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NEW YORK (AP) — Reacting to a surprising and growing monkeypox outbreak, U.S. health officials on Tuesday expanded the group of people recommended to get vaccinated against the monkeypox virus.
They also said they are providing more monkeypox vaccine, working to expand testing, and taking other steps to try to get ahead of the outbreak.
“We will continue to take aggressive action against this virus,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 response coordinator, who has also been playing a role in how the government deals with monkeypox.
The administration said it was expanding the pool of people who are advised to get vaccinated to include those who may realize on their own that they could have been infected. That includes men who who have recently had sex with men at parties or in other gatherings in cities where monkeypox cases have been identified.
Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.
The disease is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It does not usually spread easily among people.
Last month, cases began emerging in Europe and the United States. Many — but not all — of those who contracted the virus had traveled internationally. Most were men who have sex with men, but health officials stress that anyone can get monkeypox.
Case counts have continued to grow. As of Tuesday, the U.S. had identified 306 cases in 27 states and the District of Columbia. More than 4,700 cases have been found in more than 40 other countries outside the areas of Africa where the virus is endemic.
There have been no U.S. deaths and officials say the risk to the American public is low. But they are taking steps to assure people that medical measures are in place to deal with the growing problem.
One of the steps was to expand who is recommended to get vaccinated. Vaccines customarily are given to build immunity in people before they are ever infected. But if given within days or even a few weeks of first becoming infected, some vaccines can reduce severity of symptoms.
A two-dose vaccine, Jynneos, is approved for monkeypox in the U.S. The government has many more doses of an older smallpox vaccine — ACAM2000 — that they say could also be used, but that vaccine is considered to have a greater risk of side effects and is not recommended for people who have HIV. So it’s the Jynneos vaccine that officials have been trying to use as a primary weapon against the monkeypox outbreak.
So far, the government has deployed over 9,000 doses of vaccine. U.S. officials on Tuesday said said they are increasing the amount of Jynneos vaccine they are making available, allocating 56,000 doses immediately and about 240,000 more over the coming weeks. They promised more than 1 million more over the coming months.
Officials said limited Jynneos doses will be allocated “using a four-tier distribution strategy that prioritizes jurisdictions with the highest case rates of monkeypox,” and that the number of doses distributed would be based on the number of people at risk for monkeypox and on how many of them can’t get ACAM2000 because of HIV.
That suggests the largest number of doses might go to states like New York, California and Illinois, each of which has reported more than 40 cases. However, officials on Tuesday did not say exactly which jurisdictions would be at the top of the list.
David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, was critical of the government’s announcement.
“.We have more questions than ever about how this vaccine will make it to those most at-risk in an equitable way and how the U.S. will ramp up testing and provide access to the best therapeutics,” Harvey said, in a statement.
Another change announced Tuesday: Until now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that vaccines be given after exposure to people whom health officials identify as close personal contacts of cases. But on Tuesday, CDC officials say they are expanding the recommendation to people who were never identified but may realize on their own that they may have been infected.
That can include men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners in a venue where there was known to be monkeypox or in an area where monkeypox is spreading.
“It’s almost like we’re expanding the definition of who a contact might be,” said the CDC’s Jennifer McQuiston. If people have been to a party or other place where monkeypox has been known to spread “we recommend they come in for a vaccine,” she said.
The CDC’s expansion follows similar steps taken in New York City and the District of Columbia.
The District of Columbia has identified 19 cases, but case-tracking investigations revealed that some of the infected men had been in gatherings where they were hugging, kissing or in other forms of close intimate contact with people they didn’t know, said Anil Mangla of the D.C. health department.
It was clear that “we were missing something here,” and needed to start offering services to others, said Mangla, an epidemiologist.
Last Thursday, New York City’s health department — armed with 1,000 of doses of Jynneos from the federal government — announced it was opening a temporary clinic to offer the vaccine to all gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men who have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the previous two weeks.
But all the appointments quickly filled up that day, and the last round of appointments was Monday. “Until we receive more supply we are unable to release additional vaccination appointments,” said Patrick Gallahue, a spokesman for the city’s health department, in an email.
On Monday, the District of Columbia’s health department took a similar step. The department started taking appointments at 1 p.m. Monday but had to stop after 20 minutes, Mangla said.
The department only had 200 doses of Jynneos, and it was clear at the point that it the department didn’t have the vaccine supply or staffing to continue to sign up new people, he said.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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2022-06-29T23:15:49+00:00
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kfor.com
|
https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-legislature/ap-politics/us-officials-announce-more-steps-against-monkeypox-outbreak/
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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Sunday that it will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy, taking a unilateral step to support the sagging cost of crude after two earlier production cuts by members of the OPEC+ alliance of major oil-producing countries failed to push prices higher.
The announcement of the Saudi cuts of 1 million barrels per day, which will start in July, followed a meeting of the alliance at OPEC headquarters in Vienna. The rest of the OPEC+ producers agreed to extend earlier cuts in supply through the end of 2024.
“This is a grand day for us, because the quality of the agreement is unprecdented,” Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said in a news conference, adding that the new set of production targets are “much more transparent and much more fair.”
The slump in oil prices has helped U.S. drivers fill their tanks more cheaply and given consumers worldwide some relief from inflation. That the Saudis felt another cut was necessary underlines the uncertain outlook for demand for fuel in the months ahead.
There are concerns about economic weakness in the U.S. and Europe, while China’s rebound from COVID-19 restrictions has been less robust than many had hoped.
Saudi Arabia, the dominant producer in the OPEC oil cartel, was one of several members that agreed on a surprise cut of 1.16 million barrels per day in April. The kingdom’s share was 500,000. That followed OPEC+ announcing in October that it would slash 2 million barrels per day, angering U.S. President Joe Biden by threatening higher gasoline prices a month before the midterm elections.
However, those cuts gave little lasting boost to oil prices. International benchmark Brent crude climbed as high as $87 per barrel but has given up its post-cut gains and been loitering below $75 per barrel in recent days. U.S. crude has dipped below $70.
Those lower prices have helped U.S. drivers kicking off the summer travel season, with prices at the pump averaging $3.55, down $1.02 from a year ago, according to auto club AAA. Falling energy prices also helped inflation in the 20 European countries that use the euro drop to the lowest level since before Russia invaded Ukraine.
It’s possible the latest production cut could send oil prices up and with them, gasoline costs. But there is uncertainty about when the slow-growing global economy will regain its thirst for fuel for travel and industry.
The cut follows bin Salman’s sharp warning to speculators betting on lower oil prices. The Saudis need sustained high oil revenue to fund ambitious development projects aimed at diversifying the country’s economy away from oil.
The International Monetary Fund estimates the kingdom needs $80.90 per barrel to meet its envisioned spending commitments, which include a planned $500 billion futuristic desert city project called Neom.
While oil producers need revenue to fund their state budgets, they also have to take into account the impact of higher prices on oil-consuming countries. Oil prices that go too high can fuel inflation, sapping consumer purchasing power and pushing central banks like the U.S. Federal Reserve toward further interest rate hikes.
Higher rates target inflation but can slow economic growth by making credit harder to get for purchases or business investment.
___
AP reporter Fatima Hussein contributed from Washington.
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2023-06-04T17:30:30+00:00
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wjhl.com
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https://www.wjhl.com/news/international/with-oil-prices-slumping-opec-producers-weigh-more-production-cuts/
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Bullard, TX Schools Unable to Offer Free Meals to All Students This School Year
There are children who depend on free school meals in Bullard, TX, unfortunately Bullard ISD's program that covered free meals for all will not be happening this upcoming school year.
Bullard Independent School District revealed that they will no longer be able to offer free meals to all students as they have in years past. According to the school districts website, the USDA waiver that helped the district provide free meals to students before expired on the last day of this past school year.
CBS19 reports, "This means that the school district will start charging for meals based on student eligibility for meal benefits starting on the first day of the school year. The cost of meals moving forward is $2.25 for breakfast for all students; $3 for lunch for Pre-K through 6th grade; and $3.50 for lunch for middle and high school students."
If your family is still in need of assistance now you should apply for free meals. Those who are in need of assistance paying for meals can apply to the "Free and Reduced Lunch Application" on their website.
Otherwise, here is how the cost of meals will look this school year:
- $2.25 for breakfast for all students
- $3.00 for lunch for Pre-K through 6th grade
- $3.50 for lunch for middle and high school students
According to FRAC.org, "school lunch is critical to student health and well-being, especially for low-income students—and ensures that students have nutrition they need throughout the day to learn. Research shows that receiving free or reduced-price school lunches reduces food insecurity, obesity rates, and poor health."
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2022-07-26T07:44:19+00:00
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knue.com
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https://knue.com/bullard-tx-schools-free-meal-program-ends/
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Kenneth Wayne England and Nancy Lee Pizano, both of Heyworth.
Steven Michael Brown and Kaitlyn Michelle Hodel, both of Bloomington.
Tyler Joseph Hook and Wynonna Jean Houck, both of Heyworth.
Brandon Dean Turner and Rhiannon Danielle Fisher, both of Bloomington.
Maksim Sergeevich Zubritckii and Annellia Bishop Pierce, both of Bloomington.
Austin Jacob Van Tran and Pearl Huynh, both of Normal.
Brian John Baumgartner, of Geneva and Kathryn Elizabeth Saulcy, of Bloomington.
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2023-01-09T13:58:30+00:00
|
pantagraph.com
|
https://pantagraph.com/announcements/see-marriage-licenses-for-bloomington-normal-area/article_8b89353a-8859-11ed-a1c8-8f720ac957d5.html
|
- Mission and White Knight demand unreasonable rate increases as their viewership with DISH subscribers continues to decline
- Mission and White Knight rejected DISH's extension offers to keep programming accessible to customers while negotiations continue
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Broadcasting and White Knight Broadcasting local channels, both operated by Nexstar Media Group, were removed from DISH TV today, affecting access in 28 markets nationwide. With this removal, DISH customers no longer have access to the local channels in Mission's markets, such as ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW and MNT, and to White Knight stations in two markets.
"Both programming groups rejected DISH's contract extension offers to keep programming available for customers while we continue to negotiate," said Brian Neylon, group president, DISH TV. "We're disappointed Mission and White Knight have chosen this course of action. The demanded fees are unreasonable given that Mission and White Knight's viewership on DISH have significantly declined over the past three years, indicating that many viewers have moved to other channels for programming they prefer."
Mission and White Knight's actions are not unexpected. In the past year, the Nexstar-controlled programmers removed channels from Comcast, DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse and Verizon Fios. Mission is currently in a long-term dispute with DirecTV. It pulled its channels from DirecTV customers in mid-October, forcing more than a million customers to look elsewhere to watch their favorite programming.
"Broadcasters like Mission and White Knight often block customer access as they negotiate for higher rates," added Neylon. "We will continue to fight on behalf of DISH customers to keep prices as low as possible. We hope Mission and White Knight will continue to negotiate with us in good faith so we can minimize the disruption to our customers."
DISH customers can visit DISHPromise.com for more information.
Stations Affected:
Mission:
- (NBC: KRBC) - Abilene, TX
- (FOX: WXXA) - Albany, NY
- (CW: KWBQ) - Albuquerque, NM
- (MNT: KASY) - Albuquerque, NM
- (FOX: KCIT) - Amarillo, TX
- (MNT: KCPN) - Amarillo, TX
- (FOX: KHMT) - Billings, MT
- (ABC: WVNY) - Burlington, VT
- (FOX: KLJB) - Davenport, IA
- (FOX: WFXP) - Erie, PA
- (CW: WTVW) - Evansville, IN
- (FOX: KFQX) - Grand Junction, CO
- (ABC: KODE) - Joplin, MO
- (ABC: WLAJ) - Lansing, MI
- (FOX: KLRT) - Little Rock, AR
- (CW: KASN) - Little Rock, AR
- (ABC: KAMC) - Lubbock, TX
- (NBC: KTVE) - Monroe, LA
- (CW: WPIX) - New York, NY
- (FOX: KPEJ) - Odessa, TX
- (FOX: WNAC) - Providence, RI
- (ABC: WTVO) - Rockford, IL
- (NBC: KSAN) - San Angelo, TX
- (FOX: KMSS) - Shreveport, LA
- (CBS: KOLR) - Springfield, MO
- (ABC: WAWV) - Terre Haute, IN
- (ABC: WUTR) - Utica, NY
- (FOX: KJTL) - Wichita Falls, TX
- (MNT: KJBO) - Wichita Falls, TX
- (CBS: WYOU) - Wilkes Barre, PA
White Knight:
- (NBC: WVLA) - Baton Rouge, LA
- (FOX: KFXK) - Tyler-Longview-Lufkin, TX
About DISH
DISH Network Corporation is a connectivity company. Since 1980, it has served as a disruptive force, driving innovation and value on behalf of consumers. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides television entertainment and award-winning technology to millions of customers with its satellite DISH TV and streaming SLING TV services. In 2020, the company became a nationwide U.S. wireless carrier through the acquisition of Boost Mobile. DISH continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first virtualized, O-RAN 5G broadband network. DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is a Fortune 200 company.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE DISH Network Corporation
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2023-01-07T00:55:45+00:00
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mysuncoast.com
|
https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2023/01/06/nexstar-operated-mission-broadcasting-white-knight-broadcasting-pull-local-channels-dish-tv-customers/
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden gathered a crowd of thousands at the White House Tuesday to celebrate last month’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, even as a new government report showed how hard it could be to bring surging prices down near prepandemic levels.
Despite its name, the law’s impact on inflation is expected to be modest at best.
Tuesday’s economic report — inflation at 8.3% year-to-year, though just 0.1%. from July to August — was a harsh reminder of how difficult it might be to hit the Federal Reserve’s inflation target of 2% a year. Even as gasoline prices have declined since June, the costs of housing and food remain especially high in a way that suggests further Fed rate hikes and more economic pain to bring down prices.
U.S. stock indices fell sharply on the inflation report, with the benchmark S&P 500 down more than 4.3% on Tuesday.
Still, Biden and congressional Democratic leaders hailed the new law, with the president raising his voice and taking off his jacket in campaign style at the event on the White House South Lawn.
“With this law the American people won and special interests lost,” Biden said, taking a victory lap for legislation that rounded out the last piece of his domestic agenda for his first two years in office.
The legislation, which passed with only Democratic votes in Congress, also included the most substantial federal investment in history to fight climate change — some $375 billion over a decade — and will cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 out-of-pocket annually for Medicare recipients. It also would help an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic. The measure is paid for by new taxes on large companies and stepped-up IRS enforcement on wealthy individuals and entities.
Biden in his remarks criticized Republicans for voting against the measure, contending they opposed a bill that would lower prices.
“I believe Republicans could have and should have joined us on this bill as well,” Biden said. “After all, this bill cut costs for families to help reduce inflation at the kitchen table.”
The law may help lower prescription drug prices, but outside analyses suggest it will do little to immediately bring down overall inflation. Last month, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office judged it would have a “negligible” effect on prices through 2023. The University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model went even further to say “the impact on inflation is statistically indistinguishable from zero” over the next decade.
In theory, the law could reduce inflationary pressures because it would lower annual budget deficits by $300 billion over 10 years.
But by partially forgiving student debt and changing the repayment structure in an August executive order, Biden likely has wiped out those deficit savings, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. An analysis by the fiscal watchdog estimates that the president’s executive order on student debt would cost roughly $500 billion over 10 years, “completely eliminating any disinflationary benefit.”
Still, voters are especially sensitive to gasoline, which declined 10.6% in August. The Biden administration has repeatedly cited relief at the pump as gas costs have fallen since June —when average U.S. prices crested above $5 a gallon. AAA estimates that gas prices nationwide averaged $3.71 a gallon on Tuesday.
|
2022-09-14T12:59:42+00:00
|
pix11.com
|
https://pix11.com/ap-political/ap-biden-touts-inflation-reduction-law-despite-sobering-report/
|
CLEVELAND (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched six scoreless innings for his MLB-leading 15th victory, Chas McCormick and Martin Maldonado each homered and had three RBIs, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0 Thursday night.
Verlander (15-3), making his comeback from Tommy John surgery, extended his winning streak to seven starts and moved into a tie with Herb Pennock for 55th place all-time with 241 victories. He gave up two hits, both singles, and struck out five.
“It’s fun to be behind the plate for him,” Maldonado said. “Watching his preparation between games and his execution on the mound, that’s what future Hall of Famers do. I think he was born that way.”
In addition to leading the majors in wins, Verlander is first with a 1.73 ERA. The right-hander is 11-16 in his career at Progressive Field, where his 5.17 ERA is the highest of any ballpark that he has pitched in more than twice.
“Is it still over 5.00? Well, then I’ve still got some demons to exorcize here,” Verlander quipped. “These guys tormented me for a while. I’m not going to say that was something I focused on, but it was definitely on my mind.”
Verlander also triggered his $25 million player option for 2023 by reaching 130 innings. The 39-year-old will earn the same amount this season under the new contract that he signed last winter.
“I wanted a player option and I thought that was more than a fair ask because they’re going out on a limb paying an old guy,” Verlander said. “Because if I didn’t throw 130, then I didn’t earn what I made this year anyway.
“Crossing that threshold puts me in a good spot, but that isn’t something I’m thinking about now at all.”
Will Smith, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton completed the three-hitter, helping Houston move within 1 1/2 games of the idle Yankees for the best record in the AL.
McCormick gave the Astros a 2-0 lead with run-scoring singles in the third and fifth off Cleveland starter Zach Plesac (2-10). Maldonado added a two-run double in the fifth against Nick Sandlin to make it 4-0.
McCormick and Maldonado struck again in the seventh with solo homers, the 11th of the season for both, off Kirk McCarty. McCormick equaled his career high with three hits on an evening when Houston left eight runners on base over the first three innings.
“I didn’t see them square up a ton of balls, but there was a ton of traffic right from the get-go,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “And Verlander was as advertised.”
Cleveland entered the day one game behind AL Central leader Minnesota and one game out of the final wild-card spot. Steven Kwan, Josh Naylor and Austin Hedges accounted for its hits in the loss.
Kwan matched Boston’s J.D. Martinez for the longest hitting streak in the AL this year at 18 games. It also is the longest run by a rookie since Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes had a 19-gamer in 2020-2021.
Plesac remained winless since June 5 in Baltimore, allowing four runs, seven hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander is 0-6 in his last 10 starts and has dropped all five of his decisions in night games.
“I’m being tested right now, it’s just a weird time,” Plesac said. “I’m never going to back down from it and will get out of this funk of unluckiness or whatever it is. It seems like I can’t catch a break.”
SIGH OF RELIEF
The Astros picked up three significant veterans in 1B Trey Mancini, C Christian Vázquez and LHP Will Smith before the MLB trade deadline earlier this week, allowing manager Dusty Baker to take a deep breath.
“It feels fun, actually, to be done with that,” Baker said. “We’re in the dog days of the season, but this year, it seems like the dog showed up a little early.”
Vázquez ranks third in the AL with 74 starts behind the plate, the first 73 with Boston.
“Going to a new team is a difficult adjustment for catchers, which is where Vázquez is now,” Baker said. “You have to learn the philosophy of the pitching coach, how to talk to pitchers, and when to call timeout to calm a guy down. It’s not easy.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: OF Aledmys Diaz (left ring finger) was hurt in the eighth inning when he collided with center fielder Jake Meyers on a fly ball to left-center by Cleveland’s Austin Hedges. Diaz was undergoing medical tests following the game.
Guardians: RHP Aaron Civale (right wrist sprain), who has been on the 15-day injured list since July 14, will make a rehab start Friday for Triple-A Columbus against Rochester. Francona said the goal for Civale is to pitch four innings.
UP NEXT
Astros: LHP Framber Valdez (9-4, 2.80 ERA) has earned the win in all three of his career appearances against Cleveland, posting a 2.81 ERA over two starts and one relief outing.
Guardians: RHP Hunter Gaddis will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus for his major league debut. Gaddis is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA since his promotion from Double-A Akron.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2022-08-05T21:39:39+00:00
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kxnet.com
|
https://www.kxnet.com/sports/verlander-wins-mlb-leading-15th-game-astros-blank-cleveland/
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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The ghostly form floating in a large jar had been the robust reddish-brown of a healthy organ just hours before. Now it’s semitranslucent, white tubes like branches on a tree showing through.
This is a pig liver that’s gradually being transformed to look and act like a human one, part of scientists’ long quest to ease the nation’s transplant shortage by bioengineering replacement organs.
The first step for workers in this suburban Minneapolis lab is to shampoo away the pig cells that made the organ do its work, its color gradually fading as the cells dissolve and are flushed out. What’s left is a rubbery scaffolding, a honeycomb structure of the liver, its blood vessels now empty.
Next human liver cells — taken from donated organs unable to be transplanted — will be oozed back inside that shell. Those living cells move into the scaffolding’s nooks and crannies to restart the organ’s functions.
“We essentially regrow the organ,” said Jeff Ross, CEO of Miromatrix. “Our bodies won’t see it as a pig organ anymore.”
That’s a bold claim. Sometime in 2023, Miromatrix plans first-of-its-kind human testing of a bioengineered organ to start trying to prove it.
If the Food and Drug Administration agrees, the initial experiment will be outside a patient’s body. Researchers would place a pig-turned-humanlike liver next to a hospital bed to temporarily filter the blood of someone whose own liver suddenly failed. and if that novel “liver assist” works, it would be a critical step toward eventually attempting a bioengineered organ transplant — probably a kidney.
“It all sounds science fiction-ey but it’s got to start somewhere,” said Dr. Sander Florman, a transplant chief at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, one of several hospitals already planning to participate in the liver-assist study. “This is probably more of the near future than xenotransplantation,” or directly implanting animal organs into people.
More than 105,000 people are on the U.S. waiting list for an organ transplant. Thousands will die before it’s their turn. Thousands more never even get put on the list, considered too much of a long shot.
“The number of organs we have available are never going to be able to meet the demand,” said Dr. Amit Tevar, a transplant surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “This is our frustration.”
That’s why scientists are looking to animals as another source of organs. A Maryland man lived two months after receiving the world’s first heart transplant from a pig last January — an animal genetically modified so its organs didn’t trigger an immediate attack from the human immune system. The FDA is considering whether to allow additional xenotransplantation experiments using kidneys or hearts from gene-edited pigs.
Bioengineering organs is markedly different — no special pigs required, just leftover organs from slaughterhouses.
“That is something that in the long term may very likely contribute to the development of organs we can use in humans,” said Pittsburgh’s Tevar. He’s not involved with Miromatrix — and cautioned that the planned outside-the-body testing would be only an early first step.
The Miromatrix approach stems from research in the early 2000s, when regenerative medicine specialist Doris Taylor and Dr. Harald Ott, then at the University of Minnesota, pioneered a way to completely decellularize the heart of a dead rat. The team seeded the resulting scaffolding with immature heart cells from baby rats that eventually made the little organ beat, garnering international headlines.
Fast forward, and now at university spinoff Miromatrix sit rows of large jugs pumping fluids and nutrients into livers and kidneys in various stages of their metamorphosis.
Stripping away the pig cells removes some of the risks of xenotransplantation, such as lurking animal viruses or hyper-rejection, Ross said. The FDA already considers the decellularized pig tissue safe for another purpose, using it to make a type of surgical mesh.
More complex is getting human cells to take over.
“We can’t take billions of cells and push them into the organ at once,” Ross said. When slowly infused, “the cells crawl around and when they see the right environment, they stick.”
The source of those human cells: donated livers and kidneys that won’t be transplanted. Nearly a quarter of kidneys donated in the U.S. last year were discarded because hospitals often refuse to transplant less than perfect organs, or because it took too long to find a matching recipient.
As long as enough cells still are functioning when donation groups offer up an organ, Miromatrix biologists isolate usable cells and multiply them in lab dishes. From one rescued human organ the company says it can grow enough cells to repopulate several pig liver or kidney scaffolds, cells responsible for different jobs — the kind that line blood vessels or filter waste, for example.
In 2021, researchers with Miromatrix and the Mayo Clinic reported successfully transplanting a version of bioengineered livers into pigs.
That set the stage for testing a “liver-assist” treatment similar to dialysis, using bioengineered livers to filter the blood of people in acute liver failure, a life-threatening emergency. Doctors now have little to offer except supportive care unless the person is lucky enough to get a rapid transplant.
“If you can just get over the hump, then you might actually recover” — because the liver is the only organ that can repair itself and regrow, said Mount Sinai’s Florman. “I’ll be excited when they get their first patient enrolled and I hope that it’s with us.”
It’s not clear how soon that testing can begin. The FDA recently told Miromatrix it has some questions about the study application.
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2022-12-27T22:44:08+00:00
|
niagara-gazette.com
|
https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/making-pig-livers-humanlike-in-quest-to-ease-organ-shortage/article_302c9a78-861b-11ed-aabc-f79f0d54be29.html
|
Woman pleads not guilty in Texas killing of pro cyclist
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A woman accused of killing professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson as a romantic rival pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Wednesday, as her lawyers pressed for a quick trial that the judge then scheduled to start in late October.
Wilson, 25, was found shot to death dead May 11. Kaitlin Armstrong, 34, fled the country after her initial interviews with investigators, prompting a 43-day manhunt that ended with her arrest at a beachside hostel in Costa Rica on June 29.
Authorities said she had tried to change her appearance and used several aliases as she moved around Costa Rica while trying to set herself up as a yoga instructor in that country.
A competitive gravel and mountain bike racer and Vermont native known as “Mo,” Wilson had been in Austin for a race she was among the favorites to win. Police have said Wilson had previously dated Armstrong’s boyfriend, cyclist Colin Strickland, who they say has cooperated with investigators and is not a suspect.
According to investigators, Armstrong’s SUV was seen on surveillance video outside the home where Wilson was killed. Armstrong faces up to 99 years in prison if she’s convicted. She is being held on $3.5 million bond.
Prosecutors questioned whether the quick trial setting amounted to a “privilege” for Armstrong, as it would put her case in front of other murder trials that have waited for two years or longer because of pandemic slowdowns. They also noted that investigators are still gathering evidence that prosecutors and defense attorneys have yet to receive.
“If they chose to indict without evidence, that’s the district attorney’s problem,” Armstrong’s attorney, Rick Cofer, told District Judge Brenda Kennedy before she granted the request to set a trial date and scheduled it to begin Oct. 24.
After the brief court hearing, Cofer suggested that Armstrong’s defense will challenge the evidence gathering and conduct by Austin police investigators, and whether they didn’t follow leads that could have led to a different suspect.
“Ms. Armstrong wants her day in court,” Cofer said, without taking questions. “Simply put, there is a lot more to this story that has yet been heard.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2022-07-20T20:22:08+00:00
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wbrc.com
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https://www.wbrc.com/2022/07/20/woman-pleads-not-guilty-texas-killing-pro-cyclist/
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Jaylen Brown fueled a comeback charge and scored 24 points, Al Horford hit six 3-pointers and the Boston Celtics rode the most lopsided fourth quarter in NBA Finals history to a 120-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1.
Horford finished with 26 points and the Celtics outscored the Warriors 40-16 in the final 12 minutes after trailing by 15 points late in the third quarter. Boston made its first seven tries from long distance in the fourth and wound up 9 of 12 beyond the arc over the final 12 minutes as almost everybody got involved in the 3-point flurry.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry led all scorers with 34 points.
Game 2 is Sunday.
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2022-06-03T12:34:43+00:00
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news5cleveland.com
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https://www.news5cleveland.com/sports/celtics-have-huge-4th-beat-warriors-in-game-1-of-nba-finals
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TOPEKA, Kan. – An anti-abortion activist who heads a small hard-right Republican group said he’s offered to pay the expected $229,000 cost of a hand recount of votes from every Kansas county after a decisive statewide vote affirming abortion rights.
Mark Gietzen, who leads the group Kansas Republican Assembly, told the Kansas City Star he wants to pay for the recount that Melissa Leavitt, of Colby, requested because he believes it could change the outcome. The 165,000-vote difference in the election makes that unlikely, however.
Gietzen said fundraising and his own money would be used. The Kansas Republican Assembly is significantly to the right of the state Republican Party and isn't affiliated with the GOP-led legislature.
There has been no evidence of significant problems with the election. Baseless election conspiracies have circulated widely in the U.S., particularly among supporters of former President Donald Trump, who has repeated false claims that he lost the 2020 election through fraud.
Kansas law requires that a bond be posted to cover the cost of the recount and if the recount changes the outcome, the money will be refunded.
A spokeswoman for the Kansas Secretary of State's Office, Whitney Tempel, said Friday that Leavitt had posted a $200,000 bond, but Leavitt said in updates posed to TikTok over the weekend that the bond had not been paid yet and fundraising was ongoing. Tempel didn't immediately respond to messages from the newspaper and The Associated Press.
Leavitt said in a video posted to TikTok on Sunday morning that there was 24 hours left to raise money for the effort.
Earlier this month, Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have allowed the conservative Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion. It failed by 18 percentage points and was the first test of voter sentiment after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June that overturned the constitutional right to abortion.
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2022-08-14T23:52:56+00:00
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ksat.com
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https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2022/08/14/activist-offers-to-pay-for-kansas-recount-of-abortion-vote/
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State police have obtained arrest warrants for six people in Susquehanna County for playing a role in the September murder of a man some of the suspects believed was a drug informant for police.
breaking
Police charge six in death of Montrose man
Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.
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Submissions now open for the 2023 Mother's day edition.
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2023-03-22T18:16:37+00:00
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thetimes-tribune.com
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https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/crime-emergencies/police-charge-six-in-death-of-montrose-man/article_cd3d199b-97ac-5ffd-a747-cbf4f6679c81.html
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Lace up your sneakers and get ready to run.
The 11th annual 5K and 1 mile walk in honor of Lindsay Matthews returns to the Orchard Park Soccer Complex on Sunday July 30 at 10 a.m.
Lindsay Matthews was an Orchard Park graduate in 2007, and a sophomore attending Geneseo State University when she was killed in a tragic accident in November 2008. As an active participant in many sports, and activities her parents created the Lindsay Matthews 5K to honor her memory.
Along with the 5K, there will be a 1 mile walk, and kids fun run for children 10 years of age & under.
The event will award those who finish in the top places for their division age groups, and hold a celebration after the race with food, a Chinese auction, children's magician, live music, and more.
The event is charging $30 for adults who race, $15 for students who race, $15 for the 1 mile walk and $10 for the kids fun run. People can register for the race both online, by mail, and in person on the day of the race. The first 350 people registered will receive a free dry fit t shirt.
All money raised during the event will go to support scholarships provided to Orchard Park High School graduates in Lindsay's name.
To learn more about the scholarship run visit lindsaymatthewsrun.com
RELATED VIDEO:
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2023-07-14T21:49:09+00:00
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wgrz.com
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https://www.wgrz.com/article/entertainment/events/annual-lindsay-matthews-5k/71-6ccc7d63-0592-4b44-8286-dc204db6d531
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A local university is rolling out a new look.
Today the University of Sioux Falls announced a new logo and campaign message: “the difference is here.”
The unveiling marked the school’s 139th year.
USF President, Brett Bradfield says while the visual brand is changing the school’s mission remains the same.
