Iron Mountain Incorporated Upsizes and Prices Debt OfferingMinnesota hunters registered 120,675 deer after the third weekend of the firearms deer season, up 6% from 2023, but down 4% from the five-year mean, or average, the Department of Natural Resources reported Tuesday, Nov. 26. Deer Season A opened Saturday, Nov. 9, and ended Nov. 17 in 200- and 300-series deer permit areas (DPAs) and continued through Nov. 24 in 100-series DPAs, which are mainly in the northern and northeastern part of the state. ADVERTISEMENT The Season B firearms deer season in 300-series DPAs opened Nov. 23 and continues through Sunday, Dec. 1. The firearms deer harvest by region after 16 days was as follows: According to Todd Froberg, big game program coordinator for the DNR at Whitewater Wildlife Management Area in Altura, Minnesota, the harvest really only increased in the Northwest, Northeast and Central regions during the rest of the 16-day season and then in the B season in the southeast part of the state. The 200-series DPAs only had the nine-day season, and there is only one DPA in the southwest region open during the ongoing B season, Froberg said. The cumulative harvest to date, which includes archery, firearm, early antlerless, youth and special hunts, was 153,390 deer, the DNR said. That’s up 3% from 2023, but down 6% from the five-year average and down 8% from the 10-year average. Cumulative tallies by region were as follows: In related deer hunting news, Minnesota archery hunters as of Tuesday had harvested 23,047 deer, Froberg said, up 12% from last year. Crossbows, which are legal for all archery hunters in Minnesota, are making up a greater percentage of the archery harvest, Froberg says. ADVERTISEMENT “Crossbows are making up 47% of (the) archery harvest,” he said. “For crossbow-specific harvest, we are up 24% compared to last year’s crossbow harvest. Vertical bow harvest is up 4% compared to last year’s vertical bow harvest.” Minnesota’s muzzleloader opens Saturday, Nov. 30, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 15. Archery season continues through Dec. 31. The DNR posts regular harvest updates, both statewide and by DPA, on its website at dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/deer/management/statistics.html.
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NoneGlobal Summit on 2D Materials and Graphene Technology Apex Global Meetings is delighted to welcome all the participants across the globe to attend “Global Summit on 2D Materials and Graphene Technology” during July 07-09, 2025 at Munich, Germany. The three day conference with the theme “Rapid growth in research, approaches and application in the field of 2D Materials and Graphene Technology” that includes prompt keynote Speaker, presentations, oral talks, poster presentations and exhibition. Our commitment is to establish a collaborative platform at the 2D Materials and Graphene Technology Summit that drives research excellence, promotes technological innovation, and sparks transformative ideas. The conference extends a warm welcome to attendees, researchers, and students, encouraging interactive engagement and the establishment of collaborative connections with academic institutions, industry experts, and business specialists. This platform aims to foster future research, innovation, and the development of cutting-edge technologies, all contributing to the advancement and betterment of mankind. We look forward to welcoming you to GS2DMAT2025 in Munich, Germany. Sincerely, GS2DMAT2025 Scientific Organizing Committee
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Texas still has a few blue dots scattered across its political map — often an incumbent state representative who managed to survive the state’s red wave in the election. And those Democrats in those districts had some things in their favor that made a difference at the polls. Most Texas voters sent their current state representative — whether they were Democrats or Republicans — back for another term. Incumbents have a leg up when running for reelection. Janet Johnson, an associate professor of communications studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, said the candidates have name recognition. “You see them out there,” Johnson said. “You see them at events. You see them working with the electorate.” It’s not unusual to run into Rep. Mihaela Plesa at an event in her district, Texas House District 70. She’s one of the Democrats who survived the red wave. On the anniversary of the mass shooting at the Allen Outlet Mall in May, she spoke at a memorial for the people killed. House District 70 includes parts of Allen. She also participated in a candidate forum with public education group Raise Your Hand Texas in Plano in October. Several Plano ISD trustees were also present. Plesa also knocked on a lot of people’s front doors in her district while running for election — something you’re much more likely to see from a local candidate than someone running for federal office. She said that’s how she was able to connect with voters who leaned Republican. “I don't know if Collin [Allred], or Ted [Cruz] or [Donald] Trump is ever going to come knock your door, but I'm here now asking for the vote and explaining why I think I'm the best person for the job,” Plesa said. Thomas Gray, a political science