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Two of the biggest challenges facing our city are domestic violence and the decades-long struggles to improve student achievement in Fresno Unified School District. Fortunately, we have Marjaree Mason Center CEO Nicole Linder leading the charge to educate the community about domestic violence and provide life-saving services for victims. We are equally fortunate to have School Board Trustee Susan Wittrup sticking her neck out and fighting the Fresno Unified bureaucracy to make the necessary changes so that all students graduate prepared to succeed in the workforce or in college. For these accomplishments, Linder and Wittrup are the GV Wire/Unfiltered Difference Makers of the Year. In 2024, Linder and her Marjaree Mason team capped off a $21 million fundraising drive to complete renovations and open a campus in northwest Fresno. The new center will house an around-the-clock drop-in center, programs supporting domestic violence survivors, and the nonprofit’s administrative offices. “It’s been, quite honestly, nothing short of a miracle. I’m definitely a person of faith, and I believe there’s been so much coordination to make all of this happen,” said Linder of the fundraising effort and praising her team. “The goal is to say this is a critical community investment, to say we’re not going to stand for this anymore.” We’re not going to stand for this anymore is Wittrup’s mantra, too. A majority of the School Board sent a message to the community that it would be business-as-usual after Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson announced his retirement. Those trustees wanted to limit the search for his successor to in-house candidates. Seeking the best for students and realizing that more of the same wouldn’t move the needle, Wittrup rallied the community in protest. And, in the face of the responding public outcry, she flipped the board majority to require a national search for Nelson’s replacement. In addition, interim Superintendent Misty Herr — a candidate to take over the top spot — appears focused on improving literacy, attendance, and learning. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is given that past superintendents spent more time excusing Fresno Unified’s woeful performance and cheerleading for the accomplishments of the districts’ top students than they did changing the system so that it works for those who need the most support. For that, we can thank Wittrup, who spent her professional career as a Fresno Unified psychologist. “We’re doing really important work now with transforming Fresno Unified,” says Wittrup. “My heart is in this work and I will continue to persist.” Many readers will recognize some of the names on our 2024 Difference Makers list. However, we hope that many will come as a surprise because I asked the GV Wire staff to go beyond the names that regularly appear in Fresno media. The list is by no means complete. While Fresno and the greater Valley have big challenges, we’re blessed with legions of residents who go out of their way to help others succeed and communities sparkle. Stan and Carrie Zulewski: Fresno’s Unforgettable Charity Christmas Light Show Have you heard of Fresno’s hidden gem during the holiday season? It is without a doubt the North Winchester Light Show in northwest Fresno. Stan Zulewski and his wife, Carrie, are the creators of the 15,000 LED Christmas light show at 6047 N. Winchester Ave. The rockin’ free lightshow has been open to the public for 17 years. What makes this 20-minute experience unique is that people can drive up to the house, tune into a radio frequency posted in the yard, and hear the accompanying music in the comfort of their car. The Zulewskis’ generosity extends to lifting up Fresno. There’s a donation box in the center of their yard and all the proceeds go to a local charity. The couple chooses a different nonprofit every year. This year, it’s Fresno Mission’s City Center. The light show runs nightly until Dec. 26. Hours are dark to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. To learn more about the show and its history, Related Story: Nick Richardson: Political Novice Shocks the Establishment A political novice, Nick Richardson ran for an open seat to represent northeast Fresno on the city council. In the primary, he battled against a prominent attorney, a banker who served on the planning commission, and nonprofit fundraiser. Richardson, a Marine reservist and safety consultant in his civilian life, finished a distant second — but that was enough to force a runoff against Roger Bonakdar, the attorney who represented Bitwise Industries employees owed money by the bankrupt company. Despite being outraised 8-to-1 and not having nearly the prominent endorsement list as Bonakdar, Richardson won the election and will take his seat on the dais next month. Election watchers call this one of the biggest upsets in Fresno election history. How did he do it? Hard work for one. Richardson established a reputation of walking and knocking, and holding decently-attended community meetings in parks. He was willing to communicate with groups that he may not politically agree with — like a pro-Palestinian group and LGBT advocates. Filling out an LGBT’s group survey may have cost Richardson the local Republican endorsement. Nevertheless, he is set to become the new District 6 councilmember. Kuma Family: Embracing One and All While Preserving Polynesian Culture When the Kuma family came to Fresno, they wanted a way to preserve their Polynesian roots. Despite their Tongan roots, they wanted a group for all Polynesians. And now, that has turned into an award-winning dance club with more than 300 members of all ages and backgrounds. All of the dances performed at the Polynesian Club of Fresno tell a story, says Linda Kuma, wife of the group’s founder. In fact, the group’s performance in 2023 earned them the top prize at a worldwide competition in San Jose. “They heard we were from Fresno and they’re trying to figure out what island was near Fresno,” Kuma said. “We had a great laugh about that.” The group has classes for every generation. One family has four generations dancing, from a great-granddaughter to a great-grandmother. Beyond dancing, the group also has drumming and fire knife classes. Kuma makes costumes for every dancer, representative of the different cultures within the Polynesian sphere. Samoan dress has subtle differences from that of Tahitian or Hawaiian, and vice versa. “I love this group, and that’s probably the reason that at 75, I still am here working because I love what I’m able to do and what’s able to happen for the people in this group,” Kuma said. “Not only the children, but the adults.” There’s not much that will compel most teenagers to get up before the crack of dawn, but Roosevelt High teacher Mike Spencer has found the key — and it’s fishing. Spencer, who has taught English at the southeast Fresno high school for 22 years, is the adviser for the school’s fishing club. Club members do more than fish — they volunteer for a variety of community service activities such as a Halloween trunk or treats event, clean-up opportunities with Beautify Fresno, and dropping old Christmas trees into lakes for fish habitats. But the main fun event is fishing, and that includes tournaments at Millerton Lake and overnight camping trips at places like San Luis Reservoir. Roosevelt’s fishing club members joins with other high schoolers in the region to participate in the Big Valley High School Anglers, a high school tournament bass fishing group that operates as part of the California High School Anglers Tournament Trail and hosts sanctioned tournaments. The core group of Roosevelt’s club is about 16 students, more juniors and seniors and more girls than boys this year, Spencer says. The fishing outings depend on an army of adult volunteers, including boat captains who take students out onto the water. “When I started, some people told me I was crazy, that bass fishermen would never let a kid on their boat like what I was asking for, which is basically, ‘Hey, I need two kids to be on your boat for seven hours. I don’t know how much experience they have. Would you do it?’ “Fresno Bass Club was my first call, a guy by the name of Ron Armstrong. And I’ll be honest, had he said no, it probably would have died right there. But he said yes. And he got his friends, the Fresno Bass Club guys, to be a part of it.” Members of other area fishing groups subsequently signed on, he says. “It’s almost humbling to be able to make one phone call and have five boats show up to take kids. But that’s sort of the beauty of what we’ve been able to do, is bring a lot of different people together, all for one purpose — to share the value of outdoor recreation with kids. The kids love it, and the adults love it. It’s been fantastic.” Fishing is in Spencer’s blood — like his father, he’s a longtime fly fisherman (ironically, neither of them cares much for eating fish). Before his teaching career began Spencer was a guide in Alaska and Montana after he graduated from Fresno State. Roosevelt had previously had a fishing club that had “fizzled out,” he says. While watching ESPN coverage of college fishing that included a Fresno State team, Spencer saw coverage of high school teams and realized that Roosevelt’s team could be reborn. It got off to a rocky start. About 80 students showed up at the first meeting. After he announced that members would have to pay a $25 fee to cover costs such as liability insurance, only a half dozen showed up for the next meeting. “And I realized immediately that, OK, I have to figure out ways to do this that doesn’t cost money. Or if the kids don’t have it, we can supplement. That’s been one of the biggest challenges, obviously, is how it gets funded.” The club’s community service requirement is a way for students to give back in appreciation of the support their club receives, Spencer says. “I don’t believe that you give people things for free. Like, there has to be some skin in the game, and it’s not the kids’ fault that they don’t have money. But if they can show up to fish, they can show up to do community service. And so that’s the price that most of them pay. If you want this, then you’ll show up for these things that we’re giving back. And that’s been really, I think, one of the best parts of the club, is getting the kids out there.” In addition to fishing at Millerton and Pine Lakes, the Roosevelt anglers get some out-of-town camping trips, including the central coast and San Luis Reservoir. Many have never set up tents or cooked on grills. But they soon get the hang of it, and they also learn from Spencer about the importance of cleaning up their campsite before they depart. “I don’t care if we didn’t put it there. It’s coming out, because you want to leave things better than you found it. I’m a ‘see a problem, solve a problem’ kind of person. And so I try to instill that in the kids. And I think it lands, for the most part.” The students also learn other lessons, such as the importance of expressing gratitude. After each expedition, the fishing club members write thank-you notes to their boat captains. Their appreciation is genuine, Spencer says: “The other great thing about my kids versus a lot of other kids who have access to boats and good fishing all the time is, my kids are used to fishing from the bank when they go fishing, which means they’re used to not catching anything because that’s usually what happens when you fish from the bank. So you put them in a boat, they catch a couple of fish, they think it was a fantastic day, while everybody else is complaining that they only got a couple of fish.” Demetrius Porter: Basketball Star Turned Mentor and Vintner In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Demetrius “Dee” Porter was making three-pointers and dishing assists for the Fresno State men’s basketball team. Now, he’s in the wine game while also mentoring Valley youth. Porter owns Center Cork Wine, where his goal is to “bring a representation of success, resilience, courage, and prestige to the Valley” via the wine brand. He was inspired to pursue wine while playing pro basketball in France. Fittingly, his wine line includes “Corkside,” ‘‘Pre-Game,” “Crossover,” “Tip-Off,” and “One and Done.” It wasn’t an easy road for the Washington Union graduate. Less than 1% of the 11,000 U.S. wineries are Black owned. In the industry “typicity” means the degree in which a wine tastes like the region where it was grown. He wants the world to know about local wine. Profits from the business support the nonprofit Exposure Sports, which