert and lid are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning, too.
Sold by Amazon
Instant Pot Omni Pro 19-quart/18-liter Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo
This air fryer toaster oven not only air fries, bakes, roasts, toasts and broils, but it can also reheat, dehydrate, warm, slow cook and more. It’s large enough to fit a 12-inch pizza, six slices of toast or a whole chicken. The temperature probe also allows you to monitor the temperature inside while cooking.
Sold by Amazon
Toshiba Small Countertop Microwave Oven
This compact microwave is perfect for small kitchens where counter space is at a premium. It offers six preset menu options, including pizza, popcorn, potato and beverage. It also has 10 power levels and a child lock function to protect little ones in the kitchen.
Sold by Amazon
Make single servings of your favorite smoothies or shakes with this convenient personal blender. It has a 600-watt motor and specially-designed nutrient-extraction blades to liquefy hard ingredients. The cup doesn’t contain any BPA and is also dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.
Sold by Amazon
Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-speed Handheld Mixer
This hand mixer makes whipping up cake batter and cookie dough a breeze. It comes with beaters, a whisk, dough hooks and a spatula and has nine speed options, so you’re prepared for any recipe. It also comes with a case to hold the mixer and its attachments.
Sold by Amazon
Other top deals
- This espresso and cappuccino machine can help you brew barista-quality espresso and cappuccino drinks at home.
- Make delicious loaves of homemade bread with this user-friendly bread machine with 12 presets for popular types of bread.
- With this electric citrus juicer, you can enjoy fresh squeezed orange juice whenever the craving hits.
- This food dehydrator lets you create jerky, dog treats, and more in two days or less.
- An air fryer allows you to enjoy your favorite fried favorites with less fat and calories than the usual deep-fried snacks.
- This electric kettle is made from durable borosilicate glass and has a stainless steel bottom that can stand up to years of regular use.
- Make perfect rice every time with this one-touch rice cooker that can produce up to six cups at a time.
- This nonstick, electric griddle makes it easy to enjoy bacon, eggs, pancakes, burgers and more.
- A simple drip coffee maker is excellent for those who want a basic cup of coffee waiting for them in the morning.
- With this automatic, electric can opener, you can easily open cans of soup and more.
- This Oster Belgian waffle maker is the perfect appliance for weekend breakfasts or brunches.
- Cook up to six eggs at a time with this rapid egg cooker that can deliver soft-, medium- or hard-boiled firmness, depending on your preference.
- This electric milk foamer and frother can create the perfect foam for your cappuccino, latte or other coffee-based drinks.
- This high-powered countertop blender makes super-smooth milkshakes, frozen cocktails, smoothies and more with its reliable 1,000-watt motor.
- Kids will enjoy making delicious snow cones with this easy-to-use shaved ice machine.
- This compact George Foreman grill is large enough to prepare two servings at a time, but small enough to fit in most cabinets.
- Keep your coffee or tea warm while you work with this smart mug warmer.
- This compact, portable electric hot plate offers low, medium and high heat settings with 1000 watts of power.
- Make it easier to open your favorite bottle of wine with this automatic wine bottle opener.
- With this vacuum sealer machine, you can seal your favorite foods for freezing or cooking with a sous vide machine.
- This 1,000-watt food processor can chop, slice, puree and even mix dough to minimize prep work time.
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Jennifer Blair writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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2022-10-04T15:27:25+00:00
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keloland.com
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https://www.keloland.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/grab-these-early-deals-on-kitchen-appliances-before-the-prime-early-access-sale/
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(The Hill) – The Twitter accounts for late celebrities are being marked as subscribers of the platform’s new Twitter Blue service, sowing further confusion for users after legacy verification check marks were removed from accounts last week.
The accounts of late Lakers star Kobe Bryant, actor Chadwick Boseman, rapper Mac Miller and journalist Anthony Bourdain all appeared with the Twitter Blue checkmark as of Sunday evening. The explanation on each page read that the accounts were “verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”
Before Elon Musk bought Twitter last year, users whose identities had been verified to their accounts could earn a blue checkmark for free — and the distinction was common for celebrities, politicians and other public figures as a way to differentiate verified account-holders from impersonator accounts.
Musk has shifted that policy, and users must now pay an $8 monthly subscription to “Twitter Blue” to obtain a verification check mark. After Twitter Blue was introduced, users were briefly able to keep their “legacy” verification mark, but the feature was removed last week.
Organizations can pay $1,000 monthly for a gold verification mark, and government or multilateral organizations and officials can get a grey mark.
As the legacy checkmarks were removed last week, Musk announced he was paying personally for a few accounts, giving free Twitter verification to NBA star LeBron James, actor William Shatner and writer Stephen King.
Changes to the Twitter verification system are among a number of controversial changes to the platform made since Musk acquired it last year, including staff cuts and organizational changes.
|
2023-04-24T01:41:36+00:00
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wric.com
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https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/twitter-blue-marks-show-up-for-dead-celebrities-sowing-confusion/
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DETROIT — The Browns lost 31-23 to the Bills on Sunday,, which marked their sixth loss to an AFC opponent this season and brought their record to 3-7.
Here are three takeaways from Detroit, where the game was played after the league relocated the matchup due to the snowstorm that struck Buffalo this weekend:
1. Too many errors in too many big moments
Much like some of their other losses to AFC opponents this season, the Browns were once again their own worst enemy and couldn't overcome several self-inflicted miscues early in the game.
A botched snap and fumble that led to a Bills field goal, dropped passes in the red zone and special teams errors were among the errors that cost the Browns in big ways against the Bills, who started slow and offered Cleveland a chance to build a sizable early lead.
After a touchdown on the opening drive, the Browns had all the momentum on offense and appeared to have something going against the Bills' defense, but that all came to a halt on the third drive of the game. Cleveland reached Buffalo's 8-yard line, but then lost six yards on a direct snap play to Nick Chubb and failed to complete two pass attempts to Harrison Bryant and Pharaoh Brown.
Both passes hit both of the tight ends' hands and would've been touchdowns had they been caught.
"They would tell you (they should catch them)," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "That's obvious. Whatever we do and whatever play we get called — run or pass — we have to come away with seven points there versus a good football team. We can't do that."
On the next drive, the Browns gained 42 yards on eight plays and were again driving into Bills' territory, but the momentum came to another abrupt end when Brissett mishandled a snap while he was under center. The Bills recovered at their own 48 and used the great field position to tack on their second field goal of the game, which triggered the start of 25 unanswered points.
Brissett said the mishandling was on him and not Hjalte Froholdt, who replaced Ethan Pocic at center after Pocic exited with a knee injury on the first drive of the game.
"I just have to be better in a couple of those key moments," he said.
The Browns entered the red zone again four drives later, but the sequence stalled due to a delay of game penalty on second down and incomplete pass on third down. The Browns still had a chance to come away with three points — and close the deficit from 12 points to nine — but Cade York's 34-yard field goal was blocked.
The block highlighted an especially poor day from special teams, which allowed 37 yards via two punt returns and 76 yards on three kickoff returns.
The full scope of the loss, however, was due to errors on all sides of the ball — including the defense, which allowed the Bills to score points on the seven consecutive drives leading up to their kneel-down drive to end the game.
"I think we win and lose as a team, and that is the truth," Stefanski said.
Check out photos of the Browns against the Bills in Detroit in Week 11
2. Offense can't build on early momentum
Hopes were high for the Browns after they opened the game with a touchdown, but it took them nearly 50 minutes to find the end zone again.
In those 50 minutes, the Browns struggled to find any sort of success in their run game or end drives with field goals to stay close with the Bills. RB Nick Chubb was limited to a season-low 19 yards on 14 carries, which set the Browns up for just an 80-yard output on the ground.
Brissett said the rough day wasn't because of anything special the Bills did on defense, but rather a lack of execution on Cleveland's end.
"You look at it on the sideline," he said. "We're looking at the pictures, and it's us. It's not them; it's us. That's what I mean shooting ourselves in the foot. Obviously, they're a good defense. Hats off to them. They came out and won. A lot of it was self-imposed."
The Browns did find success through the air in the fourth quarter, as Brissett found WRs Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones for touchdowns that prevented the score from appearing as a blowout.
Those plays, however, were needed much sooner in the game before the Bills began to slowly drain the Browns' odds of coming from behind.
"Especially when you get down in the red zone, we have to score touchdowns, especially versus a good team like that," Brissett said. "We got down there a few times. One time, we settled for a field goal or two. We just have to be better in those situations, and we have to find a way to execute better and finish better."
3. Playoff hopes take another big hit
At 3-7, the Browns' playoff hopes are fading, and Myles Garrett didn't hesitate to admit that at the podium after the game.
The season is still far from over — plenty can happen in favor of the Browns in the final seven games — but the margin for error is about as thin as possible.
"Things like this move our destiny out of our hands, but we just have to keep on fighting, keep on going forward and try to get in that win column," Garrett said. "We're not out of it. If we do what we're supposed to and get rolling, then we still have a way to make it. We just have to keep that in mind and keep that in the forefront."
The Browns remain last in the AFC North and would be tied for that spot with the Steelers if they lose their game Sunday to the Bengals. Cleveland has a few positives to look forward to in December with the return of Pro Bowl QB Deshaun Watson and some possibly favorable matchups against the Texans (1-8-1), Saints (4-7), Steelers (3-6) and Commanders (6-5).
Those games, of course, will only matter if the Browns can find a way to win games against Buccaneers (5-5), Ravens (7-3) and Bengals (5-4).
And for any of those games to be winnable, the Browns first have to stop beating themselves with preventable mistakes.
"We're too good of a team to have this record that we have right now," Garrett said. "We just have to be better. It's frustrating."
|
2022-11-21T05:26:12+00:00
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clevelandbrowns.com
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https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/3-big-takeaways-bills-112022
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PANAMA CITY, Panama, Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Scientologists of Panama have a great deal to celebrate. Not only is Scientology recognized as a religion, it has now also been granted full tax exemption and is registered with the Panamanian Tax Authority as a community-based organization that functions and works for the benefit of the community.
What's more, the country has now finally lifted all COVID restrictions. And the Church of Scientology Mission of Panama is now free to provide its full range of religious services to its parishioners and the community.
The Church of Scientology Mission of Panama received religious recognition in 2019 and held its grand opening in October that year. But it was only five months later that the pandemic struck in March 2020, and everything changed.
Local Scientologists sprang into action to help social services cope with the country's tremendous need for assistance. In the earliest days of the lockdown, they volunteered with the Ministry of Social Development delivering food to the most vulnerable. They worked with the country's civil protection service, organizing, packaging and distributing supplies.
The Church of Scientology International published a series of illustrated booklets in 21 languages including Spanish, making it easy for anyone to understand how to apply the most effective protocols to enable people to stay well. Volunteers from the Panama Mission handed out these booklets to shops and businesses for their customers and brought them door-to-door to families throughout the community.
The Mission's Scientology Volunteer Ministers trained in the most exacting protocols for sanitization and disinfection and took on disinfecting children's homes, orphanages, juvenile centers, retirement facilities and nursing homes to ensure the health and safety of vulnerable members of the community.
The volunteers then reached out to houses of worship to ensure the health and safety of their congregations, sanitizing evangelical and Catholic churches and cathedrals and the Baha'i temple.
As the country began to reopen, the mission launched teams of volunteers to reach out with humanitarian programs to empower the community with initiatives to raise awareness of human rights, promote common-sense values and decency, and a fact-based drug education and prevention initiative to protect youth from drug abuse and addiction. Teams of volunteers provided seminars in schools and to community programs, businesses and sports groups. They took part in parades, marches and other community activities.
But now, with all restrictions lifted, the Mission may fulfill its primary purpose: to provide Scientology services.
In dedicating the Mission in 2019, Mission Director Giselle Lima announced that the Church is here to serve the individual and the entire community.
"Through this new Church of Scientology in Panama, I hope to see each of you discover the solutions this new Church has to offer for you and society at large," she said.
"As L. Ron Hubbard stated: 'A civilization without insanity, without criminals, and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.'
"Together we can make this a reality, in this vibrant and important country."
This article was originally published on the Scientology Religious Freedom blog.
From its beginnings, the Church of Scientology has recognized that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. In a world where conflicts are often traceable to intolerance of others' religious beliefs and practices, the Church has, for more than 50 years, made the preservation of religious liberty an overriding concern.
The Church publishes this blog to help create a better understanding of the freedom of religion and belief and provide news on religious freedom and issues affecting this freedom around the world.
The Founder of the Scientology religion is L. Ron Hubbard and Mr. David Miscavige is the religion's ecclesiastical leader.
For more information visit the Scientology website or Scientology Network.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Church of Scientology International
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2022-09-27T20:17:07+00:00
|
wlox.com
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https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2022/09/27/panama-ministry-finance-recognizes-scientology-benefiting-greater-community/
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ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the Connecticut Lottery's "Play4 Night" game were:
4-6-4-5, WB: 2
(four, six, four, five; WB: two)
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the Connecticut Lottery's "Play4 Night" game were:
4-6-4-5, WB: 2
(four, six, four, five; WB: two)
|
2022-06-02T03:45:24+00:00
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ourmidland.com
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https://www.ourmidland.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Play4-Night-game-17213938.php
|
(NEXSTAR) – Readings of a key indicator of heat exposure danger have reached the highest possible threat level in multiple southern states, as well as in a few states in the Midwest.
When it comes to the “wet bulb temperature,” nearly all of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas are under “extreme threat.” The wet bulb temperature measures multiple stressors on the human body in direct sunlight, not in the shade, as the heat index does.
Thursday’s soaring temperatures marked yet another day under a deadly, oppressive heatwave across the South. A heat dome over Texas that shows no signs of abating has been tied to 13 deaths in the state, including another in Louisiana, according to The Associated Press.
Forecasters said temperatures could rocket up to 20 degrees above average in parts of the region as a heat dome that has taxed the Texas power grid spread eastward. Officials urged people to stay hydrated, shelter in air-conditioned rooms and check on each other as humidity combined with high temperatures to make conditions even more dangerous.
The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee for Thursday and Friday. The heat index, which indicates how hot it feels outdoors based on the temperature and relative humidity, was expected to reach 115 degrees (46 Celsius) in several cities. The heat dome was expected to be centered over the mid-South by the weekend.
What is the ‘web bulb temperature’?
The name comes from the thermometer covered in a wet cloth that is used to take the temperature reading, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The measurement is designed to effectively mimic how the body tries to cool itself with sweat.
Unlike the heat index, which tells you how the human body would feel under shade, the wet bulb temperature indicates the expected stress on the human body when it is in direct sunlight by measuring the effect of temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation. The NWS uses a black globe and dry bulb to detect solar radiation and temperature data.
When it’s hot, humans sweat to cool off, but if the humidity is also high enough there’s a point at which sweat loses its cooling effect.
The upper limit that humans could withstand was thought to be 95 F at 100% humidity, according to a 2010 study. New research out of Penn State University’s Noll Laboratory found that the critical limit is in fact even lower – 88 F at 100% humidity.
The NWS says the tool, which it classifies as experimental, “is most useful for active, acclimatized people such as outdoor workers, athletes, and anyone else performing strenuous outdoor activities — and has been used for decades by military agencies, OSHA, and marathon organizers.”
The weather service warns that wet bulb readings can vary geographically and cites OSHA’s recommendations for outdoor workers:
- Acclimatize workers starting the first day working in the heat and after any extended absences
- Provide shade for outdoor work sites
- Schedule work earlier or later in the day
- Use work/rest schedules
- Limit strenuous work (e.g., carrying heavy loads)
You can find your wet bulb temperature using this NOAA map.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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2023-06-30T00:16:38+00:00
|
wnct.com
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https://www.wnct.com/weather/extreme-threat-large-swathe-of-southern-us-at-dangerous-wet-bulb-temperature/
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Cooler air coming to Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A front is moving through the state tonight and will cool everyone down tomorrow. Expect some storms possible mainly north of I-70 and into northwest Kansas tonight as the front enters the state. As the front starts to sag south tonight it will begin to dry out a bit before reaching Wichita.
