It was the type of statement city officials in Afton and Scandia and other exurban cities ringing the Twin Cities had hoped to make. But it came instead from the IT manager for Paul Bunyan Communications in the northern Minnesota town of Bemidji.
“I am really excited about this project and the positive impact it will have on people’s lives,” Steve Howard said after the state of Minnesota awarded $10 million worth of grants this month to help subsidize broadband in poorly served remote locations. “Students will have access to educational resources, employees will be able to work from home, seniors will be able to stay in their homes longer with telemedicine and a rural medical clinic will finally get the connectivity it has needed for years.”
Once again, affluent exurban areas came up empty.
Afton is the classic rural metro fringe community that has fought to retain an olden-days charm, battling subdivision proposals and modern additions such as cellphone towers. But other areas, such as Scandia, which are more receptive to growth, were also frustrated to have been left off the list once again.
“This was a surprise to everyone,” said Neil Soltis, city administrator in Scandia, at the northern edge of Washington County. “We felt we would get a grant. It’s disappointing to see that no one in the metro got anything.
“Quite frankly, it impacts growth,” he added, referring to the reaction of would-be residents when they learn that if they move to Scandia, they will be stuck in a time-warp when it comes to Internet speeds.
This year, the $10 million offer statewide was way oversubscribed, with dozens of applicants collectively seeking close to $30 million, and 15 winners.
Even so, Scandia wasn’t the only place going into the process feeling confident, apparently with encouragement from the state.
Afton City Council Member Stan Ross told residents in the city’s August newsletter that the High Speed Internet Committee he headed “has been told that Afton has a very good chance of being approved for the state grant.” In an interview, he said it would be “devastating” to come up empty.
And when asked weeks ago about a Plan B in case the application failed, Afton City Administrator Ron Moorse spoke of possibly not getting the full amount requested and of having to choose to put limited funds into parts of town most left out of Internet service.
But when funding decisions were announced Nov. 20, the recipients seemed almost deliberately to be as far from the metro as possible. They ranged from International Falls to Winona County, with another applicant covering 30,000 square miles in 20 southwest counties to help more than 3,000 farm-based businesses.
It’s an era when “agricultural data usage is exploding nationally,” said the state Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), which decided the issue.
In Scandia, Soltis said he knows of no explanation that’s been extended to losing parties. Is all this creating bad feeling? he was asked.
“I’m sure it has,” he said.
Dan Nelson, the Sioux Falls, S.D.-based director of governmental affairs for Midcontinent Communications, was more sanguine after losing two of three bids for money, including one in the northeast suburbs. The winner was in International Falls.
“We have not discussed it with the state,” he said, “but last year after being unsuccessful we spoke to them at length about the pluses and minuses and were surprised and pleased to have more success this time.”


Rss@dailykos.com (laura Clawson) · Thursday, February 23, 2017, 6:46 pm
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west and Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins gets credit she doesn’t deserve for being a moderate who stands up to her party. The latest: would Collins, as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, vote to subpoena Donald Trump’s tax returns as part of the investigation into his Russia ties?
"I don’t know whether we will need to do that. If it’s necessary to get to the answers, then I suspect that we would," Collins said on Maine Public Radio when asked if she would subpoena Trump's tax records for the investigation.
She added that such a decision would be up to the chairman and vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee.
Predictably, the headlines are all “Republican would subpoena Trump.” But come on. “I don’t know … if it’s necessary … I suspect.” That’s way past standard hedging—if she’d said “never say never, but ...” it would have communicated the same thing. She isn’t willing to say a flat no (because it would look bad and the headlines wouldn’t be half so flattering), but she doesn’t expect it to happen and she is definitely, definitely not standing up to her party to make it happen.


Emotions can become heated among surgeons in an operating room.
Raised voices can faze some, but Dr. Georgia Schweitzer Beasley handles it with aplomb. She has heard worse — her previous career as a basketball player prepared her well.
“I’m like, ‘This is nothing,’ ” she said.
Tonight, the former Hartley, Duke and WNBA standout will be among 15 inductees into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Schweitzer Beasley and Brookhaven graduate Helen Darling are the two living central Ohio natives who will be inducted.
“It’s a huge honor,” Schweitzer Beasley said. “I’m truly grateful for all the people who helped me get here.”
After graduating from Hartley in 1997, Schweitzer Beasley helped lead Duke to the NCAA championship game in 1999. She scored 22 points in a matchup with national player of the year Chamique Holdsclaw during an Elite Eight upset victory over three-time defending national champion Tennessee.
Schweitzer Beasley later played three seasons for the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA. She entered medical school in 2008 and is seven years into a residency for surgical oncology at Duke University Hospital. She said she will become chief resident this summer.
Schweitzer Beasley is balancing 80-plus-hour work weeks while also raising a 3-year-old son, Reid, and 6-month-old daughter, Wyn, with her husband, Jonathan. It is a hectic life, but a fulfilling one.
It would be silly to compare a basketball game to cancer surgery, but Schweitzer Beasley said her athletic career did help prepare her for her medical one.
“Winning or losing a game doesn’t really matter that much in the grand scheme of things,” she said. “Now, I do really deal with a lot of life and death. But especially in surgery, there’s an understanding of how to be part of a team, more so than in any other field of medicine.
“You have to rely on people. It can’t be a one-person show. You have to understand that you’re not the only one. Sometimes you have to be the one setting the screen and not the one taking the shot. There are a lot of similarities.”
Schweitzer Beasley said she also benefited from learning to deal with failure as an athlete.
“Unfortunately, we make mistakes as doctors, or bad things happen, and you can’t sit there and dwell on it because you’ve got the next patient coming,” she said. “You take your mistakes seriously, but you also have to be able to get back up. That’s something I’ve definitely learned from basketball.”
Schweitzer Beasley was inducted into Duke’s Hall of Fame last fall, the day before Wyn was born.
She doesn’t have much time for sports now.
“I think it’s still a part of me,” Schweitzer Beasley said. “I always loved playing. My son is 3, and I’ve got him dribbling and we’re playing now. It won’t be long till I’m out there with him.”


The head of Mexico's financial intelligence unit says that a former executive at the state-owned oil company who was sanctioned this week by the comptroller's office is Pemex's former director Emilio Lozoya.
Anne D'Innocenzio, Associated Press | PostedMay 23rd - 7:43am
An escalating trade war between the U.S. and China could mean higher prices on a broad array of products from toys to clothing. But some retailers will be less equipped to handle the pain than others, leaving consumers to carry the load.
Jon Gambrell, Associated Press | PostedMay 23rd - 7:13am
For years, Iran's supreme leader only criticized the West over Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Now, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is publicly chastising the country's elected president and his foreign minister as the accord unravels amid heightened tensions with the U.S.
David McHugh, Associated Press | PostedMay 23rd - 5:35am
Officials at the European Central Bank at their last meeting had grown more concerned about chances for a return to stronger economic growth in the second half of the year as they underlined their readiness to deploy more stimulus if needed.
Syrian government officials say a power station close to the rebels' last stronghold in the country's northwest has been repaired after insurgents bombed the facility the night before, kicking it off line.
David McHugh, Associated Press | PostedMay 23rd - 3:33am
The CEO of Deutsche Bank says he is ready to make "tough cuts" to improve the struggling bank's profitability and raise a "disappointing" share price as negative headlines continue to plague Germany's biggest bank.
Joe McDonald and Michael Liedtke, Associated Press | PostedMay 22nd - 11:08pm
Looking for ways to hit back at Washington as a tariff fight escalates, President Xi Jinping and his economy czar visited a Chinese factory that processes rare earths - exotic minerals used in electric cars, mobile phones and other technology.


Stirling Prize TV show dropped
RIBA says new coverage is better than “filming guests eating roast beef”
Leading architects have spoken of their disappointment that the RIBA has failed to secure TV coverage of the 2012 Stirling Prize ceremony.
The event will not be televised this year, the first time in more than a decade it has not been broadcast by Channel 4 or the BBC. Instead the BBC plans to give details of the winner during an episode of the Culture Show to be aired “around the time of the prize”.
Simon Allford, a partner at AHMM which has been nominated for the prize three times, described the decision as a blow for the Stirling’s reputation.
“Not televising it is undoubtedly a loss,” he said. “Television does dumb down, but being on TV stops this idea that architecture is some internal discussion. It engages people to think about the importance of buildings to their communities.”
The RIBA denied that the move would damage the prestige of the prize, arguing that the new format could result in more compelling coverage of architecture rather than “filming guests eating roast beef”.
At the peak of its 10-year run live on Channel 4, the ceremony attracted 1.2 million viewers.
Last year, when it was screened on BBC2’s Culture Show a day late, just 280,000 tuned in.
Will Alsop, who won the prize in 2000 for Peckham Library, agreed that the move was disappointing.
“I think it must be worrying for the RIBA because without TV it’s more difficult to get sponsorship for the whole event,” he said.
“But it’s partly their fault for letting the format get stale. The Stirling Prize is important and needs to maintain that position.
If they change the format they might find it back on TV.”
A BBC spokeswoman said the decision was made as part of a wider review of the Culture Show, which is being revamped as a shorter weekly programme.
“The Stirling Prize winner will be part of an architecture-themed Culture Show, to be shown around the time of the prize, rather than filming the event itself,” she said.
The RIBA said the current format was outdated and it was developing ideas designed to attract bigger audiences.
The jury for this year’s prize was named this week as Nicholas Grimshaw chairing Mark Jones, Joanna van Heyningen, Hilde Daem and Naomi Cleaver.


