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Article content If U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is looking to beef up his administration, there’s one person that fits the bill and is willing to take that call. Recommended Videos Retired professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, a staunch supporter of Trump during his campaign for re-election, says that the incoming president could give him a role in his new administration. Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, suggested the notion during an interview with Fox News ’ Brian Kilmeade this past weekend. During the interview, the former WWE superstar recounted a conversation that he had with Trump at a political rally in October at Madison Square Garden. According to Hogan, Trump seemed open to the idea of having the wrestling icon serve in his second term in the White House. “My president said, ‘You know something, you’d be great to run the President’s Council on Physical Fitness,’” Hogan said of the conversation between them at the New York rally. Hogan said that after the rally, he and Trump were talking nutrition and physical fitness, which led to the discussion. “At the end of the day, when I was in the back at Madison Square Garden after the whole rally, we were talking about Robert Kennedy, I was talking about nutrition and how many foreign countries won’t even let their people eat the food that we eat here in America,” Hogan said. “It’s so bad, and it’s poisoned a generation of kids. And at the end of the day, we start talking about physical fitness.” The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition is a federal advisory panel that encourages healthy eating and physical activity, according to its website. The council was renewed by President Joe Biden until Sept. 30, 2025. The Trump campaign did not respond when contacted for comment by The Hill . Hogan made several appearances stumping for Trump on the campaign trail. He appeared at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, speaking on stage and getting the crowd fired up by ripping off his own shirt to reveal a Trump-Vance campaign shirt underneath while saying “Let Trumpamania run wild, brother!” The WWE hall of famer landed in some hot water in August when he drunkenly joked about body-slamming U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was running for president after Biden stepped down. During a wild speech at a bar in Medina, Ohio, the 71-year-old told the crowd about body-slamming and “dropping the leg” on Harris before questioning her heritage. In a clip shared on social media, Hogan asked the crowd, ”Want me to body slam Kamala Harris? Want me to drop the leg on Kamala?” referring to his finishing move during his in-ring career. “Is Kamala a chameleon? Is Kamala Indian?” Hogan asked, referring to comments about her heritage made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice-presidential running mate J.D. Vance. Known racist Hulk Hogan threatens to “body slam” Kamala Harris https://t.co/nrRwiZPHgw Perhaps realizing he had gone too far, Hogan tried to walk it back. “I am going to get heat for that one, brother. That was not me,” he said. “That was the beers talking.”
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Trump’s conquest: President-elect posts bizarre AI pic of himself with Canadian flag (on a Swiss mountain)CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation launched a new online licensing system this fall, the first phase in a plan to modernize the management and licensing process for service providers across the state. The system improvements are part of efforts to make doing business easier and more efficient for Illinois service providers, the department said. The Comprehensive Online Regulatory Environment, or CORE, opened on Oct. 30, nearly a year after the Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 2394, a measure authorizing the IDFPR to upgrade its antiquated system that had led to long waiting periods for licensing and renewals. The new system will “eliminate the need for paper applications, give applicants more control over their application materials, and help prevent deficient applications from being submitted,” according to a statement from IDFPR. Treto The agency calls CORE the first part of a multiphase approach by IDFPR to, over the next two years, ensure applications for more than 300 license types and records for more than 1.2 million professionals are properly transitioned. The first professions to be licensed under the new system are clinical psychologists, music therapists and nail technicians. “Everyone wanting to earn a living in Illinois in the 21st century should have tools of the times available so they can be licensed and get to work as soon as possible,” IDFPR Secretary Mario Treto Jr., said in the statement. Music therapists On May 27, 2022, Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2243, which created a music therapy license for Illinois practitioners within the IDFPR. Music therapy is a form of treatment that incorporates “clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship” according to the American Music Therapy Association website. “We have been waiting for 2 1/2 years since our bill was passed for this new system to come,” said Mia Iliopoulos Krings, president of the Illinois Association for Music Therapy, in an interview. Instead of immediately allowing music therapists to apply for a license two