Select Page ::

Italian island out of room to quarantine arriving migrants – Las Vegas Sun

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Published Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020 | 6:47 a.m.

Updated 59 minutes ago

ROME (AP) Several small boats filled with more Tunisian migrants have reached a tiny Italian island that has run out of room to quarantine them as required by Italy's anti-coronavirus measures, local officials said Saturday.

Sicilian daily newspaper Giornale di Sicilia quoted Lampedusa Mayor Toto' Martello as saying the island cant wait until the government sends a chartered ferry where the migrants can be held for 14 days to fulfill the country's quarantine requirement.

The islands migrant holding center was built for a maximum capacity of 95 people and was already holding 950 when the latest passengers arrived, Martello said. The 250 who arrived between Friday night and Saturday must stay on the dock for now, until the promised ferry arrives or some other solution is found.

Seven boats directly reached Lampedusa's shores, while an eighth boat needed assistance as it approached the island,after setting off from Tunisia's Mediterranean coast.

The mayor said a total of 250 boats carrying 5,000 migrants in all have reached the island in a month. Many of the passengers were transferred to migrant residences on Sicily on commercial ferries or other vessels.

I don't understand why the premier doesn't declare a state of emergency on Lampedusa, Martello told the newspaper.

Arriving migrants were linked to several dozen recent coronavirus clusters. Concern is growing among health authorities that Italy's number of new confirmed cases, which had been largely contained by June, could again start surging out of control.

Unless they come from countries specifically exempted from mandatory precautionary, such as most European Union countries and some others, foreigners must do 14 days quarantine upon entering Italy.

Tunisian migrants fleeing their country's worsening economic situation aren't generally considered eligible for asylum. Italy has a repatriation deal with Tunisia for weekly flights to send back those who fail to obtain permission to stay. The flights were suspended during the brunt of the virus epidemic in Italy but resumed July 16.

Still, Tunisians keep coming, in small fishing boats sturdy enough to reach Lampedusa's shores, on occasion sailing into coves or docking near beaches where vacationers are swimming on the tourism-dependent island.

Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese told the daily Corriere della Sera newspaper that Italy is trying to arrange with the Tunisian government the possibility of using boats to increase the number of weekly repatriations.

Asked about fears that migrants might trigger more virus clusters in Italy when they are transferred to holding centers on the mainland, Lamorgese replied: The local communities are rightly sensitive to the subject of health safety.

View post:

Italian island out of room to quarantine arriving migrants - Las Vegas Sun

Las Vegas heat expected to reach excessive levels by Thursday – Las Vegas Review-Journal

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Escalating temperatures and winds gusting to 20 mph dominate the Monday forecast for the Las Vegas Valley.

The high is expected to be around 106 with light and variable morning winds becoming 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon with gusts to 20 mph possible, according to the latest National Weather Service forecast.

Morning temperatures were in the low to mid-80s across the valley, well above morning temperatures over the past week.

The only tricky thing about the forecast is actually today, weather service meteorologist Caleb Steele said. We have some showers in Lincoln County, and we could have showers pop up in the higher elevations around the valley. But the flow is south to north, so any showers would move away from the valley. We wont get any rain in the valley.

Weather service radar showed some light precipitation falling near Indian Springs about 6:15 a.m. It was not clear if it was reaching the ground. Some lightning strikes were also occurring north of Las Vegas.

The projected high Tuesday is 108 after an overnight low near 89. Wednesday will climb to about 110.

Its going to be hot and very dry, Steele said of the forecast for the week. There are no signs of any monsoonal moisture developing anytime soon.

Excessive heat watch

Starting Thursday morning and going through Saturday evening, an excessive heat watch covers most of the region. Temperatures are expected to reach 110 to 112 in the Las Vegas Valley and 115 to 120 in the Colorado River Valley, the weather service advisory says.

Residents are advised to take precautions such as limiting outside activities, staying in air-conditioned rooms and checking on friends and relatives. Extreme heat significantly increases the potential for heat-related illnesses.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.

Visit link:

Las Vegas heat expected to reach excessive levels by Thursday - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Resorts World Las Vegas continues to build for the future – Las Vegas Sun

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Courtesy Resorts World Las Vegas

Resorts World Las Vegas provided a preview of the 100,000-square-foot LED screen on its West Tower on July4.

By Brock Radke (contact)

Monday, July 27, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Although it wont open until next summer, Resorts World Las Vegas is facing new challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 3,500-room, $4.3 billion casino megaresort from Malaysian corporation Genting Berhad installed new safety protocols and managed to keep construction efforts on track for a planned 2021 arrival. Resorts World has also made a series of recent announcements pointing to the future of the property and the Strip.

This pandemic is definitely challenging us even though were not open, President Scott Sibella said. Part of that was we didnt want to make announcements when its all youre hearing about in Las Vegas and throughout the country, but weve tried to pick and choose good times [because] we think these are big announcements and we want to give everyone a taste of whats coming.

In early June, Resorts World submitted plans for a proposed passenger station and tunnel that could connect to the Las Vegas Convention Centers underground transportation system currently under construction by Elon Musks the Boring Company. Wynn Las Vegas, located directly across Las Vegas Boulevard from the 88-acre Resorts World site, submitted a similar plan at the same time.

Over the July 4 weekend, Resorts World unveiled the 100,000-square-foot LED screen installed on its Strip-facing West Tower with a spectacular light show demonstration. And on July 16, the property announced a partnership with AEG Presents to develop and operate the 5,000-capacity Theatre at Resorts World, a state-of-the-art concert and special event venue designed to host the next generation of superstar residencies on the Strip.

Courtesy Sceno Plus

A rendering of the Theatre at Resorts World.

If you look at whats happening in our town with the convention center expansion, the Raiders stadium of course and then what were doing, I think this is the best thing for this city to get through this, Sibella said. You [have] these three big things coming up out of the ground and how big they are for [Las Vegas] and theyre really going to help us get back faster to where we want to be.

The theater will stand out from other large-scale entertainment venues on the Strip, Sibella said, because of its convenient, central location on the property and the collaboration with AEG division Concerts West, which is heavily designed in its creation and technology.

Concerts West President and co-CEO John Meglen calls the new venue a playground with all the latest tech bells and whistles and said both companies are currently focused on creating an innovative, versatile destination and will work on developing and booking shows and artists later, when the return of live entertainment is imminent.

Our people are so excited about this place and we love working with Scott and his team, Meglen said. He wants us to be integrated throughout everything else they do at the property and we appreciate that. Its so cool to be involved from the beginning because we can focus on being creative, not worrying about who it is or what it is but more about whats the best way to do it. And were building now so we have more time to make those decisions.

Its definitely dealing with different, complex challenges compared to the resorts currently operating on the Strip, but Resorts World also has some advantages when it comes to planning how it will handle the uncertain circumstances of the future. Sibella said the casino and hotel complex will continue to make health and safety the top priority.

We can be proactive in how we do things and plan systems now to make sure our air quality is as clean as possible, for example, or how we clean the property and the ways we design that, and projecting things guests will want when we get beyond this, he said. But when it comes to changing our overall strategic plan and how we operate, thats still in place and were hoping were way past this.

In the case of the theater, you cant build it for 5,000 people and then [plan to operate it] with only 2,000. Its not built that way. Were hoping to get through this by the time we open and were closely watching other properties and making adjustments where we can while we build.

In addition to its two resort towers, 117,000-square-foot casino with a 17,000-square-foot entertainment zone and race and sports book, 350,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, spa, pool complex and diverse restaurant and bar portfolio, Resorts World first announced the theater in November along with a 65,000-square-foot nightlife and daylife concept, additional luxury suites and villas and a 50-foot diameter video globe that will display various LED content.

We are really excited and we feel like we have something special to bring to this city, Sibella said. Theres so much technology out there today and we are taking total advantage of it and the property is going to be beautiful, but we know how we treat our customers and how we create those experiences is going to make all the difference.

View original post here:

Resorts World Las Vegas continues to build for the future - Las Vegas Sun

CES 2021 won’t be held in Las Vegas, will move to all-digital format, organizers say – FOX5 Las Vegas

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

'); $("#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 post:

CES 2021 won't be held in Las Vegas, will move to all-digital format, organizers say - FOX5 Las Vegas

Las Vegas Little Theatre Finds A New Performance Space With ‘Quarantine Monologues’ – KNPR

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

The pandemic has hit the performing arts particularly hard. With public gatherings for entertainment shut down, many local arts organizations are struggling.

And yet: Some are finding ways to work around the crisis.

Las Vegas Little Theatre, which has been putting on plays and musicals in Chinatown since 1978, has had to move events to the internet in order to generate revenue and keep theater happening in Las Vegas. This has included a trivia night, and a murder mystery show is happening this weekend.

Also happening this weekend: Two rebroadcasts of Quarantine Monologues, a program that debuted earlier this month. It consists of 15 short monologues about life with COVID-19, all performed by local actors.

You can find more information on how to view the rebroadcasts - happening Friday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 - here.

In the meantime, we are going to give you a taste of what to expect during Friday and Sundays program: A performance of Kevin Buckley'sOn the Twelfth Day of CovidbyGillen Bray, an actor and vice-president of Las Vegas Little Theatre.

Go here to see the original:

Las Vegas Little Theatre Finds A New Performance Space With 'Quarantine Monologues' - KNPR

Las Vegas families struggling without unemployment payments, answers – FOX5 Las Vegas

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Instruction

See the article here:

Las Vegas families struggling without unemployment payments, answers - FOX5 Las Vegas

Bacterial levels exceed recreation standards at Lake Mohave swimming areas – FOX5 Las Vegas

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Instruction

Read the rest here:

Bacterial levels exceed recreation standards at Lake Mohave swimming areas - FOX5 Las Vegas

Former Las Vegas Home of Jerry Lewis Hits the Market – Variety

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

If the walls could talk. The former Las Vegas home of the late Jerry Lewis is on the market for nearly $1.3 million. Built in 1964 in the fancypants Scotch 80s neighborhood, the property was the longtime residence of the famously philanthropic comic genius, starting at the peak of his career in the swinging 60s.

Lewis hosted many of his showbiz pals at his home during the three decades he owned it. However, like many Vegas homes of the era, the 7,325 sq. ft., 6-bedroom and 6-bath spread is now in need of a major upgrade. Set on a private .75-acre estate, the vaguely Colonial red-brick building features a second floor veranda that runs along its entire front facade. Inside, oak spindles and hand rails run throughout like a winding race track. Glossy floors, striped wall paper and 70s style furniture blast visitors back to a time of giant sideburns and polyester bell bottom pants.

The home also features enough marble to empty a quarry and enough wood built-ins to fell a forest. The gold-toned mirrors that lined the curved staircase in the foyer feel like an ode to a bygone era, as do the electric blue silk drapes in the home office. Theres a double-height formal living room along with a separate family room outfitted with a walk-in wet bar and massive, asymmetrically designed stone fireplace. The undeniably well-maintained and spacious, if considerably, dated kitchen has plenty of room for either an amateur or professional chef.

Some of the guest bedrooms do, thankfully, pull back on the natural wood theme. One of them is painted a garish shade of pink, while the master bedroom is so big it easily fits two huge beds and the master bathroom is sheathed in a dizzying array of floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

A few of the many high-profile folks who have owned homes in the Scotch 80s neighborhood include Nicolas Cage, Steve Wynn and The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, who formerly owned an estate previously occupied by Howard Hughes and, later, Andre Agassi. Given the propertys prime location in one of Las Vegass premier neighborhoods just a few miles north of The Strip, this residence will likely get completely gutted for a major makeover or torn down to make way for something more up to date.

Eric White with Luxury Estates International is the listing agent.

Go here to read the rest:

Former Las Vegas Home of Jerry Lewis Hits the Market - Variety

Censorship and the pandemic – Echonetdaily

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Peter Olson,Goonengerry

It is one thing to have social distancing, but it is another thing altogether, to unjustly inflict total media censorship, in the very mistaken belief, that doing so will save lives or prevent rioting: quite the opposite is the actual case.

The elimination of freedom of speech, under the pretext of protecting people from the new virus, is a clear sign of tyranny being imposed.If invaders had come to bring tyranny through a military invasion, thousands would fight for freedom, but when such tyranny comes in the disguise of public health, no one even notices.