ANKARA (AA) – Australia’s Victoria state has banned the display of the Nazi swastika. Anyone displaying it in public will face monetary penalty or jail, or both.
The Parliament of Victoria passed the Summary Offences Amendment (Nazi Symbol Prohibition) Bill 2022 on Tuesday, which “makes it a criminal offense for a person to intentionally display the Nazi symbol (the Hakenkreuz, often referred to as the Nazi swastika) in public,” read a statement by the state government.
Under the new law, anyone intentionally displaying the Nazi symbol in public will face penalties of up to 22,000 Australian dollars ($15,213) and 12 months in jail, or both.
The state government said the move “sends a clear message that the dissemination of Nazi and Neo-Nazi ideology through the public display of the Nazi symbol has no place in Victoria.”
“The Nazi symbol glorifies one of the most hateful ideologies in history – its public display does nothing but causes further pain and division,” said Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes.
“It’s a proud moment to see these important laws pass with bipartisan support – I’m glad to see that no matter what side of politics, we can agree that this vile behavior will not be tolerated in Victoria.”
The new law also recognizes the cultural and historical significance of the swastika for the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and other communities “as an ancient and sacred symbol of peace and good fortune.”
The statement clarified that the new law “does not prohibit the display of the swastika in such religious and cultural contexts.”
Victoria’s government said it will keep monitoring “the use of hate symbols and may consider the inclusion of additional symbols at a later stage.”


Transcript for Rep. Adam Schiff reacts to reported Comey memo
We are joined by the top Democrat on the house intelligence committee, California congressman Adam Schiff. Congressman Schiff, thanks for joining us this morning. Straight to the bottom line, do you believe president trump tried to block the investigation? Well, it certainly sounds as if these reports are accurate that he wanted this investigation of Michael Flynn to stop and he was concerned about the investigation in the sense that it might lead to him based on his own admission in the conversation he claims to have had with director Comey. The bottom line, George, we don't really know what took place here and we need to find out. We need to get those notes, if they exist, that Comey took of this conversation and any other that bear on this Russia investigation in any way and, of course, if the president was making a truthful claim or threat to director Comey that he had tapes we'll need to get those also and I think it's only a matter of time and probably not much time before we see director Comey come and testify before congress again. Are you prepared to subpoena those tapes, subpoena those notes? I think congress will need to subpoena them if indeed they're not provided voluntarily. I certainly support that. I think there are many committees that will. We've seen already Jason Chaffetz on the government reform committee call for that information to be provided and threaten to subpoena it if necessary. Congress needs to get to the bottom of it. I think there are enough credible allegations now of an effort to potentially impede or obstruct the investigation that this needs a very serious investigation just on that issue. Is there anything preventing director Comey from coming to congress right now? Nothing at all. And I'm quite sure that's going to happen. I have to imagine that he will want to explain just what took place if those conversations are as they were reported. The country really needs to know about it. If the president is affirmatively trying to interfere with this investigation, that is something that has to be brought out and investigated by congress and, of course, we have some powerful evidence at least reportedly in the form of con temp andous notes taken by the director of the FBI. Those could be powerful evidence. You've got a series of allegations, the January dinner where reportedly the president asked for a loyalty pledge, that February meeting where the president reportedly said I hope you can let this go and also the firing of director Comey with the president saying Russia was on his mind. What it take for that pattern to be an impeachable offense? I tried an impeachment case a few years ago in the senate involving a federal judge. It's obviously a very serious business even involving a judge. When you talk about the president of the United States, that kind of wrenching experience will only happen in the most serious of circumstances. There are, of course, the legal aspects of the issue. In fact, whether the president had the intent to corruptly interfere with the investigation. But then there's a practical consideration and at the end of the day I think the practical consideration is this, would the country believe that an effort to impeach the president was on the basis of a corrupt act by him or that it was simply an act to nullify an election that people disagreed with? If it's the latter it's never going to be successful. The country would have to have come to the point where they think the president's conduct is so disqualifying that he is rightfully removed from office. I don't think any of us should race to that conclusion. It would be enormously obviously jarring for the country to go through this. What we ought to be doing is methodically getting all the evidence and information to find out just what conversations took place, what did the president intend to do and did he have an improper purpose in trying to stop the investigation altogether, stop the investigation as particular people like Flynn and, in other words, protect himself from the administration of justice? Congressman Schiff, thanks for your time this morning. Thanks, George.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.


KOREA – Asia’s nonwoven production reached 3.09 million tons in 2011, said Wang Yanxi, chairman of ANFA, the All-Nippon Nonwoven Fabrics Association, at the opening ceremony of the ANEX 2012 exhibition in Seoul, Korea on Wednesday (June 13). By Adrian Wilson.
Yet the per capita consumption of nonwovens in Asia, he added, is still far behind that of Europe and North America – illustrating the potential that still exists for significant growth in the region.
The show has attracted 237 exhibitors from 24 countries, with major fibre and nonwovens producers from Japan such as Teijin and Toray very prominent.
Teijin is featuring no less than 15 of its recent innovations, including:
- V-Lap vertically lapped cushioning material.
- The Eco Circle closed loop recycling system.
- Nanofibre oil blotting paper featuring the company’s Nanofront technology.
- Unisel multi-layered heat sealing materials for unique packaging applications.
These will be showcased in a feature in the 3rd issue of Sustainable Nonwovens, as will the Toray polyester nonwovens which form the basis of RO membranes for water filtration, along with a full report from ANEX 2012.


Despite exposure to Three Arrows, Voyager Digital suffers a downgrade from analyst
CoinDesk's Consensus 2022 is the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival this June 9-12 in Austin, TX.
It is estimated that Voyager Digital (VOYG) shares fell more than 60% after it disclosed it could issue a "notice of default" if it fails to repay a loan to hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC).
3AC exposure consists of 15,250 bitcoins ($370 million) and $350 million USDC, according to
In its exposure to 3AC, Voyager holds 15,250 bitcoins ($370 million) and $350 million in USDC.
he company said in a statement Wednesday.
In response to the recent market downturn, D
Dubai-based Three Arrows Capital hired legal and financial advisers to figure a way out.
Report in the journal. 3AC invested over $200 million in LUNA tokens in February,


When Severna Park piled on rival South River enough for a running clock in last week’s regular season matchup, Seahawks junior Morgan Carter felt the sting.
That’s why she and the rest of the defending county champions drilled essentially one thing all week in practice – play South River lacrosse the way they knew how, no matter who the opponent was.
South River coach Caroline Cochran reminded them of that as she drew her flock in for a pregame pep.
“It’s about us,” she said. “It’s not about them.”
The Seahawks dampened the effects of an often airtight Falcons defense and a hot-shooting offense to capture the county championship crown for the second straight year, 9-6.
“We were focused and we brought the intensity tonight,” Cochran said. “We kind of took a step back in the last game. We knew what this meant to us. We’d just seen them last week. We knew if we came out the way we came out last week, then we were going to get beat, because they’re a great team. We focused on us. We won the draw controls. We focused on the attacking and the defensive end. Jordan, our goalie, had a great day in goal.”
Unlike last week, when Severna Park handily served the Seahawks its first county loss, South River (12-3) flipped roles. With a pair of hat tricks, Carter and Kathleen Sullivan secured South River’s advantage and helped usher in the Falcons’ first loss.
From the first minute, the two squads netted equalizing goal after equalizing goal. Someone had to cut through.
As Severna Park defenders descended upon Carter, she could’ve gotten lost in the flood.
Instead, her shot burst through the pile and punched the back of the net.
“They’re a really good defense and they’re gonna send those doubles and they’re gonna crash,” Carter said. “It’s just a matter of keeping your head up and trying to get out of it as fast as possible.”
The Seahawks brushed off the possibility of a tied game as Carter unleashed her second goal, also under siege, handing South River the lead.
“I think it’s just a mental thing,” Severna Park coach Kaitlyn Hines said. “Soon as we started to get down … I think that affects them mentally, that they couldn’t get themselves out of that hole.”
Sullivan, Kelsey Winters (two goals) and Carter again combined to carve out a five-goal margin. The offense that had succumbed to an assertive Falcons defense the week before now made clean, smart passes, crafty running paths and every opening they could find behind Falcons keeper Delaney Ott (four saves), especially in free position situations.
“It just wasn’t our best game at all [last week],” Sullivan said. “We knew we could do better. We didn’t want to embarrass ourselves out here again.”
Severna Park struggled with penalties.
“After a certain amount of time, there’s only so much we can do to hold a team out,” Hines said. “If you’re going to give them every free shot possible, they’re eventually going to score.”
Even without the whistle’s cry, surefire goal-getters like Hunter Chadwick and Maddy Brady ran into barriers like they hadn’t before, pitching wide shots that would’ve kissed the net on another day.
“Caitlin McGuirk has been a great leader on the defensive end this year,” Cochran said. “We have Rylee Kelly and Kaylee Mia Geist who run the ball up for our transition and it makes all the difference. They were all talking together tonight and first, second and third slides were coming, so we were able to shut down their big attacking threats.”
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Then, of course, there was Jordan Vincent. When shots leaked out of the defense’s hands, the junior goalie made the stops, 11 times.
“She was really important, especially because last game, it was their goalie making all the saves,” Sullivan said. “To have that this game really helped us.”
The Falcons found a bit of rhythm as the first half waned, trailing just 8-5 at halftime and then closing the divide to two goals. Senior midfielder Alex Miller tallied three goals between the for Severna Park. Chadwick, Brady and Julia Putzi scored one in the first half.
But the South River defense recovered, pushing Falcons attacks to the perimeter as they had in the previous frame, as did the Severna Park defenders.
After Tommi Bresnahan tacked on another one for the Seahawks, no one dressed in blue or white scored for over 17 minutes. It’s that cool-down period Carter wants to tackle next, if the two teams should come together in the Class 4A East Region final again.
“If we get to them, I think it’s just a matter of staying calm and not taking our foot off the gas,” she said, “because they’re a good team and they can strike back at any time. We have to get there first.”