years ago, Krings said that the department “didn't want to put us in the old system for us to just have to go into the new system.” Since the system’s launch, Krings praised how easy and efficient it was to complete the application process. “They have been working incredibly fast and efficiently in getting everything back to us. For example, I applied on Friday night on Nov. 1. I heard back by 8:30 a.m. Monday morning,” Krings said. She said her fellow music therapists posted their issued licenses on Facebook and shared similar experiences of a rapid response. Krings’ experience now is vastly different from what many Illinois professionals experienced in the past. Panache Perkins, director and an instructor of Your School of Beauty in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, said that before the digitization, the IDFPR was “still in 1997,” with “old school” public servants stacking “pieces of paper applications into a 75-year-old filing system.” “They (IDFPR) lose paperwork all the time, because they don’t have the right system,” she said. With new integrated software and technology services provided by Tyler Technologies, however, the department’s CORE system will “notify prospective licensees directly within the system when applications are received, reviewed, and licenses are issued by the department—eliminating the need for paper mail and email responses,” according to IDFPR’s statement. Financial barriers for business The IDFPR’s mission is “to protect the residents of Illinois” through licensing and regulating industries and professions that offer services to the public. But some say these licenses can serve as a financial barrier to doing business. The initial music therapy license is $400 and renewal costs $300. In preparation for hardships, the Illinois Association for Music Therapists held a benefit concert to raise funds to help pay for the licenses for members in need. Two years ago, state lawmakers created the Comprehensive Licensing Information to Minimize Barriers Task Force, or CLIMB, to “investigate how occupational licensing of low-to-moderate-income occupations relates to economic inequities in Illinois and to recommend reforms,” according to a statement from the task force. Last month, CLIMB released a study of their two-year findings, and recommended easing licensing burdens for specific professions. The study recommended that hair braiders, for example, should be exempt from having a license. CLIMB’s research found that “requiring a license to braid hair does not enhance public safety but does disproportionately impact individuals from minority communities,” according to the statement. Perkins said she disagrees with that recommendation. “People’s addiction to social media has changed the (standard) that licensing set. Now everyone thinks they can do it,” she said. She also said braiders may not know proper hair care, how to properly clean their tools or prevent traction alopecia – a type of hair loss caused by tension from tight hair styles. There are 33 states that do not require a license for hair braiders; an increase of 21 from 2016. This includes Indiana, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, according to the CLIMB. Perkins said she has been working in the beauty industry since she was 16 years old, noting, “my grandmother inspired me to go into cosmetology.” Perkins’s grandmother, Mildred Dixon, opened Your School of Beauty 66 years ago to train men and women to begin their careers in the beauty industry. Perkins said the beauty industry is among the most essential occupations and that it should be regulated accordingly. “Cosmetologists work closely with products that dermatologists prescribe and recommend. We were also essential during the pandemic,” Perkins said. However, she also acknowledged the state’s antiquated licensing system impacts how cosmetologists are regarded and can run their businesses. She said she doesn’t think licensing is a barrier. “If you can do enough ‘heads’ to pay taxes on your work, then you can pay the money to get your license,” she said, adding that this evokes a larger issue about how people see their futures. “If you’re not trying to get your license,” she said, “you’re also not thinking about your (long-term) future.” Gov. J.B. Pritzker on July 31 signs legislation that will make it illegal for companies hold mandatory meetings in which workers would be subjected to the employer’s views on religious or political matters, including unionization. Nicole Jeanine Johnson is a graduate student in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and a Fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Founder of failed crypto lending platform Celsius Network pleads guilty to fraud charges NEW YORK (AP) — The founder and former CEO of the failed cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius Network has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, admitting that he misled customers about the business. Alexander Mashinsky entered the plea Tuesday in Manhattan federal court to commodities and securities fraud. He admitted illegally manipulating the price of Celsius’ proprietary crypto token while secretly selling his own tokens at inflated prices. A plea agreement Mashinsky reached with prosecutors calls for him to be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for April 8. Celsius filed for bankruptcy in 2022. A judge has once again rejected Musk's multi-billion-dollar Tesla pay