SALINAS, Calif. , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scheid Vineyards Inc. (dba Scheid Family Wines) (OTC Markets: SVIN) announced today its financial results for the six months ended August 31, 2024 (second quarter of fiscal 2025). Scott Scheid , President and CEO, commented, "It continues to be a difficult time for the wine industry. Bulk wine prices remain depressed and the market for cased goods, which has been impacted by distributor and retailer destocking, continues to be challenging. As a company, we've made significant efforts to do more with less, highlighted by our second quarter results showing a decrease of 16% in sales and marketing expenses and a decrease of over 5% in G & A. These efforts are ongoing and I'm proud of our teams who work each day on finding opportunities for growth and ways to improve our business." Mr. Scheid continued, "We recently executed new forbearance agreements with our lenders extending through July 31, 2025 . The terms of these agreements include forbearing interest and principal payments on the Company's existing debt. In addition, under the agreement with our operating lender, the Company received an additional $5.0 million to strengthen our working capital base." Financial Results Total revenues decreased 6%, to $26.1 million for the six months ended August 31, 2024 , from $27.7 million in fiscal 2024. Cased goods sales decreased 6%, to $21.2 million in the first six months of fiscal 2025, from $22.5 million in fiscal 2024, as the bottled wine business across the entire market slowed in the first few months of calendar 2024. The Company's bulk wine sales decreased 14%, to $1.8 million from $2.1 million , and winery processing and storage revenues remained flat at $1.5 million . Gross margins remained at 20% for each period. Sales and marketing expenses decreased 16%, to $4.8 million , from $5.7 million , and general and administrative expenses decreased 5%, to $3.5 million , from $3.7 million , as the Company continues its cost-cutting efforts. During the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company recognized revenue of $3.6 million from proceeds received from the dissolution of a winery processing agreement. In addition, the Company recognized a gain from the sale of non-vineyard land in the amount of $1.7 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2025. Interest expense rose 150%, to $7.5 million , from $3.0 million , due to increases in interest rates as each of the Company's lenders are accruing interest at the default rate of an average of 14.3%. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) increased to $4.4 million , from a loss of $1.2 million , primarily from the sale of land and the proceeds from the contract dissolution. In total, the Company reported a net loss of $3.9 million for the six months ended August 31, 2024 , compared to a net loss of $4.8 million for the six months ended August 31, 2023 . SCHEID VINEYARDS INC. AND SUBSIDIARY UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS SIX MONTHS ENDED AUGUST 31, 2024 AND 2023 (amounts in thousands, except per share data) Six Months Ended August 31, 2024 2023 REVENUES: Cased goods sales $ 21,233 $ 22,539 Bulk wine sales 1,826 2,145 Winery processing and storage revenues 1,508 1,451 Direct sales revenues 1,340 1,329 Vineyard management revenues 203 229 Other revenues 7 5 Total revenues 26,117 27,698 COST OF SALES (20,962) (22,121) GROSS PROFIT 5,155 5,577 Sales and marketing expenses (4,790) (5,696) General and administrative expenses (3,545) (3,674) LOSS FROM OPERATIONS (3,180) (3,793) Interest expense, net (7,489) (3,008) Proceeds from contract dissolution 3,613 — Gain on sale of property, plant and equipment 1,690 80 Other income (loss) 2 (40) LOSS BEFORE BENEFIT FROM INCOME TAXES (5,364) (6,761) BENEFIT FROM INCOME TAXES 1,509 1,915 NET LOSS $ (3,878) $ (4,846) NET LOSS PER SHARE $ (4.23) $ (5.31) WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING 916 912 About Scheid Family Wines Scheid Family Wines, a family-owned and operated wine company for over 50 years, is ranked among the top 25 largest wine producers in the United States . Based in Monterey County, California , Scheid is vertically integrated to bring high quality estate grown wines to the marketplace from its sustainably and organically certified vineyards and grower partners throughout the Central Coast. Scheid's innovative, luxury-level winery is 100% powered by renewable wind energy generated by a 400-foot-tall wind turbine, which also supplies energy to the local community. The Scheid Family Wines globally distributed brand portfolio includes Scheid Vineyards, Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, VDR (Very Dark Red), Grandeur (organically certified), Fog & Light, Metz Road, District 7, Ryder Estate, and HOXIE, a premium wine spritzer. Scheid Family Wines sells internationally to over 30 countries and is one of the largest producers of premium exclusive brands. Please visit www.scheidfamilywines.com and www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SVIN/quote for more information. CONTACT: Scott Scheid, President and CEO, scott.scheid@scheidfamilywines.com Mike Thomsen, Chief Financial Officer, mike.thomsen@scheidfamilywines.