puts on basketball scrimmages, camps and clinics for local boys and girls. “I focus on teaching high-level game skills and instilling the mindset of an elite athlete, emphasizing how hard work on the court can translate to success off the court,” said Porter. He hosts the annual The Heart of California Basketball Classic where the best players from the Central Valley scrimmage against top talent from across the country at the Save Mart Center. His organization has helped send 70 athletes to Division 1 schools. Four players have made it to the NBA: Jalen Green (San Joaquin Memorial, Houston Rockets), Jaime Jaquez and Keshad Johnson (Miami Heat), and AJ Johnson (Fresno native/2024 Milwaukee Bucks first-round draft pick). He has a pipeline to the UNLV women’s program as four of them have either played, are playing, or will play for the Rebels: Meadow Roland and Macie James (SJM), Rodjane Wade (Edison), and Alexis Willis (Clovis West). Savannah Tucker from Clovis North is playing at Long Beach State. Whether if it’s sending talent to college and the pros or becoming the first local wine company to be featured in Safeway, Porter does it by “thinking outside the box, defying naysayers, and inspiring youth to believe that anything is possible.” Related Story: Marie Slater: 40 Years as a Fresno Chaffee Zoo Docent Most Sunday mornings you’ll find Marie Slater hanging round the flamingo habitat at Fresno Chaffee Zoo. She loves the birds, and she also loves talking to visitors about them and other birds who live at the zoo. And she’s been doing it for a long time. Slater has been a docent for 40 years, the zoo’s longest-serving docent. She’s also served on the zoo board, twice as president. “My class of docents was the first one, in 1984,” she said. “They evidently had a group of docents in the early’ 70s, but they somehow disbanded. So my class was the first class after that. And it just has grown from there, obviously.” When she first started volunteering, the zoo was mostly small enclosures and a lot of concrete, Slater recalls. “It was still a nice little zoo, but probably not attractive,” she says. ”And now it’s a wonderful place for animals.” The passage of Measure Z by Fresno County voters, first in 2004 and then again in 2014 and 2023, has enabled the zoo inside Roeding Park to convert the concrete and small enclosures into habitats, including Sea Lion Cove, African Adventure, and Kingdoms of Asia. Slater has a hard time when she’s asked about her favorite animals, but she confesses that the big cats and elephants — and their babies — are at the top of her list. She “inherited” the bird cart after another longtime docent passed away. “She was always the bird person. So I sort of ventured out and thought, ‘Well, I can’t let her down. Let’s see what I can do here.’ So that’s when I started working at the bird cart.” Slater makes sure that there will be plenty of future generations of docents by helping to run the annual docent-training class each January. Why did she decide to become a docent 40 years ago? “I was a retired teacher and had time. My kids no longer wanted to come to the zoo, but I wanted to come to the zoo,” she says. “I love the zoo. It’s a peaceful place. It just worked for me.” Rodney Casillas: Guiding Youth and Fathers to Better Futures Rodney Casillas, an Easton resident, has dedicated the past 20 years of his life to guiding at-risk youth and young adults as they navigate challenges in entering the workforce. His journey began when he was hired at Workforce Connection, located at Shaw and Marks avenues, where he discovered his true passion for helping others. Casillas faced similar struggles during his youth, experiencing difficulties with no one to turn to for guidance. This personal connection fuels his drive to support others who find themselves in similar situations. As a special grants supervisor, Casillas, along with his team, works to secure grants and run workshops aimed at providing essential resources to those in need. What keeps Casillas motivated is the impact he has on people’s lives, helping them achieve success. One particular moment stands out for Casillas: During a workshop he facilitated, a couple participated and benefited from the tools and resources provided. Eighteen years later, they returned to the center with their child, specifically requesting Casillas. “I’ve been blessed in that way to help others and to see my own participants over the years and their successes that they’ve had and the families they’ve created and how well they are doing,” Casillas said. “That’s my thanks, and I’m grateful and thankful to be connected to that.” Last year, Casillas and his team secured a grant with a five-year lifespan, resulting in $1.1 million being distributed and impacting 397 young adults. Judge Raj Singh Badhesha has a heavy caseload, burning through more than 100 misdemeanor cases on a day following a holiday break. For one case, he orders a petty theft suspect to write a one- page essay on why crime does not pay. The new jurist is working his way up at the Fresno County Superior Court. Literally. His courtroom is two floors below the main entrance. “It’s kind of cool to be in Department 1 and to be able to someday be in a different department and to literally say I worked my way up,” Badhesha joked. Badhesha is a trailblazer as the first Sikh in the county to be named and the first turban-wearing judge ever in the state after Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated him to the bench earlier this year. The community celebrated his enrobing ceremony this past July at Fresno City Hall. “Members of (the Sikh) community are also very happy to see somebody that looks like them on the bench. But regardless of what I look like, I try to do a good job,” Badhesha said. “I do get a lot of smiles from people who look like me, who sometimes appear in court. They’re not always here for the best reasons. But I think that part of the benefit of having such a diverse judicial structure is that the judiciary doesn’t look like any single person,” Badhesha said. Diversity also comes from having previously worked in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office. He believes he is the first city attorney office worker to join the bench in four decades. “In my prior role at the city of Fresno, we were in a very fast-paced environment. And so I think from from that perspective, having that experience, I definitely was able to have benefited from that, coming into a misdemeanor department,” Badhesha said. Moving from City Hall contracts and public meetings to criminal law meant more learning and training. Badhesha said he also seeks help from fellow judges and the attorneys he interacts with. Stephen Vogt: From Player to AL Manger of the Year in Two Seasons Few gave the Cleveland Guardians and their new manager, Stephen Vogt, a chance. the 20th best team in Spring Training. had them as a fourth-place team. That didn’t matter to Visalia-native Vogt. Defying expectations, Vogt led the Guardians to a American League Central division title, and battled the Yankees for the AL pennant. Baseball writers rewarded Vogt, naming him the AL Manager of the Year. “I got way more excited when any one of our guys hit a home run then I ever did myself or a big play or a strikeout,” said Vogt, who starred in baseball at Central Valley Christian High School. “I think that’s the beauty of this role and this job — it’s not about you. It’s about your players and it’s about their successes.” During an interview at a Guardians game in August, Vogt told GV Wire his local roots still run deep. “Growing up in Visalia really gives you the perspective that you have to work hard for everything that you want. It’s a hard-working area. A lot of my friends grew up on dairy farms and going out and working the fields with them, working the cows and things like that, you just learn ... the dedication of hard work,” Vogt said. “And, to me, it’s a tough area. You have to be tough. I don’t really put my thumb on it, but I just feel like growing up where I did it really helped mold me into the competitor that I am.” Brett and Deborah Bayley were new transplants to Fresno looking for ways to get to know the community while helping to make it a better place. The Bayleys moved to Fresno from San Diego in 2017 to be closer to their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Their daughter later uprooted and moved north, and “we’re all right in the in the same ‘box,’ in the same block of houses here in Fresno. And it’s worked out perfectly. This will be where we spend the rest of our days,” Brett says. Soon after moving here, the Bayleys began looking for things to do. Brett, a retired real estate broker, and Deborah, a retired teacher, were drawn to the Beautify Fresno campaign that Mayor Jerry Dyer started as a community cleanup opportunity during his first campaign for mayor in 2020. “It was an opportunity for us to just give back. And we felt that we had the time, and we wanted to do it,” Brett says. The first event they signed up for was a litter removal project along the San Joaquin River. Picking up litter goes to Brett and Deborah’s roots. “We hate litter with a passion,” Brett says. “Deborah and I are in our 70s, and we go back to one of the first public relations campaigns that the country ever put on, which was ‘Don’t Be a Litter Bug’. And from our grade school years and on, our parents — both sets of parents really — drilled it in us that ‘hey, don’t be a litter bug.’ So we kind of grew up with that.” After that event, “we kind of got kind of got the bug and said, well, this will be a great opportunity for us to do a little something to give back. We call it doing our bit, you know, just doing our bit,” he says. They sign up often for Beautify Fresno events, which not only satisfies their desire to “do their bit” but also has introduced them to people they might not have met and neighborhoods they might not have visited otherwise. “I started keeping a list because I wanted to remember everybody’s names, so I’d carry around a piece of paper and, you know, just jot down, ‘starting a trucking company with his brothers,’ so I could remember the names and a little bit of background, and that paper’s grown into five sheets now on either side,” Deborah says. In addition to being steady Fresno beautifiers, the Bayleys also volunteer on Mondays to help out at the Fresno Animal Center, where they take care of behind-the-scenes chores like doing laundry and washing dishes. Brett says he and Deborah attended an open house at the center in its early days and after taking a tour, “it’s like a little light bulb going off where we want to do what we can to help you.” Volunteering gives them a chance to get to know the center’s staffers, most of whom are “considerably younger,” Brett says. “We think the relationship works both ways. They get to talk to some old dogs like us who’ve been around the block once or twice. And in turn, we keep in touch with younger people and some of the issues that they’re facing. And we’ve been able to help some of them over the couple of years. We’ve been there with just some advice and counsel and, you know, in a very small way more direct assistance. And so it’s been really, really good for us.” Ryan Indart: Keeping the Valley’s Sheep Industry Alive There was a time when there were more than 300,000 sheep in Fresno County, says rancher Ryan Indart. A majority of the 10,000 remaining sheep belong to him, a third-generation Basque sheep rancher. Making a living from selling lamb and wool can be difficult for many ranchers, he said. Several years of drought from 2009 to 2018 almost bankrupted him. But it was a phone call in 2018 from a solar developer that opened his eyes to a new market opportunity. The developer needed overgrown grass cleared out on his solar development in western Fresno County, Indart said. He wanted sheep to do the work. “My jaw dropped. That’s one of those quintessential light bulb moments and that has since been a really game changing moment for us,” Indart said. With the dramatic growth of solar throughout the San Joaquin Valley, Indart has likewise grown a list of clientele who need the same services. “We built our business and we went from like 2,000 acres to now we’re grazing almost 25,000 acres between two states,” Indart said. Overgrown vegetation can be a major fire hazard, threatening solar assets worth well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Sheep present a more environmentally friendly way to clear out brush, often getting to areas a mower can’t reach. A good sheepherder can get 85% of the vegetation in an area, Indart