Blockmate Ventures Announces Closing Of Strategic Investment And Incentive GrantNext year could be the year for reforming the federal tax system, and while we’re optimistic, we also recognize the high stakes for our country’s future. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to extend his signature Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a 2017 law that revised the tax code and provided some sweet breaks to favored constituents. Many of those provisions are set to expire at the end of 2025 and, given the GOP’s control of Congress and the White House, the pressure will be on to act fast. Failure to extend the measures would mean increases for most taxpayers in 2026, and they would have no one to blame but Trump & Co. During his campaign, the president-elect teased additional giveaways, vowing to eliminate taxes on tips, which doesn’t make much sense, as well as Social Security income. Apparently, all kinds of ideas are on the table, which makes the complex job of rewriting tax law even more challenging. Throughout the 2000s, the U.S. has lived far beyond its means, as both major parties embraced deficit spending. Extending the Trump tax cuts will jack up the deficit by something like $5 trillion through fiscal 2035. Sweetening the pot with additional goodies would add still more to the tab. We send our best wishes to the much-ballyhooed Department of Government Efficiency, to be run by tech bosses Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. We’re all for eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. But given governmental instincts for self-preservation, experience teaches us to keep expectations modest. That leaves the national debt at $36 trillion and counting, threatening to increase inflation, raise interest rates, weaken the dollar and reduce the government’s capacity to make strategic investments. It’s disappointing to see the GOP , which always claimed to be the party of fiscal discipline when Democrats were in power, freeze out its deficit hawks when it controls the nation’s wallet. Trump has nominated some smart people for his economic team, including Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary, and we’re hopeful that grown-up thinking will prevail. Other Trump nominees could work against that, however. Consider Billy Long, a former GOP congressman from Missouri, whom Trump has proposed to head the Internal Revenue Service. The colorful Long is a professional auctioneer who went into business peddling a fraud-plagued tax credit after leaving public office. During his tenure, he joined other opportunists in scoring cheap political points by demonizing the IRS and pushing attention-getting tax ideas, evidently for effect . Exhibit A is Long’s effort to scrap the federal tax code, and the IRS along with it, while replacing the lost revenue with a regressive national sales tax. That would raise the cost of goods and services by anywhere from 30 to 44 cents for every dollar spent. It doesn’t take a political genius to recognize that raising the cost of a $1 item to as much as $1.44 would never work. Yet Long pushed for it, and now this unserious nominee is in line to run one of the most serious government agencies. Rather than promising to tear down the IRS for the sake of sound bites, the GOP needs to get real about change. This agency that everyone loves to hate will be crucial to carrying out its tax plan in 2025 and beyond. And, as Bessent and some of the better Trump nominees surely recognize, the GOP has a precious opportunity to bring about reform, if its more credible leaders are willing to put in the work instead of voicing fantasies about eliminating essential government services. The complexity of the federal tax code imposes an estimated $546 billion in annual costs on the U.S. economy, including billions of hours in lost productivity and out-of-pocket compliance costs, according to the center-right Tax Foundation. ... If the incoming Trump administration wants its tax-change plans to be carried out effectively, it should retire its anti-IRS rhetoric and give the agency the tools it needs to get the job done. After all, it’s a matter of following the law. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
By MICHELLE L. PRICE and ROB GILLIES NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Related Articles National Politics | Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television National Politics | What will happen to Social Security under Trump’s tax plan? Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect’s threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park.” Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn’t a trolling-free zone for Trump’s adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden’s spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump’s taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.Parsa Fallah pours in 25 points as Oregon State clobbers Idaho in men’s basketball
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The United Nations raised the death toll of a recent massacre in which dozens of older people and Vodou religious leaders were killed by a gang in Haiti, and called on officials to bring the perpetrators to justice. The U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti said in a report published on Monday that between Dec. 6 and 11 more than 207 people were killed by the Wharf Jeremie gang. The gang took people from their homes and from a place of worship, interrogated them and then executed them with bullets and machetes. Earlier this month, human rights groups in Haiti had estimated that more than 100 people were killed in the massacre, but the new U.N. investigation doubles the number of victims. “We cannot pretend that nothing happened” said María Isabel Salvador, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative in Haiti. “I call on the Haitian justice system to thoroughly investigate these horrific crimes and arrest and punish the perpetrators, as well as those who support them,” she said in a statement. Human rights groups in Haiti said the massacre began after the son of Micanor Altès, the leader of the Wharf Jeremie gang, died from an illness. RELATED COVERAGE 2024 brought natural disasters and turbulent politics to Latin America Joy and wonder: Between the bumps of the world, exuberance shone through in 2024 Haiti’s new prime minister promises security to a country reeling from recent massacres The Cooperative for Peace and Development, a human rights group, said that according to information circulating in the community, Altès accused people in the neighborhood of causing his son’s illness. “He decided to cruelly punish all elderly people and (Vodou) practitioners who, in his imagination, would be capable of casting a bad spell on his son,” the group said in a statement released shortly after news of the massacre emerged. In Monday’s report, the United Nations said that people were tracked down in their homes and in a place of worship by Altès’ gang, where they were first interrogated and then taken to an execution site. The United Nations said that the gang tried to erase evidence of the killings by burning bodies, or by dismembering them and throwing them into the sea. The massacre is the latest humanitarian tragedy in Haiti, where gang violence has intensified since the nation’s president was killed in a 2021 coup attempt . Haiti has struggled to organize an election that will fill the power vacuum and restore democratic rule. The Caribbean nation is currently governed by a transitional council that includes