Category Archives: Ascension

Doctor Whois going all-in with its two-part finale for the season, and we kick off exactly where the season has been leading tothe Cybermen. This particular villain has been a big part of the franchise and one of its most feared (besides the Weeping Angels and Daleks).

The story has been gradually building up to this point, and its safe to say, this episode reminds us how crazy things are about to get. We begin the season 12 finale as the Doctor, Yaz, Graham, and Ryan land on a planet that looks worse for wear. It looks like the apocalypse has taken its toll on the planet and left behind just a few people in its wake.

This is all thanks to the Cybermen and when the Doctor and her companions land on this planet, its clear their help is needed. Unfortunately, theres not much they can do once they arrive because all their equipment is destroyed, thanks to the flying Cybermen head drones.

Talk about creepy and freaky!

Eventually, the group is split apart as Yaz and Graham find their way onto the refugees ship and Ryan and the Doctor are left behind in the chaos. Once in space, the refugees ship boards a huge carrier that is reminiscent of the Death Star. And its no less dangerous as we soon come to learn that this carrier is a huge vessel carrying an entire Cybermen army.

They are dormant for a little bit, butDoctor Who doesnt waste any time bringing back them to life. Can I just say that it is incredibly jarring and scary to see thousands of them marching around the ship? I fear for whatever mayhem they are going to cause in the finales conclusion.

Meanwhile, Ryan and the Doctor board Ashads ship (remember the lone Cyberman we saw last week?). They end up making their way to a place where a man known as Ko Sharmus resides. Hes been guarding and looking over a portal, and its the key to this mess.

Its the only place Cybermen cant go. So, whats the deal with it? I think we have yet to learn but as the episode comes to a close, a huge reveal shakes us to our core. The Master jumps out of the portal which seems to lead toGallifrey. The home of the Time Lords, the home of the Doctor!

And if thats not crazy enough, throughout thisDoctor Who episode we see a young baby thats adopted by a couple after being abandoned. We see the baby eventually grow into an old man over the years, but its what happens to him following retirement is something to take note of.

As he retires and walks out of the police station, hes greeted by his father and the police officer. But the weird thing is that they havent agedwhats the deal with that? Even weirder? They hook him up to all these wires and wipe his memory away.

Are we talking about something Cybermen related here? Is he the first Cyberman? Is there a connection with Ashad? Tune in next week to find out!

What did you think of part one of theDoctor Whotwo-part season 12 finale? Share your comments below!

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Doctor Who season 12, episode 9 recap: Ascension of the Cybermen - Show Snob

Capital Area United Way recently awarded a $10,737 grant to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to assist with mobile food distribution in Ascension Parish.

This funding is part of the Ascension Parish Grant Funding Opportunity, which awarded a total of $100,188 to 10 nonprofits for work in Ascension Parish.

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The grant will provide increased access to food and basic needs through three monthly distributions of food boxes to registered participants. These boxes will increase the number of households registered and the number of children and adults who benefit.

This Community Impact Grant will allow us to bring our Mobile Pantry Program to an underserved portion of Ascension Parish, where 17% of the children in the parish face food insecurity, said Mike Manning, president and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

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Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank receives Capital Area United Way grant - The Advocate

Patrick O'Kane as Ashad, Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor - Doctor Who _ Season 12, Episode 9 - Photo Credit: Ben Blackall/BBC Studios/BBC America

The Cybermen are here! Good thing humanity has the Doctor and her companions around to save the dayhopefully.

The BBC gave Whovians an early preview of the two-part season 12 finale before it kicks off this Sunday.This first look is full of doom and gloom for the future of mankind as giant planes/ships/machines zoom into the sky through what seems like hyperspace. The clip opens with two characters we havent seen before, but something tells me well be well acquainted with them by episodes end.

Doctor Whoshowrunner Chris Chibnall has promised that the season 12 finale will be very, very epic,and just based on this minute-and-a-half clip, Im inclined to believe him.