We start our Tuesday out in the 60′s out west and the mid 70′s for south central Kansas. By the afternoon majority of the state will only warm to the 80′s but south central Kansas will be stuck with the front nearby and warm into the low 90′s. Isolated showers and storms are possible Tuesday afternoon and evening as the front finally exits the state leaving behind a much cooler feel for Wednesday.
Wichita Area Forecast
Tonight: Warm and breezy. Wind: S 10-20. Low: 75.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy, cooler; isolated afternoon storms. Wind: W/N 10-20; gusty. High: 91.
Wed: Low: 66. High: 83. Morning clouds, then gradual clearing.
Thu: Low: 61. High: 88. Sunny.
Fri: Low: 64. High: 91. Mostly sunny with isolated evening storms.
Sat: Low: 66. High: 89. Partly cloudy.
Sun: Low: 65. High: 84. Morning showers otherwise partly cloudy.
Mon: Low: 64. High: 85. Mostly cloudy with some storms possible.
Copyright 2022 KWCH. All rights reserved.
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2022-08-15T22:06:36+00:00
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kwch.com
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https://www.kwch.com/2022/08/15/cooler-air-coming-kansas/
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NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — For Cypriots, it was a collective “here we go again” moment.
In April, the U.S. and the U.K. included a handful of Cypriot nationals and Cyprus-registered companies on a list of “enablers” helping Russian oligarchs skirt sanctions. It was an unwelcome reminder of the lingering perception that the island nation somehow remains Moscow’s financial lackey.
For years, authorities in this tiny European Union member country have tried hard to shake that reputation, partly buttressed by a 2013 financial crisis when all eyes were on Cypriot banks flush with Russian cash. At the time, nearly a third of the 68 billion euros in deposits — more than triple the country’s entire economy — was held by Russians.
That was compounded by a badly structured and shoddily executed citizenship-for-investment program. For more than a decade, it generated billions by handing Cypriot passports — and by extension access to the EU — to hundreds of wealthy Russians and others, with some taking advantage of lax vetting procedures to cover up a shady past.
That program was scrapped three years ago amid allegations that it abetted money laundering. An independent commission concluded in a 2021 report that Cypriot authorities unlawfully issued passports to relatives of wealthy investors. Over its 13-year run, the program granted 7,327 citizenships — more than half to investors’ family members.
The Cyprus government has since begun revoking citizenship in the most egregious cases. So far, revocation procedures have begun for 68 investors and 165 family members — most of them Russians.
With that checkered past, the Apr. 12 announcement – and another on May 19 — set alarm bells ringing in Nicosia. The U.S. and U.K. were including Cypriot lawyers, businessmen and companies on a list targeting a “sanctions evasion network” supporting Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Roman Abramovich in 20 countries.
The news sent the Cypriot government scrambling to shore up a tattered reputation, offering assurances that the country was now firmly on the straight and narrow.
“When there’s a rotten apple … it must be removed. And I repeat, we’re not here to offer cover to anyone. I want to be perfectly clear,” President Nikos Christodoulides recently told reporters in response to criticism that he’s bending to the will of London and Washington.
Even U.S. Ambassador Julie Fisher weighed in to calm frayed Cypriot nerves. In an interview with daily Fileleftheros, last week, Fisher said the sanctions were less about punishing Cyprus for past — or present — misdeeds than going after those who are helping Russian President Vladimir Putin prosecute his war in Ukraine.
“We are not trying to target Cyprus, or Cypriot persons, or entities,” Fisher said. “What we are trying to do is go after networks. We are going after oligarchy networks, Kremlin-controlled networks and those that are enabling the illicit finance regime, the money laundering, the sanctions evasion.”
Networks or not, sanctioning Cypriot individuals and business was another blow to the island’s reputation. Finance Minister Makis Keravnos said there was an upside in that it affords authorities an opportunity to clean house.
Keravnos said the government sees this as “an opportunity to clear Cyprus’ name once and for all.” Cypriot authorities have requested, and received, detailed information from Washington and London about Cypriot individuals and legal entities on the list to determine whether they also evaded EU sanctions. That probe is still ongoing, with Attorney-General George Savvides saying little to nothing because “our country’s credibility is at stake.”
Some of these Cypriot enablers are lawyers and accountants that U.S. and U.K. authorities allege help shuffle assets for Russian oligarchs through a web of trusts and shell companies.
Both the Cyprus Bar Association, which regulates 4,362 lawyers and 1,963 companies as well as the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) which counts 5,700 members and some 1,100 licensed entities, have told The Associated Press that they have in place robust supervisory procedures – including on-site inspections — to ensure their members comply with sanctions regimes.
A corollary problem triggered by the sanctions affected scores of employees at more than 600 companies where payrolls were stopped when Cypriot banks froze their accounts. Some of these companies are law offices, trusts or involved in a broad range of business activity such as real estate, marine, aviation and secretarial services.
It’s unclear exactly how many workers have been left in the lurch because many of these companies employ no more than a skeleton administrative staff.
Nonetheless, it’s understood many remain unpaid weeks after the sanctions announcement, despite a government decision to unfreeze accounts and “normalize” a situation that Keravnos conceded had unsettled the financial services sector.
Registrar of Companies Irene Mylona-Chrysostomou told the AP that the way this works is by replacing the directors of a company whose boss is on the sanctions list. Banks would then unfreeze accounts to the new, unencumbered “directorship.”
Mylona-Chrysostomou said “most” of the companies affected by the Apr. 12 announcement have changed their directors. Her organization is in the process of making those changes to a few hundred more affected by the May 19 announcement.
Whatever the impact on the Cypriot economy from a flight of Russian business, authorities are banking on the island nation’s resilience to weather the storm, just as it did following the 2013 financial crisis.
|
2023-06-09T22:35:49+00:00
|
myfox8.com
|
https://myfox8.com/news/business/ap-business/cyprus-labors-to-shield-reputation-amid-new-us-uk-action-on-russian-sanctions-evasion-network/
|
Tips to save on your utility bill ahead of summer
The latest rate hike from Southwest Gas and NV Energy took effect April 1, with both utility companies pointing to higher natural gas costs as the reason for increasing customer rates.
But there are a number of steps ratepayers can take to help trim energy and gas bills, especially as the weather heats up in the Las Vegas Valley.
Adam Grant, NV Energy’s director of electrification and energy services, noted several options Southern Nevadans can take to help reduce their electricity bill.
He said limiting energy use during peak energy consumption, typically between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., can help as well as turning off lights and using fans to help circulate air.
“Any heat you bring into the home makes the air conditioning work harder,” Grant said.
He also recommends residents have their air conditioning units inspected before the summer heat sets in, and units over 12 years old should be replaced. If your unit is on the ground, it’s best to keep the area around it free of debris to help maintain air flow.
Other tips:
— Set thermostat between 78 to 80 degrees while at home, and 5 to 10 degrees higher when away from home and at night
— Set your water heater to the lowest temperature that still provides sufficient hot water, typically 120 degrees
— Use pool timers to help reduce the time your swimming pool pump runs
— Don’t charge electric vehicles from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
— Unplug appliances such as TVs and computers while on vacation
— Vacuum refrigerator coils
— Use appliances like dishwashers and laundry machines as late in the evening as possible, when temperatures cool down
— Close blinds and drapes during the day to help keep heat out
— Switch to energy-saving LED light bulbs
— Caulk windows and weather strip doors to prevent unwanted air from getting inside
— Install low-flow shower heads
— Add window screens or window films to reduce the amount of sunlight getting into the home
NV Energy also offers free in-home assessments of improvements that could be made to make your home more energy efficient.
More energy saving tips can be found on NV Energy’s website at nvenergy.com and at Southwest Gas’ website www.swgas.com.
Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com.Follow @seanhemmers34 on Twitter.
|
2023-04-19T15:30:12+00:00
|
reviewjournal.com
|
https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/energy/tips-to-save-on-your-utility-bill-ahead-of-summer-2764097/
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — The City of San Jose issued evacuation orders Thursday for all unsheltered residents who live along the Guadalupe River, Coyote Creek, and Penitencia Creek.
As rain began pouring on Thursday afternoon, police officers and Office of Emergency Management officials used long-range acoustic devices and loudspeakers along creeks and rivers to get the message out.
Heavy rainfall from an atmospheric river poses flooding danger for low-lying areas near waterways.
Santa Clara Valley Water District and City field inspection teams are monitoring all creeks and rivers in San Jose. Areas with the highest risk of water rising rapidly and flooding include:
- Ross Creek at Cherry Avenue
- Guadalupe River at West Alma Avenue
- Upper Penitencia Creek at Mabury and King Roads
- Coyote Creek downstream (north) of Berryessa Road
- Berryessa Creek at Cropley Avenue
The potential areas of swiftly rising water are not limited to only these locations, city officials cautioned. To learn if your home or business is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, go to valleywater.org/floodzone.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch and a high wind advisory from 1 p.m. Thursday through 4 p.m. Friday.
24-Hour Emergency Evacuation Center:
The City of San Jose and American Red Cross are opening a 24-hour emergency evacuation center at Seven Trees Community Center (3590 Cas Drive). The center will be open for intake by 4 p.m. Thursday. Individuals, families, pets and service animals are welcome. No prior referral or reservation is needed. Hand washing stations, portable restrooms, showers, cots, and laundry stations are available onsite.
Residents are advised to opt-in to AlertSCC, the Santa Clara County emergency alert system. Sign-up at http://bit.ly/2BzQxt0.
|
2023-03-10T00:17:52+00:00
|
kron4.com
|
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/san-jose-issues-evacuation-orders-for-unsheltered-residents-near-creeks/
|
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron touted his endorsement from Donald Trump as an honor, reasserting his steadfast loyalty to the former president while campaigning for governor after a civil jury found the ex-president liable for sexually abusing an advice columnist nearly three decades ago.-
“He is a fighter and I am a fighter,” Cameron said during a televised debate Tuesday that didn’t include his main rival for the nomination, Kelly Craft.
With a narrow early voting window set to begin Thursday for the May 16 primary, Republican candidates campaigned all across the Bluegrass State, trying to set themselves apart in a race where the main contenders sound alike on core economic and social issues. Instead, most of the talk about issues was overshadowed by a barrage of attack ads between camps supporting Cameron or Craft. The heated tenor of the campaign may have exacerbated voter indifference, adding to the sense that the fiercest contest will come in November when the winner tries to knock off Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
“There doesn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm or interest in this primary,” said GOP political consultant T.J. Litafik. “I’m not seeing a particularly high level of engagement really anywhere in this state.”
Trump’s support for Cameron looms large in the 12-candidate GOP field. Trump easily carried Kentucky in his first two presidential runs and his coattails were long. When Trump won the White House in 2016, Kentucky Republicans gained control of the Kentucky House — achieving a decades-long dream as they cemented their dominance in the legislature.
Now Republicans are trying to wrest away the Democrats’ last bastion of statewide power.
The party’s nominee is expected to challenge Beshear, who is seeking reelection to a second term and faces nominal opposition in his party’s primary. The governor has received consistently high voter approval ratings while presiding over record economic development and managing a series of tragedies, from the pandemic to tornadoes and floods. The fall campaign is a test of whether Democrats — even one seemingly as popular as Beshear — can hold their own in red states.
The Republican campaign has spiraled into a bitter rivalry between Cameron and Craft, who served as U.S. ambassador to Canada and the United Nations during Trump’s presidency. The first-term attorney general has taken digs at Craft over his success in gaining Trump’s nod, and the endorsement is featured on his campaign website and in TV ads promoting Cameron.
But as Trump faces a swirl of legal risks, Kentucky’s chief law enforcement officer is likely to face continued questions about those cases if he emerges as the Republican nominee.
At the outset of the debate Tuesday night, Cameron was asked about the jury verdict and how he now feels about Trump’s endorsement. Hours earlier, a jury in New York found Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll decades ago, awarding her $5 million.
“Well, I don’t know the specifics of the civil complaint, and I understand it was something that involved something 30 years ago,” Cameron said. “But I’m honored to have President Trump’s endorsement.”
Cameron then lashed out at a fellow prosecutor — the Manhattan district attorney at the forefront of a New York criminal case against Trump that’s related to hush money payments made to a porn actor. Cameron said the prosecutor has “weaponized” the judicial system “to try to destroy” Trump.
During the same debate, GOP gubernatorial candidate Eric Deters stoutly defended Trump and said he looked forward to Trump winning back the White House in 2024.
“I believe the verdict is a bunch of balderdash,” Deters said. “I believe the woman is lying.”
Trump is also contending with investigations into his possible mishandling of classified documents, his actions after the 2020 election and his activities during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump denies wrongdoing in all of those matters.
Trump’s support remains solid in Kentucky despite his legal woes in New York, said Scott Jennings, a Kentucky-based Republican political commentator and former adviser to President George W. Bush.
“Obviously there’s more to come for the rest of the year, but primary voting Republicans don’t appear to be bothered by these New York City legal issues,” Jennings said.
Meanwhile, Craft has touted her endorsement from U.S. Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican whose national profile among conservatives has surged as chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Craft also is scheduled to campaign alongside Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday.
Another Kentucky GOP gubernatorial hopeful, state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, says he has amassed more than 230 endorsements from elected Republicans statewide, including scores of county officials, saying it reflects strong grassroots support.
Beshear won the governorship in 2019, defeating then-Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, a Trump ally who couldn’t overcome the self-inflicted damage caused by his combative style. If Beshear follows his campaign formula from four years ago, he will avoid talking about Trump to risk further energizing his opponent’s conservative base.
Democrats have relished the GOP infighting, something one candidate acknowledged at the debate.
“All this mudslinging and fighting that’s going on right now only helps out one person, and that’s Andy Beshear,” Quarles said.
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2023-05-11T03:18:23+00:00
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mytwintiers.com
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https://www.mytwintiers.com/news-cat/national/trump-backed-candidate-for-kentucky-governor-downplays-jury-verdict-against-former-president/
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Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder sexually harassed a team employee and oversaw team executives who deliberately withheld millions of dollars in revenue from other clubs, and he has agreed to pay a $60 million fine, the league announced Thursday.
The NFL released a 23-page report detailing the findings of an independent investigation into Snyder’s conduct just minutes after its owners unanimously approved the sale of the Commanders to Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion. The fine represents 1% of the sale price; Snyder bought the team, then known as the Redskins, for $800 million.
The investigation was led by former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White and conducted by her law firm, Debevoise & Plimpton. The league had pledged to make the findings of the probe public.
Investigators concluded that Washington withheld $11 million in revenue that should have been shared with other teams, an amount the report suggests may have been far greater. White’s firm was unable to reach a conclusion about tens of millions of additional dollars that may have been withheld in part because Snyder and the team did not cooperate fully with the investigation, according to the report.
The report concluded that Snyder sexually harassed former team employee Tiffani Johnston, allegations that Johnston first made last year in front of a House committee. Snyder placed his hand on Johnston’s thigh at a team dinner and pushed her toward his car as they were leaving the restaurant, the report said.
“The findings do speak for themselves. In both cases, it’s inappropriate, it’s wrong, it doesn’t match our values,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference in Minnesota after NFL owners voted.
Snyder has denied Johnston’s allegations and repeated that denial in an interview with White’s investigators. He only agreed to speak with investigators for one hour, the report said.
Investigators spoke with Johnston several times and “found her to be highly credible,” the report said, and her account was corroborated by witnesses and other evidence. The investigation also substantiated claims by another former employee, Jason Friedman, who told the House about financial improprieties.