“We remain an institution that embraces accepting people where they are at and coming alongside them in this faith and academic journey here at the University of Sioux Falls.”
USF will gradually update its campus signage with its new logo starting on Monday.
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2022-09-08T23:03:57+00:00
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keloland.com
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https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/usf-unveils-new-logo/
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WASHINGTON (AP) — An FBI informant who marched to the U.S. Capitol with fellow Proud Boys members on Jan. 6 testified on Wednesday that he didn’t know of any plans for the far-right extremist group to invade the building and didn’t think they inspired the violence that day.
The informant, who was identified in court and in a court record only as “Aaron,” was a defense witness at the trial of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants charged with seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was a plot to keep Donald Trump in the White House after the 2020 presidential election.
The informant was communicating with his FBI handler as the mob of Trump supporters swarmed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, writing in a text message that police barriers were down and the crowd was almost at the building. He also told his handler that the Proud Boys “did not do it, nor inspire.”
“The crowd did as a herd mentality. Not organized,” he wrote. The handler’s response was redacted from a screenshot that a defense attorney showed to jurors.
A prosecutor later suggested that the informant sent that text only after it became clear that he and other members could be in serious trouble. The prosecutor also suggested that the informant wasn’t a mere observer to the riot, showing video that captured him helping another Proud Boy use a podium to block a security gate from closing.
The presence of government informants in the far-right group has repeatedly come up in the lengthy trial, as defense lawyers seek to undermine prosecutors’ claim that the Proud Boys plotted to attack the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
“Aaron,” who was allowed to withhold a last name when he testified, is one of several Proud Boys associates who were informants before or after the Jan. 6 attack. He is the first to testify at the trial, one of the most important to emerge from the Justice Department’s massive investigation of the Capitol riot.
Revelations about the informants have raised fresh questions about intelligence failures before the riot. A U.S. Senate report examining security failures surrounding the riot found that law enforcement had intelligence leading up to Jan. 6 that some Trump supporters were threatening violence and planning a siege to stop the certification of Biden’s victory.
The informant, however, who joined the Proud Boys in 2019, said he wasn’t a group leader and didn’t know any Tarrio or any of the other leaders on trial. He was not in any of the Telegram chats the Proud Boys leaders on trial are accused of using to plot in the days leading up to Jan. 6.
Law enforcement routinely uses informants in criminal investigations, but their methods and identities can be closely guarded secrets. Federal authorities haven’t publicly released much information about their use of informants in the far-right group.
The informant told jurors that his relationship with the FBI began around 2008 and investigators didn’t ask him to join the Proud Boys or direct him to gather information about the group. The FBI also didn’t ask him to go to Washington on Jan. 6 or march with the Proud Boys that day, he said.
The informant planned his travel to Washington with members of a Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys, including at least four who were charged with conspiring to impede the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, he said.
The informant told jurors that marching from the Washington Monument to the Capitol appeared to be a photo opportunity for the Proud Boys. He said he reached out to his handler when the violence erupted on Jan. 6 because he saw it as an “emergency situation.”
“If there was any violence and all that, they would have wanted to know,” he said of the FBI.
On cross-examination, prosecutor Conor Mulroe showed videos of the informant near Nordean and Biggs among rioters who breached police lines. In one video, the informant is seen pumping a fist. Asked why he didn’t try to de-escalate the situation, the informant said he couldn’t believe the mob would storm past police officers guarding the building.
“At that point, it was almost a circus before things got serious,” he said.
The trial was briefly disrupted last week when prosecutors told defense attorneys that another person the defense had wanted to put on the witness stand secretly worked as a government informant for two years after the Jan. 6 attack.
Prosecutors said that person, who didn’t officially become an informant until after months after the riot, was never told to gather information about the defendants or their lawyers and the FBI ended its relationship with her this past January after it learned she might testify.
Tarrio’s lawyers ultimately decided not to put her on the witness stand after the judge said attorneys couldn’t ask about her relationship with the FBI because it’s not relevant to the trial.
Tarrio, a Miami resident who served as national chairman of the group, and the other Proud Boys could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of seditious conspiracy. Tarrio wasn’t in Washington on Jan. 6. Tarrio had been arrested in a separate case days earlier, but authorities say he helped put into motion the violence that day.
Two other former Proud Boys members, who agreed to cooperate with the government, also testified they didn’t know of any specific plan to storm the Capitol.
But Bertino, a former regional leader from North Carolina who pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, told jurors that the group plotted to violently prevent Biden from taking office because they were trying to “save the country” from what they feared would be a tyrannical government.
Hundreds of privately exchanged messages shown to jurors show the Proud Boys becoming increasingly agitated as Trump’s legal challenges failed in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6 and celebrating the attack on the Capitol and their role in it.
“Do what must be done,” Tarrio wrote on social media as the mob stormed the Capitol. Later that day, someone asked in an encrypted group chat what they should do next.
“Do it again,” Tarrio responded.
Also on trial with Tarrio are Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola. Nordean, of Auburn, Washington, was a Proud Boys chapter leader. Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, was a self-described Proud Boys organizer. Rehl was president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia. Pezzola was a Proud Boys member from Rochester, New York.
Prosecutors rested their case on March 20. Jurors are expected to hear several more days of testimony from defense witnesses before they hear closing arguments.
___
Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the Capitol riot at https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege.
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2023-03-30T11:40:51+00:00
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wearegreenbay.com
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https://www.wearegreenbay.com/politics/ap-politics/capitol-riot-fbi-informant-testifies-for-proud-boys-defense/
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PARIS (AP) — Former France captain Amandine Henry was called up by coach Herve Renard on Tuesday to prepare for the upcoming Women's World Cup.
Renard chose 26 players in a squad that will ultimately be trimmed to 23 for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand next month.
Henry has played 93 matches for France but her last appearance was in November 2020.
Experienced Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Kheira Hamraoui was not selected.
Renard was appointed in March after the players rebelled against predecessor Corinne Diacre.
The 54-year-old Renard quit as coach of the Saudi Arabia men's team this week, ending a four-year spell highlighted by a win over eventual champion Argentina in the group stage of last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
He said his goal with the women’s team was to at least reach the semifinals at the World Cup and the Paris Olympics.
___
France squad:
Goalkeepers: Mylène Chavas (Bordeaux), Constance Picaud (Paris Saint-Germain), Solène Durand (Guingamp), Pauline Peyraud-Magnin (Juventus Turin)
Defenders: Selma Bacha (Lyon), Estelle Cascarino (Manchester United), Elisa De Almeida (PSG), Sakina Karchaoui (PSG), Eve Périsset (Chelsea), Maëlle Lakrar (Montpellier), Aïssatou Tounkara (Manchester United), Wendie Renard (Lyon)
Midfielders: Kenza Dali (Aston Villa), Amel Majri (OL), Laurina Fazer (PSG), Grace Geyoro (PSG), Sandie Toletti (Real Madrid), Amandine Henry (Angel City FC), Oriane Jean-François (PSG), Léa Le Garrec (Fleury)
Forwards: Viviane Asseyi (West Ham), Kadidiatou Diani (PSG), Eugénie Le Sommer (Lyon), Clara Mateo (Paris FC), Vicki Becho (Lyon), Naomie Feller (Real Madrid)
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2023-06-06T17:48:34+00:00
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lmtonline.com
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https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/ex-captain-amandine-henry-back-with-france-to-18138130.php
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former energy company executive from Los Angeles pleaded guilty Tuesday in a $15 million scheme to defraud investors in phony business arrangements for services to oil and gas companies in North Dakota, federal prosecutors said.
Joey Stanton Dodson was chairman of Citadel Energy Partners when he began raising money from more than 50 investors he said would fund three limited partnerships, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
“After inducing investors to deposit their funds, Dodson pooled the funds from the limited partnerships and conducted multiple transfers between Citadel-related accounts that helped him divert investor funds for his own benefit and conceal his actions,” the statement said.
Dodson misappropriated the money as part of the Ponzi scheme, and then used it to repay investors in an unrelated investment he operated separately, prosecutors said.
The three limited partnerships were placed into bankruptcy “and the investors suffered a total loss of their investments,” the statement said.
Dodson, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he's sentenced Oct. 25.
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2022-06-14T23:27:04+00:00
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seattlepi.com
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https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Los-Angeles-energy-exec-pleads-guilty-in-15M-17241954.php
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Gas prices now cheaper than one year ago
(CNN) - Gas prices soared to record levels in 2022, but after all that pain at the pump, fuel is now cheaper than it was a year ago.
According to AAA, the average cost of regular unleaded in the U.S. is now $3.33 a gallon.
This time last year, it was $3.34 a gallon.
The all-time record high came in June, with gas hitting just over $5 a gallon.
Since then, a slowing economy and recession fears have helped pushed down demand, resulting in a sharp drop in prices.
Average prices in the U.S. dropped by 14 cents in the past week and 47 cents in the past month.
Certain factors could push prices back up, including the war in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s potential response to Europe’s oil embargo and new price cap.
Also, OPEC could slash production again, and demand from China could rebound faster than expected.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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2022-12-08T15:28:22+00:00
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uppermichiganssource.com
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https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2022/12/08/gas-prices-now-cheaper-than-one-year-ago/
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Selection Sunday: March Madness committee names Alabama, Houston, Kansas, Purdue the 1 seeds
The top overall seed, Alabama, has been on a roll despite being entangled in a murder case. Another No. 1 seed, defending national champion Kansas, is coming off a blowout loss and has a coach coming out of the hospital. Yet another, Houston, just watched its best player go down in a heap with a scary injury.
This year’s March Madness frontrunners are anything but perfect, but the presence of these teams and all their questions at the top of the bracket could make for precisely what the NCAA wants its tournament to be – a perfectly unpredictable mess.
Most of the drama in picking this year’s bracket was resolved far before Selection Sunday.
RELATED: Cheerleader gets ejected after on-court altercation with college basketball player
Arizona State and Nevada made it off the bubble and into the 68-team field. Rutgers and Oklahoma State did not. Purdue, with 7-foot-4 Zach Edey leading the way, edged out UCLA for the fourth and final No. 1 seed.
And in a decision most everyone saw coming, the selection committee left North Carolina, last year’s national runner-up, out of the tournament. It made the Tar Heels the first team since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to start the season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and finish it by not making the Big Dance.
The team they lost to, Kansas, is trying to become the first back-to-back NCAA champion since Florida in 2007.
RELATED: Texas A&M receive technical foul after managers leave jerseys at team hotel, postponing game
The Jayhawks earned the top seed in the West Region, but only the third overall, behind the Crimson Tide and the Cougars. The Jayhawks are awaiting the return of coach Bill Self, who went to the hospital last week complaining of chest tightness and concerns with his balance. He has been discharged and is expected back this week.
The head of the selection committee, Chris Reynolds, said it took every injury, and every absence, into account.
"It's certainly something the committee talked about during the course of the year, and certainly played a factor in seeding and selection," said Reynolds, the athletic director at Bradley.
He said the committee also did not ignore lopsided losses: Two of Kansas’ seven Ls came in March to Texas, a No. 2 seed, by 16 and 20 points.
"They mark it how they feel and we're just going to do what we need to do to get where we need to be," Kansas forward KJ Adams said.
The tournament begins Tuesday with two First Four games. The full madness starts Thursday with 16 first-round games, then 16 more the next day.
RELATED: Father rushes from coal mining job to attend game with son in touching photo
Kansas’ loss to Texas in the Big 12 semifinal Saturday likely played into FanDuel Sportsbook setting the Jayhawks at 10-1 to win the title, behind both Alabama of the South Region (8-1 odds) and the overall favorite, Houston (5-1 odds), which would be playing the Final Four in its hometown if it wins the Midwest Region. The semifinals and finals are set for NRG Stadium on April 1 and 3.
The Cougars lost their conference title game Sunday, i n large part because they were without Marcus Sasser, the leading scorer who left the previous day’s game early after sliding awkwardly and hurting his groin.
Purdue likely found its way onto the "1" line when it won the program’s second Big Ten tournament title Sunday, less than 24 hours after UCLA, also dinged-up this season, fell by two to Arizona in the Pac-12 title game.
For Alabama, the SEC tournament was a relative breeze – nobody stayed within double digits of the Tide -- unlike the past two months, which have been met with a near constant flow of headlines about a former player, Darius Miles, who is accused of capital murder In the Jan. 15 killing of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
"I'm not sure we would have predicted this," said coach Nate Oats of the Tide, which is a No. 1 seed for the first time. "Being the No. 1 overall seed is great. It says what an unbelievable regular season we’ve had. You’ve still got to go win the games."
The SEC and Big Ten led the way by placing eight teams each in the 68-team field. Duke won the ACC for the 22nd time and was one of five teams from that conference in a relatively weak year.
But this tournament is always about more than big schools with big pedigrees.
Some teams to watch for include 13th-seeded Iona, coached by the legend, Rick Pitino, who has the Gaels in the show for the second time in three years – with some people wondering if he’ll be heading over to a vacant job at St. John’s soon. Iona got a brutal draw – a first-round meeting against fourth-seeded UConn.
There is Southern Conference champion Furman, back in the tournament for the first time since 1980, and MEAC champ Howard, back in the tourney for the first time since 1992.
There is Kennesaw State, the program that went 1-28 in 2019-20 and now finds itself in the bracket. For the rest of the dreamers, there is Texas Southern – the team that won its conference tournament as a No. 8 seed and comes to March Madness at 14-20 for a play-in game against Fairleigh Dickinson.
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2023-03-13T02:25:33+00:00
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fox9.com
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https://www.fox9.com/news/selection-sunday-march-madness-2023-alabama
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Colin Meloy, frontman for The Decemberists, has earned legions of fans for his affecting story songs steeped in history and romance. Now on tour for his latest solo album, Colin Meloy Sings Live!, he stopped by the NPR studios to chat with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen and share some of his favorite songs. Hear music from The Smiths, Scritti Politti, British folksinger Anne Briggs and selections from Meloy's new CD.
Download this show in the All Songs Considered podcast.
Sign up for the All Songs Considered newsletter and we'll tell you when new music features are available on the site.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
|
2022-07-23T00:21:12+00:00
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iowapublicradio.org
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https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2008-04-17/guest-dj-colin-meloy
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A union representing about 2,000 Philadelphia School District employees said Friday it has averted a strike by reaching a tentative contract agreement just three days before the start of the school year.
In a news release, local 32BJ SEIU officials said the new deal achieves "historic" wage increases, millions of dollars in funding for additional standardized training programs, protects sick leave and paid vacation and maintains pension and employer-paid health benefits.
The deal must still be ratified by union membership, whose current contract is set to expire in five days.
Union Vice President Gabe Morgan said the new deal "honors the enormous contributions and sacrifices that 32BJ school workers have made, including risking their lives throughout the pandemic."
"32BJ members are proud to show up to work every day and that includes the upcoming school days. I want to thank Mayor (Jim) Kenney and all of the elected officials for their support and for bringing us together, without which we wouldn't have reached an agreement," Morgan said in a statement.
Philadelphia is set to begin its 2022-2023 school year Monday, according to the school district's calendar.
The employees covered under the contract are primarily bus drivers, bus attendants, bus mechanics, building cleaners, building engineers and trades workers.
Chief Talent Officer Larisa Shambaugh said district officials were excited about the agreement, adding that it reflects the deep respect and value they have for the workers.
"We see the amazing work they do everyday," she said in a statement posted to social media. "We all look forward to starting the new school year with the certainty we will do so without interruption to in-person learning for our students and families."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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2022-08-27T01:18:19+00:00
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wlfi.com
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https://www.wlfi.com/news/national/philadelphia-school-district-bus-drivers-and-other-workers-reach-tentative-contract-agreement-union-says/article_ea6934e6-7649-59fa-9464-cd7c3dcdce17.html
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UnitedHealth Group hiked its 2022 forecast Friday after riding both growing health insurance enrollment and its newer care-providing businesses to a better-than-expected second quarter.
The health care giant said a nearly 9% surge in Medicare Advantage customers pushed its total enrollment past 51 million people.
UnitedHealth Group runs UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation’s largest insurers. But it also has been investing for several years now in its Optum segment, which provides care, manages prescription plans and offers technology support.
Revenue from that segment grew 18% to about $45.1 billion in the quarter, helped by Optum Health, which runs a growing network of doctor offices and surgery centers and provides care delivered at patient homes.
Optum Health brought in more than $17 billion, and the company said its revenue per customer grew 30% in the quarter, which it attributed to growth in value-based care arrangements. That involves reimbursing care providers based more on the patient’s health and how it improves instead of for each service performed.
This can give doctors more flexibility to address issues like whether the patient has a ride to an appointment or enough healthy food to eat.
UnitedHealthcare and other insurers have shown a growing interest in approaches like this with the idea that connecting people to more regular care can help them ward off or at least manage expensive medical conditions.
Overall, UnitedHealth Group’s second-quarter earnings grew 19% to more than $5 billion while earnings adjusted for one-time items totaled $5.57 per share.
The company’s total revenue grew 13% to $80.3 billion.
Analysts forecast earnings of $5.21 per share on $79.68 billion in revenue, according to FactSet.
UnitedHealth Group now expects adjusted earnings for 2022 to range between $21.40 and $21.90 per share. That represents an increase of 20 cents per share on both ends of the range.
FactSet says analysts expect, on average, earnings of $21.69 per share.
Shares of Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. climbed more than 1% to $510 in early-morning trading before markets opened.
The stock is up slightly on the year while the Dow Jones industrial average, of which UnitedHealth Group is a member, has plunged nearly 16%.
___
Follow Tom Murphy on Twitter.
|
2022-07-15T13:27:24+00:00
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clickorlando.com
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https://www.clickorlando.com/business/2022/07/15/growing-enrollment-optum-health-propel-unitedhealth-in-2q/
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Things to watch in Week 3 of the Southeastern Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
New No. 1 team Georgia visits South Carolina. The defending national champion Bulldogs, who replaced Alabama atop The Associated Press rankings, have outscored their first two opponents 82-3 behind quarterback Stetson Bennett. Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks are coming off a 44-30 loss to No. 10 Arkansas and face another huge challenge. It's even tougher given the season-ending ACL injuries to linebackers Jordan Strachan and Mo Kaba. But the Gamecocks' Rattler passed for 361 yards last week even though nearly half came in the fourth quarter. South Carolina has struggled to run the ball and faces one of the nation's best defenses.
BEST MATCHUP
No. 13 Miami (2-0) at No. 24 Texas A&M (1-1). The Aggies are trying to bounce back from a loss to Appalachian State that resulted in an 18-spot plunge in the rankings. They're favored by 5-1/2 points according to FanDuel Sportsbook. But a win against a higher ranked team would be a nice step toward restoring some of the luster to Texas A&M's season heading into SEC play. First-year Miami coach Mario Cristobal has his team off to a fast start, led by quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and former Mississippi tailback Henry Parrish Jr. Parrish ran for 58 yards on nine carries in the Rebels' win over the Aggies last season. Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher didn't rule out replacing starting quarterback Haynes King. “We're looking into everything,” he said.
IMPACT PLAYER
Stetson Bennett. The Georgia quarterback may not get enough credit for his play but he's certainly getting the job done. Bennett is averaging a league-best 10.28 yards per pass attempt while completing 75% of his passes for 668 yards. He has three touchdown passes and hasn't been intercepted in 65 pass attempts. Bennett has emerged as one of the Top-5 Heisman candidates per FanDuel Sportsbook.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Penn State is set to become the first Big Ten Conference team to visit Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium. Other than last season's meeting, Auburn's only other regular-season games against the Big Ten ended in ties (Ohio State, 0-0 in 1917) and Wisconsin (7-7, 1931). ... Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, the SEC offensive player of the week, has a school-record 167 straight attempts without an interception. ... LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels led the team to touchdowns on eight consecutive drives, including the first five against Southern and the last three versus Florida State. ... Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson faces South Florida again. In last year's game, his three passes went for 152 yards and two touchdowns while he rushed four times for 115 yards and a third score. ... If you take away three sacks, Alabama's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young is averaging 18.3 yards on his nine rushes with a touchdown.
UPSET WATCH
FanDuel.com lists No. 18 Florida (1-1) as 24.5-point favorites over South Florida (1-1). This game certainly may be that kind of mismatch, but the Gators have the challenge of responding to a 26-16 loss to No. 9 Kentucky and staying focused after back to back games against ranked teams. The game could be a character check for Richardson and Florida in trying to zero in on a lesser opponent. History wouldn't indicate the Gators will have a huge problem. Florida hasn't lost a regular season nonconference game since the start of the 2018 season, winning 13 in a row by an average of 26.3 points per game. The Bulldogs did have six rushing touchdowns against Howard, their most in a game since the same amount at Charleston Southern in 2003.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
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2022-09-15T06:49:41+00:00
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sfgate.com
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https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/No-1-again-Georgia-visits-South-Carolina-in-SEC-17443019.php
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by: M.J. Baird Posted: Nov 16, 2022 / 11:10 PM CST Updated: Nov 16, 2022 / 11:10 PM CST SHARE Holliday senior Jalynn Bristow signed her National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at Iowa State.
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2022-11-17T06:39:10+00:00
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texomashomepage.com
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https://www.texomashomepage.com/sports/local-sports/hollidays-jalynn-bristow-signs-nli-to-attend-iowa-state-november-16-2022/
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Neymar was pictured in tears on the Brazil bench after leaving his team's 2-0 win over Serbia to begin their World Cup campaign in Qatar on Thursday, after picking up an injury to his right ankle.
The Brazil forward was subjected to numerous fouls throughout the game by a physical Serbian side and was replaced by Antony in the 80th minute after spending some time on the ground at the Lusail Iconic Stadium following a hard tackle by Nikola Milenkovic.
- World Cup tiebreakers: What happens when teams are level on points
- 2022 World Cup: How every team can reach the round of 16
Neymar was treated with ice packs by team trainers on the bench and was seen limping toward the Brazil locker room after the win.
Neymar was at the heart of an electric Brazilian attack that registered 22 shots on goal against Serbia and he set up Vinicius Junior for the shot that ultimately led to the opener for Richarlison.
The Paris Saint-Germain star has struggled with injuries during his career, most recently picking up an ankle injury in November of 2021 in Ligue 1. He also missed the end of the 2014 World Cup after fracturing vertebrae in his back from a tackle by Colombia's Juan Zuniga in the quarterfinals.
The 30-year-old Neymar has yet to win a major title with the national team. He helped Brazil win the 2013 Confederations Cup and their first Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
With 75 goals for the national team, he is two shy of Pele's scoring record.
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2022-11-24T21:54:42+00:00
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espn.com
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https://www.espn.com/soccer/brazil-bra/story/4812988/brazils-neymar-in-tears-on-bench-after-leaving-serbia-win
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Lucky Osborne's parents divorced when he was 7, and he grew up with his grandparents, "Mama Willie and Daddy Charlie," in the Mississippi Delta. "It was really in the country. We had a swamp behind the house."
As a young boy, he would sit on his bed at night and shoot alligators through the window with a .22 rifle. "The road ended at our garage. If somebody was coming down the road they were either coming to see us, or they were lost."
Osborne remembers Mama Willie always carried a wooden spoon in her apron pocket. "If you messed up, you could not outrun that spoon," he says. "She would ping you right on the top of the head with it. I don't care how fast you tried to run, that spoon would hurt."
"My grandfather, he was quite a man. I think he finished maybe the eighth grade .... but he could do anything he wanted to do."
Mama Willie and Daddy Charlie had bought a little cafe, "just a little hole-in-the-wall." A sign painter wandered in one day.
"If you'll feed me, I'll paint a sign — any sign you want — on the front of your cafe," the man told Daddy Charlie. "Just write it out and give it to me."
"He printed out 'Ferrell's Cafe' real nice and neat [and] handed it to the guy," Osborne says.
A little while later, the painter returned. "Your sign's ready. I'm ready to eat."
Daddy Charlie and the painter went outside to look. The sign was upside-down.
"The man couldn't read," Osborne says. "Whatever my grandfather printed ... that's what he painted."
The sign stayed that way for years.
"People used to ask him, 'Charlie, why don't you have that sign fixed?' He says, 'No, people come by here and they'll stop and come in and ask me why that sign's upside-down. They're always gonna drink a cup of coffee, eat a piece of pie, hamburger, something.'
"He said, '[It was] the best advertising I ever had.' "
Produced for Morning Edition by Katie Simon and StoryCorps Senior Producer Michael Garofalo.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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2022-08-29T01:13:52+00:00
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mtpr.org
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https://www.mtpr.org/2008-02-28/daddy-charlie-and-the-curious-sign
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Police: Fast-food manager admitted using racial slurs, allegedly refused to serve basketball team
PLAINFIELD, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A fast food restaurant manager was charged with breach of peace after he admitted to using racial slurs toward a high school basketball team in Connecticut.
Plainfield police said they charged 22-year-old Brett White with second-degree breach of peace.
The incident happened Thursday just before 10 p.m. at the Wendy’s Restaurant on Pratt Road.
Dispatchers said they received a 911 complaint that reported a verbal argument over refusal of service.
Officers said they arrived on scene and made contact with members of the Woodstock Academy basketball team. The players reported being refused service. They also said they were called racial slurs by the manager on site.
In a statement, Woodstock Academy said that the team had been returning from an away game when it stopped at the restaurant. It said the team was refused service as soon as its players entered the business.
When White was questioned as to why service was being refused, White verbally assaulted coaches Donte Adams and Denzel Washington with expletives and racial slurs, the school said. A customer called 911, and members of the Plainfield Police Department arrived.
Police said White admitted to using racial slurs, and at about 10:15 p.m., he was arrested as a result.
“While I am angry and devastated over this incident, I could not be more proud of our coaches and student-athletes. These coaches are building fine young men who are going to change the world,” said Chris Sandford, head of school of Woodstock Academy. “This experience is not only life-changing for those involved, but it has also shown that the work we have been doing as a school community in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion is more important than ever.”
“I’m proud of Donte, Denzel and other members of our community who showed integrity in the face of bigotry and hatred,” said Holly Singleton, associate head of school.
The school said a team meeting was held Friday morning to process and discuss the events with the team, and all who were involved. Counseling and support services were made available to students.
“It was never about us,” Washington said. “We were just thinking about the kids and the fact that we had to get them home. This story could have had a very different outcome.”
White was released on a $10,000 bond and scheduled to appear at the Danielson Superior Court on Feb. 21.
Copyright 2023 WFSB via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2023-02-10T17:07:17+00:00
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waff.com
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https://www.waff.com/2023/02/10/police-fast-food-manager-admitted-using-racial-slurs-allegedly-refused-serve-basketball-team/
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Alongside its full menu of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes, First Watch invites customers to experience a flavorful getaway – beaming with premium proteins from land and sea – available nationwide through May 28
BRADENTON, Fla., March 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As springtime brings brighter days and new adventures, First Watch – the leading Daytime Dining concept with more than 470 restaurants nationwide – offers customers a taste of paradise with its newest chef-driven, seasonal offerings. From a fresh juice inspired by the fruitful shores of the Tropics to a seaside elevation of its classic Avocado Toast, the concept's new Spring menu – available for a limited time only – has everything needed to escape the everyday with each bite.
"Every seasonal menu at First Watch brings with it years of testing and refining, but we've been chasing this particular one for nearly half a decade and we're proud to finally give these recipes the spotlight they deserve," said Shane Schaibly, Senior Vice President of Culinary Strategy for First Watch. "You'll find new inspiration in our Tacos Al Pastor Hash, a superstar dish straight from the streets of Mexico City, but also familiar comfort in the freshness of our Crab & Avocado Toast or natural sweetness in our Bananas Foster French Toast, made with hand-braided challah bread. Pairing perfectly with all of these is our newest juice, Tropical Sunrise, which brings together a light, refreshing combination of fresh fruit, like strawberries and pineapples juiced in-house daily, that'll leave you feeling refreshed and ready for your next adventure."
First Watch's new seasonal menu selections are available nationwide* through May 28 and include:
- Tacos Al Pastor Hash - Crispy pork al pastor, fresh pineapple and seasoned potatoes topped with two cage-free eggs cooked any style, fresh avocado, house-pickled red onions, Cotija cheese, cilantro and lime crema. Served with a side of warm tortillas.
- Crab & Avocado Toast - Wild-caught lump crab and fresh smashed avocado on top of our whole grain artisan toast with house-pickled red onions, EVOO, fresh herbs and Maldon sea salt. Served with two basted cage-free eggs.
- Bananas Foster French Toast - Thick-cut, custard-dipped challah bread griddled and topped with freshly sliced bananas, pecans and caramel sauce and lightly dusted with powdered cinnamon sugar.
From the Juice Bar:
- Tropical Sunrise - Mango, pineapple, strawberry and lime.
With its newest seasonal menu, First Watch has also unveiled two new offerings to its brunch cocktail program – the first expansion since its initial rollout in 2020 – at participating locations nationwide. In addition to the concept's unique creations like the Cinnamon Toast Cereal Milk and Million Dollar Bloody Mary, customers will now be able to enjoy a spiked version of its popular ombre lavender lemonade, Purple Haze, and a shareable pitcher of its signature sangria, mixed in-house.
- Spiked Lavender Lemonade – New Amsterdam 5X Distilled Vodka, lemon, cane sugar, butterfly pea flower tea and a hint of lavender.
- Blackberry Bramble Sangria – A signature blend of Merlot, mixed berries and apple with a squeeze of orange and lime. Served in a pitcher that pours 2-3 servings.
First Watch's new specialties are the latest in its revolving seasonal menu, which follows the sun to source the highest quality ingredients, wherever and whenever they are in season, five times a year. These flavorful, limited-time offerings are available to order alongside its robust menu of breakfast, brunch and lunch favorites at most locations nationwide.
First Watch is open for breakfast, brunch and lunch seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for pickup, delivery and dine-in service. For more information about First Watch, its seasonal menu offerings or to find the nearest location, visit firstwatch.com.
* Not available in the Tampa Bay area
About First Watch
First Watch is an award-winning Daytime Dining concept serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch using fresh ingredients. A recipient of hundreds of local "Best Breakfast" and "Best Brunch" accolades, First Watch's chef-driven menu includes elevated executions of classic favorites along with First Watch specialties such as the protein-packed Quinoa Power Bowl®, Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos, Avocado Toast, Chickichanga, Morning Meditation (juiced in-house daily), Spiked Lavender Lemonade and its signature Million Dollar Bacon. In 2022, First Watch was awarded a sought-after MenuMasters honor by Nation's Restaurant News for its seasonal Braised Short Rib Omelet, recognized with ADP's coveted Culture at Work Award and named a Most Loved Workplace® in Newsweek by the Best Practice Institute. In 2021, First Watch was recognized as FSR Magazine's Best Menu and as the fastest-growing full-service restaurant chain based on unit growth. There are more than 470 First Watch restaurants in 29 states, and the restaurant concept is majority owned by Advent International, one of the world's largest private-equity firms. For more information, visit www.firstwatch.com.
Media Contact:
pr@firstwatch.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE First Watch
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2023-03-20T12:09:03+00:00
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kxii.com
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https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2023/03/20/first-watch-launches-new-spring-menu-inspired-by-tropics/
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Funding for schools, literacy programs and special education teachers in Oregon — a state where 60% of third graders can't read at grade level — could be jeopardized by a Republican walkout that has stalled hundreds of bills and derailed the Legislature for nearly six weeks.