By Erin Duvall
CMT Crossroads has been pairing country singers with rock and pop acts for nearly 15 years. In 2005, Jennifer Nettles — as a member of Sugarland — was paired with Jon Bon Jovi for an episode in the show’s fourth season.
Now, Nettles has been paired with Cheap Trick for the episode airing on March 24 on the network. Watch the songstress perform “I Want You to Want Me” with the rockers below.


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Miami bank’s European parent could be in ‘serious financial condition’
Major Portuguese financial institution Espirito Santo International, which partially owns a bank in Miami, warned that it could be in “serious financial condition.”
The company is tied to Miami-based Espirito Santo Bank, a $735 million-asset bank that’s chartered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Losses at its parent company don’t directly diminish Espirito Santo Bank’s capital but, under new financial regulations, bank holding companies must demonstrate that they are healthy enough to support their subsidiaries.
RELATED CONTENT: Espirito Santo Bank regains profit, grows loans
According to the Wall Street Journal, an audit by KPMG cited in regulatory filings identified “irregularities” in the accounts of Espirito Santo International and concluded that the company is in “serious financial condition.” Espirito Santo International owns 49 percent of Espirito Santo Financial Group, which owns 27 percent of Banco Espirito Santo. The bank has been losing money in recent quarters as its country struggles amid a recession.
Espirito Santo International has proposed selling about $1.37 billion in stock.
"As a subsidiary of Banco Espirito Santo, therefore as a standalone bank with its own capital, and licensed by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation and supervised by the FDIC, we do not believe it affects Espirito Santo Bank," said
G. Frederick Reinhardt, chairman and CEO of the Miami bank. "However, statements have been made that this situation may affect the name, reputational risk of Banco Espirito Santo and by connection it may, although unlikely, affect Espirito Santo Bank."
Espirito Santo Bank focuses on foreign condo buyers, private wealth management and securities brokerage services.
Brian Bandell covers real estate, transportation and logistics. Get the latest news with our free daily newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
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Whether you're interested in staying in North Carolina long-term or simply think it would be more convenient for the summer, come hear from students who spent their 1L summer working in the state. From government to law firms to research assistantships, find out what where students have worked and how they got there. Lunch will be provided. Sponsored by the Duke NCBA and CPDC. For more information, please contact Catherine Lawson at email@example.com.
1L Summer: Working in North Carolina
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What appeared to be a slowing pace of jobs creation over the past three months has been reversed, based on current activity and upward revisions of the prior two months. The labor market added 336,000 jobs in September, along with a two-month combined bump of 119,000 jobs that increased previously reported numbers to 236,000 for July and 227,000 for August. September activity is ahead of the 12-month running average of 267,000.
The sectors reporting the highest changes in hiring included leisure and hospitality; government; healthcare; professional, scientific, and technical services; and social assistance.
The 3.8% unemployment rate was unchanged from August to September.
Average hourly earnings rose by 0.2% in September, contributing to a 12-month average increase of 4.2%.
The average work week for August increased slightly to 34.4 hours.
While the temp sector continued to contract in the past month, the number dropped significantly, with a loss of 4,200 jobs reported for September.
September’s unexpectedly strong report of jobs growth confounded analysts who were prepared for a far less rosy outlook. Despite some confusion and consternation by economists, robust hiring activity over the course of the summer signals a strong economy. Even as wage growth slows, consumer spending appears to be on the rise. More people have returned to (or entered) the workforce, generating the highest number of new jobs since January of 2023.
Fewer people are quitting, and more are being hired. The leisure and hospitality sector has finally returned to pre-pandemic levels, although that bar has yet to be crossed by all sectors, including accommodations and government.
September saw a bump in open positions in the labor market, rising from 8.9 million to 9.6 million openings. Workers are staying in place longer, which is as likely to signal concerns about mobility from employees as a strong focus on retention efforts by employers. The bottom line? Finding and keeping good talent remains a priority for every employer.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), CNBC, CNN, Staffing Industry Analysts, USA Today, NBC News, Reuters, Forbes, FOX Business.


BY KAREN CAMPBELL
WEAKLEY COUNTY (July 23) — Weakley County Schools Director Randy Frazier welcomed new teachers to a year like “we’ve never seen before” when orientation took place last week at the board of education office in Dresden.
Nineteen educators, who will be new to Weakley County classrooms this year or were hired after the required orientation was offered last July came together for two days of hearing from their new colleagues about classroom management, county school demographics, finances and more.
“We are pleased to get back to some degree of normalcy by having these new hires join us for our regularly-scheduled orientation,” said Frazier. “We need them to be ready for a very fluid school year where each day brings new challenges in educating our children during a global pandemic,” he added.
Two days of orientation and skill-building workshops were offered, covering topics such as classroom management and evaluations and updates on policies, health services, interventions, special education and safety.
Those who took part in the training are (* indicates those who began teaching last year after orientation was offered):
Dresden Elementary – Colby Akin
Dresden High – Victoria Todd, Erika Travis*
Gleason – Susan Drake, Holly Harris
Greenfield – Susie Hazlewood*
Martin Elementary – Arlene Hazlewood, LaTessia Shane
Martin Middle – Stephanie Virgin, Monica Collins, Sarah Hester, Avery Orr*
Sharon – Shawna Sampson, Jennifer Lamb*, Morgan Klinzing
Westview – Nathan Miles, Jarod Neal*
Lauren Mitchell will be the speech pathologist for Greenfield and Gleason. Joe Chapman will teach at the alternative school.
The group holds more than 80 years of teaching experience with six first-time teachers entering the classroom. Many live in one part of the county and will be traveling to a neighboring community. Others will be coming from homes in McKenzie, South Fulton, Paris and Murray.
While almost all openings are filled, some remain at Sharon, Greenfield and Westview.
Click on Employment Opportunities at www.weakleyschools.com for the latest update.
For more information on employment opportunities, contact Jeff Kelley, assistant director of schools, at 731-364-2247.
BY KAREN CAMPBELL


It’s an old adage that a speculative market collapses not when prices get crazy but when the last person who insists prices are crazy gives up in despair.
Worth bearing in mind when London’s Financial Times tells us that the pandemic has fuelled “the broadest global house price boom in two decades”, even bigger than the one which preceded and helped trigger the 2008 global financial crisis, and which is understandably reviving concerns about financial stability.
Continue reading “So how does the housing boom end?” →
Did we miss it? Or was it posted on the Beehive website after we had recorded the Government’s August 26 announcements?
Whatever happened, we are chagrined to have missed the official posting of the declaration that Green Party co-leader James Shaw has bypassed the strictures of his party’s policy to announce: Taranaki school construction project to create jobs.
The statement didn’t seem untoward, in the Covid-19 era of massive borrowing to pump billions into infrastructural work and employment.
More than 200 construction jobs will be secured in Taranaki through Government funding for a school expansion project, the Associate Minister of Finance, James Shaw said today.
Green School New Zealand will be supported with $11.7 million from the $3 billion set aside by the Government for infrastructure in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.
The ‘shovel-ready’ project would enable the school to expand its student roll from 120 students to 250.
But the announcement subjected Shaw and his party to widespread criticism – indeed, ridicule – because of something the press statement did not mention. Green School is a private school which charges up to $24,000 a year for New Zealand students and $43,000 a year for international students.
We are talking Green hypocrisy here, because: Continue reading “Private schools could be on to a Shaw thing – but maybe they need “Green” in their name to secure millions” →
Several Ministers were given an opportunity yesterday to bray about infrastructure spending and try to persuade voters what a splendid job they were doing.
National brayed, too, that the government was implementing its investment programme while quibbling about a two-years pause.
Oh – and Chris Bishop took credit for having some of the government’s spending being directed to the Melling interchange.
The flood of press statements started with a grand announcement from the PM and two of her ministerial colleagues (here), followed by statements from Infrastructure and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones (here ), Finance Minister Grant Robertson (here), Deputy PM and State Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters (here), Education Minister Chris Hipkins (here), Climate Change Minister James Shaw (here), Health Minister David Clark and Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter (here), and Transport Minister Phil Twyford (here).
A quick costing for households from the Taxpayers Union found
“Grant Robertson just spent nearly $7,000 per Kiwi household in a single announcement. Continue reading “Infrastructure grumbles: Govt is chided for ignoring climate change, neglecting the poor and being too slow” →