representatives from the business community, civil society and political parties, but its government has no control over many areas of the capital city, and gangs are constantly fighting over ports, highways and neighborhoods. According to the United Nations, more than 5,350 people have been killed in Haiti’s gang wars this year. The Haitian government acknowledged the massacre against older people in a statement issued earlier this month, and promised to persecute those responsible for this act of “unspeakable carnage.”The suspect accused of killing UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson has pleaded not guilty to New York state murder and terrorism charges. Luigi Mangione, 26, appeared in court on Monday to be arraigned on 11 state criminal counts, including murder a crime of terrorism. As well as the state-level charges, he is also accused of federal (national-level) stalking and murder offences that could lead to a death penalty sentence. Prosecutors allege that Mr Mangione shot Mr Thompson in central Manhattan before going on the run. Authorities later arrested him at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Mr Mangione appeared in court on Monday wearing a maroon sweater, white-collared shirt and khaki trousers. In addition to a long stream of journalists waiting for the suspect to appear, members of the public – almost all of them young women – were in court, some of whom told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that they were there to show their support. Mr Mangione is facing 11 state criminal counts in New York, including first-degree murder and murder as a crime of terrorism. If convicted of all the counts, he would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Federal prosecutors have also separately charged Mr Mangione for using a firearm to commit murder and interstate stalking resulting in death. Both charges could make him eligible for the death penalty. He has yet to enter a plea on those charges. Prosecutors have said the federal and state cases will move forward parallel with one another. In court last week, Mr Mangione’s lawyer – Karen Friedman Agnifilo – said that the two sets of charges appear to conflict, with the state charges accusing him of seeking to “intimidate or coerce a civilian population” while the federal charges focus on crimes against an individual. Ms Agnifilo said that the overlapping cases were “confusing” and “highly unusual”. “I’ve never seen anything like what is happening here” in 30 years of practising law, she said. In court on Monday, she further told the judge that she believed that statements from government officials – including New York City Mayor Eric Adams – make her “very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial”. “This is a young man,” she said. “He is being treated like a human ping-pong ball between two warring jurisdictions here.” She also accused state and federal authorities of treating Mr Mangione like “political fodder” and a “spectacle” by bringing him back to New York by helicopter, surrounded by officials and armed guards, in full view of cameras and journalists. The judge, Gregory Carro, said that he is unable to control what happens outside court, but vowed that Mr Mangione would receive a fair trial. In response, the state’s prosecutor said that he had never seen a case with a “higher volume” of quality evidence. The suspect is currently in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Brooklyn after being returned to New York amid heavy security last week. Authorities believe that Mr Mangione carried out a targeted killing of Mr Thompson, pointing to evidence that he was angry at the US healthcare industry. The federal complaint notes that a notebook found in Mr Mangione’s possession expressed “hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.” Some on social media praised Mr Mangione’s alleged crimes, often sharing their own anger at the US private healthcare system. Speaking to CBS, the BBC’s US partner, on Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the online rhetoric has been “extraordinarily alarming”. “It speaks of what is really bubbling here in this country,” he said. “And unfortunately we see that manifested in violence, the domestic violent extremism that exists.” (BBC News) Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s health minister has been removed from his post, government officials told The Associated Press on Thursday, following a deadly gang attack on the largest public hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s health minister has been removed from his post, government officials told The Associated Press on Thursday, following a deadly gang attack on the largest public hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s health minister has been removed from his post, government officials told The Associated Press on Thursday, following a deadly gang attack on the largest public hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The two government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said Health Minister Duckenson Lorthe will be replaced by Justice Minister Patrick Pelissier until a new health minister is found. Two journalists and a police officer were killed Tuesday as gang members burst into the General Hospital and fired indiscriminately at reporters who were there to cover the facility’s reopening. It was one of the worst attacks on Haitian media in recent memory. Seven other journalists were injured. Jean Frans Regala, a photographer who survived, said journalists had been invited to the hospital by the health ministry but there was little security at the site. “The fact that the minister of health invited us, you feel that preparations have been made already,” Regala told the AP. “When we made contact with a police unit, the police told us they were not aware of the event.” Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The health minister did not show up at the event, for reasons that have not been explained. On Tuesday, Johnson “Izo” André, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader and part of the Viv Ansanm group of gangs that has taken control of much of Port-au-Prince, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack. The video said the gang coalition had not authorized the hospital’s reopening. Gang violence has worsened in Haiti since the nation’s president was killed in a 2021 coup attempt. Gangs are believed to control 85% of the capital and earlier this year staged attacks on the main airport and the country’s two largest prisons. The Caribbean country has struggled to organize an election that will restore democratic rule, and is currently governed by a transitional council made up of representatives of political parties, business groups and civil society organizations. Advertisement AdvertisementPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts may sit out a potential NFC East clincher against Dallas because of the lingering effects of a concussion . The Eagles could also just rest Hurts to play it safe -- even if he’s medically cleared ahead of Sunday’s game -- and protect their franchise QB from additional injury over the final two games. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni kept quiet this week on which QB will start Sunday, in large part, of course, because of the head injury suffered by Hurts in last week’s loss to Washington that forced him into the concussion protocol . The issue was complicated by backup Kenny Pickett’s rib injury suffered in relief of Hurts in his first real game competition in nearly a year. Tanner McKee, the third-string QB, could move into a backup role — or maybe even get the start against the Cowboys. Philadelphia's starting quarterback situation has surged past Saquon Barkley's chase at Eric Dickerson's season rushing record as the most intriguing talking point in the final two games. The Eagles (12-3) appear certain to win the division title — they're two games ahead of Washington (10-5) — and a No. 2 seed in the conference no matter the quarterback headed into the playoffs. Even with an unsettled QB spot, the Eagles are are still 71⁄2-point home favorites to beat division rival Dallas, per BetMGM Sportsbook. Sirianni appreciated that quarterback depth has been a strength for the Eagles. “We feel good about that room,” he said. So why risk Hurts against the Cowboys? There's little reason to make Hurts play only a week after absorbing a pair of blows to the head and the extra week off — maybe two if the finale against the Giants is truly meaningless — could add to his recovery time ahead of a home playoff game. The Eagles were burned in a similar situation last season when Hurts and star wide receiver A.J. Brown were both injured in the final game against the Giants with little at stake. With both players hampered by unnecessary injuries, the Eagles were dumped the next week by Tampa Bay in the NFC wild-card playoff game. The Eagles have options if Hurts is inactive. Pickett was 14 of 24 for 143 yards in relief, throwing a touchdown pass to Brown and an interception. Pickett, a first-round pick out of Pitt in 2022, went 14-10 as a starter for the Steelers before he was traded to the Eagles in the offseason. McKee was the Eagles’ 2023 sixth-round pick out of Stanford. The 6-foot-6, 231-pound quarterback has yet to take a snap in a regular-season game. He's mostly used in practice on the scout team or in developmental periods — at best, he'll stay late after practice to get some reps in with the top receivers. “Every week, every opportunity, it's knowing it could be my shot, my chance,” McKee said. He could finally get that shot against Dallas. With the Cowboys out of playoff contention, the questions persist for coach Mike McCarthy about bypassing Cooper Rush for a look at Trey Lance before both QBs hit free agency. McCarthy’s answer hasn’t wavered: Rush gives Dallas the best chance to win. Rush is 4-3 since Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring tear after going 5-1 over two previous stints as an injury replacement. That’s 9-4 total. Half the losses came in both of Rush’s starts against Eagles – the last of five games filling in during the 2022 season and the first game this season. “The mindset is to win,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to Philadelphia to win the game.” Barkley leads the NFL with 1,838 yards rushing for the season through 15 games. He still needs two big outings in the final games of the season against Dallas and the New York Giants to top Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. Barkley is 268 yards away from passing Dickerson for the season mark and 162 shy from becoming the ninth player in NFL history with 2,000 yards rushing in a season. He ran for only 66 yards in the first game this season against Dallas. Dallas ranks 28th in the NFL in rushing defense, surrendering 135.9 yards per contest. Philadelphia, behind Barkley’s stellar play, tops the league at 187.9 yards per game on the ground. The Eagles have already have set a team record for yards rushing in a season with 2,818, and they are within four rushing touchdowns of tying the club’s single-season mark of 32, set in 2022. Barkley needs four more rushing touchdowns to tie LeSean McCoy’s Eagles record, set in 2011 and just 33 yards from scrimmage to break McCoy’s mark of 2,146 set in 2013. Star Dallas edge rusher Micah Parsons needs half a sack to reach double digits in each of his first four seasons despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain, the first injury absence of his career. The 2021 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year would be the fifth player to reach 10 sacks in each of his first four seasons. The other four — Claude Humphrey, Reggie White, Derrick Thomas and Dwight Freeney - are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed from Arlington, Texas. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Friday after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation . The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, just enough top the all-time high set on Wednesday, as it closed a third straight winning week in what looks to be one of its best years since the 2000 dot-com bust. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 123.19 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8% to set its own record. The quiet trading came after the latest jobs report came in mixed enough to strengthen traders’ expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again at its next meeting in two weeks. The report showed U.S. employers hired more workers than expected last month, but it also said the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked up to 4.2% from 4.1%. “This print doesn’t kill the holiday spirit and the Fed remains on track to deliver a cut in December,” according to Lindsay Rosner, head of multi-sector investing within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to offer more help for the slowing job market, after bringing inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower interest rates can ease the brakes off the economy, but they can also offer more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts from the Fed have been a major reason the S&P 500 has set an all-time high 57 times so far this year. And the Fed is part of a global surge: 62 central banks have lowered rates in the past three months, the most since 2020, according to Michael Hartnett and other strategists at Bank of America. Still, the jobs report may have included some notes of caution for Fed officials underneath the surface. Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, pointed to average wages for workers last month, which were a touch stronger than economists expected. While that’s good news for workers who would always like to make more, it could keep upward pressure on inflation. “This report tells the Fed that they still need to be careful as sticky housing/shelter/wage data shows that it won’t be easy to engineer meaningfully lower inflation from here in the nearer term,” Wren said. So, while traders are betting on an 85% probability the Fed will ease its main rate in two weeks, they’re much less certain about how many more cuts it will deliver next year, according to data from CME Group. For now, the hope is that the job market can help U.S. shoppers continue to spend and keep the U.S. economy out of a recession that had earlier seemed inevitable after the Fed began hiking interest rates swiftly to crush inflation. Several retailers offered encouragement after delivering better-than-expected results for the latest quarter. Ulta Beauty rallied 9% after topping expectations for both profit and revenue. The opening of new stores helped boost its revenue, and it raised the bottom end of its forecasted range for sales over this full year. Lululemon stretched 15.9% higher following its own profit report. It said stronger sales outside the United States helped it in particular, and its earnings topped analysts’ expectations. Retailers overall have been offering mixed signals on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain amid the slowing job market and still-high prices. Target gave a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season, for example, while Walmart gave a much more encouraging outlook. A report on Friday suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers may be improving more than economists expected. The preliminary reading from the University of Michigan’s survey hit its highest level in seven months. The survey found a surge in buying for some products as consumers tried to get ahead of possible increases in price due to higher tariffs that President-elect Donald Trump has threatened. In tech, Hewlett Packard Enterprise jumped 10.6% for one of the S&P 500’s larger gains after reporting stronger profit and revenue than expected. Tech stocks were some of the market’s strongest this week, as Salesforce and other big companies talked up how much of a boost they’re getting from the artificial-intelligence boom. All told, the S&P 500 rose 15.16 points to 6,090.27. The Dow dipped 123.19 to 44,642.52, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 159.05 to 19,859.77. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.15% from 4.18% late Thursday. In stock markets abroad, France’s CAC 40 rose 1.3% after French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to stay in office until the end of his term and to name a new prime minister within days. Earlier this week, far-right and left-wing lawmakers approved a no-confidence motion due to budget disputes, forcing Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his cabinet to resign. In Asia, stock indexes were mixed. They rallied 1.6% in Hong Kong and 1% in Shanghai ahead of an annual economic policy meeting scheduled for next week. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.6% as South Korea’s ruling party chief showed support for suspending the constitutional powers of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and then revoked that earlier this week. Yoon is facing calls to resign and may be impeached. Bitcoin was sitting near $101,500 after briefly bursting above $103,000 to a record the day before. AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Haiti’s health minister loses his job after a deadly gang attack on a hospital in the capital
After weeks of troubling stories about problematic street drug use in hospitals, parks and at bus stops, the province of British Columbia announced plans to recriminalize the use of drugs in public places Friday — radically altering a pilot program aimed at addressing the toxic drug crisis. In a statement, Premier David Eby insisted that his government is "caring and compassionate for those struggling with addiction," but that patience for disorder only goes so far. "Keeping people safe is our highest priority," said Eby. "We're taking action to make sure police have the tools they need to ensure safe and comfortable communities for everyone as we expand treatment options so people can stay alive and get better," he said. With an election looming, Eby's NDP government has been bombarded with a string of headlines about concerns with decriminalization — a pilot program introduced in January 2023 allowed adult drug users in B.C. to carry up to 2.5 grams of drugs for personal use without facing criminal charges. The program was possible through an exemption granted by Health Canada under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act which allowed for open drug use in some public spaces. Opposition alleges open drug use, dealing at Vancouver hospital Scrutiny of B.C. drug decrim pilot program intensifies Eby's political opponents have seized on concerns from hospital workers and patients about illegal drug use and trafficking in the hallways of hospitals . And last week, Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson testified at a House of Commons health committee hearing about the struggles police are having responding to public complaints involving disturbances related to public drug consumption. WATCH | B.C. government backtracks on drug use in public spaces over safety concerns: B.C. recriminalizes drug use in public spaces 8 months ago Duration 1:59 British Columbia Premier David Eby has announced that drug use in public spaces will be recriminalized over public safety concerns following a wave of troubling accounts of street drugs being taken in hospitals, parks and transit stops. In a release, the province says it is "working with Health Canada to urgently change the decriminalization policy to stop drug use in public and has requested an amendment to its ... exemption to exclude all public places." "When police are called to a scene where illegal and dangerous drug use is taking place, they will have the ability to compel the person to leave the area, seize the drugs when necessary or arrest the person, if required," the province said in a statement. "This change would not recriminalize drug possession in a private residence or place where someone is legally sheltering or at overdose prevention sites and drug checking locations." B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province is also introducing specific measures aimed at curbing illicit drug use in health care facilities — including the prohibition of street drug possession or use. "We are taking immediate action to make hospitals safer and ensuring policies are consistent and strictly enforced through additional security, public communication and staff supports," Dix said in a statement. 8 years and 14,000 deaths later, B.C.'s drug emergency rages on "The action plan launching today will improve how patients with addictions are supported while they need hospital care, while preventing others from being exposed to the secondhand effects of illicit drug use." The province said it is working with police to come up with guidance to ensure that people who merely possess drugs are not arrested unless they're threatening public safety or causing a disturbance. VPD Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Wilson told a parliamentary committee on health the limit on police powers to address the public consumption of illicit drugs is affecting public safety. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson said at the announcement that decriminalization has to be part of a broader strategy to address the province's drug crisis. "We've heard loud and clear from the front-line police officers who continue to see the unintended ramifications that unchecked public drug use has on the safety and well-being of neighbourhoods," she said. "And the feedback has been unequivocal — public consumption is a significant issue that needs to be addressed and major changes are required." LISTEN | Political panel discusses the pushback against safe supply pilot: On The Island 17:28 On The Island Political Panel for April 26 2024 Gregor Craigie convened the political panel. 