“Dan Snyder has been forced to sell the team he said he would never sell, pay a massive fine to the NFL and there now exists an extensive public record of his personal wrongdoing and the misconduct that occurred under his leadership,” attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent Johnston and Friedman, said in a statement. “We are proud of our clients’ courage in coming forward publicly and working tirelessly to hold Mr. Snyder accountable.”
The report also concluded that a former team executive improperly took possession of a photograph of Johnston from a calendar shoot of the team’s cheerleaders. Johnston was wearing lingerie in the photo, which had not been edited “to fully cover inadvertent exposures.” Investigators found insufficient evidence to show Snyder was personally involved in that incident.
White’s firm did not conclude whether Snyder was personally aware of the financial misdeeds, but witnesses told investigators that Snyder repeatedly pressured team employees to improve its financial performance, telling them, “every dollar matters.” Documents detailing how the team moved revenue into accounts that shielded the money from other teams were shared with Snyder on at least one occasion, the report said.
“At a minimum, (Snyder) was aware of certain efforts to minimize revenue sharing, at least some of which were later found to be in violation of the NFL rules,” the report said.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said White’s findings contradicted Snyder’s sworn testimony and introduced two bills intended to protect American workers from the abuses committed by Snyder and the Commanders.
In order to skirt NFL revenue-sharing rules, Washington would classify team-related revenue as money made from special events such as concerts, college football games or soccer games.
“(I)f the NFL had a jail … we would be in it,” a team employee wrote to its chief financial officer in 2010 after agreeing to allocate NFL revenue to a college game.
Friedman alleged that the Commanders had “a second set of books,” and the investigation corroborated his account. Among its findings were that millions of dollars in revenue from “tickets sold or bartered with sponsors at falsely undervalued prices” were moved into accounts that hid the money from the league.
In addition to the $11 million that White’s firm found the team withheld from the league, forensic accountants who reviewed the team’s books identified another $44 million in parking, license and other revenues that were transferred from accounts holding league revenue into special events accounts.
The report notes that the team’s revenue-shielding scheme “appear(s) to have become more aggressive after its ticket sales began deteriorating in 2008.” Washington had long touted a decades-long waiting list for season tickets, but demand cratered under Snyder’s stewardship of the team, which went 166-226-2 overall and won only two playoff games during his 24 years as owner.
Snyder long had a reputation for squeezing every possible dollar out of fans, from aggressive pricing of parking and concessions to charging fans to attend training camp. He even filed lawsuits against fans for canceling their season tickets. The District of Columbia Attorney General’s office reached a settlement with Snyder over the team’s failure to return season-ticket security deposits.
White’s firm wrote that while Snyder and the team pledged to fully cooperate with investigators, they did not. Instead, the Commanders failed to produce requested documents, declined to let investigators speak to the team’s external auditors, and engaged in other tactics that “delayed and impeded the investigation.”
“Evidencing his individual failure to cooperate, Mr. Snyder engaged in months of scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling of his interview,” the report said.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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2023-07-21T10:41:38+00:00
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kdvr.com
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https://kdvr.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-commanders-dan-snyder-fined-60-million-for-sexually-harassing-employee-financial-improprieties/
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Fortress Fencing to continue operations as a wholly owned subsidiary of DSI
HOPE MILLS and WILMINGTON, N.C., June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Directional Services, Inc. ("DSI"), one of the nation's fastest growing renewable energy contractors and rated the number one utility-scale solar electrical company, has acquired Fortress Fencing ("Fortress"), a national leader in solar and commercial fencing solutions. The acquisition is a strategic component of DSI's turn-key services supporting the energy industry's transformation to cleaner sources of energy.
"The acquisition of Fortress represents another significant step in our mission to be the leading renewable energy solutions provider in the nation, complementing the continued expansion of our utility-scale solar, electrical and renewable energy capabilities," said Jeff Bagshaw, DSI's Chief Executive Officer. "Perimeter security is essential to protecting facility assets and the integrity of our customers' ongoing operations."
Founded in 2001, Fortress Fencing has grown from a two-person company to one of the largest solar and commercial fencing companies in the country. Fortress offers a broad range of fencing solutions that provides unparalleled safety and security for power, commercial, and industrial facilities. Known for superior workmanship and impeccable safety, Fortress brings a highly skilled team who understand the explicit requirements for secure perimeter fencing to support utility-scale solar and renewable energy production.
According to Jason Truesdale, Founder, and President of Fortress, "Over the past 21 years, Fortress has built a strong national reputation as a leader in security fencing solutions for the renewable industry." Mr. Truesdale added, "Our new partnership with DSI will provide resources and business scalability solutions that will position our company to support the rapidly growing needs of our clients nationally."
Fortress fencing will continue to operate under the current leadership as a wholly owned subsidiary of DSI. DSI will integrate fencing as part of the company's end-to-end portfolio of renewable energy infrastructure, and utility-scale solar solutions.
"We are proud to welcome Fortress to the DSI family," added Mr. Bagshaw. "We have a shared vision and commitment to support the growth and development of the nation's power grid utilizing cleaner renewable energy sources."
Justin Marku, Partner with Rising Point Capital, said "the strategic acquisition of Fortress and partnership with Jason Truesdale, furthers our investment thesis in diversifying DSI across the utility-scale solar value chain to enable turn-key renewable energy solutions."
About DSI
DSI provides specialized utility-scale solar, electrical, and renewable energy solutions to many of the nation's prominent energy EPCs, private industry, and public utilities. The company provides construction, operations, and maintenance services to bring electric power and renewable energy sources to millions in North America. In business since 2005, the company is headquartered in Hope Mills and has additional corporate offices in Wilmington, North Carolina with operations that extend throughout the United States. For more information, please visit: directionalservices.net
About Fortress Fencing
Fortress Fencing LLC founded in 2001 by Jason Truesdale, CEO and President. Over the past 21 years, Fortress Fencing LLC has built a national reputation for being the top producer in security fence construction in the United States. The company is based in Carrboro, North Carolina and has built utility-scale solar fencing in thirty-two states. In 2023, Fortress will surpass four million linear feet of security fence built across America. Currently, the company is licensed in nine states and has SOS residency in thirty-one states. For more information, please visit: fortressfencingnc.com
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SOURCE DSI
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2023-06-06T14:29:29+00:00
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waff.com
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https://www.waff.com/prnewswire/2023/06/06/dsi-prominent-national-renewable-energy-solutions-provider-acquires-fortress-fencing-leader-utility-scale-solar-amp-commercial-fencing/
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Driven by investor research and innovative design, Wealth InFocus is transforming digital and print client communications and increasing investor engagement with a simpler, intuitive and actionable experience
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- To better engage investors, empower advisors and accelerate digital transformation in the wealth management industry, global Fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) launched Wealth InFocus, a next-gen wealth communications experience designed on a foundation of investor research, with Cetera Financial Group (Cetera) as the first client. This new approach toward wealth communications provides a better digital experience according to 78% of Cetera's surveyed pilot clients, and 88% of respondents would like to receive a Wealth InFocus digital communication on an ongoing basis.
"Wealth InFocus is a cutting-edge communications experience that is already improving client engagement, enhancing investor connections with advisors and driving digital transformation, which makes Cetera even more unique in a crowded, legacy landscape," said Tom Gooley COO of Cetera. "We are excited to be the first firm to go live with this innovative communications experience and are empowering our clients and their financial well-being with the information that is most important to them while delivering solutions to our advisors that reinforce the value they bring to their clients. This underscores Cetera's deep commitment to providing our financial professionals with simple and impactful solutions, so they have more time to grow their practices, enjoy their families and serve their clients."
Wealth InFocus is designed to take an investor-centric approach by consolidating, aggregating and presenting the most important information across various account and regulatory communications, including statements, confirms, proxies and prospectuses. Replacing traditional static communications, Wealth InFocus creates a new holistic experience, making it easier for investors to consume and better understand account details while providing advisors with new opportunities to reinforce their value and communicate directly with their clients. Investors can quickly and securely contact an advisor, view key account information, gain insights, and review action items and events across channels, including email, text, microsites and print, according to their preferences.
"Broadridge continues to pioneer a suite of digital capabilities, such as Wealth InFocus, to make investor communications more intuitive, convenient and understandable while strengthening relationships among investors, advisors and wealth management firms across digital and physical channels," said Doug DeSchutter, President of Broadridge Customer Communications. "Given Broadridge's investment and expertise in wealth management, customer and regulatory communications, and digital transformation, we are uniquely positioned to provide Cetera and the wealth management industry with the data and technology to transform communication experiences for investors while significantly reducing costs and increasing efficiencies for firms."
Built upon the Cloud and an API-driven infrastructure, Wealth InFocus is proving to deepen omni-channel engagement and connections for investors, advisors and wealth management firms.
About Broadridge
Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance, and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions that drive business transformation for banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. Our technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of more than U.S. $9 trillion in equities, fixed income, and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work®, Broadridge is part of the S&P 500® Index, employing over 14,000 associates in 21 countries.
For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com.
About Cetera Financial Group®
Cetera Financial Group (Cetera) is a leading financial services firm whose purpose is to enable the delivery of best-in-class financial advice to as many Americans as possible. Cetera empowers its financial professional communities to help clients achieve their version of financial wellbeing through the Advice-Centric Experience®. Cetera proudly serves independent financial professionals, tax professionals, banks and credit unions in providing wide-ranging financial planning and wealth management services.
Cetera oversees approximately $353 billion in assets under administration and $122 billion in assets under management, as of December 31, 2021.
Visit www.cetera.com, and follow Cetera on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
"Cetera Financial Group" refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions or Cetera Investors), Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, and First Allied Securities, Inc. All firms are members FINRA/SIPC. Located at: 655 W. Broadway, 11th Floor, San Diego, CA 92101.
Individuals affiliated with Cetera firms are either Registered Representatives who offer only brokerage services and receive transaction-based compensation (commissions), Investment Adviser Representatives who offer only investment advisory services and receive fees based on assets, or both Registered Representatives and Investment Adviser Representatives, who can offer both types of services.
Investors:
Edings Thibault
Head of Investor Relations, Broadridge
+1 516-472-5129
Edings.Thibault@Broadridge.com
Media:
Gregg Rosenberg
Corporate Communications, Broadridge
(212) 918-6966
Gregg.Rosenberg@broadridge.com
Ryan Hoffman
Ryan.hoffman@Cetera.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.
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2022-09-08T11:40:43+00:00
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wsfa.com
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https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/cetera-financial-group-first-launch-broadridge-next-gen-client-communications-experience-leveraging-data-analytics-better-investor-engagement/
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Pat McCormick, 4-time Olympic diving champion, dies at 92
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pat McCormick, who became the first diver to sweep the 3-meter and 10-meter events at consecutive Olympics, has died. She was 92.
She died Tuesday of natural causes at an assisted living facility in the Orange County city of Santa Ana, her son, Tim, said Friday.
McCormick won the springboard and platform events at the 1952 Helsinki Games. She accomplished the feat again four years later at the Melbourne Games. Tim McCormick was born just five months before the Olympics in Australia.
Greg Louganis equaled McCormick’s accomplishment when he swept the 3-meter and 10-meter titles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and again in 1988 at Seoul.
McCormick’s daughter, Kelly Robertson, competed on the same Olympic teams as Louganis. She won a silver medal on springboard in 1984 and a bronze in the same event in 1988.
Pat McCormick won the James Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete in 1956, the second woman to do so.
Born Patricia Joan Keller on May 12, 1930, in Seal Beach, California, as a youngster she was known for executing dives that weren’t allowed in competition while practicing off a bridge.
“She was good at everything she did,” Kelly Robertson said. “She wasn’t afraid of anything. She was super tough.”
McCormick won 26 U.S. national titles, second all-time among American women, from 1946-56. She was undefeated at national championship meets in 1951 and 1954, winning all 10 titles available to women in those two years.
She won gold on platform and silver on 3-meter at the 1951 Pan American Games, and she followed up with gold on both events at the 1955 event.
McCormick was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
She was educated in Long Beach, attending Woodrow Wilson High, Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach.
After her Olympic career ended, McCormick did diving tours and modeled for Catalina swimwear. She appeared on the game shows “To Tell the Truth” and “You Bet Your Life” in the 1950s.
She served on the organizing committee for the 1984 Los Angeles Games and started the Pat McCormick Educational Foundation in 2010.
McCormick was an adventurer who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, traveled down the Amazon River, skied in Switzerland, body surfed, competed in horse jumping and got her pilot’s license.
“Her life was so wonderful,” Tim McCormick said. “She was quite a spitfire. She lived her life to the fullest her way.”
McCormick’s former husband, Glenn, was a diving coach and a pilot who flew them to Hawaii.
“They would go spearfishing and she would come out with two or three fish stuffed in her suit,” Kelly Robertson recalled. “She was a trip.”
Among McCormick’s visitors in her final days was four-time Olympic swimming champion John Nabor, her son said.
Besides her son and daughter, McCormick is survived by six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She and her husband divorced after 24 years and he died in 1995. According to her wishes, McCormick was cremated and her ashes will be scattered at sea, her son said.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2023-03-11T03:45:34+00:00
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wfsb.com
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https://www.wfsb.com/2023/03/11/pat-mccormick-4-time-olympic-diving-champion-dies-92/
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TODAY:
Dry and quiet start to the day. Clouds build throughout the morning ahead of scattered rain showers this afternoon. Temperatures remain mild today.
TONIGHT:
Scattered showers continue tonight and temperatures remain above average but drop into Friday. This is due to a cold front moving through.
TOMORROW:
Showers linger Friday morning. Temperatures drop throughout the day Friday. As temperatures drop, we see the potential for sleet and freezing rain to occur but accumulation looks minimal. We dry out into Friday afternoon with clouds holding.
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2023-02-16T17:13:14+00:00
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mytwintiers.com
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https://www.mytwintiers.com/regional-forecast-northern-tier/regional-forecast-northern-tier-2-16-23/
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Students at a Texas high school are being praised after raising more than $250,000 to help the school’s 80-year-old janitor retire.
When the Callisburg High School students learned that their janitor, Mr. James, had returned to work in January because his rent increased by around $400 a month, they created a GoFundMe to help pay his rent and retire. They then posted the fundraiser to TikTok in hopes it would go viral.
With an original goal of $10,000, student Greyson Thurman captioned the TikTok video, “My classmates and I hate seeing Mr. James here, no one his age should have to be cleaning our messes up to continue to live.”
@grey.thurman Go fund me is in the bio! My classmates and I hate seeing Mr. James here, no one his age should have to be cleaning our messes up to continue to live. #fyp#school#gofundme#fy#mrjames
Thurman and his friends at Callisburg were following a recent trend that has seen TikTokkers raising large sums of money to help someone retire, including two Walmart workers in their 80s and a 72-year-old Dominos driver whose painful fall delivering a pizza was captured on a family’s doorbell camera.
Since being posted on Feb. 15, the video has gathered thousands of views and more than 200 comments praising the teens for their kindness.
“Very refreshing to see how much these kids care!! Love it!! lets make this viral!!” one TikTok user wrote, with another saying, “This generation continues to amaze me. As a millennial I’m so proud of y’all. As much as the world lets us down yall keep pushing & I admire that a lot.”
The GoFundMe has since surpassed both the initial goal and an expanded goal of $200,000. With nearly 8,000 donations, the current donation total stands at more than $254,000 as of the publication time for this story.
“Thanks so much to everyone that has donated and spread the word to help Mr. James. You all have made a huge impact on him that will forever change his life,” Thurman wrote as an update on GoFundMe. “We will keep the GoFundMe donation link up until noon on Friday, 2/24/23, so that he can enjoy his retirement. God bless you all!!!!”
Local Fox affiliate KDFW says Mr. James declined an interview, but didn’t mind his story being shared.
