NASA to test precision automated landing system designed for the moon and Mars on upcoming Blue Origin mission – TechCrunch

Posted on by

NASA is going to be testing a new precision landing system designed for use on the tough terrain of the moon and Mars for the first time during an upcoming mission of Blue Origins New Shepard reusable suborbital rocket. The Safe and Precise Landing Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) system is made up of a number of lasers, an optical camera and a computer to take all the data collected by the sensors and process it using advanced algorithms, and it works by spotting potential hazards, and adjusting landing parameters on the fly to ensure a safe touchdown.

SPLICE will get a real-world test of three of its four primary subsystems during a New Shepard mission to be flown relatively soon. The Jeff Bezos -founded company typically returns its first-stage booster to Earth after making its trip to the very edge of space, but on this test of SPLICE, NASAs automated landing technology will be operating on board the vehicle the same way they would when approaching the surface of the moon or Mars. The elements tested will include terrain relative navigation, Doppler radar and SPLICEs descent and landing computer, while a fourth major system lidar-based hazard detection will be tested on future planned flights.

Currently, NASA already uses automated landing for its robotic exploration craft on the surface of other planets, including the Perseverance rover headed to Mars. But a lot of work goes into selecting a landing zone with a large area of unobstructed ground thats free of any potential hazards in order to ensure a safe touchdown. Existing systems can make some adjustments, but theyre relatively limited in that regard.

SPLICE is designed to enable more exact landings, and ones that can deal with more nearby hazards, enabling exploration in areas that were previously considered off-limits for landers. That could greatly expand our ability to gain more knowledge and better understanding of the moon and Mars, which is particularly important as we continue to work toward more human exploration and even potential colonization.

The lidar system mentioned above is a key new ingredient in these SPLICE tests, as we dont actually know in great detail how well lidar will perform with the terrain on Mars and the moon, where reflectivity could be quite different from what it is here on Earth within our own atmosphere. Still, NASA is confident it should provide much better precision than radar-based methods for surface mapping and feature detection.

See the article here:

NASA to test precision automated landing system designed for the moon and Mars on upcoming Blue Origin mission - TechCrunch

NASA on Enceladus – Infrared Mapping Reveals Fresh Ice on Northern Hemisphere – Science Times

Posted on by

New images from data provided by the Cassini spacecraft provide evidence that Saturn's moon Enceladus has been resurfaced with ice from the interior.

Composite images were reconstructed using the NASA spacecraft's monitoring data - gathered over 13 years of exploring Saturn and its moons - to map out the geologic activity on the icy satellite Enceladus.

(Photo: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute via Wikimedia Commons )This spectacular view is a mosaic of four high-resolution images taken by the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 16, 2005, during its close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

The infrared mapping of the icy Saturn moon was taken through the Cassini Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). This instrument collected the light that bounces off Saturn, its ring systems, and its ten major moons. The collected light includes those that are most visible to the human eye, as well as its infrared emissions.

VINS, onboard the Cassini, then sorts the light gathered based on its wavelength - which also gave scientists an idea of the materials detected by the satellite-based on the discrepancies of the light wavelengths reflected off of it.

RELATED:NASA On Saturn: The Final Chapter Of Cassini

The research team that handles Cassini data discovered that Enceladus "shoots out enormous plumes of ice grains and vapor from an ocean that lies under the icy crust" in 2005, according to a NASA news release.

A new interactive model from NASA shows infrared images corroborate with the previously inferred geologic activity, which is more distinguishable at the moon's south pole. In the composite images, the so-called "tiger stripe," marked by red lines of varying lengths, represent the ice and vapor coming from the ocean below the surface.

The same infrared features were also noted in the northern hemisphere, which tells the Cassini scientists that the northern part of Enceladus is covered with fresh ice. Furthermore, it strongly suggests that the same kind of geologic activity that created ice and vapor in the south also occurs in the northern hemisphere. The smaller amounts of ice and vapor in the northern hemisphere, according to NASA, might be caused by either icy jets or the gradual movement of ice through fractures in Enceladus' crust.

"The infrared shows us that the surface of the south pole is young, which is not a surprise because we knew about the jets that blast icy material there," said VIMS scientist Gabriel Tobie, from the University of Nantes in France.

The Cassini-Huygens space-research mission was first launched in October 1997. It included the Cassini orbiter, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) located in Southern California, and the Huygens lander that probed the ringed planet's largest moon - Titan. The European Space Agency provided the Huygens probe, which analyzed Titan's atmospheric structure as well as its surface as it landed via parachute. The data collected by the probe was transmitted through a radio link to Cassini, through a probe data relay subsystem (PDRS).

RELATED: Engineers from the European Space Agency Solves the Huygens Probe Mistery

Cassini-Huygens was a collaboration between the United States' NASA, ESA, and the Italian Space Agency.

Cassini has observed Saturn for more than 13 years. Once it ran out of fuel, and to protect Saturn and its moons from damage, moved to finish its mission by plunging into Saturn's atmosphere in September 2017, continuously transmitting data to the NASA JPL up until the end.

Check out more news and information on NASA Cassini in Science Times.

See the article here:

NASA on Enceladus - Infrared Mapping Reveals Fresh Ice on Northern Hemisphere - Science Times

Southern signs mentorship agreement with Boeing, NASA for work on moon, Mars rockets – The Advocate

Posted on by

Southern University has signed onto a mentoring program with aerospace giant Boeing that will get students involved in work with NASA on the program that will send astronauts into space.

For Southern, it's a chance to get students job experience and exposure.

"We're looking at focusing more on the aerospace industry and getting our students prepared to work there," said Samuel Washington, director of the office of governmental contracting services.

While Southern does not have a specific aerospace engineering degree track, the university is looking to develop a focus on it within the engineering college, Washington said.

The18-month "mentor-protg" agreement will involve work on NASAs Space Launch System program. The SLS is the worlds most powerful rocket, and is capable of launching missions "to the moon, Mars and beyond," according to a press release.

There are already a number of Southern engineering alumni working with Boeing and NASA at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Cedric Cole is one of four alumni currently working on the SLS. He believes the mentorship program is a great opportunity for students to work on anything of any magnitude at NASA.

"Its the exposure that theyll get that will set them up for the rest of their career," he said. "The amount of intense engineering that goes on here, itll set you up to work in almost any industry."

Cole and his colleagues are electrical and avionics engineers who work on wiring harnesses, programming and troubleshooting the rockets.

"The fact that youre using 3-D and 2-D modeling software and then there's the physical aspect of it where you get to physically touch the wiring harnesses and the connectors and being able to have the hands-on experience will set anybody up in engineering.

Dr. Washington said the mentorship program is an opportunity to further the progress of Black people in aerospace engineering.

In 2017, NASA increased its hiring of Black engineers by 12 percent, according to that year's Federal Viewpoint Survey. The aerospace engineering industry, especially at NASA has had a steady increase in diversity over the last 20 years.

Boeing has enjoyed a productive relationship with Southern University that will only be enhanced by this NASA Mentor-Protg agreement, said John Shannon, Boeing SLS vice president and program manager, in a press release. The Mentor-Protg program allows Boeing to promote the growth of small suppliers and strengthen the NASA industrial base.

Original post:

Southern signs mentorship agreement with Boeing, NASA for work on moon, Mars rockets - The Advocate

How NASA & Scientists Around the World Track the Solar Cycle – SciTechDaily

Posted on by

Understanding the Suns behavior is an important part of life in our solar system. Scientists use several indicators to track solar cycle progress. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center

Every morning, astronomer Steve Padilla takes a short walk from his home to the base of a tower that soars 150 feet above the ground. Tucked in the San Gabriel Mountains, about an hours drive north from Los Angeles, the Mount Wilson Observatory has long been a home for space science its Padillas home too, one of the perks to his work as Mount Wilsons Sun observer. Mount Wilson has several solar system sentinels; the telescope perched at the top of this tower keeps constant watch on the Sun. Observers study the Sun closely, so we can better understand the life and activity of our star.

Padilla boards the outdoor elevator. He clips himself to a safety harness, which is attached to the open-air cab, the same one used every day since the telescope went into operation in 1912 (the cables have since been replaced).

It can be a little scary on windy days, Padilla said.

At the top, Padilla adjusts a set of mirrors that projects an image of the Sun into an observing room far below. Back on the ground, he uses an array of pencils, varying in graphite weight, to sketch the dark spots mottling the face of the Sun. This daily chore is the foundation of the sunspot number, our longest record of solar activity. Humans have observed sunspots dark blotches that arise from strong magnetic activity for more than 1,000 years, and tracked them in detail since the invention of the telescope, for the past 400. Even with the modern-day host of spacecraft studying the Sun, taking the time to draw sunspots remains the chief way theyre counted. Surveying sunspots is the most basic of ways we study how solar activity rises and falls over time,and its the basis of how we track the solar cycle.