package. Now what? DETROIT (AP) — For a second time, a Delaware judge has nullified a pay package that Tesla had awarded its CEO, Elon Musk, that once was valued at $56 billion. On Monday, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick turned aside a request from Musk’s lawyers to reverse a ruling she announced in January that had thrown out the compensation plan. The judge ruled then that Musk effectively controlled Tesla’s board and had engineered the outsize pay package during sham negotiations. Lawyers for a Tesla shareholder who sued to block the pay package contended that shareholders who had voted for the 10-year plan in 2018 had been given misleading and incomplete information. US job openings rose last month, though hiring slowed, in mixed picture for labor market WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of job postings in the United States rebounded in October from a 3 1/2 year low in September, a sign that businesses are still seeking workers even though hiring has cooled. Openings rose 5% to 7.7 million from 7.4 million in September. The increase suggests that job gains could pick up in the coming months. Still, the latest figure is down significantly from 8.7 million job postings a year ago. Last month, job openings rose sharply in professional and business services, a category that includes engineers, managers, and accountants, as well as in the restaurant and hotel and information technology industries. Trump vows to block Japanese steelmaker from buying US Steel, pledges tax incentives and tariffs HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is underscoring his intention to block the purchase of U.S. Steel by Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp., and he’s pledging to use tax incentives and tariffs to strengthen the iconic American steelmaker. Trump said during the campaign that he would “instantaneously” block the deal, and he reiterated that sentiment in a Monday night statement. President Joe Biden also opposes Nippon Steel’s purchase of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. A secretive U.S. committee is reviewing the transaction for national security concerns, and federal law gives the president the power to block the transaction. Nippon Steel is pledging to invest in U.S. Steel’s factories and strengthen the American steel industry. Stock market today: Wall Street inches higher to set more records NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records after a quiet day of trading. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, on Tuesday to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. The South Korean won sank against the dollar after its president declared martial law and then later said he’ll lift it. China bans exports to US of gallium, germanium, antimony in response to chip sanctions BANGKOK (AP) — China has announced a ban on exports to the United States of gallium, germanium and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Such chips are needed for advanced applications. Beijing earlier had required exporters to apply for licenses to send strategically important materials such as gallium, germanium and antimony to the U.S. The 140 companies newly included in the U.S. so-called “entity list” subject to export controls are nearly all based in China. Small business owners brace for Trump's proposed tariffs Small businesses are bracing for stiff tariffs that President-elect Donald Trump has proposed as one of his first actions when he takes office. Trump has proposed importers pay a 25% tax on products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders. This means small businesses may end up paying more for goods and services. Small business owners say they’re waiting to see what final form the tariffs take, but are bracing for higher costs that they may in turn need to pass on to consumers. A top Fed official leans toward December rate cut but says it depends on economic data WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Federal Reserve official says he is leaning toward supporting an interest rate cut when the Fed meets in two weeks but that evidence of persistent inflation before then could cause him to change that view. Speaking at George Washington University, Christopher Waller, a key member of the Fed’s Board of Governors, said he was confident that inflation is headed lower and that the central bank will likely keep reducing its key rate, which affects many consumer and business loans. But he noted that there’s a risk that inflation “may be getting stuck above” the Fed’s 2% target, which would support an argument for keeping the Fed’s rate unchanged this month. US closes investigation into E. coli outbreak linked to onions in McDonald's Quarter Pounders The federal government has closed its investigation into an E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers after determining there is no longer a safety risk. The outbreak began in late October and sickened at least 104 people in 14 states, including 34 who were hospitalized, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. One person in Colorado died and four people developed a potentially life-threatening kidney disease complication. The FDA linked the outbreak to yellow onions distributed by California-based Taylor Farms and served raw on Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s restaurants in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming and other states. McDonald’s briefly pulled Quarter Pounders from one-fifth of its U.S. restaurants. Melinda French Gates plans to match $1M in GivingTuesday gifts to groups that support women NEW YORK (AP) — Melinda French Gates is offering to match up to $1 million in gifts to two nonprofit organizations to help spur donations on GivingTuesday. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, GivingTuesday has become a major annual fundraising day for nonprofits. Through her organization Pivotal Ventures, French Gates will match up to $500,000 in donations to the Vote Mama Foundation and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. In an interview with The Associated Press, she said, “It’s a great time to remind people that we’re better off when we give something back and we all have something to give back."