The elimination of evidence-based, rational and reasonable dialogue, solely on the grounds it conflicts with the official government narrative, is not in the public interest. At the first sign of infection, democratic power was rapidly transferred from those elected, to unelected health professionals, who have substantial financial conflicts of interest: trillions of dollars are at stake in expensive drug treatments.

At the event 201 rehearsal of this pandemic (on YouTube), they said the government should suppress all conflicting views; that has now happened. We could have this medical tyranny for the next 20 years will we ever have freedom of speech again?

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week or maybe more we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

Read the original here:

Censorship and the pandemic - Echonetdaily

India is consumption based economy and it needs logistics more than ever now: K Satyanarayana, Ecom Express – SME Futures

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Several challengessuch aslabor shortages, cargo capacityconstraints, a manufacturing slowdown, order delays,and stuck shipmentsarose duringcountry-wide lockdownin India.Along with this,Indias real gross domestic product (GDP) is at its lowest in 6 years because of the COVID-19 standstill. It has further affectedconsumption and investmentadversely inIndian economy.

Thismanufacturing halthascausedadownward pressure on pricesof warehousing, freight, and logistics.Despite the obstacles,Indian logistics industry has shown resilience by resuming operations with help of digital tools.KSatyanarayana, Co-founder and Director atEcomExpressin conversation with SME futuresasserts thatlogistics will rebound in coming days and will play a dominant role in upliftment of Indian economy.

Edited Excerpts

India has made major strides in the logistics sectorduring last two decadesandit isnowa$200+ billionworth of industry.But,these are unprecedented times. Initially, the pandemic disrupted global supply chainandevenmovement of essential goods washalted. Due tothis,logisticsservices came toahalt. However,theindustrybounced backby quickly adopting the necessary protocols andbyresuming operations in no time.

Duringthe initial lockdown phase in late March and April, it was an opportunity for the logistics operators toaligntheirinfrastructure accordingtorequirements poised due tothecurrent crisis.Adding to it,adherence withstrict safety proceduresby government was also a necessity.This therebyensured business continuityforlogistics platforms.Personally, I feel there is a positive outlooknowfor post-COVID scenarioas we have enhanced our businessprocessesin many ways.

Also, people are hesitant to walk into physical storesdue to the fear of contracting virus and hencelogistics industry is growing.Till the time supply of non-essential goods started,our facilitiesgeared up for handling COVID-related protocols. We had almost 92 per cent of our employees reporting back to us. In June, we were fullyoperationaland Ifeelthatsituationisbetter than pre-COVID periodfor us now.

Absolutely, we can say that.The logistics sector has been provingto besaviourin current crisis for many. It has alsoplayed an important role in keepingtheeconomy running.People are restrictedtotheir homes doing their jobswhile sitting at home. Hence,we are seeing a complete transition in consumerbehaviourdue torisinghealth concerns.

Consumers are more inclined towards online shopping instead of going tomalls or big retail stores.They are opting for home deliveriesmore. Thus,I can say that our firm has beenproactive incontinuity of the supply chain.Asa stakeholder in logistics industry, we are working efficiently in taking care of our consumers needs. We are connected to themin every way todeliver all sorts of essential and non-essential goods.I believethat the crisis has presented an immense opportunity andwhile pursuing itgrowth isinevitable.

Technologynow-a-daysis the core ofanyindustrialoperationsirrespective ofsectors.COVID-19 has given an opportunity to companies to reshape their logistics operating model to increase effectiveness, efficiency and resilience.

Businesses are thus forced to innovate and adopt new digital tools faster than ever tominimisedisruptionsin current scenario. The players who embraced tech solutions were able tosurvivethe impactof pandemicand continue theirbusiness.

The tech tools help us to map and track the shipments or cargo andfollowsafety protocols.Entire workforce can communicate through these solutionsor apps.Digital services give real time supply chain visibility and helpsin runninglogistics operations smoothly.Industry embracing technology is just a silver lining in the current crisisand use of AI, machine learning andIoTis also on surge.

We have country wide reach.The complete life cycle of shipment from pick up to deliveryischannelizedthrough hub and spoke modelwhichis backed by technology. I mean to say every aspect of our operations is covered with tech tools, from pick topostdeliverystage.Thus,we are practicing contactless services for pickup, delivery and payment options such as scanning a QR code or signing a digital image.

For instance, we haveprovidedhandheld devicesto staffduring pick-up stage.People will know about the shipment informationthrough these API integrated devices. Thestageof each shipmentcan also bedeterminedand furthercourse ofactioncan be decided.Further, our staffhas tofeed informationat each stage. Itcan be aboutpick upof thepackage,customer information,orscanning.It can also be aboutbringing the package toprocessingcentre,distributioncentre,ortohub and then to delivery. We have a robust IT systemateach stage.

We have workforce presenceacrossIndia. Our entire human resource team dedicated itself towards connecting to staff wherever theywereduring this tough phase. They called eachoneof them time to time and updated records of their well-being.We also introduced family connectprogramme. In this, weconnected to family membersof our employeesand resolvedtheir health-related problems.

Wealsoassured them to pay their salaries and paymentson time. Notmuchproblems were posed for us due to migration of workforce sincewe believe in generating local employment.Majorityof people working in our company arenativesfromeach location.However,we had migrant workersin metro cities such as Delhi,Bengaluru,Suratetc.But,we were able tocomplete 65 per cent of shippingduringinitial lockdown phase when supply chain was highly disrupted.

Due to COVID-19situation operationsof industries from all sectorstook amassive hit.Entire supply chainsweredisruptedand drivers were stranded at checkpoints due to the lockdown.Hence,thevolume of inland logistics companies is likely to fall by 10-15 per cent. Also, companiescould take a longer time to recoveraccording to India rating.

India is however aconsumption-based economysincealmost 60 per cent of Indias GDP is determined by consumption.Thus, the country needs logistics more than evernow. The sectorwasthereforeplayinga significantrole in the manufacturing and supply of essential products such as FMCG, medicalequipments, masks, medicines, test kitsetceven during pandemic.

Ifirmlybelievethatlogistics industry has a larger role to playto connect manufacturers with suppliers and consumers.The industry also plays a pivotal roleincompletionof consumption cycleand its various phases such asproduction, demand, andsupplyetc.These phaseshenceneedefficient logistics infrastructure.

Further,government initiatives and reforms such as GST, Make-in-India,SagarmalaorBharatmalaprojects,self-reliantIndiainitiative etcwillpromote domestic production and manufacturingwhich thereby will lead to thegrowth oflogisticssector.Today, India has developed an excellent road and air infrastructure.

Oncethe situation gets back to the normalandsectors reopen,the freight capacitythatwehavecreatedinourexisting system willhelpinboosting thesupply of domestic manufactured products.Our role is to ensurethe supply to the last mile consumers wherever they are.Ibelieve logistics industryisvery significantto support the economic recovery.

With internet penetration in India, social sites have becomeprominent distribution channels for businesses showcasing their products. People are selling onWhatsApp, Facebook,Instagram,Pinterest, andYoutubethrough influencers and bloggers.For instance, Thailand operates 80 per cent onsociale-commerce platforms.Entrepreneurs are leveraging social media platforms for scaling up their businesses.

In otherwords,socialmediais another gateway of e-commerce.In India, socialmediacommerce has a potential to build a market worth of $70 billionwhich isjustthedouble of present e-commerce market.To attract consumers,merchants onsuchplatforms are incorporating facilities such as basic logisticsandgoodshipment processing.

Logistics operatorin turngenerate leadsthrough thisand weacquire connect to consumers through various channels.It also gives us chance to enhance customer experience and drive supply chain innovation.I believe social-mediacommerce has created anotheravenuefor logistics business and freight.Goingforward,we are going to see more entrepreneurs movingfrom web to social e-commerce platforms.This in turn is going to create immense market for us.

I believe the future of thissector isverybright.Till now, governmentis workingwellto develop better infrastructure of roadsandrailways for solving logistics issue.Announcementof Delhi-Bombay corridoris one such example.Even commerce ministry has created a logistics department.

There isthereforeanimmense opportunity for shipping and rivercargos and it can bethe bestway to attract more FDI in India.Local manufacturingaccelerated throughdifferent government initiatives will be a new business model for us. This will furtherhelp inoptimisingresources. These factors arewill propelgrowthofIndian logistics sector.

But,as an industry westillneed to work on few areassuch asimplementation of nationallogistics policywhich is still in draft.It isalsocritical to bring down the logistics costsas fuel chargesare rising indiscriminately.There is also a need to create more employment in the sector.Itwill need support from government and public sector.Lastly,companies hit by the pandemic require an easycredit toretain their normalcy.

More here:

India is consumption based economy and it needs logistics more than ever now: K Satyanarayana, Ecom Express - SME Futures

Greening The Grid: Resource Adequacy, Intermittency, & Carbon Pricing – CleanTechnica

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Clean Power

Published on August 1st, 2020 | by Brad Rouse

August 1st, 2020 by Brad Rouse

Please bear with me. I know this title is a turn-off to any but the most abject energy nerd, but this is a really important issue if we are to solve climate change. As noted in my first two articles (here and here) weve got to green the grid.

To green the grid, we must adopt a strategy of meeting our energy needs with low-cost renewable wind and solar resources. The obvious question is how to resolve the intermittency issue (what happens when the wind doesnt blow or the sun doesnt shine). Solving this problem is a necessary ingredient for saving the planet.

Wind and solar, now the lowest-cost sources of energy, are subject to intermittency, otherwise known as, what to do if the wind isnt blowing or the sun isnt shining.

Intermittency of wind and solar is a subset of the problem of resource adequacy do grid operators have the resources to meet the demand for electricity at every hour?

The real problem is resource adequacy. Are the resources that I can deploy at this instant sufficient to meet the demand for electricity? Intermittency MIGHT be a problem if other resources are not available to step in when needed. The variation in solar or wind output is just a subset of the problem of resource adequacy, which includes such factors as:

Renewables add new wrinkles to the question of resource adequacy, helping in some ways and making it more challenging in others. The amount of electricity you can get from them is not fully controlled by electric grid operators, but is subject to variations in time of day, time of year, and weather. Renewables output is only controlled by grid operators to the extent that their output can be reduced.

Renewables help, however, because they come in small increments (1 or 2 megawatts (MW) versus 500 or 1000 MW for a fossil fueled plant). Any mechanical reliability problems that wind and solar might have do not require the same high level of backup capacity available at an instant that large fossil or nuclear plants require. Its possible that a renewable dominated grid might be able to get by with lower reserves at peak demand than the current grid.

Finally, the state of emerging battery technologies offers cheaper, denser, lighter, and more powerful storage assets. Using different chemical and material properties, we can store energy output from renewable resources and discharge the power when needed for grid reliability.

The combination of my having studied economics and speaking Southern helped me get my first job as an energy consultant. My new employer had agreed to build a computer model to forecast the demand for electricity for the Southern Company which was then and still is one of the largest utilities in the US. Part of that was to build a load shape forecasting model. I had no clue what that was, but the client was paying good money, so I had to learn!

It turned out the load shape is just the hour by hour demand for electricity over the course of the day, week, month, and year. Its critical in utility planning, because you have to meet that demand with power resources every minute of every day. You can imagine how blown away this newly minted MBA was to learn that they wanted us to forecast 8760 data points a year! For 30 years! We never did make an accurate load shape forecast, but we did have some useful insights along the way.

Let me show you what they meant when they talked about a load shape. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes hourly loads for every balancing area of the US grid. In my case this is the Western North Carolina (WNC) balancing area hourly load shape for my area for two days this year:

In my next job, I went from working on forecasting electricity demand to planning the electric supply system. My colleagues specialized in modeling to simulate the power system. Their secret ingredient was a breakthrough in modeling the unavailability of resources due to mechanical breakdown. I was a lonely economist surrounded by engineers! But I learned a lot more about intermittency and developed software for long-range planning that is still used by power companies today. This problem of resource adequacy is something that grid operators have long been dealing with.

Dont just think that because solar and wind are cheaper than gas or coal that they will immediately take over. They need a little help. The problem is that the amount of output hour by hour is not under the control of grid operators and is often a severe mismatch with the hourly electric demand.