“When we told him (Mr. James), he was kind of like, ‘dang, that’s alright!’,” said student Marti Yousko, whose idea it was to start the campaign, KDFW reports.
The school district told KDFW on Feb. 22 that Mr. James was still employed there and hasn’t said anything about quitting.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories.
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2023-02-24T18:11:43+00:00
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abc15.com
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https://www.abc15.com/students-raise-250k-to-help-janitor-retire
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Wild general manager Bill Guerin admitted that he wasn’t sure what to think of his team coming out of All-Star Weekend. Not only were the Wild struggling through their worst stretch to date, they had fallen out of the playoff race in the Western Conference.
“We just weren’t playing well,” Guerin said on Sunday before the Wild hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center. “We were sliding down the standings and things were looking pretty bleak.”
Not even Guerin knew at that point if the Wild were going to be buyers or sellers. Now, it’s pretty clear where he stands ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
“The objective is to make the team better if we can,” Guerin said. “We don’t want to make the team worse in any way.”
It’s unlikely Guerin makes a blockbuster trade for, say, Patrick Kane or Timo Meier, because he doesn’t want to give up high draft picks or top prospects. But he seems interested adding a player to this group. That said, Guerin won’t force the issue if the right deal doesn’t materialize in the coming days.
“Now, we find ourselves in a pretty good spot,” Guerin said. “If we don’t do anything, I’m comfortable with that, as well.”
There’s no doubt the Wild could use some additional offensive firepower in the top half of their lineup. They have struggled to find the back of the net with any sort of regularity as of late, and someone like, say, James van Riemsdyk might be able to help in the department.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Guerin is going to make a move. He has long lived by the mantra that a team can’t trade its way out of problems. In other words, the Wild aren’t magically going to be able to score just because Guerin decides to add a player to the mix.
“We will get goals because we’re going to the right places to score goals and paying the price to score goals,” Guerin said. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, this guy has great hands and a great shot.’ That doesn’t always translate into goals. It’s a mentality and a willingness.”
No matter what the Wild decide to do at the trade deadline, they are going to be locked in a tight playoff race in the Western Conference. That means points are going to be at a premium for the net month and a half.
“It’s like a really long playoff series,” Guerin said. “If you win, you’ve got to forget about it and move on to the next game. If you lose, you’ve got tot forget about it and move on to the next game. We have to just keep plowing ahead and staying in the thick of things. This is going to come down to the last couple days of the season.”
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2023-02-26T21:45:25+00:00
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twincities.com
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https://www.twincities.com/2023/02/26/if-price-is-right-wild-gm-bill-guerin-vows-to-make-team-better-at-trade-deadline/
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Gov. Abbott scales back enhanced vehicle inspections at one Texas bridge
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday Texas is scaling back enhanced vehicle inspections at one bridge in Texas and will return to normal inspections effective immediately after reaching an agreement with the Nuevo Leon governor.
Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Alejandro Garcia Sepulveda has agreed to conduct enhanced vehicle inspections on the Mexican side of the border.
The agreement is only with Nuevo Laredo, but not any other bordering Mexican states.
"I look forward to working with all of them toward achieving results similar to what we are achieving today with Governor Garcia," Abbott said. "Until, however, those agreements are reached with those states, the Texas Department of Public Safety will continue to thoroughly inspect vehicles entering into the United States from every Mexican state except Nuevo Leon."
"The ultimate way to end the clogged border is for President Biden to do his job and to secure the border," Abbott said. "If you want relief from the clogged border, you need to call President Biden and tell him to maintain the Title 42 expulsion policy that has been in place for years."
The announcement comes after Abbott has come under fire in recent days following his order of enhanced safety inspections at international border crossings in Texas, including in Brownsville, Pharr and Los Indios.
On Monday, Mexican truckers protested the order by blocking the northbound lanes at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge. The blockade continued Tuesday and resulted in long lines at both the Los Indios International Bridge and Progreso International Bridge.
Valley produce brokers said during a press conference with Beto O'Rourke on Tuesday that the order is killing his business. Another local produce company said they're struggling to keep their shelves stocked because they currently don't have the produce.
RELATED: Beto O'Rourke blasts Abbott's DPS directive in fourth Valley visit since governor bid
Meanwhile, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said traffic delays were due to "additional and unnecessary inspections" by DPS and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called the policy "political theater".
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2022-04-14T00:42:28+00:00
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krgv.com
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https://www.krgv.com/news/gov-abbott-scales-back-enhanced-vehicle-inspections-at-one-texas-bridge
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A former Columbia mayoral candidate is urging Columbia’s city council to give CPD and the Columbia Fire Department the tools, equipment and manpower they need to keep the city safe.
Randy Minchew spoke from the podium during Tuesday night’s council meeting.
“But the last time I checked, when a Columbia citizen or a member of the public calls 911, the mayor or city council members or any of the anti law-and-order police-hating activists who stand in front of you every week ever take the call, hop in a squad car, jump on a fire truck or in an ambulance and show up for us,” Minchew says.
Minchew tells the council that their silence about public safety is, quote, “deafening.” He’s calling on them to publicly recognize the dangers that CPD officers put themselves in every day.
“We must ask those in power to respond appropriately and not make public statements about city employees before the facts are known about high-profile issues. We cannot have our elected officials publicly degrading or demoralizing the first responders who go out and put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” says Minchew.
He also emphasized integrity, while speaking at the podium.
“We must demand that you uphold the principles of democracy and act with integrity, stand up for all the people you lead. The public’s trust is a precious commodity, and it must not be taken for granted,” Minchew says.
He concluded his presentation by thanking Columbia’s seven council members, including Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, for their time and for their willingness to serve on the council. Buffaloe beat Minchew by about 800 voters in the April 2022 election.
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2023-06-21T19:58:07+00:00
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kwos.com
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https://kwos.com/2023/06/audio-former-columbia-mayoral-candidate-minchew-says-silence-from-council-on-public-safety-is-deafening/
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian students clashed with security forces at universities across Iran on Sunday, Iranian media reported, as videos showed security forces firing tear gas and live ammunition at students.
Sunday’s violence came as nationwide protests gripped the country despite threats from the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guard’s chief had warned young Iranians that Saturday would be the last day of the protests first sparked by the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police.
Clashes escalated at Azad University in Tehran, where Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that some groups attacked a protest staged during a memorial ceremony for the victims of a deadly attack at a major Shiite holy site in southern Iran. Several students were injured in the clashes, Tasnim reported, without elaborating.
Videos on social media purportedly showed security forces firing tear gas at students shouting against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. University campuses have emerged as central hotbeds of opposition, playing a central role in the protest movement.
A video posted by the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights showed a member of the Basij, the Guard’s force of paramilitary volunteers, firing a pistol at close range at students protesting.
The human rights group said it strongly condemned, “the encroachment of university campuses by armed plainclothes forces and violent crackdown on peaceful student protests.”
Hardline, pro-government students in several universities across the country had gathered to commemorate a deadly Islamic State-claimed attack on a mosque in Shiraz that killed 13 people on Wednesday, including women and children. The ceremonies also drew masses of antigovernment protesters, including at Azad University.
“Freedom, freedom, freedom!” they chanted.
The Iranian government has repeatedly alleged that foreign powers have orchestrated the protests, without providing evidence. The protests have become one of the most serious threats to Iran’s ruling clerics since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The protests first focused on the state-mandated hijab, or headscarf, for women but quickly grew into calls for the downfall of Iran’s theocracy itself. At least 270 people have been killed and 14,000 have been arrested in the protests that have swept over 125 Iranian cities, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran.
Since October 24, the country’s authorities started hearing the cases of at least 900 protesters charged with “corruption on earth” — a term often used to describe attempts to overthrow the Iranian government that carries the death penalty.
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2022-10-31T14:24:25+00:00
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wboy.com
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https://www.wboy.com/news/world/ap-more-clashes-at-irans-universities-after-weeks-of-unrest/
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HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — California on Thursday sued one of its picturesque coastal cities and accused it of refusing to build more affordable housing, an issue Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called the “original sin” of the state's housing shortage.
Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Huntington Beach, a city of about 200,000 people along the Southern California coast where the median home sales price is $1.1 million — or more than $300,000 higher than the state average.
Bonta is asking a judge to order Huntington Beach City Council to comply with state housing laws and to punish councilmembers by making them pay a fine.
Bonta said the council has blocked new duplexes in some single-family home neighborhoods, despite a state law requiring them to do it. He also said the council has not allowed new “accessory dwelling units" — small apartments built on a property commonly known as “granny flats.”
Both approaches are a key part of state lawmakers' strategy to address the state's housing shortage, which has sent rents and home values soaring while increasing the number of people on the streets. California is home to nearly a third of the nation's homeless population, according to federal data.
State housing officials say California needs an additional 2.5 million homes by 2030 in order to keep up with demand. But the state builds about 125,000 houses each year, which would leave California well short of that goal.
“This is the colossal challenge that California is confronting,” Bonta said. “The message we're sending to the city of Huntington Beach is simple: Act in good faith, follow the law and do your part to increase the housing supply. If you don't, our office will hold you accountable.”
A Huntington Beach representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The city posted a message to its Twitter account on Thursday saying it is still accepting applications for accessory dwelling units. City officials have scheduled their own news conference for later Thursday.
Huntington Beach is a seaside city dubbed “Surf City USA” that’s largely known for its scenic beaches and throngs of surfers bobbing in the waves by the pier.
Much of the city has a largely suburban feel with residential neighborhoods of single-family homes flanked by busy main roads linked with strip malls and office buildings.
Last year, four new councilmembers won election with a politically conservative bent. Since taking office, the four-member council majority has taken on state housing mandates and limited the flying of flags on city property, barring the Pride rainbow flag that has been flown in the city in each of the past two years.
Huntington Beach has an elected city attorney, Michael Gates, who has long advocated for local control and previously faced off with the state over housing and immigration enforcement.
This is the second time California officials have sued Huntington Beach for not following state housing laws. The city ended up settling that lawsuit back in 2020.
California's housing and homelessness issues have continued to worsen each year despite Newsom and the Democratic-controlled state Legislature spending billions of dollars in taxpayer money on the problem. Nearly all of that money has gone to local governments, who have their own housing and homelessness policies.
State leaders have repeatedly tried to shape those local policies through state laws and regulations.
Newsom, who won reelection in November and is seen as a potential presidential candidate one day, has aggressively challenged local governments to comply with state standards. Last year, he delayed $1 billion in homelessness funding for local governments because he said their plans to spend the money weren't good enough.
Newsom later released the money after a closed-door meeting with local officials.
“We need to do more, to do better as a state to address the original sin that is affordability,” Newsom said. “At the end of the day, it’s the number one issue that connects all the other bills and challenges and sins of the state together — the cost of living."
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Beam reported from Sacramento, California.
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2023-03-09T22:02:37+00:00
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expressnews.com
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https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/california-sues-huntington-beach-over-affordable-17830026.php
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Although Blake Shelton is leaving his coaching position on NBC’s ‘The Voice’, Oklahoma won’t be without representation among those illustrious chairs.
Shelton announced his departure in October 2022, making Season 24 the first without his guidance since the show began in 2011.
“Alas, our cowboy has decided to hang up his Voice coaching hat to spend time with family on his Oklahoma ranch,” wrote Christopher Rosa with NBC Insider. “He more than deserves the break, but he will be sorely missed.”
Now, as Shelton’s final season wraps up, the next country music coach has been revealed.
Reba McEntire is joining Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani, and John Legend to be Season 24’s coach quartet.
“There’s a new Coach in town! See you all this Fall!” the singer wrote on Twitter Monday.
McEntire joined Shelton in Season 23 as a ‘Mega Mentor’ and was even asked before Shelton to be a coach during the show’s inaugural season – although she turned it down at the time.
But with the show’s success, McEntire says she’s got big boots to fill.
“To fill Blake’s chair? Wow. That’s gonna be tough,” McEntire told Jessica White with NBC Insider. “He did a great job and kudos to him.”
The country music star has been busy this year with the opening of her three-story dining, bar, entertainment, and retail venue in Atoka, Oklahoma called Reba’s Place, and announcing her new book Not That Fancy, which goes on sale in October.
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2023-05-15T21:57:37+00:00
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valleycentral.com
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https://www.valleycentral.com/news/national-news/reba-mcentire-to-be-next-coach-on-the-voice/
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NEW YORK, March 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominari Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: DOMH) ("Dominari" or the "Company") today provided an update on the $2 million share repurchase program (the "Share Repurchase Program") authorized by the Company's Board of Directors on December 5, 2022.
The Company reported that on March 1, 2023, the Company purchased 4,884 shares of common stock at $4.0276 per share.
Additional shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions, or other means in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and Rule 10b -18 of the Exchange Act. The timing, number of shares repurchased, and prices paid for the stock under this program will depend on general business and market conditions as well as corporate and regulatory limitations, including blackout period restrictions.
About Dominari Holdings Inc.
Dominari Holdings Inc. (f/k/a Aikido Pharma Inc.) until recently was focused primarily on the development of a diverse portfolio of small-molecule anticancer and antiviral therapeutics and related patent technology. In September 2022, the Company agreed to acquire a registered broker-dealer and transition its primary business operations to fintech and financial services. Upon the final closing of this acquisition, the Company's fintech and financial services business will be operated through its subsidiary, Dominari Financial Inc. The Company continues to develop its therapeutics and related patent technology, as well as other ventures, through its subsidiary, Aikido Labs, LLC.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contact:
Investor Relations:
Hayden IR
Brett Maas, Managing Partner
Phone: (646) 536-7331
Email: brett@haydenir.com
www.haydenir.com
Dominari Holdings Inc. (f/k/a AIkido Pharma Inc):
Phone: 212-745-1373
Email: investorrelations@aikidopharma.com
www.aikidopharma.com
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2023-03-02T16:11:57+00:00
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ksla.com
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https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2023/03/02/dominari-holdings-provides-update-share-repurchase-program/
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AMITYVILLE, N.Y. — (AP) — Detectives investigating the long-unsolved murders known as the Gilgo Beach killings searched a storage facility in the Long Island community of Amityville over the weekend, police said.
Suffolk County police confirmed Monday that detectives executed a search warrant at Omega Self Storage on Sunrise Highway related to the investigation that led to last week's arrest of architect Rex Heuermann. He was charged Friday with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims whose remains were found buried along a remote beach highway.
Heuermann, who has lived for decades across a bay from where the remains were found, was first identified as a suspect in the killings in March 2022, when detectives linked him to a pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010.
Heuermann has denied committing the crimes, his attorney, Michael Brown, said.
It was not clear what connection the storage facility in Amityville might have to the investigation.
A police vehicle was still parked at the facility behind yellow tape on Monday after detectives conducted the search Sunday.
A message seeking comment was left with managers at the storage facility.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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2023-07-17T18:35:08+00:00
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wsbtv.com
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https://www.wsbtv.com/news/police-investigating/JZNZBNSXDODFRXV5HYN7KXTH2Q/
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OSLO, Norway, Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Photocure ASA, The Bladder Cancer Company, announces the publication of first results from the Laser III clinical study in the medical journal, European Urology. The study is part of a systematic program aimed at verifying the safe treatment of bladder tumors in the outpatient setting. Laser III results demonstrate the non-inferiority of outpatient laser-mediated destruction of bladder tumors in conjunction with blue light cystoscopy (BLC®) and Hexvix® versus inpatient BLC TURBT* under general anesthesia. Photocure has supported this program and the specific study since 2016.