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scheid-family-wines-reports-second-quarter-fiscal-2025-results-302316784.html SOURCE Scheid Family WinesIt is probably the scariest movie trailer you’ll hear this year. No, not “see”, though the visuals are frightening enough – a bloodied body hanging upside-down, towers of skulls, a Ghostface mask – but “hear”. The trailer for 2025’s 28 Years Later , the final movie in Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s zombie trilogy after 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later in 2002 and 2007 respectively, is soundtracked by a recitation of Rudyard Kipling’s poem Boots . No music track could be more unsettling nor discordant, and few could have captured the collective online imagination the way Boots has, with thousands of social media shares and approving comments. Written in 1903, Boots imagines the thoughts of a British Army infantryman forced to march in South Africa during the Second Boer War which had just ended. Deliberately monotonous and repetitive, the poem is precisely metered: reading the first four words of each line at the rate of two words per second gives the exact time to which the soldiers marched. The trailer uses only certain sections of the poem, the horror mounting with every line. Seven – six – eleven – five – nine-an’ twenty mile today Four – eleven – seventeen – thirty-two the day before – Boots – boots – boots – boots – movin’ up and down again! There’s no discharge in the war!
Quest Partners LLC increased its position in The Macerich Company ( NYSE:MAC – Free Report ) by 851.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,529 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,322 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Macerich were worth $557,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its holdings in Macerich by 158.1% in the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 131,487 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,201,000 after purchasing an additional 80,541 shares during the last quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Macerich by 297.7% in the 2nd quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 110,560 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 82,760 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. acquired a new stake in Macerich in the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,625,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Macerich by 153.0% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 791,903 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $12,227,000 after acquiring an additional 478,930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Macerich by 1,298.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 260,598 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,753,000 after acquiring an additional 241,963 shares during the last quarter. 87.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Macerich Stock Up 0.8 % MAC opened at $19.72 on Friday. The Macerich Company has a 12 month low of $10.75 and a 12 month high of $20.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $18.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 2.50. Macerich Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. Macerich’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 174.36%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Macerich from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Macerich from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Macerich from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Compass Point lifted their price objective on Macerich from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Macerich from $13.00 to $14.60 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.40. Read Our Latest Research Report on Macerich Macerich Company Profile ( Free Report ) Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich’s portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, DC corridor. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Macerich Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Macerich and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation's chief federal law enforcement officer. The announcement caps a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth , who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1," he added. Trump, in a social media post, said: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” He did not immediately announce a new selection. Last week, he named personal lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and D. John Sauer to senior roles in the department. Another possible contender, Matthew Whitaker, was announced Wednesday as the U.S. ambassador to NATO. The withdrawal, just a week after the pick was announced, averts what was shaping up to be a pitched confirmation fight that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to support Trump’s Cabinet picks. The selection of the fierce Trump ally over well-regarded veteran lawyers whose names had circulated as possible contenders stirred concern for the Justice Department's independence at a time when Trump has openly threatened to seek retribution against political adversaries. It underscored the premium Trump places on personal loyalty and reflected the president-elect's desire to have a disruptor lead a Justice Department that for years investigated and ultimately indicted him. In the Senate, deeply skeptical lawmakers sought more information about Justice Department and congressional investigations into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls, which Gaetz has denied. Meanwhile, Justice Department lawyers were taken aback by the pick of a partisan lawmaker with limited legal experience who has echoed Trump's claims of a weaponized criminal justice system. As Gaetz sought to lock down Senate support, concern over the sex trafficking allegations showed no signs of abating. In recent days, an attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. One of the women testified she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to the attorney, Joel Leppard. Leppard has said that his client testified she didn’t think Gaetz knew the girl was underage, stopped their relationship when he found out and did not resume it until after she turned 18. The age of consent in Florida is 18. "They’re grateful for the opportunity to move forward with their lives,” Leppard said Thursday of his clients. “They’re hoping that this brings final closure for all the parties involved.” Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department’s investigation ended last year with no charges against him. Gaetz’s political future is uncertain. He had abruptly resigned his congressional seat upon being selected as attorney general, a move seen as a way to shut down the ethics investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He did win reelection in November for the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, 2025, but he said in his resignation letter last week that he did not intend to take the oath of office. There are plans for a special election in Florida for his seat. Republicans on the House Ethics Committee declined this week to release the panel's findings, over objections from Democrats in a split vote. But the committee did agree to finish its work and is scheduled to meet again Dec. 5 to discuss the matter. As word of Gaetz's decision spread across the Capitol, Republican senators seemed divided. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, called it a “positive move." Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” Others said they had hoped Gaetz could have overhauled the department. Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a close ally of Trump, said he was “disappointed. I like Matt and I think he would have changed the way DOJ is run.” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he hopes Trump will pick someone “equally as tenacious and equally as committed to rooting out and eliminating bias and politicization at the DOJ.” Gaetz is not the only Trump pick facing congressional scrutiny over past allegations. A detailed investigative police report made public Wednesday shows that a woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth, the former Fox News host now tapped to lead the Pentagon, after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday at the Capitol, where he was meeting with senators to build support for his nomination. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Adriana Gomez Licon contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. 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J.K. Dobbins' knee injury could be tough news for the Chargers offenseAUTODESK, INC. ANNOUNCES FISCAL 2025 THIRD QUARTER RESULTSA Man on the Inside may be set in San Francisco, but the cameos have us believing it’s actually The Good Place . Fans who tuned in for the wholesome and hilarious new Netflix comedy from creator Mike Schur and star Ted Danson were greeted repeatedly by familiar faces from Schur projects of the past, i.e. The Good Place , Parks and Recreation , and Brooklyn Nine-Nine . This time around, the comedy producer assembled an all-star cast to tell the tale of Charles (Danson), a retired professor and widower who takes an undercover private investigating gig inside a nursing home to fill his abundance of free time. To tell an equally heartbreaking and heartwarming story, the showrunner enlisted Schur-iverse (can we coin this term?) veterans like Marc Evan Jackson, Stephanie Beatriz, and Jama Williamson, as well as newcomers Lilah Richcreek Estrada and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia ‘s Mary Elizabeth Ellis. The series also included a Season 1 finale surprise cameo from The Good Place ‘s Janet herself, a.k.a. D’Arcy Carden . She had one line, sure, but it was the sentiment of the reunion between the beloved characters that hit Good Place lovers right in the feels. But before Carden could appear on screen, there was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from another TGP star. When A Man on the Inside first hit Netflix in late November, some eagle-eyed fans pointed out a notable shot of a woman in Charles’ lecture wearing a familiar piece of clothing. The wide shot sees the woman — who sports medium-length blonde hair — standing up to put her rainbow sweater and jeans on display before turning to exit the auditorium. It was a clear nod to Schur’s ethical dilemma of an NBC show and the character of Eleanor Shellstrop, played by Kristen Bell. What we didn’t know at the time? That woman was actually Bell. Holy. Forking. Shirtballs. The shot is a callback to one of the final and most important moments in The Good Place , showing Eleanor facing the door to the beyond. Just like in the NBC series, the woman in the classroom pauses briefly while looking ahead, echoing Eleanor’s hesitation to leave the afterlife and dissolve into specks of energy to go back out into the universe. It was evident from the moment the show hit the streaming platform that the unnamed character bore a resemblance to the Veronica Mars actress, or at least her Good Place character. It wasn’t until Janet Carden confirmed it, however, that Bell’s cameo was revealed. In an Instagram post, Carden shared a photo with Danson, Bell, Jackson, Schur, and producer Morgan Sackett, identifying Bell — who is busy with her own Netflix show, Nobody Wants This — as the sweater-clad student in Charles’ class. “another mystery solved,” Carden captioned her social media post. “Jeremy Bearimy, baby,” replied Jackson, the actor behind the roles of Mr. Cubbler in A Man on the Inside and Shawn in The Good Place . Even better, Bell reposted the photo to her own page, adding the acronym “IYKYK” which stands for “if you know, you know” to the caption. Be still our beating hearts! This only makes us wonder, who could they bring in for A Man on the Inside Season 2 ? And even though Carden has already appeared in Nobody Wants This , does this mean Danson will cameo in the show’s recently announced second season ? Let’s hope so. Season 1 of A Man on the Inside is now streaming on Netflix. You can also watch all four seasons of The Good Place on Netflix.