14,000 lives lost The decriminalization pilot was introduced in January 2023 and allows adult drug users in B.C. to carry up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy for personal use without facing criminal charges. Relying on an exemption granted by Health Canada under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, it also allows for open drug use in some public spaces. Backlash against drug decriminalization and safe supply 'terrifies' B.C.'s exiting chief coroner B.C. top court upholds pause on law restricting public drug use The pilot is part of a government response to the public health emergency declared eight years ago due to a rise in deaths from toxic, illicit drugs. More than 14,000 people have died since the emergency was declared in 2016, largely due to the opioid fentanyl. More than 14,000 people have died of toxic, illicit drugs in B.C. since a public health emergency was declared in 2016. (Jean-Marc Poirier/Radio-Canada) By reducing stigma associated with drug use, officials say they hope to provide better access to lifesaving care along with a less deadly safe supply. But it has come with criticism about a lack of guardrails. On April 15, Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson testified at a House of Commons health committee hearing about how the pilot is limiting police response to problematic public drug use, including inside hospitals and at bus stops. WATCH | B.C. Premier says compassion for drug users must be balanced against public safety 'We still have expectations around safety': B.C. bans drug use in public spaces 8 months ago Duration 1:05 B.C. Premier David Eby announced Friday plans to recriminalize drug use in public spaces. He says while it is still important to help drug users, open drug use around kids and other people is not acceptable. "In the wake of decriminalization, there are many of those locations where we have absolutely no authority to address that problematic drug use, because the person appears to be in possession of less than 2.5 grams," Wilson said. "So, if you have someone who is with their family at the beach, and there's a person next to them smoking crack cocaine, it's not a police matter." Courts previously stopped legislation Friday's announcement is the government's latest attempt at curbing public drug use. Last October, it tabled new legislation in an attempt to ban illegal drug use in many public places . The bill would have banned the use of illicit drugs within six metres of all building entrances and bus stops; within 15 metres of playgrounds, spray and wading pools, and skate parks; and in parks, beaches and sports fields. But in December, B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ordered the law paused until March 31, ruling it would likely result in more deaths , displacement and criminalization of people who use drugs. B.C. introduces bill to ban illicit drug use in many public spaces "Irreparable harm will be caused if the act comes into force," Hinkson wrote in his ruling. The provincial government appealed the ruling, but it was upheld by the B.C. Court of Appeal . WATCH | The debate over decriminalization in B.C.: B.C.'s debate over drug decriminalization | Canada Tonight 8 months ago Duration 10:48 One year into a three-year drug decriminalization pilot, B.C. Premier David Eby says he shares public safety concerns that have been raised by police and city councillors from multiple municipalities. Jess Lamb, co-founder of the East Kootenay Network of People Who Use Drugs, and Alexa Loo, a city councillor in Richmond, B.C., give their thoughts on whether the pilot should continue. Eby says he expects the changes to go through this time because he is asking them to come from Health Canada. "The resolution of that court issue is potentially more than a year down the road and we cannot afford to wait. We need to act now," Eby said. "I have talked to the prime minister about this. He assures me that the federal government will provide full support to ensure that police have the tools that they need." Eby said it's possible the government could face another legal challenge in response to these changes, but he thinks the risk is low. "In order for it to be successful, the court would have to find that the entire Controlled Drugs and Substances Act at the federal level was unconstitutional," he said. Eby said criminalizing drug use costs lives and taxpayer money while not making the public safer, but "police do need the tools to address extraordinary circumstances where people are compromising public safety through their drug use." Election looms Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a statement that he welcomed the change. "Today's changes will make public drug use effectively illegal and provide the VPD with actual tools to maintain public safety. This change aligns with the critical work we have already undertaken with the federal and provincial governments to address open drug use in public areas, especially around playgrounds, splash pads, beaches, and sports fields." The premier said the issue has been intensely politicized as the province heads into an election. British Columbians go to the polls on Oct. 19. Opposition B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon and his critic for mental health and addiction Elenore Sturko issued a joint statement calling the government's move a "desperate attempt to salvage a failing policy." "Instead of upholding their commitments to scrap the decriminalization pilot when it clearly wasn't meeting its goals, David Eby and the NDP have stubbornly persisted with this dangerous policy," the statement says. "From its inception, the decriminalization experiment has failed to connect drug users with any necessary treatment or recovery services." B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said in an interview that "decriminalization has been an utter failure in this province." "This should have never happened in the province of British Columbia," he said. In a statement posted online, B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau expressed concerns about the increase in arrests that could be associated with the policy, writing, "Police discretion is especially likely to stigmatize Indigenous and racialized British Columbians." "This issue is intrinsically linked to the housing and affordability crisis. Rolling back decriminalization isn't going to fix that. No jurisdiction in the world has arrested their way out of this problem, and we won't either." WATCH | Full press conference on drug recriminalization: B.C. to recriminalize drug use in public spaces 8 months ago Duration 50:20 B.C. Premier David Eby, Vancouver Police Department Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Wilson and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix announce and answer questions about plans to recriminalize drug use in public spaces.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in a Major League Baseball game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler's staff in 2020, becoming the majors' first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt — the AL Manager of the Year. With Cleveland, the 34-year-old Nakken will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Her exact duties are still being determined. "We thank Alyssa Nakken for her incredible contributions to the San Francisco Giants and for trailblazing a path for women in sports,” the Giants said in a statement on Friday. "Her leadership, dedication, and passion for the game have inspired countless individuals, and her impact has been truly transformative for the Giants organization and the baseball community. “As she embarks on this exciting new chapter in her career, we have no doubt that she’ll continue to inspire and achieve great things. We wish her and her family nothing but the best.” Nakken is the second on-field female coach hired by the Guardians. In 2023, the club brought in Amanda Kamekona as their hitting development coach for their year-round training academy in Goodyear, Arizona. Last season, she was an assistant hitting coach at Double-A Akron. Kamekona was twice a third-team All-American at UCLA after transferring from Cal State Fullerton. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Next year could be the year for reforming the federal tax system, and while we’re optimistic, we also recognize the high stakes for our country’s future. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to extend his signature Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a 2017 law that revised the tax code and provided some sweet breaks to favored constituents. Many of those provisions are set to expire at the end of 2025 and, given the GOP’s control of Congress and the White House, the pressure will be on to act fast. Failure to extend the measures would mean increases for most taxpayers in 2026, and they would have no one to blame but Trump & Co. During his campaign, the president-elect teased additional giveaways, vowing to eliminate taxes on tips, which doesn’t make much sense, as well as Social Security income. Apparently, all kinds of ideas are on the table, which makes the complex job of rewriting tax law even more challenging. Throughout the 2000s, the U.S. has lived far beyond its means, as both major parties embraced deficit spending. Extending the Trump tax cuts will jack up the deficit by something like $5 trillion through fiscal 2035. Sweetening the pot with additional goodies would add still more to the tab. We send our best wishes to the much-ballyhooed Department of Government Efficiency, to be run by tech bosses Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. We’re all for eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. But given governmental instincts for self-preservation, experience teaches us to keep expectations modest. That leaves the national debt at $36 trillion and counting, threatening to increase inflation, raise interest rates, weaken the dollar and reduce the government’s capacity to make strategic investments. It’s disappointing to see the GOP , which always claimed to be the party of fiscal discipline when Democrats were in power, freeze out its deficit hawks when it controls the nation’s wallet. Trump has nominated some smart people for his economic team, including Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary, and we’re hopeful that grown-up thinking will prevail. Other Trump nominees could work against that, however. Consider Billy Long, a former GOP congressman from Missouri, whom Trump has proposed to head the Internal Revenue Service. The colorful Long is a professional auctioneer who went into business peddling a fraud-plagued tax credit after leaving public office. During his tenure, he joined other opportunists in scoring cheap political points by demonizing the IRS and pushing attention-getting tax ideas, evidently for effect . Exhibit A is Long’s effort to scrap the federal tax code, and the IRS along with it, while replacing the lost revenue with a regressive national sales tax. That would raise the cost of goods and services by anywhere from 30 to 44 cents for every dollar spent. It doesn’t take a political genius to recognize that raising the cost of a $1 item to as much as $1.44 would never work. Yet Long pushed for it, and now this unserious nominee is in line to run one of the most serious government agencies. Rather than promising to tear down the IRS for the sake of sound bites, the GOP needs to get real about change. This agency that everyone loves to hate will be crucial to carrying out its tax plan in 2025 and beyond. And, as Bessent and some of the better Trump nominees surely recognize, the GOP has a precious opportunity to bring about reform, if its more credible leaders are willing to put in the work instead of voicing fantasies about eliminating essential government services. The complexity of the federal tax code imposes an estimated $546 billion in annual costs on the U.S. economy, including billions of hours in lost productivity and out-of-pocket compliance costs, according to the center-right Tax Foundation. ... If the incoming Trump administration wants its tax-change plans to be carried out effectively, it should retire its anti-IRS rhetoric and give the agency the tools it needs to get the job done. After all, it’s a matter of following the law. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.A devastating report from the United Nations highlights the brutal actions of the Wharf Jeremie gang, responsible for the deaths of at least 207 individuals in Haiti's Cite Soleil earlier this month. Originally estimated at 187, the death toll has been revised upward to include at least 134 men and 73 women, primarily elderly residents accused of witchcraft. Leading the attacks was gang leader Monel "Mikano" Felix, who, after his child fell ill, blamed locals for using Voudou to cause the sickness. Many of the victims were abducted from Voudou temples and ceremonies. These gruesome acts have further destabilized the Caribbean nation, already entrenched in severe gang violence and humanitarian crises. In control of a crucial area near Haiti's ports for 15 years, the Wharf Jeremie gang tried to obliterate evidence of their crimes by seizing mobile phones, incinerating bodies, and disposing of them at sea. With over 5,300 killed since January and more than 12,000 lives lost since 2022, Haiti's security and socio-political landscape remain perilous. (With inputs from agencies.)
With Matthew Liberatore ‘s success in the bullpen, the St. Louis Cardinals now have expanded options as they re-tool their team. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Randy Arozarena trade, he immediately became the number three prospect in the organization upon his arrival. At the time, the Cardinals saw him as a pitcher with a high floor and major league-caliber breaking action. Matthew Liberatore, Soul Stealing Curveball. pic.twitter.com/oO5PfbaBWn — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 24, 2020 However, he struggled in his minimal appearances as a starter in 2022 and 2023 and many within the organization had dismissed him as another failed pitching prospect. His reinvention of himself in 2024 as a legitimate bullpen arm came as a revelation, and the former top prospect’s versatility provides options to an already flexible Cardinals pitching staff. Cardinals Have Options with Former Top Prospect Matthew Liberatore Struggles on the Mound Liberatore, now 25, has not put up flashy numbers as a starter since his promotion to Triple-A in 2021. In 2022 and 2023 combined, he started 40 games at the major-league level, posting an ERA over 5.00 and producing -0.9 WAR in that span. His curveball, thought to be his best pitch, did not play against big-league hitters, and his tendency to walk batters hurt his chances at clean innings. At the same time, the Cardinals were witnessing the twilight of one-time ace Adam Wainwright ‘s career and were struggling to successfully promote young prospects into their major-league system. Underwhelming performances from Steven Matz and Miles Mikolas on large contracts only served to compound the frustration. As Arozarena barreled through the 2020 postseason and went on to win AL Rookie of the Year in 2021, pressure shifted toward Liberatore, in some ways unfairly. However, with the signings of Sonny Gray , Lance Lynn , and Kyle Gibson for the 2024 season, Liberatore became a more permanent fixture in the Cardinals bullpen. Success Out of the Bullpen Through 60 total pitching appearances in 2024, he posted a 4.40 ERA over 86 innings with 76 strikeouts and only 28 walks. Not only are these the best numbers of his career, they don’t necessarily tell the whole story. While Liberatore was primarily used as a middle-reliever, he was required to make multiple spot starts due