NASA spacecraft captures new amazing `Earthrise` photos
Zee Media Bureau/Shruti Saxena
New Delhi: NASA`s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has released pictures of 21st version of an amazing `Earthrise` as seen from the Moon.
In the new picture released, the Earth rises spectacularly as a tiny blue marble rising above the surface of the moon. The picture was captured on February 1 with LRO spacecraft`s wide-angle camera.
LRO experiences 12 "earthrises" every day.
The image has been captured recalling the first `Earthrise` photo that was taken by Apollo astronauts in 1968.
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L.A.’s unemployment rate held steady last month at 8 percent, even as local employers added 35,000 jobs to their payrolls, mostly in education, according to state figures released Friday.
The Employment Development Department reported that the improvement in the unemployment rate stalled last month as the number of residents reporting they were working barely budged. But the unemployment rate is still down from 9.6 percent a year ago.
Yet L.A.’s unemployment rate remains higher than the statewide rate of 7.3 percent for October and way higher than the national rate of 5.8 percent. That’s because the county’s two largest cities, Los Angeles and Long Beach, posted unemployment rates of 8.7 percent.
Local employer payrolls for October grew by 35,000 jobs (0.8 percent) to 4.22 million, the highest level since the recession began in December 2007.
More than half the net gain in jobs came from the education sector, which added more than 20,000 workers last month. Most of these gains came in higher education, evenly split between public and private universities.
The next biggest jobs gainer was the retail and transportation/distribution sector, up 7,000.
“We’ve seen big increases in warehouse/transportation workers to get out the products to get them on store shelves in time for the holidays,” said Mara Klug, vice president with the Los Angeles office of Adecco, a staffing firm based in Glattbrugg, Switzerland.
Adjusting for these seasonal hiring trends in education, retail and distribution, the county actually posted a net loss of 13,000 payroll jobs, with the total dipping below 4.2 million, the Employment Development Department reported.
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Washington had been in contact with Moscow shortly before Biden's visit to Ukraine, reports (File)
US President Joe Biden received security guarantees before his trip to Ukraine, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said, TAAS reported, adding that he, however, did not specify who gave guarantees to the American leader.
Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel on Monday, "Biden, having previously received security guarantees, finally went to Kyiv. He promised many weapons and swore allegiance to the neo-Nazi regime to the grave. And, of course, there were mutual incantations of victory, which will come with new weapons and courageous people."
Medvedev noted that Western countries are "quite faithfully" supplying Kyiv with arms and money. "In huge quantities, allowing the military-industrial complex of NATO countries to make money and steal weapons to sell to terrorists all over the world," he was quoted in the TASS report as saying.
Biden visited Kyiv on Monday to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky and express support for Kyiv.
It was earlier reported that Washington had been in contact with Moscow shortly before Biden's visit to Ukraine to ensure deconfliction.
The Washington Post on Monday reported that in a display of strong American support for Ukraine just four days before the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv.
Kyiv is no stranger to official visits, but this one is different. The fact the US president is meeting Ukraine's leader in the heart of the capital in the middle of a full-scale conflict is significant and symbolic.
The high-risk visit to a Ukrainian capital, which has been under threat of missile attacks, signals continued commitment from the United States, the largest financial and military backer of Ukraine's effort to repel Russians from its territory, reported The Washington Post.
Biden was spotted outside St Michael Golden-Domed Monastery with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian capital was in a tight security lockdown with car traffic halted and even pedestrians blocked from certain streets. Shortly afterwards, an air raid siren went off in the city, reported The Washington Post.
Biden on his visit to Ukraine pledged a USD 500 million military aid package for the country.
Addressing a joint briefing alongside Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, Biden said, "We will announce USD 500 million in aid to Ukraine. This will consist of javelins, howitzers, and artillery ammunition. Later, we will announce additional sanctions against companies which are trying to back Russia."
Biden said the package would be announced on Tuesday and that Washington would also provide more ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in Ukraine's possession.
Biden spoke about America's unwavering commitment to Ukraine's democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
"As we approach the anniversary of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, I'm in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine's democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity," tweeted Biden.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)


President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday morning to whine about the social media platform’s trending topics, which included “Trump Meltdown” and “Obama Was Better At Everything.”
“It’s never a real Twitter Trending. It’s Twitter Executive’s Choice. Only negative on Republican voices, especially mine!” Trump wrote.
“Trump meltdown” and similar topics were trending in the wake of the president’s all-caps rants in response to speeches by President Barack Obama and vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris during the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.


The Dallas Cowboys have one of the most unreal stadiums in all of sports. In fact, the HD scoreboard that hangs over the field was once a world-record holder in terms of size. It has since been surpassed, but it has still been so large that it sometimes interferes with the field of play. Two punts have actually been kicked into the oversized high definition television that hangs over midfield and extends from 20-yard line to 20-yard line.
It’s hard to miss a play if you’re at the game because there’s a replay right in your face on a giant-screen TV. Anyway, back to the actual point of talking about AT&T Stadium. There has been a bit of a stir created lately by Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She has been trying to petition the overuse of energy around the world, trying to bring it to people’s attention that there is being energy wasted wherever we look.
In fact, she brought up the Cowboys’ stadium, saying that AT&T Stadium actually uses more energy than the country of 3.7 million people. How accurate was her statement?
Well, Bob Brackett, an energy analyst at Bernstein Research, found did some searching and found that at peak times during game day, the Cowboys’ stadium uses about 10 megawatts of electricity while the entire nation of Liberia doesn’t have the capacity to pump even a third of that amount into its energy grid.
Is this a case of Jerry Jones and his team just being flat-out selfish or a case of Liberia not having a high enough energy capacity? Either way, weird facts galore.


Fincash, a Mumbai-based finance technology startup has raised ₹1 Crore (approx. $150,000) in a new funding round led by angel investors. The company will now be using the raised money to expand their product solutions.
The money will also be used by the company to expand customer base and widen the reach of its financial services across the country. In a statement, the company said that “we plan to utilize this for team & product line expansion coupled with marketing.”
The angel investors who participated in this funding round include industry veterans like Mohammed Khan (Founder of Rediffusion), Sameer Narayan (ex- Fund Manager BNP Paribas), and a couple of other industry stalwarts from financial services.
Founded in the year 2016, Fincash has raised total $250,000 funding to fund its business expansion, product expansion, and team expansion. The company will soon be expanding its existing product solutions— i.e., SmartSIP, SavingsPlus, and TaxSaver.
There will be new categories of these solutions that will help customers to invest as per their financial goals and time frames as per the company’s claims. Further, it says that investors will get wide choices to invest in different time frames, right from very short, short, mid to long duration, as per their investment needs & risk-appetite.
Gaurav Perti, co-founder, and CEO of the company said, “I think people to a large extent don’t have an idea about how to plan their investments. We aim to bridge this gap. We strategies customers’ investment goals and help them achieve within respective time frames. Addressing customers risk-appetite and giving them better solutions, I think, is a great way to encourage their investment journey.”
The company claims to have crossed more than 5000+ investors and is working exponentially towards adding users every month. The platform has 30% of active users and gains a monthly traffic of 3,00,000+ views. Currently, the company’s services are available in about 150+ cities across India.


Kenyan police said on Thursday that they had arrested six teachers over a viral video of primary school pupils simulating sex as punishment in an incident that caused uproar.
The footage showed four boys in school uniform simulating sexual acts under a tree in the school compound as the teachers watched.
The six are heard chatting in the background of the 29-second clip and bursting into laughter as one shirtless child wipes tears from his face.
Police said the clip "exposing school pupils in an indecent act" was recorded in Nyamache, a rural town, some 300 kilometres from the capital Nairobi.
Six teachers -- five women and a man -- have been arrested and "are assisting in investigation", police said.
Education Minister Ezekiel Machogu said the teachers will face disciplinary action and would be dismissed if found guilty.
According to Kenya's sexual offences act, a person found guilty of compelling another to engage in an indecent act faces a jail term of not less than five years.