Lets do a thought experiment using the 7.5 kilowatt (KW) solar array on my home in Asheville as an example. The hourly output on the February and July days are below (note, my panels are west-facing so their output peaks later in the day than south-facing panels and is at a particular disadvantage in the winter). So heres a thought experiment. Lets scale up my solar panels to try to meet the entire regional demand for electricity for the day (but not hour by hour) for those specific January and July days. Heres the profile for that very day in February:

Wow. A HUGE amount of solar is required to do this. I know this is true because at my home I run surpluses in the summer and then I dont have enough solar output in the winter. I use Duke Energy as my giant battery! But as you might expect, if we took the incumbent utility out of the picture, we would need a giant battery charging during the day that could meet the load at night. (That is made worse by assuming that the roundtrip efficiency of charging and discharging a utility scale battery is 85%.) Meeting the energy needs for that day would require 8 gigawatts (GW) of solar, or about 20 KW per person in the region. At say $1 per watt, a good price these days, it would cost a cool $8 billion. And on top of that we would need storage for 8.5 gigawatt-hours (GWH) of electricity to meet the demand at night, which at a cost of $100 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) (the holy grail battery price for EV dominance) would cost another $850 million.

But look at the graph below representing that July day. To meet the energy needs that day we need only about 2 GW of solar versus 8 GW on the winter day. And due to the longer hours of summer sunlight, we need 6.7 GWH of storage versus 8.4 GWH on the winter day.

I provide this illustration because in a fully renewable electric system, this is the kind of mismatch that utility planners will have to deal with. Fortunately, a lot of factors will work to make the actual solution much more workable than this admittedly far-fetched example, which is nevertheless what an innocent bystander might understand when they hear the words but, but, but, but, but the sun isnt always shining and the wind isnt always blowing!

There are numerous solutions to the problem of resource adequacy, and many of them are probably more economical than just adding batteries. The most obvious is to increase supply diversity! There are lots of ways to do this adding wind power (offshore and land-based), increasing transmission ties, adding solar facing in different directions, etc.. Lets expand the thought experiment with wind power. In this case we add wind in equal proportions to solar on the July day. How much storage would we need in this case?

For this thought experiment, I used the hourly profile of wind power in Texas on similar days. (I know, you cant get Texas wind to WNC at the moment, but maybe in the future.) I assume that half of the daily energy need is met with wind and half from solar. Good news! Wind blows at night AND it blows more in the winter than in the summer. To simplify, I assumed that wind and solar would each meet half of the daily energy for the July day. Then, given how much wind and solar that amounted to be, I would see if I had enough to meet the day in February.

Heres the July day:

With the same amount of energy coming from wind and solar on the July day, there is much less storage needed to meet the load than just with solar. The problems of resource inadequacy and intermittency have been reduced. Diversity helps! The load and renewables are well matched in the early morning hours while batteries are needed to supply power till around noon. From noon to about 9:00 PM solar is charging the batteries, and battery power is needed again during TV prime time.

When that same MW of wind and solar are applied to the February day, we find that there is very little solar needed that day (thank goodness) since there is much more wind output on that day, and in fact the whole system is surplus to the point that the amount of energy available to be stored exceeds the energy needed for that day:

Battery discharge is needed in the morning and a tiny bit in the early evening, but otherwise the system is producing more energy than needed. Depending on the battery capacity, the system may have a curtailment event (so much solar and wind that the batteries cant hold it all).

Bottom line: I have added just one potential solution to the mix and had a dramatic reduction in the amount of battery storage needed. If this were a real utility planning exercise I would have much more powerful analytical tools at my disposal and would be able to draw from many other options to ensuring resource adequacy. My conclusion is that resource adequacy is a very solvable problem. From a policy perspective, of course, we need to continue to improve technology through research and there may be options for targeted government investments. Overall, solving this problem is well within the experience of utility planners, but it takes a new mindset that starts from the idea of meeting the energy needs and then having a set of tools like energy storage to allow exact matching of supply and demand.

Ill dig into these issues and examine some comprehensive studies of this subject in a later article.

Im a big fan of putting a price on carbon because it sends a signal to all players in the economy that they have a role in the energy transition. And the signal is, you will be paid according to your contribution to reducing your carbon footprint. Electric companies today have a huge carbon footprint (27% of total carbon emissions) and they will have a huge incentive to reduce emissions.

My favorite carbon fee proposal is the Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal filed as a bill in Congress called the Energy Innovation and Dividend Act (EICDA). This bill calls for a rising goal-based fee on carbon with all revenues returned to Americans in the form of a dividend.

The EICDA will increase the rewards to finding solutions to resource adequacy problems to the extent that they reduce the carbon footprint of the grid. A simple way to look at this is based on the economics of bringing on battery storage to allow substitution of renewable energy for fossil energy. At the current time, most utilities can simply add renewables and reduce fossil fuel use and reap the benefits. Battery storage will come into its own when there is too much zero carbon energy for the grid to handle without moving that energy to a different time period. This can come either when the renewable resource is likely to be curtailed or when the economics favor increasing fossil fuel use at one time and decreasing it at another, more carbon intensive time.

A simple approach to understanding how this will play out is to compare the cost of adding battery storage to the resulting decline in fossil fuel cost from the storage being utilized. The factors that go into this evaluation include the cost per megawatt-hour (MWH) to produce electricity with fossil fuels, the cost of the battery, the lifetime in cycles of the battery (number of times you can expect this battery to actually reduce the fossil fuel cost), and the charge/discharge efficiency of the battery. Carbon pricing affects the cost to produce with fossil fuels.

For a new thought experiment, lets look at the economics of batteries compared to the natural gas peaking plant, which is normally used as an option to provide resource adequacy. We assume the battery has a 20-year life and goes through 100 cycles per year, for 2000 cycles over its life, with a round trip efficiency of 85%. The cost of battery storage is assumed to decline in accordance with Cost Projections for Utility-Scale Battery Storage, a June 2019 study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). We use the mid case scenario (from $287 per kwh today to $76 by 2050). Carbon fees rise in accordance with the low boundary carbon fee increases under the EICDA. Both the carbon fees and gas costs are consistent with my earlier analysis in this series.

The economics move positive (green bars) with the projected decline in storage cost, and they become extremely high with a fee on carbon. And even though the economics are not positive today based on gas costs alone, storage is being added to the grid anyway due to the other benefits of storage beyond the simple cost per MWH comparison particularly the small size and quick construction time of storage versus the much larger size of a peaking plant, which means that a utility can bring on storage and more evenly match it to the need as it evolves.

But what of the case of an existing combustion turbine (peaker) plant? For plants already in service, it does not pay to bring on a battery to offset its use unless carbon is priced, even with the super cheap batteries expected by 2050. Clearly carbon pricing, or some sort of mandate, will be required. The following graph shows the situation:

Grid intermittency from cheap renewable energy brings new problems to grid operators and planners as we add more and more renewable energy to the grid. Fortunately, there are many tools at their disposal, chief among them (1) seeking a diversity of zero carbon supply resources and (2) storage batteries, which are declining in cost. Incorporating a price on carbon into grid planning and operations decisions will be one effective mechanism that will result in solutions becoming more and more economically.Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Send us an email: tips@cleantechnica.com

Tags: Carbon pricing, Climate Change Economics, Environment North Carolina, north carolina, solar intermittency, US grid, wind energy intermittency

Brad Rouse lives in Asheville, NC and is deeply involved in local efforts around the energy transition. He lobbies Congress for carbon fee and dividend as a volunteer for Citizens Climate Lobby. In 2016 Brad started a non-profit Energy Savers Network that mobilizes volunteers to help low income people save energy. He has a rooftop solar installation and his family cars are a Tesla Model 3 and a Prius Plug-in hybrid with 150,000 miles and still about 9 miles of EV only range. He has been studying energy economics for over forty years and holds a BA in economics from Yale University, where he learned about pricing pollution through a fee in freshman economics class. He also holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

View post:

Greening The Grid: Resource Adequacy, Intermittency, & Carbon Pricing - CleanTechnica

Trade barriers are slowing plastic-pollution action. Here’s how to fix it – World Economic Forum

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Action on plastic pollution has been slowed considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic but theres a new emerging angle that could help rebuild momentum for the transition to a greener and more circular society. Governments at the World Trade Organization (WTO) are also showing increased interest in tackling plastics pollution.

In a world of global value chains and integrated markets, there is an important cross-border component, both existing and potential, to ramping up efforts on plastic action. Until recently, limited plastics recycling efforts often involved exports, the overwhelming majority of which flowed to China. These flows have become a source of controversy due to waste dumping and inadequate infrastructure for proper disposal.

In 2018 China introduced a ban on certain plastic waste imports, a move followed by several other countries. Subsequently, in May 2019, the 187 parties to the Basel Convention a treaty on the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous and other wastes added most types of plastic waste to the list of controlled wastes. From 2021, plastic waste that is sorted, clean, uncontaminated and effectively designed for recycling can be traded freely, while other types will require the consent of importing and transit countries.

These changes could improve plastic waste management and reduce leakage into the environment. Yet, without additional implementation efforts, there is a risk of increased trade frictions that could stymie global plastics recycling markets. Such frictions have not developed to date, but trade facilitation measures to aid reduction and re-use have also not been enough in focus.

The World Economic Forum recently gathered a group of experts from consumer goods brands, industries, governments and civil society to discuss the role that trade could play in advancing plastic pollution action. The result of that initial cross-sector discussion and the many that followed have led to a new community paper that outlines trade barriers to accelerating action on plastic pollution.

We hope that trade policy-makers and environment practioners alike will find this paper a helpful resource to aid their discussions and promote new supportive actions for the 3Rs reduce, re-use and recycle.

Domestic bans and slow approvals curb recycled plastic use

Countries regulations determine which items can be brought into a market. In addition to bans on plastic waste imports, several countries have implemented more complex rules on high-quality recycling plastic imports, which limits the use of recycled plastic packaging. Further, in other cases manufacturers have had to switch to virgin plastic inputs for certain consumer goods, as the same quality of recycled plastic could not be sourced in the domestic market. Some markets have slow regulatory approval processes regarding the use of recycled plastic products.

Diverse standards and limited data are complicating circular supply chains

In a world of value chains, differences in standards create challenges whether on recycled plastic production, use or labelling. Varying grades of plastic by producers require recyclers to create different recycled plastic grades that add to costs. Missing information on materials properties complicates recycling processes since certain additives can pose risks to human or ecological health during the mechanical recycling process.

The absence of traceability and data shortages, meanwhile, creates uncertainty on what materials are where in the market especially for recycled content.

More efforts are needed to facilitate circular plastics investments worldwide

Part of the challenge in building a circular plastics economy lies in insufficient investment upstream and downstream in emerging and advanced economies alike. There is a need to incubate and scale innovations and new ventures including new material design and new businesses models and to close the operational financing gap for city-level waste collection and recycling systems while mobilizing capital investments for circular options and waste management more broadly.

Circular plastics investments can be slowed down or sped up based on several factors, not least the regulatory environment, local infrastructure and skills, incentives, government procurement policies and overall investment assistance. Facilitating and attracting investment in sustainable plastic solutions by matching solution providers with public and private funding opportunities will also help to close this gap.

From 2021, most plastic waste trade will be subject to the Basel Convention prior informed consent (PIC) procedure as a controlled waste. Interviews with companies highlighted that to date some countries lack the capacity to efficiently review and process PIC notifications. In many cases documents are still in paper format causing long delays in shipments.

It aims to help governments in developing and least developed countries implement the World Trade Organizations Trade Facilitation Agreement by bringing together governments and businesses to identify opportunities to address delays and unnecessary red-tape at borders.

For example, in Colombia, the Alliance worked with the National Food and Drug Surveillance Institute and business to introduce a risk management system that can facilitate trade while protecting public health, cutting the average rate of physical inspections of food and beverages by 30% and delivering $8.8 million in savings for importers in the first 18 months of operation.