said. Basque sheepherders were a critical piece of the sheep industry in the western U.S. Now, Australia and New Zealand have taken a significant portion of market share. In addition to trade imbalances, Indart says the association of lamb meat to the tough mutton U.S. soldiers got during World War II turned them off in the years following the war. But clearing out brush opens new opportunities for Indart’s business, and one he says can sustain them into the future. Lilia Chavez: Champion of Local Arts Fresno art lovers have 9.4 million new reasons to love Lilia Gonzales-Chávez. Long considered a leader in the Fresno art scene, Gonzales-Chávez took on a new role this year — dispensing millions of dollars in art grants. As the city of Fresno collected sales tax from Measure P — the sales tax dedicated to parks and arts — the Fresno Arts Council had the task of dispensing grant money. Chavez, president of the Fresno Arts Council, recommended which nonprofits should receive a share of $9.4 million. At a ceremony in September, Chavez proudly dispensed awards to 112 organizations — museums, artists, instructors and more. “We know that the arts are cathartic and just by participating in the arts we do improve our overall wellness. We know that with the arts we strengthen economic vitality,” Chavez was by the Munro Review — a grant recipient itself. Last year, in an interview for an article in , Gonzales-Chávez harkened back to the moment that the arts made a difference in her life. She was in third grade and her teacher announced that three in her third-grade class would be in the school’s talent show. Gonzales-Chávez did a quick calculation and deduced that a classmate who took ballet lessons and another who was taking piano lessons had been chosen. “But then the teacher said I was going to be in the talent show,” said Gonzales-Chávez. “And I didn’t know what talent I had!” Her teacher told her that voice was her talent and she would sing “Do-Re-Mi” from the Sound of Music. “We often don’t know what talents we have until someone points them out for us,” she said. In 1987, Gonzales-Chávez co-founded the Latino cultural arts center, , and served as executive director for 10 years. “When I looked around our community, there weren’t a lot of places for Latino children to see beautiful images of themselves. We had two major art institutions at that time: the Fresno Metropolitan Museum and the Fresno Art Museum. But they maybe did an annual exhibition that would touch on the Mexican community in Fresno County. “When I go to Arte Américas, I see people from all walks of life present.” Helen Attarian: Blood Bank Volunteer and 15 Gallon Donor If you’ve spent any time at the Jenny Eller Blood Donation Center on Herndon Avenue, you’ve probably bumped into Helen Attarian, a longtime volunteer and an even longer-time blood donor. Helen, 83, has been giving up pints of her O+ blood for decades. She’s up to 122 pints, or more than 15 gallons. As much as she’s glad to roll up her sleeve for a blood donation, she’s equally happy to roll up her sleeves and help out the blood center as a volunteer on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, and some Saturdays, and anytime there is a big blood drive at an area high school or other location. Why does she do it? “I love people and watching over and taking care of the donors and making sure they’re well and healthy and helping them when they’re not. That’s my favorite part (of volunteering),” she says. Her duties include keeping the canteen stocked with snacks. It’s probably no surprise that Helen is a people person — before she retired she worked in sales, selling everything from cars to eyeglass frames. She finally retired during the COVID pandemic when her job doing food demos at stores was curtailed. By then she was already spending part of her week at the blood bank as a volunteer. Donating blood is a family thing: two of her daughters donate, and her grandson began when he turned 16 (he’s now in his late 20s and living in Georgia). Helen says she had thought for years while donating about volunteering. It looked like fun, and she’d get to spend time doing her favorite thing — talking with and helping people. But it wasn’t until one of her daughters started a job there that Helen agreed to come along and speak with the volunteer coordinator. Her tasks include the aforementioned canteen time, making sure that donors are doing well and getting a snack. But she takes on other tasks, such as stapling the coupon books that each donor received or helping out the marketing team with its work. Helen’s also a kind of walking billboard for the blood center. She wears the many T-shirts that donors receive while out in the community and frequently gets recognized by donors. “So I have that on all the time. I’m always advertising the blood bank, and when I talk to people they tell me ‘oh, I saw you at the blood bank.’ ” Allysun Walker: Advancing Homeownership in Southwest Fresno Advancing historically neglected southwest Fresno is a major goal for city officials, numerous nonprofits, and many concerned citizens. Allysunn Walker, CEO of the Southwest Fresno Development Corporation pushes for responsible home ownership. As the area gets developed with new homes and businesses, she wants residents to be a part of that growth. She and her organization do that through ongoing classes to help people understand finances, fix their credit, and in some cases, when they’re ready, helping them make the leap to homeownership. “After two years, we’ve served over 650 people, and we’ve repaired credit for a couple hundred families. We’ve gotten housing counseling for several hundred families, and we’ve got 10 people who are new homeowners. We just closed last week,” Walker said. “It takes that volume of people. Homeownership is a long process, especially for people who’ve never done it before.” The organization’s work is now expanding. With help from the Westside Church of God, Southwest Development Corp. is building 12 tiny homes behind the church’s property. Those homes will go to seniors who live below the poverty line. Walker is also negotiating with Mechanics Bank to secure financing to buy distressed homes in the area. The group can then rehabilitate those homes and sell them below market value, helping increase access to affordable housing. A similar program in Richmond from Mechanics Bank brought 30 homes onto the market over nine years. A couple million dollars can turn over two-to-three times, Walker said. The key to revitalization, Walker says, is slow, steady progress. “My hope is that (the community sees) a partner in southwest Frenso, that they see someone who is committed to the mission of building community wealth and power through homeownership, through supporting entrepreneurs, through creating affordable rental housing, and through community revitalization,” Walker said. Kelsie Igasan: Suicide Survivor to Mental Health Advocate In 2017, Kelsie Igasan attempted suicide. She survived and restarted her life with a newfound purpose. Through her advocacy and speaking service, “The Butterfly Inside,” she specializes in trauma and mental health education, addiction recovery, and suicide prevention. The mission: “There is a butterfly inside of us all waiting to emerge from the darkness trauma can leave us in. Your life is worth saving. You are worth it.” She also uses her platform to raise awareness on youth concussions in sports, including cheerleading. And, at Clovis Hills Church, she educates students (grades 9-12) on recovery through the power of faith. It’s a twelve-step program for those struggling with mental health, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse, and depression. “Being in the church, working with the youth, them being the same age I was when I struggled, in the same community, has been life changing,” said Igasan. The wife and mother of four was a former cheerleader at Buchanan High School in the mid 2000s. The traumatic brain injuries and undiagnosed concussions she sustained in the sport kickstarted a downward spiral. Turning to drugs, becoming a juvenile delinquent, and a full addict. After a stint in rehab and juvenile hall, she got sober, became a mother, and sought therapy. In 2017 a concussion she suffered from a minor car accident amongst other events led to a relapse. That’s when she tried to take her life. After healing in the Trauma Facility Community Regional Medical Center, her recovery and career journey started when she was named the Ambassador for the Central Valley Concussion Consortium. As a trauma peer visitor, she conversed with patients to encourage them to pursue life. From that point, she became one of the leading go-to advocates in the Central Valley to do speaking engagements on those subjects. She’s shared her story on multiple media platforms even getting national attention on “Inside Edition.” Igasan credits her faith for recovering and her pursuit to help people. “That mentorship is the most special. When I was a teenager struggling, I didn’t have a young person in my life to help me,” said Igasan. “It was lonely for me, so it’s been a gift from God to be able to be one-on-one with an adolescent girl and provide encouragement to show they’re not alone.” Perry and Ree Coy have been familiar faces around the Clovis Botanical Garden for nearly 20 years and have played a large part in its present-day appearance. Ree is a retired teacher and Perry a retired state biologist who previously worked for the Department of Fish and Game, Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health Services and Vector Control, and finally Caltrans. Anne Clemons, president of the Botanical Garden nonprofit, jokes that Perry takes on those jobs that no one else wants to do. Perry says he’s used to it: “We have other people that are here earlier in the week and they say, ‘Uh-oh, the tree fell down.’ Great. Well, I know what I’ll be doing, tree-trimming, or I’ll have a massive irrigation leak that the contractor ran over. And then I usually make a tour of the garden when I get here (on Tuesdays).” Working with plants is in his blood — his grandparents owned a nursery in Ventura where Perry spent a fair amount of time as a kid growing up and where he learned all about landscaping and propagation. So his background gives him the perfect set of skills to make sure all the plants at the Botanical Garden— trees, grasses, cacti, etc. — are getting the loving care they need to stay healthy. Clovis Botanical Garden specializes in low-water vegetation, with a variety of garden scenarios that homeowners can use as inspiration for their own gardens as well as enjoying a stroll throughout all the garden’s habitats. The plants are chosen because they will grow well in the Valley’s climates — blazing hot in summer, cold in winter. On a recent tour, Perry points out some of the garden’s distinctions, including how the crape myrtles are not “stubbed,” as many crape myrtles are at Fresno and Clovis homes. “You won’t see many crape myrtles like this. These are all trimmed for their high wildlife value,” he says. “We’re a national wildlife-friendly garden.” Ree is a volunteer supervisor on Thursdays, working with a crew that works as hard as they socialize. Volunteer Kitty is in charge of the cookies — her specialty is the apricot almond bar. The couple started volunteering at the botanical garden after Ree retired as a Fresno Unified elementary school teacher. She clutches a handful of books as she heads to the little lending library, a colorful box on a post near the site of the new visitor center that’s now under construction. That’s one of her favorite spots in the Botanical Garden. Perry’s favorite is the Children’s Garden that the couple sponsors, with mosaic-tile hopscotch squares and other kid-friendly features like a large snail that kids can hop onto. Getting the snail and other critters in place took some effort, Perry recalls. “My grandfather had a degree in horticulture, but he also was a Swiss engineer. And he taught me how to move stuff for landscaping. So I got to move all these little rascals in place.” Ree says she’s gotten an education in horticulture and has passed along some key tips to her volunteers, such as, if you think it’s a weed but you’re not sure, don’t pull it up. Ree says she’s applied that rule at home as well. “I even had a plant that grew up in my backyard. And I went and looked at it and I went, ‘I don’t know what you are. You look kind of weedy,’ but it was about this big, it was tiny. ... It turned out to be a forget-me-not.” Dora Westerlund: Helping Small Businesses and Growing the Economy When a small business