Monthly Archives: June 2021

Saturday, June 19, 2021Tre Ward, WBAL-TV

Business owners and residents in southeast Baltimore are remaining vigilant against crime while going into the weekend.

It comes on the heels of recent gun violence near Broadway Square in Fells Point.

On Friday, business owners met with city officials to address their concerns, calling it a great start to finding solutions.

The violence that happened in Fells Point for two straight weekends continues to linger over residents and business owners near Broadway Square.

"Those of us who are fortunate to live here -- as I said, we welcome everyone. We want there to be enforcement of public statutes that ensure public safety," said Peter Bodi, president of Fells Point Residents Association.

Those who live and work in the area sat down with city officials on Friday, raising concerns about possible violence in Fells Point and what needs to happen to ensure safety.

"I feel that, although the meeting was only an hour long, I think that we made tremendous progress towards making sure that our issues were at the very least heard," Su Casa owner Nick Johnson said.

The business owners' fight for peace comes after a group of them threatened to withhold property taxes from the city.

Now, following Friday's meeting, business leaders in southeast Baltimore said they feel encouraged about a continued partnership with the city.

"This is not the first conversation we've had, but this was a real important conversation because all the stakeholders were on board, working together," City Councilman Zeke Cohen said.

But owners said the issue of gun violence isn't isolated to just the neighborhood of Fells Point.

"The issues that are affecting Fells Point right now are citywide issues, and one of the focuses of this meeting we just wrapped up is that this needs to be a process and a framework put into place so that other communities don't have to go to the lengths that we did to get the attention of the city, and really work toward finding solutions that are affecting every part of the city," Johnson said.

Police are continuing to search for the suspects in last weekend's shooting.

Owners said there will be more meetings with the city to come.

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Fells Point business owners find progress after meeting with leaders on crime - WBAL Radio

In recent weeks, the shed was completed that will house the new water treatment equipment for the Sunshine Hill neighborhood in Penn Twp., and its engineer says things are moving along steadily.

Theyre making good progress, Randy Bailey, the engineer for the township and the municipal authority, said of workers building the facility.

The Penn Twp. Municipal Authority has an agreement with Fishing Creek Valley Associates and Yingst Homes to build the water treatment facility as part of their plans for the pending Stone Mill Estates development on Route 849. The state Department of Environmental Protection has required PTMA to build a new water treatment facility for years, but the project didnt move forward until this year.

Bailey, an engineer with William F. Hill & Associates, said construction crews still had to frame out the interior walls, add insulation and drywall, but the building was expected to be complete sometime this week.

From there, theyll be doing the outside piping work, he said.

The water treatment equipment, including manganese filtration, has been ordered, but its expected to take several months for the companies to manufacture that and deliver it for installation, he said.

The water in Sunshine Hill is safe to drink, but it has high concentrations of manganese and other naturally occurring compounds and minerals. DEP is requiring PTMA to filter out the manganese from the well water. The project is costing about $1 million with the authority having to pick up about a third of that cost. In time, a new well in the Stone Mill development will be added to the system, too.

Compounding the problem is the nearly 70-year-old tanks and pipes in some parts of the neighborhood on the hills above Duncannon, including Eisenhower and its adjacent streets. PTMA is working on grants and other funding options to replace the mains.

The filtration system and eventually new mains is expected to dramatically improve water quality for the neighborhood. Its residents have complained for a decade about the discoloration, clogged pipes and filters, and having to buy other water.

It starts with finishing the filtration facility, which is expected this autumn.

Theyre making steady progress, and it looks like theyre on target to make the end of September or mid-October, Bailey said.

Jim T. Ryan can be reached via email at jtryan@perrycountytimes.com

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Sunshine Hill water facility making good progress - pennlive.com

PROGRESS Wrestlings Chapter 113: Warp Into Monster Disco Hell was today, Saturday, June 19, 2021.

During the event, PROGRESS World Champion Cara Noir successfully defended the title against ELIJAH.

Also, Kanji successfully defended the PROGRESS Womens Championship againstMercedes Blaze.