Its been a very long time since Whovians have been this excited about aDoctor Who season finale. Just ask Twitter:

I am in absolute agreement over the hype! Season 12 has been nothing short of amazing, and Im eager to see how it wraps up. Weve gotten inspiring stories, incredible dives into history, and a take on the Doctor we havent had before. I think David Tennant and Matt Smith will always be two of my favorites, but Jodie Whittakers version of the character has officially joined them in my top three.

The season 12 finale has a lot in store forDoctor Who fans, and fingers crossed, we will have all our questions answered about the return of the Cybermen, the lone Cyberman, and the Timeless Children. Heres hoping the gang saveshumanity by kicking some major butt!

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Doctor Who releases first look at Ascension of the Cybermen - Winter is Coming

It has been felt since the first day of the year that 2020 will be a good year for altcoins and the crypto market in general. Especially altcoins, with their performance, the biggest cryptocurrency is called Bitcoin, so to speak.

According to experts, the two altcoins ICON (ICX) and Tezos (XTZ), which made a surprise rally in 2020 and are expected to continue this strong uptrend. Here are the developments that show that ICON and Tezos can perform incredibly this year.

ICON (ICX)ICONs local token, ICX, hit the all-time high of $ 13.16 in January 2018, and began to be called the Ether (ETH) of South Korea. But after the summit, ICX lost more than 99% of its value.

In the past few weeks, cryptocurrency has gained more than 200 percent and has risen above the $ 0.18 level, which is considered to be a very critical level by experts. According to analysts, ICX can rise to $ 0.28 to $ 0.30 in the short term, but if it can find support between $ 0.35 and $ 0.40, a long-term bull run may begin.

There are two reasons for the recent increase in ICON prices; First, the team behind the cryptocurrency has undertaken many developments aimed at increasing the mass adoption of ICX; The second is geopolitical developments. The South Korean government has announced that it plans to promote the growth of Blockchain technology, and ICONs plans and focus of the project seem fully in line with the goals of the South Korean government.

The ICON team recently shared a list of products and services to improve the performance of cryptocurrency. The list includes ICONex, a multi-cryptocurrency wallet, a LoopChain patented Blockchain Core Engine, a unique wallet identifier for the ICONick wallet address, Chain ID, the worlds first Blockchain joint certification service with 26 domestic securities companies and more. According to analysts, ICONs acceptance will increase in the light of all these important developments and the increasing acceptance will be reflected in prices.

Tezos (XTZ)Tezos, which was seen at its all-time low in December 2018 and declined to the 22nd place in the crypto market, did not recover during 2019. Having found support for the rise in November 2019, the crypto coin has been in the uptrend since then, making it 1000% since last year and rising to the 10th place.

Tezos has gained 200% value since the beginning of the year and has also become one of the best performing cryptocurrencies in the market. Experts have not yet been able to pinpoint the reason behind this rise, but positive feelings from many sectors seem to have a large share in this air. Tezos also rose above the $ 2.59 level in early February, and the previous resistance, which was around $ 3.1 in terms of technical analysis, has now turned into support for the XTZ price. For this reason, the uptrend is expected to continue.

The excellent rise of Tezos from the middle of last year to today has provided investors a return of just under 2000% in less than 14 months, and these figures ignited the wick, which will further increase adoption. The increase in the adoption of the cryptocurrency is considered as an indication that the rise will continue.

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2 Altcoins Expected to Maintain Strong Ascension in 2020 - Somag News

Ascension Providence Rochester will host Eat, Learn and Live Well: Women are from Venus.

The event will run from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12 in the auditorium on the first floor. The event is free but registration is encouraged.

Women are from Venus is designed to empower women to unite and fight heart disease, said Stephanie Bauer, community health and education department. Attendees will learn strategies for living with and preventing heart disease in their lives and the lives of loved ones.