opens in the Central Valley, chances are that Dora Westerlund, president and CEO of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, had a hand in it. The organization is the most experienced small-business technical assistance provider for Hispanic and minority communities in the San Joaquin Valley. It provides one-on-one consulting, financial education workshops, and small-business financing. Those businesses include mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, food trucks, and street vendors. “I am passionate about fostering entrepreneurship to drive economic growth in our region, strengthening the ecosystem, and positioning the San Joaquin Valley as a beacon for small businesses across the state,” said Westerlund. This year alone, the foundation has served over 4,000 small businesses and delivered more than 5,000 hours of one-on-one technical assistance in business planning, licenses/permits, and procurement. They also hosted 119 workshops and webinars. FAHF also deployed over $1 million in capital to small businesses, supported 17 rural communities, and provided more than $3.1 million in grants to small businesses in Fresno County. All this was made possible through collaborations with the city and county of Fresno, and the involvement of corporate and nonprofit partners. They go above and beyond for their clients like facilitating ribbon cutting opening ceremonies for their businesses. One highlight: “The Night of Champions” gala at Table Mountain Casino with boxing superstar Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez as the guest speaker. “The most rewarding part of my work is witnessing how the entrepreneurs we serve are able to provide better opportunities for their families and build generational wealth,” said Westerlund. “Ultimately, we’re not just helping small businesses start or grow — we’re helping people achieve dreams of business ownership, create stability for their families, and give back to their communities.” Now in his 80s, Ephraim Hadjis still fights for the issues important to the Jewish community. Officially, Hadjis is 81. But, because his birth records were lost in World War II-torn Greece, he believes he is 84. A Holocaust survivor and Vietnam veteran, Hadjis of Madera serves as president of Congregation Beth Jacob. When the Kerman City Council debated about calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Hadjis spoke up. Hamas held several Israeli and American hostages in Gaza, following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Israel responded by bombing Gaza, killing more than 45,000 Palestinians and displacing 80% of the population. Kerman became the second Central Valley city to approve a proclamation supported by pro-Palestinian groups. Madera was the first. Several in the Jewish community, including Hadjis and Rabbi Rick Winer of Temple Beth Israel, opposed, calling the proclamation one-sided. “I am a veteran and my main concern is Americans are being held hostage. Before we could talk about anything about a release or a peace or anything, the veterans of the Americans have to come home. That’s all. We are taught a basic training that you leave no American behind,” Hadjis said on March 13. Andrew Zonneveld: His Rare Baseball Card Will Pay for College Andrew Zonneveld found a hobby he could enjoy with his father — collect sports cards. One particular card will help pay for his college education. Inspired by the Olympic basketball team, eight-year-old Andrew and his father Andy Zonneveld ordered custom-made cards from Topps. One of those cards included a “1 of 1” featuring legends Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The sports card world buzzed at the rare find for the Zonnevelds, who farm in Laton. The $50 pack of cards yielded more than $50,000 at an auction. What does the Zonneveld family plan to do with the proceeds? Save for college for Andrew and his siblings for one. Buy more cards of course! How does finding a rare sports card qualify someone to be called a difference-maker? The Zonnevelds provide us all with a reminder that family activities provide a lifetime of good memories and lessons learned.magic ocean menu 。

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No. 24 Illinois basketball cruises past Chicago State 117-64 behind Kylan Boswell’s triple-double( ) gained Food and Drug Administration approval late Friday for its weight-loss drug, Zepbound, as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea, also called sleep suffocation, occurs when the upper airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep. This stops or reduces airflow. Patients typically wear a continuous positive airway pressure device, or CPAP. In testing, Zepbound proved five times more effective than a placebo in reducing breathing disruptions in adults who didn't wear a CPAP. In adults using the sleep device, Zepbound recipients had 29 fewer breathing disruptions per hour, compared to a reduction of six for the placebo group. Eli Lilly stock was unmoved on the news. But the announcement could pressure shares of ( ), a maker of CPAP devices. But Chief Executive Mick Farrell says most patients will benefit from the combination of a CPAP and a weight-loss drug like Zepbound. Further, the approval will likely stoke obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis rates, he told Investor's Business Daily in an April interview with Investor's Business Daily. "I think the GLP-1s will bring patients into the funnel," he said. In after-hours trades Friday, rose almost 1% while ResMed stock remained flat.

December 2, 1948 - November 19, 2024 Constance J. "Connie" Yeagle, 75, of Bloomington, passed away on November 19, 2024, after a long life of service to others. Connie was born on December 2, 1948, in Bloomington to John C. and Josephine (Arbuckle) Daly. She graduated from Holy Trinity High School and Illinois State University. On December 26, 1970, Connie married Gary M. Yeagle. During their 54 years of marriage, they had six children: Chris Yeagle, Maggie (Joe) Chmiel, Greg (Jessica) Yeagle, Julie Yeagle, Jeff (Katie) Yeagle, and Michael (James) Yeagle. Connie was a devout Catholic whose faith guided all of her decisions. In her final entry into her Gratitude Journal, she wrote: "It isn't about drawing into ourselves. It's about giving yourself away. When you receive someone in love and expect nothing in return, you will become someone new. Jesus says 'Yes, now give yourself away.'" Connie abided by these words throughout her life. In her family life, Connie gave all of herself to her six children. In addition to the tedious tasks of motherhood, such as preparing an estimated 7500 dinners for her large brood, she read books to her children every night, checked their homework, insured they had the most meticulously-executed school projects, and handmade items such candy, clothing, and toys for the holidays. She showed the same level of love and devotion to her grandchildren. Professionally, Connie gave generously to her students. She spent most of her career in adult education, teaching students how to read and prepare for the GED test. She supported her students both in and out the classroom, often babysitting for her student's children and mentoring them after they obtained their GEDs. For her efforts, she won the Arthur J. Stejskal Memorial Teacher of the Year award in 1997. Personally, Connie gave freely to her friends and strangers alike. She had multiple groups of close friends composed of classmates, coworkers, members of her prayer group, and members of her Craft Group. She also volunteered extensively for organizations such as Cursillo, Walk-for-Mankind, and Birthright. Upon retirement, she devoted herself to the Midwest Food Bank and Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen. In addition to her generosity, Connie was well known as an excellent dancer, pianist, and seamstress. She was also legendary for her ravenous appetite for books and was recently recognized by the Lexington Public Library for winning the summer reading contest. When Connie was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2022, the kindness she had shown to others came back to her tenfold. Friends and extended family provided constant companionship, kept her refrigerator stocked with food she could eat, took her to medical appointments, and protected her with prayer. Her Craft Group and local cousins were especially invaluable and provided steadfast support. Connie leaves behind one brother, John (Sandy) Daly, Jr.; seven grandchildren, Ben, Madeline, Ian, Olivia, Max, Joelle and Leo; and a long list of beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is predeceased by her parents and one sister, Kathleen Rogers. Her memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, December 2, 2024, at St. Patrick Catholic Church of Merna, Bloomington with Rev. Dustin Schultz officiating. Visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, December 1, at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Midwest Food Bank, Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, or your favorite charity. To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com . Obituaries Newsletter Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox.WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) released its Ways in Which Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) Can Meet Gaps in the U.S. Supply Chain report. This report presents several avenues for MBEs to meet gaps in the U.S. supply chain and discusses opportunities to conduct, commission, and collaborate on new studies with other federal, state, and private institutions on this topic. This report offers a data-driven snapshot of the MBE supplier landscape, analyzing representation of MBE firms in both manufacturing industries and the service industries that support manufacturing. The data shows there is room to grow representation of MBEs, particularly in manufacturing. MBE firms comprise about 22 percent of the service sector firms support manufacturing but represent only about 10 percent of manufacturing firms. As a comparison, MBEs comprise about 20 percent of all employer firms. The report identifies barriers present in supply chains for MBE participation; and the ways in which policy makers, technical assistance providers, and large corporations can utilize MBEs to advance the U.S. supply chain. “MBDA has embarked on a new chapter of our long and proud history to serve and support MBEs,” said Deputy Under Secretary of Minority Business Development Eric Morrissette . “The Minority Business Development Act of 2021 empowered our agency to work toward equity among U.S. firms and strengthen our national economy, and we are forever committed to that mission. Together with public and private sector partners, we will continue to address capital access disparities and highlight sources of alternative financing while closing gaps in the U.S. supply chain.” The report highlights many public and private initiatives directed toward promoting the success of MBEs in supply chain industries and breaking down barriers. Increasing MBE participation in advanced technologies and manufacturing relies on a range of initiatives to ensure MBEs can develop the capacities and skills needed to compete in rapidly changing markets. The report recommends four potential opportunities through which MBEs can help close supply chain gaps through policy and business plan changes: Leverage the Large Number of MBEs in High-Tech Manufacturing Support Services: Assist MBEs to Access Opportunities as Part of the Growth Spurred by Federal Investments, Including the CHIPS Act. Fostering Inclusive Entrepreneurship In Manufacturing: Promote Talent Pools of Entrepreneurship; and Support Training Programs and Expand Innovation Incentives. Expand Corporate Supply Chain Diversity: Expand and Strengthen Procurement Programs,; Build Corporate-MBE Supplier Relationships; and Ensure Stable Cashflow for MBEs. Provide Support to MBEs in Manufacturing: Leverage Business Centers and Networks; Develop Initiatives Helping MBEs Grow in Scale and Size; Foster Networks and Partnerships; and Encourage Community Engagement. Other suggestions made in the report include addressing unique challenges by MBE demographic groups and expanding qualitative data gathering to learn about the needs of MBEs in manufacturing. This report was mandated under the Minority Business Development Act of 2021. The Act codified MBDA and many of its existing programs. The report, and details of its findings, can be reviewed at www.mbda.gov . About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA): The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency is the only Federal agency dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of U.S. minority business enterprises (MBEs). For more than 50 years, MBDA’s programs and services have better equipped MBEs to create jobs, build scale and capacity, increase revenues, and expand regionally, nationally, and internationally. ### Attachment 2024 MBDA Supply Chain Report Press ReleaseThe AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . TOWSON, Md. (AP) — Tyler Tejada scored 18 points as Towson beat Bryant 70-65 on Sunday. Tejada had five rebounds for the Tigers (5-8). Dylan Williamson scored 13 points while shooting 6 for 13, including 1 for 5 from beyond the arc. Tomiwa Sulaiman went 4 of 10 from the field (0 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 10 points. The Tigers stopped a six-game losing streak with the win. The Bulldogs (6-8) were led by Earl Timberlake, who posted 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Barry Evans added 18 points, six rebounds and two steals for Bryant. Keyshawn Mitchell also had eight points and seven rebounds. Tejada put up 12 points in the first half for Towson, who led 33-28 at the break. Towson used a 12-3 second-half run erase a six-point deficit and take the lead at 58-55 with 7:21 left in the half before finishing off the victory. Williamson scored nine second-half points. Towson plays UNC Wilmington on the road on Thursday, and Bryant visits Grand Canyon on Monday. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have not been whole on offense all season, the byproduct of injuries to Marquise Brown on the very first game of the preseason and a season-ending injury to fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice at the end of September. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have not been whole on offense all season, the byproduct of injuries to Marquise Brown on the very first game of the preseason and a season-ending injury to fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice at the end of September. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have not been whole on offense all season, the byproduct of injuries to Marquise Brown on the very first game of the preseason and a season-ending injury to fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice at the end of September. They are close to it now. And it showed on Saturday. Brown made his regular-season debut after recovering from shoulder surgery, and made his presence felt on the first offensive series against Houston. The Chiefs were driving downfield but faced fourth-and-2 at the Texans 30, and Brown came open across the field for a 13-yard reception, resulting in a first down and eventually leading to a Kansas City touchdown. Brown went on to catch five passes for 45 yards in a 27-19 victory that pushed the Chiefs closer to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. “I thought he did a great job,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “I missed him here and there on a couple of throws, but I thought he was getting open. He was winning against man coverage, which was huge.” In fact, as the Chiefs (14-1) prepare to visit Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, they now have a receiving group that can win against just about any coverage. Brown and first-round pick Xavier Worthy, who had seven catches for 65 yards and a score, have the game-breaking speed to beat man-to-man defenses. And three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins, along with four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, have the catch radius and veteran savvy to find the holes in any sort of zone. That makes the Chiefs offense as potent as it’s been all season. “Kansas City made the plays. That’s why, you know, they’re at the top echelon of the NFL,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “They found ways to win, especially in situational football. they did a really good job on third down, staying on the field.” The Chiefs finished 7 of 13 on third down. They were 3 for 5 in the red zone and 2 for 2 in goal-to-go situations. That is the kind of efficiency they have had while winning the past two Super Bowls. “What can we do? The sky’s the limit,” said Worthy, who has caught at least four passes in each of his past six games. “I feel like we’re a hard team to beat. We just have to keep stacking.” What’s working The Chiefs defense, which had turned opponents over just 10 times in their first 13 games, has now created eight turnovers in the past two. That included two interceptions of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud on Saturday. “They talked about breaking the seal last week,” said Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, who had no interceptions in his first 48 games but has now picked off a pass in each of his past two. “You get around defensive backs, they talk about how it will come in bunches. I’m seeing it play out, being in the right place at the right time.” What needs help After piling up five sacks last week against Cleveland, the Chiefs struggled to capture Stroud on Saturday. They only managed two sacks, one of which was a cornerback blitz in the closing minutes that forced Houston to punt the ball away; the Chiefs were able to run out the clock on offense without giving the Texans another chance with it. Stock up The Chiefs started All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney at tackle for the second straight week, trying to solve their problem protecting Mahomes’ blind side. He played admirably against a good Houston pass rush, and that was even more important when the Chiefs had to juggle the offensive line again following right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s knee strain. Stock down Running back Isiah Pacheco carried nine times for just 26 yards, and he was stuffed on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 early in the second half, forcing a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, Kareem Hunt gained 55 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 24 yards, showing more versatility and explosiveness out of the backfield. Injuries DT Chris Jones (calf strain) and RT Jawaan Taylor (knee strain) did not finish the game against the Texans. LB Jack Cochrane will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his ankle. Key number 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. 14 — The Chiefs matched the franchise record for regular-season wins, set during the 2020 season and matched two years ago. They have two opportunities to break it with Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Denver in their regular-season finale. What’s next The Chiefs visit the Steelers on Christmas Day. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Advertisement AdvertisementThe United States Air Force still has around 200 Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (aka Warthogs) remaining in service . These are spread out over around 10 bases around the country (including Air National Guard Bases). Additionally, Warthogs are deployed to various other bases around the United States and abroad for a range of missions (including exercises and combat deployments). While the Air Force no longer sees a future for the close-air-support A-10 Warthog, the Army has found a new role for the close-air-support AH-64 Apache as a deep strike platform . Notably, the A-10 Warthog uses missiles and not its General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger autocannon in most missions (although it does use its autocannon in anger from time to time). Here are the air bases where the A-10 Warthogs are permanently deployed (although note that this is constantly changing). The final years of the A-10 Thunderbolt II The United States Air Force took delivery of 716 A-10 Warthogs. Some of those were lost to accidents and to combat damage over the years. Over the last few years, the Air Force has been gradually retiring the Warthog as the F-35A has come into service in larger numbers and as the Air Force refocuses from counter-insurgency to large-scale combat operations against peer adversaries. The A-10 is being replaced by the F-35A fighter jet (although its close air support role is also being replaced by a range of systems). Air Force bases with A-10 Warthogs (list may be incomplete): US Air Force command: Hill Air Force Base, Utah: Air Force Materiel Command Moody Air Force Base, Georgia: 23rd Wing, 476th Fighter Group Osan Air Force Base, South Korea 51st Fighter Wing (ending January 2025) Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada: 53rd Wing (for testing and evaluation), 57th Wing Eglin Air Force Base, Florida: 53rd Wing (for testing and evaluation), 96th Test Wing Gowen Field ANGB, Idaho: 124th Fighter Wing Selfridge ANGB, Michigan: 127th Wing Warfield ANGB, Maryland: 175th Wing (divesting of A-10s from fall 2024) Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona: 355th Fighter Wing, 924th Fighter Group Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri: 442nd Fighter Wing, 495th Fighter Group After the planned withdrawal of A-10s from South Korea in early 2025, all the permanent bases for the A-10 will be in the contiguous United States. Two notable bases that host A-10 squadrons are Whiteman (where the USAF's fleet of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers are based) and Davis-Monthan (home to three remaining A-10 squadrons and the massive boneyard). While the legendary A-10 is not considered survivable on the modern battlefield, it was used in combat in December 2024 against targets in the Middle East (which lack air defense capabilities). A few dozen more A-10s are expected to be retired in Fiscal Year 2025 with the final airframes expected to retire by the end of the decade . There is a possibility that the A-10s may see a new lease on life in a foreign air force as Congress has instructed the Pentagon to investigate the possibility of transferring A-10s to Jordan . The type entered service in 1976. Squadrons progressively retiring their A-10s A-10s withdrawn from South Korea Today, around 200 A-10s remain in service and the number of squadrons that operate them and bases that host them is falling. In November 2024, the Air Force announced it would be withdrawing the last of the Warthogs from their base at Osan Air Force Base in South Korea . The Air Force stated , " Starting in January 2025, the 25th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base will begin a phased withdrawal of its 24 A-10 aircraft, with completion expected by the end of fiscal year 2025. Additionally, Seventh Air Force F-16s are undergoing a series of avionics system upgrades, bringing the aircraft closer to fifth-generation capabilities as they increase both the survivability and accuracy of the weapon system ." A-10s have been in South Korea since the early 1980s and this is set to come to an end around January 2025. In its place, the Air Force will station F-16 Fighting Falcons that have been upgraded with "fifth-generation-like" technology. In Korea, the A-10s are under the command of the 51st Fighter Wing and are flown by the 25th Fighter Squadron. Davis-Monthan's 354th Fighter Squadron deactivated On 13th September 2024, the Air Force announced that the 355th Wing's 354th Fighter Squadron and the 354th Fighter Generation Squadron (together known as the Bulldogs) that had been operating A-10 Warthogs had been inactivated at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. They had supported 1,300 troops in contact and flown some 35,000 combat sorties (during which they had fired more than a quarter million 30mm rounds from the A-10's powerful autocannon). The two squadrons have now retired all 36 of their A-10 Thunderbolt IIs. The Air Force stated , " For more than 30 years, the 354th FS consisted of A-10 pilots who conducted close air support, forward air control in airborne, and close air support, for theater commanders worldwide ." It added, " Originating in 1942, long before the first A-10 arrived at [Davis-Monthan], the 354th FS had a history of activation and inactivation to support threats of the times. In 1992, the squadron was redesigned to exclusively support the A-10s at [Davis-Monthan]. " The 357th Fighter Squadron (also part of the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan) continues to operate the Warthog. Additionally, the 45th and 47th Fighter Squadrons at Davis-Monthan (assigned to the 924th Fighter Group) also operate A-10 Warthogs. Indiana's 163rd transitioning to F-16s Meanwhile, the 163rd Fighter Squadron of the Indiana Air National