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Mohonasen graduate Swan named USCAA Honorable Mention All-American — College RoundupNEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher at the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the October survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associate at Pew, called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Walmart says its U.S. businesses sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from diverse suppliers in fiscal year 2024, including businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company has no explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
For those on the right side of the political aisle, 2024 was a mixed bag. We had to trudge through the final year of Joe Biden’s disastrous presidency while fighting to prevent the administration from inflicting further economic carnage. Yet we also received an enormous gift with the victory of President-elect Donald Trump. Here are my top five moments of 2024. By far, this was best. Things did not look good for Trump at the start of the year, as he faced a litany of felony charges across multiple jurisdictions. But despite the legal onslaught, Trump refused to back down. (tncms-inline)9a826eb8-a769-4b71-b7ae-7e84438f7477[0](/tncms-inline) Aside from his legal problems, Trump faced several opponents as he fought for the GOP presidential nomination. In the spring, many political pundits and talking heads thought Trump could not win the Republican nomination. Yet he emerged victorious and united the GOP under the “Make America Great Again” banner. Trump then pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in political history as he cruised to victory and helped the Republican Party gain control of both houses of Congress. This election will go down in history as a turning point, considering the vast inroads Trump made among voters who traditionally voted for Democrats. Though the polls were tight heading into the debate between Trump and Biden, the absolutely pitiful performance by Biden completely changed the race. Soon after Biden flopped in front of millions of Americans, the Democratic Party pulled the plug on his reelection effort. Of course, this short-sighted move benefited Trump greatly, as it demonstrated that the sitting president was going senile. More important, it led to the rise of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket. Considering Harris’ flip-flops on basically every central policy position, it really was a blessing in disguise that she inherited Biden’s place and was eventually destroyed by Trump. This could have easily been first or second on my list. In midsummer, Trump was crisscrossing the country, holding outdoor rallies. Unfortunately, Trump’s proclivity to engage with his supporters nearly cost him his life. But despite two would-be assassins somehow evading Secret Service detection — and one fired several shots — Trump was largely unharmed. While this was a blessing, we must never forget that one person, Corey Comperatore, died at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, and two others were wounded. On Oct. 14, SpaceX launched its Super Heavy Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world. Then, in an unprecedented engineering marvel, the 23-story-tall Super Heavy booster returned to the launch pad in an upright position and was “caught” without a hitch. It was like something straight out of a science-fiction movie, and it demonstrated that the age of space exploration has entered a new chapter. The department, known as DOGE, is an early Christmas present for conservatives and libertarians. For decades, we have been warning that the size and scope of the federal government is unsustainable and that big government is bad news for personal liberty. Finally, some significant spending cuts and institutional reforms are in the offing. With the national debt exceeding $36 trillion and trillion-dollar deficits the new normal, we need to downsize the federal bureaucracy and get back on sound fiscal footing before it is too late. Talgo is the editorial director at The Heartland Institute. He wrote this for InsideSources.com . Get local news delivered to your inbox!
TAIPEI , Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- VIVOTEK (3454-TW), the global leading security solution provider, has once again demonstrated its outstanding commitment to sustainability. Participating for the first time in the 17th Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards (TCSA), VIVOTEK emerged victorious, earning the Sustainability Report Award for the Information, Communication, and Broadcasting Industry and the Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Excellence Award. These recognitions showcase VIVOTEK's remarkable success in corporate governance, environmental protection, and social responsibility, affirming its dedication to sustainable growth. Pioneering Sustainability with Dual Recognition "For over seven years, VIVOTEK has independently published sustainability reports, actively driving and disclosing our internal sustainability initiatives." said Allen Hsieh , VIVOTEK's Spokesperson and Director of the Global Marketing Division. "These awards not only recognize our integrity and efforts in presenting operational performance, environmental data, and social impact but also serve as a strong motivation for us to continue advancing on the path of sustainable development." Driving Sustainability through AI Innovation VIVOTEK delivers advanced AI-powered security solutions built on cutting-edge AI and edge computing technologies. Beyond innovation, the company drives green initiatives, reduces its carbon footprint, and fosters a sustainable, supportive