Attendees can expect a strolling dinner beginning at 6 p.m., followed by heart pumping exercise demos. Then a local survivor will share her story of how she survived a heart attack. Sindhu Koshy, cardiologist at Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital, will conclude with a presentation about why heart disease is different in women and ways to prevent it.

To register, visit healthcare.ascension.org/events or call 248-652-5269.

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Ascension Providence Rochester to host heart health event - The Oakland Press

Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital practices an emergency management drill every year to prepare for real-world disasters.

The main objective for the exercise is to identify if the facility can handle a large capacity of patients in a short amount of time.

Volunteers simulated an emergency situationarriving to the hospital by ambulance, police vehicles, street vehicles and by foot. All departments participated and successfully triaged, registered and transported all acting patients in a respectful and safe time frame. A Hospital Incident Command Center System was activated during this drill to exercise leaderships ability to prepare for a real-world disaster.

Local community members that assisted as part of the drill were the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Rochester Hills Fire Department, Oakland County Homeland Security, Rochester Hills CERT Team (Community Emergency Response Team) and Stony Creek High Schools Drama Students.

It is crucial to establish good and strong relationships with our local community groups to provide our community with a safe environment," said Safety Officer Julia Reinhardt.

Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital is located at1101 W University Dr.

-Submitted by JuliaMarino

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Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital prepares for real-world disasters - The Oakland Press

GONZALES Former Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa pocketed more than $190,230 in gross salary during his last year in office, parish payroll records show, far surpassing what he and his predecessors had previously made or what the new president is expected to earn this year.

Boosted by a large onetime check for back pay in his final weeks as president, Matassa's total pay before taxes and deductions in 2019 was about $42,230 greater than the $148,000 that he earned annually in his prior three years in office or what his predecessor, former President Tommy Martinez, had earned each year since 2013.

At the time that Matassa began receiving the extra pay, in late October, he was still trying to find a way to pay more than $230,000 in legal bills after his bribery indictment and trial. He wasn't finding success then through the parish's insurer or council members, though the council would end up covering it in full in December.

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Current and former officials say the extra payday for Matassa may have been an unanticipated outcome of an amendment to the parish pay plan that the Parish Council adopted in August 2018 but was not applied to Matassa's pay until this past fall. The plan lays out the job titles and sets the pay ranges of all parish employees.

In a written response Monday,the administration of new President Clint Cointment said the president and Council Chair Teri Casso "were recently made aware of this," had opened a full investigation into what happened and will adopt new policies to prevent something similar from happening again.

"If it is found that any money was paid out improperly, the Parish will pursue all legal options to recover misappropriated funds," the administration said in the statement Monday. "The Administration and Council are working hard to build trust in government. They are disappointed this happened and are taking all necessary action to open Parish Government to full transparency."

Through a public records request, The Advocate obtained the payroll records and check stubs showing Matassa's raise and back pay.

GONZALES Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa has been unable to convince enough members of the Parish Council to pay more than $200,000

Combined with then-separate salary supplements for the parish president, the change to the pay plan boosted Matassa's annual pay by 18.6%, from $148,000 to $175,456 per year in the final two months of his term, parish payroll records and check stubs show.

The increase also was applied retroactively to Aug. 30, 2018, the date the pay plan amendment took effect, so Matassa also received a onetime payout of$30,228.23 last fall for 14 months of back pay, adding to his earnings in 2019.

GONZALES Ascension Parish government is "well within its authority" to pay the legal defense fees of Parish President Kenny Matassa followin

In addition to the immediate cash, the retroactive check also helped boost almost the last year and a half of salary for Matassa, potentially increasing his lifetime retirement payments. As a parish employee, Matassa is a part of theParochial Employees' Retirement System of Louisiana, the retirement system for parish government employees statewide.

If the employee under the retirement system was hired before Jan. 1, 2007, as Matassa was, the system uses the average of the highest three years of an employee's salary to calculate the retirement benefit. Matassa had worked in parish government for more than 26 years through the end of his term, according to his press statements.

