ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando citizen’s advisory board is headed toward preserving a portion of the defunct Pulse nightclub — but not the whole structure — to memorialize the 2016 mass killing there. The future of the nightclub building, a safe space for Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community until the massacre, long has sparked disagreement among victims’ families and survivors of the mass shooting that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others. “A significant majority” of family members and survivors who joined the advisory board or shared their opinions want the building to be torn down, though a few want to preserve it, said Larry Schooler, who serves as a facilitator for the advisory group’s discussions. “To me, it’s a sacred place,” said committee member Mayra Alvear Benabel, whose daughter Amanda died at Pulse. Demolishing it would be akin to erasing her daughter, she said. But its presence on South Orange Avenue creates trauma for others. Both feelings are true, said Schooler, who urged the group to strive to understand rather than persuade. The discussion came as three memorial designs were unveiled this week for the Pulse Advisory Committee, which met Wednesday and Thursday to discuss ideas, their preferences and their concerns for a permanent tribute to those killed in the massacre, their lives and those who survived. The group has been taking input and shaping concepts since earlier this year. Schooler said memorial designers will likely return to the group in December with a refined concept that preserves parts of the former nightclub, “but does not assume the building will stay there fully intact as part of the memorial.” He said those in favor of demolition wanted the Pulse sign, a chandelier and other features saved — and they wanted a final walk-through the nightclub. Of the three designs, the first option shows a U-shaped covered walkway, held up by stone pillars with each victim’s name on them. The interior of the property has benches, shrubs, trees and a fountain dedicated to the 49 killed in the center. This option closely resembles a design originally produced for the now-defunct onePulse foundation, which led the memorial efforts before going belly up last year. The second concept is highlighted by a pavilion in the shape of the nightclub building, with a water wall feature dedicated to the victims and a tribute to survivors. It has lawn space and greenery, as well as seating for reflecting. The third is mostly open space with a reflecting pool and fountain, as well as a vertical beacon. Like the others, it has a lawn and trees. Members of the public can weigh in at engage.orlando.gov . Schooler, who worked on mass-shooting memorial efforts in Virginia Beach and San Leandro, Calif., plans to discuss the concepts with families and survivors for the next few weeks until the board meets again Dec. 12. At that meeting, the committee is expected to see refined drawings. It could choose a final design in January. The city took over the memorial effort last year when it purchased the nightclub property for $2 million from the Poma family, who owned the nightclub and founded onePulse. The cost of the memorial remains unclear, though Mayor Buddy Dyer has said he expects it will take a public contribution to construct it. Wayne Dunkelberger, chief creative officer of design for Baker Barrios, said the goal should be to create an homage to the community that made Pulse thrive. He suggested it would be difficult to save the aging nightclub building on South Orange Avenue as a whole, but would be more practical to retain pieces of the structure. The firm’s work includes the HostDime Data Center which is visible from I-4 north of the Lee Road exit; the Kia Center and the Electronic Arts Sports headquarters in Creative Village near the University of Central Florida’s downtown campus. ©2024 Orlando Sentinel. Visit at orlandosentinel.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — For a pair of lower-level downhill events, this sure had plenty of Olympic medal-capturing and World Cup-winning ski racers. The stage belonged to Lindsey Vonn , the 40-year-old who took another step on her comeback trail Saturday with her first races in nearly six years. Vonn wasn't particularly speedy and finished in the middle of the pack on a cold but sunny day at Copper Mountain. Times and places weren't the mission, though, as much as getting used to the speed again and gaining the necessary points to compete on the World Cup circuit this season. Vonn accomplished both, finishing 24th in the first downhill race of the day and 27th in the second. She posted on social media after the FIS races that she had enough points to enter World Cup events. The timing couldn't be more perfect — the next stop on the women's circuit is Beaver Creek, Colorado, in a week. Vonn, who used to own a home in nearby Vail, hasn't committed to any sort of timetable for a World Cup return. “Today was a solid start and I had a blast being in start with my teammates again!” Vonn wrote on X . “While I’m sure people will speculate and say I’m not in top form because of the results, I disagree. This was training for me. I’m still testing equipment and getting back in the groove.” Her competition — a veritable who's who of high-profile ski racers — applauded her efforts. “I don't expect her to come back and win — just that she comes back and she has fun,” said Federica Brignone of Italy, a former overall World Cup champion and three-time Olympic medallist. “She's having fun, and she’s doing what she loves. That’s the best thing that she could