Arteta wanted his team to prove their European credentials following some underwhelming displays away from home, and the Gunners manager got exactly what he asked for. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track in style following the 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan last time out. A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners had failed to win or score in their two away games in the competition so far this season, but they made a blistering start in the Portuguese capital and took the lead after only seven minutes. Declan Rice fed overlapping full-back Jurrien Timber, who curled a low cross in behind the home defence for Martinelli to finish at the far post. Arsenal doubled their lead in the 20th minute thanks to a glorious ball over the top from Thomas Partey. Saka escaped the clutches of his marker Maximiliano Araujo to beat the offside trap and poke the ball past advancing goalkeeper Franco Israel for Havertz to tap home. It was a scintillating first-half display which completely overshadowed the presence of Viktor Gyokeres in Sporting’s attack. The prolific Sweden striker, formerly of Coventry, has been turning the heads of Europe’s top clubs with his 24 goals in 17 games this season – including a hat-trick against Manchester City earlier this month. But the only time he got a sniff of a run at goal after an optimistic long ball, he was marshalled out of harm’s way by Gabriel. David Raya was forced into one save, tipping a fierce Geovany Quenda drive over the crossbar. But Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Rice’s corner into the back of the net. Our second-half goalscorers ❤️ pic.twitter.com/aFCIMffFaK — Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 26, 2024 To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. Former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards fired over, as did Gyokeres, with Arsenal temporarily on the back foot. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved, and Gyokeres’ miserable night was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.RADNOR — Having landed his dream job once, Eric Roedl wasn’t sure at first what to make of the chance to do it again. It would’ve taken a lot to get the Deputy Athletic Director at the University of Oregon to leave Eugene, where he’s spent 13 years. The chance to lead not just any athletic department but that of his alma mater was sufficient to bring him back to the Main Line. Roedl was introduced Tuesday as Villanova’s Vice President and Director of Athletics. He replaces Mark Jackson, who was hired in the fall to become the AD at Northwestern. The move brings Roedl home. He played tennis at Villanova, graduating in 1997. His wife Nicole is a 1998 graduate of Villanova. Roedl spent eight years in athletic administration at Temple, then a stint at William & Mary before venturing west to a power conference behemoth in Oregon. While Villanova President Rev. Peter M. Donohue joked at Tuesday’s press conference that he hoped Roedl could bring a slice of the Ducks’ massive budget East with him, Roedl will carry some tangible aspects managing such a big organization to the mission-driven challenge at Villanova. “My big takeaways from Oregon are a commitment to building a championship culture in everything we do, very high standards, full-fledged commitment to holistic student-athlete development, always trying to be out in front when it comes to NCAA deregulation and the things that we can do to provide support for our student-athletes, and just creating a great environment for our student-athletes and our staff,” Roedl said. “People talk about resources and they talk about money, but to me, what really is the difference maker in building successful programs – and I know you know this here at Villanova – it’s about the people and how you operate in the culture.” Both Donohue and Roedl acknowledged several times the changing landscape of college athletics. Athletes are able to earn money for their name, image and likeness, and the House settlement requires colleges to share revenue with athletes. The pressure of those changes will exert much different responses at Roedl’s former employer, a public land-grant institution backed by the deep pockets of Nike’s founder, than at a small, private, Augustinian university. Roedl highlighted those differences in asserting how his approach would meet those challenges. “We have an exciting and compelling vision for the future,” Roedl said in prepared remarks. “Villanova has a deep belief in the role and value of college athletics as a part of this community. Nothing brings people together like sports, and I think Nova Nation is