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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2024-- Samsara Inc. ("Samsara") (NYSE: IOT), the pioneer of the Connected Operations ® Cloud, today revealed strong growth in its new frontiers as the company experiences high global demand for its innovative solutions that increase safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Samsara’s at-scale breadth across products, customer sizes, end markets, and geographies is a key differentiator and driver of performance. Highlights include: Driving Innovation with Customer-Centric Solutions Samsara now processes more than 10 trillion data points annually. This unique view into the world of physical operations powers Samsara’s innovation flywheel and enables customers to address complex challenges. In the second half of FY25, Samsara rapidly delivered features tailored to both universal and regional needs. Highlights include: "Our customers are the backbone of the global economy and we partner with them to solve the hardest problems in the industry,” said Kiren Sekar, Chief Product Officer at Samsara. “We’re planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in R&D over the next few years, leaning into advanced AI and our massive data set to create products that answer the needs of the world’s largest and most complex operational companies.” Samsara’s Multi-Product Platform Powers Customer Growth Samsara’s product innovation has resulted in more than 150 patents and is fueling new multi-product adoption amongst its customers. New multi-product customers in Q3 include organizations like Florida Department of Fish & Wildlife and Fresno County. Existing customers such as Fraikin Group and Comfort Systems expanded with Samsara because of its clear and fast return on investment . For example, Fraikin, one of Samsara’s largest customers in Europe, is in the process of expanding Samsara to 10,000+ vehicles and all new vehicles in its 60,000-vehicle fleet across its European operations. “Digital transformation and decarbonization are central to our strategy, and Samsara has played a crucial role in helping us build a standardized, future-proofed, and innovative platform,” said Edward Breedveld, Chief Digital Officer at Fraikin. “With this technology, we are greatly expanding our real-time data insights to optimize operations, minimize environmental impact, and ensure our vehicles meet the highest safety standards.” To learn more about Samsara’s Q3 FY25 results, click here . About Samsara Samsara (NYSE: IOT) is the pioneer of the Connected Operations ® Cloud, which is a platform that enables organizations that depend on physical operations to harness Internet of Things (IoT) data to develop actionable insights and improve their operations. With tens of thousands of customers across North America and Europe, Samsara is a proud technology partner to the people who keep our global economy running, including the world’s leading organizations across construction, transportation and warehousing, field services, manufacturing, retail, logistics, and the public sector. The company's mission is to increase the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the operations that power the global economy. Samsara is a registered trademark of Samsara Inc. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205068347/en/ CONTACT: Adam Simons Samsara media@samsara.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA MEXICO UNITED STATES CANADA CENTRAL AMERICA NORTH AMERICA EUROPE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY AUTOMOTIVE IOT (INTERNET OF THINGS) TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Samsara Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/05/2024 04:15 PM/DISC: 12/05/2024 04:15 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205068347/en
Wednesday’s college basketball schedule features plenty of excitement, including a matchup between the Cornell Big Red and the Syracuse Orange, and there are our best bets against the spread for 10 games below. Watch men’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .The Washington Commanders put kicker Austin Seibert on injured reserve Tuesday, just over 48 hours since he missed an extra point that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left against Dallas. Seibert also missed a field-goal attempt and another extra point in the loss to the Cowboys. He missed the previous two games with a right hip injury but said afterward he was fine and made the decision to play. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.