Chapter 13 was available to stream on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network everywhere else. Below are the results:

* Alexxis Falcon defeated Gisele Shaw

* Man Like DeReiss defeated TK Cooper

* Big Money Gun Dogs (Big Guns Joe & Gene Munny) defeated Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones)

* Dean Allmark defeated Chuck Mambo

* Laura DiMatteo defeated Taonga

* Jody Fleisch defeated Danny Black

* North West Strong (Chris Ridgeway, Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen) defeated Warren Banks, Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II

* Cara Noir (c) defeated ELIJAH (PROGRESS World Championship Match)

* Kanji (c) defeated Mercedes Blaze (PROGRESS World Womens Championship Match)

Continued here:

PROGRESS Wrestling Results (6/19): Cara Noir Vs. ELIJAH, Kanji In Action - Wrestling Inc.

This page was last updated on June 15, 2021.

States, local governments, and tribal nations have been taking meaningful action to confront the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and ensure that more of the jobs building a 100 percent clean energy economy are high-quality union positions. In recent years, there have been key breakthroughs at the state levelincluding policies that light the path for Congress and the administration to follow through both executive and legislative action.

Twenty-five states and territoriesrepresenting a majority of the U.S. populationare committed to the greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals of the Paris climate agreement through the bipartisan U.S. Climate Alliance. Since 2015, 17 states as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., have taken action on 100 percent clean energy agendas, according to a recent report from the Clean Energy States Alliance. Progress has occurred in blue, red, and purple states alike: In 25 key states tracked by the Energy Foundation, 2019 and 2020 saw 218 policy victories for clean energy in state legislatures and public utility commissions, compared with only 17 setbacks. This progress followed 2017, 2018, and 2019 state elections that saw numerous climate leaders elected to statewide office and state legislatures.

States, along with local governments and tribal nations, have made important strides in areas from renewable energy deployment and conservation of public lands to environmental justice and support for high-quality clean energy jobs. According to an analysis for the U.S. Climate Alliance conducted by the Rhodium Group, 133,000 clean energy jobs were created in alliance states between 2016 and 2019, at a growth rate of nearly 7 percentfar outpacing the national economywide job growth rate during this same period.

Now, the lessons of climate leadership must travel from the state house to the White House. The Biden administration and Congress should draw from states experience implementing transformative policies on the ground and should engage states existing advocacy coalitions. Crucially, they should also pursue a policy and investment agenda that directly engages states and further empowers state and local governments to continue their climate leadership. For their part, the same advocates and lawmakers who have fought to make this progress happen across states now need to help guide the federal government.

The Center for American Progress, along with the League of Conservation Voters and other partners, launched the From the State House to the White House initiative in 2020 and are curating a series of materials to uplift the successes and voices of state, tribal, and local governments, policy experts, and advocates:

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Resources From the State House to the White House: Progress on Climate, Justice, and Jobs - Center For American Progress

Sparky makes her way to the paint shop at Damen Songcam (courtesy Damen)

PublishedJun 18, 2021 4:29 PM by The Maritime Executive

Shipbuilder Damen is making progress on its first fully-electric reversed stern drive tug, which is currently under construction for New Zealands Ports of Auckland. Recently, Damen's Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam installed the tugs batteries.

The project involved the installation of more than 2,200 batteries totalling nearly 2,800 kWh in capacity (the equivalent of 28 top-end Teslas). With this, the tug - named Sparky - will carry out two or more berthing/unberthing operations with up to 70 tonnes of bollard pull on a single charge. Afterwards, it will take just two hours for the tug to recharge to its full capacity.

For redundancy purposes, the batteries are arranged in strings. If one battery in a string were to fail, the others would simply carry on the work, Damen said.

Ports of Auckland placed the order with Damen in August of 2019 as part of its mission to achieve zero emissions by 2040. Work continues on Sparky,and Damen expects to deliver her towards the end of this year.

Damen put a high priority on the electric tug contract, as it is aiming to transition its business towards zero-emissions propulsion. The company has extensive experience in the construction of fully electric vessels, including seven fully-electric ferries for the City of Copenhagen and a fully-electric cutter suction dredger for an Australian client. It is also constructing a full range of all-electric and hybrid-electric ferry vessels for two public ferry operators in Canada.

