Our valley’s lovely towns are full of wisdom. According to the last census , the average age in the United States is 39. Eagle is a shade below the national average at 36, compared to Edwards at 38 and Avon at a young 35. In Vail, the average age is 49. Vail’s second-highest age group by population is 60-64 , with the 25-29 group coming in first. Our towns are also delightfully multi-lingual — 76.8% of Eagle households only speak English at home compared to 70% in Edwards, 70% in Edwards, and 87.4% in Vail. Why am I sharing census demographics with you and what does it have to do with cybercrime? Within our community, we have two groups who are particularly susceptible to cybercrime: older adults and non-English speakers. The Vail Daily has covered many aspects of scams and technology-facilitated crime, from AI-driven crime and investment scams to phone scams and even rental scams . This column focuses specifically on cybercrime and serves as a call to action. To steal an old line from Smokey Bear, you too can prevent your friends, neighbors and family members from becoming victims of cyber-crime. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center , in 2023, scams targeting individuals aged 60 and older caused over $3.4 billion in losses, and those are only the crimes that the FBI knows about. The Internet Crime Complaint Center noted that while investment scams were by far the most lucrative for scammers targeting the 60-plus population, tech support cybercrime and business email compromise came in second and third. Tech support cybercrime occurs when a cybercriminal tricks someone into installing a program onto that person’s computer, which then allows the criminal to access highly sensitive information, including from banking websites. The criminal then walks that person through transactions that unknowingly send money from that user to the criminal. Business email compromise occurs when someone receives an email that looks exactly like a legitimate email from a company with which that person has regular dealings, but it is a spoofed email or it has minor changes in the sender’s email that are imperceptible to the average customer. It also occurs when a business is “hacked” and the person sending and receiving actual emails is not an employee but a criminal who gained access to that email system. Foreign language speakers in the United States also experience higher than average cybercrime due to what Ahmad Sultan from the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity calls the “digital divide.” According to Sultan, foreign language speakers may be “less likely to know whether they have been victimized by a cyber-attack, and they have a lower awareness of cybersecurity risks.” In his study, Sultan notes that these individuals reported being “more likely to refer to friends and relatives for advice on cybersecurity issues than any other resource.” While many of us take a break from work during the holidays, it’s high season for cybercriminals. The Department of Treasury’s Office of the Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection recently published a holiday alert with 10 tips to protect yourself online, including never clicking on email links, calling the bank or business yourself and not using the phone number in an email, never sharing sensitive information, and being aware of “urgent account notifications.” These tips will be old hat for most Vail Daily readers. But how about your elderly neighbor? Grandma and grandpa? The sweet widow down the street? The non-English speaking family around the corner? This holiday season, give them the gift of knowledge and remind them to be alert. Give them your contact information and be their trusted source if something seems fishy to them. I recently reminded my septuagenarian parents in Cleveland to immediately call me if someone emails them seeking information or remote access to their computer. They took that offer of help with grace and love. Let’s keep our community safe this holiday season.
PenCom issues 38,000 Pension Clearance Certificates – DG
The Kimberley Curling Club (KCC) hosted the 2025 Safetek Profire BC U18 Curling Championships from Dec. 19 to 23. "We were thrilled with how everything went," said KCC general manager Blair Jarvis. "We knew that most teams were travelling a long way to get here and unfortunately they had to deal with some adventures with the snow we had last Wednesday. "We wanted to make sure that we gave them an experience that they would remember, so we spent a lot of time on the ice, we wanted to give them a great social experience off the ice as well and we heard from a number of curlers that it was the most U18 event that they’ve attended and so we’re really proud of that fact." The event had 12 teams competing on the Boys' side and seven Girls teams. On the Boys side of the competition, Team Jaeger out of Kelowna beat out Team Hrynew in the finals and for the Girls, Team Arndt from Vernon beat out Team Rempel to win the gold. With these wins, Team Jaeger has earned a spot at the Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships, which will be held at the Nutana Curling Club in Saskatoon, Sask. from Feb. 16-22, 2025. Teams Arndt and Rempel will both be headed to the Nationals. Team Jaeger was made up of coaches Tyler Jaeger and Travis Wielgosz, Lead Brendan Hruschak, Second Noel Wielgosz, Third Spencer Rempel and Skip Owen Jaeger. "We really worked hard this year, this year we really wanted to win," said Skip Owen Jaeger. "We put in a lot of work and it just feels really, really good to win and for all that hard work to pay off. We’re really, really excited, it’s our first National event, first U18 provincial win so we’re really excited." Team Arndt is Coach David Arndt, Lead Alicia Evans, Second Ivy Jensen, Third Bethany Evans and Skip Ava Arndt. "We’re just super excited," said Skip Ava Arndt. "It took us a couple years to get here, but the hard work payed off and we can’t believe it, I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. It’s been a lot of hard work from us and the coaches and the parents. It’s been amazing." Jarvis coached Kimberley's Team Reynolds, who went on to win bronze. "We had set a target of making the playoffs and really happy with how the boys came together," Jarvis said. "They had a couple of games with a tough start and battled back and so the resilience they showed and how they stayed positive, there were a lot of great things we can take away from that. And the bronze medal, we were just thrilled to do that. "We saw Team Jaeger on the boys side and Team Arndt on the girls side as well — if we want to