Sunspot number over the past five solar cycles. Scientists use sunspots to track solar cycle progress; the dark spots are associated with solar activity, often as the origins for giant explosions such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections which can spew light, energy, and solar material out into space. The panel consulted monthly updates in sunspot number data from the World Data Center for the Sunspot Index and Long-term Solar Observations, at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels, which tracks sunspots and pinpoints the highs and lows of the solar cycle. Credit: SILSO data/image, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels

Sunspots correspond with the Suns natural 11-year cycle, in which the Sun shifts from relatively calm to stormy. At its most active, called solar maximum, the Sun is freckled with sunspots and its magnetic poles reverse. (On Earth, that would be like if the North and South Poles flip-flopped every decade.) During solar minimum, sunspots are few and far between. Often, the Sun is as blank and featureless as an egg yolk.

Understanding the Suns behavior is an important part of life in our solar system. The Suns powerful outbursts can disturb the satellites and communications signals traveling around Earth, or one day, Artemis astronauts exploring distant worlds. NASA scientists study the solar cycle so we can better predict solar activity. As of 2020, the Sun has begun to shake off the sleep of minimum, which occurred in December 2019. Solar Cycle 25 is underway,and scientists are eager for another chance to put their understanding of solar cycle signs to the test.

The most important thing to remember with predictions is, youre going to be wrong, said Dean Pesnell, a solar cycle expert at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Youre never going to be perfect. Its what you learn from that, that allows you to make progress in your predictions.

During drowsy solar minimum, Padilla observed more spotless days. There are no spots to draw, so I just have a paper with nothing on it, he said. Even the absence of sunspots is a useful observation: Tallying up spotless days is one indicator that the Suns mood is shifting toward minimum. (Instead of sunspots, dark coronal holes cloud the Suns poles at minimum.) On the other hand, in solar maximum, hundreds of spots can form at once. Some drawings can take several hours to complete.

Sunspot drawings from SILSO at the Royal Observatory of Belgium. Surveying sunspots with daily hand-drawn drawings is the most basic of ways we study how solar activity rises and falls over time, and its the basis of how we track the solar cycle. Credit: SILSO/Royal Observatory of Belgium

The Sun has its own pace that we cannot speed up, said Frdric Clette, director of theWorld Data Center for the Sunspot Index and Long-term Solar Observations, or SILSO, at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels, which tracks sunspots and pinpoints the solar cycles highs and lows. Sometimes, we have a hard time tempering the impatience of people who expect to know overnight if the Sun is truly waking up again.

Around the world, observers conduct daily sunspot censuses. They draw the Sun at the same time each day, using the same tools for consistency. Together, their observations make up the international sunspot number, a complex task run by SILSO. Some 80 stations around the world contribute their data. Exactly how many stations are included in each days count depends on a number of factors like weather (clouds and high winds obscure view of the Sun), or maybe a solar observer has a last-minute appointment.

Despite the interference of daily life, these manual surveys are still the most reliable, long-term record of sunspots we have.

Satellites can do a lot of things better than a drawing by hand, said Olivier Lematre, a Royal Observatory of Belgium solar observer. But consider a satellite with a 10- to 15-year lifespan thats just one solar cycle. You cant compare it to anything else outside that lifespan.

But long-term studies are the backbone of solar cycle science. With extensive historical records, scientists can trace the arc of decades-long patterns in the Suns behavior.When it comes to counting sunspots, its not so much about the accuracy or resolution of the observations as the consistency of the data itself. Even while their city was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, an observer from the Royal Observatory team made their way each day to the telescope tower, to keep the record intact.

Lematreapproaches each sunspot drawing methodically, outlining a family of sunspots before shading in finer details. The delicate pencil work belies the powerful explosions sunspots can unleash.

Sunspots arise from clusters of intense magnetic energy. Buoyed by their magnetic force, they rise through churning solar material like a grain of rice in a boiling pot. Sunspots appear darker because theyre cooler than their surroundings; the magnetic knot at their core keeps energy from radiating out past the Suns surface. When enough magnetic energy builds over the sunspot, a powerful eruption can burst free like an exploding soda bottle spewing light and solar matter.

If they happen to be facing Earth, these solar storms can disrupt satellites, astronauts, and communications signals like radio or GPS. Earths upper atmosphere mightexpand in response, slowing satellites in orbit the way gravel roads slow down cars, eroding satellites lifetimes. Although changes on the Sun arent usually visible to us without the help of scientific instruments, they impact the space around Earth and other planets.

Deep inside the Sun, electrified gases flow in currents that generate the Suns magnetic field, which fuels its mighty outbursts. During solar minimum, the Suns magnetic field is relaxed. At the height of the solar cycle, its a tangled mess of magnetic field lines. Understanding this flow, called the dynamo, is key in the effort to predict what the Sun will do next.

Since 1989, the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel an international panel of experts sponsored by NASA and NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has met each decade to make their prediction for the next solar cycle. The prediction includes the sunspot number at maximum and the cycles expected start and peak. The effort requires assessing many different models and navigating many personalities.

Images from NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory show the Sun near solar minimum in October 2019 and the last solar maximum in April 2014. Dark coronal holes cover the Sun during solar minimum, while bright active regionsindicating more solar activitycover the Sun during solar maximum. Credit: NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory/Joy Ng

We each have our favorite predictions, or the ones we have the most confidence in, said Lisa Upton, a solar physicist at Space Systems Research Corporation in Westminster, Colorado, and prediction panel co-chair. Our duty is to come to a consensus. If we take all of our opinions and models, where is the most overlap, and where can we agree the solar cycle is going to land?

Scientists are always chasing solar minimum, but they can only recognize it in hindsight. Since minimum is defined by the lowest number of sunspots in a solar cycle, scientists have to see the numbers steadily rise before determining when they were at the bottom.

To complicate things, solar cycles often overlap. As one cycle transitions to the next, both old and new sunspots emerge on the Sun at once. Sunspots often appear in groups, which are like magnets, each with a positive and negative end. As the Suns magnetic field slowly flips, so does the polarity of sunspot groups. Where one cycles sunspots drift across the Sun with their positive end in the lead, the next cycles spots walk negative foot first. On top of that, sunspotsin the Suns two hemispheres also have opposite orientations.

Each sunspots unique magnetic signature makes it possible to determine which cycle produced it the old one or the new. When the Sun stirs from solar minimum, besides counting the sunspots, scientists want to make sure all the spots rising to the surface are actually new.

I just caution people, because as excited as we are for the new cycle to come, we have to wait until we actually reach minimum, Upton said. It can be six to eight months past minimum before we can say minimum has actually occurred. Indeed, not until September 2020 did scientists confirm the Sun reached solar minimum in December 2019.

Besides sunspots, other indicators can signal when the Sun is reaching its low. If the Suns magnetic field were a jigsaw puzzle, one piece is still missing: the magnetic field at the poles. Although scientists cant measure the polar magnetic field as accurately as other parts of the Sun, estimates provide clues. (Soon, ESA, the European Space Agency, and NASAs Solar Orbiter will send new images of the Suns poles.) In previous cycles, scientists have noticed the strength of the polar magnetic field during solar minimum hints at the intensity of the next maximum. When the poles are weak, the next maximum is weak, and vice versa.

The past few cycles, the strength of the magnetic field at the Suns poles has steadily declined; so too has the sunspot number. Now, the poles are roughly as strong as they were at the same point in the last cycle, Cycle 24.

This is the big test for our models whether Cycle 25 will play out about the same as Cycle 24, Pesnell said.

Another indicator of solar cycle progress comes from outside the solar system. Cosmic rays are high-energy particle fragments, the rubble from exploded stars in distant galaxies. During solar maximum, the Suns strong magnetic field envelops our solar system in a magnetic cocoon that is difficult for cosmic rays to infiltrate. In off-peak years, the number of cosmic rays in the solar system climbs as more and more make it past the quiet Sun. By tracking cosmic rays both in space and on the ground, scientists have yet another measure of the solar cycle.

While minimum may lack the fireworks of solar maximum, its useful for scientists. They make their forecasts, and wait to see how their estimates play out. Some consider it a time to return to the basics.

In solar minimum, you can ask more difficult questions than at maximum, Pesnell said.

One area of solar study, called helioseismology, involves scientists collecting soundwaves from inside the Sun, as a way of probing the elusive dynamo. During solar minimum, they dont have to worry about soundwaves bouncing off the sunspots and active regions characteristic of solar maximum. When sunspots disappear from view, scientists have a chance to finetune their models without all the solar drama.

Continued here:

How NASA & Scientists Around the World Track the Solar Cycle - SciTechDaily

Dave & Busters watchers wonder if the chain will declare bankruptcy – Restaurant Business Online

Posted on by

Photograph: Shutterstock

Dave & Busters stock price has taken a rollercoaster ride in the last day or so, after media reports highlighted concerns in the eatertainment chains quarterly report that raised the threat of possible bankruptcy.

The chains shares plummeted more than 26% Thursday, on reports that it might need to declare bankruptcy if it could not strike deals with lenders and landlords. By mid-day Friday, its stock price was up about 13%.

Some analysts said reports of the food-and-game chains demise were exaggerated.

In our opinion, shares will appreciate as the company demonstrates it can achieve profitability at lower sales volumes, reopen all of its stores by the end of December, and successfully restructure or amend its credit facility without the need for additional equity, the brokerage firm Stifel said in its latest guidance.