do.” In the first race on a frigid morning, Vonn wound up 1.44 seconds behind the winning time of 1 minute, 5.79 seconds posted by Mirjam Puchner of Austria. In her second race through the course later in the morning, Vonn was 1.53 seconds behind Cornelia Huetter of Austria, who finished in 1:05.99. Huetter is the reigning season-long World Cup downhill champion. “It’s really nice to compare with her again, and nice to have her (racing) again,” Huetter said. “For sure, for the skiing World Cup, we have a lot of more attention. It's generally good for all racers because everyone is looking.” Also in the field were Nadia Delago of Italy, who won a bronze medal in downhill at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and Puchner, the Olympic silver winner in super-G in Beijing. In addition, there was Marta Bassino of Italy, a winner of the super-G at the 2023 world championships, and two-time Olympic champion Michelle Gisin of Switzerland. “For me, it was really a training, but it was fun to have a World Cup race level right here,” Gisin said. “It was a crazy race.” Vonn remains a popular figure and took the time after each run to sign autographs for young fans along with posing for photos. When she left the sport, Vonn had 82 World Cup race victories — including 18 in Lake Louise, Alta. — which stood as the record for a woman and within reach of the all-time Alpine record of 86 held by Swedish standout Ingemar Stenmark. The women’s mark held by Vonn was surpassed in January 2023 by Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has 99 wins — more than any alpine ski racer in the history of the sport. Shiffrin is currently sidelined after a crash in a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont , last weekend. Vonn’s last major race was in February 2019, when she finished third in a downhill during the world championships in Sweden. The three-time Olympic medallist left the circuit still near the top of her game. But all the broken arms and legs, concussions and torn knee ligaments took too big a toll and sent her into retirement. She had a partial knee replacement last April and felt good enough to give racing another shot. “It's very impressive to see all the passion that Lindsey still has,” Gisin said. Also racing Saturday was 45-year-old Sarah Schleper, who once competed for the United States but now represents Mexico. Schleper was the next racer behind Vonn and they got a chance to share a moment between a pair of 40-somethings still racing. “I was like, ‘Give me some tips, Lindsey,’” Schleper said. “She’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a highway tuck, the whole thing.’ Then she’s like, ‘It’s just like the good old days.’" ___ AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing Pat Graham, The Associated Press
( MENAFN - The Peninsula) Xinhua Rome: The Group of Seven (G7) leaders on Friday called for a peaceful transition in Syria following the recent fall of the Bashar al-Assad government. After a virtual meeting chaired by Italy's presidency, the G7 expressed hope that the end of the al-Assad Regime would open a peaceful and orderly transition through the definition of "an inclusive Political process." The group had already issued a statement the previous day, in which they called for respect for Syria's sovereignty, and reiterated their support for the UN Disengagement Observer Force monitoring the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria. "We ... lend our full support for an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition process in the spirit of the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 2254," said the statement. Under the above framework, G7 is ready to favour a transition process that leads to "credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance that ensures respect for the rule of law, universal human rights, including women's rights, the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities, transparency and accountability." The G7 group comprises Canada, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The presidency rotates annually, and the Italian government serving in 2024 will hand over to the Canadian presidency by the end of the month. MENAFN13122024000063011010ID1108991942 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As holiday shopping ramps up, so do the efforts of scammers looking to cash in on the season’s spending frenzy. But you don’t have to be a victim. Recently, President and CEO of the Financial Technology Association (FTA), Penny Lee, did a satellite media tour in partnership with D S Simon Media to share simple yet powerful tips to protect yourself and your wallet from common payment scams. “Scams can happen to anyone, which is why it’s important to stay vigilant during key moments like the holiday shopping season,” said Penny Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Technology Association. “Our annual national campaign provides consumers with simple steps to protect their payments and be Smarter Than Scams.” “Millions of Americans use Cash App daily to manage their financial lives securely and responsibly,” said Brian Boates, Science Lead at Block, who oversees machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science at the company. “Given the increasing rate and complexity of scams, and the evolving tactics of malicious actors, Cash App adopts a multifaceted strategy to effectively combat scams and safeguard its customers - and this starts with education. We're excited to continue working with our peers in the industry through efforts like Smarter Than Scams to empower consumers with the knowledge and tools