Sparky got her name by means of an online suggestion box, open to the general public. Auckland's port authority disqualified some of the proposals - like Tuggy McTugface, The Fighting Queen of Covid, Electric Disco Biscuit and Doug - and presented the internet community with four final choices. These included Arahi (a Maori word meaning to lead, escort, conduct or drive), Hiko (Maori for electrical, power), E.T. (an acronym for "electric tug") and Sparky (the final vote winner).

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Damen Makes Progress on First Fully-Electric RSD Harbor Tug - The Maritime Executive

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(Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports) Sam Darnold

Newly acquired quarterback Sam Darnold might be a work in progress during his first full season with the Carolina Panthers in 2021.

Sam Darnold clearly has a lot on his plate in 2021. The Carolina Panthers have now officially hitched their wagon to the quarterback after acquiring him via trade from the New York Jets, a move that resulted in previous starter Teddy Bridgewater being shipped to the Denver Broncos prior to the NFL Draft.

Its clear Bridgewater wasnt the right fit and the Panther deserve credit for realizing this rather than going with the player once again next season.

Whether Darnold will be able to make the most out of the big opportunity in front of him remains to be seen. But this is a far better situation to be walking into than he ever got to experience at MetLife Stadium.

Carolina is gambling their short-term future on Darnold finally reaching his promise.

But expecting miracles right away might be unrealistic.

Darnolds confidence is bound to need some building up after a torrid three years in the NFL so far. He was thrown to the wolves by head coach Adam Gase and given almost no help with either weapons or scheme fit before the organization decided to go in a completely different direction with Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall in the draft.

This is a good landing spot for Darnold.

There is a wealth of talent on offense that should all make plays for him if the offensive line holds out, with the signal-caller also set to benefit from two progressive young coaches steering him on the right path in Matt Rhule and Joe Brady.

That being said, Darnold might be a work in progress for Carolina in 2021, at least from the outside looking in.

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Why Sam Darnold might be a work in progress for the Panthers in 2021 - Cat Crave

Thursday's meeting was the third since the lockout began on May 1.

BEAUMONT, Texas Representatives from ExxonMobil and the United Steelworkers met again Thursday morning but made no progress.

The United Steelworkers union offered up four or five different proposals to ExxonMobil but the company rejected them all during meetings that lasted nearly four hours, according to union spokesperson Richard "Hoot" Landry.

Landry tells 12News Thursday afternoon that they are "going back to the drawing board."

Today's meeting was their third since the lockout began on May 1.

The two sides also met last Thursday but made no progress other than sitting down for a meeting for the first time in nearly a month since their previous May 12 meeting.

"We believe that we tried to move closer to the middle where they are, but they told us that they were not compelled to move. Our proposals did not compel them to move and that's where we are," Landry said.

In a statement to 12news, ExxonMobil said that they continue to bargain in good faith and that the two groups remain far apart based on Thursday's discussions.

Exxon says one of their reps has made themselves available to meet with the union next week.

The battle between ExxonMobil and the union has lasted longer than most expected. It's the latest setback, for hundreds of union workers, who have gone without paychecks for about six weeks.

The energy giant said last week that their "current offer remains available at this time."

After the Thursday, June 10, 2021, meeting, ExxonMobil released this statement...

"The company continues to meet and bargain in good faith with the Union," the release says. "No additional proposals were exchanged in todays meeting with the Union, and the next meeting is scheduled for next Thursday. The Companys current offer remains available at this time."

The union's 650 members have been locked out of the Beaumont plant since May 1, 2021, after talks between them and the company stalled.

The lockout has been hard on workers and their families, Landry told 12News on Tuesday.

A pantry was recently set up at union headquarters in Beaumont to help locked out workers with food and other supplies.

Also on 12NewsNow.com...

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No progress made in talks between ExxonMobil, United Steelworkers as lockout continues for 48th day - 12newsnow.com KBMT-KJAC

UPDATE:The Ten Fire is now five acres and the forward progress was stopped.

CAL FIRE has seven engines, two dozers, two crews and one helicopter on scene.

#TenFire [update] Estimated 5 acres. 7 engines, 2 dozers, 2 crews, 4 water tenders, 1 air tac, 3 tankers, 1 helicopter at scene making good progress. Forward progress has been stopped.