to doubleheaders or injury. However, when he came in as a reliever in the 7th-9th innings he earned a shocking 1.35 ERA. Over 40 innings in the latter third of games, Liberatore finally looked like what the team expected of him as a top prospect. In part, this was due to a shift in approach. In 2024, his slider saw a 15% increase in usage while his use of the curveball dropped considerably. The slider played well, producing a +4 run value, and the curveball became a seldom-used strikeout pitch. Additionally, his four-seam fastball velocity rose slightly. While it still sits in the mid-90s, it seems as though a move to the bullpen has given Liberatore the edge he needed to produce at the major-league level. Options for the Future Despite his success in the bullpen, Liberatore still has eyes on a starting spot in a young Cardinals rotation. After a scoreless six-inning start against the Atlanta Braves in June, Liberatore told John Denton of MLB.com: “I’ve been a starter for 15 years and I’ve been a bullpen guy four months total between last season and this season, and I’ve tried to embrace that [reliever] role and I’ve gotten comfortable out there [in the bullpen],” he said. “But, at heart, I’m a starter and I really enjoy trying to go through a lineup multiple times and try to outthink guys and outcompete guys.” good morning to everyone but ESPECIALLY Matthew Liberatore ?? pic.twitter.com/TCcnCBzbou — Cardinals Talk (@theredbird_way) June 27, 2024 The bullpen was an undeniable strength for the Cardinals in 2025, and Liberatore’s contributions to an already crowded field of improving pitchers cannot be understated. However, as the team looks to develop internally, it might be worth taking another look at their present options for the rotation. This includes players with big-league experience, including 2024 standout Andre Pallante , as well as prospects, such as Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby . Both prospects just joined the 40-man roster. However, Liberatore’s role on the pitching staff will be something to keep an eye on in 2025, especially in the case of injury to the team’s established starters. This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.
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Liverpool power seven points clear, Man Utd crash at WolvesLiverpool powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favourites survived a scare in their 3-1 win against Leicester, while Bruno Fernandes was sent off in Manchester United's dismal 2-0 defeat at lowly Wolves. Erling Haaland missed a penalty as crisis-torn Manchester City failed to end their dismal run with a 1-1 draw against Everton, but it was United's travails and Liverpool's remarkable run that took centre-stage on Thursday. Arne Slot's side were shocked by Jordan Ayew's early strike at Anfield, but the leaders recovered their composure to equalise just before the interval through Cody Gakpo. England midfielder Jones marked his 100th top-flight appearance with the second goal soon after half-time. Mohamed Salah's 19th goal this term wrapped up Liverpool's 11th win in their last 13 games in all competitions. "We created enough, but because we went 1-0 down it was a game," Liverpool manager Slot said. "Then you saw how good we are and Leicester didn't want to come back into the game." Liverpool's comeback lifted them well clear of second-placed Chelsea, who were defeated 2-1 by Fulham earlier in the day. United suffered a third successive loss in all competitions to leave new boss Ruben Amorim with five defeats in his first 10 games. Fernandes was dismissed two minutes into the second half at Molineux for a second bookable offence. United's 10 men cracked in the 58th minute when Matheus Cunha's corner went straight in as goalkeeper Andre Onana flapped under pressure. Hwang Hee-chan compounded Amorim's misery when he tapped in with just seconds left. Losing to fourth-bottom Wolves was another bitter blow for United, who endured a humiliating 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth at Old Trafford last weekend after losing 4-3 in the League Cup at Tottenham. With his team marooned in 14th place -- just eight points above the relegation zone -- Amorim's woes might not be over, with United facing in-form Newcastle on Monday before travelling to Liverpool in their first game of 2025. "It's so tough to win games in this league with 11 men. With 10 men, it's more difficult," Amorim said. Champions Manchester City have just one victory in their last 13 games in all competitions as their Christmas schedule started in disappointing fashion. Bernardo Silva put City in front early on before Iliman Ndiaye salvaged a point for Everton. Seven minutes into the second half, Haaland had the chance to end his longest goal drought at the Etihad but Jordan Pickford denied him. City are languishing in seventh place and sit five points adrift of the top four, with their astonishing decline showing no sign of ending. "Of course we need results and we didn't get it. The team played really good again in all departments and unfortunately could not win," said City boss Pep Guardiola. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were stunned by Fulham's late fightback in a dramatic west London derby. It was Chelsea's first home defeat against Fulham since 1979. Cole Palmer put Chelsea ahead after 16 minutes, the England forward drilling home from the edge of the area after weaving through the Fulham defence in dazzling style. But Fulham levelled with eight minutes left when Harry Wilson nodded in from close range. There was worse to come for the Blues when Rodrigo Muniz completed the turnaround in the 95th minute. Nottingham Forest climbed to third place after a 1-0 win against sputtering Tottenham at the City Ground. Forest's fourth successive win was sweet revenge for boss Nuno Espirito Santo, whose former club Tottenham had Djed Spence sent off in the closing moments for a second booking. Tottenham are stuck in 11th as the pressure mounts on boss Ange Postecoglou. Newcastle swatted aside 10-man Aston Villa 3-0, moving up to fifth place after winning three consecutive league games for the first time since 2023. Jarrod Bowen's 59th-minute goal gave West Ham a 1-0 win at bottom of the table Southampton after the visitors saw Guido Rodriguez's red card overturned by VAR. It was a frustrating start for new Saints boss Ivan Juric, who has replaced the sacked Russell Martin. Bournemouth and Crystal Palace shared a goalless draw at the Vitality Stadium. smg/nf Powerful spotlights Wednesday night dance to the music on top of Jason Mills’ home at 74 Warren Road in Monmouth. The lights have prompted questions and speculation from residents miles away. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal MONMOUTH — It’s not unusual, some evenings, for people to pull to the side of the road, get out of their cars and just start dancing in the street in front of Jason Mills’ house on Warren Road. “We’ve had people out there singing at the top of their lungs, too,” says Mills, “and it’s just fun and funny. We really enjoy seeing people out there.” These spontaneous displays of singing and dancing aren’t the work of lunatics. They are among the many who stop in front of Mills’ house in the early evenings to enjoy the elaborate Christmas light show going on there. And when we say “elaborate,” we really mean it. We’re talking 18,000 LED lights flickering, flashing and kind of dancing along in exotic ways in sync with the music. We’re talking computer controlled projectors beaming images onto the windows, where exotic swirls of light move in every imaginable way. Every once in while, you’ll see the ghostly image of a guitarist jamming along to the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Mills’ front door. The lights spin and throb and pulsate in such a wild variety of ways, it’s mesmerizing. The experience is almost psychedelic. It is, without question, hypnotic. Sheets of LED bulbs change with the music at Jason Mills’ home in Monmouth. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal And there are four moving spotlights atop Mills’ roof, as well. They shoot out beams of light and move every which way based on the music. The light dances playfully on whatever sky cover there happens to be that night, and people have reported seeing this phenomena as far away as Turner and Greene, Lewiston, Auburn and Poland, in some cases attributing it to UFOs or the northern lights. When it comes to his Christmas light show, Mills, an assistance chief with the Monmouth Fire Department, does not mess around. His show is carefully curated through computer software that allows him to adjust the timing of every bulb and get every flash and flicker in line with the beat of the holiday season songs on his playlist. This is not traditional Christmas decorating. The display is all encompassing. From the great spotlights on the roof to the animated Christmas trees and candy canes on the front lawn, Mills has used the latest in lighting technology to present one of the grandest displays one will find in the region. It’s a lot of work and none of it is cheap: The spotlights alone run about $1,000 apiece and the LED lights were at one time selling for about a buck a bulb. Yet, Mills has been doing this for years and his officially named Monmouth Lights show gets wilder with each new Christmas season. Jason Mills stands Wednesday night in front of his home at 74 Warren Road in Monmouth., where his ever-evolving light display is attracting people from across the region. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal “Inspiration for my light show came from a few places,” says Mills, in a way that is both modest and alive with childlike enthusiasm. “When I was a kid, my grandmother had an amazing Christmas light display every year and I see this as my way of carrying on that piece of her legacy. I am also a big fan of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and started going to their concerts around 20 years ago. The lighting at those concerts is a show of its own and, as a bit of a tech geek, it garnered my interest immediately. So in 2012 I started Monmouth Lights with a few strings of traditional Christmas lights and some controllers that I put together. I had a couple different songs each year and we would see a handful of cars each night stop by. We did that for three or four years before work got in the way.” Things went along at that tempo for a few years. Then Mills stepped things up a notch or three. “In 2019, we moved to our current house and I started looking into smart lighting options,” Mills says. “I built a few small controllers and played around with some LED strips before stumbling across some information about connecting them into a Christmas light show. That’s all it took to throw me back into the hobby and I started putting together a small show. We didn’t expect a lot of visitors, but that was 2020 and a lot of normal Christmas events and traditions weren’t happening that year, so we had more than we anticipated and we ended up causing a few traffic problems.” Mills lives on a pretty quiet stretch of Warren Road. In order for someone to cause traffic problems there, people would have to be coming from miles around to see the show. That’s exactly what happened, and the show draws even more interest these days now that it’s bigger and brighter and more intense than ever. Viewers watching the light show from their cars can tune their radios to 91.7 FM to hear the music while the lights dance. The closer Christmas gets, the more Christmas music is being added to the playlist. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal The popularity of Mills’ light show got a boost recently thanks to a bunch of threads on social media where people — including Sun Journal photographer Russ Dillingham — reported seeing lights in the sky in far-flung places like the wilds of Turner. Some folks thought it was Elon Musk’s Starlink they were seeing up there in the heavens. Others thought UFOs were making regular stops to the area. When it was finally sorted out, many made the drive out to lonely Warren Road to have an up-close look at Mills’ fancy display. By then, Mills already had a pretty good following. There is rarely a time between 4:30 and 9 p.m. that at least one vehicle isn’t stopped in front of his house to enjoy the show — which takes an amazing 22 minutes to cycle from start to finish before beginning all over again. Mills gets help from his wife and two daughters, both with the setup and the computer controls. “My oldest daughter is just in high school,” Mills says. “Now she’s kind of getting into computer programming and stuff, so she’s starting to learn how to program the songs so she can pick some of her favorites and make some light shows from them.” The light show at the Monmouth home of Jason Mills includes thousands of LED lights, projects, spotlights and even a collection box for families to drop off their letters to Santa. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Mills adds new songs to the mix every week. Right now, there’s a little bit of everything in there, but as it gets closer to the holiday, Mills will switch over to Christmas music exclusively. He also gets a little help from Maine Equipment Rental, which partners with Mills and made it possible for him to work safely and with a little bit of a break on his own costs. Mills said he’s never considered asking for help from the public to pay for his setup. He does this for them and all he wants is for families viewing the show to have a good time. Families can drop off letters to Santa and watch the light show choreographed by computer to an ever-changing playlist of music. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal “We do this show for the community,” Mills says, “and there is never a charge to come and see it. We do have a Santa’s mailbox where families can drop their letters to Santa and we will get them to the North Pole. If they include a return address, we do our best to make sure they get a personal replay.” Some folks will leave donations in a box at the roadside, but Mills gives 100% of anything collected to local youth STEM and arts programs, including Monmouth VEX Robotics and the Monmouth Community Players’ kids program. The show runs nightly and Mills plans to keep the display going until the new year. Those who stop to take in the grand show can tune their radios to 91.7 FM to hear the music or they can download the PulseMesh app on their phones. In spite of the breathtaking magnitude of his light show, Mills doesn’t consider himself any kind of local king of Christmas displays. In fact, he says that some spectacular light shows at nearby homes — on Small Road and on Hallowell Road in Litchfield — make it so that the drive to the area is three times as special for those out to enjoy Christmas decorations in the area. You can find more information about Mills’ work at the Facebook group Monmouth Lights , but take it from us. This is the kind of Christmas decoration that has to be seen to be believed. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous Next »