a true testament to that. ... Our priorities will be focused on what’s in the best interest of this university and alignment with our Augustinian values, and certainly what is in the best interest of the health, well-being and success of our student-athletes.” Roedl talked around a question about the basketball program’s recent struggles, beyond a pledge to “continue to innovate and strategically invest” in the men’s and women’s programs. The Wildcats, who won national titles in 2016 and 2018 under Jay Wright, have failed to make the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons under Kyle Neptune. Roedl won’t formally take over until January, but he’ll be monitoring how the basketball season progresses, with on-court performance as one of several factors in determining Neptune’s fate. Roedl is transitioning from a program that enjoys a revenue-generating football program to a Football Championship Subdivision squad that is a much different economic model. But he extolled the virtues of that competitive format for Villanova, which begins the FCS playoffs on Saturday. “I think the FCS football model is terrific,” Roedl said. “I love the fact that you’re competing throughout the year, and you’re competing to get into the playoffs, and you can play your way through. The CFP finally came around to that type of a model. It took a while, but the financial model is different, and football means different things to different schools. “There’s a lot of benefit to having an FCS football program and all the things that it brings to your campus. The team represents this university really well. We bring in tremendous, talented student-athletes from all over the country to come in here and compete for Villanova, and that’s a program that I really look forward to supporting and being a part of.” Roedl played a sport in college that, like many Olympic sports, feels economically endangered at the collegiate level. He calls his student-athlete experience “transformational,” in both his career and his life. He used the term “broad-based excellence” on several occasions to illustrate a goal of elevating all of Villanova’s 24 varsity programs, in terms of on-field success and off-field sustainability. In lamenting that “college athletics has become a little bit more transactional,” Roedl is endeavoring to lead Villanova through a middle path. If recruiting talent becomes a bidding war against bigger and better resourced schools, they don’t necessarily have the capital to compete directly. So the name of the game is to provide something more than just what happens on the field, whether that’s academically or via the community. “To me, one of the things that’s most special about college athletics is all the opportunity that it provides to young people to dream and be a part of a university athletic program, and that’s something that we’re going to be fully committed to here at Villanova,” he said. “We’re going to work our tails off to go out and find the resources. It’s a new time, and there’s going to be more pressure on each of our programs to find ways to be sustainable, to continue to be able to provide those opportunities. There’s a lot of pressure on resources right now post-House settlement and we look forward to engaging in the communities around all of our sports to continue to have them be thriving and successful.”
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Today we have four recent tales about missing or damaged mail from aggrieved customers in Roanoke, Blacksburg and Floyd County. The Floyd anecdote involves irony, some insurance and a partly happy ending. We’ll save that for the end. We’ll begin with a harrowing story out of Roanoke that concerns Faye Nova, 74. She’s a survivor of a hard-to-beat illness. In November 2022, Nova was diagnosed with an unusual type of pancreatic cancer. She had surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, one of the top research hospitals in the world. It was successful, and subsequently, Nova gets a scan every three months at Carilion Clinic. Those are evaluated by physicians at Sloan Kettering. (I’d been aware of the illness because her husband, David Nova, is a friend.) Because each scan’s digital file size is enormous, those aren’t transmitted electronically to New York City. Rather, Carilion saves the information to a disc, which Faye Nova sends via Certified Mail to Sloan-Kettering. Which she did a month ago from the South Roanoke Post Office on Crystal Spring Avenue. By now you’re cringing, because you know what comes next. Nova’s CAT scan never got delivered to New York. Instead it disappeared, despite the tracking number and its status as Certified Mail. “On Nov. 8 I mailed a large envelope containing a disc of my most recent CAT scan to my surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC,” she wrote in an email. “Sloan’s radiologists read my scans (done every three months) and provide me with their interpretation of my status. “The disc was sent as Certified Mail and the receipt notes that it would be delivered on Nov. 12. The tracking number is 9589 0710 5270 2326 3705 29. I lodged a complaint with the USPS.” Nova paid $6.89 for the postage and sent it without requesting a return-receipt with signature. According to USPS.com , the last definitive sighting of the package was Nov. 9, when it departed the Postal Service’s distribution center in Greensboro,” North Carolina. In the post office’s tracking, the most recent nonspecific