The standoff over a bill that would expand access to abortion and gender-affirming health care could scuttle much-needed education funding in a year when the stars seemed to align for Oregon's budget.
Tax revenues have exceeded state economists' projections, allowing lawmakers to approve a record K-12 budget of $10.2 billion. But the education spending legislation needs a vote from the Senate, which hasn't been able to conduct business since May 3 because of the GOP boycott, and time is running out, with just two weeks left until the legislative session ends.
“Supporting strong schools and improving student outcomes should be enough to make anyone show up for work,” Democratic state Rep. Courtney Neron, the House Committee on Education chair, said at a recent rally against the walkout. “From early childhood through higher education, our schools and students need us to respond to serious challenges."
Oregon's Senate Republican office said in an email that “it is critically important that we make sure education is fully funded." Republican minority leader Sen. Tim Knopp also said in an email his caucus will return by June 25 to pass “substantially bipartisan” bills and budgets.
But Democrats say waiting until the session's last day to pass budgets isn’t feasible and school districts need a sense of potential funding by early July to begin planning for the next school year.
“There's no way that we can pass all the budget bills on June 25,” Democratic state Sen. Michael Dembrow, the Senate Committee on Education chair, said in an email. “Just doing budget bills in both chambers will take several days.”
If lawmakers don't return soon, Dembrow said he suspects Gov. Tina Kotek “will need to convene a special session at some point to do the budgets.”
As in other states nationwide, reading and math scores plummeted in Oregon following the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures hit young children particularly hard, depriving them of critical in-person instruction needed to learn how to read. About 60% of third graders in Oregon are not proficient in reading or math, according to the latest state assessment results.
In addition to the $10.2 billion K-12 budget, which passed the state House with bipartisan support, the Senate Republican walkout also could derail education bills seeking to shore up pandemic learning losses and tackle the education workforce crisis.
One such bill aims to address shortages of teachers and other school staff, particularly in rural areas, and boost pay for special education teachers. Another would invest $140 million in a new early literacy initiative for children from birth through third grade. The initiative is a centerpiece of Kotek’s agenda.
“This should be an emergency, a wake-up call,” said Gini Pupo-Walker, executive director of nonprofit advocacy group The Education Trust. “It’s unfortunate that those really important bills that could really reshape the way reading is taught and could really transform student experiences with learning are ... now being held hostage to a totally separate issue.”
The early literacy bill in particular received more than 150 written public comments. Among other things, the measure would fund tutoring for struggling readers and direct schools to base literacy instruction on science of reading research, which emphasizes the importance of phonics when teaching children how to read.
Anna Ingram in Eugene was among the parents who testified in favor of the bill. She described feeling angry, anxious and hopeless as she saw her son having trouble learning to read. His first-grade teacher provided a list of 200 common words he should memorize. In third grade, he was encouraged to guess words from their first letter and by looking at pictures, she said.
“Actually sounding out the letters in the word was not recommended,” she said in written testimony. “He’s learned to read because I shell out thousands of dollars a year to have him tutored with explicit, systematic instruction.”
Education spending in coming years will be especially critical as one-time federal pandemic funds expire, said Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
“We have probably more need for thoughtful, smart, careful policymaking in education than we have in generations. This was a bigger hit for U.S. schools than anything in recent memory,” he said of the pandemic.
“When the resources are potentially there, I think it is extremely important that we use them and use them well,” Valant added. “Because the resources are not there forever.”
___
Claire Rush is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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2023-06-12T06:24:17+00:00
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lmtonline.com
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https://www.lmtonline.com/news/politics/article/political-collateral-oregon-gop-walkout-on-18147152.php
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The omicron variant is much less likely than delta to cause long COVID, according to the first large-scale study published about the long-term risks posed by omicron.
But almost 5% of people who catch omicron still experience fatigue, brain fog, headaches, heart problems or other health issues at least a month after getting infected, the study found.
While some researchers found the results reassuring, others say the findings are alarming, given that so many people caught omicron and apparently remain at risk even if they're vaccinated.
"That's scary," says Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, an immunobiologist at Yale School of Medicine who studies long COVID but was not involved in the new research.
"People assume that because omicron is milder that, you know, 'Let's just get infected and get it over with,''' Iwasaki says.
The findings, published Thursday in The Lancet, come from researchers at King's College London who have been tracking thousands of people who test positive for the coronavirus to determine the risk of long COVID from different variants.
"The basic question that we're trying to answer is: 'Is long COVID as common ... in the delta period [as it is] in the omicron period?'" says Dr. Claire Steves, who helped conduct the research. "'What's the risk of going on to get long COVID, given the different variants?'"
The researchers compared 56,003 people who caught omicron from Dec. 20, 2021, through March 9, 2022, with 41,361 people who had caught delta between June 1, 2021, and Nov. 27, 2021, and kept track of their symptoms using a special app.
Those who caught omicron were about half as likely as those who got delta to still be experiencing health problems a month later, the researchers found.
"Thankfully, with the omicron variant, the risk of going on to get long COVID is substantially reduced compared to the delta variant," Steves told NPR in an interview. "That's great news, isn't it?"
It's especially good news because omicron is so contagious that it has infected an enormous number of people incredibly quickly. If the risk had been the same as delta or higher, the number of people ending up with long COVID would have exploded.
The findings are consistent with a smaller analysis released recently by the British government.
But lower risk does not mean people shouldn't worry about long COVID because of omicron, Steves and others agree. The chance of getting long COVID from omicron is 4.4%, compared with almost 10.8% from delta, according to the study.
"The caveat is that the omicron variant has spread very rapidly through our populations, and therefore a very much larger number of people have been affected. So the overall absolute number of people who are set to go on to get long COVID, sadly, is set to rise," Steves says. "So it's certainly not a time for us to reduce services for long COVID."
But for any individual person, the findings do indicate that the risk is sharply lower of both getting seriously ill and of developing persistent symptoms.
The study did not address why omicron might pose less of a risk for long COVID. But Steves and others say it makes sense that omicron less frequently leads to persistent symptoms because it doesn't tend to make people as sick as delta.
"Because of that lesser severity of disease, and also because it seems to be a bit more superficial in terms of the disease ... it's less affecting us in terms of severity of our immune response," Steves says. "And therefore that's leading to less likelihood of long COVID."
Other researchers say these findings need to be confirmed by additional research.
"They just looked at anybody who reported any symptoms over this app. They didn't actually evaluate these patients in a clinic anywhere or collect objective data about them," says Dr. Michael Sneller, who studies long COVID at the National Institutes of Health.
But Sneller says it wouldn't surprise him if omicron is less likely to cause long COVID since it does seem to cause less severe illness.
Some researchers say they hope the findings will correct the misconception that people don't have to worry about long COVID from omicron.
"We're saying, you know: 'You can take off your masks in airplanes. You don't need to be vaccinated anymore to enter a restaurant.' All of these policy decisions are going to increase the likelihood that people get infected with COVID, while there's still a 5% chance of severe chronic illness," says Dr. David Putrino, who treats long COVID at Mount Sinai in New York City. "That's short-sighted and going to create a lot of long-term disability that did not need to exist."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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2022-06-16T23:38:07+00:00
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delawarepublic.org
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https://www.delawarepublic.org/npr-headlines/2022-06-16/omicron-poses-about-half-the-risk-of-long-covid-as-delta-new-research-finds
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An 83-year-old missionary nun from Louisiana has been released nearly five months after she was kidnapped from her bed in the west African country of Burkina Faso, news agencies report.
A letter sent to Marianites of Holy Cross said Sister Suellen Tennyson was free and in U.S. hands in Niger's capital, Niamey, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported. The newspaper said it had obtained a copy of the letter and the order's U.S. congregational leader, Sister Ann Lacour, had confirmed Tennyson's release.
"We are grateful to God for the safety of Sr Suellen," Archbishop Gregory Aymond said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
The archdiocese referred a call Wednesday to the Marianites' press office in Covington, Louisiana. Neither Lacour nor the press office immediately responded to requests for comment Wednesday from The Associated Press.
Lacour said in April that Tennyson was kidnapped in the middle of the night April 4, in her pajamas and without her glasses or blood pressure medicine.
"We have no statement to make at this time other than she is safe," Lacour told The Times-Picayune.
Niamey is about 160 miles (257.5 kilometers) west of Yalgo, the Burkina Faso town where Tennyson was living. She had worked in Burkina Faso since 2014.
Her kidnapping came at a time of escalating violence and jihadi attacks in Burkina Faso.
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2022-08-31T20:39:01+00:00
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wrtv.com
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https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/83-year-old-nun-released-5-months-after-kidnapping-in-africa
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KOSTIANTYNIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — By the time the Russians invaded, 43-year-old Mufti Said Ismahilov — one of the Muslim spiritual leaders of Ukraine — had already resolved that he would step aside from his religious duties to fight for his country.
At the end of last year, as warnings of an imminent attack grew louder, Ismahilov began training with a local territorial defense battalion. By then he had served as a mufti for thirteen years.
Born and raised in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Ismahilov had already fled Russia once before, in 2014, when Moscow-backed separatists captured his city. He eventually moved to a quiet suburb outside Kyiv called Bucha — only to find himself, eight years later, at the heart of Moscow’s assault on Kyiv, and the site of atrocities that shocked the world. It felt as if the threat of Russian occupation would never end.
“This time I made the decision that I would not run away, I would not flee but I would fight” he said in an interview with The Associated Press in Kostiantynivka, a town close to the front lines in eastern Ukraine where a battle for control of the region is intensifying.
Ismahilov began working as a military driver for paramedics evacuating the wounded from front lines or besieged towns. Tasked with driving in highly dangerous conditions, but also emotionally supporting the critically injured, Ismahilov says he sees his new job as “a continuation of my spiritual duty before God.”
“If you are not scared and you can do this, then it is very important. The Prophet was himself a warrior,” Ismahilov says. “So I follow his example and I also will not run, or hide. I will not turn my back on others.”
Ismahilov was one of dozens of Ukrainian Muslims who gathered at the mosque in Kostiantynivka Saturday to mark Eid al-Adha — an important religious holiday in Islam. The mosque is now the last remaining operational mosque in Ukrainian-controlled territory in Donbas. Ismahilov told the AP that there are around 30 mosques in the region in total but that most are now in the hands of the Russians.
Last week, Russia captured the city of Lysychansk, the last major stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the eastern province of Luhansk. The governor of the Luhansk region said on Saturday that Russian forces are now pressing toward the border with the neighbouring Donetsk region.
Muslims make up almost 1 percent of the population in Ukraine, which is predominantly Orthodox Christian. There is a large Muslim population in Crimea — home to the Crimean Tatars and illegally annexed by Russian in 2014. Numbers there jump to 12%. There is also a sizeable Muslim community in eastern Ukraine, the result of waves of economic migration as the region industrialised and many Muslims immigrated to the Donbas region to work in the mines and factories.
The conflict in 2014 forced many Muslims from Crimea and Donbas to relocate to other parts of the country where they joined long-established Tatar communities or built new Islamic centers alongside Turks, Arabs and Ukrainian converts.
But the invasion has forced many to flee once again. The mosque in Kostiantynivka used to cater for a local Muslim population of several hundred people. On Saturday, few local residents were present, having journeyed west with their families. Instead the congregation was made up of soldiers or combat medics from different units: Crimean Tatars and Ukrainian converts from Kharkiv, Kyiv and western Ukraine.
In his sermon following the traditional Eid prayers, Ismahilov told the congregation that this year’s Eid had a symbolic significance in the midst of the war, and asked them to remember Muslims living in occupied territories, where many have lost their homes and several mosques have been destroyed by shelling. Referencing a series of arrests of Crimean Tartars in the wake of the 2014 annexation, Ismahilov said Muslims in occupied territories do not feel safe.
“There is a lot of fear. … The war continues and we have no idea what is happening in the occupied territories and what situation Muslims are in there” he said.
Ismahilov told the AP that he considers Russian Muslims invading Ukraine, including Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov’s infamous Chechen battalions, as “criminals”.
“They are committing sins and … they have come as murderers and occupiers, on a territory that is the home of Ukrainians and Ukrainian Muslims, without any justification. Allah did not give them that right” says Ismahilov. “They will answer for all this before God.”
Olha Bashei, 45, a lawyer turned paramedic from Kyiv who converted to Islam in 2015, says Russia is trying “erase Ukraine from the face of the earth.” Bashei began working as a frontline paramedic in Donbas in 2014. She considers this war her ‘jihad’, a term to denote a holy war or personal struggle in Islam.
“This war is my war, and I defend my jihad because I have nephews, I have a mother and I defend my home. I do not want my nephews to ever see what I, unfortunately, saw in this war” she said.
“Islam even helps me because in Islam, in prayer, you somehow distract yourself from the war because you read the prayer and you have a connection with the Almighty. For me, Islam is a force that supports me even in war.”
As the soldiers prepared the customary sacrificial sheep for the Eid feast, a residential area in Kostiantynivka several kilometers away came under violent shelling. The incoming artillery shook the ground. Some soldiers ran to the mosque’s bunker. Others shrugged it off and continued to drink their tea and eat dates. The shelling caused several fires, injuring several inhabitants and burning roofs to cinders.
Ismahilov said they would pray for victory and the liberation of the occupied territories.
“We pray that our Muslim compatriots will be safe, that our families will be reunited, that the slain Muslims will go to heaven, and that all the Muslim soldiers who are defending their country will be accepted as shahids (martyrs) by Allah.”
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2022-07-10T13:53:16+00:00
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wjhl.com
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https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/ukraine-muslims-pray-for-victory-end-of-occupation/
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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Eddie Goldman has been placed on the exempt/left squad list without even taking one practice snap for the franchise over two seasons.
Goldman, 29, initially signed with the club on July 6, 2022 before retiring 13 days later. He came out of retirement in March after reaching out to Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith expressing interest in playing again and reported to training camp on Tuesday with the rest of his teammates. He never practiced with the team, though, as Smith said Goldman was dealing with a personal issue. Then, on Friday, Smith said Goldman might retire for a second time.
"It's a possibility there," Smith said Friday. "With Eddie, last year, retired and then we put him on that and then he actually reached out to us. When somebody does that, you say, 'all right, why not. See how it goes.' To his credit, he looked phenomenal when he showed up the other day.
"But like I said, you just never know what somebody's going through and you're mindful, we'll do everything to help our players so we'll have a final answer probably [Saturday]. But that'd be a great possibility."
While it's not clear whether or not Goldman will retire again officially, Smith said Saturday that Goldman won't be with Atlanta this season.
Goldman was drafted in the second round in 2015 by Chicago out of Florida State, the only NFL team he ended up playing a snap for. He ended up appearing in 81 games for the Bears, starting 73 of them. He had 175 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in his career, which also saw him opt out of the 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Goldman said when he returned in 2021 he had "weighed all of my options" and that it "took a toll on me" to watch his teammates play without him. When he last played in 2021, he had a half-sack and 22 tackles in 14 games. Deciding to unretire, he had become part of the potential of a revamped defensive front including Calais Campbell, Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata, who are expected to be the team's three starters on the defensive line. Instead, Goldman decided to retire once again.
To take Goldman's place on the roster, Atlanta signed defensive tackle Justin Ellis, who played last season for the New York Giants. A fourth round pick by the Raiders in 2014 out of Louisiana Tech, Ellis has played in 117 games with 54 starts for the Raiders, Giants and Baltimore, making 182 tackles with 1.5 sacks.
Atlanta also signed defensive lineman Kemoko Turay, who has played in 41 games for Indianapolis and San Francisco with 12 sacks, and released linebacker Dorian Etheridge.
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2023-07-29T21:45:35+00:00
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espn.com
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https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38095954/falcons-defensive-lineman-eddie-goldman-placed-exempt-left-squad-list
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The leading research solution has been recognized in the Small or Medium Business Product of the Year category
NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. today announced that VitalLaw, its acclaimed research solution, has been named a silver winner in this year's Best in Biz Awards. The solution was recognized for its in-depth research and seamless experience, providing legal professionals in small and medium businesses with actionable insights.
VitalLaw is an intuitive research platform that provides legal professionals with comprehensive support and world-class analysis in key practice areas. With more than 25,000 pieces of practical content and data visualization tools, VitalLaw provides customers with faster answers and deeper insights. The solution also gives customers access to consistent and current updates for laws and regulations.
"We are pleased to announce this recognition, solidifying VitalLaw as a leading research solution for regulatory compliance," said Ken Crutchfield, Vice President & General Manager of Legal Markets at Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. "VitalLaw empowers users with deep insights and expertise to advise clients or their organizations. We are committed to providing solutions and innovative technology that help support better outcomes for firms and clients."
Best in Biz Awards 2022 honors were conferred in 100 different categories, including Company of the Year, Fastest-Growing Company, Most Innovative Company, Best Place to Work, Customer Service Department, Executive of the Year, Marketing Executive, Most Innovative Service, Enterprise Product, Best New Product, App, CSR Program, Environmental Program, Website and Film/Video of the Year.
For a full list of winners in Best in Biz Awards 2022, visit: http://www.bestinbizawards.com/2022-winners
About Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.
Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the healthcare; tax and accounting; governance, risk, and compliance; and legal and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.
Wolters Kluwer reported 2021 annual revenues of €4.8 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,800 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.
Wolters Kluwer shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY).
For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Linda Gharib
Director, Brand & Communications
Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.
Tel: +1 (646) 887-7962
Email: lrusmedia@wolterskluwer.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.
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2022-12-28T17:20:29+00:00
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kxii.com
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https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/12/28/wolters-kluwers-vitallaw-wins-silver-12th-annual-best-biz-awards/
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BOSTON and NEW YORK, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Provident Healthcare Partners ("Provident"), a leading healthcare investment banking firm, announced it has advised Relievus in its merger with Clearway Pain Solutions ("Clearway"), a portfolio company of NexPhase Capital ("NexPhase"). Relievus adds 44 providers and 21 locations to Clearway's existing capacity and expands the company's presence into New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The combined organization creates one of the largest interventional pain management practices in the United States.
Provident's deal team was led by Eric Major, a Managing Director at the firm. Fox Rothschild LLP served as legal counsel to Relievus, and McDermott Will & Emery LLP served as legal counsel for Clearway. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Relievus' Chief Operating Officer, Ronald Saltiel, commented "Working with Provident Healthcare as our investment banker was the best decision we made. Not only did they find us the right partner, but they worked both tirelessly and seamlessly to make this transaction possible. Clearway Pain was the perfect fit for our practice, and we believe together we will be the leading pain management practice in the United States."
"Ron Saltiel and Dr. Young Lee have developed a leading multi-modality pain management practice in the Northeast. Relievus' alignment with Clearway is a very complementary fit, adding a substantial footprint in Southern New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia area. Together, the organization is poised for continued growth into adjacent markets in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, providing best-in-class pain solutions to patients," commented Major.
About Relievus
Relievus is based in Cherry Hill, NJ and was founded in 2008 by Dr. Young Lee. The practice is now comprised of 16 physicians, 19 advanced practitioners, five acupuncturists, three behavioral health professionals, and one physical therapist, treating patients in 21 locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Visit https://www.relievus.com/ for more information.
About Clearway Pain Solutions
Clearway Pain Solutions is a leading interventional pain management platform focused on relieving pain, restoring function, and renewing quality of life for its patients. Clearway offers a one-stop, comprehensive, and integrated system of advanced pain solution treatments, serving as the end-to-end provider of a full-spectrum of interventional procedures, chiropractic services, physical therapy, massage therapy, and regenerative medicine, along with lab testing, durable medical equipment, and other ancillary services. Clearway also specializes in helping patients recover from workplace and auto accident injuries. Visit https://clearwaypain.com/ for more information.
About Provident Healthcare Partners
Provident is a leading healthcare investment banking firm specializing in merger and acquisition advisory, strategic planning, and capital formation services for healthcare companies. The firm has a comprehensive knowledge of market sectors and specialties, including integrated pain management services. Provident also has unsurpassed experience and insight into the M&A process, which includes working with a multitude of investors such as private equity firms and strategic consolidators. For additional information, visit www.providenthp.com or follow on LinkedIn.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Provident Healthcare Partners LLC
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2022-07-28T11:54:14+00:00
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kfyrtv.com
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https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/28/provident-healthcare-partners-advises-relievus-its-merger-with-clearway-pain-solutions/
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5 Connecticut children, ages 8-17, dead after New York crash
SCARSDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Five children from Connecticut, ranging in age from eight to 17, were killed in a fiery early morning crash Sunday on a New York highway, police said.
Police believe the vehicle was being driven by a 16-year-old boy when it veered off the Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale, hit a tree and caught fire. A 9-year-old boy, the sixth person in the Nissan Rogue, was the only survivor, according to a statement provided by Kieran O’Leary, spokesperson for the Westchester County Police Department.
The 9-year-old was “apparently riding in the rear hatchback/cargo area and escaped out the rear,” according to the statement. The boy was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The five who were killed include four males and a female. Their identities have not yet been released. Police said they are all from Connecticut, which is roughly 12 miles (19 km) by car from Scarsdale.
Police said the single-vehicle crash occurred at about 12:20 a.m. and remains under investigation.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2023-03-19T17:21:35+00:00
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kwch.com
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https://www.kwch.com/2023/03/19/5-connecticut-children-ages-8-17-dead-after-new-york-crash/
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2022-07-12T11:21:23+00:00
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tj.news
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https://tj.news/telegraph-journal/101917442
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WFO LAS VEGAS Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, July 30, 2022
_____
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
1254 AM PDT Sat Jul 30 2022
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM PDT EARLY THIS
MORNING FOR SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY...
At 1254 AM PDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms continuing to
develop southward towards Essex. Flash Flooding remains possible
across the Mojave Preserve and runoff and flooding persists near
Mountain Springs and Nipton.
HAZARD...Life-threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing
flash flooding.
SOURCE...Radar.
IMPACT...Life-threatening flash flooding of low-water crossings,
creeks, normally dry washes and roads.
Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Cima, Mitchell Caverns, Kelso, Mid Hills Campground, Hole In The
Wall Campground, Black Canyon Equestrian Campground, Nipton And
Ivanpah Roads, Mountain Pass and Nipton.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the
dangers of flooding.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
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2022-07-30T08:41:29+00:00
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ourmidland.com
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https://www.ourmidland.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-LAS-VEGAS-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17339909.php
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invalid call of the function getCategories, first Argument (video_id) is of invalid type, can't cast String [] to a value of type [numeric]
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7 Days
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2023-06-08T04:41:22+00:00
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krgv.com
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https://www.krgv.com/gallery-videos/michigan-state-police-victim-in-1997-cold-case-may-have-had-valley-ties
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WASHINGTON, July 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jody Singer, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Director, announced Monday her retirement, effective Saturday, July 29, after more than 38 years of service. Among many firsts in her career, Singer was appointed as the first female center director at Marshall in 2018, after serving as deputy director from 2016 to 2018.
Marshall's current deputy center director, Joseph Pelfrey, will serve as the interim acting director until Singer's successor is identified through a nationwide search and open competition.
"I wish Jody well during her retirement. And I know individuals at the beginning of their career at NASA – and members of the Artemis Generation who dream of working here – will be inspired by Jody's service, knowing their contributions can help return NASA astronauts to the Moon and prepare us for crewed missions to Mars," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "And Joseph Pelfrey is no stranger to Marshall, having joined the center two decades ago as an aerospace engineer. Today, he helps guide Marshall's broad portfolio of human spaceflight, science, and technology development, which supports missions across NASA. We are confident Joseph is prepared to guide Marshall through this transition."
As center director, Singer managed one of NASA's largest field installations, with nearly 7,000 on- and near-site civil service and contractor employees with an annual budget of approximately $5 billion.
Under Singer's leadership, NASA Marshall, known for its prominence in large space transportation systems, has expanded its portfolio to include human lunar landing and cargo systems, space habitation and transit systems, advanced propulsion, additive manufacturing, science payload operations, Mars ascent spacecraft and cutting-edge science and technology missions through innovative partnerships with other NASA centers, industry, government agencies and academia. The Marshall team was critical to the successes of NASA's Webb Space Telescope, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer mission, the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, and SLS (Space Launch System), the agency's powerful heavy-lift rocket.
Singer joined NASA in 1985 though the professional intern program. She joined the Space Shuttle Program Office in 1986 as an engineer in the Space Shuttle Main Engine Office and was involved with Return to Flight activities after the space shuttle Challenger accident. She was the first female project manager for the Reusable Solid Rocket Booster Project from 2002 to 2007 and led the team during the shuttle Columbia Return to Flight activities. Starting in 2008 until the shuttle's successful retirement in 2011, she was deputy manager in the Space Shuttle Propulsion Office. Cumulatively, Jody was part of 110 space shuttle launches.
Serving in roles of increasing responsibility, Singer held deputy positions for three concurrent programs, the space shuttle, Ares, and the start-up of SLS. As deputy for the Space Shuttle Propulsion Office, she guided successful fly-out and retirement of the shuttle and the transition of workforce and assets to the Ares Project Office and SLS Program. As the deputy program manager of SLS at Marshall, she helped oversee almost 3,000 civil servants and contractors involved in the developing, testing, and certification of the rocket. From 2013 to 2016, Singer was manager of the Flight Programs and Partnerships Office at Marshall, where she held primary responsibility for the center's work with human advanced exploration projects, science flight mission programs, technology demonstration missions, commercial crew and International Space Station life support systems, research facilities, and payload mission operations.
Singer has twice been a NASA Fellow, at Pennsylvania State College and Simmons College Graduate School of Management. She is a recipient of numerous prestigious NASA awards, including the Space Flight Awareness Leadership Award, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the Silver Snoopy, and NASA Outstanding Leadership medals. She also is a recipient of two Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive Awards. Her external recognitions include Rotary Stellar National Award for Space Achievement; Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame; Distinguished Fellow by the University of Alabama College of Engineering; Gardner Award; AIAA Associate Fellow; 2022 Alabama Engineer of the Year; and the AIAA Herman Oberth Award.
For more information about NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, visit:
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE NASA
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2023-07-17T18:05:54+00:00
|
wbrc.com
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https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/17/nasa-marshall-center-director-retire-after-38-years-service/
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A dog trained well can be a man’s best friend and Dog Training Elite helps make that happen.
Dog Training Elite in Traverse City has been providing the community training services for 40 years.
The family-owned company is very unique and accommodates to your specific dog training needs. Unlike most dog-training companies, they will train your dog in your very own home!
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They will serve all breeds, all sizes, and all ages.
Our On the Road crew, Braulis and Tyler are in Traverse City learning how to train dogs with specific commands.
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2023-04-18T11:32:50+00:00
|
9and10news.com
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https://www.9and10news.com/2023/04/18/mtm-on-the-road-training-dogs-fur-real/
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Family mourns 2 young boys killed by gunfire as they played in Pennsylvania yard
(AP) - Relatives of two young boys killed by gunfire as they played with kittens in the backyard of their Pennsylvania home were mourning them Thursday as authorities announced two men were charged with their slayings.
Brothers Jesus and Sebastian Perez-Salome, ages 8 and 9, and a third victim were killed Tuesday night in Lebanon. An adult and a teen were charged in the shooting, and police said they were seeking a third suspect.
In a phone interview Thursday from his home in Puerto Rico, the children’s uncle Felix Muniz Torres said their mother was working at a nearby convenience store when she heard the shots ring out.
She ran over to find them shot, he said. Her other child, who is 13, was fortunately at a school event.
“She’s in shock and is unable to speak coherently,” Muniz Torres said.
He described his nephews as “very innocent and polite,” always together playing, mostly with their superhero figures.
“They were very close,” he said.
Alex Torres Santos, 22, and a 16-year-old male were both charged with three counts of criminal homicide, Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said at a news conference in Lebanon on Thursday. They also face aggravated assault, conspiracy and weapons offenses related to the shooting in Lebanon, a small city in an agricultural region roughly 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia.
A third male is still being sought and will likely face similar charges, authorities said. Santos was on house arrest for several unrelated charges and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the shooting.
A 33-year-old neighbor who was wounded by a stray bullet underwent surgery and remains hospitalized but is expected to recover, authorities said.
The shooters apparently targeted the third person who was killed, 19-year-old Joshua Lugo-Perez, over what authorities called “a previous argument.” He and the boys lived at the home where the shooting occurred, but Lugo-Perez was not related to them.
Jesus Perez-Salome was pronounced dead at the scene. Sebastian Perez-Salome and Lugo-Perez both died a short time later at hospitals.
Once the autopsies are completed, the family will bring the boys back to Puerto Rico to be buried, Muniz Torres said. He expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and donations responding to a Go Fund Me appeal to raise funds for their funeral.
The family had come to the United States in 2019 to chase the American dream of finding better opportunities than what was offered on their Caribbean island. But life had not been easy. Only a year ago, they had lost everything they owned in a fire at their previous apartment that started because of an electrical problem, Muniz Torres said.
A Lebanon County SWAT team arrested Santos at his apartment Wednesday. Authorities said he attempted to flee the residence but was captured there, while the teenage suspect was later arrested at a nearby apartment where he was trying to hide. Ammunition and multiple firearms were found at the apartment where Santos was arrested, authorities said.
Graf, the district attorney, said Thursday that the suspects could potentially face the death penalty, but that decision has not yet been made. It wasn’t clear Thursday if either suspect had retained an attorney, and court records were not immediately available.
___
Brooke Schultz, a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, contributed from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2023-06-02T06:59:55+00:00
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kmvt.com
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https://www.kmvt.com/2023/06/02/family-mourns-2-young-boys-killed-by-gunfire-they-played-pennsylvania-yard/
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LONDON — Staffers at the World Health Organization’s Syria office have alleged that their boss mismanaged millions of dollars, plied government officials with gifts — including computers, gold coins and cars — and violated the agency’s own COVID-19 guidance as the pandemic swept the country.
Magtymova, a Turkmenistan national and medical doctor, declined to respond to questions about the allegations, saying that she could not answer, “due to (her) obligations as a WHO staff member.” She described the accusations as “defamatory.”
The complaints from at least a dozen staffers have triggered one of the biggest internal WHO investigations in years, at times involving more than 20 investigators.
WHO confirmed in a statement that a probe was ongoing, describing it as “protracted and complex.” Citing issues including confidentiality and the protection of staff, WHO would not comment on Magtymova’s alleged wrongdoing.
WHO’s Syria office had a budget of about $115 million last year to address health issues in a country riven by war -- one in which nearly 90% of the population lives in poverty and more than half desperately need humanitarian aid.
For the past several months, WHO investigators have been probing incidents including a party that Magtymova ostensibly threw to mostly honor her own achievements at the U.N. agency’s expense, her request to staff in December 2020 to complete a flash mob dance challenge, and claims Magtymova “provided favors” to senior politicians in Syria, in addition to meeting surreptitiously with Russian military, potential breaches of WHO’s neutrality as a U.N. organization.
In one complaint sent to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in May, a Syria-based staffer wrote that Magtymova hired the incompetent relatives of government officials, including some accused of “countless human rights violations.”
In May, WHO’s regional director in the Eastern Mediterranean appointed an acting representative in Syria to replace Magtymova after she was put on leave — but she is still listed as the agency’s Syria representative in its staff directory.