Raise for Matassa? 'Hell, no'

The parish pay plan amendment that enabled the increase for Matassa was adopted during the same committee and council meetings in July and August of 2018 when the council was also discussing a separate item to increase the pay of the future parish president who would take office in January 2020.

Matassa administration officials or council members did not raise the idea that adoption of the pay plan would result in an immediate pay increase for the sitting parish president, then just a month removed from his acquittal in bribery trial in early July, according to recordings of the meetings.

At the time, a movement had just ended to replace the elected parish president with an appointed parish manager. Council members were trying to create a competitive pay level for the new parish president who would take office a year and a half later, they said.

After the stunningly strong Ascension Parish Council defeat of A Better Ascension's proposed home rule charter amendment, one of the group's l

The then-prospective increase, from which Cointment is now benefiting, set the president's pay at $1 more than the highest paid of the sheriff, assessor and clerk of court, which works out to nearly $165,900 in 2020, those parish officials said.

Previously, Matassa and Martinez had been paid $100,000 annually under parish council ordinance and another $48,000 annually in stipends from parish drainage and utility districts, which the new council eliminated this year.

But with the old pay structure for the parish president still in place last fall and the new 2020 changes not yet in effect, the pay plan amendment added a new salary range for the job of parish president to an existing list that had been adopted several months earlier, Matassa and other current parish officials said.

The plan amendment's new minimum pay for the president's job boosted the portion of Matassa's salary set by ordinance at the time the $100,000 part of the salary by$13.20 per hour, the plan shows.

DONALDSONVILLE When the next president of Ascension Parish government takes office in January 2020, that person could pocket a $12,000 pay r

In recent interviews, Casso and other current and past parish council members said they were not aware of Matassa's final salary last year and did not realize their adoption of the pay plan in 2018 would have that effect.

"Hell, no," said former Councilman Oliver Joseph, who sat on the committee that vetted the plan.

The retroactive raise to mid-2018 also may have had another apparent benefit. The home rule charter bars pay increases for the parish president in the last year of a term, which, for Matassa, was in 2019.

Matassa: Give it to the lawyer

In an interview Monday, Matassa shared a similar story as the current officials.

He said that he never asked for a pay increase and didn't realize the August 2018 pay plan would have that effect on his pay. At some point after it took effect, Matassa said, anew payroll software system flagged his salary as being out of line with the new pay schedule, he said.

Once he was informed, he directed finance officials and legal adviser, O'Neil Parenton Jr., to determine what was appropriate.

"When this came up, I said give it to O'Neil and I said, 'Whatever's legal is legal,' and that's what happened. That's as much as I know," Matassa said.

Matassa couldn't say when finance officials first informed him of the salary discrepancy.Cointment officials said this happened in October, andpayroll records show that the change in pay was made on Oct. 22, 2019.

Just one day earlier, former state Alcohol and Tobacco Control Commissioner Murphy Painter, who had quiet support from Matassa, announced he was dropping out of the November presidential runoff election with Cointment, the leading vote-getter, Matassa rival and eventual winner.

GONZALES Murphy Painter, the former state Alcohol and Tobacco Control commissioner, has withdrawn from the race for Ascension Parish preside

In December, well after Matassa had received the onetime $30,228 payment for his back pay and had started being paid at the higher salary rate, the council agreed to pay him $231,829for his legal fees from the bribery case during a council meeting that was shared with residents via a spotty public broadcast and a less-than-clear meeting agenda.

Matassa, who by then knew about his increase since he was getting the bigger checks, nor any other parish officials ever mentioned his higher pay in the public portion of the December meeting where he got money for his legal fees. Matassa, council members and others also met in an extended closed-door session, however.

Change to plan not highlighted

In trying to explain how council members missed the impact that the pay plan would have on Matassa's pay, Casso and parish officials pointed out that the president's pay wasn't in an earlier pay plan revision adopted in February 2018.