get to that level next year, we have some things to work on and it’s great to see the high level of curling in this province and so I think we’ve come away very motivated as well about what we need to do to get better if we want to be a little higher on the podium next year." Jarvis extended his gratitude to the over 50 volunteers who helped out before, during and after the event, including members of the Cranbrook Curling Club. "We’ll take some of the learnings from this event and apply them to the High School Provincials at the end of February, but we’re really happy with how everything went," he said. "And this is an event for the kids, we want to make sure that they’re going to have an experience that they’ll remember, the teams that had success will obviously remember the things that happened on the ice, but for most kids it will be the experiences they had off the ice. "We had karaoke here on the one night and a bunch of teams were intermingling together and having a great time and those are the experiences that I’m going to take away from this event." Patti Caldwell was head official for the event and Jarvis said she and Ian Milligan worked tirelessly throughout the week. "Patti’s attitude is this is all for the kids and making sure that they have fun and sure it’s a competition, but it’s meant to be fun and we’re going to enjoy this," Jarvis said. "This is a sport that we can enjoy for life and so you want to make sure you’re building positive memories in every aspect." Lindsay Shannon, administrative and event manager at Curl BC, was also on hand for the event, and presented all the awards. "We would just like to thank the Kimberley Curling Club and the City of Kimberley who put on an amazing event here and welcomed all of our athletes who have performed so well," Shannon said. "We're really looking forward to cheering our winners on at the Nationals." The Kimberley Curling Club's next big event is the High School Provincials from Feb. 26 to March 1.
AVITA Medical Announces FDA Approval of RECELL GO mini, Optimizing Treatment for Smaller Wounds
NoneKYIV, Ukraine — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile. escalating the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks Friday during a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, representatives of the military-industrial complex and developers of missile systems at the Kremlin in Moscow. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads, each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia will launch production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said. “Sooner or later, other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development. “We have this system now,” he added. “And this is important.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” In this photo taken from a video released Friday, a Russian serviceman operates at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. "The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick ... there will be consequences,” he said. Czech Republic's Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky speaks to journalists Friday during a joint news conference with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriiy Sybiha in Kyiv, Ukraine. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He said the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who said it's not the first time such a threat has been received. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. We're all going to die someday. Still, how it happens—and when—can point to a historical moment defined by the scientific advancements and public health programs available at the time to contain disease and prevent accidents. In the early 1900s, America's efforts to improve sanitation, hygiene, and routine vaccinations were still in their infancy. Maternal and infant mortality rates were high, as were contagious diseases that spread between people and animals. Combined with the devastation of two World Wars—and the Spanish Flu pandemic in between—the leading causes of death changed significantly after this period. So, too, did the way we diagnose and control the spread of disease. Starting with reforms as part of Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s, massive-scale, federal interventions in the U.S. eventually helped stave off disease transmission. It took comprehensive government programs and the establishment of state and local health agencies to educate the public on preventing disease transmission. Seemingly simple behavioral shifts, such as handwashing, were critical in thwarting the spread of germs, much like discoveries in medicine, such as vaccines, and increased access to deliver them across geographies. Over the course of the 20th century, life expectancy increased by 56% and is estimated to keep increasing slightly, according to an annual summary of vital statistics published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2000. Death Records examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to see how the leading causes of death in America have evolved over time and to pinpoint how some major mortality trends have dropped off. According to a report published in the journal Annual Review of Public Health in 2000, pneumonia was the leading cause of death in the early 1900s, accounting for nearly 1 in 4 deaths. By the time World War I ended in 1918, during which people and animals were housed together for long periods, a new virus emerged: the Spanish Flu. Originating in a bird before spreading to humans, the virus killed 10 times as many Americans as the war. Many died of secondary pneumonia after the initial infection. Pneumonia deaths eventually plummeted throughout the century, partly prevented by increased flu vaccine uptake rates in high-risk groups, particularly older people. Per the CDC, tuberculosis was a close second leading cause of death, killing 194 of every 10,000 people in 1900, mainly concentrated in dense urban areas where the infection could more easily spread. Eventually, public health interventions led to drastic declines in mortality from the disease, such as public education, reducing crowded housing, quarantining people with active disease, improving hygiene, and using antibiotics. Once the death rates lagged, so did the public health infrastructure built to control the disease, leading to a resurgence in the mid-1980s. Diarrhea was the third leading cause of death in 1900, surging every summer among children before the impacts of the pathogen died out in 1930. Adopting water filtration, better nutrition, and improved refrigeration were all associated