Nevertheless, it remains a perilous time for Dave & Busters, which is slowly reopening units closed at the outset of the pandemic while also issuing layoff notices to hundreds of workers around the country.

The Dallas-based company said in its latest quarterly report that it must obtain waivers from its lenders or else it may result in filing a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code to implement a restructuring plan.

Food-and-games concepts, especially, are struggling amid the pandemic, as they look for ways to safely bring back consumers while also boosting food and drink sales as amusements remain trickier to regulate.

Dave & Busters closed all of its locations in mid-March and only reopened three units, in very limited capacities, in Q1.

The Company is unable to determine whether, when or the manner in which the conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will change, including when any restrictions or closure requirements will be lifted or potentially re-imposed in certain states or local jurisdictions, whether it will be able to successfully staff stores, and the degree to which it will be able to re-engage customers, the chain said in its quarterly report. These developments have caused a material adverse impact on the Companys revenues, results of operations and cash flows, including the Companys ability to meet its obligations when due. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year from the date the financial statements are issued.

This week, Restaurant Business reported on Dave & Busters plans to lay off 1,369 previously furloughed workers in seven states. Since then, the chain has issued new Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) alerts to 373 workers at four locations in New York about layoffs coming in December.

As of earlier this month, Dave & Busters said it had reopened 89 of its 137 stores. It had previously said all locations would reopen this month, but is now saying it expects to be fully operational by the end of December, with its 11 units in New York and 16 California stores among the last to return.

It reported a same-store sales decline of 87% for the quarter ended Aug. 2, with revenue also falling 85% to $50.8 million. Net losses for the quarter came to $58.6 million.

Continued here:

Dave & Busters watchers wonder if the chain will declare bankruptcy - Restaurant Business Online

‘Offensive.’ Bankruptcy judge rejects Hertz employee incentive plans, executives would get second bonuses – News-Press

Posted on by

Naples businessman David Hoffmann and the Hoffmann Family of Cos. has agreed to allow Hertz to store its idle rental cars on the arena grounds at no cost. Fort Myers News-Press

A U.S. bankruptcy judge has rejected Hertz's controversial employee incentive plans, calling them "offensive."

After hearing testimony from all sides and allowing for the cross-examination of a few witnesses in a Delaware courtroom Thursday afternoon,Judge MaryWalrath struck them down, going along withthe objectors.

Objectionscame from a group of former executives, who fear the big payouts will jeopardize their promised retirement income from the company, and the U.S. trustee overseeing Hertz'sChapter 11case, who questionedthe real intentions and purpose behind them.

While Walrath spurned the incentive plans, she left the door open for Hertz to come back with revised ones, moving to continue the hearing and her final decision to a later date.

Ex-CEO of Hertz agrees to pay back nearly $2 million in compensation after charges filed

Money issues: Hertz reports huge second-quarter losses amid coronavirus pandemic

As it fights to drive itself out of bankruptcy, Estero-based Hertz Global Holdings parent of The Hertz Corp. has argued suchincentives are critical for motivating and keeping the employees in its management ranks and necessary to compensate them for their extra hard work in challenging times.

As written, the plans could have resulted in payouts of more than $14.6 millionto hundreds of employees, including its top brass.

In her ruling after anhours-long hearing, Walrath said it seemed offensive to award senior executives bonuses as they're the very same ones who got hefty retention payments a few days before the company'sbankruptcy filing, even though they "weren't entitled to them under the debtors' ownpolicy."

Hertz doled out more than $16.2 million in "cash retention payments" to what it described as "a broad base of key employees at the director level and above," raising some eyebrows.

Under the incentive plan proposed for top executives, a little over a dozen of Hertz's highest-ranking employees could have earned more than $5.4 million in additional bonus pay if Hertz achievedits highest performance goals.

Barb and Pete Martinez of Estero chug past hundreds of rental cars now stored around the Hertz Arena off Ben Hill Griffin Parkway in Estero. Naples businessman David Hoffmann and the Hoffmann Family of Cos., whichbought the Everblades hockey team and the Hertz Arena in August, agreed to allow Hertz to store its idle rental cars on the arena grounds a few weeks ago. It's yet another sign of the devastating blow thetourism industry has taken from the pandemic locally, nationally and globally, due to travel bans and other restrictions designed to curb the spread of COVID-19.(Photo: Michael Braun/news-press.com)

More than 50 others who received retention pay would have been able to collect more money too under a second incentive plan.

Hertz filed for bankruptcy on May 22 after seeing its rental revenuevirtually vanish and the value of its rental fleet plummet with the spread of the coronavirus, leaving its U.S. operations in dire financial straits and unable to meet its heavy debt load.

While Hertz may have slipped into bankruptcy because of the outbreak of COVID-19 the incurable, sometimes fatal disease caused by the coronavirus and not due directly to any wrongdoing or mismanagement, Walrath said it shouldn't mean its leaders are entitled to bonuses because of the unforeseen disaster that's made their lives harder.

"There a lot of people who were affected by COVID," she said. "A lot of people have had their compensationcut as a result of COVID. Many people have been furloughed and lost their jobs completely."

In making her decision, Walrathquestioned the validity of the incentive plans, saying she had "serious problems" with them, including the three levels of metrics Hertz proposed to use as triggers for the payouts.

The judge arguedemployees should not be givenrewards for not allowing Hertz's situation to get any worse or for keeping conditions going in the direction they're already headed as proposed in the plans. Thepayouts, she said, should be based on meeting much harder goals or true "stretches," if they're really designed to be incentives.

"I am very concerned about the tying of these metrics to what the debtor is already doing," she said.

As a judge, she saidshe'd never seen a situation where a company paid out millions in bonuses days beforea bankruptcy filing, only to come back a few months later and ask for thesekinds of incentives post-bankruptcy.

"I think more has to be established on why the employees who got their retentionbonuses and agreed to stay with the company are not going todo their best to make sure this company survives and succeeds," Walrath said.

She questioned why the request for the incentiveshave come so soon, when the company has yet to file a reorganization plan.

Walrath suggested Hertz change its metrics or come up with better arguments for why it chose the ones it did to address a "gut feeling" that the incentives aren'tnecessary or may not be "appropriate at all."

Hertz rental car customers drop off vehicles at the Southwest Florida International Airport on Tuesday May 7, 2013.(Photo: Andrew West/news-press.com)

In his testimony, Hertz's attorney Jason Zakia defended the incentive plans, arguing they were crafted in everyone's best interest by consultants and outside directors who would not directly benefit from them.

As for the metrics, he said, none of them would allow the company to be "simply put on autopilot."

Zakia argued the metrics and goals can't be so difficult to meet that they're seen as unachievable or unattainable because they would then "serve no incentivizing purpose whatsoever."

"Indeed, they'd serve no purpose for anyone whatsoever," he said.

"You need to strike a balance between something that is achievable, possible, but something that's incentivizing and motivating, not automatic. That's exactly what happened here," Zakia said.

He emphasized that if the goals were achieved and all the bonuses paid out it would be "good news for everybody."

Even when counting the prior bonuses, Zakia said the compensation for plan participants in no case would have exceeded the median pay offered at industry comparable companies or for comparable jobs.

He described the incentives as a wise expense based on Hertz's business judgment.

Hertz's unsecured creditors' committee supported the plans, arguingthey'd result in a stronger company performance that could ultimately allow the car rental companyto pay back more of what it owes.

"They looked at this very carefully," Zakia said. "This committee is no rubber stamp and they weren't a rubber stamp here."

Thomas Mayer, an attorney representing the unsecured creditors' committee, agreed, saying the group had done a lot of research of its own on the plans and their metrics.

"I don't know how much, if any of these bonuses, will be paid. So we do not view these as layups. We do not view these aspayments for just showing up," he said.

There's a long road to recovery ahead and theplans, Mayer argued, could help the company get out of bankruptcy sooner.

"It is highly unlikely that this debtor is going to be able to exit bankruptcy bythe end of 2020," hesaid.

Starfish greet Hertz Gold Plus Rewards customers in the rental area at Southwest Florida International Airport.(Photo: Casey Logan/The News-Press)

Representatives with FTI Consulting, which recommended and helped create the incentive plans, defended themat the hearing too, answering tough questions asked by attorneys representing the other side, who drilled down into the nitty-gritty details of them.

LindaRichenderfer, counsel forU.S. TrusteeAndrew Vara, asked pointed questions about how the metrics were determined and where the company's current performancestood against those metrics.

"In some areas we are improving and are ahead of the metrics. Inothers, we still trail behind or have work to do," said Michael Buenzow, a bankruptcy consultant with FTI.

Based on the proposed metrics, he said, thecompany was pacingahead on the sale of its surplus rental cars, for example, but still hada long way to go to meet its goals for operating cash flow, which continues to be in the negative.

Richenderfer also picked apart the comparable analysis used to develop the plans, questioning the peer group the consultants considered in coming up with the scope and amounts for its requested incentives.

Attorney John Demmy, representing the retired executives group, questioned how the performance targets were determined for each of the metrics, suggesting that they seemed too low based on business improvements seen since the early onset of the pandemic.