Guard's 122nd Fighter Wing (located at Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station in Indiana) divested its Thunderbolts in 2023 and is currently transitioning to the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Warfield ANGB 175th Fighter Wing In March 2024, the Air Force announced that Warfield Air National Guard Base in Maryland had been selected to transition from an A-10 to a cyber wing mission. It stated, " replacing the aging A-10 Thunderbolt IIs at the 175th Fighter Wing with a cyber mission will create a natural synergy between cyber assets at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group already operating out of Warfield ANGB. " This involves the divestment of the 21 A-10s at Warfield ANGB and at the time the Air Force stated that the divestment was expected to begin in "fall 2024." At the time of writing (December 2024), the status of these divestments and the transition to a cyber role is unclear. The Warthog is one of the most famous names in the USAF combat aircraft arsenal. But where exactly does that nickname come from? A-10 Warthogs in the boneyard While Davis-Monthan still has three squadrons flying the A-10 (the 45th, 47th, and 357th Fighter Squadrons), the associated boneyard is home to many more. These Warthogs are placed in the boneyard to salvage for parts and to keep until a decision is made to sell them, reactivate them, or scrap them. In April 2023, The War Zone reported the boneyard was receiving the first Warthogs in years (the last time a large number were sent to the boneyard was in 2014). At the time, a batch of 21 Warthogs was expected to be divested and sent to the boneyard. The first of these was a Warthog with the serial number 80-019. This particular airframe started its career as an A-10A and was later upgraded to the C model and locked a total of 14,125 flight hours over its career. A-10s at the Davis-Monthan boneyard Boneyard A-10 inventory: 100 in March 2023 (49 A-10As and 51 A-10Cs) 2014 to March 2023: No significant numbers of A-10s were sent to the boneyard 21 A-10s: Number expected in 2023 Almost 4,000 Total number of aircraft at the boneyard 78 A-10s: Number of A-10s excepted to arrive in boneyard over 3-5 years (starting from Feb 2024) Before the arrival of the new batch, The War Zone stated there were 100 A-10s at the boneyard at Davis-Monthan (49 A-10As and 51 A-10Cs). One interesting A-10 arrived in the boneyard in 2019. It had been pulled out of the boneyard in 2013 and had been highly modified as a flying storm-chasing laboratory (called the SPA-10 Thunderhog). The program took place under the National Science Foundation and after the program collapsed, the A-10 was returned to the boneyard. In February 2024, the Air and Space Forces Magazine reported more A-10s were arriving at the boneyard. Speaking of the first A-10 arrival at the time, it added, " The jet is the first of 78 A-10s at Davis-Monthan that will be retired over the next three to five years ." It is unclear when the older A-10s will be scrapped at the boneyard or if they will continue to add up there over the coming years. As a side note, with around 4,000 aircraft in storage at the boneyard, that is almost the same as the Air Force's total inventory of non-training and non-UAV aircraft in service.

In 2024, AI stocks soared, propelling a remarkable 27.5% gain for the S&P 500, with AI-driven companies leading the charge. While many of these stocks now carry hefty price tags, a new player in the AI arena offers a promising opportunity at a reasonable valuation. Nebius Group (NBIS) recently reentered the Nasdaq, catching Wall Street’s attention for potential growth in 2025. Hailing from Russia and formerly part of Yandex, Nebius made its comeback following a strategic split from its parent company. This split, involving $5.4 billion in international assets, birthed Nebius as an independent entity providing cutting-edge AI services, including cloud, data labeling, and autonomous vehicles technology. Positioning itself as an AI-as-a-service provider, Nebius supports companies like ServiceNow, enhancing their capabilities in AI model development. The company’s impressive private financing round of $700 million, backed by giants like Accel and Nvidia, signals strong market confidence. With the partnership with Nvidia, Nebius customers are set to access the highly anticipated Blackwell chips. Nebius shares have surged past the $20 mark since rejoining Nasdaq, boasting a 41% increase. Despite scant analyst coverage, Nebius has secured a glowing endorsement from market observer Andrew Left of Citron Research. In its latest financial report, Nebius achieved a 766% year-over-year revenue jump and reduced its losses by nearly half. With a robust cash reserve and low debt levels, the company’s ambitious expansion plans in Europe indicate robust growth prospects. While geopolitical factors create some hesitancy, Nebius’s partnership with Nvidia and investment traction show a bright future ahead, positioning Nebius as the new potential darling of the AI world. AI Stocks: The Next Big Thing or Overhyped? Discover Nebius, the Rising Contender In a year that saw AI stocks driving an impressive 27.5% gain for the S&P 500, a new contender in the artificial intelligence realm is capturing investor attention. Amidst a market of soaring valuations, Nebius Group (NBIS) stands out as a promising player in the AI landscape. Having recently reentered Nasdaq, Nebius is drawing the gaze of Wall Street with its growth potential for 2025 and beyond. Features and Innovations Nebius Group originates from Russia, formerly a segment of the prominent tech company Yandex. Its emergence as an independent entity came after a strategic split that involved $5.4 billion in international assets. Nebius now focuses on providing cutting-edge AI services, specializing in cloud solutions, data labeling, and autonomous vehicle technology. Their positioning as an AI-as-a-service provider enables them to support companies like ServiceNow in enhancing AI model development. Strategic Alliances and Technological Edge Backed by a substantial private financing round of $700 million, with investments from industry giants like Accel and Nvidia , Nebius demonstrates strong market confidence. Notably, its partnership with Nvidia offers Nebius customers access to the awaited Blackwell chips, marking a significant technological advantage. This alliance not only signifies Nebius’s technological edge but also sets the stage for further advancements in AI capabilities. Market Performance and Analyst Insights Since rejoining Nasdaq, Nebius’s shares have surged beyond the $20 mark, reflecting a 41% increase. Although analyst coverage is sparse, the company has received an endorsement from market observer Andrew Left of Citron Research, highlighting its potential. Nebius’s latest financial report revealed an impressive 766% year-over-year revenue increase, alongside significant reductions in losses. With a strong cash reserve and minimal debt, Nebius’s expansion plans in Europe suggest considerable growth potential. Pros and Cons Pros: – Strategic partnership with tech giant Nvidia, offering advanced chip technology. – Significant revenue growth and improving financial stability. – Positioned well in the AI-as-a-service market, benefiting from industry trends. Cons: – Geopolitical factors could pose risks and uncertainty. – Limited analyst coverage may lead to varying market perceptions. Future Prospects and Predictions Despite geopolitical uncertainties, Nebius’s robust alliances and investment traction paint a promising future. As the AI market continues to evolve, Nebius is well-positioned to capitalize on AI trends and expand its footprint in Europe. Analysts predict that the company’s strategic initiatives and technological advancements will continue to garner attention, potentially making Nebius a rising star in the AI sector. For more insights into the future of AI and its market impact, explore content from leading AI and tech industry websites.Under a canopy of eight heart-monitoring screens in a cardiac catheterization lab on a recent Monday, Mayo Clinic doctors briefly paused a procedure treating atrial fibrillation to inspect a new tool: a long tube with what looked like flower petals made out of wire at its end. That wiry flower is the focus of a multibillion-dollar innovation race between some of the world’s largest medical technology companies. Medtronic and Boston Scientific, which both have major cardiac-device operations in Minnesota, and Johnson & Johnson MedTech are vying to control the large and fast-growing market for minimally invasive medical devices to treat the widespread heart problem atrial fibrillation with a safer and quicker procedure called pulsed field ablation (PFA). PFA uses electric pulses instead of extreme heat or cooling to ablate cardiac tissue around pulmonary veins on the heart, blocking bioelectric signals in the tissue that cause the heart’s atrial chambers to quiver, or fibrillate. Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is believed to affect more than 10 million Americans, greatly increasing their risk of having a stroke, the latest scientific estimates show. Doctors say the new ablation procedure cuts down a patient’s time in the cath lab by hours, and reduces risks for serious complications compared to older techniques. Medtech executives expect the technology to help fuel their companies’ future growth. Boston Scientific CEO Mike Mahoney has said the company’s new Farapulse ablation system is “the most transformational product that I’ve seen in my career.” Medtronic CEO Geoff Martha has said, “We’re at one of those moments in medtech where a new technology is causing a rapid shift in the treatment of a disease. In this case, PFA is that technology.” Analytics company Clarivate projects pulsed field ablation devices will surpass $1.3 billion in sales globally this year, and the total number of procedures performed will at least quadruple in the next two to three years as PFA makes up an increasingly large share of all ablations performed. The Farapulse system was first to market in Europe, gaining regulatory approval in early 2021, before Boston Scientific acquired it later that year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration then approved Medtronic’s system, called PulseSelect, last December. Then Farapulse, which includes hardware built in Minnesota, received FDA approval in January. Johnson & Johnson MedTech also received FDA approval for its Varipulse system earlier this month. The companies are now pushing to commercialize premium PFA systems that map the heart and reduce incisions into the body as the technology floods hospitals. Tony Crisci of Ocean City, N.J., said he held off for a procedure at Mount Sinai in New York until the new technology became available. “I thought I was just getting older, and I couldn’t work out as hard [without getting] out of breath,” Crisci, 67, said of his condition before he received treatment with Boston Scientific’s system. “But now I feel like 20 years younger.” In the Mayo Clinic heart-catheterization lab, a patient was on the table swarmed by health care professionals, wires and massive devices that made the room look like the inside of a spacecraft by roughly 8:30 one recent morning. The ablation wrapped up by 10:30 a.m. That’s not how quickly AFib procedures formerly went. Older radiofrequency ablation tools use heat, taking minutes for each round of ablation near the pulmonary vein. During PFA, each electric pulse is delivered in a matter of nanoseconds during a secondslong delivery window, reducing the procedure’s time by hours. Mapping and monitoring the heart seemed to take longer than the ablation during the Mayo Clinic procedure. AFib is an irregular heart rhythm when the heart’s upper chambers chaotically beat out of sync with the lower chambers, increasing risk of stroke and heart failure. Mayo Electrophysiology laboratory director Dr. Suraj Kapa said incidence of the arrhythmia is expected to increase as the population becomes older and the world faces an obesity epidemic. Common symptoms include a racing or fluttering heart, lightheadedness, chest pain and extreme fatigue, but some patients have no symptoms: “It can range from somebody being totally asymptomatic — they don’t feel it at all — all the way to somebody feeling essentially like a truck ran them over,” Kapa said. Crisci, who had a PFA procedure at Mount Sinai, said he felt short of breath whenever he exerted himself in recent years. A doctor discovered his AFib during a routine physical in 2022. Patients can control AFib