professor at UT Dallas, said people are more likely to have a personal experience with their local or state representative. It could be a conversation at their front door during a reelection campaign. Maybe they called their representative’s office to ask about a road that needed fixing. Or they might have seen or heard their representative on their favorite local news program. Whatever the interaction, Gray said it makes a difference at the polls. “All those little things, they add up to enough to give an incumbent an extra few percentage points of the vote,” he said. Gray also said the way the district is drawn plays a role. He said Texas House district lines were designed to favor a certain party. That way, the parties can concentrate most of their resources on the few competitive seats — like Plesa’s district. She won by 850 votes when she was first elected. This year, she won by about 3,200 votes. State Rep. Chris Turner from Texas House District 101 holds one of the four safely Democratic seats in Tarrant County. The other seven House seats in the county are Republican. Turner said Tarrant County’s representation should be more evenly split. President Joe Biden won the county in 2020. And Democratic Senate candidate Collin Allred won a narrow majority there despite president-elect Donald Trump winning the county’s vote. Turner said Tarrant County is gerrymandered to favor Republicans. “They have so packed the minority communities into four districts in order to artificially preserve their advantage in the House,” he said. Gerrymandering and incumbent advantage all added up to election results Gray said aren’t unusual, even though many Democrats had thought otherwise. “Not much actually changed, but the fact that it didn't change feels like a victory for the Republican Party because of those assumptions,” he said. The Texas legislative session starts in January. And Plesa and Turner will have to contend with a Republican majority that’s growing more divided. But enough of the voters in their districts decided their current Democratic representatives are more than ready for the challenge. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.
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A bill that would treat suppliers of fatal drug overdoses as murderers, one of the most controversial measures in recent General Assembly sessions, is coming back next year. Under Senate Bill 746 , selling hard drugs that turn out to be a fatal dose would be considered felony homicide — basically, accidentally causing death while engaged in a crime. The legislation has been a priority for Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who was visibly infuriated with a committee that rejected the idea in 2023. Youngkin highlighted the measure as a priority in his State of the State speeches in 2023 and 2024. The governor "has made it clear that anyone involved in the distribution of drugs that leads to a death should face felony homicide charges, without exception," press secretary Christian Martinez said. Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, speaks to the Senate Courts of Justice Committee in January about a bill to let prosecutors bring felony homicide charges against dealers who supply drugs in fatal overdoses. Next to McDougle are Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, and Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland. Margo Wagner, Times-Dispatch Felony homicide is considered second-degree murder in Virginia, subject to a prison term of five to 40 years. But the measure also says that if a defendant can show he or she gave the drug as what it describes as an “accommodation” without intending to make money or addict the other person, the offense would be treated as a Class 5 felony, which is subject to sentence of one to 10 years in prison. Bill to allow murder charge for dealers in fatal overdoses defeated That's why what is a tough-on-crime bill also creates a break for some people struggling with addiction, said the bill's sponsor, state Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover. "Right now, if you give someone you use with drugs, and they die, that's felony homicide," McDougle said. "But the drug dealer who sold you the drugs and walked around the corner gets off," he said. "That's not justice." The drugs that could trigger a felony homicide charge include heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and amphetamines. This will be the third session in a row that McDougle has tried to enact the bill. The Senate Courts of Justice Committee this year killed the bill on an 8-7 vote, a largely partisan split with only one Democrat, state Sen. Russet Perry, D-Loudoun, a former prosecutor, joining Republicans in support of the measure. The committee killed the bill with a similar 8-7 vote in 2023, in that case with only then-Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, joining Republicans in support. A House version did not even get a vote this year; in 2023, it did pass what was then a Republican majority House of Delegates, but the Senate committee killed that bill when it crossed over. McDougle said what's become a multiyear push to punish dealers whose drugs result in fatal overdoses started after a Court of Appeals ruling. The court ruled that someone who sold a fatal dose of drugs