So, what role can trade policy and capacity building play in tackling these challenges? Our community put forward ideas for further exploration in three areas, complemented by regulatory cooperation:

Efforts can be made to refine the Harmonized System (HS) classifications, an international classification for traded goods, which does not yet distinguish between hard- and easy-to-recycle plastic waste, nor between virgin and recycled plastics. Doing so could help ensure traded waste for circular economy objectives is more easily identified and policies adapted. The Basel Convention secretariat is drafting proposed amendments in this space.[KB1]

For example, trade in easy-to-recycle plastics could be encouraged by placing lower tariffs on these specific kinds of plastics. Countries could equally ban exports of plastic types that are restricted domestically to avoid the dumping of lower-quality materials in foreign markets.

Links could be made between capacity building around the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and digitising the PIC procedure. Countries have shown some appetite to move to electronic and automated notification for PIC requirements, but it is important to avoid running electronic and paper systems simultaneously.

Work could also be undertaken between countries and companies to pinpoint the weak points in the system that are driving illegal trade for plastic waste dumping. The Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) will be taking a close look at how we can facilitate this type of collaboration as a platform for key industry-leaders and decision-makers.

3 ideas for further exploration of regulatory cooperation

Some policies operate away from the border but nonetheless have an impact on trade flows and investment decisions. Trade commitments can be used to enable foreign services providers to offer recycling services within a market and grant them the same treatment as national players to create competition. Work could be done on facilitating investment, including financial or regulatory incentives for production and consumption of recycled plastics.

The agreement of international standards in related areas can be promoted through trade policy as a guide for domestic regulatory initiatives to avoid arbitrary discrimination and promote convergence.

Transparency on domestic measures is critical for business to engage in trade and develop cross-border markets. Countries could agree, whether at a global level through the WTO or elsewhere, to share information on trade-related measures and sustainability standards relevant to plastic production, waste and recycling.

Data sharing on recycling rates as well as monitoring and analysis of trends in global recycled plastic production would also be helpful. Similarly, there is a need for improved trade and cross-border flows of plastics and plastic waste at a sufficiently disaggregated level (facilitated by a refined HS classification system).

Internal measures such as investment facilitation could stimulate advancements in the circular plastics economy. Creating a regulatory environment that increases transparency, consistency, and lowers risk will encourage investments in both developing and advanced economies and will support procurement of resources for more robust internal waste management facilities.

Increased transparency by means of data collection and monitoring is key an area of focus for GPAP.

Creating publicly accessible digital systems on cross-border plastics flows will allow governments to better tackle illicit activity and provide more accurate statistics on plastics recovery and recycling rates.

Governments can use a range of different trade instruments to advance these ideas. At a global level, some WTO members have shown interest in launching a new initiative, while free trade agreements (FTAs) are another option. Regulatory cooperation whether on standards, rules on materials treatment or on chemical governance will also be critical. Trade policy can support a scale up of the circular economy for plastics both upstream and downstream these opportunities should be seized to reset the global economy for sustainable development.

What’s on the Ballot: Commissioner of Public Lands – Auburn Examiner

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Election Day is now just four sleeps away. It is recommended that voters mail their ballots in by the Friday before election Day to ensure it is properly postmarked. Ballot boxes are conveniently located throughout King and Pierce County for those who prefer this option. Remember, keep your stamp the states got ya on this.

Dont forget Pierce County residents, your ballot drop boxes are located in Sumner and Bonney Lake. Avoid the last-minute rush on Tuesday and get your ballot in now!

Ballotopia describes this position as an elected state official that oversees the Washington Department of Natural Resources, which is responsible for environmental protection in the state.

This is a 4-year term statewide position.

Candidates submit their statements to the state for the voters guide. Neither the Office of the Secretary of State or Auburn Examiner make corrections or verify statements for truth or fact. A candidates preference does not imply that the candidate is nominated or endorsed by the party, or that the party approves of or associates with that candidate.

Elected ExperiencePlanning Commissioner Grand Coulee

Other Professional Experience30 years experience in Property and Land Development, Hotel Management, Property Management, Green Thumb.

EducationBS in CS, Real estate Broker

Community ServiceIve never been to jail

StatementI like environmental protection. I dont like fires. Lets work together to clean up the environment and stop fires. President Trump says we need to rake our forests to clean up debris that exacerbates fires and thats where I intend to start. Please Vote for me, Cameron Whitney.

Contact321 MEAD AVEGRAND COULEE, WA 99133Candidate Contributions

Steve Sharon(Prefers Republican Party)

Elected Experience2012 Commissioner of Public Lands Candidate (I). Garnered 92,000 votes which is the most ever by and Independent running for Washington state executive office. Represented swing vote in general election. Was asked for endorsement by both remaining candidates to general election.

Other Professional ExperienceSuccessful sales career for 3 different Fortune 500 companies.

EducationB.A Business Administration University of Washington 1989. Disciple of Jesus Christ. Favorite authors: David Icke, Thomas Aquinas, Mark Twain.

Community ServiceVolunteered 200+hours/year for New Horizons Ministries 1993-2006. Volunteered 200 hours/year Seattle Symphony Chorale 1994-1997.

StatementIn the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. If elected, I will direct an independent, state funded study of the effects of 5G cell-phone towers upon living things. My research indicates that this radiation is killing trees, birds, honey bees, human life.

I will deconstruct 4 Hydro-electric dams in the Columbia River. This will allow salmon to return to their natural habitat eliminating the need for unhealthy salmon farms and saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

I will stand with Washington farmers against the radical policies of the EPA. I will allow livestock grazing on state land. I will allow sportfishing year-round. I will stop chemtrails in Washington state. I am against Bio-mass use for electricity. I am against the use of wind power. I am against coal trains. I am against massive solar power energy farms. I am against the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, eugenics, Satan, New World Order. I will end clear-cutting of timber, and allow only selective timber cultivation. I am against off-shore oil drilling. I believe public lands should remain public and should not be sold. I am against the Green New Deal.

Contact(425) 922-9090[emailprotected]PO BOX #16531SEATTLE, WA 98116Candidate WebsiteCampaign Contributions

Elected ExperienceCommissioner of Public Lands 2017-present; Bainbridge Island City Council 2008-2011; served on Puget Sound Transportation Futures Task Force; Puget Sound Regional Council Economic Development Board; and Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council.

Other Professional ExperienceNonprofit Executive Director 2011-2015, developing solutions to statewide natural resource and economic development issues; Attorney, representing communities, local governments, tribes, unions, and nonprofits on agriculture, forests, fish and wildlife, aquatics, and labor issues.

EducationJD, Northeastern University; BA, Smith College.

Community ServiceFormer board member of Conservation Northwest and Washington Environmental Council.

StatementHilary Franz is proud to serve as Commissioner of Public Lands. She is relentless in creating bold, transformational change. As the leader of Washingtons wildfire fighting force, Hilary pushed for new strategies to reach fires quickly and keep them small. She then secured record-setting funding for our wildland firefighters.

Hilary is a defender of our public lands. When the federal government tried to open our waters to offshore drilling, Hilary refused to allow drilling equipment to cross our coastline. In the face of climate change, Hilary is prioritizing wind and solar power and making investments to save our forests.

Hilary leads by bridging divides and bringing people together. Shes earned high marks from leaders across the state, including from conservative leaders in rural Washington, whove praised her willingness to solve local issues, increase funding for schools, invest in rural economic development, and tackle our forest health crisis.

Hilarys Washington roots run deep, from her grandparents cattle ranch in Pierce County to raising her three boys on a farm on Bainbridge Island. Endorsed by the Washington State Labor Council, National Womens Political Caucus, Washington Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Washington Education Association, and Democratic and Republican leaders across Washington.

Contact(206) 682-7328[emailprotected]401 2ND AVE S STE 303SEATTLE, WA 98104Candidate WebsiteCampaign Contributions

Elected ExperienceThis would be my first elected position.

Other Professional Experience15+ years in the restaurant and retail industry.

EducationGraduated from Green River Community College, studying biology, chemistry and environmental science. Pursuing a degree in Agriculture Education with an emphasis on sustainability and ecology.

Community ServiceVolunteering through my daughters school, helping with the local river restoration and clean-up efforts to local parks.

StatementThese days, partisan politicians have become overbearing and lost the original purpose of this countrys core mission statement: To promote the liberty, freedom, and the ability to pursue happiness for the American public.

I, Kelsey Reyes, will ensure partisan politics has no place in our public lands and that we will continue to push for environmentally-backed reform that isnt based on personal feelings or corporate desires but rather objectively with science. It is time to remind our citizens that they hold the power in our nation. Elected officials should be honored to represent you and work for you, but understand that they do not rule over you nor should they act without taking accountability for their actions.

As such, as your Public Land Commissioner, I will place the needs of the environment and the people, above the needs of the State, political parties, corporations, and lobbyists. This nation is founded by the people, and its land is owned by we the people. The condition and health of how we leave the lands for the next generation is my upmost important role when I am elected as your next Public Lands Commissioner.

Contact(253) 267-3982[emailprotected]27177 185TH AVE SE STE 111-229COVINGTON, WA 98042Candidate WebsiteCampaign Contributions

Elected ExperienceNo Information Submitted

Other Professional ExperienceNo Information Submitted

EducationNo Information Submitted

Community ServiceNo Information Submitted

StatementNo Information Submitted

Contact10306 MERIDIAN AVENUE NORTH APT #401SEATTLE, WA 98133Campaign Contributions

Elected ExperienceFormer Chair, Grays Harbor Republican Party

Other Professional ExperienceFisheries Biologist, UW, NOAA Fisheries, Army Corps of Engineers (WA, OR, AK), WA Dept Fish and Wildlife, King County DNR. Power Manager, Grays Harbor PUD; Senior Power Analyst, Seattle City Light; Senior Environmental Analyst, Seattle City Light; Research Scientist/Publications Manager, BioSonics, Inc.

EducationMasters Degree in Public Administration, University of Washington; Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology (minors in Chemistry and German), Western Washington University.

Community ServiceBoard Member, Small Faces Child Development Center; Board Member, Ghana Together; Board Member, Commencement Bay Rowing Club (youth program).

StatementOur public lands have been ravaged by natural disasters including tree infestations and forest fires. Theyve also been damaged by a political disaster: state managers that have focused on serving special interest groups instead of providing for taxpayers, school districts, and outdoor recreational enthusiasts.

No more policy-by-press-conference, or angling for higher political office. Its time for new leadership. Sue is running to bring that new leadership to DNR, the agency responsible for managing our states 3 million acres of trust land.

Informed by a lifetime of managing natural resources, Sue will work to ensure that Washingtons working forests continue to provide a steady, reliable stream of income for our public schools. Well do this by adopting proven forest management techniques that reduce disease and excess fuel loads in our forests, which accelerate devastating forest fires. Sue will use her experience as a UW and NOAA fisheries and habitat biologist to strike the right balance between protecting wildlife and protecting Washingtons forest economy.

Raised in rural Washington, Sue has a distinguished career in natural resource management, including service as a regulatory liaison for a major hydropower construction project. She has raised two adult children and survived breast cancer.

Contact[emailprotected]PO BOX 98359LAKEWOOD, WA 98496Candidate WebsiteCampaign Contributions

Elected ExperiencePCO(MLT001), Snohomish County 2019/2020; Various Offices, College

Other Professional ExperienceComputer Technician, DCCi; Industrial Hygiene Technician, Former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant; Environmental Science Technician, FGDP; Data Management Intern, FGDP; Phi Mu Delta (Mu Rho Chapter) Charter Member; Union Member (IWW IU640)

EducationBachelor of Science degree in Natural Science w/ concentration in Geology & Associate of Science in General Mathematics from Shawnee State University; Various OTJ Training (eg OSHA HAZWOPER)

Community ServiceOur Revolution Washington Berniecrats Coalition Data Manager; People for Democratic Party Reform Communications Chair; Washington Progressive Caucus Member; Whole Washington Volunteer; Sea Salvage

StatementMy deepest concern is the selling of our state to the highest bidder. Amazon and Weyehauser will not buy me and I will not give up on the people of Washington. If we heal our politics, we can heal the PNW. We have to look deeper into the relationship our policies have on land use and the laws of nature in order to heal the land, sea, and animals.