notation was Nov. 13. “Moving through network,” the Postal Service computer notes, when queried with the tracking number. “In transit to next facility, arriving late.” The news is not all bad, however. Faye Nova was paying attention to the tracking. So she realized there was a delivery hitch. Before she traveled to New Jersey to visit her mom for Thanksgiving, she persuaded Carilion Clinic to save the scan to another disc, which she took with her. Tuesday from Bergen County, Nova paid $9.95 to send the duplicate by Certified Mail — this time, she requested a return receipt. The Postal Service delivered the second package Thursday, according to its tracking information. There’s still no sign of the first package. It appears the Postal Service owes Nova a $6.89 refund, at least. “My personal medical information is somewhere,” she told me by phone Thursday, when she was still in New Jersey. “It’s crazy. From now on, I’ll just use FedEx.” Via email last week, I asked Postal Service spokesman Philip Bogenberger where Nova’s first scan is right now — and about the other tales coming up. “Each piece of mail is important to the Postal Service. We will look into the matters you’ve brought to our attention,” he wrote. “Customers who have questions about their mail service should contact 1-800-ASK-USPS.” Nondeliveries in Blacksburg? Next up are Lynn Pape and Jim Marchman. It’s unclear to me whether the Blacksburg residents know each other. But they have something in common: Non-delivery of First-Class Mail to their homes. Marchman’s been writing me about it since October. Pape joined the fray via a voicemail Nov. 22. Both said they’ve complained personally at the Blacksburg Post Office when they drove there to pick up mail after nondeliveries. Marchman’s first visit was Oct. 22. “Upon bringing me several days of mail, I was told (and I quote this verbatim) ‘I’m sorry but we have been too busy to deliver the mail.’ Amazing! And all along I thought delivering the mail was the job they were supposed to be busy doing!” He said his carrier later told him that Amazon deliveries take priority over regular First Class mail, and they’d been deluged with packages. “She blamed it on two problems, the orders to put priority on Amazon package delivery and their inability to find good postal workers,” Marchman added. “She said new workers, when they get any, rarely last over a couple of weeks.” On Dec. 4, “I went to the main (post office) and asked them for my undelivered mail and after a 15-minute wait they brought me 4 newspapers and a lot of First-Class mail including a letter from Social Security and another letter with a roughly $500 stock dividend check.” When we spoke last week, Pape told me he had wonderful Postal Service for the dozen years he and his wife lived in Christiansburg. But since they moved to Westhill Parkway outside Blacksburg in 2023, it’s been a different story. It goes back months, but “We have not gotten any mail at all on the 18th, the 19th, the 20th and the 21st,” Pape said, referring to November. He also missed deliveries on Nov. 29, Nov. 30 and Dec. 2. Because he subscribed to the Postal Service’s email service, Informed Delivery, Pape knew multiple mailpieces were in the pipeline for each of those days. Recently he went to the Blacksburg Post Office and requested his undelivered mail. Pape said he found the place “in chaos.” The woman he spoke to at the counter went to a back room for a few minutes but returned empty-handed. “She told me (the mail) hadn’t been sorted,” Pape said. When he asked for the person in charge, the woman told him, “the postmaster’s busy sorting mail herself.” In an email Friday, I asked Bogenberger whether the Postal Service delivers Amazon packages before other mail. “The Postal Service does not prioritize the delivery of packages from Amazon or other customers,” he replied. Smashed ceramic cups Our last tale of postal woe comes from Rob Neukirch of Floyd. That concerns four Italian ceramic cups Neukirch carefully encased in bubble wrap before shipping them to California June 10. Neukirch sent the mug via Priority Mail. It comes with up to $100 worth of insurance. A postal worker advised him not to put “FRAGILE” stickers on the parcel, lest it become a target, Neukirch said. When the package was delivered a few days later in Los Angeles, it looked like it had been run over by a truck, he said. Two of the mugs were destroyed; the other two had broken handles. On June 20, Neukirch filed an online claim for the $100 insurance. That included photos of the destroyed cups and smashed packaging. The Postal Service acknowledged his claim June 24. On July 11 — more than a month after he’d originally shipped the cups — the Postal Service requested Neukirch mail the original packaging to a Postal Service address in St Louis. Instead, he sent a letter. It asked, “Who saves packaging for a month?” and noted the claims process he went through made no mention of saving packaging. “And anyway, they had photos,” Neukirch noted. On Aug. 21, after the Postal Service denied his claim, he took the matter to Rep. Morgan Griffith’s office and provided the paper trail and photos. But on Aug. 30, Griffith’s office told Neukirch he had to abide by the claim denial. The irony concerns the many letters Neukirch wrote and mailed to the Postal Service during the claims process. Apparently he overwhelmed the Postal Service with paper documents. “At some point, USPS asked me to stop snail-mailing and use the website,” Neukirch said. But communicating that way would have required him to open an entirely new claim. So “I kept licking stamps,” Neukirch added. After the Postal Service said Neukirch had failed to include the cups’ value with his claim, he purchased two replacements online, had them shipped to the original recipient, then sent the post office the receipt for $134.64. On Oct. 11, Neukirch’s claim was denied once again, by Consumer Relations Specialist S. Colson, who works out of Washington, D.C. Neukirch sent Colson another letter a few days later. “It began, ‘May I state for the record that I find your refusal of my claim to be absolutely wrong.’ And it ended with ‘I simply ask the USPS to do the right thing and pay me the hundred dollars.’ ” On Nov. 21, Neukirch got another letter from S. Colson. It contained a check for $100. ‘In the spirit of Dan Casey, I did not give up!” he wrote. That made me laugh out loud. Good luck with your holiday mail this year.The holiday season is not just a time for celebration and family gatherings; it is also one of the most intense periods for advertising. Brands, fully aware of the emotional power of this time of year, roll out their most creative strategies to connect with audiences, evoke nostalgia, and reinforce their market identity—just like Target did by reimagining Santa Claus, sparking countless comments from women. Consumers today are not just looking for products; they seek experiences that resonate emotionally. According to a recent Kantar study, 70% of respondents stated that brands generating emotional impact are more likely to be remembered and preferred. In this context, Christmas, with its inherent emotional charge, becomes the perfect stage for such strategies. Target has given Santa a playful seasonal makeover in a series of new and entertaining holiday ads, melting hearts everywhere. The retail chain chose dashing male model Brent Bailey to portray Santa Claus. Eschewing the traditional Santa suit, this muscular version dons a fitted red sweater. In the ads, Bailey plays a Target employee who goes by “Kris K.” The first of nine planned commercials premiered last week. In it, Bailey drives a cherry-red Ford Bronco adorned with a personalized license plate that reads “SLEIGH,” all while “Born to Be Wild” plays in the background. In another ad titled “He’s good, but these Target turkey deals are better,” which has garnered 5 million views, a shopper calls him “oddly good-looking” while picking out a $0.79-per-pound turkey ahead of Thanksgiving. In a third clip, the sexy Santa is seen doing bicep curls with a small tree while moving through a Target store. Lisa Roath, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Target, described this reimagined Santa Claus as “jolly, helpful, and optimistic—qualities that embody the brand.” “He has a clever touch and is charmingly attractive,” she said. “He represents our amazing team members, who are the true heroes during the holidays and beyond.” On social media, viewers admitted to feeling “drawn” to this bold reinvention of Santa Claus, praising Target’s casting choice and jokingly hoping to land on the “nice list” this year. Comments like “Where can I get pictures with THIS Santa? I’d love some,” “Whoever is in charge of marketing deserves a raise,” and “No wonder that kid caught Mommy kissing Santa Claus,” are flooding social media. Others joked, “Target is giving us what we didn’t know we needed this holiday season” and “Target’s sexy Santa—not your mom’s Santa!” Target is just one example of how brands are unveiling their holiday campaigns this season. Another recent buzzworthy case was Coca-Cola’s campaign, created using Artificial Intelligence (AI), which left many consumers unimpressed. This year, holiday ads are evolving to deliver more than just sales pitches. They focus on narratives that appeal to universal values such as unity, gratitude, and solidarity. From grand cinematic productions to minimalist content, campaign creativity has found new ways to surprise and move audiences. Cancela en cualquier momento Acceso exclusivo a rankings y radiografías. Análisis profundos y casos de estudio de éxito. Historial de la revista impresa en formato digital. ¡Disfruta de lo mejor del marketing sin costo alguno por unmes!NFL world reacts with excitement, surprise, questions after Bill Belichick is hired to coach UNC
Nighdive Studios seems to have quietly announced a The Thing: Remastered release date of December 5, 2024. It’s a launch plan that will see the survival horror reimagining arriving later this week if the release date promised in a recent is accurate. The post, which was published late last week, specifically covers new Xbox game releases from December 2 through December 6, mentioning titles such as The Thaumaturge, Marvel Rivals, and early access for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Considering Nightdive has yet to announce a proper date and its still says launch is simply “coming soon,” The Thing: Remastered’s inclusion should raise some eyebrows. Nightdive at IGN Live in June of this year, promising to deliver a bone-chilling upgrade for the classic 2002 adaptation before 2024 came to a close. from the studio’s X/Twitter account promised that the release date is in December earlier today but did not clarify whether the December 5 date shown in the Xbox Wire post is accurate. If it is, then we shouldn’t have to wait much longer before the full experience is available