He pointedly asked Buenzow if any of the proposed metrics could be achieved by management just showing up.

Buenzow answered with a firm "absolutely not."

"For each of themetrics, there is a significant amount of effort that needs to be undertaken by the employees," he said.

The judge and the objectors remained skeptical.

The executives Demmy representsagreed to defer part of their compensation in return for Hertz's promises to pay them back what they're owed in retirement benefits.

The group claims that a few days after Hertz's bankruptcy filing thecompany told them the lifetime benefits they had been receiving were "required to stop."

As a group, the executives estimate they're still owed more than $5.5 million in benefits based on "over 182 years of accumulated service" withHertz.

That's just a small fraction of what Hertz Global owes.

By the end of March, the companyhad racked up more than $24 billion in debt, according to its bankruptcy filing, with only $1 billion of available cash to operate and pay its bills.

The Hertz Corp. operates the Hertz, Dollar andThriftybrands, with thousands of corporate and franchise locations throughout the country.

Parent company Hertz Global also ownsDonlen,an American fleet leasing and management company based in Illinois, which is part of the bankruptcy filings.

The company completed its new multmillion-dollar global headquarters in Estero at the end of 2015. The companyreceived millions in state and local incentives to relocate from New Jersey to Southwest Florida.

Read or Share this story: https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2020/09/18/hertz-bankruptcy-executives-bonus/3486629001/

Go here to see the original:

'Offensive.' Bankruptcy judge rejects Hertz employee incentive plans, executives would get second bonuses - News-Press

Judge rejects Hertz’s bankruptcy bonuses to execs – MarketWatch

Posted on by

A bankruptcy judge blasted Hertz Global Holdings Inc.'s plan to pay top managers up to $14.6 million in bonuses after they collected millions in additional bonuses days before the rental car company filed for bankruptcy.

"It seems offensive to give senior executives bonuses when they were paid" retention compensation immediately before the bankruptcy was filed, Judge Mary Walrath said Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. The 14 most senior executives could receive as much as $5.4 million.

"The incentive plan has serious problems," she said, asking Hertz to revise it.

The judge also said the financial targets the Hertz executives need to hit to qualify for the bonuses need to be tougher, echoing objections by a federal bankruptcy watchdog

That proposed $14.6 million in potential incentive compensation was on top of the $16.2 million in retention bonuses Hertz, just days before its May bankruptcy filing, said it would pay to about 340 employees in recognition of the uncertainty faced as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic's impact on travel.

The new incentive plan would pay 309 employees.

The judge's ruling is a victory for a group of retired Hertz executives who criticized the new bonus plan, saying the company's promises to provide them with a secure retirement are being cast aside.

U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara, the government's bankruptcy watchdog, also has criticized Hertz's bonus plan.

The trustee said the company's top executives were reneging on a deal they made to get their retention pay before bankruptcy. Those executives signed agreements waiving their rights to 2020 performance bonuses as a condition of collecting the retention bonuses, Mr. Vara said.

Now in bankruptcy, they were trying to revive the performance-bonus program, with targets set at much lower levels, he has said.

Some key Hertz creditors, however, had backed the company's bonus plan. Those creditors supporting the plan include a bankruptcy committee that includes the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

A lawyer for Hertz said during the hearing that the incentive plan was developed by independent directors and advisers who had no direct financial stake in the bonuses.

Hertz representatives couldn't be reached for immediate comment after the hearing.

Peg Brickley and Alexander Gladstone contributed to this article

Write to Becky Yerak at becky.yerak@wsj.com

See the original post here:

Judge rejects Hertz's bankruptcy bonuses to execs - MarketWatch

Shareholders of Dallas-based bankrupt retailer Tuesday Morning may be in the money – The Dallas Morning News

Posted on by

Shareholders of Dallas-based Tuesday Morning Corp. may be in the rare situation of owning some of the retailer after its expected exit from bankruptcy this fall.

Tuesday Morning, a retailer of gifts and home closeouts founded in 1974, filed for bankruptcy May 27 after all of its 700 stores were closed by the pandemic and it had no e-commerce business to make up any of the lost revenue.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Harlin DeWayne Hale on Friday approved the creation of a committee of equity security holders after denying the request twice before.

The Dallas judge said in his order that he now has greater confidence that there is a substantial likelihood that equity will receive a meaningful distribution."

Tuesday Morning stores have performed well since reopening, along with other retailers that sell home furnishings as Americans reacted to the pandemic by sprucing up their homes. Plus, the retailer has attracted 40 prospective buyers who have signed nondisclosure agreements to access confidential information. Several parties have signed nonbinding letters of intent, according to the judges order.

The judge previously said he would reconsider forming an equity committee if events changed the analysis. Theres little precedent for shareholders of public companies to come out with anything from a Chapter 11 reorganization. Thats because theres a strict hierarchy for who gets paid from the assets. Government taxes, lenders and other creditors, including utilities and merchandise suppliers, bondholders and preferred shareholders, are all paid ahead of common stockholders.

Tuesday Mornings stock price stopped trading on the Nasdaq at 28 cents a share on June 5 and has since been trading on the over-the-counter market, often called the pink sheets. The stock closed Friday at 63 cents a share, up 18 cents, or 40%.

Tuesday Morning said it will file bid procedures by Wednesday and anticipates a final sale hearing at the end of October. Next week, it said, it will also file a plan and disclosure statement to serve as an alternative to the sale process.

Hale said given how quickly Tuesday Morning is moving on the sale process, he believed that it was necessary to appoint an equity committee at this time to ensure that equity holders are able to participate meaningfully in the sale and plan processes in a streamlined and efficient way.

Unlike many retailer companies that were forced into bankruptcy because of debt, Tuesday Morning didnt have a problematic balance sheet. It lacked cash flow with stores closed, and because of uncertainty related to the pandemic, the bank wouldnt extend credit to the company.

As part of its reorganization, Tuesday Morning closed 132 stores through the end of July and 65 additional stores that started closing in August. It also closed a new distribution center in Phoenix. It was already in the process of retrofitting its 1.2 million-square-foot Dallas distribution center.

Twitter: @MariaHalkias

Looking for more retail coverage? Click here to read all retail news and updates. Click here to subscribe to D-FW Retail and more newsletters from The Dallas Morning News.

Here is the original post:

Shareholders of Dallas-based bankrupt retailer Tuesday Morning may be in the money - The Dallas Morning News

Dealing with default: workouts, restructuring, bankruptcy and litigation – Crain’s New York Business

Posted on by

CRAIN'S: When should a commercial borrower in default consider a workoutnegotiating with its lender to try to settle the debt with a reduced balance? Which lendersand what kinds of loansare particularly well-suited to that approach?

MALATAK: A borrower whose liabilities exceed assets, or who lacks the cash flow to pay debts when they come due, is effectively insolvent. The borrower then has three choices: (1) ignore the problem and wait for the unavoidable lawsuits and/or possible involuntary bankruptcy, (2) attempt to negotiate a workout with the lender or (3) voluntarily file for bankruptcy. A responsible borrower will not ignore the issue but will first meet with trusted and competent advisersincluding counsel and accountantsto develop a strategy and then meet with the lender in an attempt to outline a solution before the economic situation becomes overwhelming. The workout options can include, among others, a loan modification, a refinancing of the debt by a third-party lender, the borrowers transfer of the property to the lender by deed in lieu of foreclosure, or a sale of the secured property to a third party.

The foregoing approach is better suited when the borrower has only one lender. When multiple lenders are involved, the challenges for a workout grow significantly because they likely have competing interests, and all want access to available cash. Finally, loans that are secured by assets having equity above the amount of the borrowers present indebtedness or where the company and its owners can pledge additional collateral security, or personal guaranties, are more likely to be worked out.

CRAIN'S: How does a commercial borrower looking to restructure decide between negotiating new terms with the current lender and refinancing with a new loan?

MALATAK: Whether a borrower decides between a loan modification with the existing lender or a refinancing through a prospective lender will be determined by the strength of the borrowers relationship with the existing lender and the terms being offered by the existing and prospective lenders. The relationship between a lender and a borrower, like any other business relationship, can be a very amicable and trusted one. If that is the case, and the only negative development was an extraordinary event like Covid-19, the borrower may very well prefer to stay with the existing lender. However, whether it is economically feasible to do so will depend on the borrowers cash flow and the terms being offered by the existing lender versus the terms being offered by the prospective lender.

CRAIN'S: What do commercial borrowers need to understand about their lenders interests when negotiating with them? How does the current public-health and economic crisis affect a lenders willingness to work out a troubled loan?

MALATAK: A borrower needs to understand that a lender must know whether the lender is fully secured by the assets pledged as collateral and personal guaranties, and whether the borrowers business is viable or notand if not, can it be made viable and over what time horizon. As previously mentioned, however, if a borrower has loans with more than one lender, the lenders might have competing interests which should be discernable by understanding the terms of the various loan documents. As for lenders present willingness to work out a distressed loan, lenders are not desensitized to the impact of Covid-19 and they much prefer having a performing loan in their portfolios than a nonperforming loan. The issue, however, is not one of the lenders willingness to work out a distressed loan, but rather their ability to do so, which is still largely guided by pre-Covid-19 external and internal rules and regulations.