Vodafone has brought its M-Pesa mobile money transfer and payment service to Europe today. The service, which was launched in Kenya seven years ago, is now being offered in Romania.
Customers of Vodafone Romania can use SMS text messaging to pay utility bills, make a deposit, withdraw cash from an M-Pesa agent, purchase goods or top up a prepaid mobile phone account. The maximum daily limit is 30,000 lei (around £5,500).
Michael Joseph, Vodafone’s Director of Mobile Money, said “The majority of people in Romania have at least one mobile device, but more than one third of the population do not have access to conventional banking. Vodafone M-Pesa is already used regularly by nearly 17 million customers and we look forward to bringing the significant benefits of the service to the people of Romania.”
Over €900 million is transferred between Vodafone M-Pesa users every month.


“This is my fourth downturn in oil and gas. I won’t say we were well prepared for it, but a well-balanced portfolio made us less vulnerable,” says Philip Pedersen.
MacGregor has launched a new crane compensation system for offshore ship-to-ship load transfers.
In-Control has been accepted as associated participant in GCE NODE.
Norway’s first ever Ocean Strategy was presented Tuesday. It is a strategy for blue growth and blue jobs.
Center for Offshore Mechatronics is an 8-year long research program aimed to develop autonomous operation and condition monitoring of topside drilling systems.
The Mechatronics Innovation Lab fills a void in the Norwegian innovation system. There is a need for more pilot-testing, not only in the oil and gas industry.
Several industry clusters in Agder are familiar with robots. Increased use of robots and automation could see more jobs, previously outsourced to low-cost countries, return to Norway.


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How can 10 of our 27 generating plants be idle at the same time?
For a country that needs all the power she can generate, particularly at this time when the raging coronavirus pandemic has compounded her economic woes, it is scandalous that 10 of Nigeria’s 27 power generating plants were reportedly idle as at May 25.
Three additional plants, Geregu 11, Omotosho 11 and Ibom Power plants, joined seven others which had previously been non-functional. These are Sapele 11, Alaoji, Olorunsogo 11, Ihovbor, Gbarain, AES and ASCO. Consequently, power generation in the country fell to 2,626 megawatts on that day.
It is obvious that even if all the 27 power plants are optimally functional, the country would still be able to meet only a negligible percentage of its power requirement.
This means that it is unaffordable for even a single plant to be idle. While Nigeria’s total installed national generating capacity is put at 12,910.40 megawatts, the available capacity is said to be 7,652.60 megawatts and the peak that the country has ever generated is 5,375 megawatts. Yet, it is estimated that the country needs not less than 40,000 megawatts daily.
To put it mildly, the reasons adduced for the forced idleness of these plants are scandalous and unacceptable. These include gas supply constraints, low load demand by distribution companies, maintenance challenges, frequency response problems due to unavailability of distribution infrastructure, rupturing of pipelines as well as water management problems for the hydropower plants.
These are the same excuses which have been routinely given over the years for the seemingly insoluble problems. We surely cannot continue to do the things in the same lackadaisical way and expect a change.
The need, as we noted last Wednesday, to urgently revisit the privatisation of the power sector undertaken in 2013 as recently mooted by the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, becomes more compelling by the day. It would appear that the problems which the exercise was expected to address are not about getting solved anytime soon.
For instance, the power authorities had claimed several times in the past to have put in place measures to check the disruption of gas supply lines only for the problem to recur.
The entire power sector appears to be in chaos as there is little or no synergy between the generating and distribution companies, or between both and the transmission authorities. Despite the repeated injection of funds to aid the privatised generation and distribution companies, they appear perennially incapacitated to meet their obligations to consumers with continued deleterious consequences for the country.
The harmful effects of poor power supply have been aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic. Nigeria’s revenue sources have been severely crippled, with several sectors of the economy paralysed and businesses are ailing. In such a situation, it becomes even more burdensome for small, medium and large businesses to bear the cost of maintaining generators for prolonged periods.
This unnecessarily increases the cost of doing business and makes it even more difficult for enterprises to survive. At the same time, health facilities which are under severe pressure as a result of the pandemic are also forced to contend with the additional responsibility of generating alternative power, or having to operate without electricity as often happens, to the detriment of patients.
At this crucial period, it is equally necessary that agricultural producers who have storage facilities have access to regular power supply to preserve perishable products. Doing so through reliance on generators will have negative implication for food costs.
The rate at which the economy can recover from the ravages of the pandemic will depend to a great extent on the availability of regular power supply. It is time that the authorities treat the deplorable power situation in the country as an emergency requiring decisive and far-reaching action.
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Reba McEntire recently went public with her new romance with Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzo, 68. And now in an interview with Closer Weekly, Melissa Peterman, the country singer’s former co-star, shares her thoughts on the relationship.
“I see her completely at ease with him,” Melissa tells Closer. “He adores her wholeheartedly, which is what we all want, right?”
Reba, 63, was still recovering from her 2015 divorce from her husband of 26 years, Narvel Blackstock, 61, when she met Skeeter while on vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyo., in 2017.
Skeeter, who is a retired oil executive, was less familiar with Reba’s celebrity lifestyle but he doesn’t appear fazed by her glittery life. “I don’t think it even causes a stir,” Melissa tells Closer. “He’s a confident guy. And when you’re hanging with the crazy crew that Reba has, you gotta be a good sport and be able to roll, and he totally does!”


The U.S. economy, after months of showing erratic vital signs, appeared Friday to have a steadier heartbeat, with the U.S. Labor Department's report that the unemployment rate in June declined 0.1 of a percentage point to 5.6 percent and that job growth was surprisingly robust.
In Illinois, the jobless rate dropped 1.4 percentage points to an astonishing 4.1 percent in June-the lowest in two decades and also the lowest among the nation's 11 largest industrial states.
On the heels of Thursday's Federal Reserve Board cut in a key interest rate, the U.S. employment report helped further allay investors' fears of a recession. The Dow Jones industrial average of blue-chip stock prices soared past 4700 points for the first time and the bond market surged as well.
Meanwhile, the United States and Japan staged a surprise move to support the dollar, trying to make sure Thursday's Fed move didn't backfire in currency markets.
The two countries were trying to keep the dollar from weakening against the Japanese currency, a development that could spur inflation in the United States and weaken economic growth in Japan.
The Labor Department reported Friday that 215,000 non-farm payroll jobs were created during the month, far more than economists had predicted. The department also revised upward the totals for the previous two months.
But many economists were quick to caution that there were numerous quirks with the June statistics, particularly regarding job creation. It would be folly to take the report at face value, they said.
"It's not as strong as it looks on the surface," said Sung Won Sohn, chief economist for Norwest Corp. in Minneapolis.
The report covers five weeks compared with four in the prior month, automatically inflating the employment numbers by at least 25 percent. Furthermore, most of the jobs gains were seasonal, resulting from teenagers and schoolteachers who exchanged classrooms for summer jobs.
While seasonally adjusting the figures normally smooths out such flaws, it didn't this time, economists said.
The Labor Department also raised eyebrows by reporting that 35,000 government jobs were created in June during an era when governments at all levels are scaling back. "That sounds fishy to me," Sohn said.
The data the Labor Department reported on Friday were preliminary and subject to revision. Indeed, the risks of putting too much emphasis on preliminary data were highlighted by Friday's Labor Department report. The job creation figures for April and May were revised upward, showing that the economy was actually in better shape than the earlier, unrevised numbers suggested.
Even so, Friday's report indicated that a disturbing loss of manufacturing jobs continued into June. "Factory employment continued to decline, with widespread losses totaling 104,000 over the past three months," Katharine G. Abraham, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, told reporters in a briefing.
Nearly half of June's growth in payrolls came from service jobs. Typical summer work at such venues as amusement parks and vacation destinations accounted for the lion's share of those positions.
The number of construction jobs rose in June due to drier weather, according to the Labor Department, although private economists said lower mortgage rates also played a role. This followed two months of declines in construction jobs also tied to weather.
"Illinois experienced a lot more rain in May than its sister states in the region did," said Diane Swonk, deputy chief economist at First National Bank of Chicago. "Ohio and Michigan were very dry in May. Illinois was not. It was miserable here. So construction came to a standstill basically (in May)."
Swonk added, "Talking with our (corporate) customers and living in a construction zone myself, I can tell you everything picked up in June," Swonk said. "That's what you saw in the Illinois employment rate. There was a huge seasonal issue going on where we were recouping all those rain losses in May."
Because of the economic uncertainties that remained unanswered by Friday's employment report, many economists continued to believe that Fed officials acted prudently in moving to lower a key short-term interest rate Thursday.
Faced with an economy that presently may not be increasing at all compared with 1994's breakneck 4.1 percent pace, the U.S. central bank cut the federal funds rate by 0.25 of a percentage point on Thursday. That reduced the rate that banks charge each other for overnight loans to 5.75 percent from 6 percent.
In separate economic news, the Commerce Department reported that the number of unsold goods in wholesaler warehouses rose in May for the 11th consecutive month, though at a smaller rate than expected.
Large inventories have been blamed for much of the current economic slowdown, as factories have reduced workers and their hours in order to lower the volume of goods on their shelves until customer demand once again picks up.