The land cannot speak for itself, the animals are being ignored, and many people of our state are forgotten. I would like to give all a voice, even if they are not Democrats. Our indigenous brothers and sisters have been mistreated since European explorers first set foot on this land. I intend on giving them their autonomy back and helping them to restore the land, water, and wildlife of this state.

Part of healing the land is healing our economy. Restoration ecology and permaculture are vital to the survival of the PNW. I believe in the GND and that organic hemp farming is a way to create living wage jobs for our people and end our addiction to petroleum and clear cutting.

(425) 285-7927

The Auburn Examiner encourages voters to do additional, independent, candidate research before casting their vote. Information on candidates can be obtained through interviews and profiles (local news outlets are usually a great source), questionnaires, candidate forums and debates, and any available voting records. A variety of websites also provide further details and information about candidates. We urge all voters to verify the authenticity of any website, and information used to inform their voting decisions. Always remember: trust, but verify.

July 27:LAST DAY for online and mail voter registration and updates!Thesemustbe received 8 days before Election Day. You are still able to register to vote and update your voter registration in person during business hours and any time before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.July 31: Unofficial, it is recommended that if mailing in your ballot, you return it by the Friday before Election Day to ensure it is postmarked by Election Day.August 4:Deadline for in-person voter registration and updates (up to 8:00 pm).August 4:Primary Returned ballots must be postmarked or deposit your ballot in an official drop boxby 8 pmon Election Day.

Dont panic if you miss the deadline to register to vote online. You can still register in person up until 8:00 pm on election day.If you have not yet received your ballot, contact your county (King or Pierce) elections department ASAP. Remember,voters do not have to declare a party affiliation to vote in the primary.

The Auburn Examiner does not endorse any candidate, party, or ballot measures.We endorse voting, plain and simple.

Like Loading...

Sunburn The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics 7.31.20 – Florida Politics

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Tropical Storm Isaias heads toward the East Coast; Hurricane warnings in the Bahamas via John Bernier of WRIC Tropical Storm Isaias is crossing the Dominican Republic this afternoon headed toward the North shore this evening. As of this afternoon around 8 p.m., it was located 14 miles WNW of Puerto Plataana in the Dominican Republic. Top winds are 60 miles an hour. Its still moving very rapidly to the northwest at 20 miles an hour. Currently, were looking at a track for the storm that will take it from a strong tropical storm to a minimal hurricane along the eastern coast of the United States just offshore through the weekend. As we head into Saturday, it will be over the Bahamas and approaching the southeastern portions of Florida. Then it will move up parallel to the coastline start to curve to the northeast.

Heads up, Tropical Storm Isaias is barreling toward Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis warns of impacts from Isaias via News Service of Florida With Tropical Storm Isaias expected to reach hurricane strength, DeSantis warned of impacts to Florida this weekend even if the growing system remains offshore. A tropical storm watch was issued along Floridas East Coast between Ocean Reef and the Sebastian Inlet. The system was bringing heavy rains and maximum sustained winds near 60 mph to Hispaniola Thursday. Isaias is the earliest storm to begin with an I on record, besting Hurricane Irene, which formed August 7, 2005. The 2005 season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record.

___

Theres a new way to get your Florida Politics fix: The Spectrum News App.

Spectrum Networks new app allows viewers to check weather forecasts, browse local news and tune into livestreams of its networks across the country. It also puts the best of the best in print news from entertainment to business at users fingertips.

Internet and mobile customers are the fastest-growing segments of Spectrums customer base, and our viewers are consuming news online more now than ever before, said Spectrum Networks Executive Vice President Mike Bair. The Spectrum News App is the first content product available to all 28 million residential Spectrum customers, adding significant value to our existing local services, but particularly our internet-only customers who could not previously access our news reporting.

Spectrum Networks has partnered with news outlets small and large, mainstream and niche to ensure users get comprehensive coverage from a diverse mix of voices.

For statewide political news, Spectrum is turning to Florida Politics.

When Spectrum Networks needed Florida state political and policy reporting for their newly launched news app, they turned to Florida Politics.

We know that local journalism is vital to the communities we serve. From political coverage of press briefings, local debates and elections, to public affairs programming and community news that is relevant to local residents, our networks serve as a valuable resource, especially during times of crisis, Bair continued.

The Spectrum News App is available on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Access is free for everyone for the first 30 days, and after the trial period, will be available to all authenticated Spectrum residential video, internet and mobile customers at no additional charge.

___

Another poll, another sign of flagging support for DeSantis.

According to a Mason-Dixon Polling survey released Friday, the Governors overall job approval rating has slipped into the negative.

The poll, conducted July 20-23, found Florida voters disapprove of the job DeSantis is doing by a 49-44% margin.

The minus-5 approval rating represents a monumental shift since March, when three-fifths of voters approved of his job performance and less than a quarter were unsatisfied.

The poll shows an across the board drop for DeSantis.

Over the past four months, hes lost the support of about 11% of Republicans, 17% of independents and 24% of Democrats. Men, women, Black and Hispanic voters also fled by double digits.

In no corner of the state did his numbers avoid a slashing hes down 18 points in Central Florida, 19 points in Tampa Bay and a whopping 23 points in South Florida.

There are no bright spots in the crosstabs, just some slightly less gloomy ones.

A majority of voters in North and Southwest Florida both Republican strongholds are still keen on him, though hes lost 9 points in the former and 12 in the latter.

DeSantis is still in positive territory among White voters though he is now supported by a slim plurality rather than a firm majority.

The over 50 crowd are the only demographic bloc where he still enjoys majority support, 51-45%. Hes at minus-17 among younger voters, however.

The Mason-Dixon Poll surveyed 625 Florida voters by telephone. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

___

A new poll conducted by Clarity Campaign Labs found Floridians are souring on DeSantis, with 53% of voters disapproving of how hes handled the pandemic-induced unemployment crisis while just 41% approve.

His stature was lowest among Democrats, four-fifths of whom say DeSantis has fallen short. A majority of independents (53%) agree. Only Republicans are in the GOP Governors corner, though by a lower-than-usual 69-24% margin.

The coronavirus crisis has crippled Floridas tourism and service-based economy, forcing a staggering number of people to file for unemployment. Floridians are finding out firsthand that when it matters most Floridas leaders are failing them, Progress Florida executive director Mark Ferrulo said in a release highlighting the poll.

The poll also found Floridians support extending supplementary federal unemployment benefits by a 53-41% margin. Additionally, three-fifths of respondents believe containing the virus is more important than reopening the economy. About a third say the inverse.

Clarity Campaign Labs polled 2,039 likely voters online from July 6-13. Results were weighted to reflect a demographically and geographically representative statewide 2020 electorate.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

@RealDonaldTrump: With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???

@NoahPransky: The real goal of this tweet? To get national media talking about this nonsensical debate instead of the new report of a 33% crash in our nations GDP in the 2Q.

@BarackObama: John believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage and a longing to do whats right. We are so lucky to have had him show us the way. I offered some thoughts today on his life and how, like him, we can give it all we have.

Tweet, tweet:

@Kriseman: The most densely populated county in Florida, Pinellas, has one of the lowest COVID-19 positive rates over the past week (6.8%). Only Alachua, Brevard, Calhoun & Franklin are lower. This isnt a time to celebrate or relax. It means what were doing, what youre doing, is working

@GGreenwald: Ive been hearing this for 15 years ever since bloggers built a large enough audience to force journalists, for the first time, to hear public critiques. Professions are strengthened, not weakened, when they hear public criticisms. You just have to see the public as not-trash.

@Sache: Saw that Tim Allen was trending this morning. Clicked on topic to find out why only to discover a bunch of tweets asking why Tim Allen was trending. So, Twitter is finally eating itself, apparently.

DAYS UNTIL

NHL resumes 1; Florida primaries for 2020 state legislative/congressional races 18; Florida Bar exams begin online (rescheduled) 19; Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee begins 19; Regal Cinemas reopen in U.S. 21; Indy 500 rescheduled 23; Republican National Convention begins in Charlotte 24; NBA draft lottery 25; Rev.Al Sharptons D.C. March 28; U.S. Open begins 31;Christopher Nolans Temet rescheduled premiere in U.S. 34; Rescheduled running of the Kentucky Derby 36; Rescheduled date for French Open 51; First presidential debate in Indiana 60; Wonder Woman premieres 63; Preakness Stakes rescheduled 64; First vice presidential debate at the University of Utah 67;Ashley Moodys 2020 Human Trafficking Summit 67; NBA season ends (last possible date) 73; Second presidential debate scheduled at Miami 76; NBA draft 77;Wes Andersons The French Dispatch premieres 77; NBA free agency 80; Third presidential debate at Belmont 83; 2020 General Election 95; BlackWidow premieres 99; NBA 2020-21 training camp 101; Florida Automated Vehicles Summit 112; No Time to Die premieres 112; NBA 2020-21 opening night 123; Super Bowl LV in Tampa 191; A Quiet Place Part II rescheduled premiere 203; Top Gun: Maverick rescheduled premiere 336; New start date for 2021 Olympics 357; Jungle Cruise premieres 365; Spider-Man Far From Home sequel premieres 462; Thor: Love and Thunder premieres 560; Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres 602; Black Panther 2 premieres 644; Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel premieres 798.

CORONA FLORIDA

Florida breaks single-day record for coronavirus deaths for 3rd straight day with more than 250 via Tony Pipitone of NBC Miami Floridas coronavirus-related deaths increased by a record of 253 residents Thursday, the third day in a row the state set a single-day record for virus-related deaths. The 253 deaths come a day after the state confirmed 216 COVID-related deaths on Wednesday. Florida reported 186 deaths on Tuesday. Only 18 of the 253 newly confirmed deaths occurred Wednesday. Just over half occurred a week ago or earlier, as reporting is delayed while the state confirms the deaths are COVID-19-related. As those deaths are confirmed by date it is clear just how deadly July has become, with 42% of the resident deaths occurring during the month so far.

Florida breaks another record for the most COVID-19 deaths in a single day more than 250. Image via Getty.

At least 54 hospitals have reached ICU capacity in Florida via CNN At least 54 hospitals have reached capacity in their intensive care units and show zero ICU beds available, according to data released by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Ten of the hospitals at capacity are in Miami-Dade County, and eight of them are in Broward County, AHCA data shows. Another 44 hospitals have 10% or less ICU capacity available, according to AHCA. AHCA reports about 16% ICU beds are available across the State of Florida.

Virus testing turnaround times reveal wide disparity via Tamara Lush of the Associated Press Cameron Settles was swabbed for COVID-19 in mid-June at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and it took him eight days to get the results. He was positive, and so his wife went to the convention center for her own test. It took four days to receive her results, and they were negative. The entire process, the couple said, was frustrating. As coronavirus cases surge in hard-hit Florida, so do the turnaround times for test results. But there is one place in Central Florida where a group of people are being tested and getting results within a day: the NBA.

COVID-19 cases, deaths continue to climb in prisons via News Service of Florida Three more Florida inmates have died from complications of COVID-19, bringing the total number of prisoner deaths to 49, according to data released by the state Department of Corrections. The inmate death toll has doubled since June 30, when 24 inmate deaths were recorded. July has proved to be the deadliest month in Floridas prison system since the start of the pandemic, with 25 inmates dying since July 1. By comparison, nine inmates died in June. As of mid-Thursday, 9,501 inmates and corrections workers had tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. As of Thursday, corrections and health officials have conducted 45,781 tests on inmates, including 7,875 prisoners who have tested positive.

Youth infections in juvenile system top 300 via News Service of Florida More than 300 youths in juvenile-justice facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, as the number of cases in the state system continues to steadily increase. As of Thursday afternoon, 306 youths had tested positive, up from 290 on Tuesday, according to information from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Also, 235 workers at juvenile-justice facilities had tested positive, up from 221 on Tuesday. Overall, 101 of the 235 workers who had tested positive have been medically cleared to return to their jobs. The department has taken a series of steps, including suspending visitation at the facilities, to try to prevent the spread of the disease.

Record-high numbers of COVID-19 deaths wont end soon, experts say via Naseem S. Miller of the Orlando Sentinel For the third straight day, a record number of COVID-19 deaths were reported Thursday in Florida, and public health officials say they dont expect that to change any time soon. The seven-day average number of deaths continues its upward trend and will continue to do so in the coming weeks, say experts who have long cautioned that deaths would lag behind the spike in cases. The new deaths today would not trigger me to say that theres an emergency today that wasnt there before. I do think this is a snapshot of what happened a month ago, said Dr. Robert Cook, professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida.