CRAIN'S: When is bankruptcy, as opposed to a workout plan, the better option for a business facing default on a commercial loan?

MALATAK: The issue of whether a company should file for bankruptcy and what kind, such as Chapter 7 or 11 (including Subchapter 5 under Chapter 11), requires a complicated factual and legal analysis that should be undertaken with the advice of competent and experienced advisers. As an aside, Subchapter 5 was created to help small businesses reorganize in a quicker and less costly manner and might well be a good option in todays environment. A company should consider as part of its analysis whether it is able to work out its distressed loan on terms that it honestly believes it can satisfy. If not, the company will likely soon find itself in default of the modified loan and without any additional options for a second workout or a third-party refinancing, particularly if the companys fortunes have continued to erode and many other creditors are knocking at the door.

CRAIN'S: If you are the lender, whats the best way to enforce a judgment against a recalcitrant borrower and guarantor(s)?

MALATAK: A lender that obtained a judgment has many legal rights and remedies to enforce it. However, in order for a lender to take full advantage of these rights and remedies, its counsel must be very familiar with them, as well as the procedural nuances surrounding them. Counsel who is knowledgeable in this area of law will press a lenders rights and remedies with precision and timeliness because failure to do so may result in: (1) certain lenders rights and remedies being waived or lost, (2) lenders judgment lien being subordinated to more aggressive competing creditors and/or (3) available assets being overlooked or fraudulently transferred or encumbered (which only invites further litigation). Finally, a lender with a judgment needs to be patient because if its rights and remedies are executed upon in a precise and timely manner, and if there exist assets against which its judgment can be wholly or partially satisfied, it should eventually be satisfied.

Originally posted here:

Dealing with default: workouts, restructuring, bankruptcy and litigation - Crain's New York Business

Regus throws 6 NYC locations into bankruptcy – The Real Deal

Posted on by

Regus CEO Mark Dixon with 175 Pearl Street in Brooklyn, 1325 Sixth Avenue and 1501 Broadway (Regus, Google Maps)

Short-term office company Regus put half a dozen of its New York City workcenters into bankruptcy as the company seeks Chapter 11 protection for upwards of 100 locations across the country.

Regus, which went through a bankruptcy restructuring in 2003 after the dot-com bubble burst, has put roughly 90 locations into Chapter 11 over the past six weeks, filings show.

The company has filed for six workcenters in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island City in the past week.

Four of the locations are in Midtown: Paramount Groups 1325 Sixth Avenue at 53rd Street, Levin Properties 1501 Broadway in Times Square, Brookfield Properties 424-434 West 33rd Street in Manhattan West and EQ Offices 1740 Broadway at 56th Street.

The other centers are at Normandy Real Estate Partners 175 Pearl Street in Dumbo and Jamestown Properties Falchi Building at 31-00 47th Avenue in Long Island City.

A representative for Regus declined to comment. But in the half-year update from its parent company, Switzerland-based IWG, CEO Mark Dixon said the firm will be accelerating its plan to trim 4 percent of its global portfolio in response to Covid-19.

Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic continues, we expect our third quarter to be particularly challenging. We therefore remain sharply focused on maximising further cost savings in the coming months, he wrote in the August report, noting the company is working to build a large cash buffer.

Regus is the largest flex-office provider in the world, with about 10 times as many locations as WeWork. The company, founded in 1989, is largely seen as a barometer for the short-term office market, which has grown significantly in the past few years with WeWorks expansion driven largely by SoftBank.

As recently as last fall, Dixon was crowing that Regus was thriving as its younger, upstart rival was experiencing growing pains.

But the coronavirus has had a severe impact on the short-term office market, with a number of smaller players fizzling out. Regus bankruptcy filings are the most significant indicator yet that the pandemic pain may start to reach the industrys highest levels.

The majority of the sites Regus put into bankruptcy are in urban cores including New York, Chicago and San Francisco areas hard hit by the virus. The number of centers in Chapter 11 represent about 2 percent of the 1,000 locations the company has in the United States and Canada.

The company believes its clients will want to work in suburban offices closer to home, rather than in dense business centers.

Nearly $13 billion worth of commercial-mortgage backed securities loans have exposure to Regus locations, according to a recent report from Kroll Bonds Ratings Agency.

Contact Rich Bockmann

Original post:

Regus throws 6 NYC locations into bankruptcy - The Real Deal

Largest Westchester hotel project in 20 years files for bankruptcy – The Real Deal

Posted on by

DWayne Prieto and 115 Cedar Street in New Rochelle (Linkedin, Google Maps)

A hotel project pegged as a catalyst for the revitalization of downtown New Rochelle just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

A company tied to a luxury Wyndham hotel planned for 115 Cedar Street made the bankruptcy filing Sept. 11 in federal court. The hotels developer is Ward Capital Management, a real estate investment firm based in nearby Dobbs Ferry.

The hotel project the largest in Westchester County in 20 years owes creditors $4.67 million, including $715,000 to prolific hotel architect Gene Kaufman. It has assets of $4.1 million, according to the filing.

Ward Capital Management secured New Rochelles approval to build a 24-story, 225-key hotel last summer. The project was part of the citys larger goal to revitalize its downtown area to attract younger residents.

DWayne Prieto, the managing partner and CEO of Ward Capital, is the husband of Jewelle Prieto, founder and co-owner of the now-shuttered restaurant and nightlife spot Don Coqui, which operated at the site for years.

Amenities at the 245,000-square-foot hotel tower planned to include a restaurant and bar, a spa, a rooftop pool and grill, valet parking and conference space. The hotels expected completion date was June 2021.

An attorney representing the hotel, Kevin Nash of Goldberg Weprin Finkel Goldstein, did not immediately return a request for comment. Ward Capital Management declined to comment. Court records show the partners in the project are in litigation; the bankruptcy filing could be a means to resolve their dispute.

Hotels have been slammed by the pandemic, as tourism and business travel have been virtually nonexistent since March.

The Courtyard by Marriott in Herald Square just revealed it will not reopen, and a few weeks ago, the Hilton in Times Square also announced it is closing permanently. The 478-room hotel at 234 West 42nd Street disclosed its plans to permanently shutter in a filing with the New York State Department of Labor.

View post:

Largest Westchester hotel project in 20 years files for bankruptcy - The Real Deal

GNC cancels bankruptcy auction, moves ahead with sale to Harbin – NutraIngredients-usa.com

Posted on by

GNC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June, with Harbin serving as the stalking horse bidder (the initial agreement puts a value of over $750 million on GNC). Harbins interest was not unexpected after the Chinese pharmaceutical company previously invested $300 million into GNC.

In an 8-K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), GNC stated that the stalking horse bid was accepted by the debtors on August 7 and this was approved by the Bankruptcy Court on August 19.

in its Notice of Auction Cancellation filed with the bankruptcy court dated today (September 14), GNC noted that the only qualified bid for the debtors assets was the Stalking Horse bid. (The auction was initially scheduled for tomorrow, September 15.)

A spokesperson for GNC told NutraIngredients-USA: Harbin is a long-time and trusted partner of GNC, and we are excited to move forward with them in this process as we seek the Courts approval of the transaction.

We are pleased with the confidence our lenders and business partners have shown in the future of GNC throughout this process and are confident we will emerge a stronger business to the benefit of our associates, consumers, franchise partners and other stakeholders.

On September 17, Judge Karen Owens of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware will hear any objections and ultimately approve a sale to the successful bidder.

The completion of the approval process for the sale of the Assets pursuant to the Stalking Horse Agreement is expected to move expeditiously and the Debtors expect to emerge from the Chapter 11 proceedings early in the fourth quarter of 2020, stated GNCs SEC filing.

The potential acquisition was the subject of some last-minute resistance from leading political figures, including Senator Marco Rubio who cited national security concerns in a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and called for a full review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) of the potential acquisition.

Harbins interest in GNC had already been cleared by CFIUS review in 2018 when the Chinese pharmaceutical company became the supplement players majority stakeholder.

In response to the concerns raised by Sen Rubio, the GNC spokesperson said: Nothing is more important to GNC than the trust of our customers. Our consumer data is safeguarded by rigorous standards and none of it is accessible to any foreign nationals or governments.

Harbins controlling stake in GNC was subject to thorough review for any U.S. national security implications by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in 2018. That transaction was approved, and no facts or circumstances have changed to call the Committees support into question.

We will continue to work with all relevant agencies throughout the restructuring process and maintain our rigorous standards for data privacy in compliance with all applicable law.

Read the original post:

GNC cancels bankruptcy auction, moves ahead with sale to Harbin - NutraIngredients-usa.com

In The Loop: Regus Bankruptcy, Knotel’s Legal Woes Continue, And More Industry News – AllWork.Space

Posted on by

Knotel is now facing a new lawsuit in San Francisco over unpaid rent; the flexible workspace company has active legal battles with landlords in New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Regus Adds 6 NYC Locations to Chapter 11 Filing

The Real Deal reported this week that Regus has put half a dozen of its New York City workcenters into bankruptcy as the company seeks Chapter 11 protection for upwards of 100 locations across the country. Over the past six weeks, the company has added around 90 locations to its Chapter 11 filing. In a recent interview, Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus parent company, IWG, said the firm will be accelerating its plan to trim 4 percent of its global portfolio in response to Covid-19.