Laser III is a prospective, randomized, non-inferiority trial conducted in the Capital Region of Denmark from 2016 to 2020 (NCT02886026). Patients with histologically verified Ta low-grade bladder tumor recurrence were enrolled. A total of 206 patients were randomized; 176 finished treatment and were available for follow-up as per protocol. The first results, now published in European Urology, evaluated 4-month non-inferiority of outpatient laser-mediated ablation of recurrent Ta tumors with flexible cystoscopes under local anesthesia, compared to TURBT under general anesthesia. Both the out-patient laser procedure and TURBT procedure were performed under BLC-guidance. Four-month recurrence-free survival was assessed as the primary endpoint with a predefined non-inferiority criterion of 15%. Secondary outcome measures were pain during the outpatient laser ablation, postoperative morbidity, postoperative complications, and patient's preference. The 12-month follow-up results are expected to be presented in a second paper.
Four-month recurrence-free survival was 8% higher after laser-ablation of the bladder tumor compared to TURBT, and the predefined noninferiority criterion was met. The study authors conclude that laser intervention in the outpatient setting is as good as TURBT with general anesthesia, and has less complications.
In addition, the paper also advocates the importance of enhanced cystoscopy to mediate this practice change. As recommended by the guidelines, enhanced cystoscopy should be used during surgical treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer to improve detection and reduce recurrence.
"The study outcomes clearly demonstrate that for patients with small low grade stage Ta bladder tumors the procedure can be safely moved from the OR to the office, thereby reducing the burden for patients stemming from general anesthesia and cost related to hospital stays. Safety is the most important term here. Our team find that blue light cystoscopy with Hexvix in the OPD support the identification of small bladder tumors which therefore safely can be removed with laser before they become too large for outpatient treatment," said Dr. Gregers G Hermann, the Lead Investigator of this study and Consultant Urologist, MD, DM Sc, F.E.B.U., Dept. of Urology, Herlev/Gentofte hospital, Denmark.
"We expect to see more scientific studies investigating how some of the more intensive procedures like TURBTs can be reduced, avoided, or made more bearable for patients. In non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer especially, where most patients are over 55 years old, research into reducing patient burden is of great importance. We believe BLC with Hexvix/Cysview can help responsible researchers in these efforts by minimizing the concern of uncertainty when it comes to detecting the tumors," said Dan Schneider, President and CEO of Photocure.
Read the full publication here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0302283822025647
(Clinicaltrials.gov https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02886026)
*TURBT: Transurethral resection of bladder tumor
Note to editors
Hexvix®/Cysview® and BLC® are registered trademarks of Photocure ASA.
This press release may contain product details and information which are not valid, or a product that is not accessible, in your country. Please be aware that Photocure does not take any responsibility for accessing such information, which may not comply with any legal process, regulation, registration, or usage in the country of your origin.
About Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer ranks as the 8th most common cancer worldwide – the 5th most common in men – with 1 720 000 prevalent cases (5-year prevalence rate)1a, 573 000 new cases and more than 200 000 deaths annually in 2020.1b
Approx. 75% of all bladder cancer cases occur in men.1 It has a high recurrence rate, with up to 61% in year one and up to 78% over five years.2 Bladder cancer has the highest lifetime treatment costs per patient of all cancers.3
Bladder cancer is a costly, potentially progressive disease for which patients have to undergo multiple cystoscopies due to the high risk of recurrence. There is an urgent need to improve both the diagnosis and the management of bladder cancer for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems alike.
Bladder cancer is classified into two types, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), depending on the depth of invasion in the bladder wall. NMIBC remains in the inner layer of cells lining the bladder. These cancers are the most common (75%) of all cases and include the subtypes Ta, carcinoma in situ (CIS), and T1 lesions. In MIBC, the cancer has grown into deeper layers of the bladder wall. These cancers, including subtypes T2, T3, and T4, are more likely to spread and are harder to treat.4
1 Globocan. a) 5-year prevalence / b) incidence/mortality by population. Available at: https://gco.iarc.fr/today, accessed [January 2022].
2 Babjuk M, et al. Eur Urol. 2019; 76(5): 639-657
3 Sievert KD et al. World J Urol 2009;27:295–300
4 Bladder Cancer. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bladder-cancer.html
About Hexvix®/Cysview® (hexaminolevulinate HCl)
Hexvix/Cysview is a drug that preferentially accumulates in cancer cells in the bladder, making them glow bright pink during Blue Light Cystoscopy (BLC®). BLC with Hexvix/Cysview, compared to standard white light cystoscopy alone, improves the detection of tumors and leads to more complete resection, fewer residual tumors, and better management decisions.
Cysview is the tradename in the U.S. and Canada, Hexvix is the tradename in all other markets. Photocure is commercializing Cysview/Hexvix directly in the U.S. and Europe and has strategic partnerships for the commercialization of Hexvix/Cysview in China, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. Please refer to https://photocure.com/partners/our-partners for further information on our commercial partners.
About Photocure ASA
Photocure: The Bladder Cancer Company delivers transformative solutions to improve the lives of bladder cancer patients. Our unique technology, making cancer cells glow bright pink, has led to better health outcomes for patients worldwide. Photocure is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: PHO). For more information, please visit us at www.photocure.com, www.hexvix.com, www.cysview.com
For further information, please contact:
Dan Schneider
President and CEO
Photocure ASA
Email: ds@photocure.com
Erik Dahl
CFO
Photocure ASA
Tel: +4745055000
Email: ed@photocure.com
David Moskowitz
Vice President, Investor Relations
Photocure ASA
Tel: +1 202 280 0888
Email: david.moskowitz@photocure.com
Media and IR enquiries:
Geir Bjørlo
Corporate Communications (Norway)
Tel: +47 91540000
Email: geir.bjorlo@corpcom.no
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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2022-09-20T07:06:34+00:00
|
live5news.com
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https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2022/09/20/new-study-demonstrates-that-tumor-removal-outpatient-setting-is-good-turbt-under-general-anesthesia/
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Healthgrades announces the highest performing hospitals in the U.S. for clinical excellence and names the top-ranked hospitals by state
DENVER, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use to find a doctor or hospital, today announced the recipients of the 2023 America's Best Hospitals Awards and State Rankings. This year's achievements recognize the national leaders in overall clinical excellence and the top-ranked hospitals for specialty care by state.
Using proprietary data, Healthgrades simplifies the research process and empowers consumers to choose experienced doctors who practice at high-quality hospitals. To determine the top 250 U.S. hospitals, Healthgrades evaluated clinical performance for nearly 4,500 hospitals across more than 31 of the most common procedures and conditions. In tandem with the national recognition, Healthgrades measured the hospitals across 18 key specialty areas* to identify the highest-ranking hospitals in 32 eligible states.
For America's Best, three awards recognize the top one, two, and five percent of hospitals nationwide for superior clinical performance:
- America's 50 Best Hospitals™
- America's 100 Best Hospitals™
- America's 250 Best Hospitals™
"Healthgrades makes it easy for consumers to choose a doctor based on the three factors that matter most: compatibility, relevant experience, and the quality of the hospital where you'll be treated," said Burt Kann, EVP and Head of Product at Healthgrades. "With these awards, we are helping consumers identify the highest quality care in their community by celebrating the hospitals that consistently deliver better-than-expected clinical outcomes."
A recent Healthgrades survey revealed that 64% of consumers are more concerned with their health and wellness than they were before the pandemic, and more than half of Americans (57%) are more concerned with the quality of care provided by the doctors and hospitals they choose today. By making hospital performance more transparent, Healthgrades helps increasingly engaged consumers become informed healthcare customers. Ensuring that patients have access to objective measures of hospital performance is particularly important as the gap between the nation's highest and lowest performers persists. In fact, if all hospitals performed similarly to America's 250 Best Hospitals, 160,615 lives could have been saved.**
"Healthcare decisions are often complicated and fraught with emotion," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades. "By giving consumers an easy-to-understand, data-driven way to identify the hospitals in their area with the best outcomes, Healthgrades is helping all patients – no matter their background – confidently choose higher quality care."
Health equity and social determinants of health (SDOH)—factors such as housing, food insecurity, transportation, and interpersonal safety—have a large impact on health outcomes, which is why Healthgrades will be incorporating health equity data, including SDOH medical codes and third-party data sets, into our hospital quality methodology by the end of 2023. Healthgrades believes that every patient has the right to high-quality, equitable health care, and including health equity metrics in our methodology is critical to improving our current risk-adjusted model and empowering patients to find the best possible care.
To view the complete list of America's Best Hospitals, click here. For more information on how Healthgrades determined this year's award recipients, see the complete methodology. To see the 2023 State Rankings recipients and methodology, click here.
*The 18 specialty areas measured for the State Rankings recognition are as follows: Cardiac Care, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology, Coronary Intervention (PCI), Cranial Neurosurgery, Critical Care, Gastrointestinal Care, Gastrointestinal Medical Care, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Joint Replacement, Neurosciences, Orthopedic Surgery, Prostate Surgery, Pulmonary Care, Spine Surgery, Stroke Care, Surgical Care, and Vascular Surgery.
**Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. For more information, see the 2023 America's Best Hospital Awards Methodology. A consumer-friendly overview of the complete methodology is available here.
Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering stronger and more meaningful connections between patients and their healthcare providers. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their healthcare professional of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content.
Our health system, large group practice, and life sciences marketing solutions have been helping our partners reach and engage consumers who are on their way to the doctor for over 20 years.
Healthgrades is part of RVO Health, a partnership between Red Ventures and Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group. RVO Health has the largest consumer health and wellness audience online across its brand portfolio including Healthgrades, Healthline, Medical News Today, Greatist, Psych Central, Bezzy and Platejoy which touch every part of the health and wellness journey. Each month, RVO Health helps more than 100 million unique visitors live their strongest and healthiest lives.
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SOURCE Healthgrades
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2023-01-17T14:37:15+00:00
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uppermichiganssource.com
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https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2023/01/17/healthgrades-names-2023-americas-best-hospitals/
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WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas – representing a turning point for vast stretches of the planet where conservation has previously been hampered by a confusing patchwork of laws.
The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept. The treaty agreement concluded two weeks of talks in New York.
An updated framework to protect marine life in the regions outside national boundary waters, known as the high seas, had been in discussions for more than 20 years, but previous efforts to reach an agreement had repeatedly stalled. The unified agreement treaty, which applies to nearly half the planet’s surface, was reached late Saturday.
“We only really have two major global commons — the atmosphere and the oceans,” said Georgetown marine biologist Rebecca Helm. While the oceans may draw less attention, “protecting this half of earth’s surface is absolutely critical to the health of our planet.”
Nichola Clark, an oceans expert at the Pew Charitable Trusts who observed the talks in New York, called the long-awaited treaty text “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect the oceans — a major win for biodiversity.”
The treaty will create a new body to manage conservation of ocean life and establish marine protected areas in the high seas. And Clark said that’s critical to achieve the U.N. Biodiversity Conference’s recent pledge to protect 30% of the planet’s waters, as well as its land, for conservation.
Treaty negotiations initially were anticipated to conclude Friday, but stretched through the night and deep into Saturday. The crafting of the treaty, which at times looked in jeopardy, represents “a historic and overwhelming success for international marine protection,” said Steffi Lemke, Germany’s environment minister.
“For the first time, we are getting a binding agreement for the high seas, which until now have hardly been protected,” Lemke said. “Comprehensive protection of endangered species and habitats is now finally possible on more than 40% of the Earth’s surface.”
The treaty also establishes ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in the oceans.
“It means all activities planned for the high seas need to be looked at, though not all will go through a full assessment,” said Jessica Battle, an oceans governance expert at the Worldwide Fund for Nature.
Several marine species — including dolphins, whales, sea turtles and many fish — make long annual migrations, crossing national borders and the high seas. Efforts to protect them, along with human communities that rely on fishing or tourism related to marine life, have long proven difficult for international governing bodies.
“This treaty will help to knit together the different regional treaties to be able to address threats and concerns across species’ ranges,” Battle said.
That protection also helps coastal biodiversity and economies, said Gladys Martínez de Lemos, executive director of the nonprofit Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense focusing on environmental issues across Latin America.
“Governments have taken an important step that strengthens the legal protection of two-thirds of the ocean and with it marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal communities,” she said.
The question now is how well the ambitious treaty will be implemented.
Formal adoption also remains outstanding, with numerous conservationists and environmental groups vowing to watch closely.
The high seas have long suffered exploitation due to commercial fishing and mining, as well as pollution from chemicals and plastics. The new agreement is about “acknowledging that the ocean is not a limitless resource, and it requires global cooperation to use the ocean sustainably,” Rutgers University biologist Malin Pinsky said.
___
Associated Press writer Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Berlin.
___
Follow Larson on Twitter at @larsonchristina and Whittle at @pxwhittle
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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2023-03-06T05:04:47+00:00
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kfor.com
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https://kfor.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-nations-reach-accord-to-protect-marine-life-on-high-seas/
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Wolves are attacking northeast Washington rancher Jake Nelson's cattle and he said May 26 that he doubts the Department of Fish and Wildlife will ever be satisfied with his non-lethal efforts to ward them off.
The Togo pack recently killed one calf and injured another in a pasture. The predations were the fourth and fifth in the past 10 months and crossed the numerical threshold for the department to consider removing a wolf or two.
In the week leading up to the attacks, Nelson said he or an employee was in the pasture at least six hours a day. A state-funded range-rider was there four hours on every other day.
Fish and Wildlife concluded Nelson didn't disclose enough details — such as the exact times he was in the pasture, and detailed descriptions of what he was doing and what he saw — to count his presence as a non-lethal deterrent.
As a result, Fish and Wildlife declined to resort to lethal control.
"I think they'll always come up with something more we have to do," Nelson said. "It leaves us in a tight spot."
Nelson said he tried to accommodate the department by reporting that he was in the pastures doing "livestock husbandry practices." He also reported seeing wolf signs and "restless cattle."
Nelson said he drew the line at providing all the details — including essentially a timecard — that Fish and Wildlife requires of state-funded range-riders.
"I told them I wouldn't do it. I don't work for them," he said. "They wouldn't take my word on it. I didn't like that none too much."
He said he also was concerned that if he supplied the details Fish and Wildlife wanted about his daily activities, it would set a precedent for other ranchers. "It would be the new standard," he said.
Fish and Wildlife policy calls for "near daily" cattle monitoring to prevent predations from escalating to the point that the department shoots wolves as a last resort.
The definition is flexible, but generally means checking cattle four to five times a week. The department is conscious that it's lethal-control decisions may be scrutinized in court and requires state-funded range-riders to submit logs.
Fish and Wildlife wolf policy coordinator Julia Smith said the department has not imposed the requirement on ranchers. She said that removing wolves in the Togo pack remains an option.
"If depredations continue, WDFW will consider any appropriate reactive measures to mitigate further conflict, including lethal control," she said in an email.
Because of past predations, Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind has authorized removing Togo pack wolves five times since since 2018. In five tries, the department has shot one wolf.
Fish and Wildlife deems the pack's territory a "chronic-conflict zone," the only one in the state. At Gov. Jay Insee's order, the Fish and Wildlife Commission is considering a special rule to guide the department's actions in the zone.
Wolf advocates are pushing for a rule that puts more requirements on ranchers. It's already happening, said Scott Nielsen, manager of the state-funded Cattle Producers of Washington wolf-livestock monitoring program.
The Cattle Producers supplied the range-rider for Jake Nelson's pasture. Nielsen agreed that the Cattle Producers employee by himself was not enough to satisfy the department's near-daily requirement.
The employee, however, supplemented the rancher's presence, Nielsen said. Between them, the near-daily standard was being met, he said.
"In this area, we are being treated differently," Nielsen said. "It's not WDFW's place to manage ranchers, and that's where we're going."
Fish and Wildlife recently redrew the Togo pack's territory, taking in more ranchers and a larger portion of Ferry County.
Nielsen said that if ranchers can't satisfy Fish and Wildlife that they're watching cattle on spring pastures, they won't have much chance of pleasing the department when cattle move to larger summer grazing allotments.