FEMA: Florida veterans hospitals can admit nonveterans during pandemic via Ileana Najarro of the Tampa Bay Times Florida veterans hospitals are able to admit non-veteran patients if requested by the Florida Department of Health to assist community hospitals in treating patients with or without the coronavirus, according to Mary Kay Rutan, a spokeswoman for the Veterans Affairs network that oversees medical facilities in Florida. As of Thursday, there have been no requests for this assistance, Rutan added. Its the second mission assignment for Florida veterans hospitals from the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the pandemic.

Florida pair arrested for breaking COVID-19 quarantine order via Bobby Caina Calvan of the Associated Press Jose Freire Interianwas walking his dog near his Key West home when a neighbor began recording him on her cellphone. Hours later, police came knocking on his door with an arrest warrant and whisked Freire and his wife to the county jail. The charge: violating quarantine after testing positive forCOVID-19. As a national debate swirls over masks and self-quarantines, communities are grappling over how aggressively they should enforce myriad rules meant to control the spread of the novel strain of coronavirus, which has now infected more than 460,000 in Florida and killed nearly 6,600 of its residents.

BACK TO SCHOOL?

Children may carry coronavirus at high levels, study finds via Apoorva Mandavilli of The New York Times Infected children have at least as much of the coronavirus in their noses and throats as infected adults, according to the research. Indeed, children younger than age 5 may host up to 100 times as much of the virus in the upper respiratory tract as adults, the authors found. That measurement does not necessarily prove children are passing the virus to others. Still, the findings should influence the debate over reopening schools, several experts said. The school situation is so complicated there are many nuances beyond just the scientific one, said Dr. Taylor Heald-Sargent, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago, who led the study, published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Open schools are the exception, not the rule, around the world via Ryan Heath of POLITICO President Donald Trump often cites examples from Europe as evidence American schools can reopen in-person this fall despite COVID-19, but he fails to mention one thing: They are the exception, not the rule. Only a few countries have opened schools nationwide in the manner the Trump administration is pushing. They include Norway, France and New Zealand, as well as Nicaragua, Taiwan and Vietnam. On the other hand, 143 countries have instituted country-wide closures. Countries with open schools tend to fall into two categories. Some took swift action against the pandemic in January to minimize disruption. Others were less proactive in the fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, but they prioritized education in their recovery plan, coordinated by the top levels of government. The United States did neither.

Students wearing masks attend a class in Dinh Cong secondary school in Hanoi, Vietnam. In Vietnam, schools closed in late January and remained closed until May. Image via AP.

How to stop magical thinking in school reopening plans via Valerie Strauss of The Washington Post The 2020-2021 school year is almost upon us, yet many districts around the country still dont know when or how they plan to do it. And even some of those that do know when they are opening havent completed plans to improve remote learning (some have barely started) so that students will have a better experience than they did in the spring, when schools everywhere shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the author of this post writes, there are magical things in some of the plans being offered, recommendations by experts for measures that he says arent really possible. Can classes really be held outdoors or in empty spaces repurposed for school? Can students really stay six feet away from one another? Are teachers being asked to do and risk too much?

As pandemic continues, Richard Corcoran will send his kids to brick-and-mortar schools via Danielle Brown of the Florida Phoenix Corcoran revealed that his six children would be going back to school in the upcoming academic year, opting for traditional classroom experience and in-person instruction rather than an online learning program. Corcorans words are significant as hundreds of thousands of families make one of the most important decisions of their lives as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the new school year looms. Every parent wrestles with what are the risk of not sending my kids to school? versus what are the risk of sending my kids? Corcoran said in a roundtable discussion on education.

Broward County Schools planning to start classes fully online via Colleen Wright of the Miami Herald Even with half the number of cases as Miami-Dade, Broward County Public Schools has already called it. The second-largest school district in the state will start the school year Aug. 19 fully online. Theres a lot of work that needs to be done at a community level for us to safely return, said Superintendent Robert Runcie, who said data showed how unlikely infection rates would drop below 5% by the start of school. Our teachers need to prepare and our parents need to plan. The sooner we can do that the better. Runcie said the school district spent the entire summer getting ready for this worst-case scenario.

Orange County School Board can decide when to reopen local campuses, state says via Leslie Postal of the Orlando Sentinel The Orange County School Board can decide when to reopen public schools and does not need a waiver from the state to do that, an attorney for the Florida Department of Education said in a letter Thursday that seemed to contradict the states school reopening order. The decision to open or close a traditional public school in Orange County rests with the School Board of Orange County. As a result, the waiver you have requested is unnecessary, read the letter from attorney David Wells. The Orange School Board and Superintendent Barbara Jenkins, like their counterparts across the state, had interpreted Floridas order as one that left them little room to make local decisions.

Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins: A court ruled that the district can determine whether schools will reopen. Image via I4 Business Magazine.

Orange County teachers sue over school reopening plan via Andrew Atterbury of POLITICO Florida The lawsuit was filed by the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, which represents 14,000 educators in Floridas fourth-largest school district. It asks for a delay in opening and demands that school officials turn over critical information about summer COVID-19 outbreaks. The legal action comes as national union leaders warn of possible teacher strikes and on the heels of a lawsuit filed by Floridas largest teachers union against the state. And it was filed as the coronavirus death toll mounts. Since the district leadership has shown they will not stand up for the health and safety of our community, we have no choice but to challenge their illegal actions in court, Orange County union President Wendy Doromal told reporters.

Heading back to Catholic school? Sign a waiver, St. Petersburg diocese says. via Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times As students prepare to return to classes, the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg stands ready to greet them at its schoolhouse doors. Were going to do everything we can to keep the children safe when they come to school, said Chris Pastura, superintendent of schools for the diocese. But the system cannot make blanket guarantees that everyone will be protected from the effects of COVID-19, Pastura acknowledged. So on Monday, it sent a letter to the parents of its nearly 13,000 students asking, among other things, that they sign a waiver of liability for the diocese if their children become ill because of the virus. At least one mom was outraged by what she called the death release.

CORONA LOCAL

South Florida prison tallies most inmate COVID-19 deaths among Florida facilities via Samantha J. Gross of the Miami Herald A South Florida prison Thursday emerged as the deadliest COVID-19 facility in the states prison system. The state reported nine COVID-19 deaths among inmates at the South Florida Reception Center, a mixed youth and adult mens facility in Doral, near Miami. The total number of inmates who have died of the highly contagious respiratory disease rose from 46 to 49 overnight, according to the Department of Corrections data. Two of the new deaths announced were inmates at the South Florida Reception Center. The South Florida prison, which holds 1,100 inmates, has 132 infected inmates. By that count, 7% of those infected with COVID-19 have died. The facilitys death toll has surpassed Blackwater Correctional Facility near Pensacola, which has reported seven COVID-19 related deaths.

Coronavirus did not kill Wellington-area nurse who worked on pandemics front lines, autopsy report says via Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post When Wellington-area nurse Danielle DiCenso passed away in April after working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, her grieving family was convinced she was another casualty of COVID-19. But DiCenso, who at the time appeared to be the youngest early coronavirus victim in Palm Beach County, did not die from the deadly respiratory disease, an autopsy released Tuesday by the Palm Beach County medical examiner said. The 33-year-old mother died April 9 from complications of acute pyelonephritis, a bacterial infection in the kidney, according to autopsy records. The findings came as a surprise to her ex-husband, David DiCenso, who said Danielle was convinced that shed contracted COVID-19 while working in the intensive care unit at Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah.

MORE LOCAL

Three more Florida State Hospital patients with COVID-19 dead via Nada Hassanein of the Tallahassee Democrat Four Florida State Hospital patients have died after having COVID-19, according to the District 2 Medical Examiners office. The coroners report names three of those patients: Arthur Hayes and Robert Coles, both of whom died Wednesday and Fabian Pettiford, who died Sunday. The Department of Children and Families, which runs the Chattahoochee-based mental-health facility, released a statement from Secretary Chad Poppell. Poppell ordered mandatory testing for both staff and residents at the hospital, adding that the mandatory testing began Sunday, the day Pettiford died. His death was the first known death related to the facility.

More Florida State Hospital patients are dying of COVID-19. Image via Tallahassee Daily Photo.

Escambia County records 18 COVID-19 deaths in last five days via the Pensacola News Journal The deaths of four more Escambia County residents were reported Thursday, pushing the total since the pandemic began to 98. The county has recorded a staggering 18 deaths in the last five days, which correlates with the rising number of deaths in the state of Florida. Florida has set a record each of the last three days for the number of COVID-19-related deaths, recording 259 deaths Thursday. The Escambia County deaths included a 60-year-old man, an 81-year-old man, a 61-year-old woman and an 84-year-old woman. Santa Rosa County recorded three deaths this week and no new deaths Thursday. To date, 22 people have died in Santa Rosa County.

6 Niceville firefighters test positive for COVID-19 via Erin Franczak of the NWF Daily News

Sarasota Memorial Hospital expands COVID-19 antibody trial via the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Sarasota Memorial Hospital is expanding community access to a multinational clinical trial that is testing a new dual-action antibody cocktail to treat COVID-19. Two weeks ago,SMH became the first hospital in Floridato enroll hospitalized patients in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals experimental treatment (REGN-COV2) for COVID-19. This week, SMH opened the trial to people who have been infected with the novel coronavirus but arent sick enough to be hospitalized, the hospital said in a news release. In the past two weeks, SMH has enrolled 19 hospitalized patients, and enrolled its first outpatient on Monday.

Tropical Storm Isaias is shifting east. COVID-19 testing may remain open in Manatee via Ryan Callihan of the Bradenton Herald Florida officials are reconsidering their decision to close local COVID-19 testing sites in Manatee County after a favorable shift to the east for Tropical Storm Isaias forecast track. After strengthening overnight, forecasts show the storm traveling through the Hispaniola region before heading to Floridas East Coast, instead of the Gulf of Mexico as originally expected. The state expects to decide on coronavirus testing around 5 p.m. Thursday. In a presentation to the Manatee Board of County Commissioners Thursday afternoon, Public Safety Director Jake Saur said his department is also declining to request a local state of emergency because of the storm.

FSU sends letter preparing boosters for reduced stadium capacity for 2020 football season via Wayne McGahee III of the Tallahassee Democrat Florida State sent a letter to boosters and season ticket holders with details pertaining to the 2020 college football season. FSU stated that attendance for the home games this season will likely be limited and could be as low as 25% of the stadiums overall capacity. Season ticket holders may also not have their normal seats due to social distancing practices that will be implemented in the stadium. Doak Campbell Stadiums capacity is listed at 79,560. A reduced capacity to 25% would be 19,890. FSU has currently sold just over 20,000 season tickets. FSU also stated that ticket and parking assignments for 2020 will roll over to 2021 regardless of how the ticketing changes this year.

Florida-FSU series shelved as SEC football adopts conference-only, 10-game schedule via Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times When the ACC announced its updated football schedule, it included one nonconference game to preserve in-state, nonconference rivalries like Florida-Florida State. That protection lasted all of 24 hours. The SEC shelved the series when it announced it was abandoning its entire nonconference schedule, instead opting for 10 league-only games because of the coronavirus pandemic. Most importantly for now in the Sunshine State, it ices the fierce rivalry between the Seminoles and Gators a series that needed help from the state government to launch but has been played annually since 1958.

UCF football may get schedule boost following SEC decision via Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel UCFs football scheduling challenges may ease a bit after the SEC announced it is moving forward with a conference-only schedule this fall. The decision wipes away a handful of rivalry games between SEC and ACC teams, including Florida versus Florida State, Georgia versus Georgia Tech, Clemson versus South Carolina and Louisville versus Kentucky. The SEC decision opens the door for UCF as an attractive option for both North Carolina and Georgia Tech. The American Athletic Conference isnt expected to make a decision on the fall until next week.