Bizjournals reported this week that lawsuits are stacking up against Knotel. According to reports, landlord Hudson Pacific Properties sued the company Wednesday over unpaid rent at a South of Market office building where Knotel has leased space since 2018. Hudson Pacific is seeking damages in excess of $393,498. The lease for that building is set to expire in April of 2027, but just 2 years in the flexible workspace provider is having a hard time making rent. The new suit adds to Knotels already mounting legal battles with landlords in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

The Latest NewsDelivered To Your Inbox

Flexible workspace provider, The Executive Centre, reported this week that its revenue in south Asia had grown by 18% in the first half of 2020. According to reports, the company reported $21 million in revenue and occupancy of 89% throughout the region. Global revenue for the company was up 5% despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and the number of workstations occupied as of June, 2020 increased by 14% compared to 2019. The company reported seeing strong demand for flexible space from domestic companies, which has helped the company recover from the pandemics impact.

For more flexible workspace and future of work news, visit our Daily Digest section!

Facebook Twitter LinkedInMessenger

See the rest here:

In The Loop: Regus Bankruptcy, Knotel's Legal Woes Continue, And More Industry News - AllWork.Space

The Early Ascension Of The Nuggets – RealGM.com

Posted on by

In the aftermath of the Denver Nuggets strained conquest of the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals, much of the focus has gone to the Clippers, who collapsed in increasingly dramatic fashion upon gaining a 3-1 edge in the seven-game set. And that is fair, very fair.As RealGMs Colin McGowan notes at eloquent length, they were a particularly schadenfreude-inspiring team that, to boot, carries with them a spiritual lack that feels endemic to their franchises origins; an unshakeable ghost of mediocrity and inauthenticity, the repeated burning of which is a sort of medicine to many dedicated NBA followers.

But on the flip-side of this epic demise is the joyful rise of one of the leagues youngest, most unique teams. Technically the 11th youngest roster as measured by median age, the Nuggets average lived experience is dragged way up by the lone veteran within their rotation, 35-year-old Paul Millsap. Its also worth noting that 29-year-old starter Will Barton has been injured for the entirety of the Nuggets Orlando bubble experience, and that the super-green Michael Porter Jr., recently 22, has taken the lions share of his minutes. These guys are young, really young, truly spermatozoic as contenders, and their early ascension has been one of the sports most infectious bildungsromans that weve seen in some time.

Porter himself presents the most distilled coming-of-age arc of the bunch. He entered the bubble technically a rookie after missing his entire first season because of a potentially life-altering back injury that kept him out of his college playing experience for all but three gamesit also caused him to drop out of the lottery range of the 2018 NBA Draft, after once being the No. 1 prospect in the country. During the news cycle of said draft, Porter made some laughably self-aggrandizing comments, likening himself toa mix ofKevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This comment inspired long-lasting, reasonable doubts about his maturity and sense of himself, doubts which resurfaced when, following a late regular-season explosion of scoring and rebounding productivity, Porter became a defensive liability in the Nuggets first round battle against the Utah Jazz, as opposing coach Quin Snyder had his team hunt and destroy Porter in mismatches over and over again. His minutes winnowed as the series swamped on to its Game 7 slugfest, and especially once guard Gary Harris, the stunningly adept and active anchor of the Nuggets defense, returned from injury.

Porter then again raised his skeptics ears up when he implied he needed more touches and shots after a dispiriting Game 4 beatdown in the next round at the hands of the Clippers. By the time the Nuggets had reached the final sprint of their shocking comeback, though, Porter was ready to put in a box score that coaches everywhere love to see: 15 minutes, two shots, and seven rebounds in Game 7. Numbers that would make any old-school, grit-and-grind, fundamentals-worshipping father blush. His defense has improved faster than just about anyones ever has, as well, and Porter's deference for the teams gravitational centerpiece, Serbian big man Nikola Jokic, also rose over the course of these redemptive games. At one point Porter called Jokicthe best player in the world.

Its Jokic who, more than anyone, created the vortex within Porter and the rest of them rose, and the Clippers fell. Second to only LeBron James at making ten professional basketball players, with and against him, move at his speed, the beguiling center is already legend at the age of 25. Said speed of game is singular, and certainly difficult to describe. In the halfcourt, Jokic is easily the slowest MVP candidate since Shaquille ONealwho he is slower than. But as a defensive rebounder, the Nuggets often turn stops into baskets faster than anyone else in the league, because of Jokics trademarkone-handed rebound-to-pass.Harris, Jamal Murray, Porter, Jerami Grant, and the rest of a fast roster built around a slow man has gotten so used to Jokics willingness and vision as a passer that most of the leagues best cutters-to-the-rim are all on this team.

And in Murray, Jokic has a duo-mate whos had the most fearsome fits of scoring fire of anyone in these playoffs. The Canadian is profiled as a lifetime student of Zen meditation in many a broadcast, and when the powers of spiritual presence that this has earned him are manifest in the line between him and the basket, its one of the most watchable sights in basketball. Murray had 40 points in the closeout game against Los Angeles, topping off the victory with an absurdly deep, unbalanced three-pointer that devoted fans of Murray were sure would be all net. After that shot, and Grants breakaway dunk right after, the Nuggets extended their lead to 20 points, crystallizing the theretofore surreal proof of their concept as they toppled a team thats been spoken of as one that only LeBron could touch for the past year. Now its the Nuggets who go on to face the NBAs king, instead, and youd be silly to be surprised by anything they do in his palace, by now.

Visit link:

The Early Ascension Of The Nuggets - RealGM.com

New Fort Worth Ascension Coffee to be a Showcase for Significant Changes With the Popular Concept – PaperCity Magazine

Posted on by

The long-awaited, first Fort Worth location of Ascension Coffee will finally be opening in WestBend soon. It was originally slated for an early 2020 opening, but is now set to debut on October 20 at 1751 River Run Suite No. 151.

It will be located next-door to Bartaco, backing onto the Trinity River with an expanded covered patio and a spectacular view providing another quick stop right off the Trinity Trail system.

Founder Russell Hayward is now on the board of the company, and in charge of the coffee roastery side of the business. Bill Schaffler, whose resume includes his years serving as CFO of both La Madeleine and Nothing Bundt Cakes, took over as president in July of 2019. Since Schafflers arrival a lot has changed. He sat down with PaperCity Fort Worth to explain.

Many changes at Ascension Coffee were already in the works, prior to the appearance of coronavirus, like the crystallization of the menu a shift that was implemented companywide in June.

As the concept grew from two location to nine, the menu expanded with it, Schaffler says. We found ourselves with over 40 items, and now we have slimmed down to our top selling 30 items. We just needed to streamline our menu as well as add value to our customers experience. So you might notice our pricing has changed as well.

Another welcome change is the addition of all-day-breakfast. Regulars love Ascensions Aussie Bacon + Egg Roll, served on a brioche bun and topped with Jersey butter, and the popular Bacon + Egg Protein Brekky with roasted mushrooms, blistered tomatoes and avocado. But this is a coffee shop that serves all three meals and every nosh in-between. At lunchtime, several sandwiches shine like the Wagyu Pastrami, a classic cold Reuben with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and more Jersey butter.

Ascension is also known for their bowls, including the Hippie Bowl filled with ancient grains, kale and pickled beets, among other things. The new Fort Worth Ascension Coffee will be a prime spot for the college crowd to sit, soak and study. It should also become a sought-after brunch destination with mimosa carafes for $10 and a relaxing view of the Trinity River.

Schaffler says ramping up to open the first Fort Worth Ascension has put a lot of things on the fast track like nailing down their design philosophy. He calls the Fort Worth Ascension Coffee a prototype for the company going forward. The company worked with Plan B Group on the many design updates.

Youll see polished concrete floors, as well as both subway tile behind the main counter and bold Moroccan tiles in white and gray tones on a pony wall dividing the space. Shelving toward the back will display a selection of coffee-brewing supplies as well. Seating will be cafe style inside, with a counter positioned near windows that can open in the event of ideal weather in Texas.

The Fort Worth Ascension also will have a handy service window off the Trinity Trail to hand quick cups and snacks to sweaty cyclists and joggers. The patio will wrap two sides of the building, and will be covered by permanent awnings, with brick pavers under foot. This will also be the first Ascension Coffee to serve wine, and local beer (including Fort Worths Martin House), along with the usual cold brews and nitro coffees on eight taps.

Future Ascension Coffees will have more of an emphasis on outdoor dining as well, Schaffler reveals. Addisons Ascension has already gotten the new styling treatment, and Dallas Oak Lawn and Crescent Court locations are up next.

Ascension was introduced to Black Rooster Bakery also in Fort Worth, and have found their European style pastries to be a huge hit so much so that Black Rooster pastries are now available in all Dallas Ascension locations, baked fresh daily. The new Fort Worth coffee shop and future Ascension locations will include a glass pastry case to display them.