Numerous WHO staffers in Syria have told the agency’s investigators that Magtymova failed to grasp the severity of the pandemic in Syria and jeopardized the lives of millions.
At least five WHO personnel complained to investigators that Magtymova violated WHO’s own COVID-19 guidance. They said she did not encourage remote working, came to the office after catching COVID and held meetings unmasked. Four WHO staffers said she infected others.
In December 2020, deep in the first year of the pandemic, Magtymova instructed the Syria office to learn a flash mob dance popularized by a social media challenge for a year-end U.N. event.
“Kindly note that we want you to listen to the song, train yourself for the steps and shoot you dancing over the music to be part of our global flash mob dance video,” wrote WHO communications staffer Rafik Alhabbal in an email to all Syria staff. Magtymova separately sent a link to a YouTube website, which she described as “the best tutorial.”
Multiple videos show staffers, some wearing WHO vests or jackets, performing “ the Jerusalema challenge ” dance in offices and warehouses stocked with medical supplies, at a time when senior officials at WHO Geneva were advising countries to implement remote working when possible and to suspend all non-essential gatherings.
Internal documents, emails and messages also raise serious concerns about how WHO’s funds were used under Magtymova, with staffers alleging she routinely misspent limited donor funds meant to help the more than 12 million Syrians in dire need of health aid.
Among the incidents being probed is a party Magtymova organized last May, when she received an award from Tufts University, her alma mater. Held at the exclusive Four Seasons hotel in Damascus, the catered party included a guest list of about 50, at a time when fewer than 1% of the Syrian population had received a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The evening’s agenda featured remarks by the Syrian minister of health, followed by a reception and nearly two hours of live music. WHO documents show while the event was called to celebrate WHO’s designation of 2021 as the Year of Health and Care Worker, the evening was devoted to Magtymova, not health workers. The cost, according to a spreadsheet: more than $11,000.
Other WHO officials raised concerns about Magtymova’s spending, saying she was involved in several questionable contracts, including a transportation deal that awarded several million dollars to a supplier with whom she had personal ties.
At least five staffers also complained Magtymova used WHO funds to buy gifts for the Ministry of Health and others, including “very good servers and laptops,” gold coins and cars. The AP was not in a position to corroborate their allegations. Several WHO personnel said they were pressured to strike deals for basic supplies like fuel with senior members of the Syrian government.
The accusations regarding WHO’s top representative in Syria come after multiple misconduct complaints at the U.N. health agency in recent years, including sexual abuse in Congo and racist behavior by the top WHO official in the Western Pacific.
Javier Guzman, director of global health at the Center for Global Development in Washington, said the latest charges regarding WHO’s Magtymova were “extremely disturbing” and unlikely to be an exception.
“This is clearly a systemic problem,” Guzman said. “These kinds of allegations are not just occurring in one of WHO’s offices but in multiple regions.”
He said though Tedros was seen by some as the world’s moral conscience during COVID-19, the agency’s credibility was severely damaged by reports of misconduct. Guzman called for WHO to publicly release any investigation report into Magtymova and the Syria office.
WHO said investigation reports are “normally not public documents,” but that “aggregated, anonymized data” in some form would be made publicly accessible.
____
Sarah El-Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
|
2022-10-20T04:22:00+00:00
|
washingtonpost.com
|
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/who-syria-boss-accused-of-corruption-fraud-abuse-ap-finds/2022/10/20/87e2ee54-502c-11ed-ada8-04e6e6bf8b19_story.html
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SAN DIEGO, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra (NYSE: SRE) (BMV: SRE) today announced that its board of directors has declared a $1.145 per share quarterly dividend on the company's common stock, which is payable Oct. 15, 2022, to common stock shareholders of record at the close of business on Sept. 23, 2022.
Sempra's board of directors also declared a semi-annual dividend of $24.375 per share on the company's 4.875% Fixed-Rate Reset Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series C, which is payable Oct. 15, 2022, to Series C preferred stock shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 1, 2022.
About Sempra
Sempra's mission is to be North America's premier energy infrastructure company. The Sempra family of companies have 20,000 talented employees who deliver energy with purpose to nearly 40 million consumers. With more than $72 billion in total assets at the end of 2021, the San Diego-based company is the owner of one of the largest energy networks in North America helping some of the world's leading economies move to cleaner sources of energy. The company is helping to advance the global energy transition through electrification and decarbonization in the markets it serves, including California, Texas, Mexico and the LNG export market. Sempra is consistently recognized as a leader in sustainable business practices and for its long-standing commitment to building a high-performing culture focused on safety, workforce development and training, and diversity and inclusion. Sempra is the only North American utility sector company included on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and was also named one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" for 2022 by Fortune Magazine. For additional information about Sempra, please visit Sempra's website at sempra.com and on Twitter @Sempra.
This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions with respect to the future, involve risks and uncertainties, and are not guarantees. Future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other factors.
In this press release, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "contemplates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "should," "could," "would," "will," "confident," "may," "can," "potential," "possible," "proposed," "in process," "construct," "develop," "opportunity," "target," "outlook," "maintain," "continue," "progress," "advance," "goal," "aim," "commit," or similar expressions, or when we discuss our guidance, priorities, strategy, goals, vision, mission, opportunities, projections, intentions or expectations.
Factors, among others, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement include risks and uncertainties relating to: California wildfires, including the risks that we may be found liable for damages regardless of fault and that we may not be able to recover all or a substantial portion of costs from insurance, the wildfire fund established by California Assembly Bill 1054, in rates from customers or a combination thereof; decisions, investigations, regulations, issuances or revocations of permits and other authorizations, renewals of franchises, and other actions by (i) the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Comisión Reguladora de Energía, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, and other regulatory and governmental bodies and (ii) the U.S., Mexico and states, counties, cities and other jurisdictions therein and in other countries in which we do business; the success of business development efforts, construction projects and acquisitions and divestitures, including risks in (i) being able to make a final investment decision, (ii) completing construction projects or other transactions on schedule and budget, (iii) realizing anticipated benefits from any of these efforts if completed, and (iv) obtaining the consent or approval of partners or other third parties, including governmental and regulatory bodies; civil and criminal litigation, regulatory inquiries, investigations, arbitrations, property disputes and other proceedings, including those related to the natural gas leak at Southern California Gas Company's (SoCalGas) Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility; changes to laws and regulations, including certain of Mexico's laws and rules that impact energy supplier permitting, energy contract rates, the electricity industry generally and the import, export, transport and storage of hydrocarbons; cybersecurity threats, including by state and state-sponsored actors, to the energy grid, storage and pipeline infrastructure, information and systems used to operate our businesses, and confidentiality of our proprietary information and personal information of our customers and employees, including ransomware attacks on our systems and the systems of third-parties with which we conduct business, all of which have become more pronounced due to recent geopolitical events and other uncertainties, such as the war in Ukraine; failure of foreign governments, state-owned entities and our counterparties to honor their contracts and commitments; actions by credit rating agencies to downgrade our credit ratings or to place those ratings on negative outlook and our ability to borrow on favorable terms and meet our debt service obligations; the impact of energy and climate policies, laws, rules and disclosures, as well as related goals and actions of companies in our industry, including actions to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas generally and any deterioration of or increased uncertainty in the political or regulatory environment for California natural gas distribution companies and the risk of nonrecovery for stranded assets; the pace of the development and adoption of new technologies in the energy sector, including those designed to support governmental and private party energy and climate goals, and our ability to timely and economically incorporate them into our businesses; weather, natural disasters, pandemics, accidents, equipment failures, explosions, acts of terrorism, information system outages or other events that disrupt our operations, damage our facilities and systems, cause the release of harmful materials, cause fires or subject us to liability for damages, fines and penalties, some of which may be disputed or not covered by insurers, may not be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms or may impact our ability to obtain satisfactory levels of affordable insurance; inflationary and interest rate pressures, volatility in foreign currency exchange rates and commodity prices, our ability to effectively hedge these risks, and their impact, as applicable, on San Diego Gas & Electric Company's (SDG&E) and SoCalGas' cost of capital and the affordability of customer rates; the availability of electric power, natural gas and natural gas storage capacity, including disruptions caused by failures in the transmission grid or limitations on the withdrawal of natural gas from storage facilities; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on capital projects, regulatory approvals and the execution of our operations; the impact at SDG&E on competitive customer rates and reliability due to growth in distributed and local power generation, including from departing retail load resulting from customers transferring to Community Choice Aggregation and Direct Access, and the risk of nonrecovery for stranded assets and contractual obligations; Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC's (Oncor) ability to eliminate or reduce its quarterly dividends due to regulatory and governance requirements and commitments, including by actions of Oncor's independent directors or a minority member director; changes in tax and trade policies, laws and regulations, including tariffs, revisions to international trade agreements and sanctions, such as those that have been imposed and that may be imposed in the future in connection with the war in Ukraine, which may increase our costs, reduce our competitiveness, impact our ability to do business with certain counterparties, or impair our ability to resolve trade disputes; and other uncertainties, some of which are difficult to predict and beyond our control.
These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that Sempra has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on Sempra's website, www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements.
Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Texas, Sempra Mexico, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and Infraestructura Energética Nova, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (IEnova) are not the same companies as the California utilities, SDG&E or SoCalGas, and Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Texas, Sempra Mexico, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and IEnova are not regulated by the CPUC.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Sempra
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2022-09-07T23:05:37+00:00
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live5news.com
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https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/sempra-declares-common-preferred-dividends/
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NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Tuesday:
General Motors Co., up $1.29 to $37.01.
The automaker beat analysts' third-quarter earnings forecasts and said it is seeing improved supplies of computer chips.
Weber Inc., up $1.53 to $6.56.
BDT Capital Partners is interested in buying the rest of the maker of barbecue grills and grilling tools that it doesn't already own.
United Parcel Service Inc., down 55 cents to $167.
The package delivery service reported strong financial results, but it is facing higher expenses.
SAP SE, up $5.31 to $96.32.
The business software maker's third-quarter revenue beat analysts' forecasts.
General Electric Co., down 36 cents to $73.
The industrial conglomerate's third-quarter earnings fell short of Wall Street forecasts.
Sherwin-Williams Co., up $7.67 to $220.20.
The paint and coatings maker beat Wall Street's third-quarter profit and revenue forecasts.
Crown Holdings Inc., down $14.32 to $70.69.
The packaging company reported disappointing third-quarter financial results and gave investors a discouraging financial forecast.
JetBlue Airways Corp., down 22 cents to $7.32.
The airline’s third-quarter profit fell short of Wall Street forecasts.
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2022-10-25T21:49:02+00:00
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lmtonline.com
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https://www.lmtonline.com/business/article/Weber-SAP-rise-JetBlue-General-Electric-fall-17533850.php
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How to Watch the WNBA on Thursday: TV Channel, Game Times and Odds
Published: Jul. 27, 2023 at 8:20 AM EDT|Updated: 45 minutes ago
Today's WNBA slate features two contests, including a matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Los Angeles Sparks.
Catch live WNBA games, plus tons of other sports and shows, with a free trial to Fubo!
Today's WNBA Games
The Los Angeles Sparks play host to the Indiana Fever
The Fever hit the road the Sparks on Thursday at 3:30 PM ET.
How to Watch
Records and Stats
- LAS Record: 8-15
- IND Record: 6-17
- LAS Stats: 78.4 PPG (ninth in WNBA), 82.3 Opp. PPG (fourth)
- IND Stats: 82.0 PPG (sixth in WNBA), 85.9 Opp. PPG (11th)
Players to Watch
- LAS Key Player: Nneka Ogwumike (20.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.8 APG)
- IND Key Player: Aliyah Boston (14.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.3 APG)
Vegas Odds and Betting Lines
- Spread: -3.5
- LAS Odds to Win: -161
- IND Odds to Win: +134
- Total: 162.5 points
The New York Liberty face the Atlanta Dream
The Dream take to the home court of the Liberty on Thursday at 7:00 PM ET.
How to Watch
- TV Channel: Bally Sports
- Stream Live: Fubo (regional restrictions may apply)
- Game Time: 7:00 PM ET
Records and Stats
- NYL Record: 17-5
- ATL Record: 13-10
- NYL Stats: 88.7 PPG (second in WNBA), 82.4 Opp. PPG (fifth)
- ATL Stats: 85.0 PPG (fourth in WNBA), 84.7 Opp. PPG (ninth)
Players to Watch
- NYL Key Player: Breanna Stewart (22.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.6 APG)
- ATL Key Player: Rhyne Howard (18.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.4 APG)
Vegas Odds and Betting Lines
- Spread: -9
- NYL Odds to Win: -455
- ATL Odds to Win: +347
- Total: 173.5 points
See links for offer details, offers not available in all states and areas. Must be 21+ to gamble. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved.
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2023-07-27T13:05:57+00:00
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atlantanewsfirst.com
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https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/sports/betting/2023/07/27/wnba-odds-how-to-watch/
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- An AR-based realistic social media, Arbeon app service will be revealed for the first time at CES 2023
- Running experience zones under various concepts, including F&B, fashion, and beauty
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's biggest IT exhibition, CES 2023, held in Las Vegas, USA, is only a week away. Compared to other events in recent years, where the world avoided having offline events due to COVID-19, CES 2023 is expected to have more than 2,400 participating companies and 100,000 visitors on a larger scale by 50% than last year.
There is a company preparing to participate in this event where numerous companies present their latest technologies with the global service based on its independent technology. It is Arbeon (CEO Bae Young Myung), an IT start-up that makes AR-based "realistic social media."
Arbeon's service provides various digital experiences, such as social media, commerce, information search, and AR content creation tool, above objects in real space based on its unique AR technology. It has attracted the attention of domestic and foreign investment institutions and the industry as "a service of the future" by presenting digital experiences on the object in daily life (real space) that was only possible online until now.
Arbeon plans to introduce its service in a place one step closer to potential global users by placing company's individual booth in CES Tech East Central Hall. In the booth, Arbeon plans to reveal its app service in a development version for the first time and run a number of experience zones under the environment users are familiar with in daily life, such as F&B, fashion, and beauty. Visitors can check the AR content that unfolds on the object in reality and create their own AR content with AR CUT while using the app in the experience zone with various concepts.
The CEO of Arbeon, Bae Young Myung, expressed his ambition about their participation in the CES, "Participating in the CES with an individual booth before officially releasing the service is a memorable moment for our company." And he added, "Arbeon will go beyond the existing AR and suggest a new communication method and the future of AR and grow into a next generation social media brand that users can enjoy immersively in reality."
In addition, Arbeon plans to release its AR-based realistic social media app service to the global market in the second half of 2023.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Arbeon Co., Ltd.
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2022-12-29T13:53:17+00:00
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wsfa.com
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https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2022/12/29/arbeon-reveals-its-service-first-time-ces-2023-experience-how-ar-would-change-your-daily-life-advance/
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The Tampa Bay Lightning traded veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators on Sunday, clearing significant salary cap space to make more moves this offseason.
They received defenseman Philippe Myers and forward prospect Grant Mismash in the deal. Exchanging McDonagh’s $6.75 million cap hit for Myers’ $2.55 million could allow the Eastern Conference champions to bring back top left winger and playoff star Ondrej Palat.
Tampa Bay might also now have the room to bring back defenseman Jan Rutta, who like Palat was set to be a free agent when the market opens July 13.
McDonagh, 33, was a key part of Tampa Bay winning the Stanley Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21 and reaching the final this past season. He is under contract for four more years and gives the Predators another seasoned player on the blue line who has reached the playoffs in each of his 12 NHL seasons.
Myers has now been traded in consecutive offseason after going from Philadelphia to Nashville last summer in the deal that sent defenseman Ryan Ellis to the Flyers. The 25-year-old becomes Tampa Bay’s latest value rehab project after struggling so much last season the Predators put him on waivers and loaned him to Toronto’s top minor league affiliate.
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Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno
___
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2022-07-04T17:51:45+00:00
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everythinglubbock.com
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https://www.everythinglubbock.com/sports/lightning-clear-cap-space-by-trading-mcdonagh-to-predators/
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HOUSTON -- At 10:08 a.m. Houston time, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson walked onto the NRG Stadium field to warm up for his first regular-season game in exactly 700 days.
Within minutes, the gates opened and a smattering of Watson's No. 4 jerseys, in Cleveland and Houston colors, dotted the stands around him. One of those blue No. 4 Texans jerseys, however, had been repurposed.
Stewart Mathieson, a Houston fan from Scotland who tries to attend a game every couple of years, bought his jersey when Watson was still throwing touchdowns for the Texans. He admitted he was upset when Watson demanded a trade from Houston. But when the allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions against Watson started surfacing, Mathieson says he became outraged.
"I didn't know if he was guilty," Mathieson said. "But then 24... women come forward, there's something there."
Along with his nephew, Mathieson bought pregame sideline passes for Sunday's game. He turned his Watson jersey into a statement, with the message "JUSTICE 4 WOMEN" on the back and "BROWNS SHAME" stitched below the No. 4 on the front.
"In America, money can buy you justice. ... You can buy the best attorneys," Mathieson said, shortly after walking past Watson's entourage -- which included Watson's agent, David Mulugheta, and marketing manager, Bryan Burney -- hanging near the Browns tunnel. "Some of my Browns friends [in Scotland] have given up supporting the team because of Watson. ... Am I going to boo him? Yeah, I'm going to boo him."
After serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy by committing sexual assault, as defined by the league, Watson returned to the field against his former team.
Watson was suspended after being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and other sexual misconduct during massage sessions; some of those women attended the game.
Behind a pair of defensive touchdowns and a punt return score, the Browns defeated the NFL's worst team, 27-14. But the spectacle of Watson's return overshadowed all, including the final score.
Although NRG Stadium was half-empty, Watson was loudly booed before every Browns snap.
But until the game kicked off, it seemed as if Mathieson might be booing alone, as Watson supporters clamored for his autograph around the lower seating rim. During his pregame warmup, Watson walked over to the stands behind the end zone, where a gaggle of Browns and Texans fans shouted for him to sign their jerseys and hats and even asked to take selfies with him.
Sarah Flores, who said she became a Texans season-ticket holder because of Watson, was among them. After getting her red Texans No. 4 jersey signed by Watson, she said she believed he was "100%" innocent of the allegations against him.
"Somebody as successful as he is would never go and jeopardize his career like that," Flores said.
Other Browns fans walking into the stadium seemed to minimize the allegations with signs and T-shirts.
One man wore an orange shirt with "FREE WATSON" on the front and "ALL HE WANTED WAS A HAPPY ENDING" on the back. He led a "Here we go Brownies" chant alongside a pair of women donning brown-colored Watson jerseys as they entered the stadium.
Then the game began. The booing started, and it didn't stop.
ON MARCH 18, the Browns traded for Watson, sending the Texans three first-round draft picks in return. Cleveland then gave Watson a $230 million fully guaranteed deal, the richest contract in NFL history.
Donisha Greene, the director of community engagement for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, said her organization's phones immediately began ringing.
"It was really heartbreaking at times because you got your lifelong fans writing their notes and saying, 'I've been a Browns fan for 29 years, and this is the first season that I won't be participating in,' so they'd donate the cost of a season ticket," said Greene, who noted that the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center has raised more than $120,000 since March from people who said they were donating because of Watson. "It was a pretty powerful response, for sure."
Greene also said during the weekend after the Watson trade, the average number of calls they received from survivors tripled.
"Sometimes they were just folks saying that, 'Hey, I've never reported my sexual assault, but I am triggered by this story, and I just wanted to call in and talk about it. I'm very disturbed. I'm very angry,'" Greene said. "Some survivors can hear this story and be triggered, and be angry, and it makes them relive their trauma. For other folks, it may make them feel empowered and want to take control of their healing in a way that they may have not been able to do before. That's probably why you [saw] the number of survivors going to the game. That's them standing up for themselves and taking control over what they can control, essentially."
Around 10 of the women who filed civil suits against Watson attended Sunday's game along with their lawyer, Tony Buzbee, who said some of his clients "thought it important to make clear that they are still here and that they matter."
Brenda Tracy has followed the Watson case closely. Tracy was raped by four men, including three Oregon State football players, in 1998. She now travels the country sharing her story in hopes of persuading coaches, athletes and administrators to take sexual assault seriously by adopting strict policies on sexual violence and prevention.
She called Watson's return to the field "frustrating" and the antics of fans "defeating at times."
"People have minimized the impact on these survivors in a really detrimental way," said Tracy, who has spoken to more than 50,000 athletes, including one NFL team -- the Baltimore Ravens. "Just making a mockery of the trauma and the pain that these survivors have gone through. ... That's all terrible and disgusting, and all it does is just further the minimization of the harm that he did to other human beings."
Watson has denied any wrongdoing and, this past week, refused to answer any non-football questions.
When Watson was asked Thursday about fans who don't think he should be the face of the franchise, a Cleveland radio personality who normally doesn't attend Browns interview sessions mumbled under his breath, "football questions only, dumbass."
Watson, who wasn't charged criminally, said in August that he wanted to tell his side of the story, but then said nobody's been interested in hearing it. On Thursday, he was then asked if he would tell his side in time.
"At this time, I can't address any of that stuff," he said. "Who knows what the future holds, but right now, I am so locked in on just being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns."
Sunday, he was pressed again on whether he had any remorse for the conduct that got him suspended.
"Of course, it's a tough situation, the suspension was tough," he said. "But at the same time my main focus was to just try to be 1-0 as a football player today."
Diane Mastnardo, a massage therapist based in Cleveland, wrote an August editorial for Cleveland.com about the misconceptions around massage therapy in the wake of Watson's announced suspension. She has been a Browns fan her whole life, but she hasn't gone to any games this season because of the Watson signing.
Mastnardo praised the "strength and courage" of the women who have accused Watson who showed up to Sunday's game.
But Mastnardo also wants to hear from Watson.
"I'm very interested in his side of the story, and I think other massage therapists are interested in his side of the story, without lawyers or media. If there was an opportunity to have a true conversation, I think that would be amazing," she said. "I believe Deshaun did something wrong, and I believe he has the potential to redeem himself if we allow him that potential. I don't think the way [the Browns and the NFL are] handling it gives him that ability."
WATSON SAID LAST week that he wasn't sure how rusty he'd be after so much time away from the field. He also said he wasn't worried about the atmosphere he'd encounter in Houston.
After Sunday's game, he downplayed the booing but admitted to the rust after completing 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards.
"I'll just say I felt every single one of those 700 days," he said.
Watson failed to lead the Browns to an offensive touchdown and squandered Cleveland's best touchdown opportunity by throwing an intercepted pass in the end zone.
"We're not going to hold him to a crazy standard and expect him to be superman out there when he hasn't played in two years," Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said. "He's going to eventually get his rhythm and make the plays he has in the past."
Watson was asked whether he expected to be booed on the road going forward.
"I'm not sure what it's going to be, and that's not even my main focus," he said. "My main focus is really just doing my job at executing and just trying to play each and every snap. There's a lot of people that were showing support, but I didn't really focus on the negative things. I was focusing on trying to execute as much as I can."
Watson vowed to play better in next weekend's game at Cincinnati. Then, he walked out of the interview room. Down the tunnel, he collected his rollaway luggage, put on his stocking cap and got on a team bus to leave Houston again.
That was just fine with at least one Texans fan, whose sign read: "I would rather be 1-9-1 than have Deshaun Watson as my quarterback."
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2022-12-05T20:16:56+00:00
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espn.com
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https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35189366/questions-remain-deshaun-watson-debuts-browns-texans
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WFO LAS VEGAS Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, August 26, 2022
_____
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
346 PM PDT Fri Aug 26 2022
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM
PDT/430 PM MST/ FOR SOUTHWESTERN MOHAVE...EAST CENTRAL SAN BERNARDINO
AND SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTIES...
At 345 PM PDT/345 PM MST/, a severe thunderstorm was located over
Needles, or 8 miles northwest of Topock, moving southeast at 20 mph.
HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs and trees.
Locations impacted include...
Needles, Mesquite Creek, Arizona Village, Mojave Ranch Estates,
Mohave Valley and Willow Valley.
This includes Interstate 40 in California between mile markers 134
and 152.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
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2022-08-26T23:12:28+00:00
|
sfgate.com
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https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-LAS-VEGAS-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17401368.php
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NPR will no longer post fresh content to its 52 official Twitter feeds, becoming the first major news organization to go silent on the social media platform. In explaining its decision, NPR cited Twitter's decision to first label the network "state-affiliated media," the same term it uses for propaganda outlets in Russia, China and other autocratic countries.
The decision by Twitter last week took the public radio network off guard. When queried by NPR tech reporter Bobby Allyn, Twitter owner Elon Musk asked how NPR functioned. Musk allowed that he might have gotten it wrong.
Twitter then revised its label on NPR's account to "government-funded media." The news organization says that is inaccurate and misleading, given that NPR is a private, nonprofit company with editorial independence. It receives less than 1 percent of its $300 million annual budget from the federally funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
By going silent on Twitter, NPR's chief executive says the network is protecting its credibility and its ability to produce journalism without "a shadow of negativity."
"The downside, whatever the downside, doesn't change that fact," NPR CEO John Lansing said in an interview. "I would never have our content go anywhere that would risk our credibility."
In a BBC interview posted online Wednesday, Musk suggested he may further change the label to "publicly funded." His words did not sway NPR's decision makers. Even if Twitter were to drop the designation altogether, Lansing says the network will not immediately return to the platform.
"At this point I have lost my faith in the decision-making at Twitter," he says. "I would need some time to understand whether Twitter can be trusted again."
NPR is instituting a "two-week grace period" so the staff who run the Twitter accounts can revise their social-media strategies. Lansing says individual NPR journalists and staffers can decide for themselves whether to continue using Twitter.
In an email to staff explaining the decision, Lansing wrote, "It would be a disservice to the serious work you all do here to continue to share it on a platform that is associating the federal charter for public media with an abandoning of editorial independence or standards."
For years, many journalists considered Twitter critical to monitoring news developments, to connect with people at major events and with authoritative sources, and to share their coverage. Musk's often hastily announced policy changes have undermined that. Lansing says that degradation in the culture of Twitter — already often awash in abusive content — contributed to NPR's decision to pull back.
Musk proves conciliatory and erratic in BBC interview
PBS, which also receives money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the BBC, which is funded by a uniform license fee charged to British television viewers, are among those whose Twitter accounts were given the same designation.
In the new interview with the BBC's James Clayton, Musk almost appeared to be seeking a compromise with the journalist. He said Twitter would adjust its labels for the British public broadcaster to "publicly funded."
"We're trying to be accurate," Musk said. "I actually do have a lot of respect for the BBC." He said the interview offered him a chance to "get some feedback on what we should be doing different."
When questioned by Clayton, Musk replied that the "publicly funded" label would apply to NPR as well. The change was not made before NPR's decision on Wednesday morning, however.
The BBC exchange showed Musk as alternately conciliatory and erratic. He also said that he's sleeping on a couch at work, that he followed through on his promise to purchase Twitter only because a judge forced him to, and that he should stop tweeting after 3 a.m.
"The point is the independence," NPR leader says
Lansing says Musk is focusing attention on the wrong element of the equation.
"The whole point isn't whether or not we're government funded," Lansing says. "Even if we were government funded, which we're not, the point is the independence, because all journalism has revenue of some sort."
NPR's board is appointed without any government influence. And the network has at times tangled with both Democratic and Republican administrations. For example, NPR joined with other media organizations to press the Obama administration for access to closed hearings involving detainees held by U.S. authorities at Guantanamo Bay. And "All Things Considered" host Mary Louise Kelly stood her ground in questioning then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over then-President Donald Trump's actions in Ukraine despite being berated by Pompeo.
Most of NPR's funding comes from corporate and individual supporters and grants. It also receives significant programming fees from member stations. Those stations, in turn, receive about 13 percent of their funds from the CPB and other state and federal government sources.
It isn't clear that a withdrawal from Twitter will materially affect NPR's ability to reach an online audience. NPR's primary Twitter account has 8.8 million followers — more than a million more than follow the network on Facebook. Yet Facebook is a much bigger platform, and NPR's Facebook posts often are far more likely to spur engagement or click-throughs to NPR's own website. NPR Music has almost 10 times more followers on YouTube than it does on Twitter, and the video platform serves as one of the primary conduits for its popular Tiny Desk Series.
Musk uses Twitter to question the legitimacy of media outlets
NPR's decision follows a week of public acrimony, as Musk has used his platform to cast doubt on the legitimacy of major news organizations.
The billionaire, who bought Twitter in October, previously announced he would remove check marks from the accounts of legacy news organizations unless the outlets paid for them. The coveted marks once meant Twitter had verified the authenticity of an account belonging to a news organization, government or public figure. Now, they can be bought through a monthly subscription.
Musk also singled out The New York Times earlier this month, removing its check mark and calling its reporting "propaganda." Twitter's communications shop now simply responds to reporters' emails with poop emojis.
At least three public radio stations preceded NPR to the exits at Twitter: Member stations KCRW in Santa Monica, Calif., WESA in Pittsburgh and WEKU, which serves central and eastern Kentucky.
Fears that Twitter label could endanger journalists
Journalism and freedom-of-speech groups have condemned Twitter's labels, including PEN, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
"NPR receives public funding, but is not state-controlled, meaning Twitter's listing could pose risks for journalists reporting from areas where suggestions of government affiliation have negative connotations," CPJ's Carlos Martínez de la Serna said in a statement urging Twitter to revisit its decision.
Twitter's own guidelines previously said, "State-financed media organizations with editorial independence, like the BBC in the UK or NPR in the US for example, are not defined as state-affiliated media for the purposes of this policy."
That language has now been removed. In addition to NPR and the BBC, Twitter recently labeled the U.S. broadcaster Voice of America as government-funded media. Voice of America is part of the federal U.S. Agency for Global Media. But its editorial independence from government officials — at times hard won — is enshrined by law.
"The label 'government funded' is potentially misleading and could be construed as also 'government-controlled' – which VOA is most certainly not," VOA spokesperson Bridget Serchak said in a statement to NPR.
Serchak says VOA will continue to raise the distinction in talks with Twitter as the label "causes unwarranted and unjustified concern about the accuracy and objectivity of [its] news coverage."
At Elon Musk's Twitter, unpredictability is the norm
Like so many policy decisions at the social network of late, Musk applied the label to NPR's Twitter account abruptly. It's still not clear why he became so animated about the issue.
In his exchanges with NPR reporter Allyn, Musk said he was relying on a Wikipedia page dedicated to "publicly funded broadcasters" to determine which accounts should receive the label.
When pressed for how he justifies the disclaimer considering NPR receives meager funding from the government and has complete editorial independence, Musk veered into conspiratorial territory.
"If you really think that the government has no influence on the entity they're funding then you've been marinating in the Kool-Aid for too long," Musk wrote to Allyn.
Musk's push to label the network even ran afoul of the site's own rules. A former Twitter executive who was involved in crafting the guidelines told NPR that the deciding factor in whether to issue the designation was whether an outlet had editorial freedom. The labels, the former executive said, were intended to give users context that a tweet they are seeing may be propaganda.