Homes targeted for first-time buyers looking to move to Dixon received approval Tuesday.
The Dixon Planning Commission voted 5-0 to approve designs for model homes to be built on Syracuse Lane, Heritage Lane and Columbia Drive, south of Dixon High School, for the Newbury Phase II of the Parklane subdivision.
Commissioners Jill Orr and David Reese did not attend the meeting.
The applicant, DeNova Homes, proposed three models, ranging in size from 1,704 to 2,459 square feet, in addition to the existing models previously approved by the commission.
These would include one single-story and two two-story models in the styles of “Farmhouse,” “Cottage,” “California Ranch” and “Craftsman.”
The objective is “affordability by design” so that first-time homeowners can buy in Dixon, according to Trent Sanson of DeNova Homes.
The smaller houses, under $446,000, will be of the same quality of craftsmanship as the other houses in Parklane, but on a smaller scale so they are more attainable for buyers who cannot make a large down payment and are applying for a FHA (Federal Housing Administration) loan.
Sanson said otherwise those who would like to live in Dixon, and commute to the Bay Area, would be looking at homes farther away in Woodland and Sacramento.
The approval came with a condition that DeNova work with associate planner Scott Greeley to place the homes that have side-entry front doors on the corner lots on these streets.
Commission chair Kevin Johnson had concerns with the front doors of these homes facing a wall.
The applicant argued there would be a porch and a 10 foot space that the homeowner could decorate and landscape.
Johnson disagreed, saying it was a major change from the other models approved.
He said he appreciates the amount of work DeNova has done and that they’re investing in Dixon, and loves everything else about the models.
He admitted the homes will sell, but the side-entry isn’t a feature that many people love.
The planning commission also voted 5-0 Tuesday to allow a furniture and cabinet-making business to move into a vacant building at 301 North First St.
The applicant, Mark Brothers, plans to repaint the building and install a sliding barn-style door, plywood paneling with a “board and batten” look and replacing the corrugated roof with a new ribbed steel roof.
This building, built in the 1960s, is currently in “rather poor shape,” Greeley said, and allowing this business to locate here will improve that.


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Treasury Hub Update - August 2020 884.07 KB
This is the Summer edition of THE TREASURY HUB Banking and Treasury Markets Bulletin.On the currency front, the biggest mover has been the USD which has weakened considerably over the Summer and broken out of a downward (i.e. strengthening dollar) range that existed for almost two years.From an investment perspective while all three equity indices that we track (ISEQ, FTSE and DOW) are down in the year, the DOW is close to recovering to where itwas at the start of the year. The NASDAQ has continued to power ahead to new highs with Apple now valued at $2 trillion.On the Brexit front, UK/EU talks have recommenced but no news to report as yet. October is the deadline for any deal as it would have to be approved by all EU governments individually.It is likely there could be increased corporate activity in the remainder of the year, some negative (examinerships) and some more positive (mergers/acquisitions). Brexit will have a bigger impactthan is currently forecast as it could provide opportunities as well as threats. Banking will also become more challenging in Q4 as the banks could struggle to deal with the sheer scale of the intervention required for companies and sectors that will findthemselves challenged. Where possible, businesses should continue to avail of the financial planning grants from Enterprise Ireland and LEOs.Download
Treasury Hub Update - May 2020 966.89 KB
This is the May edition of THE TREASURY HUB Banking and Treasury Markets Bulletin. Despite the ongoing pandemic, there has been a bounce back in equity markets and a settling down of the interest rate markets following last month's volatility. EUR/GBP has also remained relatively stable for the month, however the decision on whether or not to extend the Brexit deadline date of 31 December 2020 will soon come into focus. FX volatility should therefore be accounted for in forecasts and budgets and it's management will increasingly be a key facet in the approval or otherwise of bank facilities and grant applications. So, as mentioned in last month's bulletin, poor currency management will likely cause a “triple whammy”: lower profits, higher interest costs and tighter loan terms and conditions. We continue to focus on banking in Section 5 of the bulletin.Download
March edition of the Banking and Treasury Report 981.79 KB
The outbreak of the coronavirus continues to disrupt global supply chains and the financial markets. Unsurprisingly, the equity markets are bearing the brunt of the initial negative sentiment with the three equity indices that we track (ISEQ, FTSE and DOW) all in significant negative return territory. Bond prices are up again (as interest rates have fallen) with Irish 10-year rates now negative -0.15%, which is an all-time low. Oil prices have also fallen off a cliff. This is covered in more detail in Section 4.This month’s focus in Section 5 is a review of the Banking Market. While the banks appear to be taking a proactive and supportive approach to assisting businesses, the coronavirus is going to make credit availability tighter. We would encourage clients to act now and make contact with your bank to ensure you get the specific support you need as quickly as possible. The government has also announced a number of measures to help individuals and businesses, including an extra €200m funding through SBCI.Please get in touch with our Corporate Finance team if we can be of any assistance.Download
THE TREASURY HUB UPDATE - FEBRUARY 2020 1.19 MB
We bring you the second Banking and Treasury Report of 2020 as part of THE TREASURY HUB. Brexit came back onto the agenda at the end of January as the UK officially entered into the transition period. The general election kicked into gear here in Ireland with a lot of spending promises being made, all of which appear to be predicated on an orderly exit deal for the UK…. an assumption which may yet prove to be flawed.From an investment perspective the year got off to a negative start with the three equity indices that we track (ISEQ, FTSE and DOW) all deteriorating in January and a lot of the blame being attributed to the outbreak of the coronavirus in China. EUR/GBP held around EUR/GBP0.8450, especially as the UK exited the EU but with the “hard line” opening negotiation position being taken by PM Johnson last week, we have seen GBP lose 1p against EUR in a single day and move back to EUR/GBP0.8500. We expect further GBP weakness in the weeks ahead. This month’s focus in Section 5 is on the area of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG).Download
The Treasury Hub Update - January 2020 1.23 MB
We bring you the first Banking and Treasury Report of 2020 as part of THE TREASURY HUB. This report looks back at 2019 trends and looks forward at possible 2020 developments. Brexit dominated for most of 2019 while politics dictated worldwide events in general. The UK elected a new Prime Minister while the US presidential election started to gear up. Ireland will also see a new government elected in 2020.From an investment perspective it was a good year for equity investors, a bad year for bank deposits, a good year for bond investors while on the currency front EUR/GBP bounced around quite a bit but EUR/USD remained very stable again. Section 5 of this report focuses on the prospects for 2020.Download
THE TREASURY HUB - DECEMBER 2019 REPORT 1.16 MB
We bring you the final Banking and Treasury Report of 2019 as part of THE TREASURY HUB.The current focus appears to be on politics worldwide. The UK election is now in full swing, the US presidential election is also gearing up while the current Irish government is moving into its last months. Brexit news was negligible in the past month as the outcome of the UK election will dictate a lot of what is to come in 2020 on that topic.2019 was a good year for equity investors and borrowers, a bad year for bank deposits and a reasonably stable year for currencies, especially USD.Section 5 of this month’s report focuses on the banking sector and prospects for 2020.Download
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Menachem Chinn, 40, was arrested in April at his East Windsor home for the first incident, which occurred at his home in 2012. A second male came forward after the media reports about the first allegation and claimed he had also been inappropriately touched at Chinn's home in East Windsor "…
The James Volpe Foundation Golf Classic is heading toward its sixth annual tee time next month, but the fundraiser in memory of a Jackson teenager who tragically died in 2011 will have a new address this year.
Menachem Chinn, 36, was arrested at his East Windsor home on Thursday night for the incident that occurred at his home and was only recently to police, according to acting Mercer County Prosecutor Doris M. Galuchie.
Two Marlboro teens face kidnapping charges, and a slew of other counts, in Howell Township. in connection with what police describe as retaliation for a drug deal ripoff that eventually terrorized a total stranger.


By Jody Brumage
On July 14, 1962, an editorial column in the Dominion News proclaimed the occurrence of “An occasion history may well rank with the Wright Brothers first flight; Marconi’s message, and the first telegraphic epic of our time.” As the world witnessed this momentous event, one West Virginian congressman played a unique role in the occasion.
The first telephone call to be transmitted over Telstar was between Vice President Lyndon Johnson and Frank R. Kappel, Chairman of AT&T and leader of the development of the project. Images of the phone call were also transmitted via Telstar, showing both Johnson and Kappel. Sitting immediately behind the Vice President was West Virginia Congressman Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Together, the two men were captured in the first photograph ever transmitted via Satellite.
Improving the nation’s transportation and communications infrastructure remained important goals for Congressman Staggers, Sr. throughout his career. As Chairman of the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee (1966-1981), he had a hand in supporting many advances in both areas. Shortly after the launch, Congressman Staggers, Sr. wrote to Vice President Johnson, requesting that he sign a copy of the famous photograph to keep as a memento of the historic occasion.