with its decline. In the 1940s and 1950s, polio outbreaks killed or paralyzed upward of half a million people worldwide every year. Even at its peak, polio wasn't a leading cause of death, it was a much-feared one, particularly among parents of young children, some of whom kept them from crowded public places and interacting with other children. By 1955, when Jonah Salk discovered the polio vaccine, the U.S. had ended the "golden age of medicine." During this period, the causes of mortality shifted dramatically as scientists worldwide began to collaborate on infectious disease control, surgical techniques, vaccines, and other drugs. From the 1950s onward, once quick-spreading deadly contagions weren't prematurely killing American residents en masse, scientists also began to understand better how to diagnose and treat these diseases. As a result, Americans were living longer lives and instead succumbing to noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs. The risk of chronic diseases increased with age and, in some cases, was exacerbated by unhealthy lifestyles. Cancer and heart disease shot up across the century, increasing 90-fold from 1900 to 1998, according to CDC data. Following the post-Spanish Flu years, heart disease killed more Americans than any other cause, peaking in the 1960s and contributing to 1 in 3 deaths. Cigarette smoking rates peaked at the same time, a major risk factor for heart disease. Obesity rates also rose, creating another risk factor for heart disease and many types of cancers. This coincides with the introduction of ultra-processed foods into diets, which plays a more significant role in larger waistlines than the increasing predominance of sedentary work and lifestyles. In the early 1970s, deaths from heart disease began to fall as more Americans prevented and managed their risk factors, like quitting smoking or taking blood pressure medicine. However, the disease remains the biggest killer of Americans. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death and rates still indicate an upward trajectory over time. Only a few types of cancer are detected early by screening, and some treatments for aggressive cancers like glioblastoma—the most common type of brain cancer—have also stalled, unable to improve prognosis much over time. In recent years, early-onset cancers, those diagnosed before age 50 or sometimes even earlier, have seen a drastic rise among younger Americans. While highly processed foods and sedentary lifestyles may contribute to rising rates, a spike in cancer rates among otherwise healthy young individuals has baffled some medical professionals. This follows the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. At its peak, high transmission rates made the virus the third leading cause of death in America. It's often compared to the Spanish Flu of 1918, though COVID-19 had a far larger global impact, spurring international collaborations among scientists who developed a vaccine in an unprecedented time. Public policy around issues of safety and access also influences causes of death, particularly—and tragically—among young Americans. Gun control measures in the U.S. are far less stringent than in peer nations; compared to other nations, however, the U.S. leads in gun violence. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens (around 2 in 3 are homicides, and 1 in 3 are suicides), and deaths from opioids remain a leading cause of death among younger people. Globally, the leading causes of death mirror differences in social and geographic factors. NCDs are primarily associated with socio-economic status and comprise 7 out of 10 leading causes of death, 85% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. However, one of the best health measures is life expectancy at birth. People in the U.S. have been living longer lives since 2000, except for a slight dip in longevity due to COVID-19. According to the most recent CDC estimates, Americans' life expectancy is 77.5 years on average and is expected to increase slightly in the coming decades. Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. This story originally appeared on Death Records and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Gardaí in Westmeath policed a 200-strong protest from town’s civic centre to the Midlands Accommodation Centre at Lissywollen. A garda spokesperson told The Irish Times that a small number gained entry to private property and were subsequently directed to leave by them. “These individuals complied with Garda instruction and voluntarily left the area. Enquiries into all of the circumstances surrounding this incident are ongoing at this time,” the Garda spokesperson confirmed. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth added that a member of the on-site security team was injured. The injuries are understood not to be serious. There were no injuries to residents of the centre. One of the site’s electrical blocks was also damaged during the disturbance, causing a temporary power outage, which has since been repaired. ent at this time. Videos of scuffles between gardaí and protesters have circulated on social media. Accommodation at the Midlands Accommodation Centre will be provided in phases, according to the Department, increasing gradually to house up to 1,000 residents. Accommodation will initially be provided in tented structures, with modular accommodation to follow at a later stage. In a statement issued by the Department on Monday night, they said that the safety and wellbeing of people staying in International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centres is their “priority”. They confirmed that the first group of 92 international protection applicants arrived at the Midlands Accommodation Centre on Wednesday, December 4th. Nearly 3,000 international protection applicants have no offer of accommodation at the moment. Over the last number of weeks, because of cold and stormy weather, some of their accommodation sites for male applicants have “been placed out of use,” the Department noted. Applicants for international protection do not have access to social housing support or standard social welfare entitlements, and many of them lack a network of family or friends in the State to assist them with accommodation. “Temporary accommodation sites such as this site in Athlone are an essential component of the Government’s strategy to provide basic accommodation to applicants,” the Department added. “We acknowledge that people in the area have questions and concerns about this and we want to provide accurate information about what is known and planned for this site.”