The messy deliberations on display in Musk's email exchanges over labeling NPR's account are in line with his impulsive leadership style. His changes to the platform often are announced by tweet, with sudden reversals not uncommon, or promised changes never coming to fruition. Because Musk relishes troll-like behavior, there is always a possibility that his pronouncements turn out to be jokes. He has announced that the effective date for the change in the check mark verification system is April 20. The date is an inside joke among people who smoke or consume marijuana.
Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Acting Chief Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Vickie Walton-James. NPR's Bobby Allyn and Mary Yang contributed to this story. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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2023-04-12T16:07:15+00:00
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delawarepublic.org
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https://www.delawarepublic.org/npr-headlines/2023-04-12/npr-quits-twitter-after-being-falsely-labeled-as-state-affiliated-media
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Cloud content management system utilizes distributed database technology to create seamless streaming experiences everywhere customers demand
DENVER, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Edison Interactive (EI), the leader in connected device ecosystems, announced its platform's content is now faster with nearly no latency thanks to a collaboration with distributed database platform HarperDB. This partnership enables EI to deliver its premium content to customers in hard-to-reach places with a reduced API call latency of ten milliseconds, a fraction of the previous time.
HarperDB's decentralized database capabilities have been especially compelling in the case of EI's work on Shark Experience presented by Verizon, a product equipping golf carts with digital displays exclusively available through Club Car. The platform offers music streaming, live sports tickers, dynamic yardage, and other infotainment to golfers throughout their round. With many golf courses in remote locations, reliable connectivity can be a challenge, ultimately limiting a course's ability to enable live content streaming. Now, thanks to Edison's incorporation of the HarperDB framework, Shark Experience enables courses and golfers everywhere to enjoy premium content without any latency issues.
"Our technology is built to address the unique and specific challenges of our customers while also enhancing the end-user experience. Leveraging HarperDB's framework and shifting our platform to the MEC has enabled us to more rapidly deploy our technology and take advantage of machine learning and artificial intelligence to deliver more customized content," said Nick Stanitz-Harper, CRO and co-founder, Edison Interactive. "We've made a commitment to our partners to provide best-in-class solutions that not only deliver premium content but do so by utilizing the most advanced technology and our partnership with HarperDB enables us to do just that."
The Edison Platform is an end-to-end content management system with a suite of tools that allow customers to create interfaces and manage their entire network of screens while also serving unique content. The collaboration with HarperDB has increased API call speeds by 250x and has drastically helped to optimize load times, increase security and deliver a better end-user experience.
"Modern digital media requires dynamic content optimized by machine learning, intuitive interfaces driven by user behavior, and powerful networks delivering near-zero latency. EI and HarperDB are leveraging MEC to deliver real-time custom experiences anywhere. We're excited to see where this technology is used next," said HarperDB CEO Stephen Goldberg.
For more information, visit EdisonInteractive.com.
About Edison Interactive
Edison Interactive (EI) is a leading out-of-home (OOH) content management system (CMS) for connected devices in golf carts, rental vehicles, hotel rooms and more. Focused on digitally transforming the customer experience, EI is known for its vast network of premium displays, digital signage and infotainment solutions. The EI platform delivers valuable back-end insights and management capabilities for businesses while providing end-users with meaningful content and features that can be monetized. With a predominantly Fortune 500 client base, including Verizon Wireless, Avis Budget Group and Yahoo!, EI was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. For more information, visit www.edisoninteractive.com.
About HarperDB
HarperDB's integrated application + data platform is orders of magnitude faster and more flexible than last-generation alternatives. Easily replace SQL and NoSQL databases for cloud, edge, on-prem, peer-to-peer, and multi-deployment use cases. From validating an idea to delivering global scale, HarperDB grows with your application, and saves you time and money every step of the way. Learn more at harperdb.io
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Edison Interactive
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2022-08-30T11:23:47+00:00
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waff.com
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https://www.waff.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/edison-interactive-partners-with-harperdb-deliver-premier-digital-out-of-home-content-with-zero-latency/
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(The Hill) – The Senate passed Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act on a party-line vote Sunday afternoon, delivering the long-awaited centerpiece to President Biden’s agenda.
Democrats rallied behind the $430 billion climate, health care and tax overhaul after Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) reached a last-minute deal with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who had held up previous proposals.
The House is expected to approve the legislation on Friday and send it to Biden’s desk.
Here’s a summary of what’s in the Inflation Reduction Act:
ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND CLIMATE
Businesses would get incentives for deployment of lower-carbon and carbon-free energy sources.
- Tax credits are extended for energy production and investment in technologies including wind, solar and geothermal energies. The investment tax credit also now applies to battery storage and biogas.
- Tax credits would be created or extended for additional technologies and energy sources including nuclear energy, hydrogen energy coming from clean sources, biofuels and technology that captures carbon from fossil fuel power plants.
- Many of the incentives also contain bonuses for companies based on how much they pay their workers and offer credits for manufacturing their steel, iron and other components in the U.S.
Consumers and businesses get incentives to make cleaner energy choices.
- Tax credits are extended for residential clean energy expenses including rooftop solar, heat pumps and small wind energy systems. Consumers can get credits for 30 percent of expenditures through 2032, and the credit phases down after that.
- Tax credits of up to $7,500 are offered to consumers who buy electric vehicles — but this credit comes with stipulations that may make it difficult for vehicles to actually qualify.
- A tax credit would be expanded for energy efficiency in commercial buildings.
Some fossil fuel production on public lands would be bolstered.
- The future of solar and wind on public lands and wind in public waters would be tied to requirements to hold lease sales that open up new oil and gas production.
- The bill reinstates the results of a recent offshore oil and gas lease sale that was struck down on environmental grounds. The Interior Department would be required to hold at least three more offshore oil and gas lease sales by next October.
New programs boost investment in climate.
- A new program aims to reduce emissions of the planet-warming gas methane from oil and gas by both providing grants and loans to help companies reign in their emissions and levying fees on producers with excess methane emissions.
- $27 billion would go to a green bank that would provide more incentives for clean energy technology.
Costs increase for fossil fuel production on public lands.
- Minimum royalties increase for companies to pay the government for oil and gas they extract on public lands and waters. A royalty is added to the extraction of gas that is later burned off or released as waste instead of sold as fuel.
Communities that face high pollution burdens get relief.
- $3 billion would go to environmental justice block grants — community-led programs addressing harms from climate change and pollutants, including $20 million for technical assistance at the community level, through fiscal 2026.
- More than $3 billion is allocated to funds for air pollution monitoring in low-income communities. Nearly half of the funds — $117 million — would specifically go to communities in close proximity to industrial pollutants.
- An excise tax on imported petroleum and crude oil products to fund the cleanup of industrial disaster sites increases from 9.7 cents to 16.4 cents per barrel. The reinstatement of the tax is projected to raise $11 billion.
- The bill permanently extends and increases the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, a tax on coal production to finance claims from workers with the condition. Black lung, caused by long-term exposure to and inhalation of coal dust, is believed to affect at least 10 percent of coal miners with at least 25 years’ experience, according to a 2018 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
— Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk
HEALTH CARE
Medicare can negotiate lower prices.
The bill would allow Medicare to negotiate prices for some drugs for the first time, a policy Democrats have been trying to enact for years over the fierce objections of the pharmaceutical industry. The provisions save more than $200 billion over 10 years.
- It would allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for 10 high-cost drugs beginning in 2026, ramping up to 20 drugs by 2029. There is a steep penalty if a drug company doesn’t come to the table: a tax of up to 95 percent of the sales of the drug. There is also a ceiling that the negotiated price cannot rise above.
- In a deal with moderates including Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), only older drugs are subject to negotiation after a period of nine years for most drugs and 13 years for more complex “biologic” drugs. That means the negotiations are more limited than many Democrats wanted.
Drug costs can be capped but largely only for Medicare.
The bill includes other measures to cap drug costs. The provisions still largely apply only to seniors on Medicare, not the millions of people who get health insurance through their jobs, in part because complex Senate rules limited how expansive the provisions would be.
- If drug companies raise prices in Medicare faster than the rate of inflation, they must pay rebates back to the government for the difference.
- Democrats tried to apply this provision to the private market, but the parliamentarian ruled it violated the Senate rules used to bypass a GOP filibuster.
- In one of the most tangible provisions for patients, the bill caps out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 a year for seniors on Medicare, starting in 2025.
- The bill also caps patients’ insulin costs at $35 a month, but only for seniors on Medicare. Republicans voted against overruling the Senate parliamentarian to extend that protection to patients with private insurance.
People enrolled in ACA plans get an extension on premium assistance.
The measure also builds on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by extending enhanced financial assistance to help people enrolled in ACA plans afford premiums for three years. The extra help otherwise would have expired at the end of this year, setting up a cliff. The provision expands eligibility to allow more middle-class people to receive premium help and increases the amount of help overall.
— Peter Sullivan
TAXES
Large corporations will pay for climate and health measures within the bill.
The bill introduces new taxes on corporations to pay for its climate and health care measures.
The centerpiece of its tax plan is a 15 percent minimum tax on the income that big corporations report to their shareholders, a tax known as the minimum book tax. Initial proposals put the amount of revenue raised by the book tax at $313 billion — more than 40 percent of the $740 billion raised by the legislation as a whole.
The tax applies to companies reporting $1 billion in annual earnings. It would impact only around 150 large firms, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Sinema demanded some last-minute exclusions to the minimum tax that were favorable to the U.S. manufacturing sector and private equity firms.
- The tax will exempt companies taking advantage of accelerated depreciation, a popular deduction that helps pay for capital investments such as new equipment.
- Small businesses that are subsidiaries of highly profitable private equity firms will also be exempted from the minimum tax.
The IRS gets a funding boost.
Another key measure allocates $80 billion to boost enforcement at the IRS. Democrats hope that, with more employees and better technology, the IRS can more closely examine wealthy individuals and ensure they aren’t dodging taxes. That extra revenue is expected to lower the deficit by $203 billion over the next decade.
Stock buybacks will get an additional tax.
The bill enacts a 1 percent excise tax on stock buybacks to replace the revenues lost by appeasing Sinema. Democrats expect the provision to raise $74 million over a decade.
Share repurchases by S&P 500 companies have soared in recent years and are on track to surpass $1 trillion this year. Companies buy back their stock to reward shareholders and boost their stock price by artificially limiting supply.
- The tax will impact the nation’s largest companies that rely on multibillion-dollar buybacks to raise their stock price, including Apple, Nike and Exxon Mobil.
- Democrats have criticized the practice, arguing that companies should invest in workers and innovation instead of repurchasing stock.
To further recoup revenue lost to the private equity sector, the bill also extends a set of limitations on losses that businesses can deduct from their taxes. The limits prevent wealthy individuals from significantly bringing down or even wiping out their income tax liability. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said that extending the caps would raise $52 billion.
— Tobias Burns and Karl Evers-Hillstrom
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2022-08-08T21:05:20+00:00
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keloland.com
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https://www.keloland.com/news/national-world-news/heres-whats-in-the-inflation-reduction-act-the-sweeping-health-and-climate-bill-passed-sunday/
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NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of The Gap, Inc..
Shareholders who purchased shares of GPS during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CONTACT US HERE:
CLASS PERIOD: November 24, 2021 to July 11, 2022
ALLEGATIONS: The complaint alleges that during the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) there were execution missteps in size and assortment at Old Navy related to BODEQUALITY, the Company's size-inclusivity campaign, which were adversely impacting Old Navy's margins and financial results; (2) contrary to the Company's statements, there were inventory risks relating to BODEQUALITY that were adversely affecting the Company's operations; and as a result (3) the Company's statements during the class period about the historical financial and operational metrics and purported market opportunities did not accurately reflect the actual business, operations, and financial results and trajectory of the Company, and were materially false and misleading and lacked a factual basis.
DEADLINE: February 3, 2023 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/the-gap-inc-class-action-loss-submission-form/?id=34546&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of GPS during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is February 3, 2023. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
View original content:
SOURCE The Gross Law Firm
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2022-12-14T12:08:18+00:00
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kcbd.com
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https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/12/14/shareholder-alert-gross-law-firm-notifies-shareholders-gap-inc-class-action-lawsuit-lead-plaintiff-deadline-february-3-2023-nyse-gps/
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NEW YORK, March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eco Eyewear is all for being positive, but not when it comes to the emission of CO2. We're proud to announce that our mission of planting trees has led Eco to become one of the very first carbon negative eyewear brands in the world!
What does this mean, exactly? Unlike being carbon neutral, where one compensates for CO2 emissions at a ratio of one to one, Eco is carbon negative. This means that our efforts in reducing carbon emissions by planting trees actually surpass neutrality. "Our" trees clean out more CO2 than our eyewear production creates.
Eco has planted 3.3 million trees so far, offsetting a total of 154 million kilograms of CO2!
"I am extremely excited to add this very fundamental element of carbon negativity to our already sustainable Eco brand. We are the only eyewear brand in the world to offer virtually every sustainable eyewear and packaging materials and now we are also carbon negative! We have become the brand that gives back more than what it takes. What an incredible feeling for our customers and final consumers, knowing that by purchasing our products they'll contribute positively to the environment! It is a very proud milestone for all of us at Eco!" says Alessandro Lanaro – MODO Group CEO
"At Trees for the Future, we have been partnering with Eco for the past 15 years. Together we have achieved an incredible impact by planting 3,316,270 trees in Cameroon and in Forest Gardens in Senegal. Such tree planting has resulted in 154,629 metric tonnes of CO2 sequestered, verified by a study conducted by the Department of Forestry of the University of Michigan. Eco has contributed to 1,069 Forest Gardens for a total of 1,069 acres restored, thus alleviating poverty for 8,553 farmers and their families. And, just to think, our work with Eco is just getting started..." says Trees for the Future CEO Tim McLellan
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE MODO EYEWEAR
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2023-03-09T16:03:42+00:00
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kalb.com
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https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/03/09/eco-eyewear-reaches-carbon-negativity-milestone/
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Last year at this time, Major League Baseball and its players’ union were entrenched in a lockout, sparring their way through hostile negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement that cost them almost a month of spring training, and nearly part of the regular season. They reached a new five-year agreement just in time to play a full schedule. Crisis averted. Deep breaths all around.
But Saturday, less than a year later, before most Major League teams had even played their first spring training games of the year, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark sat in the union’s Scottsdale, Ariz. headquarters, surrounded by reporters, making his side’s case for the next one.
“We’re never going to agree to a [salary] cap,” Clark stated unequivocally, reinforcing a position the union has held for generations, fending off the notion four years before he and his staff will have to rebuff any attempts by ownership to implement one. From Clark’s perspective, he was just returning fire.
Owners like Pittsburgh’s Bob Nutting, Cincinnati’s Phil Castellini, and Colorado’s Dick Monfort have voiced concerns about the difficulty of competing with free-spending teams in other markets. Castellini, for example, said earlier this year that the Reds run like a “nonprofit,” the latest in a series of complaints he has levied suggesting that his team could not compete with bigger teams even if they tried. While MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred recently called those comments “unhelpful,” he also acknowledged that the owners formed an economic reform committee to explore solutions to payroll disparities and oversee the league’s transition to the cord-cutting era. MLB said that committee first met in June of last year, when the owners realized just how fragile the regional sports network model was becoming, not in response to some teams spending far more than others this winter.
“I think that most people who pay attention to our game realize that we do have a disparity issue here, both on the revenue side and consequently on the ability to spend on players,” Manfred said last week, even as the small-market San Diego Padres will enter this season with the third-highest payroll in the majors, becoming the rare franchise to go from receiving revenue-sharing money from bigger-market teams to sharing funds with teams even in cities smaller than theirs.
Clark said he believes history proves that the formation of such a committee, which he compared to the blue ribbon committee formed in the years before the infamous 1994 strike, are indicative of a new push to implement a salary cap.
“We’ve got four years before we sit down and negotiate again, and a salary cap is not a new idea,” Clark said Saturday.
“What is interesting is the comments coming a year into a new agreement,” he said. “What is interesting is the comments finding their way into the headlines against the backdrop of a remarkably exciting offseason.”
From MLB’s perspective, what was interesting about Clark’s comments was that they came on the day spring training began for all 30 teams, the day MLB officials were spread out among spring training stadiums eagerly observing the arrival of the pitch clock and other new rules they hope will modernize the game for a more frenetic era. MLB hopes those rules will help expand the game’s reach and expand revenue with it. Clark’s thoughts stole headlines from that rollout, too.
MLB made its position on payroll disparity clear during months of negotiations last winter: Owners are not under obligation to run their teams at a loss to compete, or to spend a certain amount to do so, and do not have bottomless pockets from which to do so. They are facing uncertainty over television revenue. The pandemic set them back. What do the players want, everything they make? Plus, just because revenue increases doesn’t mean profit does. That the Padres will transform from a revenue-sharing recipient to a revenue-sharing payer this year is remarkable. But revenue, MLB would argue, is not the same as profit. Whether the Padres make money on the whole this year, given the size of their investments, remains to be seen.
But the union’s perspective, one Clark outlined again Saturday, is that revenue has jumped dramatically over the last decade, that billionaires owning baseball teams can spend more than they do, that putting the best product on the field will offer increased revenue to match (again, see Padres, San Diego). In other words, the players do not want everything, they want a greater share of the revenue than they get. These are billionaires who will not open their books, making it hard for players to believe all are doing their best to win within their financial means.
“The question that should be asked in regards to one team’s payroll versus another is whether or not that team is making a conscious decision to have its payroll there, or whether it has the ability to increase its payroll,” Clark said. “The answer is the latter, not the former.”
MLB and the union have disagreed on that question — whether owners could spend enough to compete and don’t or can’t spend enough to compete and need to limit their less frugal peers instead — for years. The strike that canceled the 1994 World Series was, in part, a fight over a salary cap. The sides spent most of last winter hashing out the details of a new agreement that included higher luxury tax penalties on free-spending teams, penalties the union worried would act as a cap and suppress player salaries, and taxes that haven’t stopped Steve Cohen’s Mets and other teams from spending and earning their peers’ ire as a result.
“The conversation around economic reform has one goal,” Clark asserted Saturday. “How best to suppress player salaries.”
That conversation is not new. That conversation is not even immediately pressing for MLB or its union, both of which are engaged in their first-ever negotiations over a minor league collective bargaining agreement, one they hope to have in place by Opening Day.
But that conversation is all-consuming, always has been, and will continue to be. Four years before the CBA expires, the fight over the next one is well underway.
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2023-02-26T19:51:41+00:00
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washingtonpost.com
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/26/mlb-players-union-cba/
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Mega Millions jackpot now $790M, nation’s 4th largest prize
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery officials on Saturday raised the Mega Millions grand prize to $790 million, giving players a shot at what would be the nation’s fourth largest jackpot.
The next drawing is on Tuesday. The jackpot has grown so large because there hasn’t been a winner in three months. Those 27 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all six numbers has allowed the jackpot to gradually grow from its $20 million starting point in April.
The highlighted pre-tax $790 million prize is for a winner who takes an annuity option, paid out in 30 annual payments. Most players choose the cash option, which for Tuesday’s drawing would be $464.4 million.
No ticket matched all six numbers drawn Friday night: the white balls 14, 40, 60, 64 and 66, plus the gold Mega Ball 16, Mega Millions said.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is overseen by state lottery officials.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2022-07-23T12:18:23+00:00
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wagmtv.com
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https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/07/23/mega-millions-jackpot-now-790m-nations-4th-largest-prize/
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No. 1 seed Kansas cruises past Howard with Self still absent
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Jalen Wilson had 20 points and seven rebounds for No. 1 seed and defending national champion Kansas, which allowed absent and recovering coach Bill Self to rest during an easy 96-68 victory over Howard on Thursday in a West Region first round game.
Self is still recovering from a recent heart procedure.
Gradey Dick had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the freshman’s first NCAA Tournament game. K.J. Adams Jr. scored 13 points and Dajuan Harris Jr. added 11 points for the Jayhawks (28-7), who will play the winner of the Arkansas against Illinois game in the second round on Saturday.
Kansas, which has won 16 consecutive first round games, is trying to become the first repeat NCAA winner in 16 years.
1-0. pic.twitter.com/XM6ScCLAZu
— Brandon Zenner (@KWCHBrandon) March 16, 2023
Shy Odom had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Bison (22-13), who were making the program’s first tournament appearance since 1992.
The Jayhawks started their NCAA-record 33rd consecutive tournament appearance with assistant coach Norm Roberts running the show - a strange sight without Self shouting orders from the bench. The 60-year-old Self, who’s in his 20th season at Kansas, underwent a standard heart procedure to treat blocked arteries in his heart last week that prevented him from coaching in the Big 12 Tournament.
The Jayhawks lost in the Big 12 title game to Texas, but their 15-6 record in Quad 1 games that the NCAA categorizes for selection criteria was unmatched in the country by a new-look team that lost most of its best players from last year’s championships squad.
Kansas is not that deep, but the Jayhawks move and share the ball at a dizzying pace that was ultimately too much for the Bison to keep up with.
Howard took the lead five times in the second half, but Kansas always snapped back - often with a well-placed hand in a passing lane for a steal and a fast-break finish. Then there were the alley-oops, with Harris and Kevin McCullar Jr. each delivering a textbook lob off the drive to Ernest Udeh Jr. for a rim-jarring dunk in the first half. Harris found Adams for one, too.
Howard’s rare appearance on the big stage came exactly five years after UMBC’s takedown of Virginia, the only time a No. 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1. The Bison were the 149th team to try.
Wearing their Black History Month jerseys with green trim and a red script “The Mecca” on the front - in reference to Howard’s nickname as the country’s most prominent historically Black university - the Bison took the court with plenty of confidence.
Elijah Hawkins hit an early 3-pointer and pointed a finger to his forearm to signal ice in his veins. Kobe Dickson flexed his right arm after muscling in a layup.
Coach Kenneth Blakeney, whose team went 4-29 in his first season in 2019-20, subbed hockey style in the first half with five-man units to keep his team fresh. The Bison’s game against Kentucky in November - a 95-63 loss - gave them a taste of this level of competition, but the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions weren’t able to match the speed and athleticism the Jayhawks boast.
The Jayhawks won the regular season title in a stacked conference, a testament to Self’s acumen and the versatility of this team led by the Big 12 Player of the Year in Wilson, a rising star in Dick, the Texas Tech transfer McCullar and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in the point guard Harris.
DEEP RECORD
Dick went 7 for 13 from the floor and 3 for 5 from 3-point range to set the Kansas freshman record for made 3-pointers in a season, besting Jeff Boschee.
PROUD ALUM
Blakeney raved at his news conference on Wednesday about the rich and fascinating history at Howard, reeling off a list of famous alumni that includes Vice President Kamala Harris, class of 1986. She watched the game with her husband from a suite at Wells Fargo Arena. When she was shown on the video board, the boos - Kansas is a Republican-leaning state, after all - drowned out the applause.
EYES UP
Dick was startled by a sudden roar from the crowd a split-second after he swished a free throw late in the first half. What was the big deal? The end of the Furman-Virginia game was on the video board above the court, and J.P. Pegues had just hit a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left to give the underdog Paladins the lead. Another outcry came when No. 13 seed Furman sealed the victory, a less-disruptive reaction because it was during timeout.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2023-03-16T21:32:24+00:00
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kwch.com
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https://www.kwch.com/2023/03/16/no-1-seed-kansas-cruises-past-howard-with-self-still-absent/
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MOSCOW — A Russian warplane crashed Monday into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least 13 people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze.
A Su-34 bomber came down in the port city of Yeysk after one of its engines caught fire during takeoff for a training mission, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said both crew members bailed out safely, but the plane crashed into a residential area, causing a fire as tons of fuel exploded on impact.
After hours of combing through the charred debris of the building, authorities said 13 residents, including three children, were found dead. Another 19 were hospitalized with injuries.
Vice governor of the region, Anna Menkova, said three of the four victims died when they jumped from the upper floors of the building in a desperate attempt to escape the flames, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency.
The authorities reserved emergency rooms at local hospitals and scrambled medical aircraft. Over 500 residents were evacuated and provided with temporary accommodations.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the crash and dispatched the ministers of health and emergencies along with the local governor to the site. Yeysk, a city of 90,000, is home to a big Russian air base.
Surveillance cam videos posted on Russian messaging app channels showed a plane exploding in a giant fireball. Other videos showed an apartment building engulfed by flames and loud bangs from the apparent detonation of the warplane's weapons.
The Su-34 is a supersonic twin-engine bomber equipped with sophisticated sensors and weapons that has been a key strike component of the Russian air force. The aircraft has seen wide use during the war in Syria and the fighting in Ukraine.
Monday's accident marked the 10th reported non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Military experts have noted that as the number of Russian military flights increased sharply during the fighting, so did the crashes.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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2022-10-18T09:50:57+00:00
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upr.org
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https://www.upr.org/npr-news/2022-10-18/a-russian-warplane-crashes-near-an-apartment-building-and-kills-at-least-13
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PITTSBURGH, Nov. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I thought there should be a convenient and efficient means of drying and sanitizing hands to reduce the transfer of germs," said an inventor, from Hazelhurst, Miss., "so I invented the JET DRY. My design can be used on a sink or countertop at home, in a hotel room, within a vehicle or in a public setting."
The invention provides an improved way to dry and sanitize hands. In doing so, it eliminates the need to use paper or fabric towels. As a result, it saves time and effort and it increases sanitation, safety and efficiency. The invention features a sleek, lightweight and portable design that is easy to use so it is ideal for households, travelers, vehicle owners, medical facilities, etc. Additionally, it is producible in design variations.
The original design was submitted to the National sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 21-RKH-149, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE InventHelp
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2022-11-23T15:44:24+00:00
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kwch.com
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https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/11/23/inventhelp-inventor-develops-device-dry-amp-sanitize-hands-rkh-149/
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Backed by Independent Research, Flagship Product Handwriting Without Tears has 4 Decades of Proven Success
CABIN JOHN, Md., Jan. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Early Learning company, Learning Without Tears, is celebrating National Handwriting Day in multiple ways, highlighting the importance of teaching handwriting to students, and celebrating this day where the focus is on the crucial skill of handwriting. Started in 1977, and held on John Hancock's birthday, this is National Handwriting Day's 46th anniversary.
"Handwriting is in our DNA, and is foundational to literacy solutions, as well as integrating with our other literacy products, it is supported with the best professional learning in the industry," explained Learning Without Tears CEO Terry Nealon. "Our company's journey started at the kitchen table of a mom whose son was struggling with handwriting. Jan Olsen, an Occupational Therapist, developed a revolutionary new approach to handwriting that in the last 40 years has helped millions of students." Jan's methodology has been proven effective in classrooms and independently by a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Education's Center for Research & Reform in Education, where Handwriting Without Tears achieved a high ESSA Tier 2-Level evidence rating.
"The conclusion of the research by Johns Hopkins University makes it clear that students using Handwriting Without Tears will be successful writers and build a strong foundation for literacy success in the future," said Deborah King, Director of Research at Learning Without Tears. "The rigor used in this study, backed by Johns Hopkins University's reputation and independence, means that educators can respect the results and should see similar success when they bring Handwriting Without Tears into their own classrooms. This isn't guesswork; this is hard data of a highly positive outcome."
"Handwriting is important, and often used in special ways and places – from a lunchbox note to a handwritten thank you card," CEO Nealon said "It is a core element of overall literacy, always important no matter how digital we become. Solid handwriting skills can improve student performance. We know that students often retain knowledge better when they take notes by hand."
Learning Without Tears is recognizing National Handwriting Day in a number of ways including making many resources available for teachers, occupational therapists and families.
• Using the hashtag #LWTHandwritingDay we will see examples of not just great handwriting but storytelling, we will award some winners with a classroom kit of our best handwriting resources supported with access to our professional learning team.
• We also invite everyone to access the specialized Literacy Matters podcast: "Embracing the Benefits of Fluent Handwriting" with Dr. Kathleen "Kit" Mohr, Ed.D
"National Handwriting Day is one of our favorite days at LWT," CEO Nealon explained. "We love handwriting and how it supports literacy and our solutions, Handwriting Without Tears has become the global leader as an essential learning solution used in thousands of schools and classrooms globally helping millions of students – educators know that our learning programs work, and handwriting will remain an essential skill for students to master."
Learning Without Tears is a leading early education company offering a proven and unique approach to teaching and learning, from crucial readiness skills in Pre-K to foundational writing and typing skills, including handwriting, keyboarding and cursive. The elementary school-level programs benefit all learners with multisensory, developmentally appropriate, proven practices, and are used by millions of students around the world. Learning Without Tears professional learning programs deliver early education expertise to thousands of teachers, tutors, and occupational therapists in the US and across the globe. For more information, please see www.lwtears.com.
View original content:
SOURCE Learning Without Tears
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2023-01-24T02:32:56+00:00
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ksla.com
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https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2023/01/24/national-handwriting-day-recognized-by-learning-without-tears-with-contest-free-resources/
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Voting opened Friday on whether Russian-held regions of Ukraine should become part of Russia, referendums that Ukrainian officials and their allies condemned as an illegitimate attempt by Moscow to annex areas its forces have occupied during nearly seven months of war.
As the balloting got underway, United Nations experts and Ukrainian officials pointed to new evidence of war crimes in Ukraine. Kharkiv region officials said a mass burial site in the eastern city of Izium contained hundreds of bodies, including at least 30 displaying signs of torture.
The Kremlin-orchestrated referendums in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions ask residents if they want the areas to be part of Russia. The voting overseen by Moscow-installed authorities, scheduled to run through Tuesday, is almost certain to go the Kremlin’s way.
Ukraine and the West have denounced the referendums as a sham and an illegitimate step toward annexation. A similar vote took place in 2014 before Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, a move that most of the world considered illegal.
Election officials planned to bring ballots to people’s homes and setting up makeshift polling stations near residential buildings during the first four days of voting, according to Russian-installed officials in the occupied regions, who cited safety reasons.
Polls also opened in Russia, where refugees and other residents of the occupied regions could cast their votes.
Denis Pushilin, the separatist leader of Moscow-backed authorities in the Donetsk region, called the referendum taking place there “a historical milestone.”
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, addressed the occupied regions Friday in an online statement, saying: “If you decide to become part of the Russian Federation — we will support you.”
Luhansk Gov. Serhii Haidai accused Russian officials of taking down the names of people who voted against becoming part of Russia. In online posts, Haidai also alleged that Russian officials threatened to kick down the doors of anyone who didn’t want to cast a vote and shared photos of what appeared to be a pair of deserted polling stations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy only briefly mentioned the “sham referenda” in his nightly address in which he switched from speaking in Ukrainian to Russian to directly tell Russian citizens they were being “thrown to their deaths.”
“You are already accomplices in all these crimes, murders and torture of Ukrainians,” he said. “Because you were silent. Because you are silent. And now it’s time for you to choose. For men in Russia, this is a choice to die or live, to become a cripple or to preserve health. For women in Russia, the choice is to lose their husbands, sons, grandchildren forever, or still try to protect them from death, from war, from one person.”
The voting takes place against the backdrop of incessant fighting in Ukraine, with Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanging fire as both sides refuse to concede ground.
The governor of the Kharkiv region, which was mostly held by Russian forces before a Ukrainian counteroffensive this month, reported Friday that 436 bodies have been exhumed from the mass burial site in a forest outside Izium.