needed to be physically present when a person dies of an overdose in order to be convicted of felony homicide. A bill that would have made giving or selling someone a fatal overdose a felony homicide passed both chambers in 2019, by bipartisan votes of 69-30 in the House and 40-0 in the Senate. But then-Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, vetoed the measure. Northam said that while he wanted to ensure drug dealers are punished, the felony homicide bill “goes beyond drug dealers and would punish individuals who are themselves struggling with addiction.” Rob Poggenklass, executive director of Justice Forward Virginia, a nonprofit group focused on criminal justice issues, said McDougle's bill would enact a failed approach to the problem of overdose deaths. "The bill does not increase punishment for these cases; it simply creates another crime. The current penalty for selling drugs is 5 to 40 years," Poggenklass said. "This legislation would just make it easier for prosecutors to charge. ... We know the people being charged are not kingpins. They are people who use substances. They sell or share the drugs with their friends," he said. Advocates worry that the bill would discourage people from seeking help for someone who is overdosing, for fear of facing a murder charge. "This legislation sends the wrong message to the people who are best poised to save a life, the people who are with someone who has overdosed," Poggenklass said. "This legislation says, unequivocally, if you call the police, you could go to prison for murder," he said. McDougle said the General Assembly has tried to address fears about reporting an overdose with 2015 legislation that says people making such reports would not be prosecuted for possession of illegal drugs.Tom Perriello, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in February, told journalists on Friday that the prospects for peace were “bleak” because too many actors were “profiting from the war, both financially and politically”. War erupted last April between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group whose leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, controls much of the country’s gold. Since then, at least 11 million people have been displaced, with three million of those fleeing to neighbouring countries. “You don’t have a good side and a bad side. You have a bad side and an even worse side,” said Mr Perriello, who has helped negotiate access for food aid to displaced populations, but who has been criticised for lending credibility to an ineffective peace process. “The losers are the Sudanese people, who continue to starve.” The RSF, which is backed by the UAE, had been responsible for “ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity”, he said. The Emiratis have denied taking sides, although flight tracking and a UN special report suggests the kingdom supplies arms to the RSF via Chad and receives shipments of gold. [ As Sudan burns and its people starve, a gold rush is under way Opens in new window ] But Mr Perriello said Sudan’s government had also exacerbated the conflict and pushed the country towards partition by denying food aid to RSF-controlled areas, in effect using starvation as a weapon of war. The government of Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto president, this month introduced changes to legal tender that could wipe out the savings of people living in RSF territory, potentially adding to food insecurity. Mr Perriello said that could nudge the RSF towards declaring partition by pushing it to set up parallel “government structures” to deal with the crisis. The US envoy said several internal and external actors, including Islamist factions inside Sudan, regarded it as in their interests to keep the fighting going. “The countries that are fuelling this war and arming this war are doing the people of Sudan and the region a great disservice,” he said. Mr Perriello accused Russia of trying to “squeeze every bit of profit they can out of both sides”, particularly through gold shipments. Various Sudanese warlords, as well as mercenaries from across the Sahel, the semi-arid strip beneath the Sahara, were also being drawn into the conflict in the hope of material or political gain, he said. Since the war began last year, the front lines have shifted, with the RSF controlling most of Darfur in the west, as well as big areas of Khartoum, forcing the SAF to move the capital to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast. Mr Perriello said neither side could win the war despite fleeting victories and the only hope for lasting peace was to revive the aborted “democratic transition” that began after dictator Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019. While some factions might happily settle for a partitioning of the country, he said, that would be a disaster for Sudan and for regional stability. “It would probably guarantee 30 or 40 years of war,” he said. “It would essentially create an early Balkans period of fighting over each of the regions.” Further partition of the country, which already split once in 2011 with the creation of South Sudan , would make it even harder to get aid to people who face what the UN has said could be the worst famine since the 1980s. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024