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are stabilizing Thursday following one of their worst days of the year . The S&P 500 rose 0.2% in late trading, a day after tumbling 2.9% when the Federal Reserve said it may deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than earlier thought. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 136 points, or 0.3%, with less than an hour remaining in trading, following Wednesday’s drop of more than 1,100 points. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. Wednesday’s drop took some of the enthusiasm out of the market, which critics had already been warning was overly buoyant and would need everything to go correctly for it to justify its high prices. But indexes remain near their records , and the S&P 500 is still on track for one of its best years of the millennium . Traders are now expecting the Federal Reserve to deliver just one or maybe two cuts to interest rates next year, according to data from CME Group. Some are even betting on none. A month ago, the majority saw at least two cuts in 2025 as a safe bet. Wall Street loves lower interest rates because they give the economy a boost and goose prices for investments, but they can also provide fuel for inflation. Darden Restaurants, the company behind Olive Garden and other chains, helped lift the market after leaping 15.1%. It delivered profit for the latest quarter that edged past analysts’ expectations. The operator of LongHorn Steakhouses also gave a forecast for revenue for this fiscal year that topped analysts’. Accenture rose 6.7% after the professional services company likewise topped expectations for profit in the latest quarter. CEO Julie Sweet said it saw growth around the world, and the company raised its forecast for revenue this fiscal year. Amazon shares added 1.8%, even as workers at seven of its facilities went on strike Thursday in the middle of the online retail giant’s busiest time of the year. Amazon says it doesn’t expect an impact on its operations during what the workers’ union calls the largest strike against the company in U.S. history. They helped offset a tumble for Micron Technology, which fell 16.7% despite reporting stronger profit than expected. The computer memory company’s revenue fell short of Wall Street’s forecasts, and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said it expects demand from consumers to remain weaker in the near term. It gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that fell well short of what analysts were thinking. Lamb Weston, which makes French fries and other potato products, dropped 22.6% after falling short of analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue in the latest quarter. It also cut its financial targets for the fiscal year, saying demand for frozen potatoes is continuing to soften, particularly outside North America. The company replaced its chief executive. In the bond market, yields were mixed a day after shooting higher on expectations that the Fed would deliver fewer cuts to rates in 2025. Reports on the U.S. economy came in mixed. One showed the overall economy grew at a 3.1% annualized rate during the summer, faster than earlier thought. The economy has remained remarkably resilient even though the Fed held its main interest rate at a two-decade high for a while before beginning to cut them in September. A separate report showed fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, an indication that the job market also remains solid. But a third report said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region is unexpectedly contracting again despite economists’ expectations for growth. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.57% from 4.52% late Wednesday and from less than 4.20% earlier this month. But the two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for action by the Fed in the near term, eased back to 4.31% from 4.35%. The rise in longer-term yields has put pressure on the housing market by keeping mortgage rates higher. Homebuilder Lennar fell 4.8% after it reported weaker profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Stuart Miller said that “the housing market that appeared to be improving as the Fed cut short-term interest rates, proved to be far more challenging as mortgage rates rose” through the quarter. “Even while demand remained strong, and the chronic supply shortage continued to drive the market, our results were driven by affordability limitations from higher interest rates,” he said. A report on Thursday may have offered some encouragement for the housing industry. It showed a pickup in sales of previously occupied homes. In stock markets abroad, London’s FTSE 100 fell 1.1% after the Bank of England paused its cuts to rates and kept its main interest rate unchanged on Thursday. The move comes as inflation there moved further above the central bank’s 2% target rate, while the British economy is flatlining at best. The Bank of Japan also kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged, and Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.7%. Indexes likewise sank across much of the rest of Asia and Europe. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.The world juniors are about to begin. Why isn't there a women's world junior tournament?
By PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The FBI said Monday it is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the return of a northern Maine teenager whose disappearance earlier in the fall has attracted international attention. Stefanie Damron, 14, of New Sweden, Maine, was reported missing by her family on Sept. 24, when she was last seen walking out of her house and into the nearby woods. Stefanie, who is homeschooled and has limited access to social media, has not been found despite extensive searches and interviews, authorities said. The FBI is collaborating with Maine State Police and is hopeful the reward will incentivize anyone with information regarding Stefanie’s disappearance, said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division. The reward is available to anyone with information leading to Stefanie’s safe return or the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved in her disappearance, the FBI said in a statement. “Stefanie’s family desperately wants to know where she is, and we are fully committed to helping our law enforcement partners exhaust every investigative resource to find her and bring her home,” Cohen said. New Sweden is a rural community of about 575 people located 310 miles (498.90 kilometers) north of Portland. Stefanie did not have electronic devices with her when she was last seen, and was known to sometimes leave home for the woods behind her house, though not for this long, Maine State Police Major Scott Gosselin said Monday. “We are looking for help from the public in order to maintain a vigilance for Stefanie and to report any tips or leads that might be helpful to our investigation,” Gosselin said. Stefanie’s disappearance has attracted media attention from as far away as Europe. Tips have come in regarding the case from other states and Canada, and authorities are following up on those, police said. However, police have yet to receive any concrete leads, they said. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services has been notified, which is standard procedure whenever a minor goes missing or there could be an issue in the home, police said. Boston.com Today Sign up to receive the latest headlines in your inbox each morning. Be civil. Be kind.Social media firms raise 'serious concerns' over Australian U-16 banSocial media firms raise 'serious concerns' over Australian U-16 ban
AMESBURY, Mass. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Provident Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:PVBC), the holding company for BankProv (the "Bank"), today announced that its Board of Directors has adopted a new stock repurchase program. Under the repurchase program, the Company may repurchase up to 883,366 shares of its common stock, or approximately five percent of the current outstanding shares. The repurchase program was adopted following the receipt of non-objection from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston . The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in open market or private transactions, through block trades, and pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Repurchases will be made at management's discretion at prices management considers to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders, subject to the availability of stock, general market conditions, the trading price of the stock, alternative uses for capital, and the Company's financial performance. Open market purchases will be conducted in accordance with the limitations set forth in Rule 10b -18 of the Securities and Exchange Commission and other applicable legal requirements. The repurchase program may be suspended, terminated or modified at any time for any reason, including market conditions, the cost of repurchasing shares, the availability of alternative investment opportunities, liquidity, and other factors deemed appropriate. These factors may also affect the timing and amount of share repurchases. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to purchase any particular number of shares. About Provident Bancorp, Inc. Provident Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:PVBC) is the holding company for BankProv, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Massachusetts . With retail branches in the Seacoast Region of Northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire , as well as commercial banking offices in the Manchester / Concord market in Central New Hampshire , BankProv delivers a unique combination of traditional banking services and innovative financial solutions to its markets. Founded in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 1828, BankProv holds the honor of being the 10th oldest bank in the nation. The Bank insures 100% of deposits through a combination of insurance provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). For more information, visit bankprov.com . Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements, such as statements of the Company's or the Bank's plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as, "expects," "subject," "believe," "will," "intends," "may," "will be" or "would." These statements are subject to change based on various important factors (some of which are beyond the Company's or the Bank's control), and actual results may differ materially. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements (which reflect management's analysis of factors only as of the date on which they are given). These factors include: general economic conditions; interest rates; inflation; levels of unemployment; legislative, regulatory and accounting changes; monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government, including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank; deposit flows; our ability to access cost-effective funding; changes in liquidity, including the size and composition of our deposit portfolio and the percentage of uninsured deposits in the portfolio; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; competition; our ability to successfully shift the balance sheet to that of a traditional community bank; real estate values in the market area; loan demand; the adequacy of our level and methodology for calculating our allowance for credit losses; changes in the quality of our loan and securities portfolios; the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans; our ability to retain key employees; failures or breaches of our IT systems, including cyberattacks; the failure to maintain current technologies; the ability of the Company or the Bank to effectively manage its growth; global and national war and terrorism; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or any other pandemic on our operations and financial results and those of our customers; and results of regulatory examinations, among other factors. The foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. Readers should carefully review the risk factors described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Investor contact: Joseph Reilly President and Chief Executive Officer Provident Bancorp, Inc. jreilly@bankprov.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/provident-bancorp-inc-adopts-stock-repurchase-program-302320082.html SOURCE Provident Bancorp, Inc.
Saturday’s college basketball schedule includes four games featuring a ranked team in play. Among those contests is the Marshall Thundering Herd taking on the Purdue Boilermakers. Continue reading for ATS picks for each matchup. Place your bets on any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Sign up today using our link. Bet on the Marquette-Georgia spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Purdue-Marshall spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Georgia Tech-Cincinnati spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Illinois-Maryland-Eastern Shore spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .
Apple’s Find My Friends (which is now integrated into the Find My app) lets you share your location in real time with other people. Soon, Instagram users will have access to a similar feature to share their location with friends and family right from the social network. Instagram will let users share their live location Meta announced on Monday some new features coming to Instagram direct messages, and location sharing support is one of them. The company said in a blog post that the feature aims to make it easier for people to arrange hangouts directly from their Instagram conversations. “Spend more time together, and less time coordinating,” the post reads. For privacy reasons, the location can only be shared individually by DMs or in a group chat. The feature is turned off by default and real-time location is only shared for one hour – after that, Instagram automatically ends sharing. The app will also display an indicator to show when the location is being shared. Of course, you should never share your location with people you don’t know. Unlike Apple’s Find My, there’s no option to always share your location with others on Instagram. Earlier this year, Meta confirmed that it was testing a feature similar to Snap Map to show the location of friends on a map. However, the feature has yet to be made available to users. In addition to location sharing, Instagram is also adding new sticker packs for DMs, as well as custom nicknames for people in group chats. The Instagram app for iPhone is available for free on the App Store . Make sure you have the latest version of the app installed on your device in order to get access to the latest features. Keep in mind that when it comes to the location sharing feature, Meta says it’s only available in “selected countries.” Read also Are your Instagram recommendations a mess? You can now start from scratch Threads testing option to let users choose which feed they want to see by default Meta testing Face ID-like video selfie to recover your Instagram or Facebook account Instagram might make your video look terrible if it’s not popular Threads app finally lets users watch videos in landscape Messenger adds Siri integration, AI video backgrounds, and yes, voicemail Meta announces expansion of its AI features to 21 additional countries A year later, Meta is yet to launch the promised WhatsApp for iPad
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — A police officer responding to a report of a man with a gun inside a North Carolina supermarket was fatally shot Monday and a suspect was later taken into custody, authorities said. Police announced the death of Greensboro police officer Michael Horan at a news conference, saying Horan was responding to the report when he was shot shortly before midday at a Food Lion store in Greensboro in the central part of the state. Ramona Miller told WGHP-TV she was shopping with her 6-year-old granddaughter when she heard shots being fired. “We were on our way out and I was purchasing a lottery ticket and I was just sitting there and heard a ‘pop-pop’ and then ‘pop-pop-pop.’ I think I heard five shots,” Miller said. “At first I didn’t know it was a shooting ... but an employee yelled out, ‘Shooting! Shooting!’ ” Miller said she and her granddaughter left the store and that police arrived soon afterward. Authorities said Monday afternoon that the circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation and they did not immediately release further details about how it unfolded. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the state's lead law enforcement agency, is continuing the investigation. Horan was hired in 2017 and became a sworn Greensboro Police Department officer in early 2018, Assistant Police Chief Milford J. Harris said. Horan served in the department’s patrol bureau. He also was a U.S. Coast Guard member since 2000, according to his LinkedIn profile. “He was an excellent officer. He had an outstanding reputation inside the department and in the community,” Harris said at the news conference. Gov. Roy Cooper said he was monitoring the day's developments. Cooper said on the social media platform X that his office had sent a “significant” number of state law enforcement officers to aid the emergency response in Greensboro. A heavy police presence was spotted outside the grocery store in Greensboro. The store will remain closed while authorities continue their investigation, Food Lion said in a statement, adding it was providing resources to its affected workers. It directed all questions to local law enforcement and said it was cooperating with the investigation. The shooting was another reminder that state lawmakers should strengthen resources and improve safety for law enforcement officers, said Democratic state Sen. Michael Garrett, who represents part of Guilford County where Greensboro is located. “During what should be a time of joy and celebration, another brave officer has been shot in the line of duty. Another family’s holiday season forever changed,” Garrett said in a Facebook statement.