Gov. Oleh Synyehubov and the region’s police chief, Volodymyr Tymoshko, told reporters that three more grave sites were located after the Russians retreated and Ukrainian forces returned.
A team of experts commissioned by the U.N. Human Rights Council also presented evidence Friday of potential war crimes, including beatings, electric shocks and forced nudity in Russian detention facilities, and expressed grave concerns about executions the team was working to document in Kharkiv and the regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy.
As the referendums got underway, more men in Russia prepared to join the fight in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ordered a partial mobilization of reservists on Wednesday that the defense minister said could add about 300,000 troops.
In cities across the vast country, men hugged their weeping family members before departing as part of the call-up, which has caused fears a wider draft might follow. Russian antiwar activists planned to stage protests against the mobilization on Saturday.
Ukraine’s presidential office said Friday at least 10 civilians were killed and 39 others were wounded by Russian shelling in nine Ukrainian regions over the last 24 hours.
It said that fighting has continued in the Russia-held southern Kherson despite the voting, while Ukrainian forces troops meted out 280 attacks on Russian command posts, munitions depots and weapons in the region.
Heavy fighting also continued in the Donetsk region, where Russian attacks targeted Toretsk and Sloviansk as well as several smaller towns. Russian shelling in Nikopol and Marhanets on the western bank of the Dnieper River resulted in the deaths of two people and the wounding of nine in Marhanets.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Friday that the country’s military casualties could be higher than the 9,000 soldiers reported killed in action because authorities still don’t know the exact number of those killed during a three-month seize of the strategic port of Mariupol, which fell to the Russians in May.
Malyar nonetheless claimed that Ukraine’s losses were much smaller than those of Russia’s. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu previously reported that 5,937 Russian fighters have died in the war.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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2022-09-23T14:06:00+00:00
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seattletimes.com
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https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/moscow-held-regions-of-ukraine-vote-whether-to-join-russia/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world
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BEIJING, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JA Solar has once again been recognized as "Overall High Achiever" for its DeepBlue 3.0 excellent performance in the strict testing of modules for quality, reliability and performance in the 2022 PV Module Index Report (PVMI) recently released by the Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC), a leading engineering services and certification testing provider for renewable energy products. This is the third recognition in a row for JA Solar since RETC first launched the PVMI report in 2019.
The Photovoltaic Module Index Report (PVMI) is well-known for evaluating the quality, reliability and performance of photovoltaic modules through rigorous testing of a higher level than regular adopted standards. The professional, fair and transparent testing results provide a solid reference for financiers and developers in selecting high-quality modules, offering reliable reference data for operators in the long-term application of modules.
The 2022 PVMI Report summarizes the results of 12 months of testing on damp heat (DH2000), dynamic mechanical load (DML), solar module efficiency, PTC-to-STC ratio, PAN file test, thermal cycle test (TC600), PID Resistance, light and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LeTID), thresher test, among others. Each test holds great reference significance for the reliability of modules in practical application scenarios. Consecutively winning the "Overall High Achiever" honor further confirms the performance advantages of JA Solar modules in efficiency, reliability and power generation capacity, and perfectly reflects the "customer-oriented, to achieve optimal LCOE" module design mindset.
View original content:
SOURCE JA Solar Technology Co., Ltd.
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2022-06-27T12:45:25+00:00
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newschannel10.com
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https://www.newschannel10.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/third-time-row-ja-solar-recognized-overall-high-achiever-retc-2022-pvmi-report/
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Rescue workers in Turkey and Syria continued their work battling inclement weather and logistical hurdles in a race to find survivors buried under debris. The combined death toll from Monday’s earthquakes neared 22,000, according to officials in the two countries. Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless by the disaster and in need of urgent shelter and food.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visiting the devastated Osmaniye province, described the quake as the “disaster of the century,” local media reported Thursday. In Turkey, more than 100,000 people — including soldiers, police officers, firefighters and NGO workers — have been pressed into action. On Thursday, the first U.N. aid convoy crossed through Turkey into rebel-held northwest Syria, an area devastated by years of war.
Here’s the latest on the aftermath of the earthquakes.
2. Aid and rescue efforts
3. From our correspondents
Nowhere to run: Quake displaces Syrians in rebel enclave, again. In rebel-held northwest Syria, more than two-thirds of inhabitants are from elsewhere in the country, pushed to this remote corner by government forces. Now, the earthquake has displaced them once again.
Buildings weakened by shelling from Syrian government forces and their Russian allies were no match for the tremors of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its host of powerful aftershocks that brought down houses right and left, report Omar Nezhat and Sarah Dadouch.
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2023-02-10T09:29:57+00:00
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washingtonpost.com
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/10/turkey-syria-earthquake-death-toll-updates/
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BERLIN (AP) — Germany is postponing politically sensitive decisions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector until 2023 amid strong opposition from one governing party to the idea of a universal speed limit, officials said Monday.
The libertarian Free Democratic Party, which controls the Transport Ministry, has long blocked the introduction mandatory speed limits seen in most of Germany’s neighbors.
Experts say that limiting speeds on highways to 120 kilometers per hour (74.5 mph) would save 2.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. A limit of 100 kmh (62 mph) would more than double the savings, according to Germany’s Environment Agency.
Those annual savings would make a significant contribution to closing the remaining emissions gap in Germany’s transport sector of 118-175 million tons by 2030.
Proposals released Monday by the Economy Ministry would close the emissions gap in all other sectors for the country to meet its climate goals. Germany wants to cut emissions by 65% from 1990 levels by 2030, but have acknowledged that this will be a “gigantic” task and the country is lagging. Europe’s biggest economy aims to have ‘net zero’ emissions by 2045.
To achieve this, Germany will have to double its current rate of emissions cuts by the middle of this decade, then triple them from 2030 onward, the ministry said.
It noted that significant measures have already been put in place to increase renewable energy generation and to ramp up the production of hydrogen for industrial use. While Germany plans to introduce a monthly 49-euro ticket to encourage the use of public transit, the ministry said “climate policy failures of the past decades” meant further measures would need to be agreed in 2023.
___
Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
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2022-10-31T18:51:54+00:00
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pahomepage.com
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https://www.pahomepage.com/news/science/ap-germany-puts-off-transport-emissions-decision-for-next-year/
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Summertime revenue growth at Google’s corporate parent slipped to its slowest pace since the pandemic jarred the economy more than two years ago, with advertisers clamping down on spending and bracing for a potential recession.
Alphabet Inc., which owns an array of smaller technology companies in addition to Google, on Tuesday posted revenue of $69.1 billion for the July-September quarter, a 6% increase from the same time last year.
It marked the first time Alphabet’s year-over-year quarterly revenue has risen by less than 10% since the April-June period of 2020. At that time, the advertisers that generate most of its revenue pulled in their reins because of the economic uncertainty during the pandemic’s early months.
Google’s ad sales weakened even more dramatically than Alphabet’s overall revenue. Ad revenue totaled $54.5 billion, up just 2.5% from the same time last year. In another sign of more challenging times, YouTube’s quarterly ad sales decreased 2% from last year, the first time the video site’s revenue has regressed since Google began disclosing its results in 2019.
The revenue slowdown also created a drag on Alphabet’s profits. The Mountain View, California, company earned $13.9 billion, $1.06 per share, a 27% drop from the same time last year. Both revenue and earnings per share fell below projections of analysts surveyed by FactSet.
Alphabet’s shares declined nearly 7% in extended trading after the numbers came out. The stock price has plummeted by more than 30% this year, erasing about $600 billion in shareholder wealth.
“Online ad spending is clearly slowing more than we thought,” said David Heger, an analyst for Edward Jones. “It looks like it is going to be tough sledding for the next few quarters.”
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai described the conditions as “uncertain” and told analysts during a conference call, “it is a moment where you take the time to optimize the company to make sure we are set up for the next decade of growth ahead.”
Google’s moneymaking machine, propelled by its dominant search engine, roared back as pandemic restrictions loosened last year and government stimulus juiced the economy, helping power Alphabet to a 41% increase in its revenue last year that lifted its stock price to new peaks.
But the economy has been sputtering in recent months as central bankers steadily lift interest rates to combat the highest inflation rates in more than 40 years, a strategy that is threatening to plunge the economy into a recession. As it is, many households have already tightened their budgets and cut back on some discretionary items — a trend that has prompted advertisers to spend less marketing their products and services.
“This disappointing quarter for Google signifies hard times ahead,” warned Insider Intelligence analyst Evelyn Mitchell.
Alphabet has vowed to scale back its hiring, but didn’t show much restraint during the summer months. After adding 17,500 employees to its payroll during the first half of the year, the company’s workforce increased by another 11,765 people in the past quarter. Alphabet ended September with nearly 187,000 employees.
Ruth Porat, Alphabet’s chief financial officer, predicted during the conference call that the company will hire fewer than 6,380 workers during the final three months of this year, a more measured approach that Pichai said would continue into next year.
The cautious remarks came after Pichai told Alphabet employees last month to be “a bit more responsible through one of the toughest macroeconomic conditions” of the past decade and urged them not to “equate fun with money.”
Although the economy is squeezing its finances, Google is faring far better than other internet companies whose fortunes are tied to digital advertising. Facebook suffered its first year-over-year quarterly decline in revenue earlier this year. Another social networking company, Snap, has been so hard hit that its stock price has plunged by more than 80% so far this year.
Facebook, Snap and a variety of other internet services rely on being able to track users’ whereabouts and online activities to target ads. Apple began blocking that tracking on iPhones 18 months ago unless users consented to the surveillance. Google’s search engine is still able to gather personal information prized by advertisers through its search engine, minimizing the impact of Apple’s tougher privacy controls on its revenue.
Facebook’s corporate parent, Meta Platforms, is scheduled to report its results for the latest quarter Wednesday afternoon.
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2022-10-26T12:03:45+00:00
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mytwintiers.com
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https://www.mytwintiers.com/news-header/tech-news/ap-technology/ap-googles-ad-sales-slow-dramatically-as-parents-profit-falls/
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On stand, Alex Murdaugh denies killings but admits lying
By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press
Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has denied killing his wife and son but admitted lying about when he last saw them alive while testifying in his own defense. Murdaugh is charged with murder in the fatal shootings of his wife and son, who were killed near kennels on their property on June 7, 2021. Murdaugh faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted. In his testimony Thursday, the 54-year-old continued to staunchly deny any role in the killings. Prosecutors spent four weeks of testimony painting Murdaugh as a liar who decided to kill his wife and son because he wanted sympathy to buy time to cover up his financial crimes that were about to be discovered.
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2023-02-23T19:30:01+00:00
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keyt.com
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https://keyt.com/news/2023/02/23/alex-murdaugh-testifies-in-his-own-defense-at-murder-trial/
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NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
If you own shares in any of the companies listed above and
would like to discuss our investigations or have any questions concerning
this notice or your rights or interests, please contact:
Joshua Rubin, Esq.
Weiss Law
305 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(212) 682-3025
(888) 593-4771
stockinfo@weisslawllp.com
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives, Inc. (NASDAQ: IEA), in connection with the proposed acquisition of IEA by MasTec, Inc. ("MasTec"). Under the terms of the merger agreement, IEA shareholders will receive $14.00 per share in cash and 0.0483 shares of MasTec common stock for each IEA share owned, representing implied per-share merger consideration of approximately $17.85 based upon MasTec's August 3, 2022 closing price of $79.72. If you own IEA shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/iea
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Shell Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SHLX), in connection with the proposed acquisition of SHLX by Shell USA, Inc. ("Shell USA"). Under the terms of the merger agreement, SHLX unit holders will receive $15.85 in cash for each Public Common Unit of SHLX common stock owned. A subsidiary of Shell USA currently owns 269,457,304 SHLX common units, or approximately 68.5% of SHLX common units. If you own SHLX shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/shlx
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Zymergen Inc. (NASDAQ: ZY), connected with the proposed acquisition of ZY by Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. ("Ginkgo"). Under the terms of the merger agreement, ZY shareholders will receive 0.9179 shares of Ginkgo common stock for each ZY share owned, representing implied per-share merger consideration of approximately $2.81 based upon Ginkgo's August 3, 2022 closing price of $3.06. If you own ZY shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/zy
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of RADA Electronic Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: RADA), in connection with the proposed merger of RADA with Leonardo DRS Inc. ("Leonardo DRS"). Upon completion of the transaction, Leonardo DRS will acquire 100% of the share capital in RADA in exchange for approximately 19.5% equity ownership to RADA shareholders in the combined company. If you own RADA shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/rada
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Weiss Law
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2022-08-04T23:29:03+00:00
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wsfa.com
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https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2022/08/04/shareholder-alert-weiss-law-reminds-iea-shlx-zy-rada-shareholders-about-its-ongoing-investigations/
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Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
© 2022 Good Karma Brands Milwaukee, LLC.
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2022-09-15T04:49:16+00:00
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wtmj.com
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https://wtmj.com/ap-news/2022/09/14/ap-top-business-news-at-1226-a-m-edt-3/
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SELINSGROVE, SNYDER COUNTY (WBREW/WYOU) — Last season, Susquehanna Football reached the Top 25 rankings in Division III before a couple losses late in the year. The River Hawks are positioned for similar success in 2022 and will begin their season on Saturday against Lycoming.
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2022-08-30T03:48:05+00:00
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pahomepage.com
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https://www.pahomepage.com/sports/college-sports/following-9-2-season-susquehanna-football-aims-high-in-2022/
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BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower Monday after the top U.S. and Chinese diplomats agreed to cooperate during a meeting held at a time of friction over an array of conflicts.
Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul retreated. Sydney gained. Oil prices fell by almost $1.
Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index lost 0.4% on Friday after the Federal Reserve held its benchmark lending rate steady but warned last week it might be raised later if needed to cool inflation.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held what the Chinese government called “candid, in-depth and constructive talks” at a time when relations are at their lowest point in decades. They indicated willingness to cooperate on major issues but did not indicate there was any progress on disputes over Taiwan, human rights, technology and security.
“Whether that will lead to any actual positive outcomes still awaits to be seen,” said Yeap Jun Rong of IG in a report. “Any inaction on that front could still see any optimism fizzle out eventually.”
The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.3% to 3,262.59 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo shed 0.3% to 33,591.82. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 0.6% to 19,915.51.
The Kospi in Seoul retreated 0.8% to 2,605.46 while Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 gained 0.4% to 7,277.70. New Zealand, Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok also declined.
On Friday, the S&P 500 declined to 4,409.59 but closed out a fifth straight weekly gain. It is near a 14-month high following a 15% rise this year.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3% to 34,299.12. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.7% to 13,689.57.
Humana dropped 3.9% for one of the S&P 500’s sharpest losses after becoming the latest health insurer to warn about rising costs because of pent-up demand for medical services. Health insurance giant UnitedHealth issued a similar warning earlier.
Last week, the Fed held its benchmark lending rate steady, the first time in 10 straight monthly meetings it hasn’t announced an increase.
The Fed warned, however, that it could raise rates as often as two more times this year. Wall Street is betting on a rate hike at its next meeting on July 25-26.
A survey Friday suggested U.S. consumers are also paring back their expectations for upcoming inflation. The preliminary reading from the University of Michigan survey also suggested consumer sentiment is strengthening more than expected.
Chemical company Cabot slumped 8.1% after it said soft demand worldwide, and especially in China, will hurt profits this year.
Software maker Adobe rose 0.9% after reporting solid financial results and raising its profit forecast.
In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude lost $1 to $70.93 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.16 on Friday to $71.78. Brent crude, the price basis for international oil trading, declined $1.16 to $75.45 per barrel in London. It gained 94 cents the previous session to $76.61.
The dollar rose to 141.93 yen from Friday’s 141.80 yen. The euro edged down to $1.0939 from $1.0943.
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2023-06-19T12:41:45+00:00
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wcia.com
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https://www.wcia.com/news/business/ap-business/stock-market-today-asia-follows-wall-st-lower-as-us-chinese-foreign-ministers-meet/
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Live downlink in 4K resolution from the International Space Station on January 6 at the world's largest technology conference will feature NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Frank Rubio to discuss living and working in space, including a panel discussion featuring users of the orbiting laboratory
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's largest and most influential gathering of technology companies and researchers is about to receive a call from humanity's most innovative learning outpost, the International Space Station (ISS). Each year in Las Vegas (NV), the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) brings together key leaders within the technology field to network, spur new ideas, and to drive economic growth. This year, NASA and the ISS National Lab are seeking to make big waves by educating the CES community on avenues to utilize this one-of-a-kind incubator in low Earth orbit.
On Friday, January 6th, from 8:30 through 9:10 a.m. PT, a session moderated by CNN Business' Jackie Wattles will focus on how a variety of users are leveraging the space station to further technological advancements that can bring value to humanity, improve the quality of life for those living and working in space, and enable a sustainable market in low Earth orbit. To kick off this session, Wattles will moderate a fast-paced conversation featuring:
- Dr. Michael Roberts, Chief Scientist, ISS National Lab
- Dr. Ken Savin, Chief Science Officer, Redwire Space
- Dr. Mark Sivik, Distinguished Fellow, Procter & Gamble
After which, the space station will come calling. Wattles will moderate a discussion with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Frank Rubio, live from the orbiting laboratory. The conversation will focus on living in space – but more importantly, the types of research and innovation that the space station is capable of facilitating, and how that may be relevant to the technology sector.
As CES is a conference focused on featuring the newest innovations, why not use this downlink as an opportunity to showcase a new capability from NASA? This downlink transmission will provide a validation of new and improved bandwidth capabilities that will bring this conversation to attendees in higher resolution than ever before. In doing so, this hopes to set the foundation for future downlink conversations in 4K resolution, bringing the space station and astronauts to your televisions and computers with more clarity!
On Northrop Grumman's most recent resupply mission to the space station, it included an upgraded, next-generation BioFabrication Facility (BFF) from Redwire Space, in an effort to bioprint human cells and tissues in the absence of gravity. Dr. Savin will be able to speak to this facility, along with many others owned and operated by Redwire Space, and how the CES community can work with implementation partners and Commercial Space Providers through the ISS National Lab and NASA.
In 2022, Procter & Gamble launched two new investigations focused on the company's Tide laundry brand (sponsored by the ISS National Lab, and in collaboration via a Space Act Agreement with NASA). In doing so, the Tide in Space team sought to validate the stability of cleaning detergent products in the extreme environment of space, including Tide Infinity, the first in a series of products development for the space-based environment. The team also tested Tide to Go Pens and Tide to Go Wipes in the absence of gravity. Presently, astronauts do not have the capacity to clean their clothes through traditional avenues, and these studies could provide insights into future laundry solutions in space. Additionally, breakthroughs from this science could enable laundry solutions for those in remote or environmentally impacted communities on Earth.
For those planning to attend CES in person, the downlink and panel session are slated to take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, Room 232. The panelists may be available for potential interviews from media attending the conference. Interested media, please reach out to Patrick O'Neill, ISS National Lab Public Affairs and Outreach Lead at PONeill@issnationallab.org to coordinate.
To learn more about CES, including how to attend in person and virtually, please visit www.ces.tech. To learn more about the ISS National Lab and the science it supports, please visit www.issnationallab.org.
To download a high-resolution photo for this release, click here.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab, under cooperative agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit www.ISSNationalLab.org.
View original content:
SOURCE International Space Station National Lab
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2023-01-04T18:49:52+00:00
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wafb.com
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https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/01/04/nasa-iss-national-lab-team-up-live-space-station-downlink-consumer-electronics-show/
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BEIJING (AP) — Beijing is closing all city schools in a further tightening of COVID-19 restrictions, as China’s capital seeks to prevent a wider outbreak.
The city of 21 million has already ordered three rounds of mass testing this week, with the third coming Friday.
On Thursday, the city’s Education Bureau ordered all schools to end classes from Friday and said it hadn’t determined when they would resume.
It also wasn’t clear whether schools would be able to offer classes online or allow students facing crucial exams to return to class.
Beijing announced 50 new cases on Thursday, two of them asymptomatic, bringing its total in the latest wave of infections to around 150.
Students make up more than 30% of total cases, with clusters linked to six schools and two kindergartens in Chaoyang.
Also Thursday, residents of two housing compounds in Beijing’s Chaoyang district were ordered to stay inside and some clinics and businesses shut down.
Beijing has moved more swiftly than many Chinese cities to impose restrictions while case numbers remain low and the scale of the outbreak is still manageable.
The goal is to avoid the sort of sweeping measures imposed on Shanghai, where the highly transmissible omicron variant has torn through the city of 25 million. Restrictions confining many Shanghai residents to their homes are now in their fourth week and all schools have been online since last month.
The strict measures have spurred anger and frustrationover shortages of food and basic supplies, the inability of hospitals to deal with other health emergencies and poor conditions at centralized quarantine sites where anyone who tests positive — or even has contact with a positive case — is required to be sent.
The National Health Commission on Thursday reported 11,285 new cases across mainland China, most of them asymptomatic and the vast majority in Shanghai, where an additional 47 deaths were reported.
Shanghai city authorities said Wednesday they will analyze the results of new rounds of testing to determine which neighborhoods can safely expand freedom of movement for residents.
Shanghai is seeking to achieve “societal zero COVID” whereby new cases are found only in people who are already under surveillance, such as in centralized quarantine, or among those considered to be close contacts. That would indicate chains of transmission in the open community have been severed, reducing the risk of new clusters forming from previously undetected sources.
While China’s overall vaccination rate stands at around 90%, just 62% of people over 60 have been vaccinated in Shanghai, the country’s largest and wealthiest city. Health workers have been visiting elderly residents at home to administer vaccines in a bid to boost that figure, the city’s Health Commission said Thursday.
The pandemic and stringent lockdown measures have taken a toll on the economy, especially in Shanghai, which is home to the world’s busiest port and China’s main stock market, along with a large international business community.
A full month’s shutdown of the city will subtract 2% from China’s annual economic growth, according to an analysis from ING bank earlier this month. Lockdowns could also affect spring planting, driving up food prices, while transport has also been badly hit.
Baiyun Airport, in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, saw 80% of flights canceled Thursday after “abnormal results” were found while testing airport staff, according to online state media source The Paper.
Travel, particularly between provinces and cities, is expected to fall during next week’s May Day holiday. China’s international borders have largely remained closed since the COVID-19 outbreak was first discovered in the central city of Wuhan.
Despite Beijing’s promises to reduce the human and economic cost of its strict “zero-COVID” strategy, leaders from President Xi Jinping down have ruled out joining the United States and other governments that are dropping restrictions and trying to live with the virus.
All but 13 of China’s 100 biggest cities by economic output were under some form of restrictions earlier this month, according to Gavekal Dragonomics, a research firm.
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2022-04-29T13:20:02+00:00
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wnct.com
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https://www.wnct.com/on-your-side/health-watch/beijing-orders-schools-closed-in-tightening-of-virus-rules/
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ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- What should consumers, Realtors® and policymakers expect when it comes to Florida real estate over the next year? After the unexpectedly strong years of 2020 and 2021 despite an ongoing pandemic, Florida's housing sector in 2022 was affected by rapidly rising inflation and higher mortgage interest rates, Florida Realtors® Chief Economist Dr. Brad O'Connor told nearly 500 Realtors during the 2023 Florida Real Estate Trends summit last Thursday.
"Now, we expect the state's residential real estate market to return to a more typical pace," he said. "I believe 2023 will look more like the 'traditional' housing market years of 2018-2019 in Florida as supply and demand become more balanced."
The event was part of this year's Florida Realtors®' Mid-Winter Business Meetings at the Renaissance SeaWorld Orlando. In addition to O'Connor, the summit featured John Leer, chief economist of Morning Consult, which uses high-frequency survey data to capture insights into consumer attitudes and concerns. Leer leads global economic research and oversees the firm's economic data collection, validation and analysis. He is an authority on the effects of consumer preference, expectations and experiences on purchasing patterns, prices and employment.
It also included a panel of Realtors who use Florida Realtors' SunStats resource regularly, sharing how it helps them in their business. Panelists were Peter West, broker/managing partner, Bishop West Real Estate; Kara Wisely, broker associate, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty; and John J. Adams, president, Adams, Cameron and Co., Realtors. Jennifer Warner, Florida Realtors economist and director of economic development, served as the moderator.
Dr. Brad O'Connor, Florida Realtors chief economist
One major question currently on the minds of real estate professionals, homebuyers, home sellers and others: Is a price correction on the way?
"Well, prices are determined by both demand and supply," O'Connor said. "Falling demand is only one ingredient needed for a large correction; we also need a flood of supply – in the last housing cycle, this came from overbuilding and foreclosures. And it's unlikely that we're going to see a flood of newly built homes on the market for several reasons. First, fewer home builders currently exist than in years past; builders are more conservative when it comes to taking on new builds; and home builds are taking longer to complete. Supply is also being affected by homeowners who don't want to list their house and buy a different one because they're likely to have to pay more on the next home due to higher mortgage interest rates.
"So it's true some owners are feeling 'locked-in' to their current home and current mortgage rate, but it's not all homeowners. We are seeing gains in inventory (active listings) and closed sales are continuing. And we are going to see some relaxing or easing in prices, but we're not going to see a great drop unless or until we see more supply available."
According to O'Connor, inflation will continue to be a factor in 2023, though recent economic news shows the Federal Reserve's action to fight inflation appears to be having a positive effect. Buyer demand in Florida in the coming months will continue to be challenged by insurance costs, mortgage rates – especially if rates start rising again to 7% or higher – and ongoing economic uncertainty that erodes consumer confidence.
"Mortgage rates will come down, but it's all dependent on different factors," he said. "All of the current forecasts on existing home sales in 2023 rely on where the 30-year mortgage rate is going to be, and that's in flux.
Recent 2023 forecasts for U.S. existing home sales compared year-over-year to 2022 include:
National Association of Realtors® (12/13/22): Existing home sales fall 7.0% Y/Y in 2023
Fannie Mae (12/12/22): Existing home sales fall 21.1% Y/Y in 2023
Mortgage Bankers Association (12/19/22): Existing home sales fall 13.7% Y/Y in 2023
Redfin (12/6/22): Existing home sales fall 16.0% Y/Y in 2023
Realtor.com (11/30/22): Existing home sales fall 14.1% Y/Y in 2023
National Association of Home Builders (1/4/23): Existing home sales fall 15.7% Y/Y in 2023
O'Connor said, "In the first half of this year, I feel confident that we're going to see home prices flatten out on average, and I think sales will kind of hug below the line of 2018 (closed existing home sales). I expect closed sales to hover a bit below the more usual pace of Florida home sales, such as what we saw in 2018. However, because home prices are much higher now than in 2018, we are still going to see a higher dollar volume of closed existing home sales, just not at the level of last year or in 2021 with dollar volume."
Dr. John Leer, Morning Consult chief economist
How consumers are affected by the economy, inflation and other factors – or how they feel about what's going on in the world around them – influences consumer confidence and factors into their buying decisions or saving habits, according to Dr. John Leer, chief economist for Morning Consult.
"In 2023, consumer confidence is starting to rise across most of the U.S. but remains far off from where it was a year ago," he said. "It's going to take a prolonged period of real wage growth and fairly stable policy outcomes for consumers to feel more comfortable and confident about the economy and their future. In December, consumers reported rising credit balances at the highest rates since tracking began. Research shows more consumers are finding it difficult to make ends meet at the end of the month, and the share of adults able to save each month continues to shrink."
Leer pointed out this is a sign that consumers have been pushed to the brink and are having to pull back on spending as higher expenses erode their savings and sense of financial stability.
"While we're seeing in the news that inflation is starting to cool, inflation is still impacting consumers," he said. "They still feel and see that inflation is costing them more. Consumers are under financial stress and they're trying to downsize their spending. Over the last two months, what we're seeing is the outlook for the U.S. economy has really deteriorated, particularly among consumer fronts. Consumers have exhausted their sources of spending. We expect to see consumers continue to draw back from spending as small business and other sectors reduce hiring, expenditures and otherwise also contract."
However, Leer also noted that housing and homeownership remain a top priority for many consumers. "Housing prices are beginning to flatten but continue to resist declines as buyer interest perks up," he said. "Buyers are still waiting in the wings, interested in purchasing a home as soon as they're able to do so financially. We continue to see that homeownership remains a strong goal for consumers, particularly for young adults looking to start a family and who feel secure in their jobs and ready for that next transition."
Florida Realtors® serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to more than 238,000 members in 51 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Newsroom website is available at http://floridarealtors.org/newsroom.
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SOURCE Florida Realtors
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2023-01-23T15:54:51+00:00
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wymt.com
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https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/23/florida-realtors-real-estate-trends-whats-2023-florida-outlook/
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It will be a colorful weekend in Jersey City and Hoboken on Saturday, June 18, when the Surati Holi Hai Walk and Color Festival kicks off with the Hudson River Color Walk along the waterfront in Jersey City and the Holi Hai - Festival of Colors in Hoboken. In India, Holi is a holiday that celebrates spring, love, and good triumphing over evil.
Surati Holi Hai is the brainchild of artist, producer, choreographer, dancer and Artistic Director of Surati, Rimli Roy, who began the festival back in 2008 in Jersey City to share with communities in the U.S. the spirit and joy of the same festival from India and was the first to bring an Indian festival to Exchange Place in 2014.
The organization has produced Holi Hai for the past 13 years, although the event was cancelled in 2020 at the height of COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants will begin their colorful journey at City Hall in Jersey City, at 280 Grove St., at 9 a.m. where people can register for the event, participate in dance and yoga workshops, and take in performances of Indian classical jazz fusion, African dance, and traditional Indian folk dances.
At 11 a.m., the countdown to the Color Walk from Jersey City to Hoboken along the Hudson River begins and includes beating drums, color throwing, and dancing.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla will welcome the group as they arrive at the Hoboken train station and escort them to Pier A Park, where the partying will continue from noon to 8 p.m. with food vendors, clothing and jewelry stands, live dance and music performances, as well as a DJ.
Music and dance highlights for this year’s Holi Hai Festival include Bollywood guest artists Rajesh Roy and Priyani Vani Panditt; Aztec Native American dance troupe Kalpuli Kamaxtle Xiucoatl; Belly Dancer Janelle Issis; Jazz Fusion by Jersey City saxphonist Zach Herchen of Con Vivo and Sitar by Shiv, Percussions by Ngor Jallow and Lautaro Burgos; Bihu Folk Dance from Assam featuring Moushumi Phukan; Indian Classical, Folk, Fusion and Bollywood by the Surati Dance Team Shayna Malhotra, Laxmi Gusain, Alisha Desai, Tanya Chauhan, Bineet Kaur and others, led and directed by Rimli Roy; Surati student performers include Aratrika Sarkar, Rijah Banerjee, Aanya Mukherjee, Elizabeth Johnson, Roma Das, Isha Tripathy and Ahana Dalmia.
The festival also helps raise funds to sustain Surati’s artistic programming throughout the year. Surati is a Jersey City-based nonprofit that educates and enriches communities globally through dance, music and theater rooted in Indian art, themes and culture. For more information about the festival and to purchase tickets in advance to Saturday’s activities, including rides, beverages and color packets, go to www.suratiholihai.org.