As Floridians, our lives have been profoundly influenced by citizens taking initiative to amend Florida's Constitution.
They have limited political terms, mandated smaller classrooms, banned smoking in public places, required universal pre-K, limited property-tax increases, required government in the sunshine and capped state taxes. All were issues that Tallahassee politicians refused to address.
Those same lobbyists and special interests that block popular measures in Tallahassee now want to make it harder for the people to petition for changes in the law. They want to require a super-majority vote of 60 percent for voters to amend the Constitution. Their effort, Amendment 3 on this year's ballot, is nothing more than a naked power grab by the special interests that dominate Tallahassee's legislative halls.
The citizen-initiative process is already extremely difficult, but it is fair and the only recourse the people have when special interests block popular issues.
I know this from personal experience. I served in the Legislature for eight years. I watched tobacco companies bury bills to ban smoking in restaurants and workplaces. I saw legislation for smaller classrooms get killed in backroom deals. I know the hostility of most legislators to term limits. I've witnessed big business crush efforts to raise the minimum wage. I've seen how many elected representatives dislike having to govern in the sunshine. I've heard the government arguments against capping homeowners' property taxes. None of these popular initiatives would have become law if left to the Legislature. Each took an impassioned group of citizens petitioning their cause onto the ballot to get their issue decided by the voters.
Amendment 3's supporters argue that they are simply raising the bar without taking away the people's right to decide. Under their logic, Save Our Homes, universal pre-K, and caps on the amount of taxes the Legislature can raise would have never become law, because each passed by a simple majority vote of the people, not by a super-majority vote Amendment 3 requires. The very constitution we live under today passed in 1968 by 55 percent. If the special interests behind Amendment 3 succeed, Florida would be the only state to require a super-majority vote for citizen initiatives.
Amendment 3 is nothing more than a thinly veiled insult to the voters. It sends the message that the majority of Floridians don't know what is best for their state, that a minority of voters should be allowed to block what the majority wants as law.
Floridians have a simple choice on Nov. 7. They can either vote to trust the politicians, lobbyists and special interests by voting for Amendment 3, or they can vote to trust the people by voting against Amendment 3.
I say trust the people.


The new press regulator has voiced fears over whether he will be given the money by the newspaper and magazine industry to do his job properly.
Sir Alan Moses, a former judge who starts work today as chairman of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), described his initial budget for investigations into serious press misbehaviour as “hopeless”, and said he was “really worried” that his staff were being paid “very small amounts of money”.
He said he would be putting forward a detailed plan to the newspaper’s industry’s Regulatory Funding Company for Ipso’s budget, but believed the new regulator would “cost substantially more” than the £2.5m-a-year spent by its predecessor, the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). Publishers were “very worried about the money,” he said.
Sir Alan accused newspapers of being unable to accept criticism.
“How thin skinned you all are,” he told journalists last week. “You like doling it out but you don’t like receiving it. The slightest criticism creates an eruption.”
He expressed sympathy with the “despair” of press victims such as Madeleine McCann’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who have already questioned the independence of Ipso.
“Their expectations were built up and they feel they have been shattered – of course they are angry, of course they don’t trust Ipso and of course they regard it as a fake and I’m not at all surprised but I want to show that they are wrong.”
Sir Alan said he felt an obligation to those damaged by the press.
“Who’s thinking about the victims… who is actually going to put in place… a realistic, reasonable, firm system for looking after their interests and giving them a voice?”
His dependence on publishers for funding Ipso would not compromise his position.
“I’m not prepared to be controlled in any way,” he said.
Sir Alan wants Ipso to offer an arbitration service for complainants and a full-time investigations unit, but the amount put aside for such work was “hopeless”, he said.
“There is a lump sum that has been put in there and ring-fenced at the moment but it is only £100,000.”
The former judge is clearly concerned that some of the rules under which Ipso will operate, including those on its conduct of investigations, are “completely opaque and almost impossible to understand”.
He will not restrict Ipso’s work to individual complaints but will also look at press standards and examine patterns of misdemeanour on issues such as intrusion into grief. He said he would look not just at inaccuracy in reporting but the breach of the obligation in the Editors’ Code “not to distort”.
Ipso amounted to “an opportunity”, he said, and its creation “resounds very much to the credit of the press”.
The Independent and the London Evening Standard, along with the Financial Times and The Guardian, have not signed up to the new body.
Sir Alan said he would like these to join Ipso but the regulator needs to prove its worth.
“I quite understand why they won’t at the moment.”
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Dose is Uno
Dose Market (dosemarket.com), the once-a-month gathering of indie sellers and foodie vendors at the River East Art Center (435 E. Illinois St., 312-321-1001, rivereastartcenter.com) celebrates its first birthday this Sunday, June 24. For the past year, Dose has been the place to shop for things you never even knew you wanted—such as compass necklaces from Camp Wandawega or vintage luggage repurposed as speakers by Gentleman's Boombox. With this weekend’s bash, the Dosers also debut a few exclusives, including a new capsule collection of handcrafted jewelry by the designer Laura Lombardi. It’s not a birthday party without cake: ByM Desserts will be on hand with decadent specialty confections baked by Malika Ameen of Top Chef: Just Desserts. Or for a treat with an adult spin, look for booze-filled snow cone cocktails from Jo Snow Syrups. Tickets to the market are $10 at the door; save two bucks by pre-ordering at dosemarket.com/tickets.
Top Sales This Week
Bonnie & Clyde's Secret Hideout (location: secret) hosts its first hush-hush sale of the summer, with 30 percent off men’s and women’s clothing by Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens, Ann Demeuelemeester, and a handful of other edgy and/or avant-garde designers. Schedule an appointment this week (and be privy to the sale’s as-yet undisclosed locale) by emailing email@example.com.
Vive La Femme (2048 N. Damen Ave., 773-772-7429, vivelafemme.com) celebrates 10 years of repping Chicago’s curvy community with a shopping and style event on Thursday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m. The store, which stocks sizes 12 to 24, teams up with Plus Fashion Week Chicago (pfwchicago.com) and Igigi (igigi.com), a contemporary plus-size line. Guests are treated to light refreshments and 20 percent off everything in the store. Sign up for the free fete at shoppingandstyle.eventbrite.com.
The Best of the Rest
- The kids’ shop Madison and Friends (43 E. Oak St., 312-642-6403, madisonandfriends.com) is remodeling. To clear the way, the boutique holds its biggest sale to date, with 50 to 80 percent off all items for little tykes through Monday, June 25. Snag the same discounts online by entering the checkout code “remodeling.”
- The local children’s emporium The Red Balloon Co. (theredballoon.com) sets up a warehouse sale at 4021 North Ravenswood Avenue from Thursday, June 21 through Sunday, June 24. Check out summer and—dare we say it so soon?—back-to-school bargains on brands such as Stella, City Threads, and Wonderboy in sizes infant through 12. Items, marked up to 80 percent off retail prices, start at $5.
- Step into Sarca (710 N. Wabash Ave., 312-255-0900, shopsarca.com) this Saturday, June 23 for a one-day-only shoe sale. Designer brands including Ruthie Davis, Missoni, and Viktor & Rolf are 20 percent off.
- The Limited at Water Tower Place (835 N. Michigan Ave., 312-266-0700, thelimited.com) is one of six stores in the country to have recently launched the shop-in-a-shop Eloquii (eloquii.com). Stop by for plus-size separates, dresses, and outerwear (all priced from $29 to $190) in sizes through 24.
- Randolph Street Market (1340 W. Washington St., randolphstreetmarket.com) returns to the West Loop with more than 200 vendors peddling antiques, vintage wares, handmade goods, and more Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24. Tickets are $10 at the gate or $8 in advance at randolphstreetmarket.com.
- Ligne Roset Chicago (440 N. Wells St., 312-222-9300, lignerosetchicago.com) marks down French-contemporary furniture and home décor—including upholstery, lighting, rugs, and more—by 30 to 60 percent this weekend. The sale runs Friday, June 22 through Sunday, June 24.
Remember Made In Chicago (presented by AIBI), the pop-up shop for locally designed clothing and accessories that hit the scene last December? It’s back, but this time on a long-term basis. The store (44 E. Grand Ave., 312-836-1041) features capsule collections by 16 Chicago designers, including Killion, Chikahisa Studio, Fourth is King, and Caramel Ribbon.
Pin Curls (1656 W. Chicago Ave., 312-243-4446, pin-curls.com) opens this weekend in West Town. The salon celebrates Friday, June 22 through Sunday, June 24 with trunks shows and specials such as complimentary makeup and skincare consultations, 50 percent off all waxing services, and 25 percent off all products. Also of note: Pin Curls offers a “silent” experience for clients looking to escape haircut-related small talk.
If you’ve been there and done that with Chicago’s architecture and foodie tours, maybe it’s time to see the city through the eyes of fashion fanatics. ShopAround Chicago (shoparoundchicago.com), which launched last week, offers three-hour guided tours (from $35) of boutiques in the Gold Coast, Wicker Park, and Lincoln Park.