they need to protect their finances." “Approximately a quarter of the world’s digital commerce is powered by PayPal and Venmo each year reflecting that our brands are a trusted choice for consumers,” said Aaron J. Webster, Global Chief Risk Officer at PayPal. “PayPal and Venmo do not tolerate fraudulent activity on our platforms. We leverage industry-leading fraud prevention and detection models, strategies, and tools to proactively identify and stop bad actors. We are proud to partner with the Financial Technology Association on Smarter Than Scams and will continue to demonstrate our leadership by empowering consumers with the education and innovative real-time transaction insights needed to avoid common scams and fraud.” FTA’s national “Smarter Than Scams” campaign brings awareness to the most common scams consumers face during the holiday season, such as charity, gift card, imposter, invoicing, pet deposit, phishing, and romance scams. The campaign outlines key steps consumers can take to protect themselves: FTA represents industry-leading payment companies taking action to combat fraud and protect consumers from scams. FTA members deploy advanced technologies to monitor, detect, and combat bad actors, including sophisticated identity verification methods, strong authentication processes, and robust transaction monitoring. FTA has called for a coordinated national strategy to combat scams, including more resources for law enforcement, greater information sharing, ongoing consumer education, and modern identity verification, including digital ID. For more information about the common payment scams during the holiday season and how Cash App, PayPal, and Venmo work to protect consumers to transact safely, visit SmarterThanScams.com . About Financial Technology Association (FTA): The Financial Technology Association (FTA) is a Washington, DC-based trade association representing industry leaders shaping the future of finance. We champion the power of technology-centered financial services and advocate for the modernization of financial regulation to support inclusion and responsible innovation. About D S Simon Media: The firm is well known as a leader in the satellite media tour industry and produces tours from its studio and multiple control rooms at its New York headquarters. Clients include top brands in healthcare, technology, travel, financial services, consumer goods, entertainment, retail and non-profits. Established in 1986 the firm has won more than 100 industry awards. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a property of D S Simon Media. The video included and release was part of a media tour that was produced by D S Simon Media on behalf of Financial Technology Association (FTA). Dante Muccigrosso Director of Media Integration & Client Reporting E: dantem@dssimon.com C: 973.524.0104 A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3f84529d-17be-4847-a278-00e436ec30eaChristmas gift guide with golfers in mind, Callaway tops the list
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WWE Rumors on Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Jade Cargill Injury & Tonga Loa's SurgeryMaking a clarification regarding the title “Dr.”appearing before the name of Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara on the Parliament website, parliamentary officials yesterday said the title “Dr.” before the Minister’s name was a result of an error in entering the relevant data by the parliament staff. Parliament’s Legislative Services Director and Acting Communication Director Jayalath Perera issuing a statement said “I would like to emphasise the following points in relation to reports published in the media regarding the title ‘Dr.’ mentioned before the name of Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, in the directory of Members of Parliament on the Parliament website. “It is important to note that Harshana Nanayakkara has not indicated holding a doctoral degree in the information provided to Parliament. The appearance of “Dr.” before the Minister’s name was a result of an error in entering the relevant data. Accordingly, steps have been taken to rectify this mistake. “I express my deepest regret for the inconvenience caused to Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, in this regard”. Also, the process of re-checking and updating the information of all Members of Parliament on the parliament website is currently underway”.
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BOSTON, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New America High Income Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) (NYSE: HYB) announced today that it will pay a distribution of $.04 per share on the company’s common stock on December 31, 2024 to common shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 17, 2024. The ex-dividend date will be December 17th. The Fund has released updated portfolio data which can be found on the Fund’s website at www.newamerica-hyb.com . The New America High Income Fund, Inc. is a diversified, closed-end management investment company with a leveraged capital structure. The Fund’s investment adviser is T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (“T. Rowe Price”). As of September 30, 2024, T. Rowe Price and its affiliates managed approximately $1.6 trillion of assets, including approximately $20 billion of “high yield” investments. T. Rowe Price has provided investment advisory services to investment companies since 1937. Contact: Ellen E. Terry, President Telephone: 617-263-6400 www.newamerica-hyb.comFianna Fail and Fine Gael eye independent TDs as option to secure Dail majority