Rates of depression and suicide remain high and are major concerns in a survey of a five-county area that includes Lewis and Clark County. Access to health care is limited due to long wait times, limited providers and limited insurance coverage. Substance use is also a top concern, with relatively high rates of binge drinking and tobacco use. The alcohol-related mortality rate has increased significantly in recent years and substance use among youth has decreased. The 2024 Community Health Assessment. These are some of the findings from the released Friday by the Healthy Together Steering Committee, which includes Lewis and Clark Public Health, Rocky Mountain Development Council, the United Way of the Lewis & Clark Area, St. Peter’s Health and PureView Health Center. The assessment, done every three years, looks at the community’s health status to identify top priorities and address the most pressing needs, the committee said in a news release. This includes future programming, policies and resource allocation, ensuring that support is directed where it is needed most. They said the effort involves multiple sectors, with input from organizations, health professionals and hundreds of residents. The committee collaborated in June with Broadwater, Meagher, Jefferson and Powell counties to do a multi-county door-to-door survey in which they said they knocked on 838 doors and 339 people answered questions, according to the 95-page report now posted at . The Healthy Together Steering Committee collaborated with Broadwater, Meagher, Jefferson and Powell counties to do a door-to-door survey. The assessment has three components. The first is a community health survey, which asks residents about their personal health challenges, perceptions of the county’s most significant health concerns, and strengths that should be used. The second, key informant surveys, gets insight from professionals often on the front lines of health service delivery. This helps the panel understand systemic issues and gaps in services, as well as ways to improve. The third is the secondary data analysis, which uses local, state and federal data sources to monitor health outcomes and trends, such as disease prevalence, risk behaviors and social determinants of health. This information gives a broader context. “Together, these data sources provide a well-rounded understanding of where the community’s most significant health challenges lie and where resources should be concentrated,” the committee said in a news release. Among the findings, the assessment noted the incidences of male prostate cancer, mortality rates of colon cancer and percentage of residents diagnosed with diabetes has increased. Female breast cancer mortality rate has decreased. Emergency department visits for heart disease have increased, with no major changes in mortality rate. The study notes the suicide rate has increased from 24 per 100,000 in 2017-2019 to 26 in 2020-2022. Binge drinking also increased from 16.6% in 2017-2019 to 20.2% in 2020-2022, the assessment notes. “Efforts to address risk factors like smoking, physical inactivity and diet remain vital to reducing these rates and improving quality of life,” the report finds. This chart blends community Top Rated Health Concerns with key informant concerns. Key informants represent a diverse range of organizations and businesses. In terms of health care, they said provider-to-population ratios are better than state and national averages in our county, but access issues persist. “Many residents report delays in care due to long wait times, insurance coverage limitations, and transportation barriers, especially in rural areas,” the assessment states. It also notes that lack of access to dental care, particularly due to a lack of providers accepting Medicaid, is a major barrier. They said 80% of surveyed residents this year rated their health as “good” or “excellent.” There were 94% who feel generally safe within their community. It found that 91% believe the community is a good place to raise children and 88% think their community is a good place to grow old. In their closing remarks, the panel said the study notes “the profound challenges our community faces” such as increasing costs in housing, high suicide rates and substance use, barriers to health care access and “disparities in the vital conditions for well-being.” But they said it also highlights “our incredible strengths: the resilience of our neighbors, the collaboration of organizations, and the shared belief that every person deserves to live in a community that supports their health and aspirations." The assessment lays the groundwork for the Community Health Improvement Plan, which goes from identifying priorities to developing possible strategies and goals, officials said. Those meetings will begin in January and the public may participate. Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Assistant editor/reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.