Just before the Togo pack attacked Nelson's calves, Fish and Wildlife circulated a "draft mitigation plan" for preventing predations in the pack's territory.
The documents mostly details what Nelson and five other commercial ranchers already are doing. Nelson moved his calving area, delayed turning out calves, took sick injured cattle off the range, and put flashing lights in pastures.
Above all, according to the Fish and Wildlife document, Nelson has regularly monitored cattle on the range and used qualified and experienced range-riders.
Nelson said Thursday that adding another range-rider won't stop the attacks. "The only difference is we might find more dead calves," he said.
Besides filling out a log of his activities, Fish and Wildlife wanted Nelson to put a motion-activated alarm box in his pasture. He said he tried that before and a calf was killed near the box. "If it doesn't work, why do it?" he asked.
Smith said Fish and Wildlife wanted to try again. "This is an entirely different grazing season," she said.
"We don’t throw tools away permanently simply because in one instance it didn’t have the intended effect," Smith said. "If nothing else, a RAG box could have signaled to the rancher, ranch hands, range riders, etc., that wolves were in the pasture."
Nelson said he knows Fish and Wildlife didn't like his response to their requests. "Quite frankly, I made a lot of people in the department mad by not doing those two things," he said.
The rancher said that if even if he did everything the department wanted, it wouldn't have changed the department's decision. "I'm sure they would have asked for something else," he said.
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2022-05-28T01:01:05+00:00
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capitalpress.com
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https://www.capitalpress.com/ag_sectors/livestock/washington-rancher-in-wolf-country-wonders-what-else-he-must-do/article_0827426a-dd35-11ec-967d-b3a8e63ec88f.html
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Duck goes for a ride on Cedar Point roller coaster that reaches 93 mph
SANDUSKY, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) – A duck made its way onto a roller coaster at Cedar Point and went for a wild ride.
The duck flew into the train of the Millennium Force while it was moving earlier this week and ended up along for the ride, a Cedar Point spokesperson confirmed.
According to Cedar Point’s website, the roller coaster reaches speeds of 93 mph.
Photos and videos show the duck tucked behind the back of a seat.
Once the ride came to a stop, the duck was safely removed from the train by a guest. The spokesperson said it appears a guest immediately went to take the duck while people were getting off the ride before the maintenance team arrived to help.
According to a post on Reddit, the woman took the duck to guest services, where it would then be turned over to wildlife rehab.
Further information was not available.
Copyright 2023 WTVG via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2023-07-13T18:56:51+00:00
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uppermichiganssource.com
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https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2023/07/13/duck-goes-ride-cedar-point-roller-coaster-that-reaches-93-mph/
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BURLINGAME, Calif., Jan. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco Bay Area-based tech-enabled home renovation company Freemodel today announced it has secured a $19.5 million series A investment led by QED Investors, a leading venture capital firm in the fintech and proptech sector, in partnership with LL Funds, a leading provider of both growth equity and asset-backed debt. Other participants in the most recent round of funding include RWT Horizons, FJ Labs, 1984 Ventures, 1Sharpe Ventures, and Crossbeam Venture Partners. With this latest investment, Freemodel has now raised over $23 million since launching in 2020.
Freemodel, which already covers 90% of the California real estate market, will use the newly secured investment to expand its service to additional states, starting with Texas and Florida in Q1 2023. They also plan to use the funds to continue developing the proprietary technology platform that empowers their team of local Project Directors to manage home renovations more effectively and efficiently.
"With the increase in interest rates and the slowing real estate market, agents have to go the extra mile to get the best results for their sellers," says Freemodel CEO and co-founder John Garner. "Freemodel empowers our agent partners to sell a client's home more quickly and at a higher price without the hassle or upfront cost of managing the renovations themselves."
"It's rare to find a business model in real estate that offers such clear value to its customers in a variety of market conditions", says Lauren Morton, Partner at QED. "The combined power of 'easy button' renovations with a local designer, project management and financing is helping homeowners sell their homes quickly, even in a tough market. QED is proud to back an experienced team with strong founder-market fit. John's deep background in proptech and keen sales acumen set him apart from other founders we've met."
Since its debut, Freemodel has achieved 500% revenue growth year over year. Freemodel works with over 60 leading real estate brokerages and has helped their agent partners earn their clients over $33M in additional profit. Freemodel delivers a superior customer experience compared to other pre-sale home renovation services by using local, in-person design and project management in every market to deliver high-quality, custom renovations.
"Freemodel has solved for the high financial barrier homeowners face when considering renovations. Everybody wins with Freemodel. Real estate agents win more listings, home sellers earn more profit, and home buyers get a beautiful move-in ready home," says LL Funds Partner Jim Morrissey. "We're proud to back a platform that directly delivers value to every stakeholder in a real estate transaction and we are excited to support Freemodel's expansion to Texas, Florida and beyond."
To learn more about Freemodel's services, visit http://www.freemodel.com.
About Freemodel
Freemodel was founded in 2020 with a mission to streamline and improve the residential real estate sale process while giving homeowners a chance to get the maximum possible upside from the sale of their homes. The company partners with real estate agents to design, manage and pre-pay for their clients' home renovations, then the homeowner pays Freemodel out of escrow once the home sells. Founded by two Silicon Valley veterans with software and residential real estate backgrounds, Freemodel differentiates itself by offering a team of local designers and project managers who act as the main on-site point of contact for agents and clients. Their Project Directors bring deep expertise and local knowledge of the regions they service, making the process easier and more turnkey for realtors and sellers. In addition, Freemodel requires no credit checks and has no pre-determined project budget caps, allowing more flexibility for homeowners to reap the maximum possible profit from their investment. For more information, visit http://www.freemodel.com.
About QED Investors
QED Investors is a global leading venture capital firm based in Alexandria, Va. Founded by Nigel Morris and Frank Rotman in 2007, QED Investors is focused on investing in disruptive financial services companies worldwide. QED Investors is dedicated to building great businesses and uses a unique, hands-on approach that leverages its partners' decades of entrepreneurial and operational experience, helping companies achieve breakthrough growth. Notable investments include AvidXchange, Bitso, ClearScore, Current, Creditas, Credit Karma, Kavak, Klarna, Konfio, Loft, Mission Lane, Nubank, QuintoAndar, Remitly and SoFi. For more information, visit www.qedinvestors.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Freemodel
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2023-01-31T18:04:05+00:00
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kalb.com
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https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/01/31/pre-sale-home-renovation-startup-freemodel-raises-195m-series-funding/
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NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander declined a $25 million option with the Houston Astros to become a free agent on Thursday, five days after helping the team with its second World Series title.
The 39-year-old right-hander likely headed to his third Cy Young Award got his first World Series win in nine starts in Game 5 against Philadelphia. The day before that happened, he said it was too early to think about his future.
“Really and truly it’s been a hell of a ride no matter what happens, whether I stay or don’t,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time with this group of guys and the city and getting to know the city.”
Verlander was among four players who became free agents Thursday, raising the total to 165.
Verlander played for Detroit from 2005 until he was traded to the Astros in August 2017. He agreed to a $66 million contract covering 2020 and 2021, then hurt his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery.
After pitching one game over the previous two seasons, Verlander became a free agent and re-signed with Houston for a $25 million, one-year deal that included the option. He went 18-4 with a major league-best 1.75 ERA in 28 starts, then was 2-0 with a 5.85 ERA in four postseason outings. He is 244-133 with a 3.24 ERA and 3,198 strikeouts in 17 seasons.
“I really did enjoy kind of just talking with some teams and just kind of like hearing their philosophies and getting to talk about my philosophies with pitching and just talk baseball,” he said. “I didn’t get the traditional come into the city and get all the pizzazz because it was a short timeframe.”
Several others have option decisions due later Thursday. Among the other moves, the New York Mets turned down an $8 million option on right-hander Mychal Givens in favor of a $1.5 million buyout, Baltimore said no to an $11 million option on right-hander Jordan Lyles and will pay a $1 million buyout, and Boston said it and the player had declined a $12 million mutual option on outfielder Tommy Pham, who gets a $1.5 million buyout.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: David J. Phillip
Credit: David J. Phillip
Credit: David J. Phillip
Credit: David J. Phillip
Credit: David J. Phillip
Credit: David J. Phillip
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2022-11-10T16:39:53+00:00
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daytondailynews.com
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https://www.daytondailynews.com/nation-world/verlander-declines-25m-astros-option-becomes-free-agent/OYW3T27X2RBZ7FYT3RXWIZGUFA/
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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Natasa Pirc Musar loves to ride her motorcycle. She also has worked as a human rights lawyer, a TV presenter, ran Slovenia’s top data protection agency and now is the small European Union nation’s first female president.
“Not a single day of my life have I said: ‘Oh God, I have to go to work,’” Pirc Musar told The Associated Press in an interview Monday. “All the jobs that I have done in my life were a hobby of mine.”
The lawyer chosen by former U.S. first lady Melania Trump to protect her interests in her native Slovenia says she is ready but still not aware of all the challenges that lie ahead as the country’s head of state.
“To be honest, I’m not aware of all the obstacles to my private life yet,” she said at her lawyer’s office on the outskirts of Ljubljana, the capital. “If you are asking me about my bike, I would still like to ride my bike. I will have to discuss this with the security guys.”
The 54-year-old liberal beat a conservative candidate, Slovenia’s former Foreign Minister Anze Logar, by nearly 10 percentage points in a runoff vote Sunday. Her victory was seen as a boost for the country’s center-left government that won a parliamentary election in April, ousting a right-wing coalition.
In 2016, Pirc Musar and her client Melania Trump filed a lawsuit against a local gossip magazine in Slovenia for suggesting the former first lady had worked as a high-end escort while pursuing her international modelling career before getting married to Donald Trump. An out-of-court settlement was reached.
Pirc Musar said Melania Trump congratulated her on the election victory.
“I was grateful for that,” Pirc Musar said. “I was her attorney at the times when there were some nasty rumors appearing in Slovenian media and after that it was distributed basically all around the globe.”
She still does not know how the former first lady of the United States found her.
“She contacted me at the time. I don’t know why she chose me. Probably her people did research because I dedicated most of my professional life to media law, to privacy law. And probably the choice was obvious,” Pirc Musar said.
While the presidency is largely ceremonial in Slovenia, the head of state is still a person of authority in the Alpine country of 2 million people.
“I was not involved into daily politics of Slovenia, but I was information commissioner for 10 years,” Pirc Musar said. “I’m definitely a strong believer in the European Union. I do believe that a rule of law and human rights are something that most Europeans still believe in.”
On the war in Ukraine, Pirc Musar said the EU has done a lot for Ukraine but it may have not done enough.
“Being a lawyer, we have to be honest: Russia violated the international law and that is a fact. Peace negotiation talks should start as soon as possible,” she said, suggesting that a deal to end the war must be made with Ukraine having a leading role, and not as a result of negotiations between the U.S. and Russia.
Much media attention during the campaign focused on the lucrative network of companies owned by her and her husband. She has rejected accusations that she put money into tax havens, saying that all of the businesses were declared with Slovenian tax authorities.
She also formerly served as the president of the Slovenian Red Cross and helped to draft personal data protection laws in Ukraine as well as in Serbia and Montenegro.
She called her journalism career in the late 1990s a “huge and positive experience.”
“I started on national television learning about journalism,” she said. “I basically became what I am today because of the media.”
“Whatever I have done in my life I did it with passion,” Pirc Musar added.
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2022-11-14T21:11:46+00:00
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texomashomepage.com
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https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/international/ap-slovenian-president-eager-to-work-gets-melanias-congrats/
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Police investigate homicide in southwest Albuquerque
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Police investigate homicide in southwest Albuquerque
One person was found dead after police responded to reports of a shooting in southwest Albuquerque. Albuquerque police say they responded to the 600 block of Bataan Drive SW for reports of a shooting early Thursday morning. Police say when they arrived they found one person dead at the scene. The APD homicide unit is investigating.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
One person was found dead after police responded to reports of a shooting in southwest Albuquerque.
Albuquerque police say they responded to the 600 block of Bataan Drive SW for reports of a shooting early Thursday morning.
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Police say when they arrived they found one person dead at the scene.
The APD homicide unit is investigating.
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2022-09-29T15:39:07+00:00
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koat.com
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https://www.koat.com/article/homicide-investigation-in-southwest-albuquerque/41442599
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A woman behind the wheel of a self-driving Uber that hit and killed a pedestrian has pleaded guilty to endangerment in what is the first fatal collision involving a fully autonomous test vehicle.
After years of legal limbo, 49-year-old Rafaela Vasquez was sentenced to three years of supervised probation Friday for the 2018 crash that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg in suburban Phoenix. Vasquez, who was behind the wheel of the car, told police that Herzberg "came out of nowhere" on the dimly lit Tempe street.
Vasquez had originally been charged with negligent homicide, a felony that carries a minimum one year prison sentence. However, she entered a plea agreement with prosecutors that would reclassify the charge as a misdemeanor if she completes the probationary requirements.
SEE MORE: Are self driving cars safe?
Authorities said Vasquez was streaming a television show on her phone and not watching the road when her SUV struck Herzberg as she was crossing the street with her bicycle. But Vasquez's attorneys claim she was looking at an Uber messaging app that's used by employees while they work, and that the corporation should share some of the blame for the collision.
Herzberg's death was the first involving a fully autonomous test vehicle, but was not the first from a car with some self-driving features. Two years prior, an Ohio driver was killed after crashing into semi-truck while his Tesla was operating in autopilot mode.
In 2022, automakers reported nearly 400 crashes over a 10-month period involving semi-autonomous or fully-autonomous vehicles, according to U.S. regulators. A majority of those crashes involved Teslas.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com
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2023-07-31T16:25:30+00:00
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krtv.com
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https://www.krtv.com/backup-driver-in-self-driving-uber-that-killed-woman-pleads-guilty
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Modular hydroponic farms are now available through special partnership
agreements and are designed to be located anywhere - eliminating fuel costs
while boosting food production.
CORONA, Calif., May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Container Technologies, Inc (Ticker: ACTX), announced that its innovative modular hydroponic farms can help farmers lower costs and boost production during these trying times.
According to Fox News, "rising fuel prices are hitting some farmers hard." Additionally, there are unprecedented issues with the supply chain, the pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine, which together have made this a very difficult time to be a farmer - or anyone involved with food production.
ACTX has a way to help. The company's innovative Modular Hydroponic Farms can be located virtually anywhere and provide a smart way to grow organic fruits and vegetables without pesticides, herbicides, or risk of contamination. Additionally, the farms require no fuel for tractors or other heavy equipment, and produce more crops with less water per acre than traditional farming.
We Grow 4U
The company also announced a new partnership program that allows farmers, businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs the ability to own the production, but have the actual growing done by ACTX.
"Even though our systems are automated and easy to operate, many people simply don't want to get their hands dirty (which actually doesn't happen with a hydroponic system) and find it easier to let us do all the work," said Doug Heldoorn, CEO of Advanced Container Technologies. "Through these partnerships, we do the growing and you own the crop."
Financing is also available, with an astonishingly rapid ROI.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, access to affordable, healthy food is a significant problem impacting 40 million Americans. Large numbers of people live in food deserts, "which contributes to higher diabetes and heart disease rates, increased poverty and lower educational outcomes."
Modular Hydroponic Farms can help solve this problem by giving community groups the ability to grow organic food locally, where it is most needed.
"Food must be protected and prioritized as a human right," Heldoorn said. "Governments, the private sector, entrepreneurs, schools, community groups, farmers, foundations and even grocery stores should be prioritizing the deployment of portable farming systems to drive the shift toward a more sustainable, resilient global food system."