Schaffler says they took the chance to reevaluate during the coronavirus shutdowns, and chose to close four of Ascensions Dallas locations (two in downtown, one in Willow Bend Mall and another located in a North Dallas office building). So there are five locations currently and when Fort Worth opens it will be Ascensions sixth.

The closures put us in a much stronger position, Schaffler tells PaperCity Fort Worth. We are now able to focus on real estate with a great future, and we are actively looking at adding multiple locations in Plano, North Dallas and Tarrant County.

Coronavirus also saw Ascension Coffee add a new point-of-sale system called TOAST, bringing the convenience of online ordering and pickup orders. Those new sales now make up about 20 percent of Ascensions overall sales, since just being rolled out in June. Next up? Ascensions new app, which will expand those sales and add a loyalty program. The new app will roll out companywide with the opening of the WestBend Ascension on October 20.

Ascension Coffee sources, blends and roasts its own coffee and its new motto is Farm-To-Cup as coffee drinkers are increasingly more interested in where their coffee is sourced. Sourcing and roasting remain founder Russell Haywards great passion with Ascension only sourcing the top two percent of coffee in the world.

We are proud to source the best coffee globally, Schaffler says. We wont serve beans that dont score above an 84 by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and have recently launched our Cups of Excellence program, buying small lots of some of the most premium beans from around the world.

It makes for an exceptional cup of coffee one that comes with its own compelling story, like the bags they just acquired from Yemen, and plan to introduce to customers next spring. Other Cups of Excellence include special beans from Peru and an additional roast from Guatemala.

Ascension Coffee has added pour-over brewing as well as Doki Doki which is a unique Kyoto-style cold brew method dating back to 1600s.

The company has had a transformative year, and Bill Schaffler hopes all the introspection will pay off as they look to expand the brand even more in the metroplex. The new Fort Worth Ascension Coffee will open at 6:30 am once it debuts in the October with the closing time still to be determined.

Its a new coffee world.

Continued here:

New Fort Worth Ascension Coffee to be a Showcase for Significant Changes With the Popular Concept - PaperCity Magazine

St. Marys Healthcare independent ministry again – The Recorder

Posted on by

By ADAM SHINDER

Staff Writer

St. Marys Healthcares return to its former status as an independent Catholic healthcare ministry became official this week as the organization completed the final steps of its process of separating from the Ascension healthcare system, which St. Marys had been a part of since 2002.

St. Marys announced the finalization of its return to independent status in a press release Tuesday, and president and CEO Scott Bruce said in a phone interview Wednesday that he was excited for where the move will take St. Marys moving forward.

Its a big deal, Bruce said. A lot of time and work has gone into this on the part of the senior leadership team here and prior, too. Of course the board of directors here are very instrumental in making this happen, and a very cooperative relationship with Ascension at the same time.

St. Marys and Ascension announced in March the agreement that the Amsterdam-based ministry would return to its independent status.

With the move now complete, St. Marys board of directors will now be able to have a more immediate hand in the governing process.

Our board of directors, theyre excited to be engaged and working directly with senior leadership here from a governance perspective, rather than working with not only us, but Ascension as well, Bruce said. It will streamline things and have more of that decision-making right here in Amsterdam.

It also means a more direct line of engagement with the local community. St. Marys spokesman Rick Hyde said, Once were past COVID and able to participate in events, youre going to see a lot more of St. Marys.

Bruce added, Weve always tried to maintain that direct, active relationship with the community. I think it will be a little bit more direct now, and I think well be out even more, but weve really tried to maintain that even during this period as a part of Ascension. But, I would expect that to increase now.

The shift will also see a change in signage, letterhead, corporate documents, marketing material and the St. Marys website that move away from co-branding with Ascension.

Bruce, who was St. Marys vice president at the time the announcement was made and took over as president and CEO in July following the retirement of longtime leader Vic Giulianelli, said the final steps of the process included fine-tuning many of the organizational aspects that were handled by Ascension at either a regional or national level, including information technology and human resources.

Ascension is a very highly-integrated organization, Bruce said. Its not just a contractual relationship between us and Ascension. From IT to human resources to finance, all of those solutions here in Amsterdam were part of larger solutions that were sponsored by Ascension.

Bruce said that, as part of the agreement, Ascension would continue to provide some services to St. Marys for at least the next ninth months or so.

When the decision to return to independent status was announced in March, Giulianelli said it would take a full year for St. Marys to take over the 16 hospital systems provided either by Ascension or companies affiliated with Ascension.

St. Marys, founded in 1903, joined Ascension in 2002 when the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet added their Carondelet Health System to the national health system.

The move for independence, Bruce said, was the best step forward for St. Marys.

This is a process weve been at for a while now, just trying to determine what was the best scenario for St. Marys here at the local level, he said. We just decided, with cooperation from Ascension, that the best path forward for us was an independent path.

St. Marys employs around 1,600 people and takes care of about 430,000 outpatient visits per year as well as a 150-bed nursing home.

A lot of time and effort on the part of a lot of folks here and St. Louis [where Ascension is headquartered] went into making this happen, Bruce said. I think were excited to have this part of it completed and excited to move onto our future as an independent organization and independent ministry.

Reach Adam Shinder at ashinder@dailygazette.netor @Adam_Shinder on Twitter.

Read more:

St. Marys Healthcare independent ministry again - The Recorder

St. Michael’s mental health unit recognized with Providing Hope Award – wausaupilotandreview.com

Posted on by

STEVENS POINT The Ascension St. Michaels Hospital mental health unit has been awarded the Providing Hope Award from the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness Coalition of Portage County, Ascension announced this week.

The Providing Hope Award is awarded annually to individuals or agencies that provide hope to the community for people who struggle with mental health issues. The award was presented on Sept. 2.

Education provided by the mental health unit includes information on diagnosis, coping strategies, healthy relationships and lifestyles, and how to live a full life with mental health struggles.

All of the staff also provide patient advocacy to ensure a supportive environment and patient rights, said Laurie Knapp-Roberts, a registered nurse and manager of behavioral health services at Ascension St. Michaels. They also directly support the work of the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness Coalition by always lending a hand in the behind-the-scenes work for various events and projects.

Knapp-Roberts adds that much of the credit for this award goes to Michelle Nelson, the Ascension St. Michaels mental health unit social worker who has served as the coalition chairwoman for the past 13 years.

Michelle works tirelessly to reduce the stigma of mental illness, prevent suicide and educate community members about mental health and resources available in Portage County, Knapp-Roberts said.

If you or someone you know needs support today, the following resources are are available:

For more information on the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness Coalition of Portage County, call 715-346-5401.

Like Loading...

Related

Read more:

St. Michael's mental health unit recognized with Providing Hope Award - wausaupilotandreview.com

2020 Ascension Catholic football should have touches of the past, present, future – The Advocate

Posted on by

Ascension Catholic has played football for a long time over 100 years. The 2020 version of the Bulldogs includes a look at the present and the future.

Coach Benny Saia enters his second season after leading his team to a 9-0 record and a playoff loss to Southern Lab. We had a great season. We did not finish like we wanted to as a team, but I am excited about this team and the future, Saia said.

Gone from last years team are several 3- and 4-year starters like Brock Acosta, Eric Simon, Nick Hilliard (Princeton football) and Sam Mire. Also gone are Dorian Barber and Demontray Harry. We lost a great senior class with several 4-year starters. The one that most people ask me about is Jai Williams he was a special talent for sure, Saia said.

Williams has moved on to Nicholls State as Ascension Catholic's all-time leading scorer (106 touchdowns) and nearly 7,600 rushing yards. He only trails his dad, Germaine Williams, who finished with 8,000 yards and 99 touchdowns.

The cupboard is certainly not bare for the Bulldogs. Several starters return on both sides of the ball. The offense will be led by quarterback Bryce Leonard, a sophomore who showed some flashes as a freshman. Bryce got valuable experience last season. He has the respect of his teammates that is a huge plus for us. We are hoping to put more on his plate this season, Saia said.

Leonard threw for nearly 1,000 yards last season and double-digit touchdown passes. Filling the role as the main back will be sophomore Khai Prean. Prean is a talented runner with great vision and finished with nearly 1000 yards rushing and double-digit touchdowns. New running backs will be sophomore Casey Mays, junior Ethan Lewellen and junior Trevion Jacob.

The receivers will be fairly new. Returning is senior Joel Landry and senior Matthew Lafleur. Newcomers include sophomore Brooks Leonard, junior Troy Cole and senior Baylor Leonard. Brooks and Baylor Leonard join their brother, QB Bryce Leonard, with a certain level of comfort. Brooks will be a precise route runner. Cole is coming over from basketball at a tall and long 6'3", he can certainly be a weapon.

The offensive line loses Mire and Hilliard (all state). Back are starters Owen Smith (265), Damien Pedescleaux (230) and LaShawn Bell (295). Smith is a returning all-district and all-parish lineman with some college offers. Bell will be moving to center and should provide good protection for QB Leonard. Pedescleaux returns at tackle and he has really matured. Owen Smith and Devin Pedescleaux have shown leadership up front for us early on, said Saia. Newcomers include junior Jacque Husers (225), freshmen Travis Cedatol (230) and freshmen Tre Williams (240). Senior Grant Richard is injured but is expected to return and be valuable player that can play several positions.