CAL FIRE Butte Unit/Butte County Fire Department (@CALFIRE_ButteCo) June 17, 2021

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STIRLING CITY, Calif. - Firefighters are working on a fire that broke out around 2 p.m. Thursday in the area of Stirling City, CAL FIRE said.

CAL FIRE said the fire is two-acre and is moving at a slow rate of speed and is in an area of high timber.

The fire is about one mile south of Stirling City.

Ground crews and air crafts are making good progress and working to keep this fire small.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The name of the fire is the Ten Fire because it is on the Sierra Pacific Logging land.

This is a developing story. Action News Now will keep you updated with new information.

Air and ground crews are at scene of a fire in the timber south of Stirling City. Approximately 2 acres and crews are making good progress. #TenFire

CAL FIRE Butte Unit/Butte County Fire Department (@CALFIRE_ButteCo) June 17, 2021

Link:

Fire crews stop forward progress of Ten Fire near Stirling City - Action News Now

Impulse Gears new hero shooter has the potential to be huge, but it still has some quirks to iron out. More in our Larcenauts review-in-progress.

Note: Weve only had limited time with Larcenauts in controlled, pre-launch conditions and with bots so far. As such, were posting an unscored review-in-progress of the game that well turn into a full, fleshed out review with a final ranking later down the line.

If one things clear from even just a few hours with Larcenauts, its that the game has genuine depth. Its the sort of texture, in fact, that we havent really seen done well in VR yet Onward covers mil sims, Popultation: One has the Fortnite angle, and you can take your pick of arena shooters, but Larcenauts delivers the class-based, team-driven gameplay thats been missing from that line-up. And it does it quite well, too.

Theres early cause for cautious optimism, then. I hope in fact I suspect were not talking about yet another multiplayer VR shooter thats doomed to empty lobbies and abandoned roadmaps three to six months down the line. Larcenauts does seem like itll have the legs so many of its contemporaries didnt.

For now, theres a lot to like. Larcenauts arrives with eight classes or specialists that both wildly vary in capabilities and complement the team-based play. An all-rounder character like Calmia, for example, features nimble, accessible weapons like an SMG and shotgun, plus a dash that makes her great for sprinting to capture zones or seizing the flag in Drone Hack. But without the extra support of a class like Thal, a guardian-type that can lay down suppressing fire and throw up shields or Evander, a sniper that provides expert cover fire under stealth, shell be left exposed.

Learning the intricacies of each character class a combination of unique guns, grenades, secondary fire types and the crucial ability types is going to take a long time and, smartly, Impulse Gear staggers its introductions with unlocks and a leveling system. Some classes are definitely more approachable and some have really smart twists on conventional character types. I love, for example, Evanders ability to lay cloaked bear traps behind him as he settles into a snipers nest. Meanwhile the medic class, named Chi, has such a powerful healing beam that taking them out becomes a top priority in any battle.

Already, you can see how plans might start to layer into the gameplay. Need to make up ground in Team Deathmatch? Why not send your heavy hitters out to the front lines, backed up by a medic or two who, in turn, can be protected by Thals shields. Im really looking forward to seeing what other types of strategies are possible as I dig into the classes Im yet to unlock. Progression, thus far, seems to be pretty pacey; the game strikes a good balance between giving you a new character and using class-specific levelling and customization to keep you coming back to the other types, including assigning Power Slates that offer small but important buffs for your prefered playstyle.

Some class types do seem a little stronger than others at this early stage. Going face-to-face with the grenadiers fast-firing explosives is a death sentence, while others have little issues, like how hard it is to pick up the red dot in the scope of Evanders rifle, but Id expect these things to get balanced out pretty quickly.

What it doesnt especially feel like right now is a uniquely VR game. Larcenauts doesnt have the physicality of Onward, for example; lots of its interactions are assigned to button presses (more on that in a bit). A flatscreen version of the game seems like itd be entirely possible but, having said that, it still manages to be immersive and engaging thanks to the potential of its systems and how tight its design is, from the diverse maps that have a way of keeping you locked in combat to the satisfaction of holding down the trigger on Thals meaty LMG. I will be interested, though, to see if that changes with high-level play, and how experts start to use VR to play the game in different ways.