The Modular Farm can be set up in a matter of days, and is much less labor-intensive than traditional farming. Automation software controls the environment, nutrition and hydration levels; and enables farmers to remotely monitor the conditions.
For more information on Advanced Container Technologies, or Modular Hydroponic Farms, to find out more about the Grow4U partnerships, call: (951) 381-2555 or visit: www.advancedcontainertechnologies.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Statements about ACTX' beliefs and expectations, involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "may," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," or other similar expressions. All information is as of the date of this press release, and ACTX undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
View original content:
SOURCE Advanced Container Technologies, Inc.
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2022-05-16T14:14:31+00:00
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mysuncoast.com
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https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/16/actx-provides-new-solutions-farmers-disrupts-supply-chain-bring-healthy-food-where-its-needed/
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Ruby Bridges, desegregation trailblazer, writes kid’s book
(AP) - Ruby Bridges was a 6-year-old first-grader when she walked past jeering crowds of white people to become one of the first Black students at racially segregated schools in New Orleans more than six decades ago. Now, with teaching about race in America more complicated than it’s ever been, she’s authored a picture book about her experience for the youngest of readers.
Bridges, along with three other Black students at a different school, were the first to integrate what had been all-white schools in New Orleans in 1960.
“I Am Ruby Bridges,” featuring illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, goes on sale Tuesday. Published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., it’s aimed at readers as young as 4.
Complete with a glossary that includes the words “Supreme Court” and “law,” the book is an uplifting story about opportunities and kids being able to make a difference, Bridges said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“It’s a true reflection of what happened through my own eyes,” she said.
But books by or about Bridges have been challenged by conservatives in several school districts amid complaints over race-related teaching. Bridges said she hopes the new book winds up in elementary school libraries.
“I’ve been very, very fortunate because of the way I tell my story that my babies come in all shapes and colors, and my books are bestsellers, and maybe banned in schools,” she said. “But I think parents really want to get past our racial differences. They’re going to seek out those books.”
Bridges was born in 1954, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. Southern school districts, including New Orleans, continued resisting integration for years.
But on Nov. 14, 1960, Bridges — carrying a plaid book satchel and wearing a white sweater — was escorted by four federal marshals past a taunting white crowd into segregated William Frantz Elementary School. The scene was made famous in the Norman Rockwell painting “The Problem We All Live With,” which hung in the White House near the Oval Office during the tenure of former President Barack Obama.
The book’s theme plays off the author’s name: “Ruby” is a precious stone, and “Bridges” are meant to bring people together. Told with a touch of humor from the vantage point of a first-grader, the book captures the wonder of Bridges’ experience — rather than just the scariness of that raucous first day at the school.
“It really looks like Mardi Gras to me, but they aren’t throwing any beads. What’s Mardi Gras without beads?” Bridges writes.
The only parade that day was out of the school. White parents immediately began withdrawing their children, so Bridges spent the entire year by herself with white teacher Barbara Henry, who is still alive and a “very best friend,” Bridges said. Henry’s acceptance and kindness during a fraught time taught her an important lesson, she said.
“That shaped me into a person that is not prejudiced at all. And I feel like that little girl is still inside of me, and that’s it’s my calling to make sure kids understand that you can’t look at someone and judge them,” Bridges said.
Elsewhere in New Orleans on the same day Bridges went to school, Gail Etienne, Leona Tate and Tessie Prevost entered the previously all-white McDonogh No. 19 elementary school. Last year, New Orleans held a weekend of events to remember Bridges and other women.
Bridges, a Mississippi native, still lives in metro New Orleans and has authored or co-authored five books. Two years she published “This Is Your Time,” which is intended for older children than her new book.
___
Reeves is a member of AP’s Race and Ethnicity Team.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2022-09-06T14:34:12+00:00
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foxcarolina.com
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https://www.foxcarolina.com/2022/09/06/ruby-bridges-desegregation-trailblazer-writes-kids-book/
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WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — President Joe Biden will host an event championing the passage of a new bipartisan law meant to reduce gun violence Monday. However recent mass shootings, including one in suburban Chicago last week, have overshadowed the triumph.
The bill, passed after recent gun rampages in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, incrementally toughens requirements for young people to buy guns, denies firearms to more domestic abusers and helps local authorities temporarily take weapons from people judged to be dangerous.
The event comes one week after a gunman killed seven people at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Authorities said the attacker fired more than 80 rounds into the parade crowd with a semi-automatic rifle.
NewsNation will livestream the event in the player above.
The law is the most impactful firearms violence measure Congress has approved since enacting a now-expired assault weapons ban in 1993. Yet gun control advocates — and even White House officials — say it’s premature to declare victory.
“It’s historic, but it’s also the very bare minimum of what Congress should do,” said Igor Volsky, director of the private group Guns Down America. “And as we were reminded by the shooting on July 4, and there’s so many other gun deaths that have occurred since then, the crisis of of gun violence is just far more urgent.”
Most of the new law’s $13 billion in spending would be used for bolstering mental health programs and for schools, which have been targeted by shooters in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and many other gun massacres. It was the product of weeks of closed-door negotiations by a bipartisan group of senators who emerged with a compromise.
It does not include far tougher restrictions that Democrats and Biden have long championed, such as a ban on assault-type weapons and background checks for all gun transactions. Biden on Monday was expected to reiterate his call for those tougher measures, but prospects are slim for any further congressional action.
The United Nations estimates the U.S. homicide rate is three times that of Canada, five of France and 26 of Japan. According to some studies, there are more guns in America today than there are people.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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2022-07-11T14:42:20+00:00
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cbs4indy.com
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https://cbs4indy.com/news/biden-celebration-of-new-gun-law-overshadowed/
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Wars often offer glimpses into the future. World War I, for instance, initiated the age of tanks, submarines and airplanes, while World War II began an era of computers, missiles and atomic energy. The Ukraine war is still raging, but already strategists are drawing lessons such as what the conflict means for war in the age of social media and whether the warship is about to go the way of the horse cavalry. Indeed, almost immediately after the dramatic sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, those two issues came together.
Even as the cruiser was on fire — but before it sank — news of the attack broke on social media by way of announcements from Ukrainian government sources on Twitter, followed by reports from multiple open-source-intelligence analysts. The two combatant nations immediately began arguing about the cause. While Russia laughably claimed that the Moskva had been lost to an accidental explosion, more credible reports validated the Ukrainians’ claim that they had taken out the heavily armed 11,000-ton warship by hitting it with two Neptune cruise missiles, each packing 330 pounds of high explosive.
Soon after, a larger argument began to burn over what this news meant beyond the Black Sea. It was “a ‘wake-up call’ for the world’s top navies,” experts told Business Insider. The pundit Matt Yglesias tweeted that the episode had convinced him that even America’s prized aircraft carriers were now “basically useless in a wide range of scenarios,” while Nikkei’s former China bureau chief reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s confidence in carriers was also “shaken” by the attack. Xi is supposedly concerned that China’s carrier program, derived from the Soviet-era Kuznetsov-class carrier — ironically, made in Ukraine — is now wasted yuan.
In general, the argument that surface ships are now obsolete has been framed in an unhelpful all-or-nothing way. Our fleet is certainly threatened by a new generation of missiles, including some far more dangerous than those the Ukrainians used to such effect, such as hypersonic missiles that can travel five times the speed of sound. But analysts have prematurely announced the death of surface ships before — as far back as 100 years ago, when early air-power theorists like the U.S. Army Air Corps’ Billy Mitchell and Italian Gen. Giulio Douhet said the advent of the plane called into question the value of the fleet. Then as now, the reality is more complex. The naval warship, even the frequently maligned aircraft carrier, has a future, but its key tactics, systems and even form may shift, in large part because of those same threats that supposedly have killed it. As the sea warriors of “Game of Thrones” pledged: “What is dead may never die. But rises again, harder and stronger.”
The first looming change in war at sea — already well underway in the U.S. Navy — involves new ideas transforming old technology. Consider, for example, that problem of a missile fired at your warship. You could do what the Russians tried to do — namely, rely on one ship’s radar and defensive systems to react in time. Or you could bring software and networks that are common in business into this problem of war, so as to move the needed information at machine speed. A reconnaissance satellite can pick up the infrared bloom of the heat from the missile launch. That information can then be seamlessly tied into the radar on an F-35 fighter or AWACS plane flying off an aircraft carrier, which can detect and extrapolate the missile’s trajectory. Finally, the data can be combined with the insights of an Aegis Combat System on board an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer escorting the larger task force that your ship is networked into, which, now forewarned, can fire a defensive missile well before the threat arrives. None of the ships or even their core weapons have changed (the Burke is more than three decades old, as was the Moskva). But through new software and innovative ideas, our sensors and shooters can reach drastically further, creating a bigger bubble of lethality.
A different — and timely — example of using older ships in novel ways came in early April, when a record 20 F-35 fighter jets flew off the USS Tripoli. Swapping the ship’s normal complement of troop-carrying helicopters and tiltrotors for fighter jets transformed an amphibious assault ship originally designed to move a Marine unit ashore into an equivalent of a light aircraft carrier. This proof of concept shows that a whole new set of aircraft carriers can be added to the fleet, without having to build them from scratch. This gives an enemy the challenge of more mobile air bases to find and counter. What’s more, experience dating to World War II proves that pairing light carriers with traditional carriers has a force-multiplying effect; the move adds more deck space and allows the planes from different carriers to focus on offensive strikes or defense.
The second transformative path involves adding cutting-edge new hardware to old warships. The day before the Moskva’s defenses failed her, the U.S. Office of Naval Research announced the first successful test of an all-electric, high-energy laser weapon: It shot down a target much like the Neptune cruise missiles used in the Black Sea. The appeal of directed energy is that it alters both the odds and the cost equation of defending ships against missiles. You get only one chance to hit an incoming missile with a multimillion-dollar defensive missile, after all, and ships can carry only a limited supply. With a laser, you get unlimited shots, each at the mere cost of producing the electrical charge.
Unmanned technology will also transform what flies off our warships — and could change the definition of an “aircraft carrier.” Even as the U.S. Air Force rushes to send a new type of drone, the Phoenix Ghost, to Ukrainians — packed with explosives, they can attack kamikaze-style — the Pentagon has revealed the latest generation of autonomous “tiltroter” drones that can be deployed at sea. Sized to fit into the same space as the military’s workhorse helicopter, the manned MH-60, the V-247 Vigilant will be able to fly not just from a traditional aircraft carrier but from almost any warship. It can carry a variety of weapons, from anti-submarine armaments to Sidewinder air-to-air missiles to Joint Strike Missiles (cruise missiles similar to those that took out the Moskva). They’d give a warship the reach of the missile’s range, plus the drone’s range, akin to doubling the length of a boxer’s punch.
The final change for the future of the warship will come from bringing increasingly capable and intelligent robotics from the air to the waves. Indeed, future naval historians may view other developments in April 2022 as more momentous than the sinking in the Black Sea. For instance, the U.S. Navy delivered to Congress its 30-year shipbuilding plan, which, depending on which path is taken, envisions a fleet with 81 to 153 unmanned surface ships and 18 to 50 unmanned submarines.
The Navy had the confidence to make this move because of the successes of tests involving unmanned vessels that it has collectively dubbed its Ghost Fleet. A novel Navy organization working in the Persian Gulf, Task Force 59, is now taking those tests to a new level, exploring how best to use robotic warships in a range of scenarios, both on their own and integrated into new kinds of units made up of unmanned and manned ships. In a sense, these exercises echo the learning experiments of the 1920s — in which strategists found that the airplane actually hadn’t rendered the warship obsolete but instead revealed the need for new types of ships as well as new tactics.
The same day that the Moskva’s sinking prompted questions for so many, the Pentagon announced a package of military equipment being sent to Ukraine. Alongside the old howitzer cannons and Soviet-era helicopters was a set of new “unmanned coastal defense vessels.” Ukraine had already shown that it was quite capable of fighting today’s battles at sea. The coming task, not just for Ukraine but for the United States, is to get ready for tomorrow’s.
|
2022-04-28T19:32:42+00:00
|
washingtonpost.com
|
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/04/28/ships-moskva-future-navy/
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Pueblo D70 resource officers train for active threats as school year begins
After Pueblo School District 70 students returned to the classroom this week, school resource officers with the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office resumed their ongoing active threat training on Friday at Pueblo County High School.
Sheriff's Office Lt. Christopher Kilpatrick said that defending schools from active threats, including active shooters, requires a protocol that is both strict and fluid. Officers train for active threats several times throughout the year, keeping with the most up-to-date training. Additionally, most school resource officers have some type of SWAT experience, Kilpatrick said.
The training at Pueblo County High School took place a month after video was released of the Uvalde Police Department's delayed response to a shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
More:Arming teachers comes up at Pueblo School District 70 board meeting
Footage of the May 24 incident showed officers hesitating to confront the gunman in the classroom he was in, despite there being nearly 400 officers on site. Ramos killed 19 students and two teachers before he was fatally shot by officers.
"Some parents called in ... back when it went national, there was a lot of concern about what happened in Uvalde," Pueblo County Sheriff's Office Capt. Clifford Kindred said. "We assured them, we are going to do a lot of training. We do things the right way, so if something does come up in schools, these officers are trained on account of what they are going to do to react to that kind of situation."
Kilpatrick said the footage left an imprint on not just the Pueblo D70 community and Pueblo County Sheriff's Department, but "the entire world as a whole."
"I know the glaring elephant in the room has been some of the footage we're seeing with some of the Uvalde incident," he said. "Unfortunately, there were a lot of mistakes made ... this type of training was to overcome and defeat the potential for misunderstanding and misrepresentation of action to take place."
Education news:Nonprofit helps Pueblo students access computers, earn cybersecurity certifications
PCSO's school resource officer program places trained officers in schools throughout Pueblo D70. Pueblo School District 60 has its own school resource officer program with the Pueblo Police Department.
With Mesa, Pueblo West and Mountain Region schools, along with two charter schools in Pueblo city limits, Pueblo D70 covers a vast territory. As such, patrol officers offering backup to school resource officers are spread across locations throughout Pueblo County including a Pueblo West substation, two downtown Pueblo locations and a Colorado City substation, Kindred said.
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.
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2022-08-16T05:11:55+00:00
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chieftain.com
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https://www.chieftain.com/story/news/2022/08/15/pueblo-d70-resource-officers-sheriff-conducts-active-shooter-threat-training/65401917007/
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A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
___
WELCOME BACK
Nationals star Stephen Strasburg is set to pitch in the majors for the first time since June 1, 2021, when he starts against the Marlins in Miami.
Strasburg, who turns 34 next month, has been sidelined for most of the past two seasons. He underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last summer.
The 2019 World Series MVP made three minor league rehab starts in the lead-up to his debut. Washington manager Dave Martinez says he won’t put any limitations on the right-hander.
“We’ll see how far we can take him. We’ll keep a close eye on him,” Martinez said this week.
Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245 million contract to remain with the Nationals after their championship season. He has made seven starts since, going 1-3 with a 5.74 ERA in those games. The three-time All-Star is 113-61 with a 3.21 ERA in his career.
TROUT SITS
Mike Trout is listed as day to day after the Angels star exited a game because of tightness in his left groin.
The three-time AL MVP was out of the lineup Wednesday night as the Angels lost 1-0 to Boston, extending their losing streak to a franchise-record 14 games.
“Definitely better than it was last night. He’s going to stay inside today, do a lot of treatments on it, and we’re just going to kind of see where that takes us by game time,” Angels athletic trainer Mike Frostad said before the game. “He’s not concerned about it. He’s very upbeat, moving around pretty good, and he’s really been in a good frame of mind.”
No MRI was scheduled, Frostad said.
Trout ended a career-worst 0-for-26 slump Monday. He homered early in the game Tuesday, then grimaced while running out a double.