Parish council minutes and a contemporaneous copy of the proposed list in council backup materials support this claim.

When the president's salary and other job changes were added to the proposed pay plan amendment eventually adopted in August 2018, the president's pay wasn't highlighted as the other pay changes were, Casso and Cointment administration officials said.

A copy of the proposal from the time and a video recording of a committee meeting on the plan changes appear to support this claim, also.

DONALDSONVILLE The Ascension Parish Council is the only government body in the parish to televise its meetings, sending videos of them out o

In a July 2018 Personnel Committee meeting, then-Human Resources Director Taleta Wesley, who was later fired after clashing with Matassa and who accused the parish of employment and ethics wrongdoing, can be heard confirming to then-Councilman Benny Johnson that the changes in the pay plan were highlighted.

"This is already a document that we had, but the changes that you made to it are in red, correct," Johnson asked.

"That is correct," Wesley responded.

Casso, who sat on the committee with Johnson, said members looked at the highlighted changes and must have missed the unhighlighted line for the president's pay.

Left unexplained by Matassa, Cointment administration officials or council members is who inserted the unhighlighted line to the pay plan in the first place that would end up affecting the then president's pay.

Johnson, then the committee chairman, and Councilman John Cagnolatti, another member of the committee, couldn't be reached Monday by cellphone. Wesley, who is embroiled in discrimination and other litigation with the parish, didn't return a message and text for comment Monday.

What about other employees?

As part of the broad organizational review of parish employment and management practices in the prior council term that led to the pay plan changes, parish officials and their consultants had noted that several long-serving parish employees had maxed out on the old pay scale and could only receive cost-of-living raises.

The Advocate asked Matassa and the Cointment administration officials Monday if other parish employees whose salaries fell under the pay ranges set by the new pay plan had also received increases or lump-sum checks for back pay, as Matassa had.

Matassa said he wasn't sure, but Cointment administration officials said eight other parish employees were affected by the August 2018 pay plan amendment.

The list of those employees wasn't immediately available Monday evening, so it's not clear how or if the plan's adoption affected their pay also.

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Kenny Matassa, cleared of wrongdoing, picks up extra $42K on his way out of office - The Advocate

The gas leak that forced an evacuation of students at East Ascension High in Gonzales on Thursday morning stemmed from a broken gas line now repaired that ran from the teacher's lounge to an upstairs restroom, school district officials said.

School district employees have repaired the broken pipe and worked with emergency officials to air out the building, said Jackie Tisdell, public information officer for the school system.

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After the gas leak was discovered to be isolated to a specific area, before its repair, students were moved inside the school's Freshman Academy building and cafeteria/auditorium.

"We anticipate resuming normal operations at the school," Tisdell said.

Tisdell thanked the Gonzales Fire Department, Gonzales Police Department and other law enforcement officials who assisted for their quick response.

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All clear after gas leak at East Ascension High on Thursday - The Advocate

The District 5-5A opener between Catholic High and East Ascension was everything it was expected to be Tuesday night at Catholic.

The high-powered offenses of the Bears and Spartans took center stage in the first half, and the teams played on even terms before Catholic pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 71-58 win.

It felt like a playoff game, which is what district is all about, Catholic coach Mark Cascio said. I'm thankful we found a way to win. EA is a great team, and weve got a lot of respect for those guys.

Catholic (27-2, 1-0) led 45-43 after three quarters, and there were four lead changes in the first two minutes of the fourth. Caleb Warner scored six of Catholics first eight points in the quarter, and his tip in with five minutes left gave the Bears a 53-48 lead that they wouldnt relinquish.

(Caleb) is the type of guy that is going to make plays, Cascio said. It's just a matter of how and when, but he always figures out a way. Hes been a three-year player for us and is battle-tested.

Warner finished with 11 points. London Scott led the Bears with 22 points and Kentrell Garnett added 17. Ian Cavana, who made four of Catholics eight 3-pointers, scored 18.