When the Bulldogs use a tight end, look for JMond Tapp (6'4"), senior Gage Breaux and freshman Jackson Landry (6'2") to get some reps. Tapp emerged as a big target in the red zone.

The kicker will be the steady senior Jacob Dunn.

The Bulldog defense will have a major overhaul with only four starters returning. Smith, Tapp, Pedescleaux and Bell return up front in the Bulldogs three-man front. Tapp has received several offers including some SEC offers. Other defensive lineman expected to contribute are Husers and Tre Williams.

The Bulldogs will break in three new linebackers. Dunn is moving down from his defensive back position. Newcomers are senior Brayden Duhon, junior Lewellen, freshmen Jackson Landry and freshmen Adrian Prean. The defensive backfield must replace the starting corners including all district/all parish Eric Simon. Juniors Lex Melancon and Jacob are potential starters along with sophomore Layton Melancon and sophomore Mays. Lafleur and Breaux return in the secondary.

Matt, Gage and Jacob have been some early vocal leaders for us. They have some experience in our defense," Saia said.

Other potential newcomers that will challenge for playing time are sophomore Noah Robicheaux and senior Joel Landry. Replacing all-district/all-parish Brock Acosta will be tough, but early candidates include Khai Prean, Cole and Lafleur. The punter will be LaFleur, who was first team all-district last season. The Bulldogs lose games 1 and 2 due to the delayed start, but will still have some early tests with CCMC and Erath. Winning the district last season for the first time in 20 plus years was exciting, but the coaches know they will have a bullseye on their back.

White Castle, East Iberville, St. John and Ascension Christian will be tough opponents for the Bulldogs. As the Bulldogs prepare for what looks to be a strange season, one thing is certain.

The boys have responded well. Last season is the past this team is a new one with some unknowns, (but) we are excited to play. Our future is very bright, Saia said.

See original here:

2020 Ascension Catholic football should have touches of the past, present, future - The Advocate

When can Ascension Parish block new neighborhoods over traffic? A lawsuit puts it to the test – The Advocate

Posted on by

GONZALES The owners of 86 acres in Prairieville are accusing Ascension Parish government of an illegal taking that deprived them of a $7 million sale after the parish denied their plans to turn the property into a new neighborhood.

A new lawsuit brought by members of the Delaune family, who have held the property and raised cattle there for nearly 100 years, claims the actions by the Planning Commission and Parish Council were arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion and an "unreasonable exercise of police powers."

Then known as the Antebellum Pointe neighborhood, the 237-home proposal sparked significant controversy in March when it went before the Planning Commission, in large measure because it would have emptied more cars onto a congested and growing stretch of La. 73 between Airline Highway and Interstate 10. Twenty-four people spoke out about the project then, all but two opposed.

GONZALES A retired Baton Rouge doctor is proposing a 60-unit condominium complex in the La. 42 corridor of Prairieville where a handful of o

The suit, which was filed Sept. 9 in the 23rd Judicial District Court, touches on a question that has roiled the Planning Commission for several years: whether and how the commission can say "no" on new development over infrastructure concerns.

The suit also constitutes a major test to a Planning Commission appeal process changed a few years ago over past development fights and to a 2018 revision that toughened the parish traffic impact policy.

Debate over the project in March and again in July before the Parish Council focused on interpretations of that policy's requirements for new developments. It raised the question of whether the parish could rely on the assumption that a $72 million state widening of Interstate 10 underway between Highland Road and La. 73 would alleviate traffic backups on the highway as traffic studies suggested.

GONZALES For the first time, the Ascension Parish Council on Thursday will try out a new appeal procedure for proposed subdivisions its Plan

The plaintiffs have asked the state court to overturn the parish's decisions and authorize the subdivision plan for Delaune Estates, or to award them damages to compensate for their losses on the land, plus attorneys' fees and all other fees and costs.

The plaintiffs William Delaune Jr., Diane Francis King, four other members of the Delaune family and a family partnership claim the combined decisions of the commission and council confine their property to agricultural use, so it isn't worth the $81,500 per acre they had been offered to develop it.

"The adverse finding by the Planning Commission and the Board of Appeals' decision are contrary to the facts and applicable law, are not supported by the evidence, and are arbitrary and capricious," the suit alleges.

These decisions, the suit alleges, have caused financial and other harm to the Delaune family.

GONZALES The second time was the charm for the developers of Oak Grove Townhomes and a $100,000 commitment for drainage improvements to

In March, the Planning Commission had voted 4-3 to deny the project. In July, meeting as the commission Board of Appeals, the 11-member Parish Council failed to get enough votes to overturn the commission's decision. The vote to overturn was 6-4, but, under council rules, a two-thirds majority was needed, or 8 votes.

Councilman Joel Robert was absent from the appeal hearing because he was out of town but has since said he would have voted to uphold the commission's denial. He later drew fire over his comments to a council secretary because his statement about that vote wasn't read out loud at the meeting. He apologized.

The project was known as Antebellum Pointe before the commission, but the Delaunes changed the name to Delaune Estates by the time of their appeal to the council in July.

Martin McConnell, parish government spokesman, said Tuesday the parish has not yet been served with the suit and declined to comment.

Michael Clegg, the plaintiffs' attorney representing the Delaunes, was out of town this week, a person answering his office phone said Tuesday.

GONZALESA homeowners association and three Ascension Parish residents known collectively as Concerned Citizens of Prairieville have asked a

The suit names the parish Planning Commission, Parish Council and the parish Board of Appeals collectively and parish government as defendants.

The suit also takes individual aim at first-term Parish President Clint Cointment, who recommended in public letters to the commission in March and to the Parish Council in July to deny the project over traffic concerns on La. 73 and the lack of parish government sewer service.

In the suit, the plaintiffs accuse Cointment of "likely improper influence" on appeal hearing testimony from parish staff and the parish's contract engineers, though the plaintiffs don't describe what that influence was.

The suit also alleges Cointment wrongfully joined the second of two closed-door sessions during that hearing on July 27 when the Parish Council received legal advice.

"His urging and/or physical presence influenced and dissuaded certain" Council members from casting a vote that would have supported the project by overturning the commission's decision, the suit alleges.

GONZALES The Ascension Parish Planning Commission rejected subdivision plans three times in 2016 on the grounds that construction of each wo

At both hearings in March and July, representatives of the Delaunes had contended they had followed all the parish's requirements for traffic, drainage, sewage and other matters.

But the parish staff and the parish consulting engineer said that without mitigation efforts from state highway officials, including the I-10 widening under construction and also changing traffic light timing on La. 73, the project would not comply with the traffic policy.

The Delaunes did offer to delay the occupancy of homes until 2022 and take other measures to delay the traffic impact on La. 73 until after I-10 was finished. Some parish officials, however, suggested then that the developer wait until I-10 was finished and conduct another study to see how traffic improved; others thought the subdivision met the policy's requirements or didn't want to risk a potentially costly lawsuit.

Ascension Parish Councilman Joel Robert offered one more apology Thursday night to the council secretary for his expletive-laden voicemail las

Rodney Mallett, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation and Development, said Tuesday the widening of I-10 is expected to be finished in November, weather permitting. He added that the developers have not requested light signalization changes on La. 73.

Go here to see the original:

When can Ascension Parish block new neighborhoods over traffic? A lawsuit puts it to the test - The Advocate

Ascension to resume walk-in clinic for fall sports on Saturday – WNEM Saginaw

Posted on by

'); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append('"+val.ihtml+""); $("#expandable-weather-block .weather-index-alerts").show(); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body h2").css({"font-family":"'Fira Sans', sans-serif", "font-weight":"500", "padding-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body p").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body span.wxalertnum").css({"float":"left", "width":"40px", "height":"40px", "color":"#ffffff", "line-height":"40px", "background-color":"#888888", "border-radius":"40px", "text-align":"center", "margin-right":"12px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body b").css("font-size", "18px"); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body li").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"18px", "margin-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body ul").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body pre").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body img").css({"width":"100%", "margin-bottom":"20px", "borderWidth":"1px", "border-style":"solid", "border-color":"#aaaaaa"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).css({"borderWidth":"0", "border-bottom-width":"1px", "border-style":"dashed", "border-color":"#aaaaaa", "padding-bottom":"10px", "margin-bottom":"40px"}); }); } function parseAlertJSON(json) { console.log(json); alertCount = 0; if (Object.keys(json.alerts).length > 0) { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").empty(); } $.each(json.alerts, function(key, val) { alertCount++; $("#mrd-wx-alerts .alert_count").text(alertCount); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").append(''); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } else if (val.fips != "" && val.fipsimg != "") { // $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } // } //val.instr = val.instr.replace(/[W_]+/g," "); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(val.dhtml+"

Instruction

Read the original:

Ascension to resume walk-in clinic for fall sports on Saturday - WNEM Saginaw