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams faced fourth-and-5 at the Buffalo 35 with a 38-35 lead and just under four minutes to play Sunday in their high-octane showdown with the Bills. Sean McVay is often a conservative coach, and it would not have been surprising to see him try a long field goal, or even punt. He kept his offense on the field, and Matthew Stafford calmly went through his progression before finding Tutu Atwell across the middle for an 11-yard gain that played a major role in the Rams' ability to hold on for a season-altering, 44-42 victory over the powerhouse Bills . “We felt like we needed to make it a two-possession game,” McVay said Monday. “They were rolling. We talked about aggressively going to win that game. ... It was just a reflection of the confidence in that group and what we felt like we needed to do to be able to win the game.” The Rams offense has earned the confidence McVay showed in it at that crucial moment. That unit hasn't always been good this season, entering last weekend rated just 18th in the league, but the Rams finally are mostly healthy heading down the stretch — and Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are again playing at last season's Pro Bowl level. That was bad news for Buffalo, and it could mean trouble for the rest of the NFC if the Rams (7-6) can keep scoring like this. Los Angeles will hope to keep this offensive momentum on a short week heading to San Francisco on Thursday night. Nacua said it was “fantastic being able to feel like, man, this is what it feels like when the Rams are moving and connecting on all cylinders.” Los Angeles had six scoring drives of at least 65 yards while racking up 457 yards against Buffalo. Stafford had a season-high 320 yards passing, while Nacua had another spectacular game with 162 yards receiving and two touchdowns along with 16 yards rushing and another TD on five carries. Incredibly, it was the Rams’ first 40-point game with Stafford behind center. Thanks to that stellar offensive performance, the Rams are above .500 for the first time all season and just one game back of Seattle (8-5) in the NFC West after winning six of their past eight games. A team that appeared to be headed for a grim season after a 1-4 start is still firmly in the playoff race, also trailing Washington (8-5) by just one game for the final wild-card spot. “It’s cool to be able to play meaningful football in December,” said McVay, who led the Rams to five playoff berths in his first seven seasons. "You never take that for granted.” What's working The offense hummed largely because it went 11 of 15 on third downs. That's the Rams' highest success rate in a game since 2001 — and don't forget that crucial fourth down conversion, either. What needs help Few teams can stop Josh Allen, but the Rams' defense didn't come close. The defensive backs particularly struggled, from Darious Williams getting beaten repeatedly in coverage to Quentin Lake's 34-yard pass-interference penalty in the final moments. Two weeks after Philadelphia dropped 481 yards at SoFi Stadium, Buffalo had 445 to push the Rams down to 26th in total defense entering Monday. Stock up The Rams' offensive line has struggled mightily at times this season, but it allowed no sacks and just three hits on Stafford while clearing the way for 137 yards rushing. With full health, the line is no longer a liability. Stock down Edge rusher Byron Young had a rough outing that included two penalties on Buffalo's first drive — an egregious late hit on Allen and a defensive offside that negated a 2-yard Bills loss on second down from the LA 1. The Rams' overall defensive discipline was repeatedly poor, and it cost them. Injuries CB Cobie Durant has a bruised lung, McVay revealed Monday. The Rams are uncertain whether it will prevent him from playing Thursday. Durant has started all 13 games this season. ... WR Demarcus Robinson sprained his shoulder against Buffalo, but kept playing. Key number 1 — The numbers of NFL games played with two teams scoring at least 40 points and making no turnovers. The Rams and Bills made history. Next steps The 49ers haven't been this vulnerable in four years, but Kyle Shanahan has had McVay's number throughout their careers — notwithstanding the Rams' 27-24 comeback win in September when both teams' top offensive playmakers were all injured. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Surprise: EV batteries might have a longer shelf live than once thoughtNoneDear Tesla Ethicist: My allegiance to Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been long-standing — at least until lately. I remember being excited at seeing my first sighting of a Model S in western Connecticut in the mid-2010s. It was sleek and alluring, and it gave me hope that battery-electric vehicles would inspire more people to awaken to the climate crisis that threatens our planet. I knew that Tesla’s mission was to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, and their goal was dependent on building products that replace some of the planet’s biggest polluters. Their products ever since have helped lower emissions. As late as 2023, Tesla’s customers avoided releasing over 20 million metric tons of CO2e into our atmosphere. Throughout that remarkable decade Musk had presented himself as a constant driving force toward climate awareness and action. That all changed, it seems, with Donald J. Trump’s run for a second term as US President. For a reason I can’t quite figure — Even more public recognition? More $$ for a guy who’s already the world’s richest person ? A US federal power grab for a non-native citizen? — Musk used his social media platform, X, to influence the presidential campaign in Trump’s favor. Of greatest concern to me is Musk’s failure to regulate accounts that distorted online conversations and diminished support for climate policies. A lack of X policies against the spread of misleading climate disinformation is well-documented ; the platform fails to address climate misinformation, offers no substantive public transparency mechanisms, and provides no evidence of effective policy enforcement. The climate crisis polled low in voter interest in the recent 2024 US presidential election. Musk’s online manipulation through bots and algorithms clearly was a factor in voter indifference at the ballot box. Numerous accounts that appeared to be bots on X generated over 4 billion views while amplifying climate disinformation. Calls on X to increase its moderation efforts and get better at enforcing its own policies against inauthentic activity were