East Ascension (20-8, 0-1) appeared to have an inside advantage at times with the play of Hobert Grayson and Javon Carter. Late in the game, a missed dunk attempt by Grayson and a turnover by Carter stopped possessions when the Spartans were trying to come back.

Grayson (17 points), Cameron Dunbar (12) and Camryn Carter (11) were the scoring leaders for the Spartans.

We had the advantage in the post. We were getting what we wanted but we came up short, EA coach Tyler Turner said. When youre playing just one round in district you have to make sure youre on your game every night. Everybody in district is good, so you have to focus and lock in.

Catholic created separation in the fourth quarter by making 9 of 13 shots from the field. Garnett and Cavana each hit 3-pointers to help the Bears take a 59-52 lead. East Ascension only got as close as 61-56 after Graysons layup with 2:49 left to play.

Garnett got a basket off a steal, and Catholic made six of nine free throws to pull away in the final minutes.

East Ascension enjoyed the lead for most of the first half. The Spartans led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, and nine points in the second.

Trailing 29-20, Catholic went on a 12-2 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Garnett and Cavana. Grayson scored in the lane to give the Spartans a 33-32 lead at halftime.

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Catholic pulls away late to top East Ascension, improve to 27-2 - The Advocate

Boys

1. Scotlandville (25-3): A hall of fame game against Episcopal was the lone game for the Class 5A Hornets since their return from a national tournament.

2. Catholic (26-2): The Class 5A Bears are not the biggest or most prolific team. But they keep winning nine games in a row now.

3. Madison Prep (18-5): After a few tough losses the 3A Chargers have figured some games out and a win over East Ascension last week is part of the progression.

4. East Ascension (20-7): A one-point loss to MPA last Friday is certainly not enough to drop the Spartans on this list. Their Tuesday game at Catholic is notable.

5. Zachary (22-5): The Broncos of 4-5A lost a close one to Catholic on Friday but remain in a top group that oozes with parity.

6. University (21-3): All the 3A/Division II Cubs do is win claiming victories in seven of their past eight games.

7. Walker (19-6): The Class 5A Wildcats posted two more wins last week.

8. Port Allen (19-5) and Dunham (17-11): These two teams of Class 2A (PAHS) and 2A/Division III (Dunham) have split their games this season and both figure to make deep playoff runs again.

10, Plaquemine (20-8): The Green Devils are 3-0 in District 7-4A and seem to be hitting their stride.

On the outside looking in: Brusly, Episcopal, Jehovah-Jireh, McKinley.

1. Lee (20-4): Three nice wins for the Patriots of Class 4A/Division II last week, including one over 5A power Ponchatoula.

2. Doyle (23-3): Two more nice wins, including one over district rival Northlake were notable for the Class 2A Tigers.

3. Zachary (22-5): The Broncos of Class 5A bounced back in a big with two victories last week.

4. University (19-7): Add three more wins for the Class 3A/Division II Cubs, who have won six of their last seven games.

5. Madison Prep (14-13): It was tough early in the year, but with six straight wins and a 5-0 record in 7-3A, early losses hardly matter.

6. East Iberville (25-4): After losses to two 5A schools the week before, the Tigers of 1A bounced back with wins over 3A and 1A teams.

7. East Ascension (12-7): Never sleep on the Spartans, who have five wins in a row and are unbeaten in District 5-5A play.

8. McKinley (14-10): The Class 5A Panthers have been up and down, but should reap benefits of a very tough schedule.

9. Albany (20-7): The Hornets of 3A have won six in a row and are unbeaten in the always tough District 7-3A.

10, Walker (20-10): A loss to Denham Springs to open 4-5A was part of a 1-1 week for the Wildcats.

On the outside looking in: Brusly, Denham Springs, Dutchtown, French Settlement, St. Michael.

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Check out the high school basketball Top 10s for the Baton Rouge area on Feb. 4 - The Advocate