The outfielder is batting .284 with 14 home runs and a .989 OPS. He missed the final 119 games of last season with a left calf strain.
GOOD NEWS, NEW YORK
Mets stars Pete Alonso and Starling Marte got promising diagnoses from injuries suffered in San Diego, and both players think they could be back in a matter of days.
Alonso was hit in his right hand by a pitch Tuesday, but X-rays and a CT scan showed no breaks or fractures. The hulking right-handed hitter, tied for the NL lead with 16 homers, is optimistic he won’t have to go on the injured list. He’s waiting for swelling to subside before planning his return, but still he called it “probably the best-case scenario.”
Marte left Tuesday’s game with left quad tightness but said Wednesday he was feeling better and also hoping to avoid the IL.
Neither player was in the lineup Wednesday for the series finale against the Padres. New York is off Thursday before opening a set at the Angels on Friday night.
SHUTOUT STRING
Dodgers left-hander Tyler Anderson (7-0, 2.59 ERA) has thrown 26 consecutive scoreless innings heading into his matchup with Dylan Cease (4-2, 3.69) and the Chicago White Sox in the finale of an interleague series between teams with October expectations.
The 32-year-old Anderson can become the first eight-game winner in the majors. A first-round draft pick by Colorado in 2011, he hasn’t finished with an ERA under 4.35 since his 2016 rookie season with the Rockies.
HEATING UP
Braves lefty Max Fried tries to win his fourth straight start when he pitches at home against Pittsburgh.
Fried (5-2, 2.74 ERA) has allowed just three runs in 20 innings during his winning string. He’ll face J.T. Brubaker (0-5, 4.70).
Off the field, the 28-year-old Fried still has a salary arbitration hearing in the near future. The cases are usually decided by now, but the timetable was pushed back by the Major League Baseball lockout.
Fried has asked for a salary of $6.85 million and the Braves offered $6.6 million. He pitched six shutout innings in the World Series clincher last year and is off to a good start this season — by agreement between MLB and the players’ union, no statistics or evidence from after March 1 are admissible in the arbitration hearing other than contract and salary comparisons.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2022-06-09T12:26:01+00:00
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mytwintiers.com
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https://www.mytwintiers.com/sports/leading-off-strasburg-returns-to-majors-trout-alonso-sit-2/
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I have become concerned about the impact on housing prices of the density now being permitted in residential (R-1) neighborhoods. If a person can cram a 3,700-square-foot home and ADU onto a residential lot, and maximize the rental profit of such a piece of land, the land values will skyrocket. This will further shut people out from buying a home due to the speculative value of the land.
Everyone is complaining about the high cost of home ownership in this area. Allowing such use of residential land, essentially converting every neighborhood to multiple unit zoning, will, although providing more rental housing, will shut even more people out of the dream of owning their own home.
This is an “unforeseen consequence” which will be unfortunate. Besides creating density and parking problems, it will not make housing more affordable to the average person seeking to own their home.
— Anina Van Alstine, Real estate broker associate, Santa Cruz
The Sentinel welcomes your letters to the editor. Letters should be short, no more than 150 words. We do not accept anonymous letters. Letter-writers should include their full name as well as a street address and telephone number. We don’t publish those details in the newspaper, but need the information for verification purposes. Occasionally, we reject letters simply because we’ve had so many on the same subject. Submit your letters online at www.santacruzsentinel.com/submit-letters.
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2023-05-08T22:12:03+00:00
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santacruzsentinel.com
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https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2023/05/08/letter-unforeseen-consequence-of-higher-densities/
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HONG KONG, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a world where technology rapidly evolves, Toshiba TV stands out with its latest release: the Toshiba TV X9900L.
The high-end model, which has caught eyes with its exquisite design, is engineered to deliver the perfect entertainment experience.
Among its standout features is the REGZA Engine OLED for stunning visuals and vibrant colors. In addition to superior visuals, the X9900L boasts an impressive audio experience. The inbuilt Tru Bass Processor enhances low-frequency sounds for more powerful bass performance, and the Tru Screen sound technology ensures that crisp sound emanates directly from the screen, providing a more immersive and realistic listening experience.
Spotlighting the X9900L, Toshiba TV embellishes its brand persona — Takumi, Authentic, and Responsible — in a new 90s-themed campaign. The new initiative, centered on bringing back the classic feel of a golden vintage era, seeks to rekindle fond memories of the 1990s.
Through this approach, Toshiba TV pioneers an extraordinary endeavor to become a bigger household name across the globe by reaching out to an even wider audience.
Predictably, a vital element to the global anticipation of Toshiba TV's new campaign is its thrilling duality. By integrating the best of the vintage 90s and the modern 2020s, Toshiba TV reaffirms its commitment to rare craftsmanship and unparalleled innovation.
About Toshiba TV
Toshiba TV has 71 years of history in TV production. With its strong DNA in inventions and innovative ideas, Toshiba TV has produced many TVs with the world's first features. Toshiba TV has provided unforgettable experiences and new viewing styles to many people around the world through its high image quality.
For more details, stay tuned to Toshiba TV on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Toshiba TV
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2023-04-27T14:52:43+00:00
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wagmtv.com
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https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/04/27/toshiba-tv-x9900l-merges-best-two-worlds/
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NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania, April 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in implementation of directives by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH the Crown Prince, has transferred its $300 million deposit with the Central Bank of Mauritania into a soft loan, as part of the Kingdom's ongoing efforts and leadership role in supporting the development and economy of Arab and Islamic states.
The move comes as an extension of the Kingdom's continuous support for the people and government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, to push the wheel of economic growth and implement development projects in vital sectors. The support aims to contribute to promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, in addition to opening new financing channels from regional and international financial organizations.
View original content:
SOURCE Ministry Of Finance
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2022-04-17T20:50:21+00:00
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kalb.com
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https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/04/17/saudi-arabia-converts-its-300-million-deposit-with-central-bank-mauritania-into-soft-loan/
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MEXICO, Mo. (AP) — A former student at the Missouri Military Academy alleges in a lawsuit that school administrators did nothing to stop routine beatings he suffered at the school.
The student filed a personal injury lawsuit this week against the school in Mexico, Missouri, which is a college preparatory military boarding school for boys in grades 7-12.
The student alleges in the lawsuit that he attempted suicide in January 2021 to avoid having to return to the school, KMIZ-TV reported.
MMA President Richard Geraci said in a statement Wednesday that the allegations in the lawsuit are "wholly unfounded” and the Academy intends to defend itself.
He said the academy has "established procedures and documented training to ensure the prohibition of bullying, hazing and other inappropriate conduct.”
The boy, who attended the school between 2018 and 2021, said he was first attacked within weeks of starting at the academy and the beatings occurred “nearly weekly.”
The petition also claims the school had a yearly tradition of a “purge,” in which younger students were beaten by “commanders,” “platoon sergeants,” “platoon leader” and/or “executive officer."
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2022-11-30T22:34:22+00:00
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lmtonline.com
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https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Former-student-alleges-abuse-at-Missouri-Military-17621993.php
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Lawyers representing an American reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges met with him in a Moscow prison on Tuesday for the first time since his detention last week and said “his health is good,” according to his employer, The Wall Street Journal.
Evan Gershkovich, 31, was arrested Thursday in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on espionage accusations. The Journal has denied the charges.
“Evan’s health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release,” the Journal’s editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, said in a note to the newsroom Tuesday. She said the paper was encouraged by the visit.
Gershkowich’s family, she said, “are relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan.”
The reporter is being kept behind bars for two months pending an investigation. Moscow’s Lefortovsky District court said Monday that it had received an appeal against Gershkovich’s arrest filed by his defense, according to Russian news agencies. No date for a hearing on the appeal has been set.
Gershkovich is in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. A Russian state prison monitor said Monday that Gershkovich was in a quarantine cell while undergoing medical checks, was reading a book from the prison library, and had access to a TV, radio and refrigerator. The prison monitor, Alexei Melnikov, didn’t say when he saw Gershkovich, but said he was cheerful. That report couldn’t be independently verified.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, of FSB, the top successor to the Soviet-era KGB, accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the Biden administration was pressing hard for Gershkovich’s release. “It’s got attention all the way up to the Oval Office in terms of how we can get him home,” Kirby told reporters in Washington.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart Sunday — during a rare phone call between the diplomats since the start of the Ukraine war — to release Gershkovich immediately, as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.
|
2023-04-05T12:26:51+00:00
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ourquadcities.com
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https://www.ourquadcities.com/news/international/lawyers-meet-with-jailed-american-reporter-in-moscow-prison/
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WFO SPOKANE Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, January 3, 2023
_____
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Spokane WA
439 AM PST Tue Jan 3 2023
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING...
* WHAT...Freezing drizzle. Ice accumulations around a light glaze.
* WHERE...Fairfield, Creston, Rockford, Post Falls, Airway Heights,
Spokane Valley, Hayden, Grand Coulee, Wilbur, Coeur d'Alene,
Cheney, Harrington, Davenport, Downtown Spokane, and Worley.
* WHEN...Until 10 AM PST this morning.
* IMPACTS...Untreated roads, bridges, parking lots and sidewalks
will be slick this morning.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Slow down and use caution while traveling. Prepare for possible
power outages. The latest road conditions for the state you are
calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
_____
Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
|
2023-01-03T14:05:54+00:00
|
lmtonline.com
|
https://www.lmtonline.com/weather/article/WA-WFO-SPOKANE-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17691085.php
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MINOT, N.D. (KXNET) — Education leaders are finding ways to close the workforce shortage issues that may arise in the future.
And now, a new career and technical education center have officially broken ground to help close this gap.
Minot State University and the Dakota College at Bottineau have teamed up to provide hands-on education for dental hygiene and assisting.
What used to be Trinity Health’s Human Resource offices will now be transformed into classrooms and fully equipped dental rooms.
This is only the second college in North Dakota that provides these programs, and leaders hope this will not only fill a workforce shortage gap in the dental industry but also bring more people to the Magic City as well.
“A lot of times — especially with there only being one other school in North Dakota for the dental programs — that’s where the students go,” explained the DCB’s Minot Program Director, Maggie Backen. “Chances are if they go to school on the east side of the state, that’s where they’re going to stay. So hopefully, by creating something here, it creates opportunities for the students to come and stay here, develop residency, and create their families — and a community that keeps on growing and growing.”
The dental assisting program is a three-semester course, and the dental hygiene program is a three-year course. The career center will start classes in the fall of 2024.
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2023-02-14T02:57:50+00:00
|
kxnet.com
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https://www.kxnet.com/news/local-news/minot-leaders-to-solve-dental-workforce-shortages/
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IXL's teaching and learning platform will be used district wide to close knowledge gaps, improve academic achievement and provide equitable educational experiences
LEXINGTON, Ky., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IXL, the personalized learning platform used by more than 14 million students, has announced a new partnership with Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) in Kentucky. As part of the collaboration, the state's second-largest K-12 school system will now use IXL's award-winning platform district-wide to boost academic achievement in math, English language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. IXL is used by nearly 40 percent of all K-12 students in Kentucky, accounting for more than 283,000 learners.
Fayette County Public Schools strives to provide a world-class education
and positive learning environment to more than 40,000 students from the Lexington area. FCPS began using IXL to support its special education and English language learner communities, and recently expanded its implementation district-wide after successfully piloting the platform.
The district highly values IXL Analytics because it provides educators with data that allows them to track student achievement across schools and identify any gaps in knowledge. This information can then be used to quickly intervene and provide students with the support they need to succeed.
FCPS also appreciates IXL's comprehensive curriculum and instructional resources because they give educators the flexibility to create personalized learning pathways for students. These pathways allow students to learn at their own pace and in their own way, which helps them grow independently. Additionally, IXL provides FCPS with custom math skill plans that are aligned to the district's scope and sequence, as well as test preparation for Kentucky's Summative Assessment. These plans reinforce standards-aligned instruction, which helps students master the concepts they need to know to succeed.
"IXL is an immersive learning tool that helps students master content at school, on-the-go and at home. Insights provided by IXL help teachers track growth and target recommendations for next steps, and research shows that students who use IXL perform better on state assessments," said Brooke Stinson, Director of Assessment, Fayette County Public Schools. "We are excited for this partnership and to provide this resource for all of our students."
"We are delighted to continue our partnership with Fayette County Public Schools. By using IXL's platform district-wide, educators will be able to more effectively track student progress, close achievement gaps and empower all students to reach their full potential," said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. "We are proud to be an important resource to our partners, and we look forward to working with FCPS' team so that all of its learners have even more opportunities to succeed."
Recover learning and boost achievement with IXL's award-winning platform
IXL gives school districts everything that they need to make a bigger positive impact on learning. The all-inclusive platform provides thousands of curriculum and instructional resources, actionable analytics and a state-of-the-art assessment suite. In addition to helping schools and students succeed academically, IXL can even uncover hidden obstacles to learning, develop students' intrinsic motivation to learn and more.
IXL's state-of-the-art assessment suite
IXL's assessment suite works in concert with its curriculum to give educators and students real-time insight into performance, pinpoint gaps in knowledge and provide specific next steps that help recover learning. IXL's adaptive assessment, the Real-Time Diagnostic, accurately measures students' grade-level proficiency and growth in key math and ELA strands, helping educators understand exactly what learners know and what they can do to improve. Additionally, IXL's universal screener flags at-risk students in as little as 20 minutes to help educators plan district-wide math interventions.
Comprehensive curriculum for deeper learning
Teachers use IXL's comprehensive curriculum to provide students with tailored support and ensure that they master essential concepts. More than 10,000 rigorous, mastery-based skills deeply engage students, build a strong foundation of knowledge and prepare learners for higher-level thinking. Based on students' previous work in the curriculum, IXL generates personalized recommendations in real time that guide learners to the skills that will help them grow the fastest. Additionally, IXL's skill plans simplify lesson planning by providing teachers with skills that match their state standards and textbooks. IXL also provides test preparation skill plans and personalized study plans for the SAT and ACT.
Instructional resources and classroom engagement tools
IXL's built-in instructional resources include nearly 2,400 math and English language arts video tutorials, corrective feedback, educational games for young learners and step-by-step lessons that support students when they're working independently. Classroom engagement tools, like Group Jams and Leaderboards, make classroom learning engaging and create collaborative learning opportunities.
Actionable analytics for districts, schools, classrooms and individual learners
IXL Analytics is an essential daily tool that allows teachers to easily identify trouble spots, monitor performance on skills, deliver data-driven instruction and use limited class time more effectively. Administrators can use IXL District Analytics and IXL School Analytics to track student progress and teacher engagement, enabling them to improve IXL's impact on their school or district.
About Fayette County Public Schools
Fayette County Public Schools serves over 40,000 students from the Lexington metro area, with the goal of providing a world-class education for every child. The mission of Fayette County Public Schools is to create a collaborative community that ensures all students achieve at high levels and graduate prepared to excel in a global society.
About IXL Learning
Currently used by 14 million students and in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts, IXL is an all-inclusive educational platform that provides a comprehensive PK-12 curriculum and instructional resources, actionable analytics and a state-of-the-art assessment suite. IXL's end-to-end teaching and learning solution supports personalized instruction in math, English language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. With more than 130 billion questions asked and answered around the world, IXL is helping schools and parents successfully boost student achievement. The IXL Learning family of products also includes Rosetta Stone, TPT, SpanishDictionary.com, inglés.com, Wyzant, Vocabulary.com, ABCya, Education.com and Emmersion. To learn more about IXL, visit www.ixl.com, facebook.com/IXL and twitter.com/IXLLearning.
Press Contact
Eric Bates
IXL Learning
press@ixl.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE IXL Learning
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2023-07-31T13:37:49+00:00
|
wlox.com
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https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/ixl-fayette-county-public-schools-partner-boost-academic-achievement-personalize-learning-all-students/
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