Volusia residents masking up, avoiding fines via Eileen Zaffiro-Kean of The Daytona Beach News-Journal Whatever the motivation for wearing face masks, the majority of people in at least a few Volusia County cities are complying with indoor face-covering mandates, area officials say. Not a single face mask fine has been imposed yet in Daytona Beach, DeLand or Orange City, the only local municipalities that have adopted measures empowering police and code enforcement officers to impose financial penalties for mask violators. Were getting total compliance. Its amazing, said Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri. I think people are really taking this serious. In Ponce Inlet last week, there was a mask-related uproar over a fundraiser for the towns community center that centered on T-shirt sales. The T-shirts said Your Choice Mask It or Casket, and the point was reinforced with the images of a black mask and a black casket.

Hillsborough could consider tougher mask rule via C.T. Bowen of the Tampa Bay Times Hillsborough Commissioner Kimberly Overman wants the county to consider toughening its face mask rules to include wearing the coverings outdoors. Overman made her suggestion at the conclusion of the Emergency Policy Group meeting Thursday afternoon, saying the countys emergency order should align with the recommendation from Dr. Scott Rivkees, Floridas Surgeon General. Rivkees issued an updated recommendation July 20, calling for masks to be worn both indoors and outdoors when social distancing isnt possible and to limit social gatherings to no more than 10 people. The previous recommendation called for limiting group gatherings to 50 people and for masks to be worn in any setting, but did not specify outdoors specifically.

Hillsborough Commissioner Kimberly Overman is urging the county to consider stricter mask rules.

Tampa Bay power companies among first to resume shut-offs via Malena Carollo of the Tampa Bay Times The clock is ticking for Tampa Bay utility customers who havent paid their power bills during the pandemic. Beginning in September, both of Tampa Bays major power companies will resume shut-offs for those who havent paid their bills or made payment arrangements. Their Florida peers havent put a date on when they will resume disconnections. And other areas of the country are putting even wider moratoriums on power shut-offs. Like many businesses, we must now take steps toward resuming our standard billing practices, Tampa Electric said in a letter to customers. Tampa Electric Co. and Duke Energy Florida are the areas two primary power companies. Each will resume shut-offs as early as Sept. 1.

BayCare to close drive-thru coronavirus test sites at the Trop, Gulf High School via Caitlin Johnston of the Tampa Bay Times Friday is the last day to get tested for COVID-19 at Tropicana Field and Gulf High School in Port Richey. BayCare Health Systems, which has operated different drive-thru sites for COVID-19 testing since March, announced it would close the two sites to align resources with community need and further collaborate with government partners, according to a statement. BayCare officials said neither the Mahaffey nor the Trop site have experienced full capacity since both have been operating the past three weeks. They plan to open an additional drive-thru site with closer access for central and north Pinellas residents, but did not share additional details in Thursdays statement.

CORONA NATION

2nd US virus surge hits plateau, but few experts celebrate via Mike Stobbe and Nicky Forster of The Associated Press While deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are mounting rapidly, public health experts are seeing a flicker of good news: The second surge of confirmed cases appears to be leveling off. Scientists arent celebrating by any means, warning that the trend is driven by four big, hard-hit places, Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, and that cases are rising in close to 30 states in all, with the outbreaks center of gravity seemingly shifting from the Sun Belt toward the Midwest. Some experts wonder whether the apparent caseload improvements will endure. Its also not clear when deaths will start coming down. COVID-19 deaths do not move in perfect lockstep with the infection curve, for the simple reason that it can take weeks to get sick and die from the virus. The future? I think its very difficult to predict, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments foremost infectious-disease expert.

Healthcare worker Dante Hills passes paperwork to a woman in a vehicle at a COVID-19 testing site outside of Marlins Park in Miami. Image via AP.

At the heart of dismal U.S. coronavirus response, a fraught relationship with masks via Griff Witte, Ariana Eunjung Cha and Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post The country hit a tipping point on widespread mask use only this month, with a majority of states and the nations largest retailers all mandating them. But the science has long been pointing toward the efficacy of masks even if the guidance from health authorities wasnt. Health officials had made their recommendations based on the flawed assumption that the bulk of transmission was taking place from people with obvious signs of illness. The thinking was that if people with fevers, coughs and other symptoms were to isolate, case counts would remain under control. But it wasnt long before CDC contact tracers began to find evidence of silent spreaders. Many experts backed the anti-mask guidance, arguing they werent sure face coverings would make a significant difference. They were worried masks could make people less disciplined about social distancing.

Young people are infecting older family members in shared homes via Lenny Bernstein of The Washington Post As the death toll escalates in coronavirus hot spots, the evidence is growing that young people who work outside the home, or who surged into bars and restaurants when states relaxed shutdowns, are infecting their more vulnerable elders, especially family members. Front-line caregivers, elected officials, and experts in Houston, South Florida and elsewhere say they are seeing patterns of hospitalization and death that confirm fears this would happen, which were first raised in May and June. That was when Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and other states reopened in efforts to revive their flagging economies. The emerging trend highlights the difficulty of relying on the Trump administrations strategy of sheltering the most vulnerable while the young and healthy return to work and school.

Anthony Fauci to tell House panel unclear how long pandemic lasts via Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Matthew Perrone of the Associated Press Theres no end in sight tothe coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Fauciand other top government health experts will tell Congress. While it remains unclear how long the pandemic will last, COVID-19 activity will likely continue for some time, Fauci. At a time when early progress seems to have been lost and uncertainty clouds the nations path forward, Fauci, the governments top infectious disease expert, is calling on lawmakers and all other Americans to go back to public health basics such associal distancingandwearing masks.

Johnson & Johnsons coronavirus vaccine protects monkeys, study finds via Carl Zimmer of The New York Times An experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson protected monkeys from infection in a new study. It is the second vaccine candidate to show promising results in monkeys this week. The company recently began a clinical trial in Europe and the United States to test its vaccine in people. It is one of more than 30 human trials for coronavirus vaccines underway across the world. But until these trials are complete, which will probably take several months, the monkey data offers the best clues to whether the vaccines will work. This week has been good now we have two vaccines that work in monkeys, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University who was not involved in the studies. Its nice to be upbeat for a change.

Drugmakers race to build COVID-19 vaccine supply chains via Elaine Chen of The Wall Street Journal Pharmaceutical companies that are racing to develop vaccines for the coronavirus are already working behind the scenes to build the supply chains needed to deliver their drugs to billions of people as rapidly as possible. To serve global demand once a vaccine is approved, a complicated and high-stakes supply chain would kick into gear on a scale that the drug industry has rarely seen. The preparations involve lining up raw materials and factory capacity to manufacture a vaccine in large volumes, and the equipment needed to transport many millions of doses at once through distribution channels that will be subject to tight security and temperature controls.

Most voters say theyd rather wait for an effective coronavirus vaccine via Zachary Brennan of POLITICO More than 60% of voters think the U.S. should fully test any coronavirus vaccine even if that delays rolling it out and allows the virus to keep spreading in the meantime. Just 22% of respondents said the government should make a vaccine available as soon as possible, even if it had not been fully tested. Republicans (26%) were slightly more likely than Democrats (21%) to favor getting a vaccine out as quickly as possible. Trump has repeatedly promised that a vaccine will be available by years end, raising fears among researchers and public health experts that his administration will rush to approve a shot without clear evidence that it is safe and effective.

A patient receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19 at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Image via AP.

CORONA ECONOMICS

U.S. suffered worst quarterly contraction on record as virus ravages economy via Ben White of POLITICO The U.S. economy crashed in historic fashion this year, shrinking at a nearly 33% annualized pace in the second quarter, as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged businesses and sent joblessness soaring. The question now for Trump, trailing in the polls and facing a daunting reelection effort, is just how much conditions can snap back in the months leading up to Election Day. At least for the moment, the spike in COVID-19 cases, the potential for fresh trouble this fall and a bitter fight over how to pump more federal money into the ailing economy suggest the sharp bounce-back Trump is counting on may not show up in a way he envisions.

As coronavirus ravages the United States, the nation suffers its worst quarterly contraction on record. Image via AP.

1.43 million filed new state unemployment claims last week. via Nelson D. Schwartz of The Tampa Bay Times The number of Americans filing new claims for state unemployment benefits totaled 1.43 million last week, the Labor Department reported. It was the 19th straight week that the tally exceeded 1 million, an unheard-of figure before the coronavirus pandemic. And it was the second weekly increase in a row after nearly four months of declines, a sign of how the rebound in cases has undercut the economys nascent recovery. Claims for the previous week totaled 1.42 million. New claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the governments program aimed at covering freelancers, the self-employed and other workers not covered by traditional unemployment benefits, totaled 830,000, down from 975,000 the week before.

New filings for unemployment fall in Florida again but continue to climb in the rest of the U.S. via Rob Wile of the Miami Herald The number of Floridians filing for unemployment benefits for the first time fell for the second-straight week. But the figure climbed in the rest of the U.S., suggesting the national economic picture remains grim. For the week ending July 25, Florida workers filed 87,062 new claims for unemployment, down from 108,976 the week prior. Nationally, new claims climbed by 12,000 to 1,434,000. And the insured unemployment rate, or the percentage of workers on unemployment for two-consecutive weeks, hit 11.6%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points the previous weeks rate.

Read the original here:

Sunburn The morning read of what's hot in Florida politics 7.31.20 - Florida Politics

Tech giant IBM partners with Japanese industry on quantum computing – ITResearchBrief.com

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

International Business Machines Corp, the U.S. tech firm has announced its partnership with Japanese industry to promote advancements in the field of quantum computing thereby creating a strong synergy between the two nations in such sensitive and emerging field.

Reportedly, participants of this new group which comprise Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. will secure cloud access to IBMs U.S. quantum computers. Moreover, IBM plans to facilitate the group with another quantum computer range IBM Q System One in Japan during the first half of next year.

For the record, the Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium constitutes Toyota Motor Corp, chemical manufacturers and financial institutions and will be situated at University of Tokyo. It will aim to strengthen the quantum skill base of Japan and enable technological developments in the companies. Apparently, an agreement was signed last year between IBM and University of Tokyo to extend cooperation in the domain of quantum computing which stipulates superseding of present supercomputers by utilizing the properties of sub atomic particles.

Dario Gil, Director, IBM Research has stated that they have an intention to build a quantum industry which involves efforts on a large scale. He also adds that there is a need to recognize the significance of quantum computing as it is a sensitive and highly competitive technology.

Apparently, the partnership proceeds as competition prevails between China and the United States along with its allies to develop quantum technology which could lead to advancements in artificial intelligence, chemistry and material science.

IBM has stated last September that it would introduce a quantum computer in Germany and sign a partnership with an applied research institute there. Further, IBM aims at enhancing its quantum computer by doubling their power every year and hopes to see its system as an operation behind service powering corporations.

Quantum computers depend on superconductivity that can be procured only in temperatures close to absolute zero, making development of viable systems an intimidating technical challenge.

Source credits: https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/ibm-partners-with-japanese-business-academia-in-quantum-computing

Tech giant IBM partners with Japanese industry on quantum computing - ITResearchBrief.com

Ripple CTO: Quantum computers will be a threat to Bitcoin and XRP – Crypto News Flash

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

In a chapter of the Modern CTO podcast, Ripples CTO, David Schwartz, expressed concerns about the development of quantum computers. Ripples CTO believes this technology is a threat to the security of Bitcoin, XRP, and cryptocurrencies. This is primarily because the consensus algorithms behind cryptocurrencies rely on conventional cryptography, as Schwartz stated:

From the point of view of someone who is building systems based on conventional cryptography, quantum computing is a risk. We are not solving problems that need powerful computing like payments and liquidity the work that the computers do is not that incredibly complicated, but because it relies on conventional cryptography, very fast computers present a risk to the security model that we use inside the ledger.

Algorithms like SHA-2 and ECDSA (elliptic curve cryptography) are sort of esoteric things deep in the plumbing but if they were to fail, the whole system would collapse. The systems ability to say who owns Bitcoin or who owns XRP or whether or not a particular transaction is authorized would be compromised().

Ripples CTO said that Ripple is trying to prepare for the emergence of quantum computers. Therefore, they are determining when the algorithms mentioned will no longer be reliable. Ripples CTO estimates that in the next 8-10 years, quantum computers will begin to pose a threat, as Schwartz further stated:

I think we have at least eight years. I have very high confidence that its at least a decade before quantum computing presents a threat, but you never know when there could be a breakthrough. Im a cautious and concerned observer, I would say.