through medications or ablation procedures, but there’s no true cure. Dr. Khaldoun Tarakji, chief medical officer of Medtronic’s cardiac ablation unit, said anti-arrhythmic drugs can cause potentially fatal side effects. Boston Scientific Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Stein said drugs are often ineffective. “Even a decade ago,” Stein said, “it was clear that some type of ablation procedure was ultimately going to be preferred versus drugs for patients.” Pulsed field ablation is at least as effective and is certainly more efficient than conventional thermal ablation, which includes radiofrequency and cryoablation methods, Stein said. During a cryoablation procedure, a balloon expands inside a pulmonary vein, freezing tissue with extreme cold, said Dr. Henri Roukoz, director of electrophysiology at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. Radiofrequency ablation, which is more common, cauterizes tissue around the pulmonary vein point by point, in intervals that take minutes and add up to hours. Using thermal sources, doctors can inadvertently damage other organs like the esophagus, leading to rare but potentially fatal complications, Roukoz said. Pulsed field ablation uses a high voltage impulse to create pores in cells in the area surrounding the pulmonary vein, causing them to disintegrate and die, doctors said. Because the pulses are localized to targeted cells, doctors said there’s a smaller chance the procedure affects adjacent organs. Crisci said physicians offered him drugs or ablation but he declined long-term medication for treatment: “I don’t take aspirin or anything.” He said he held off on the procedure until he landed a spot in Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s clinical trial. In the Mayo Clinic cath lab, Dr. Peter Noseworthy and Dr. Robert Ward made two incisions on the left and right side of the patient’s groin to insert catheters, which are thin tube-shaped devices physicians can advance to the heart through blood vessels, allowing access to the heart without open surgery. The doctors threaded a mapping catheter — with several tiny legs sprouting from its end — through the groin, moving it up blood vessels until it reached the heart. There, its metallic legs danced across the interior surface of the heart as the physician toggled the device’s controller. This produced a model of the heart that allowed the physicians to precisely identify spots for ablation. Then the physicians threaded a Farapulse catheter into the right incision and snaked it toward the heart. They poked a hole in the heart’s interior so the catheter could move from the right upper chamber to the left upper chamber, which the arrhythmia affects. The doctors delivered roughly eight electric pulses to the heart. Each pulse gets delivered after the tap of an iPad-like touchscreen. The procedure wraps up quickly. It’s at least as effective as radiofrequency ablation, but the arrhythmia can return, doctors say. Crisci said he healed quickly following his first ablation in March using the J & J technology, but he went back into AFib about a week and a half later. He received a second procedure in July, and he said he hasn’t had AFib since. Now, he’s hitting the gym more. “It’s really giving me a second youth,” Crisci said. At the electrophysiology divisions of the biggest medtech companies, executives spotted the promising market years ago. Boston Scientific acquired University of Iowa startup Farapulse in 2021 for hundreds of millions of dollars after first investing in the company in 2014. In 2022, Medtronic acquired Affera, the company behind its new catheter that ablates and maps the heart, for $925 million. Stein said physicians use Farapulse in the large majority of pulsed field procedures. Its Minnesota-based division within Boston Scientific grew by 177% on an organic basis during the most recent quarter. Jasmina Brooks, president of Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s electrophysiology division, said the company’s pulsed field system was the first in the U.S. to fully integrate with the company’s 3D heart-mapping system, which helps doctors visualize the heart as they position the catheter and deliver the energy. And Tarakji of Medtronic said the adoption of PFA “has even exceeded the wildest expectation.” With PulseSelect, he said patients often don’t experience some of the side effects of radiofrequency ablation like chest pain. He pointed out that that the company’s catheter has one of the smallest diameters, which can reduce recovery time. The race doesn’t come without obstacles. A supplier problem held back Medtronic PulseSelect sales for the most recent reported quarter. Boston Scientific paused an important clinical trial to expand the use of its technology as a first-line treatment for persistent AFib after making unanticipated observations — and then restarted it weeks later. The companies are now incorporating mapping technology into the ablating catheter to further streamline the procedure. And Tarakji said Medtronic is in early feasibility studies to study whether the company’s technology can treat a serious arrhythmia called ventricular tachycardia. Nick Spadea-Anello, president of Boston Scientific’s electrophysiology division, said the the new technology will fuel future innovation. Said Stein: “The potential now is to offer them ... a therapy that is safe, a therapy that’s effective and a therapy that is efficient for the system as a whole: It just changes patients’ lives.”

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ST. LOUIS, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric Watkins, President of Abstrakt, is shedding light on the significant challenges businesses face when building in-house Sales Development Representative (SDR) teams. Rising costs, complex technology needs, and extended timelines are making outsourcing an increasingly attractive option for companies seeking efficient and effective sales solutions. "We often find companies have already tried to do this all on their own and struggled," said Watkins. "It's a lot of puzzle pieces to put together, and working with a professional team that does this exclusively often gets better results." Watkins noted that businesses often underestimate the full scope of building an SDR team, from recruiting and onboarding skilled personnel to investing in necessary software and AI tools. Additional hurdles include developing outreach strategies, maintaining accountability metrics, and ensuring consistent performance tracking. "Building your own team can be a good route if you have the fully dedicated resources to do so," Watkins said. "But it requires a lot of software, content planning, research tools, and follow-through on sequencing." The rise of AI-driven sales tools has added to the complexity, with many companies struggling to optimize these technologies for maximum impact. Watkins explained that companies often lack the expertise to effectively integrate AI into their outreach efforts, further extending the time and cost required to build a functional SDR team. For many businesses, outsourcing to specialized teams like Abstrakt provides a faster and more cost-effective solution. By eliminating the need for ongoing training, technology investment, and process development, outsourcing offers immediate access to experienced professionals and proven systems. Abstrakt, which handles over 100,000 appointments annually across industries, has seen firsthand how outsourcing delivers measurable results for its clients. "Evaluate your resources, timeline, and ability to stay accountable to your sales goals," Watkins advised. "If there are gaps, partnering with a team that specializes in this work can help you grow faster and more effectively." Abstrakt is a B2B lead generation and marketing agency based in St. Louis, Missouri. With over a decade of experience, the company specializes in omnichannel appointment setting and helping businesses achieve measurable growth. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eric-watkins-of-abstrakt-highlights-the-challenges-of-building-internal-sdr-teams-302337750.html SOURCE Abstrakt Marketing GroupLack of designated stops for e-buses takes toll on passengers

ST. LOUIS , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric Watkins , President of Abstrakt, is shedding light on the significant challenges businesses face when building in-house Sales Development Representative (SDR) teams. Rising costs, complex technology needs, and extended timelines are making outsourcing an increasingly attractive option for companies seeking efficient and effective sales solutions. "We often find companies have already tried to do this all on their own and struggled," said Watkins. "It's a lot of puzzle pieces to put together, and working with a professional team that does this exclusively often gets better results." Watkins noted that businesses often underestimate the full scope of building an SDR team, from recruiting and onboarding skilled personnel to investing in necessary software and AI tools. Additional hurdles include developing outreach strategies, maintaining accountability metrics, and ensuring consistent performance tracking. "Building your own team can be a good route if you have the fully dedicated resources to do so," Watkins said. "But it requires a lot of software, content planning, research tools, and follow-through on sequencing." The rise of AI-driven sales tools has added to the complexity, with many companies struggling to optimize these technologies for maximum impact. Watkins explained that companies often lack the expertise to effectively integrate AI into their outreach efforts, further extending the time and cost required to build a functional SDR team. For many businesses, outsourcing to specialized teams like Abstrakt provides a faster and more cost-effective solution. By eliminating the need for ongoing training, technology investment, and process development, outsourcing offers immediate access to experienced professionals and proven systems. Abstrakt, which handles over 100,000 appointments annually across industries, has seen firsthand how outsourcing delivers measurable results for its clients. "Evaluate your resources, timeline, and ability to stay accountable to your sales goals," Watkins advised. "If there are gaps, partnering with a team that specializes in this work can help you grow faster and more effectively." Abstrakt is a B2B lead generation and marketing agency based in St. Louis, Missouri . With over a decade of experience, the company specializes in omnichannel appointment setting and helping businesses achieve measurable growth. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eric-watkins-of-abstrakt-highlights-the-challenges-of-building-internal-sdr-teams-302337750.html SOURCE Abstrakt Marketing GroupTiny but vital metal markets rush to adjust to Chinese clampdown

Woman taken to hospital after crashing into wall on technology park