So, whats wrong with Larcenauts right now? For that, you can point to the games immediate roadmap.

Whats notable here is that that the games first additions arent new maps and modes but instead features that you mightve hoped were actually already in at launch. One of them, Immersive Sprint, Ive actually had an early look at (itll be coming to the public build very soon). It works by having characters hot foot it when theyve got their gun lowered. Its a far more preferable alternative to the default option, which takes your weapon away and dangles two hands doing a running motion at the bottom of the screen as you sprint. Other additions like the Manual Reload, which will hopefully offer a better solution than the current canned animation after a button press, cant get here soon enough.

It is, at the very least, reassuring to see updates like this already being addressed. Id also like to see the games lacklustre bots get an overhaul so theyre no longer running into walls.

Some of the games UI is in need of a tune-up, too. In the hub area, for example, it took me multiple sessions before I realized that highlighting a specific character ability with my virtual pointer would actually explain what that ability is and what it does if I turned my head to the right and looked under the character model. Its completely out of view otherwise. Its also hard to tell when ability cooldowns are finished.

Its also worth mentioning that Larcenauts is definitely on the intense side of VR experiences, with a lot to remember in its control scheme. If Impulse Gears Farpoint was as considerate to VR newcomers as it gets, this is at the other end of the spectrum: fast sprinting, vaulting to great heights with a hookshot, quick turns, this has the lot. There are comfort options and, for the hardcore fanbase the team is pursuing, that likely wont be a problem, but keep it in mind if you dont think youre one of those people.

Overall, though? Its a strong start for this new contender. Check back later on for our full Larcenauts review once weve had enough time to play other classes and really get to know the game.

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Larcenauts Review-In-Progress: A Rich VR Shooter With Room To Improve - UploadVR

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) delivered progress on much-needed regulatory flexibility for livestock haulers. The addition of the backend 150 air-mile exemption from hours-of-service (HOS), crucial language pulled from the HAULS Act, was agreed to by Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), Senator JonTester (D-MT), Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) in the Senate Commerce Committee and adopted into the largerSurface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 by a bipartisan vote.

NCBA spearheaded introduction of the larger HAULS Act in both the Senate and Housethis spring, and worked hard to get the backend 150 air-mile exemption included in the Surface Transportation Investment Act that will be sent to the Senate floor.

Livestock haulers are a critical part of the supply chain keeping grocery stores stocked with high-quality U.S. beef. The upheaval of the pandemic and ongoing market volatility has only underscored the need for further flexibility in livestock hauling regulations to keep the supply chain strong.

"When one-size-fits-all government regulations fail to account for expertise on the ground, livestock haulers are put in the impossible position of either complying with regulations or doing what they know is best for the humane and safe transportation of live animals," said NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs Allison Rivera. "We strongly support this bipartisan, commonsense effort to give livestock haulers the flexibility they need to maintain the highest level of safety for drivers on the roads, transport livestock humanely, and ensure grocery stores remain stocked with beef. We thank Sen. Fischer, Sen. Tester, Sen. Cantwell, and Sen. Wicker for their leadership on this legislation, and we will continue working with Members of Congress to move this language across the finish line.

Background

Current hours-of-service (HOS) rules allow for 11 hours of drive time, 14 hours of on-duty time, and then require 10 consecutive hours of rest. When transporting livestock, there is a real need for further flexibility beyond the current hours-of-service. Unlike drivers moving consumer goods, livestock haulers cannot simply idle or unload their trucks when drive time hours run out without jeopardizing animal health and welfare.The HAULS Act language adopted today into the Surface Transportation Act would add a 150 air-mile radius exemption under HOS regulations to the backend of hauls for those transporting livestock.

NCBA is working with Members of Congress from across the country to ensure that any infrastructure and transportation spending bills reflect the unique needs of rural communities and cattle producers.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NCBA successfully fought every month for a renewed emergency declaration which provides an exemption from hours-of-service for livestock haulers, while also working with Congress to maintain the ELD delay for livestock haulers until Sept. 30, 2021.

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NCBA Delivers Progress on Backend 150 Air-Mile Exemption for Livestock Haulers - Drovers Magazine