ignored. Now we’re looking at four years of climate authoritarianism with Trump in the executive office. The all-electric car company Tesla and Musk are inextricably tied. Musk’s toxic social media approach to the voices of climate science and reason makes him complicit in Trump’s professed “drill, baby, drill” approach to the fossil fuel industry. Should Tesla, as a prestigious corporation with a market capitalization of $1.22 trillion, disavow Musk’s moves to create a perpetual climate disinformation machine? Signed, A former Tesla fan boy From the Tesla Ethicist: As a general rule, corporate chief executive officers who receive low rankings have presided over major declines in company financial performance, incompatible mergers, misdirected marketing strategies, or failed product lines. Tesla’s growth story from startup to multi-billion-dollar Wall Street favorite has been led in large part by its CEO. Your reasons for distancing Tesla as a company from its CEO don’t follow this thinking about in-house declines. Perhaps your disillusionment with Musk might have arisen from his pivot toward building humanoid robots at Tesla or his laser focus on self-driving. Both of these could be argued as contrary to automaker trends to periodically release a new model to keep the vehicle line fresh. Tesla has toyed with, but not delivered, a new model other than the much-recalled Cybertruck. But your argument isn’t actually Tesla-grounded: it’s more that the wide-ranging ethics of its CEO have a trickle-down effect on the company you’ve loved. Moreover, there’s a correlation for progressive voters to align themselves with clean energy initiatives. The Inflation Reduction Act is a shining example of climate activists’ recent advocacy achievements. Then again, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reported that Tesla and its oft-battery partner Panasonic were on track to receive about $1.8 billion in Inflation Reduction Act production tax credits in 2023. That’s no small amount for production credits, and with that in mind it’s hard to reconcile Musk’s turncoat allegiance to Trump. Even with the tease of co-leading a commission who’d study government fiscal accounts , with the goal to identify thousands of programs that could be decimated, seems too broad a reach for Musk as a clean energy visionary. Musk’s capitulation was startling, considering all the evidence at hand about bots and voter indifference. Research showed, in the weeks surrounding Trump’s first term announcement about withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, accounts suspected of being bots accounted for roughly a quarter of all tweets about climate change. Bots were not just prevalent then but disproportionately supportive of Trump’s announcements or skeptical of climate science and action. As Viktor Pickard noted recently on Common Dreams , from sanewashing to false equivalence, from trivializing policy implications to fetishizing polls, the media had a real opportunity to emphasize what was at stake in the 2024 presidential election. Musk chose to lean to the other extreme, not just offering both sides of issues but supporting the alarming policies Trump has proposed. Your point about Musk’s ability to rein in non-human bots that spread disinformation and which clearly prompted voter indifference is appropriate. Researchers confirm that automated accounts can distort the climate conversation online. Journalism used to be known as the Fourth Estate — it would monitor and make transparent the inner workings of governments as a public-oriented mechanism of accountability. That day has largely come and gone. Instead, most media outlets assume that the commercial nature of journalism is inherently tied to capitalism, hence its occasional cognitive dissonance. But not everyone agrees. Many people feel strongly that today’s media systems far too often privilege profit over democratic concerns. Ascendant platforms like X that foster voter indifference weigh heavily on climate and other activists. You seem to want the Tesla board to reinvent themselves and for Musk to moderate his love of grandiose spectacle. You and many others would like to see Musk refocus on making the once-dominant all-electric car company shine again as a beacon of climate vision. You want Musk to rise up against vote suppression by rejecting disinformation, which has a long provenance in the US. Is Musk “ weird ?” Mercurial? Self-involved? Fascinated by the new cronyism ? You know it. But Tesla shareholders and its board, it seems, want to keep Musk in place. Shareholders seemed not to listen to Musk when endorsed the antisemitic “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, wondered why no one tried to assassinate the Democratic nominee for president, and reiterated his belief that the country and its Constitution could not continue to exist if Trump weren’t reelected. While Musk’s pay package was the topic of much conversation and controversy in the lead-up to the 2024 Tesla Annual Shareholders Meeting on June 13, the shareholders ultimately approved the highest compensation ever for a CEO. Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick in Delaware has now invalidated the compensation package twice. Until such a time that Tesla fails to produce profits because of Musk’s unethical and idiosyncratic behavior, the Tesla board seems unlikely to make any move that would jeopardize their stake in the cascading company cash that flows their way. Voter indifference about the climate crisis doesn’t seem to rank high on their interest list at all. In fact, voter indifference, at least in part, has fueled the Tesla stock price to soar to $384 today. That’s a motivation that many persons will find difficult to reject. CleanTechnica's Comment Policy LinkedIn WhatsApp Facebook Bluesky Email Reddit