HOUSTON (AP) - Leaders of the Houston branch of the NAACP say
too many minority drivers are being stopped in Bellaire and they want city officials to take steps to address a racial profiling they say is common.
Houston NAACP official D.Z. Cofield took up the issue yesterday with the city of Bellaire's recent statistical report on traffic stops. The report found little change in the racial breakdown of
traffic stops from year to year since 2002.
The Houston Chronicle reported Cofield said that a lot of people of color had learned to live with it. He said they had learned to stay out of Bellaire, a mostly white affluent Houston suburb of about 18,000 people.
Mayor Cindy Siegel had previously said she hoped racial profiling consultant Alex Del Carmen, who compiles the city's traffic stop statistics, could tell elected officials if the city had a problem.
But Del Carmen had no opinion on the issue and said the bare statistics in his report on who is stopped by police were not enough.


Wednesday, June 13th the famous artist and producer, Jay-Z, was spotted at Prime 112 having dinner with a group of six friends.
Janet Jackson along with a big group of friends joined promoter Justin Levine at his Empire Events party Saturday night at Privé. Jackson will be seen quite often in Miami since she will be recording her new album for three months.
Nearby, Paris Hilton's friend, Brandon Davis, and Scott Storch were also jamming to the DJs mix of Diddy, Jay-Z, and Jackson 5.
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz went out for dinner at Fannucci's on Lincoln Road Saturday night. Pete Wentz is the bassist of the famous group Fall Out Boy who have had many hit singles and are currently touring their most recent album. Enjoying their stay in Miami, the couple headed out to Cameo later that evening with Travis Barker for the Bacardi B-Live bash.


Teen drops dead after eating pancake at restaurantBy Mason White 5:34 PM March 16, 2015
By: Tanya Malhotra
(Scroll down for video) A teen who was allergic to dairy, died after eating a pancake at a restaurant, according to court documents in Minnesota.
Now, the family of the teen has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant, claiming that they are responsible for causing the death.
Scott Johnson had a severe allergic reaction to the pancake and died. Johnson’s mother Cindy, said that they were told that the restaurant’s pancakes are dairy free, but they were not.
Scott was very allergic to milk. Even small traces of milk would be enough to send him to the emergency room. That is why he rarely ate at restaurants.
The exception was on the day of the incident when the family decided to it at the Minnesota Nice Cafe. Cindy Johnson asked the server if the gluten free pancakes were also without milk.
The server reported that the chef said that they were. Cindy Johnson also requested that the grill should be cleaned before her teen’s pancakes were made.
Scott ate two pancakes, thinking they were good. When Scott finished eating the pancakes he signaled to his mother that they need to go home.
Scott forgot to bring his EpiPen and nebulizer to the restaurant. Cindy called an ambulance, and Scott was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Doctors said that Scott had suffered such a severe anaphylactic reaction that his heart had failed. Scott, 16, died three days later.


This week’s atomic weapons test by North Korea fueled a round of condemnation by the US against them, and also against China, with Secretary of State John Kerry declaring that China’s policies toward the north had failed and it was time for new strategy.
Chinese officials today dismissed that, saying that the US-led efforts to isolate North Korea have only made matters worse, and that China shouldn’t be expected to solve the entire problem by themselves.
China was an historical ally of North Korea, but tends to see the nation as more of a headache these days, trying to keep them from starting any big wars or collapsing outright, and leading to a massive influx of refugees into China.
North Korea, for its part, is said to be courting more help from China after today’s test, saying they need to come up with a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, and warning they will continue their nuclear tests until a peace deal happens. US officials have repeatedly ruled out a peace deal with North Korea.
Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
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Kingston – On April 26, 2019, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) will be holding mass information pickets at both Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Kingston and Collins Bay Institution concerning ongoing bargaining frustrations.
What: Mass Information Pickets
When: Friday, April 26, 2019
Where: - CFB Kingston (26 Somme Ave.) starting at 5 a.m. and
- Collins Bay Institution (1455 Bath Road) at 6 a.m.


Prominent Nuclear Industry Executive Brings Experience Managing Multi-billion Dollar Global Businesses
IRVINE, Calif. - Tuesday, March 10th 2015 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE) Kurion, Inc., an innovator in nuclear and hazardous waste management, announced it has appointed Jacques Besnainou as president. Besnainou will join Kurion CEO Bill Gallo and Founder John Raymont in the company’s Office of the CEO.
Gallo and Raymont said, “We are delighted to welcome an executive of Jacques’ caliber to Kurion. Jacques is the right leader at the right time to help us realize the company’s full potential.”
Kurion is on a steep growth trajectory, driven by deployment of its nuclear waste technologies in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. Since 2013, it has opened offices in Warrington, England, and Tokyo, Japan, to support its expansion in these regions. The company also announced several major projects and acquisitions related to the cleanup of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and Hanford sites. Besnainou had been consulting to Kurion since mid-2014, assisting in the development of its global strategies.
Besnainou commented on the news, “I have followed the growth of Kurion and have been highly impressed with the company’s technologies, business model and world-class team. I am convinced that Kurion has the potential to be a major global player in the nuclear waste technology market, and I am excited to join the company at this important moment in its development.”
Prior to joining Kurion, Besnainou led major divisions of AREVA, the world’s largest nuclear services company. He led a staff of several thousand to manage AREVA’s global back-end business group, which includes used fuel recycling, waste management, mixed oxide (MOX) fuel supply and worldwide nuclear logistics. Following this, Besnainou led AREVA’s North American business as President and CEO of AREVA, Inc.
Previously, Besnainou played a pivotal role in the development and sale of Ecobilan, a global environmental consulting group, to PricewaterhouseCoopers. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique and a Master’s degree in public policy from MINES Paris Tech. Besnainou lives in Washington, D.C.
Kurion creates technology solutions to access, separate and stabilize nuclear and hazardous waste to isolate it from the environment. Kurion’s suite of technologies and engineering capabilities offer a platform to address the most-challenging waste sites worldwide. Founded in 2008, Kurion is backed by leading energy investors Lux Capital, Firelake Capital Management and Acadia Woods Partners. The company is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has facilities in Richland, Wash., Idaho Falls, Idaho, Houston, Texas, Westminster, Colo., Warrington, England, and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, please visit www.kurion.com.
Katie Wood Znameroski
Phone: +1 (650) 801-7952
Fax: +1 (650) 508-8336


* NFL comes out of the closet, admits ‘football is gay’ – No really! Also ‘lesbian, transgender, queer, bisexual.’ But not ‘heterosexual’ – Bob Unruh, WND.com. The NFL stands by the LGBTQ+ community today and every day.
* President Donald Trump speaks at rally in Lorain County.
* Trump Defends School Prayer, God and the Bible in Schools!
* Buildings don’t just fall down – Why did the condo in Surfside?


War and ISIS forced Christians to flee Iraq...
Christians fled the terror of ISIS and many still live as refugees. The ones in most need – and who cannot get to a safe country – are disabled and elderly.
Christian Freedom International works with partners to supply aid – such as warm coats and Christmas dinners – to surviving Christians.
We shipped massive supplies of medical equipment and health care items that are delivered to needy Christians and health clinics serving Christians in the region.


Police: Crash east of Shullsburg sends 2 to hospital
Lafayette County authorities responded to a crash at the intersection of Highway 11 and County Road P that injured two in the town of Gratiot Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Deputies said Miguel Colorado, 39, of South Wayne, was traveling west on Highway 11 when a vehicle driven by Daniel R. Walzer, 36, of Plainfield, Ill., proceeded north onto Highway 23 and failed to yield to Colorado.
Colorado and his passenger, Becky L. Colorado, 51, along with Walzer and his passengers, were taken to Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County for non-life-threatening injuries.
Walzer was cited on suspicion of failure to yield right of way, and Colorado was cited on suspicion of operating after suspension.
Copyright 2013 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Portlaoise Musical Society is set to kick off a week-long run of Grease in the Dunamaise Arts Centre next week.
The stage of the Dunamaise Arts Centre is set to be transformed into Rydell High for the seven night run.
Director Paul “Nippy” Norton, managing director Niall Mulpeter and choreographer Sarah Griffin are the brains behind the operation and, along with the crew; they are working hard to create the 1950s high school set.
“Rehearsals have gone really well so far and everyone is gearing up for the run of shows”, said David Delaney, PR and Marketing for the Portlaoise Musical Society. “We have also exceeded our fundraising target this year which is fantastic”.
The show is set to star a host of local talent, including Grainne Donoghue as Sandy and Seamus Carroll as Danny.
Well known songs from the musical, including “You’re the One That I Want” and “Grease Lightening” will be sure to get the crowd going.
The production runs from November 16 to 23. Tickets cost €18 and can be bought on the Dunamaise Arts Centre’s website, dunamaise.ie. Book early to avoid disappointment.