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2022-06-15T14:35:35+00:00
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nj.com
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https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/06/get-colorful-along-the-waterfront-with-holi-hai.html
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Phyllis Solomon
February 24, 1940-March 25, 2023
Phyllis Solomon, age 83, passed away March 25, 2023.
She was born February 24, 1940, to the Arthur and Ann (Broers) Bartz in Osage, IA. Phyllis retired from AT&T.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her grandson, Kyle Solomon; siblings, Otto Bartz, Laverna Marion, Roger Bartz, and Harold Bartz.
Phyllis is survived by her children, Wayne (Mary) Solomon Jr. and Tina (Michael) Brandt; sisters-in-law, Beverly Bartz and Gloria Bartz; 6 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren; nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. at Hoy Kilnoski Funeral Home on Thursday, March 30, 2023.
Funeral Service will be held at 10:00 AM at Hoy Kilnoski Funeral Home on Friday, March 31, 2023. Interment is in the Garner Township Cemetery. The family will direct memorials.
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2023-03-28T06:48:16+00:00
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globegazette.com
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https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/phyllis-solomon/article_0c1df75c-ffda-500b-a9d9-47358b31b809.html
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NEW YORK (AP) — Bryce Harper has taken on-field batting practice for the first time since Tommy John surgery last fall.
The Philadelphia Phillies said Harper hit on the field before Tuesday night’s game at Yankee Stadium.
Harper, a two-time National League MVP, was operated on last Nov. 23 and was projected to return as a designated hitter by the All-Star break. He appears to be on track for an earlier return, and Philadelphia has Harper on the 10-day injured list rather than the 60, which would have ruled him out until May 29.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2023-04-05T19:26:49+00:00
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valleycentral.com
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https://www.valleycentral.com/sports/bryce-harper-takes-on-field-bp-for-1st-time-since-surgery/
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UMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Relatives and friends cried next to coffins on Sunday as they buried children and others killed in a Russian missile attack on this central Ukrainian city, while fighting claimed more lives elsewhere.
Almost all of the 23 victims of the attack on Friday died when two missiles slammed into an apartment building in Uman. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said six children were among the dead.
Mykhayl Shulha, 6, cried and hugged relatives next to the coffin of his 11-year-old sister Sofia Shulha during Sunday’s funeral, while others paid respects to a 17-year-old boy.
As mourners held candles, crossed themselves and sang, the priest at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear” waved a vessel containing incense over the coffins. He said the deaths had hit the entire community hard.
“I live nearby,” said Father Fyodor Botsu. “I personally knew the children, the littlest, from when they were very young, and I personally baptized them in this church. I’m worried with everyone since I have children and I’m a citizen of this country and have been living in this city for 15 years.”
He said he prayed “that the war should end and peace should come to our homes, city and country.”
At the damaged building in Uman, people brought flowers and photos of the victims.
Russia’s 14-month-long war brought more deaths elsewhere Sunday.
The governor of a Russian region bordering Ukraine said four people were killed in a Ukrainian rocket attack. The rockets hit homes in the village of Suzemka, nine kilometers (six miles) from the Ukrainian border, said Bryansk regional governor Alexander Bogomaz. He said two other residents were injured and that defense systems had knocked down some of the incoming shells.
Bryansk and the neighboring Belgorod region have experienced sporadic cross-border shelling throughout the war. In March, two people were reported killed in what officials said was an incursion by Ukrainian saboteurs in the Bryansk region.
Also Sunday, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said his Kherson region in Ukraine came under Russian artillery fire 27 times in the past 24 hours, killing one civilian.
An expected spring counteroffensive by Ukraine could be concentrated in the Kherson region, a gateway to Crimea and other Russian-occupied territory in the southern Ukrainian mainland. Ukrainian forces drove Russian forces out of the regional capital Kherson last year, a significant defeat for Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy said the counteroffensive wouldn’t wait for the delivery of all promised military equipment.
“I would have really wanted to wait for everything that was promised,” Zelenskyy told Finnish, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian journalists. “But it happens that the terms (of weapons deliveries and counteroffensive), unfortunately, do not coincide a little bit. And, I will say frankly, we pay attention to the weather.”
Ukraine is particularly hopeful that it will receive Western fighter jets, but Zelenskyy said his forces wouldn’t delay the counteroffensive for that, so as not to “reassure Russia that we still have a few months to train on the planes, and only then will we start.”
Zelenskyy said he spoke Sunday with French President Emmanuel Macron about the weapons supply, and was pleased with its “speed and specificity.”
Macron’s office said he reiterated France’s commitment to provide Ukraine “all the aid necessary to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and discussed long-term European military aid.
The head of the Wagner mercenary group that is leading Russia’s battle in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut gave an even more precise timetable for the Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Ukrainian military will launch the counteroffensive by May 15 because by then strong rains will have stopped and the soil will be dry enough for tanks and artillery to move, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video interview with a Russian journalist posted Saturday.
In other battlefield developments, Ukraine’s northern command said the Sumy and Chernihiv regions, which border Bryansk and Belgorod, came under fire 11 times during the night on Sunday.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a 48-year-old resident of Nikopol was killed, and two were injured, in Russian shelling, according to Gov. Serhii Lysak. He said six multi-story buildings and six private houses were damaged, as well as several other buildings, gas pipelines, and a power line.
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2023-04-30T20:26:11+00:00
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everythinglubbock.com
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https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/international/relatives-bury-children-killed-in-russian-missile-attack/
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Wichita's Trusted MedSpa Confidently Enters New Year With AMP's Development Platform
WICHITA, Kan., Jan. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Medaesthetic Partners (AMP) announces the addition of Healing Waters to the industry's leading support and growth platform. This respected business joins the accelerating number of practices partnering with AMP.
"AMP is delighted to welcome Healing Waters into the family," states Nicole Chiaramonte, AMP CEO. "Over the last 20 years, Healing Waters' Founder Amanda Gorecki has built a team of professionals skilled in instilling confidence in patients and guiding their self care routines to achieve exceptional outcomes."
AMP aims to amplify Amanda's vision through this partnership, and the Healing Waters team of providers will remain dedicated to their patients under the guidance of medical director, Dr. James Rieger.
AMP selects the best practices, finding the highest quality clinicians to deliver an unparalleled level of care. The AMP model empowers practices by leveraging proven strategies that ensure practice success, generating faster growth all while staying true to the respective brand.
"Healing Waters is excited to leverage AMP's proven leadership in the aesthetic market,'' shares Amanda. "Nicole's effective leadership style gives my team the ability to focus on patient care, and I am excited to see how she and her team develop the providers that Wichita has come to love."
This latest affiliation furthers AMP's continued expansion and leadership in the high growth medical aesthetics market.
ABOUT AMP
AMP is comprised of some of the most successful business and clinical leaders in the medical aesthetics industry. AMP support includes managerial, administrative, marketing, clinical training, information technology and numerous other elements to allow practices to focus on what they do best – serving their clients. Learn more at www.weramp.com
About Healing Waters:
Healing Waters is an award-winning medical spa, wellness center, and cosmetic plastic surgery clinic offering the latest innovations in plastic surgery procedures, medical aesthetic services, clinical skin care, and relaxation therapy. Plastic Surgeon Dr. James Rieger is the Medical Director and lead of the plastic surgery department for Healing Waters. Dr. Rieger is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology. He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Advanced MedAesthetic Partners
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2023-01-09T13:47:02+00:00
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kswo.com
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https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/01/09/healing-waters-trailblazing-medspa-joins-advanced-medaesthetic-partners-family/
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NEW YORK (AP) — Marc Slutsky has been leading Passover Seders for 40 years, taking on troubling issues that have included Soviet Jewry, racism in the United States, and war after war after war.
This year, when the slavery-to-freedom story unfolds at his table in Highland Park, Illinois, the Israel of today will be top of mind after tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul.
The plan, on pause after repeated mass demonstrations, unleashed the most intense social unrest in Israel in decades, just ahead of this week’s observance of Passover.
Slutsky, president of the independent synagogue Aitz Hayim Center for Jewish Living, in Glencoe, has Seder tweaks in mind for his 18 guests when they sit down for ritual readings, blessings and discussion.
One big change will come at the end, he said, when “Next year in Jerusalem” is traditionally recited.
“We’re going to read from the Israeli Declaration of Independence,” said the 76-year-old Slutsky, particularly a passage that promises the “complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants.”
The plan proposed by Netanyahu would give him and his allies — the most right-wing government in Israeli history — more control over the country’s judiciary. Critics say it would concentrate power in his hands and destroy a system of checks and balances. They also say he has a conflict of interest since he himself is facing trial on corruption charges.
Abigail Pogrebin, author of “My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew,” has been watching Israel closely. She’ll host 30 people at her Seder in New York.
“It feels impossible to ignore this difficult and deflating inflection point when it comes to Israel right now,” she said.
Traditional Seder symbols will take on new weight, Pogrebin said.
“The bitter herb, which reminds us of the bitterness of slavery, will remind us also of the bitterness of this government’s bigotry — against non-Orthodox Jews, against LGBTQ Jews, against Arabs, against women in the army. It will remind us of the bitterness of dictatorship and intolerance, the abrogation of tenets we hold dear,” she said.
The breaking of matzo will mark the “brokenness of Israel’s democracy right now — or how close it has come to a breaking point,” Pogrebin said.
And the opening of a door for Elijah, when Jews symbolically welcome in a messianic time of justice and righteousness, “will demand that each of us at our table think about how we will work to bring justice about.”
A large percentage of U.S. Jews observe Passover, a holiday that commemorates the Hebrew slaves’ biblical flight from Egypt and emphasizes the importance of passing on that freedom story to children at the Seder table.
North America has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
“The Seder is for me a perfect moment for us to engage in conversation around a myriad of topics that are about unfinished projects or places where there’s strife or turmoil,” said Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver in Canada, a service, fundraising and relief organization.
He’ll also host 30 for a Seder, including non-Jews and guests with diverse political and religious opinions.
Shanken will put down a second Seder plate to go with the one holding traditional symbols of the Passover story. His second plate will include a block of ice that will be left to melt as a reminder to take climate action. But it’s the Passover narrative itself and the founding of Israel 75 years ago that will frame conversation about current Israeli politics.
“Our story was never without turmoil. It was never without strife. It was never without disagreement,” Shanken said.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs also expects deep discussion about the protests and Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. She is CEO of T’ruah, a U.S.-based nonprofit collective of rabbis focused on human rights in North America, Israel and the Palestinian territories.
“It’s important for Jews to talk about what does it mean to fight for democracy in the Jewish state, both for Jews and also for non-Jews who live there?” she said.
Rabbi Mike Uram, chief Jewish learning officer for the Jewish Federations of North America, anticipates that Netanyahu’s government will be one of a range of issues discussed at Seder tables around themes of slavery, democracy and freedom.
Those include “consumption and the risks of global warming,” as well as ”the lack of equity in American life, and the ways in which Black folks have to be afraid of structural racism and violence from a police force, as a form of slavery that people need to be freed from,” he said.
Jonathan D. Sarna, director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University, sees inroads in the Haggadah, the text Jews use in many versions during a Seder, for open discussion on Israel.
“There are plenty of moments where one can really jump from the traditional liturgy and ask important questions. And that’s really what Passover is supposed to be about,” he said. “It’s not about debating. It’s about asking and framing the questions. I think productive discussions can really take place.”
Productive is key.
During Donald Trump’s presidency, some families were torn apart along the red-blue divide. That continues to play out during holidays when loved ones gather, and also includes friction over pandemic-related issues, like vaccines and masks.
For some American Jews, this is different and the same in big ways.
“There are definitely a mix of opinions in my family about politics, and specifically Israel politics,” said Talia Benamy, 36, in Brooklyn. “But I think there is a broad consensus: Everybody in my family agrees that this legislative push is bad news.”
When Benamy joined protests in New York in solidarity with demonstrators in Israel, she was joined by her 64-year-old mother, her brother and his three children, the oldest age 7. Participating was a good pre-Passover primer for the young ones.
“One of the key lines in the Haggadah is the idea that in each generation it’s incumbent upon us to see ourselves in the Passover story,” she said. “The way that we can do that now is to have conversations about what does freedom really mean, how does it manifest, and for who?”
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Find Leanne Italie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/litalie
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2023-04-03T19:54:33+00:00
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krqe.com
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https://www.krqe.com/news/politics/passover-seders-offer-a-time-to-talk-about-israel-protests/
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NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Attention Twist Bioscience Corporation ("Twist") (NASDAQ: TWST) shareholders:
The Law Offices of Vincent Wong announce that a class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of investors. This lawsuit is on behalf of a class of all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Twist common stock between December 13, 2019 and November 14, 2022, inclusive.
If you suffered a loss on your investment in Twist, contact us about potential recovery by using the link below. There is no cost or obligation to you.
ABOUT THE ACTION: The class action against Twist includes allegations that the Company made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: 1) as alleged in the November 15, 2022 report by Scorpion Capital, defendants overstated the commercial viability of Twist's synthetic DNA manufacturing technology; and 2) at the same time, defendants were engaging in accounting fraud and using unsustainable pricing to inflate the Company's true financial condition and prospects.
DEADLINE: February 10, 2023
Aggrieved Twist investors only have until February 10, 2023 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. You are not required to act as a lead plaintiff in order to share in any recovery.
Vincent Wong, Esq. is an experienced attorney who has represented investors in securities litigations involving financial fraud and violations of shareholder rights. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
Vincent Wong, Esq.
39 East Broadway
Suite 304
New York, NY 10002
Tel. 212.425.1140
E-Mail: vw@wongesq.com
View original content:
SOURCE The Law Offices of Vincent Wong
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2022-12-19T13:25:59+00:00
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kwch.com
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https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/12/19/class-action-alert-law-offices-vincent-wong-remind-twist-investors-lead-plaintiff-deadline-february-10-2023/
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CA Marine Warnings and Forecast for Saturday, June 25, 2022
_____
MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT
Marine Weather Statement
National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
1221 AM PDT Sat Jun 25 2022
...AREAS OF DENSE FOG TO AFFECT MOST OF THE COASTAL WATERS
THROUGH THIS MORNING...
Mariners should be prepared for abrupt visibility changes down to
one nautical mile or less. Reduce speeds and be on the lookout for
exposed rocks and other vessels, including large ships in the
shipping lanes. Use radar or GPS navigation if available, and
consider remaining in harbor if such equipment is unavailable.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
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2022-06-25T08:57:42+00:00
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ourmidland.com
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https://www.ourmidland.com/weather/article/CA-Marine-Warning-and-Forecast-17265114.php
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GREENSBORO — The nonprofit American Hebrew Academy received nearly $1.5 million in loans from the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program, despite the fact its school closed before the pandemic began.
Records from the U.S. Small Business Administration show the private, nonprofit school received two loans for $743,059 each — one in May 2020 and another in February 2021. The loans were intended to maintain the school’s payroll, according to records.
William Scarborough, the academy’s business affairs officer, indicated in an email this week that the money was used to help maintain the school’s 100-acre campus.
“The school has had no income since early 2019,” Scarborough said in the email. “Maintenance costs on this campus are fairly high — which is one of the reasons why the school closed.”
The campus is reopening this month as a facility to house immigrant children while they await reunification with family members or sponsors in the United States.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is paying the American Hebrew Academy nearly $50 million to lease the campus off Hobbs Road for five years. The academy will host up to 800 unaccompanied minors who will live, study and participate in recreational activities there, according to the school’s website.
The American Hebrew Academy will also be contracted to provide educational programming. Children will be taught reading, writing, math, science and social sciences, the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement said in June, as well as participate in recreational activities.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement is legally required to provide for the care of all unaccompanied children referred by the Department of Homeland Security until they are appropriately placed with a vetted sponsor, the agency said.
Scarborough said the school will be named Greensboro Global Academy, although the Office of Refugee Resettlement refers to the site as "Greensboro Piedmont Academy for Influx Care Facility for UC (unaccompanied minors)."
"This will involve around 60 teachers and assistants and a number of support staff," Scarborough said in the email.
The academy's news release announcing the leasing agreement indicated up to 800 people would be hired to staff the facility, including counselors, medical professionals and other workers to meet the needs of unaccompanied children.
Scarborough would not comment on the nonprofit's financial situation or how much it would be paid to provide educational services.
The release also said the federal government would contract for food service and security, though it is unknown who will provide those services.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to several emails seeking more information about the facility, including how many children it would accommodate or how much providing services to them would cost.
The announcement that the luxurious campus in northwest Greensboro will house immigrant children is just the latest in a series of plans for the spacious property.
The academy was founded in 2001 as an international Jewish college prep school, but closed unexpectedly in June 2019. The school, which was losing millions annually, closed for financial reasons, officials said at the time.
Enrollment that year was 134 in a school initially built for 400.
In September 2019, the American Hebrew Academy announced plans to reopen in the 2020-21 school year for ninth, tenth and eleventh-graders following a $26 million loan from Puxim Ltd., a Chinese education company. The loan was secured by the school’s campus, which is valued at $25.8 million, according to Guilford County property appraisal records.
The school planned to begin accepting non-Jewish as well as local students. "By expanding our admissions to a broader population of students, we are confident the academy will thrive," CEO Glenn Drew said in a 2019 interview with the News & Record.
However, the school did not reopen and the nonprofit began doing business in November 2019 as AHA International School.
Eight of the nonprofit’s board members either stepped down or were removed at the time the loan was obtained.
Drew, who according to tax records drew a salary of more than $647,000 and whose company, RSM Associates, received nearly $1.5 million to facilitate the transition, stepped down in November of that year.
In May 2020, the academy announced it would reopen again — this time as AHA International School. But those plans never came to fruition, either.
The 2020 PPP loan, which was paid in full or forgiven — the Small Business Administration would not confirm which was the case — was intended to retain 50 jobs. The 2021 loan, which is still open, was intended to retain 64 jobs.
The school had 159 employees in 2018 and paid out nearly $6.7 million in salary and benefits, according to the academy’s tax returns. The Small Business Administration uses payroll information from the previous tax year in determining a company’s eligibility for a PPP loan.
With the latest federal contracts, the academy likely will house more students and employ more staff than at any time in its history.
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2022-07-14T03:45:33+00:00
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greensboro.com
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https://greensboro.com/news/local/american-hebrew-academy-received-covid-19-loans-even-after-it-closed/article_8b08c62e-013c-11ed-9dfa-6b70b2ba57c3.html
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Dayton-area hospitals were included in new rankings released Tuesday from the U.S. News & World Report, which has been publishing an annual “Best Hospitals rankings” for over 30 years as a guide to patients.
Premier Health’s Miami Valley Hospital was ranked as first among Dayton-area hospitals and ninth among Ohio hospitals in regional rankings. The ranking included Miami Valley Hospital North in Englewood and Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville.
The hospital received “high-performing” marks in 12 areas of care, including urology, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, heart attack, colon cancer surgery, hip replacement, knee replacement, kidney failure, pneumonia, diabetes, prostate cancer surgery, and stroke.
“Even with the ongoing challenges of the pandemic this past year, Miami Valley Hospital continues to demonstrate its commitment to quality hospital care,” said Barbara Johnson, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Premier Health. “We are so proud of our dedicated team of physicians, providers, nurses, and clinical and support professionals for bringing this level of excellence to our hospital each and every day.”
Atrium Medical Center’s rehabilitation services ranked 50th in the nation, with heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure and stroke designated as “high-performing” areas of care.
“We are extremely proud of the national acknowledgement of the quality of care provided by our rehab team,” said Dr. Keith Bricking, president of Atrium Medical Center. “Our outstanding team of physicians, providers, nurses, and support professionals bring this level of excellence to our hospital each and every day.”
Premier Health’s Upper Valley Medical Center in Troy received a “high performing” mark for treatment of kidney failure.
Kettering Health was also ranked regionally, with Kettering Health Main Campus ranked second in Dayton and 11th in Ohio.
“We’re dedicated to helping each patient enjoy their best health,” said Brenda Kuhn, chief clinical officer at Kettering Health. “And this recognition confirms our employees’ success to fulfill that promise to our patients by elevating standards of care and achieving patient-focused outcomes.”
Kettering Health Main Campus earned “high performing” marks for the following procedures and conditions: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, colon cancer surgery, heart attack, heart failure, hip fracture, hip replacement, kidney failure, knee replacement, lung cancer surgery, and stroke.
Four other Kettering Health medical centers were also named as “high performing” for the following conditions or procedures: back surgery (spinal fusion) at Soin Medical Center; hip fracture at Soin Medical Center; COPD at Kettering Health Miamisburg; hip replacement at Kettering Health Miamisburg; kidney failure at Kettering Health Dayton, Kettering Health Hamilton, and Kettering Health Miamisburg; and knee replacement at Kettering Health Dayton and Kettering Health Miamisburg.
Also nearby, Mercy Health Springfield Regional Medical Center received “high performing” marks in two conditions, including heart failure and COPD.
For younger patients, Dayton Children’s Hospital is ranked 43rd nationally in pediatric orthopedics, as well as ranked sixth in Ohio and 21st in the Midwest.
Dr. Michael Albert, chief of the orthopedics division at Dayton Children’s Hospital, said the hospital was proud to be part of the ranks on the U.S. News & World Report, saying the hospital offers a wide range of orthopedic services to the community and the rest of the country at large.
Albert highlighted some of those services, including Dayton Children’s spine and scoliosis programs, which provide evaluation and treatment to children from birth to 21 years old. Under their scoliosis care, Dayton Children’s offers Scolio-Pilates, which is an exercise program that includes elongation of the spine and posture, corrective breathing techniques, corrective placement towards spinal neutral, and strengthening.
Additionally, Children’s also offers a minimally-invasive spine surgery called an ApiFix spinal procedure, and Dayton Children’s was the first to perform that procedure in the state of Ohio in November 2020.
Albert said it’s an “extremely positive impact” to be able to provide these kinds of services to the Dayton area and surrounding region, commenting on the growth he has seen while working for Dayton Children’s for 33 years.
“You wouldn’t recognize our campus 30 years ago,” Albert said.
To obtain these rankings, U.S. News evaluates data from nearly 5,000 hospitals. According to the U.S. News, in order for a hospital to be ranked nationally in a specialty, it “must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients.”
About the Author
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2022-07-27T09:49:29+00:00
|
springfieldnewssun.com
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/community/area-hospitals-included-in-us-news-world-report-rankings/Y5LCQZLOLFC4NHE5TQW5O7UEOY/
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SIOUX CITY, IA(KCAU)- Going to start the day with temperatures in the 60’s for most of the area and only getting warmer. The morning hours will also be cloudy with strong winds present in the area flowing from the southeast and over 15 mph. The afternoon will have clearer conditions as clouds move out and strong winds though the whole day. Temperatures will rise into the 80’s today,
Not the only warm day for the week either as we will remain in the 80’s through the work week. Definitely some summer like weather. Sadly it will also be breezy again with the return to more consistent days of over 15 mph winds.
Drier week expected as well with chances for showers and storms appear during the midweek and drier conditions after that. Try to beat the heat this week.
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2022-05-09T14:04:20+00:00
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siouxlandproud.com
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https://www.siouxlandproud.com/weather/may-9th-am-start-of-a-warm-week/
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There may be some grumbling on the House side of Beacon Hill this month.
In a break from that chamber, state Senate leaders want to keep a pandemic-era measure that allows members to keep voting and debating bills from their homes, offices, or wherever else they chose during formal sessions — even though the state’s COVID-19 emergency officially ended more than a year ago.
The House voted Wednesday to do just the opposite, opting unanimously to do away with the emergency rule that allowed its members to vote remotely, forcing lawmakers back to Beacon Hill for debates and votes.
The Senate’s idea to keep the policy came in the form of a 28-page rules package, which was put forward Thursday. The Senate is expected to vote on the package next week.
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In a statement, state Senator Joan B. Lovely, who leads the Senate rules committee, said the proposal reflects the Senate’s “commitment to transparency, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion” and takes into account “the societal shift towards hybrid operations.”
“This rules package maintains the Senate’s ability to hold hybrid proceedings, both on the floor and in committee hearings,” the Salem Democrat said.
Speaker Ronald J. Mariano said he felt in-person voting was “important for the exchange of ideas and discussion.”
“As ideas germinate, and you start to hear different opinions and different sides of issues,” he told reporters Wednesday. “You can change your mind, opinions can evolve. I think it’s part of the legislative process.”
Despite the rift in remote voting policies, the House’s rules and the Senate proposal agree that committee hearings will operate with a permanent hybrid structure for lawmakers and members of the public to attend both in-person and virtually.
When asked Thursday if he felt the Senate’s conflicting rules on remote voting would affect how the chambers do business, Mariano demurred.
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“The House looks forward to returning to in-person legislative sessions, and to working together with the Senate to deliver results for the people of Massachusetts,” he wrote in a statement.
The changes to the rules come over a year after the state terminated its COVID-19 state of emergency and rescinded most of its pandemic-related restrictions.
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at samantha.gross@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthajgross.
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2023-02-02T21:08:48+00:00
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bostonglobe.com
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https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/02/metro/mass-senate-eyes-keeping-pandemic-era-remote-voting-rules-after-colleagues-house-votes-do-away-with-them/
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday evening's drawing of the New York Lottery's "Take 5 Evening" game were:
05-09-20-24-38
(five, nine, twenty, twenty-four, thirty-eight)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday evening's drawing of the New York Lottery's "Take 5 Evening" game were:
05-09-20-24-38
(five, nine, twenty, twenty-four, thirty-eight)
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2022-10-10T03:59:38+00:00
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seattlepi.com
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https://www.seattlepi.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Take-5-Evening-game-17498247.php
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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Three residents of Mississippi’s capital city testified Wednesday that their rights as citizens are undermined by a new state law that would create a court inside Jackson with judges who are appointed because the state constitution requires most judges to be elected.
“It is an affront to democracy,” Ann Saunders said.
She and the other two residents — Sabreen Sharrief and Dorothy Triplett — are the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Mississippi Center for Justice, the ACLU of Mississippi and the MacArthur Justice Center.
The lawsuit is one of two that challenge laws Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed April 21. The laws will expand state policing in the capital city of Jackson, establish a court with an appointed judge and authorize four appointed judges to work alongside the four elected circuit court judges in Hinds County, which is home to Jackson.
Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas conducted a hearing Wednesday to consider a request for an order to temporarily block the creation of the new court in a portion of Jackson designated as the Capitol Complex Improvement District. Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph is asking to be dismissed as a defendant in the lawsuit, and Thomas said he is also considering that request.
Thomas said he expects to issue rulings within days.
Lawmakers created the Capitol Complex district several years ago to improve streets and other infrastructure and to provide state policing near state government buildings in and around downtown.
The majority-white and Republican-led Legislature voted this year to make the district larger, create the new court and give the state-run Capitol Police the power to patrol the entire city. People pushing the changes said they were trying to curb crime in Jackson. Local residents protested that state officials were trying to usurp power in Jackson, which is majority-Black and governed by Democrats.
A special assistant state attorney general, Rex Shannon, argued Wednesday that the state constitution allows legislators to create “inferior” courts with appointed judges. Cliff Johnson, one of the attorneys suing the state, argued the new court would not be “inferior” because it would have similar powers to circuit courts, and people convicted of misdemeanors in the new court would be sent to state prison.
Sharrief testified Wednesday that she and her family have lived in Jackson five generations, and she wants to elect judges just as people do in the rest of the state.
“It’s kind of an insult to me to have that right taken from me,” Sharrief said.
Triplett said the right to vote is sacred and having a court with appointed judges “sets us apart in a way that is not positive.”
“It’s kind of bullying us in a way in saying, ‘You’re not capable of electing judges,’ ” Triplett said.
Shannon said he appreciates the plaintiffs’ testimony, but “there is no evidence that they will experience any actual, real-world, practical harm from any of the laws they are challenging.”
The other lawsuit was filed by the NAACP in federal court, and it warns that the new laws will return “separate and unequal policing” to Jackson. A judge has not yet held a hearing on that lawsuit.
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2023-05-11T19:28:52+00:00
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wnct.com
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https://www.wnct.com/news/national/affront-to-democracy-mississippi-resident-says-of-appointing-judges-where-most-are-elected/
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. imposed sanctions Thursday on an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official and others it says took part in wide-ranging plots to kill former national security adviser John Bolton and others around the world, including at least one additional U.S. government official.
The alleged 2021 plot against Bolton, one of the best-documented of the alleged assassination efforts, is part of what U.S. prosecutors and former government officials describe as ongoing efforts by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to kill Trump-era officials behind a 2020 U.S. airstrike that killed the head of the Iranian guard’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani.
In all, Thursday’s sanctions accuse three people based in Iran and Turkey, a company affiliated with Iran’s Quds Force and two senior officials of Iran’s Intelligence Organization in global plots to kill former U.S. officials, journalists and Iranian dissidents abroad, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
Brian E. Nelson, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement the U.S. is focused on disrupting plots by the Iranian military, which has “engaged in numerous assassination attempts and other acts of violence and intimidation against those they deem enemies of the Iranian regime.”
Those sanctioned include Revolutionary Guard official Shahram Poursafi. U.S. prosecutors charged Poursafi last year with seeking to carry out a murder-for-hire, saying he worked to find a U.S.-based person willing to kill Bolton somewhere in the Washington area for $300,000.
Federal prosecutors say Poursafi also spoke of an “additional job” for which he was offering $1 million. Axios reported last year that the second target was former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, citing sources close to Pompeo. U.S. officials have reported “serious and credible” threats against the lives of Pompeo and his top Iran aide.
Poursafi remains wanted by the FBI in the alleged plots.
Prosecutors say the scheme against Bolton unfolded more than a year after Soleimani, feared around the Middle East as an architect of Tehran’s proxy wars and assassinations, was killed by a U.S. airstrike as he traveled from Baghdad’s international airport in January 2020.
After the strike, Bolton, who by then had left his White House post, tweeted, “Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran.”
Pompeo and former top Iran envoy Brian Hook both played a role in the Trump administration’s decision to kill Suleimani and led the administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran after President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2014 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.
The State Department has been paying more than $2 million per month to provide 24-hour security for Pompeo and Hook since they left office, and most recently extended that protection in early May, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
On May 3, Deputy Secretary of State for Management Richard Verma notified Congress that he had determined that the threats against Pompeo and Hook “persist.” Those threats, he said in identical notices for both men, remain “serious and credible from a foreign power or agent of a foreign power arising from duties (they) performed … while employed by the Department of State.”
The sanctions block all access to the targeted people’s U.S. money and property and prohibit Americans and American firms from working with them.
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2023-06-01T23:27:19+00:00
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wric.com
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https://www.wric.com/news/politics/us-sanctions-iranians-over-alleged-assassination-plots-of-former-us-officials-dissidents/
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Roundup: Shadow Ridge shocks Gorman in soccer playoffs
November 1, 2022 - 1:13 pm
The Shadow Ridge girls soccer team went into Monday’s Class 5A Southern League quarterfinals as heavy underdogs, but the players didn’t seem to care.
It took double overtime and a game-deciding shootout, but the seventh-seeded Mustangs knocked off No. 2 Bishop Gorman 5-4 at Bettye Wilson Park.