For the best experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Northwestern Church University, which awarded Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi an honorary doctorate degree on Saturday has been in the spotlight. During the Saturday ceremony at the Eldoret National Polytechnic the church-run university based in Florida, United States surprised the country after awarding Sudi and two other MPs, John Waluke of Sirisia and Didmus Barasa (Kimilili). The institution further pulled another surprise by inviting former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri as its chief guest, an honor reserved for distinguished academicians and top officials from the Ministry of Education. The University has been raising eyebrows in Kenya and across the globe. In mid last year, the Commission for University Education (CUE) listed 13 institutions that it claimed were illegally offering diplomas, degrees and postgraduate programmes in Kenya. Among the 13 institutions of higher learning was Northwestern Christian University. CUE warned Kenyans against enrolling in the institution and 12 others, saying their academic papers will not be recognized. Online, Kenyans reacted and raised questions particularly after Northwestern Christian listed and introduced Sudi as an Engineer. President of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) President Eng Shammah Kiteme said Eng title was protected by law and should not be used by individuals who have not earned it through training in recognized institutions. “Please note that the initial Eng before anyone’s name is protected by law – Engineers Act 2011. It takes at least eight years of hard work to earn it. Please stop this (referring to Sudi as Engineer) disrespectful use of the title you haven’t earned,” said Eng Kiteme. A further look at Northwestern University’s operations shows that the institution had been dishing out honorary degrees locally and abroad. Last year, it awarded nominated MP Joseph Wainaina in Eldoret, raising eyebrows with Kenyans questioning the politicians’ contribution to society. Reports also indicated that for over 44 years, the university had given degrees to several governors, mayors, judges, lawyers and military generals among other government officials in the Philippines. Sudi was awarded an honorary doctorate in leadership Administration and Management for what the university termed as his contributions to development. The graduation ceremony was staged at the Eldoret National Polytechnic. Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter The honorary award came six months after a court in Nairobi acquitted the parliamentarian of charges of forgery of his academic papers, a matter that had dragged on in court for years. On June 2, 2024, Chief Magistrate Felix Kombo ruled that Sudi had no case to answer. Kombo acquitted Sudi on all nine charges of forgery saying the evidence adduced in court was illegally and fraudulently obtained. A graduand among the 300 who graduated on Saturday told The Standard that the University was purely offering online classes despite listing more than ten satellite campuses in Kenya. “There is a campus in Eldoret although I have not seen the physical structures. I am not sure about the location of the physical campus because we purely interact online,” the graduand said. While presenting Sudi for the award during the graduation ceremony, Northwest University cited his contributions to social and economic development, but did not mention his previous academic credentials. According to the university’s citation, Sudi, who has been Kapseret MP for over 12 years now, had delivered on community work especially in building churches and sponsoring the education of orphans, children from poor families as well as widows. In the list of graduands, Sudi was identified with Eng, the title given to Engineers. “Oscar Sudi is known as engineer for his hard work and has empowered boda boda and women various groups. He has empowered his community. He is involved in peace activities in the North Rift region,” the citation read in part. The university further cited: “In our research, we saw it fit and he is qualified and to be honored for an honorary doctorate degree.” Dr Sudi is a businessman with investments in real estate and agriculture. He recently established Timba XO club in Eldoret. Sudi told graduands that serving humanity was the real degree. “I am sponsoring more than 50 students from vulnerable families. I have also supported many people in different ways and that is the degree that we require,” the MP said. Waluke political leaders were selfless and deserved recognition. His Kimilili counterpart, Barasa, did not turn up for the graduation. “It is tough being a Kenyan politician. You have to be ready to be turned into a pauper or be jailed or be killed. I am happy that we are being recognized,” Waluke said. Mr Ngunjiri, the chief guest, thanked the university for recognizing efforts by leaders. “I am here because I value investment in education. The graduands will graduate and work in Kenya and abroad and build our economy. I am happy because the university which is run by the Church is championing peace,” he said. He joins a league of other politicians who have been awarded honorary doctorate degrees by various universities. They are among others Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Divinity and a Doctorate in Humane Letters in recognition of his achievements in peace making, conflict resolution efforts, sustainable community development and humanistic ideals by Kenyatta University. Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga are among leaders who have previously been awarded with honorary degrees. Atwoli was awarded by Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) for his long service in the trade union in 2018 while Uhuru and Raila were recognized for their handshake and push for national unity six years ago. In December 2022, the Kenya Commission for Higher Education rejected the educational qualifications of Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, who was eying Nairobi Governor position. Wanjiru received the degree of Doctor of Theology from Vineyard Harvester Bible College on July 13, 2003. On October 26, 2010, she received a bachelor's degree in Christian Leadership from United Graduate College and Seminary International, raising questions about how she got a PhD before attaining an undergraduate degree. The graduation was presided over Dr Enos Ezine Musatsili, North Western University’s Country Director of all campuses in Kenya. The university said it has satellite campuses in Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Karatina, Kakamega, Maralal, Butere and Teso among others.1Fuel and Toncoin Capture Market Attention as TRON Investors Seek Stability

Stock indexes closed mixed on Wall Street at the end of a rare bumpy week. The S&P 500 ended little changed Friday. The benchmark index reached its latest in a string of records a week ago. It lost ground for the week following three weeks of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite edged up 0.1%. Broadcom surged after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged after raising its revenue forecast. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Stocks slipped in afternoon trading Friday as Wall Street closes out a rare bumpy week. The S&P 500 was up by less than 0.1% and is on track for a loss for the week after three straight weekly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 58 points, or 0.1% to 43,856 as of 3 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq rose 0.1% and is hovering around its record. Broadcom surged 24.9% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. The company also raised its dividend. The company's big gain helped cushion the market's broader fall. Pricey stock values for technology companies like Broadcom give the sector more weight in pushing the market higher or lower. Artificial intelligence technology has been a focal point for the technology sector and the overall stock market over the last year. Tech companies, and Wall Street, expect demand for AI to continue driving growth for semiconductor and other technology companies. Even so, some big tech stocks were in the red Friday. Nvidia slid 2.6%, Meta Platforms dropped 1.7% and Netflix was down 0.7%. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged 14.2% after raising its forecast for revenue growth for the year. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank will meet next week and is widely expected to cut interest rates for a third time since September. Expectations of a series of rate cuts has driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year . The Fed has been lowering its benchmark interest rate following an aggressive rate hiking policy that was meant to tame inflation. It raised rates from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023. Inflation eased under pressure from higher interest rates, nearly to the central bank's 2% target. The economy, including consumer spending and employment, held strong despite the squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. A slowing job market, though, has helped push a long-awaited reversal of the Fed's policy. Inflation rates have been warming up slightly over the last few months. A report on consumer prices this week showed an increase to 2.7% in November from 2.6% in October. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures index, will be released next week. Wall Street expects it to show a 2.5% rise in November, up from 2.3% in October. The economy, though, remains solid heading into 2025 as consumers continue spending and employment remains healthy, said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “Still, the outlook is clouded by unusually high uncertainty surrounding regulatory, immigration, trade and tax policy,” he said. Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.40% from 4.34% late Thursday. European markets slipped. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1%. Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1% month-on-month in October, following a 0.1% decline in September, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Asian markets closed mostly lower.

A woman was forced to stab her partner in self-defence after he assaulted and strangled her, police have alleged. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue The 28-year-old man is set to face the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday after police were called to an incident in Denman Prospect last week. He is accused of attacking the woman, strangling her and forcing her to the ground. He then allegedly kicked and hit her several times. MORE COURT AND CRIME NEWS : 'Extreme concern' ACT teen accused of possessing ISIS videos could commit bomb attack Alleged train robber said to have fled with cash and other property How Deanne and her family changed a 'heartwrenching' process in the ACT As a result, the man has been charged with 12 counts of aggravated common assault and a single count of strangling. According to police, the alleged victim used a pair of scissors to defend herself and stab her partner in the arm during the incident. He was not seriously injured. The man is set to face the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Picture by Karleen Minney "ACT Policing stands ready to assist victims experiencing family violence," a police spokesperson said on Tuesday. "If you are in this situation - when it is safe to do so - please contact police on 131 444 or triple zero (000) in an emergency, or contact a support service who can assist with crisis support, safety planning and advice." Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732; ACT Domestic Violence Crisis Service 6280 0900; Women's Legal Centre ACT 6257 4377. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Tim Piccione Court reporter Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au. Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au. More from Canberra Woman forced to stab partner in self-defence during alleged strangling attack: police 23m ago Police seize hundreds of cannabis plants in $4m South Coast drug sting 2hrs ago Firies and neighbours go 'hell for leather' as blaze threatens homes 'Extreme concern' ACT teen accused of possessing ISIS videos could commit bomb attack The almost $200b a year we give away to people who really do not need it No comment s Shutting down debate on abortion is a concern for us all No comment s Newsletters & Alerts View all DAILY Your morning news Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Loading... WEEKDAYS The lunch break Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Loading... DAILY Sport The latest news, results & expert analysis. Loading... WEEKDAYS The evening wrap Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. Loading... WEEKLY Note from the Editor Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. Loading... WEEKLY FootyHQ Love footy? We've got all the action covered. Loading... DAILY Early Look At David Pope Your exclusive preview of David Pope's latest cartoon. Loading... AS IT HAPPENS Public Service News Don't miss updates on news about the Public Service. Loading... WEEKLY Explore Travel Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. Loading... WEEKLY Property Get the latest property and development news here. Loading... WEEKLY What's On Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. Loading... WEEKLY Weekend Reads We've selected the best reading for your weekend. Loading... WEEKLY Times Reader's Panel Join our weekly poll for Canberra Times readers. Loading... WEEKDAYS The Echidna Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. Loading... TWICE WEEKLY The Informer Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. Loading... WEEKLY Motoring Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. Loading... TWICE WEEKLY Voice of Real Australia Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. Loading... AS IT HAPPENS Breaking news alert Be the first to know when news breaks. Loading... DAILY Today's Paper Alert Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! Loading... DAILY Your favourite puzzles Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Loading...