The other fear would be if some bad actor, some foreign government, secretly had quantum computing way ahead of whats known to the public. Depending on your threat model, you could also say what if the NSA has quantum computing. Are you worried about the NSA breaking your payment system?

Despite the above, Ripples CTO made an optimistic conclusion and stated that even if there is a malicious actor with this technology, he will not use it against the average person. Therefore, Schwartz believes that most users have nothing to worry about:

While some people might really be concerned it depends on your threat model, if youre just an average person or an average company, youre probably not going to be a victim of this lets say hypothetically some bad actor had quantum computing that was powerful enough to break things, theyre probably not going to go after you unless you are a target of that type of actor.

As soon as its clear that theres a problem, these systems will probably be frozen until they can be fixed or improved. So, most people dont have to worry about it.

Original post:

Ripple CTO: Quantum computers will be a threat to Bitcoin and XRP - Crypto News Flash

This algorithm could revolutionize disease diagnosis, but we cant use it yet – Digital Trends

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Scientists from the University of Virginia School of Medicine have built an algorithm that may shed crucial light on genetic diseases, as well as help physicians and medical experts to rapidly diagnose them. And it could be a game-changer once someone actually builds a computer powerful enough to run it, that is.

The algorithm in question is one that is designed to analyze genomic data. It can be used to determine whether a test sample comes from a person with a disease or a healthy control and to do this significantly faster than current conventional computers.

[Our] algorithm classifies a person as having a disease or not based on the occurrence of genetic variations in the persons genome, Stefan Bekiranov, associate professor at UVA, told Digital Trends. In principle, it could be applied to predict a patients genetic predisposition to disease as well.

Imagine, for instance, that a middle-aged patient with memory loss goes into a clinic. Their physician and family are worried about possible early-onset Alzheimers disease. The patient has blood drawn, and DNA and RNA are extracted and sequenced. Then they wait. And wait.

Today, this process could take weeks or even months before an answer is reached. But using the new algorithm developed by UVA researchers, the process which involves scanning enormous genomic, cellular databases to make the necessary predictions could be successfully completed in a matter of hours.

So whats the roadblock? After all, the great thing about todays over-the-air updates and constantly tweaked, cloud-based algorithms (Google alone rolls out some 500 to 600 changes to its search algorithm every year) is that they can be deployed rapidly. The problem with the UVA algorithm, however, is that it cant be called into action just yet because the computer thats optimally equipped to run it doesnt yet exist.

Thats because its an algorithm designed for a quantum computer: A class of next-generation supercomputers currently in their relative infancy. Unlike a classical computer, which encodes information as a series of ones and zeroes, quantum computer bits (called qubits) can be either a one, a zero, or both simultaneously. These qubits are composed of subatomic particles, which conform to the rules of quantum, instead of classical, mechanics.

The hope with quantum computers is that they will be able to carry out operations mind-bogglingly quickly. This is because their superposition property (in which quantum particles exist in multiple overlapping states at the same time) allows a quantum computers qubits to take multiple guesses at a time when solving problems. That is far superior to classical computings time-consuming, trial-and-error computations which can take just one guess at a time.

Sure, no one can run it right now, but the wait will be worth it when it finally arrives.

Because of their problem-solving speed, quantum computers could be highly significant for difficult challenges like cryptography and particle physics. In both of these cases, quantum computers promise to help solve enormous computational conundrums in a fraction of the time of their classical counterparts. But this work the first published quantum computer study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and, possibly, the first using a universal quantum computer funded by the National Institutes of Health shows how quantum computers could also prove useful in fields like biochemistry and molecular genetics.

Our study serves as a marker that interest in quantum computing is expanding, even while its still in a nascent stage of development, Bekiranov said.

The UVA algorithm has been tested on IBMs quantum computers. The full algorithm in principle can be run on existing quantum computers. But the problem is that it can only run on a toy problem, not a real one with close to the complexity that would be required in the real world.

Bekiranov noted that there are a number of current roadblocks to the algorithm being used. For starters, the quantum logic gates (the basic quantum circuit that operates on a small number of qubits) do not perform the operations with perfect fidelity, resulting in errors in the measured results and even in the predictions. The number of qubits on even the most powerful quantum computer is also severely stunted at present. This limits the researchers to low genomic resolution. In addition, asking the quantum computer to perform too many gate operations causes the quantum state to decohere in the middle of computation, thereby destroying it.

Finally, Bekiranov said, and this is going to seem crazy, [but] it can take a complex set of gate operations just to input our data into the quantum computer. In fact, depending on the data, it can require so many gates to implement that it can negate the advantage of our quantum algorithm.

While that might seem disappointing, however, he noted that with sufficient steady progress and critical scientific breakthroughs along the way, a quantum computer able to run this properly could be here within a decade. Think of it like building an amazing app for an iPhone that wont ship until 2030. Sure, no one can run it right now, but the wait will be worth it when it finally arrives.

Just put groundbreaking genetic diagnosis tools down as one more reason to be excited about the coming quantum computing revolution.

Go here to see the original:

This algorithm could revolutionize disease diagnosis, but we cant use it yet - Digital Trends

We are pursuing a clear, far-sighted strategy to ensure Covestro’s long-term success – Automotive World

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

Covestro considers itself to be on a clear course and well-positioned for the rest of the year following challenging first six months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At the virtual Annual General Meeting, broadcasted from the World Conference Center in Bonn, CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann confirmed the strategy pursued by the company: The development over the first six months and the economic outlook for the current year show that we still find ourselves in a macroeconomicly difficult situation. However, I am sure that we will steer Covestro through this successfully. We are pursuing a clear, far-sighted strategy that addresses current challenges, but most importanly will secure the companys long-term success.

For a more sustainable restart, Covestro has drawn on a new corporate vision to chart a clear course for the company. Over the long term, the company plans to align its entire production, its range of products and solutions as well as all areas to the circular concept. That means we aim to comprehensively establish the principle of circularity at our company, Steilemann said. Focus topics are alternative raw materials, innovative recycling, joint solutions and renewable energies.

On the path towards achieving a circular economy, Covestro will also be strengthening its innovative capabilities, for example in areas such as digital chemistry. Quantum computing can, for example, enable highly complex chemical reaction processes to be digitally simulated in the future, thus saving considerable time and resources. This would play a vital role in successfully driving the circular economy, Steilemann said. Quantum computing will enable us to take research and development to a completely new level also, and in particular, in regard to the pace at which we can develop innovations, Steilemann explained. The company has only recently announced a research partnership with Google in this area.

Steilemann again confirmed the guidance for the current fiscal year to the shareholders. Although Covestro has been observing a trend of sequential improvement since mid-May, 2020 nevertheless continues to be an exceptional year and the economic environment will remain uncertain in the second half of the year as well. Further developments depend largely on the course taken by the coronavirus pandemic, and this is not completely foreseeable. This makes it all the more important that our measures work and providepositive results already, Steilemann adds.

Since the beginning of the Corona crisis, Covestro had quickly and consistently taken measures to counter the effects on its business, setting clear priorities: Our top priority is to ensure the safety of our employees, business partners and customers. This is followed by maintaining production and supply chains. Equally important to us is to safeguard our strong liquidity position.

Early on, Covestro set the course for sustainably improving efficiency through the companys Perspective program. The company is now benefiting from this as well as from strengthening the short-term cost-saving measures approved at the beginning of this year. By 2020, the aim is to save a total of over EUR 430 million. In addition, the company has adjusted its investment plans and taken various financing measures in the first half of the year, including a new revolving credit facility, short-term working capital facilities, a loan from the European Investment Bank and the issuance of Eurobonds.

To further strengthen Covestros liquidity position in the current exceptional economic environment, the company decided in spring to propose a dividend of EUR 1.20 per share to the Annual General Meeting instead of the originally planned EUR 2.40 per share. This would equal a payout ratio of 40 percent and a new peak in relative terms.

CFO Dr. Thomas Toepfer at the Annual General Meeting: Our policy is to pay out an increased or at least a stable dividend to our shareholders. That was also our intention this year. We will, however, deviate from that policy in 2020 due to the enormous impact of the coronavirus pandemic. I am convinced we have made a balanced decision with this proposed dividend. We are taking the interests of our shareholders into account while at the same time securing our robust liquidity position and credit rating.

Covestro is broadcasting the complete virtual Annual General Meeting, including the Board of Management presentations and the Q&A, live via Webcast athttps://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/w6xzo9wa/lan/enstarting at 10 a.m. CET. Speeches by the Board of Management can also be followed live via LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. The manuscripts of the speeches by Dr. Markus Steilemann and Dr. Thomas Toepfer are available online athttps://www.covestro.com/en/investors. The voting results will also be provided there after the Annual General Meeting.

SOURCE: Covestro

Sanfords Regenerative Medicine research draws interest of NFL Alumni Association – KELOLAND.com

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Regenerative medicine focuses on using the bodys own repairing mechanisms to heal damaged tissues or organs. Sanford Health is one of the national leaders in this branch of medicine, and their expertise caught the attention of the NFL Alumni Association.

Staying healthy and finding pain relief is a common concern for NFL players once their playing days are over.

Personally Ive had 25 plus surgeries. So Ive been in the regenerative space personally trying to find solutions for the last six years, NFL Alumni Member Billy Davis said.

Billy Davis, along with Kyle Richardson have been a part of the NFL Alumni Association for years, and have dedicated their time to providing members with an understanding of available health care options.

When you get to be the 40, and 50, and 60 years of age, you start to look at okay, what can I do to stave off that surgery. What are the therapies that help me with pain, NFL Alumni Member Kyle Richardson said.

One therapy that has some potential to address those issues is regenerative medicine.

So were taking the components of the cells that have that type of ability to fix an injury, and maybe relocating them into a shoulder tear, or to a knee pain, Dr. David Pearce said.

Sanford Health has conducted two FDA-approved clinical trials using stem cells to treat injuries in the shoulders and legs.

The next steps will be that well be able to offer this to individuals as a standard of a care, as an alternative to surgical procedures, Dr. Pearce said.

Its the therapys potential thats giving the NFL Alumni Association some hope moving forward.

It was essential that I knew that other guys were experiencing the same things Im doing. Experiencing the same deficits, and same challenges. This was just a great platform for an option for guys to have and we wanted to get with the best, and I think we found it with Sanford Health, Davis said.

Davis and Richardson were in Sioux Falls for the last three days, learning about the science of the medicine as well as Sanford Health.

See the rest here:

Sanfords Regenerative Medicine research draws interest of NFL Alumni Association - KELOLAND.com

KBI requesting publics help to locate man connected to Medicine Lodge homicide, new lead on suspects vehicle – KSN-TV

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Danzig

UPDATE:

BARBER COUNTYThe Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriffs Office are requesting the publics help to locate a person of interest connected to a homicide that occurred in Medicine Lodge.

Clinton W. Rogers, 34, stole a dark red 1995 Chevrolet Camaro with t-tops in Kingman County on Sunday. It is possible that the Camaro is still bearing Kansas license plate, 870JUK. Rogers is no longer traveling in the white F-150 pickup truck.

BARBER COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriffs Office are requesting the publics help to locate a person of interest connected to a homicide that occurred in Medicine Lodge on Monday.

Authorities are looking for Clinton Wayne Rogers and his 2002 white Ford extended cab F-150 pickup truck with possible Kansas license plate, 870JUK.

Clinton Rogers is a 34-year-old white male with hazel eyes. He is 6 ft. 1 in. tall, and weighs approximately 270 lbs.

Rogers is a white male, 34 years of age. He is 6 ft. 1 in. tall, and weighs approximately 270 lbs. He has hazel eyes and brown hair. Rogers has ties to Barton County and it is believed he may be in the area.

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Clint Rogers, or sees his white F-150 pickup truck, is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME or call 911. Tips can also be submitted online by clickinghere.

The investigation is ongoing.

Continued here:

KBI requesting publics help to locate man connected to Medicine Lodge homicide, new lead on suspects vehicle - KSN-TV

Select Page ::