The Gaels led 1-0 at the end of regulation, but Shadow Ridge senior Brynn Belcher tied it with a goal in continuation time. After two scoreless overtime periods, the Mustangs won it on a 4-3 shootout. Brynne Alia, Paige Dunn, Sophia Snow, and Meghan Wilhite scored in the shootout, and goalkeeper Danielle Reinhard had a game-winning save.
Shadow Ridge advances to a semifinal showdown against Faith Lutheran on Wednesday.
■ Faith Lutheran 3, Liberty 0: Freshmen Olivia Stark, Elliott Lugan and Brianna Lee each scored to lead the third-seeded Crusaders to the victory over No. 6 Liberty.
■ Desert Oasis 3, Palo Verde 0: Junior Taylor Wehrer scored two goals to help the fifth-seeded Diamondbacks beat the fourth-seeded Panthers. In the semifinals, Desert Oasis will face Coronado, a 4-0 winner over Arbor View.
Class 3A
■ Pahrump Valley 9, Cheyenne 0: Senior Adryanna Avena scored three goals to help the top-seeded Trojans cruise past the eighth-seeded Desert Shields. Junior goalkeeper Avery Moore logged her 16th shutout of the season for Pahrump, which will play SLAM Academy on Wednesday in the semifinals. SLAM beat Moapa 3-0.
■ Boulder City 5, Equip Academy 2: Junior Madison Hammond and sophomore Makayla Nelson scored two goals apiece to help the sixth-seeded Eagles upset the second-seeded Yeti. Boulder City will face Virgin Valley in the semifinals. Virgin Valley got there with a 2-1 victory over Durango.
Class 5A Southern Region Volleyball
■ Bishop Gorman 3, Green Valley 0: Junior Leilia Toailoa had 19 kills and 10 digs to lead the No. 1 Gaels to a 25-12, 25-13, 25-20 victory over the Gators. Freshman Trinity Thompson had 38 assists to help Gorman, which will face Faith Lutheran, a five-set winner over Centennial, in the semifinals on Wednesday.
■ Palo Verde 3, Silverado 0: Senior Peyton Reese logged 17 assists, nine digs and six kills to help the No. 3 Panthers defeat the second-seeded Skyhawks, 25-18, 25-13, 25-22. Junior Corynne Hausler added 12 digs and six assists for Palo Verde, which will play Coronado in the semifinals.
■ Coronado 3, Shadow Ridge 0: Junior Abigail Paulson had 11 kills to lead the top-seeded Cougars past the fourth-seeded Mustangs, 25-20, 25-20, 25-18. Senior Angelina Sayles added 10 digs, nine kills and two aces for Coronado.
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2022-11-01T22:52:29+00:00
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reviewjournal.com
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https://www.reviewjournal.com/nevada-preps/roundup-shadow-ridge-shocks-gorman-in-soccer-playoffs-2668161/
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After two years of virtual meetings more than 400 preventive medicine experts gather for critical conversations about the future of the field and the health of our nation
DENVER, June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) kicked off its annual meeting, Preventive Medicine 2022 (PM22), today in Denver, Colorado, bringing more than 400 members, guests and other leaders in preventive medicine together in person for the first time in two years. The conference, which will take place through Saturday, June 18, will focus on the science, evidence and analyses that inform preventive medicine practice.
ACPM's annual meeting brings together the brightest minds in public health and preventive medicine to share ideas on top issues impacting our nation's health. Dozens of sessions and presentations will showcase the latest evidence-based research and practices that will prepare public health for future pandemics, reduce the burden of chronic disease, prevent injuries and improve the health and wellbeing of all populations.
"As we kick off PM2022, I look forward to sparking conversations about the important role preventive medicine physicians play in improving the health and wellbeing of our patients and communities," said Dr. M. 'Tonette' Krousel-Wood, MD, MSPH, FACPM, President of the American College of Preventive Medicine. "The next several days will be filled with critical dialogue, but it's just the beginning of a larger effort to bring preventive medicine to the forefront of the healthcare conversation nationally."
This year's meeting will feature candid conversations around challenging healthcare topics - from health equity and gun violence to vaccine hesitancy and chronic disease prevention. ACPM members will also showcase their latest research and share best practices in preventive medicine.
"PM2022 is a moment for us as an organization to come together to not only share ideas but collaborate on solutions that preventive medicine physicians bring to the table to solve some of the greatest challenges in health care today," said Donna Grande, CEO, American College of Preventive Medicine. "Attendees at this year's meeting exemplify the passion of physicians dedicated to prevention, population health and the improvement of health outcomes. I look forward to the next several days of connection, conversation and collaboration to advance the ACPM mission."
For more information about PM2022, visit ACPM online, here, and follow the conversation on social media using #PM2022.
About ACPM
The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) is a professional medical society of approximately 2,000 physicians dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of individuals, families, communities and populations through disease prevention and health promotion.
For more information, visit www.acpm.org
Contact: Alicia Stanford, astanford@brgcommunications.com, Phone: 703-739-8345
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE American College of Preventive Medicine
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2022-06-15T22:10:16+00:00
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wafb.com
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https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/06/15/american-college-preventive-medicine-kicks-off-preventive-medicine-2022-conference-denver-co/
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge on Friday set a trial date for two men charged in the killing of rapper Young Dolph in a daytime ambush at a bakery in Memphis, Tennessee.
Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith are scheduled to stand trial March 11 in the fatal shooting of the Memphis-born rapper, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee said during a hearing.
Johnson and Smith have pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder in the November 2021 shooting of Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. A motive for the killing has not been disclosed.
The 36-year-old rapper, label owner and producer was buying cookies near his boyhood home in Memphis when he was gunned down by two men who drove up to the bakery in a stolen Mercedes Benz, authorities said. The slaying rattled Memphis and shook the entertainment world.
Two other men have been charged in the killing.
Jermarcus Johnson, the half brother of Justin Johnson, pleaded guilty June 9 to three counts of accessory after the fact, and he could testify at the trial.
Jermarcus Johnson acknowledged that he helped the two suspects communicate by cellphone after the killing while they were on the run from authorities, and that he helped one of them communicate with his probation officer after the killing.
During questioning by prosecutor Paul Hagerman, he also acknowledged taking possession of car from Justin Johnson. The car was not the one tied to the killing, Hagerman said. Jermarcus Johnson also identified a photo in which Justin Johnson was wearing the same clothing as one of the two shooters accused of gunning down Young Dolph the day the rapper was killed.
After Jermarcus Johnson’s plea hearing, Hagerman said he had no role in the actual killing of Young Dolph, but that he was one of “multiple players” who did things connected to it.
Another man, Hernandez Govan, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy in the case. He is accused of arranging the killing. Govan has been released on bond.
Young Dolph was known in Memphis for his charitable works and his success as an independent musical artist and businessman. Young Dolph had been in the city to visit a sick relative and hand out Thanksgiving turkeys at a church when he was killed.
After his death, Memphis named a street after him and the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA honored him during a game. Murals of the rapper have been painted around the city and a pop-up museum featuring him was opened earlier this year.
The bakery, Makeda’s Homemade Cookies, became an impromptu memorial site for the slain rapper. It was closed for months after the shooting, but has since reopened.
|
2023-07-15T08:12:09+00:00
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cenlanow.com
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https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/ap-2-suspects-in-the-fatal-shooting-of-rapper-young-dolph-in-memphis-to-stand-trial-in-march/
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DENVER (KDVR) — DoorDash is working to help food insecurity in local communities by planning to deliver food to those in need.
Denver was chosen as one of the 18 cities that DoorDash will be working with, and that includes working with Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock.
DoorDash said they will support these cities in their efforts to broaden food access. The company will provide $1 million in community credits, gift cards, proprietary data on local food access needs, direct funding for the delivery of charitable food, and logistics via Project Dash to meet the unique needs of each community.
One reason there are barriers to food access can be transit, disability and childcare. Delivery can help make sure the food travels to those who need it, not the other way around.
“Improving access and reducing food insecurity is key to supporting health, well-being and equity for all our residents. Through this partnership with DoorDash, we can reduce hunger, address that insecurity for our most vulnerable residents and help ensure they and their families are able to access the resources they need to thrive,” said Hancock.
This proposal comes from the White House Conference On Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This is only the second time in history the conference has been held, setting a large goal to solve hunger by 2030.
As of September 2022, Project DASH had powered more than 2.5 million deliveries of more than 50 million meals across the U.S. and Canada, and actively partners with more than 50 food banks in the Feeding America network.
|
2022-10-07T13:28:54+00:00
|
kdvr.com
|
https://kdvr.com/news/local/denver-working-with-doordash-to-help-deliver-meals-to-those-in-need/
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EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Alison Dos Santos of Brazil powered down the homestretch to take the 400-meter hurdles title at the world championships on Tuesday night.
The underdog even if he had the fastest time and No. 1 ranking coming in, Dos Santos held off a decorated field that included the world-record holder. Dos Santos finished in a championship-record time of 46.29 seconds. Americans Rai Benjamin and Trevor Bassitt won the silver and bronze.
Olympic champion and world-record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway has been dealing with hamstring issues and didn’t have his trademark kick at the finish. He wound up seventh.
Upon his finish, Dos Santos gave two bows to the cheering crowd. He broke Kevin Young’s world-championship record of 47.18 seconds set in 1993 in Germany. Dos Santos won bronze at the Tokyo Games last summer behind Warholm and Benjamin.
It was a night full of surprises with Jake Wightman of Britain winning the 1,500 meters. He had a look of disbelief as he crossed the finish line ahead of Olympic champion and heavy favorite Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway.
“Crazy,” Wightman said.
Wightman finished in a time of 3 minutes, 29.23 seconds. His win broke a string of five straight world 1,500 titles by the Kenyans. Spain’s Mohamed Katir flew down the homestretch to take home bronze.
Other winners included Australia’s Eleanor Patterson in the women’s high jump and Kristjan Čeh of Slovenia in the men’s discus.
Earlier in the night, world 100-meter champion Fred Kerley slowed down midway through his 200-meter semifinal due to a cramp and finished sixth. His thoughts of two individual medals at the first worlds held on U.S. soil were dashed.
Kerley, once a 400-meter specialist who moved down in distance before last year’s Olympics, won the 100 in 9.86 seconds and was expected to lead the Americans in the 4×100 relay this weekend. He hasn’t been ruled out.
Kerley’s departure opens a less-challenging path for Noah Lyles, the defending world champion, 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton, and top-ranked Kenny Bednarek, all of whom advanced. The trio had the top three times, led by Lyles at 19.62 seconds.
The Jamaican women are poised for another sprint sweep after qualifying three for the final in the 200. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah — the finishing order of the 100 — all advanced. Jackson had the fastest time at 21.67.
It was an easy night at the track for the medal favorites in the women’s 400 hurdles. Olympic champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin, defending world champion Dalilah Muhammad and Olympic bronze medalist Femke Bol of the Netherlands easily won their first-round heats.
“This event has become one of the main focuses for the last couple of years,” Muhammad said. “It could be any one of our days. So we’ll just see how it goes.”
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2022-07-20T04:23:28+00:00
|
seattletimes.com
|
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/kerley-slows-down-with-cramp-out-of-200-meters-at-worlds/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all
|
OpenAI was building a reputation in the artificial intelligence field but wasn’t a household name when Mira Murati joined the nonprofit research lab in 2018.
Soon after, the San Francisco lab started a major transformation. It turned itself into a business that’s attracted worldwide attention as the maker of ChatGPT.
Now its chief technology officer, Murati leads OpenAI’s research, product and safety teams. She’s led the development and launch of its AI models including ChatGPT, the image-generator DALL-E and the newest, GPT-4.
She spoke with The Associated Press about AI safeguards and the company’s vision for the futuristic concept of artificial general intelligence, known as AGI. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What does artificial general intelligence mean for OpenAI?
A: By artificial general intelligence, we usually mean highly autonomous systems that are capable of producing economic output, significant economic output. In other words, systems that can generalize across different domains. It’s human-level capability. OpenAI’s specific vision around it is to build it safely and figure out how to build it in a way that’s aligned with human intentions, so that the AI systems are doing the things that we want them to do, and that it maximally benefits as many people out there as possible, ideally everyone.
Q: Is there a path between products like GPT-4 and AGI?
A: We’re far from the point of having a safe, reliable, aligned AGI system. Our path to getting there has a couple of important vectors. From a research standpoint, we’re trying to build systems that have a robust understanding of the world similarly to how we do as humans. Systems like GPT-3 initially were trained only on text data, but our world is not only made of text, so we have images as well and then we started introducing other modalities. The other angle has been scaling these systems to increase their generality. With GPT-4, we’re dealing with a much more capable system, specifically from the angle of reasoning about things. This capability is key. If the model is smart enough to understand an ambiguous direction or a high-level direction, then you can figure out how to make it follow this direction. But if it doesn’t even understand that high-level goal or high-level direction, it’s much harder to align it. It’s not enough to build this technology in a vacuum in a lab. We really need this contact with reality, with the real world, to see where are the weaknesses, where are the breakage points, and try to do so in a way that’s controlled and low risk and get as much feedback as possible.
Q: What safety measures do you take?
A: We think about interventions at each stage. We redact certain data from the initial training on the model. With DALL-E, we wanted to reduce harmful bias issues we were seeing. We adjusted the ratio of female and male images in the training dataset. But you have to be very careful because you might create some other imbalance. You have to constantly audit. In that case, we got a different bias because a lot of these images were of a sexual nature. So then you have to adjust it again and be very careful about every time you make an intervention, seeing what else is being disrupted. In the model training, with ChatGPT in particular, we did reinforcement learning with human feedback to help the model get more aligned with human preferences. Basically what we’re trying to do is amplify what’s considered good behavior and then de-amplify what’s considered bad behavior.
Q: Should these systems be regulated?
A: Yeah, absolutely. These systems should be regulated. At OpenAI, we’re constantly talking with governments and regulators and other organizations that are developing these systems to, at least at the company level, agree on some level of standards. We’ve done some work on that in the past couple of years with large language model developers in aligning on some basic safety standards for deployment of these models. But I think a lot more needs to happen. Government regulators should certainly be very involved.
Q: A letter calling for a 6-month industry pause on building AI models more powerful than GPT-4 got a lot of attention. What do you think of the petition and its assumption about AI risks?
A: Look, I think that designing safety mechanisms in complex systems is hard. There is a lot of nuance here. Some of the risks that the letter points out are completely valid. At OpenAI, we’ve been talking about them very openly for years and studying them as well. I don’t think signing a letter is an effective way to build safety mechanisms or to coordinate players in the space. Some of the statements in the letter were just plain untrue about development of GPT-4 or GPT-5. We’re not training GPT-5. We don’t have any plans to do so in the next six months. And we did not rush out GPT-4. We took six months, in fact, to just focus entirely on the safe development and deployment of GPT-4. Even then, we rolled it out with a high number of guardrails and a very coordinated and slow rollout. It’s not easily accessible to everyone, and it’s certainly not open source. This is all to say that I think the safety mechanisms and coordination mechanisms in these AI systems and any complex technological system is difficult and requires a lot of thought, exploration and coordination among players.
Q: How much has OpenAI changed since you joined?
A: When I joined OpenAI, it was a nonprofit. I thought this was the most important technology that we will ever build as humanity and I really felt like a company with OpenAI’s mission would be most likely to make sure that it goes well. Over time, we changed our structure because these systems are expensive. They require a lot of funding. We made sure to structure the incentives in such a way that we would still serve the nonprofit mission. That’s why we have a “capped profit” structure. People at OpenAI are intrinsically motivated and mission-aligned and that hasn’t changed from the beginning. But over the course of five years, our thinking has evolved a lot when it comes to what’s the best way to deploy, what’s the safest way. That’s probably the starkest difference. I think it’s a good change.
Q: Did you anticipate the response to ChatGPT before its Nov. 30 release?
A: The underlying technology had been around for months. We had high confidence in the limitations of the model from customers that had already been using it via an API. But we made a few changes on top of the base model. We adapted it to dialog. Then we made that available to researchers through a new ChatGPT interface. We had been exploring it internally with a small, trusted group, and we realized the bottleneck was getting more information and getting more data from people. We wanted to expand it to more people out there in what we call a research preview, not a product. The intention was to gather feedback on how the model is behaving and use that data to improve the model and make it more aligned. We didn’t anticipate the degree to which people would be so captivated with talking to an AI system. It was just a research preview. The number of users and such, we didn’t anticipate that level of excitement.
|
2023-04-25T16:37:12+00:00
|
kron4.com
|
https://www.kron4.com/news/business/ap-business/insider-qa-openai-cto-mira-murati-on-shepherding-chatgpt/
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Yuma Astronomy Club hosted solar gazing event
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Over 60 Yuma residents attended a solar gazing event hosted by the Yuma Astronomy Club.
The event is for those who want to look at the sun safely through a solar telescope.
The event took place at the Heritage Library from 11:00am to 12:30pm and was sponsored by the Friends of the Foothills Library. This was the club's eighth year of hosting the event.
Attendees also learned about the sun, solar flares and sun spots.
When asked if events like this could inspire someone to pursue a career in astronomy as well as the future of the club, the Foothills Library Astronomy Program Coordinator Ken Conway said, "That would be delightful. We would love to have people get excited about astronomy continuing it…We're looking forward to expanding the program again. We have some wonderful instruments that need to be shared."
In addition to the telescopes, the club showcased an antenna scrambler. This was used to contact amateur radio operators, from Colorado to California, within the line of sight footprint of the International Space Station satellite when the station passed overhead.
According to Conway, this was one of many events affected by COVID as they had limited their programs to one.
|
2023-04-30T20:56:56+00:00
|
kyma.com
|
https://kyma.com/news/kyma-com-category-news-yuma-county/2023/04/30/yuma-astronomy-club-hosted-solar-gazing-event/
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JOHANNESBURG >> South Africa is experiencing a surge of new COVID-19 cases driven by two omicron sub-variants, according to health experts.
For about three weeks the country has seen increasing numbers of new cases and somewhat higher hospitalizations, but not increases in severe cases and deaths, said Professor Marta Nunes, a researcher at Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Analytics at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.
“We’re still very early in this increase period, so I don’t want to really call it a wave,” Nunes said. “We are seeing a slight, a small increase in hospitalizations and really very few deaths.”
South Africa’s new cases have gone from an average of 300 per day in early April to about 8,000 per day this week. Nunes says the actual number of new cases is probably much higher because the symptoms are mild and many who get sick are not getting tested.
South Africa’s new surge is from two variations of omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, which appear to be very much like the original strain of omicron that was first identified in South Africa and Botswana late last year and swept around the globe.
“The majority of new cases are from these two strains. They are still omicron … but just genomically somewhat different,” said Nunes. The new versions appear to be able to infect people who have immunity from earlier COVID infections and vaccinations but they cause generally mild disease, she said. In South Africa, 45% of adults are fully vaccinated, although about 85% of the population is thought to have some immunity based on past exposure to the virus.
“It looks like the vaccines still protect against severe disease,” Nunes said.
Nunes said that the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of omicron have spread to other countries in southern Africa and a few European countries, but it is too early to tell if they will spread across the globe, as omicron did.
The increase in COVID cases is coming as South Africa is entering the Southern Hemisphere’s colder winter months and the country is seeing a rise in cases of flu.
At a COVID testing center in the Chiawelo area of Soweto, many people come in to be tested for COVID, but find out they have flu.
“Now we’re in flu season … so it’s flu versus COVID-19,” said Magdeline Matsoso, site manager at the Chiawelo vaccination center. She said people come for testing because they have COVID symptoms.
“When we do the tests, you find that the majority of them, they are negative when it comes to COVID, but they do have flu symptoms,” said Matsoso. “So they get flu treatment and then they go home because the majority is related to flu and not COVID.”
Vuyo Lumkwani was one of those who came to get tested.
“I wasn’t feeling well when I woke up this morning. I woke up with body pains, a headache, blocked (nose), feeling dizzy, so I decided to come here,” she said.
“I was terrified about my symptoms because I thought it might be COVID-19, but I told myself that I’d be OK because I have been vaccinated,” said Lumkwani. She said she was relieved to be diagnosed with flu and advised to go home with some medications and rest.
|
2022-05-14T21:37:02+00:00
|
staradvertiser.com
|
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/05/14/breaking-news/south-africa-in-new-surge-of-covid-from-versions-of-omicron/
|
AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) —Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday afternoon a “new, water-based barrier of buoys” will be installed at the Texas border soon.
Abbott made the announcement after signing several border security-related bills that passed during the 88th Legislative Session. Abbott said the installation of the buoys will start “immediately.”
“These buoys will allow us to prevent people from even getting to the border,” Abbott said.
Col. Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the deployment of the first 1,000 feet of buoys will start in Maverick County’s Eagle Pass. McCraw added the buoys can be deployed quickly and are movable.
Images of the concept were displayed on each side of the table where Abbott, McCraw and Major General Thomas Suelzer, the Adjutant General of Texas, were sitting for the press conference. One image showed someone attempting to get over the barriers.
“The bottom line is [Texas] Border Patrol is already working on this. This was something that border patrol had already looked at, designed and even tested,” McCraw said.
Abbott was accompanied by McCraw, Suelzer, bill authors and sponsors, as well as other legislators and law enforcement officers.
While several bills the governor signed fall under his broader priorities of ongoing border security efforts, the keynote legislation he called for during his State of the State address did not pass. The main border security proposal Abbott had mentioned was creating a “mandatory minimum jail sentence of at least 10 years for anyone caught smuggling illegal immigrants in Texas.”
Differences between the House and Senate versions of the smuggling bill were not worked out in the regular session. Now, it’s one of Abbott’s central calls for the first special session.
What bills did Abbott sign?
Abbott signed six bills related to border security and training.
Senate Bill 1900 designates Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. There are higher penalties for criminal activity by a foreign terrorist under state law, Abbott said.
Senate Bill 1484 authorizes training for local law enforcement on cartel-related activity, the governor said. Texas DPS would be required to “identify ways that local law enforcement can help DPS to secure the border,” Abbott added.
Senate Bill 423 gives the Texas military department full authority to use drones at the border.
Senate Bill 1403 “authorizes the governor to execute an interstate compact for border security among interested states that does not require approval of Congress. The compact must provide for joint action among contracting states including sharing law enforcement intelligence on illegal activity occurring at the border, sharing state resources to build a physical barrier and technological surveillance system and sharing other law enforcement resources,” Abbott said.
Senate Bill 1133 compensates landowners if they “suffered property damage on agricultural land, as a result of a… border crime of smuggling a person, evading arrest, human trafficking, or a drug offense,” Abbott said. Ranchers can be compensated up to $75,000 per incident.
Senate Bill 602 gives Border Patrol agents the ability to arrest and search and seizure for any felony offense under Texas law, Abbott said.
|
2023-06-09T00:23:29+00:00
|
ktalnews.com
|
https://www.ktalnews.com/news/u-s-world/texas-to-use-floating-barrier-along-rio-grande-to-combat-border-crossings-abbott-says/
|
Canon EOS R8 Lightest Full-Frame Camera and EOS R50 Compact, travel-friendly for streamers and families camera.
NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- B&H is pleased to announce Canon's latest mirrorless offerings, the full-frame EOS R8 Camera and the entry-level EOS R50.
The Canon releases include the EOS R8 and EOS R50 camera bodies in black and the EOS R50 in white, the new RF-S 55-210mm telephoto zoom lens, the ET-60B Lens Hood, the RF 24-50mm wide-to-normal zoom lens for full-frame cameras, an EOS R50 kit featuring an 18-45mm zoom lens in both black and white, an EOS R50 kit featuring both the 18-45mm and the 55-210mm zoom lenses, and an EOS R8 kit featuring the RF 24-50mm zoom lens.
Canon has designed the EOS R50 to be the streamer and content creator's first choice for upgrading. Lightweight and compact, the EOS R50 can be used as a web camera, streaming live video in full HD at 30 fps, and can record podcasts and vlogs for longer than 30 minutes at a time. The camera also renders uncropped, 4K video at up to 30 fps oversampled from 6K and full HD video at up to 120 fps, and features a 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor and DIGIC X Image Processor, powering its automatic capabilities. For streamers, the Movie for Close-Up Demos Mode ensures that objects presented close to the lens, such as in unboxing videos or makeup tutorials, are properly in focus. The Advanced A+ Assist simplifies auto mode in settings with difficult lighting, and the Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus II covers the entire sensor area with 651 autofocus zones capable of detecting and tracking people, animals, and vehicles. Pair that with continuous shooting, up to 15 fps with the electronic shutter, and you'll hard-pressed to miss the shot.
Canon EOS R50 Mirrorless Camera
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1748810-REG/canon_eos_r50_mirrorless_camera.html
Product Highlights:
- 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
- DIGIC X Image Processor
- UHD 4K 30p Video Recording
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with 651 Zones
- 2.36m-Dot Electronic Viewfinder
- 3.0" 1.62m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen
- 15 fps Electronic Shutter
- Movie for Close-Up Demos Mode
- Vertical Movie Mode
- Multi-Function Shoe, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
The Canon R8 EOS Camera is the full-frame upgrade for those already embedded in the Canon mirrorless ecosystem. It also has a 24.2MP, full-frame CMOS sensor with the DIGIC X Image Processor, capable of achieving high image quality and wide dynamic range in stills, and features the Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus II with 1,053 autofocus zones and automatic subject detection and tracking. The R8 is available as a webcam and for livestreaming and can record uncropped 4K at 60 fps oversampled from 6K and full HD at up to 180 fps. At 29.97 fps, it can record video for up to two hours for podcasts, vlogs, or other long-form video content. The five-axis Movie Digital IS image stabilization reduces camera-shake vibrations when using an RF lens with optical image stabilization.
Canon EOS R8 Mirrorless Camera
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1748813-REG/canon_eos_r8_mirrorless_camera.html
Product Highlights:
- 24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
- 4K60p 10-Bit Internal Video, Canon Log 3
- 2.36m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
- 3.0" 1.62m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
- 40 fps Electronic Shutter
- Movie Digital IS
- Vertical Movie Mode
- Microphone Input, Headphone Output
- Multi-Function Shoe, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
To further entice streamers, both cameras feature a Vertical Movie Mode, which allows videos to be played in vertical composition when viewing on a smartphone, and an Aspect Markers function, which indicates the various social media aspect ratio for simplified compositions. Additionally, both cameras support wired and wireless connection to your smartphone via its USB-C port and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology.
The Canon RF 24-50mm wide-to-normal zoom lens is a lightweight standard zoom alternative for full-frame cameras, featuring an f/4.5-6.3 maximum aperture with optical image stabilization. The lens has two aspheric elements and Canon Super Spectra Coating to minimize ghosting and flare. The stepping motor focus drive is well suited for smooth, quiet autofocus when taking video. On APS-C size image sensors, the lens has an approximate equivalent coverage of 38-80mm.
Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM Lens
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1748815-REG/canon_rf_s_55_210_is_stm.html
The RF-S 55-210mm telephoto zoom lens for full-frame and APS-C cameras featuring an f/5-7.1 maximum aperture with optical image stabilization. The lens coverage on APS-C size sensors is roughly 88-336mm. The image quality comes from two ultra-low dispersion glass elements, one aspheric element, and Canon Super Spectra Coating to minimize ghosting and flare. The stepping motor focus drive provides smooth, quiet autofocus when taking video. The lens is also compatible with the optional ET-60B Lens Hood to block sunlight, prevent glare and lens flare, and protect the lens from debris and abrasions.
Canon EOS R8 and EOS R50 YouTube First Look Video
https://youtu.be/KbGiqqGgX4A
Learn and read more about the Canon EOS R8 and Canon EOS R50 Mirrorless Cameras at B&H Explora
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/videos/photography/canon-r8-r50-mirrorless-camera
About B&H Photo Video
As the world's largest source of photography, video, and audio equipment, as well as computers, drones, and home and portable entertainment, B&H is known worldwide for its attentive, knowledgeable sales force and excellent customer service, including fast, reliable shipping. B&H has been satisfying customers worldwide for over 45 years.
Visitors to the website can access a variety of educational videos and enlightening articles. The B&H YouTube Channel has an unmatched wealth of educational content. Our entertaining and informative videos feature product overviews from our in-house specialists. You can view the B&H Event Space presentations from many of the world's foremost experts and interviews with some of technology's most dynamic personalities. Tap into this exciting resource by subscribing to the B&H YouTube Channel here. In addition to videos, the B&H Explora blog presents new product announcements, gear reviews, helpful guides, and tech news written by product experts and industry professionals, as well as our award-winning podcasts.
When you're in Manhattan, take a tour of the B&H Photo SuperStore, located at 420 Ninth Avenue. The techno-carousel spins all year round at the counters and kiosks at B&H. With hundreds of products on display, the B&H Photo SuperStore is the place to test-drive and compare all the latest gear.
Contact Information
Henry Posner
B&H Photo Video
212-615-8820
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE B&H Photo
|
2023-02-08T08:36:35+00:00
|
live5news.com
|
https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2023/02/08/canon-announces-eos-r8-full-frame-portable-eos-r50-mirrorless-cameras-rf-s-55-210mm-telephoto-rf-24-50mm-wide-lenses-youtube-first-look-more-info-bamph/
|
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A proposal that would give Maine one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country came up for debate Monday while passage seemed all but assured because of Democratic control of the state’s legislature.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has proposed changing the state’s standard to permit women to get abortions later in pregnancy. If the proposal passes, state law would change to allow abortion after fetal viability if it’s deemed necessary by a physician.
Maine’s current laws allow abortions until a fetus becomes viable, which is generally considered to be around 24 weeks. The proposal faced a well-attended public hearing before a committee of the Maine Legislature on Monday.
The governor’s proposal arrived as Republican-controlled states around the country are headed in the opposite direction on abortion access. Not all attempts at tightening abortion laws have succeeded, however, as abortion bans in Nebraska and South Carolina fell short of advancing last week.
Maine Democrats are unlikely to have such trouble expanding access. There were enough co-sponsors on Mills’ bill to ensure a majority.
“Mainers value their reproductive rights and freedoms, and they want these decisions to be made by a health care provider and their patient,” said Nicole Clegg, acting chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. “They don’t want certain politicians forcing people to continue a pregnancy against medical advice.”
Despite the likelihood of passage, many Republicans in the state have strongly opposed the bill, and opponents of abortion attended Monday’s hearing to make clear they don’t support it.
The Christian Civic League of Maine, an organization that staunchly opposes abortion, sent an email to its supporters asking them to “prayerfully consider joining us” at the hearing.
“What are you willing to do to be a voice for those who do not have a voice? To what level of sacrifice will you commit in advocacy for the sanctity of life? What inconvenience will you abide to be present to counter the spiritual forces in our capitol tomorrow?” the email asked supporters.
Other changes Democrats have proposed to Maine’s abortion laws include increasing the privacy for people seeking an abortion and eliminating insurance copays. The state already had a fairly unrestrictive set of laws regarding abortion, and Mills successfully ran for reelection in 2022 on a promise of protecting and expanding them.
Maine is one of many states that has become a testing ground for new abortion laws since the Supreme Court took away constitutional protections for abortion last June.
|
2023-05-01T16:54:52+00:00
|
seattletimes.com
|
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/maine-expanded-abortion-access-up-for-debate-passage-likely/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world
|
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