for everyone to play for themselves. In addition to Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S, The Thing: Remastered is currently set to come to PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Nightdive has made a name for itself as an experienced remaster studio throughout the last few years. Other titles in its catalog include remasters for the Turok trilogy, Star Wars: Dark Forces, System Shock, Shadow Man, and more. The Thing: Remastered promises a suite of additions to help bring the original experience to modern platforms. These include dynamic lighting, up to 144fps, 4K resolution, antialiasing, and other general gameplay improvements. While we wait for Nightdive to share more about its plans for The Thing: Remastered, you can read about , another one of its projects that launched earlier this year. You can also read up on , and .POET Technologies Completes US$25 Million Registered Direct Offering
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NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with President-elect Donald Trump's incoming “border czar” on Thursday, with the Democratic mayor expressing an enthusiasm to work with the incoming administration to pursue violent criminals in the city while Trump promises mass deportations. The mayor's meeting with Tom Homan, who will oversee the southern and northern borders and be responsible for deportation efforts in the Trump administration, came as Adams has welcomed parts of the president-elect's hardline immigration platform. Recommended Videos Adams told reporters at a brief news conference that he and Homan agreed on pursuing people who commit violent crimes in the city but did not disclose additional details or future plans. “We’re not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants and longstanding New Yorkers," he said. “That was my conversation today with the border czar, to figure out how to go after those individuals who are repeatedly committing crimes in our city.” The meeting marked Adams' latest and most definitive step toward collaborating with the Trump administration, a development that has startled critics in one of the country's most liberal cities. In the weeks since Trump’s election win, Adams has mused about potentially scaling back the city’s so-called sanctuary policies and coordinating with the incoming Trump administration on immigration. He has also said migrants accused of crimes shouldn’t have due process rights under the Constitution, though he eventually walked back those comments. The mayor further stunned Democrats when he sidestepped questions last week on whether he would consider changing parties to become a Republican, telling journalists that he was part of the “American party.” Adams later clarified that he would remain a Democrat. For Adams, a centrist Democrat known for quarreling with the city's progressive left, the recent comments on immigration follow frustration with the Biden Administration over its immigration policies and a surge of international migrants in the city. He has maintained that his positions have not changed and argues he is trying to protect New Yorkers, pointing to the law-and-order platform he has staked out throughout his political career and during his successful campaign for mayor. At his news conference Thursday, Adams reiterated his commitment to New York’s generous social safety net. “We’re going to tell those who are here, who are law-abiding, to continue to utilize the services that are open to the city, the services that they have a right to utilize, educating their children, health care, public protection,” he said. “But we will not be the safe haven for those who commit violent acts.” While the education of all children present in the U.S. is already guaranteed by a Supreme Court ruling, New York also offers social services like healthcare and emergency shelter to low-income residents, including those in the country illegally. City and state grants also provide significant access to lawyers, which is not guaranteed in the immigration court as they are in the criminal court. Still, Adams’ recent rhetoric has been seen by some critics as an attempt to cozy up to Trump, who could potentially offer a presidential pardon in his federal corruption case. Adams has been charged with accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals looking to buy his influence. He has pleaded not guilty. Homan, who was Trump’s former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, also met this week with Republicans in Illinois, where he called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, to start negotiations over how Trump's mass deportation plans, according to local media. Separately, New York City officials this week announced continued efforts to shrink a huge emergency shelter system for migrants because of a steady decline in new arrivals. Among the planned shelter closures is a massive tent complex built on a federally owned former airport in Brooklyn, which advocates have warned could be a prime target for Trump's mass deportation plan. Elsewhere, Republican governors and lawmakers in some states are already rolling out proposals that could help him carry out his pledge to deport millions of people living in the U.S. illegally. ___ Izaguirre reported from Albany, N.Y.Speaker's ruling clears path for Trudeau's government to face successive tests of confidence in days ahead
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