workplace. Committed to social responsibility, VIVOTEK leads the security industry's sustainability efforts through its 'Safety Map' initiative. For four years, employees have formed security teams to enhance safety in neighborhoods, care centers, and schools with on-site assessments and improvement plans. In 2024, VIVOTEK will expand its efforts to Hualien's Dacheng Village, where it will help improve local safety environments and support cultural preservation and tourism revitalization. These actions reflect its dedication to sustainability, community well-being, and lasting societal contributions. Security Sustainability as a Foundation for Social Impact VIVOTEK proudly received two prestigious honors at the Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards, highlighting its dedication to sustainable practices. These accolades inspire the company to deepen its internal efforts and mark the start of an exciting new chapter. Building on this achievement, VIVOTEK aims to strengthen its mission of becoming the world's most trusted smart security brand. By aligning with global market needs and fostering collaboration with customers, partners, and employees, VIVOTEK is committed to shaping a sustainable future founded on mutual trust and shared success. To learn more about VIVOTEK's sustainability initiatives, please refer to the 2023 Sustainability Report .Teen actor Hudson Meek, who appeared in ‘Baby Driver,’ dies after falling from moving vehicle
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Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia The 2024 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, continues to share more details about events that transpired after Election Day. Dr. Bawumia, the Vice President of Ghana, in a viral video clip, disclosed to a gathering the moment his team got to know that they had lost the election. He disclosed that they got to know that they had lost the election just eight hours after voting had been completed, around 3 am on Sunday, December 8, 2024. “(sic) the results and it was clear we were not winning this particular election. I thought it was not good to leave the country under tension for any length of time. In fact, by 3 am, we knew that we had lost the election. The Electoral Commission was going to take a few days to get to that conclusion. “But our own collation, the data that we got from all the polling stations, was clear that we were not going to win this election. And so the question was, should we wait for the Electoral Commission to go through its processes and then announce in a few days’ time or do I go out immediately? There were different opinions, but I made the decision that it was better to go out. At 3 am it was a bit early, people were sleeping,” he said. The vice president said that he decided to inform the people of Ghana about his concession in the morning. He explained that he believed that the concession would help ease the tension and avert the potential of violence as the country awaited the Electoral Commission to declare the official election results. “So, I decided that we’ll do it at 9 am on Sunday morning. And so, we gathered the press and then I made my announcement that morning to say my opponent had won decisively and we are conceding the election. And I think that that helped bring down the tension in the country and help the process of the transition. I made that early concession to preserve our peace in Ghana because otherwise we could have had many, many, you know, incidents of violence across and I could see the potential,” he added. Watch his remarks in the video below: BAI/AE Watch a compilation of the latest Twi news below: Watch as Jean Mensa addresses issues with 9 constituencies whose results are yet to be declared
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On the afternoon of Oct. 12, 2017, a nurse at Kaiser Permanente called the Monterey Police Department to report that a patient had come in for a sexual assault exam. The woman, the nurse told police, said she had been sexually assaulted four days earlier while at a Republican women’s conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa in the coastal California resort town. The alleged assailant — though his name wouldn’t be revealed immediately — was a popular Fox News Channel host and the keynote speaker at the conference. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in police reports, told the nurse she wasn’t sure she wanted to involve authorities and didn’t want to disclose the person’s name at that point. She had been suffering from nightmares and bouts of sobbing after returning home from the conference, but had little memory of the sexual encounter. She feared she had been drugged. The woman, who has not been identified publicly, could not be reached for comment by the Los Angeles Times. The nurse referred the woman to an emergency room for a sexual assault forensic exam. But the nurse’s call — made as a mandated reporter — triggered a law enforcement probe that included interviews with hotel staff, a review of surveillance video, discussions with several of the woman’s associates and a conversation with the alleged perpetrator, Pete Hegseth, who assured police the encounter had been consensual. No charges were ever filed. Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said no charges were supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The two parties eventually reached a private settlement, after which Doe signed a nondisclosure agreement. The story seemed to end there — until Donald Trump nominated Hegseth to be defense secretary. Now that night in Monterey has become the centerpiece in what could be one of the most contentious confirmation fights in years. In recent days, a police report on the incident and other details have offered a clearer picture about the allegations. But much remains unknown, including why local prosecutors decided not to file charges against Hegseth. Shortly after the president-elect’s announcement of Hegseth’s nomination, a friend of the woman wrote a memo to Trump’s transition team saying that Hegseth had raped the then-30-year-old conservative group staffer in his hotel room in the early morning hours following a banquet dinner at the California Federation of Republican Women conference. In response, Hegseth confirmed the financial settlement, saying through his lawyer that he had agreed to pay the woman to protect his job at Fox. But he vehemently denied committing assault. The woman, Hegseth’s lawyer said in a statement, “was the aggressor in initiating sexual activity.” Hegseth had been “visibly intoxicated” at the after-party in the hotel bar, the lawyer said, and the woman had “led him by the arm to his hotel room.” “The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it,” Hegseth told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday. Revelations of the incident have set off a firestorm, both in Washington and among the members of the California Federation of Republican Women. The federation, which is a nonprofit advocacy group, is an organization comprised mostly of retirees. Its members gather for luncheons, conferences and fundraisers to hear Republican politicians speak about conservative issues. Many in the group were horrified that a beloved conservative Republican Cabinet pick could be hurt by allegations. “This thing is so f------ bogus,” one of the organization’s officers yelled before hanging up on a Times reporter who called for comment. This week, the Monterey Police Department released a redacted 22-page report detailing its investigation, including accounts of the recollections of Doe and Hegseth, along with several other attendees. Though police reports are typically not public in California, the document had been released because Hegseth had previously asked for a copy. The police report offers the most complete picture yet of what occurred at the Monterey hotel on Oct. 7 and 8. On the second day of the three-day gathering, Doe took a break in her hotel room where she was staying with her husband and at least one of her small children before the banquet dinner and keynote speech — the last major scheduled event of the conference — began at 6 p.m., according to text messages and sources with knowledge of the event. Forty-five minutes later she texted with her husband from the banquet. The conversation turned to Hegseth. “Our ladies are freaking drooling over him,” she wrote. She sent a photo of Hegseth standing at a podium holding a microphone and gesturing with his hand as he spoke. “He doesn’t look even remotely familiar,” she said. “But apparently all the women know who he is.” She continued: “He wears a ring on his pointer finger. It creeps me out.” She lamented that the event was taking so long. After the banquet, the woman went to an after-party in another federation member’s hotel suite, where she had a glass of champagne. Hegseth was there too. A federation member who was there told police later that the woman “did not seem intoxicated, but had a buzz” at the event. Around midnight, Doe, Hegseth and a second woman walked toward Knuckles, the sports bar in the hotel. Inside the bar, which has since closed, televisions and football helmets lined the walls. She texted her husband an update, saying that she was headed to the bar with a group of ladies. “Omg I have so much to tell you. This Pete dude is a ... toooool,” she wrote. While they were drinking at the bar, Hegseth allegedly put his hand on another woman’s knee. She told police that she made it clear it was “not acceptable,” but he still invited her to his room. She declined, according to the report. The same woman tried to get Doe’s attention so she could act as a “crotch blocker” to deter Hegseth’s sexual advances, according to the report. Doe told police that her memory started to get “fuzzy” while she was at the bar. Around 1:30 a.m., Doe argued with Hegseth near the hotel pool about his behavior with women at the conference. He responded that he was a “nice guy,” according to the report. She later told investigators that Hegseth would rub women on their legs and she thought his actions were inappropriate. A hotel employee who had been working that night told an investigator that guests had called the front desk to complain about two people causing a disturbance by the swimming pool about 1:30 a.m. The employee said that when he approached Hegseth and Doe, Hegseth cursed at him and said that he “had freedom of speech.” The woman intervened and said that “they were Republicans and apologized for Hegseth’s actions,” the report states. The staffer said the woman was “standing on her own and very coherent,” while Hegseth was “very intoxicated,” according to the report. Doe placed her hand and arm on Hegseth’s back and escorted him toward the building where his room was, the employee told police. Hegseth later told an investigator he didn’t remember being chastised by the pool. In the early morning hours, Doe’s husband sent her a text message: “Holy smokes lady ... I don’t remember the last time you were socializing at nearly 2:00 a.m.” She responded, “Hahaha I know. I gotta make sure that to” — ending midsentence — and then stopped texting. Her husband wrote back: “Doing ok? My love? Worried about you.” Around 2 a.m. her husband went looking for Doe at Knuckles but no one was there, he told investigators. Doe next recalled being in a hotel room alone with Hegseth. She had her phone in her hand and Hegseth asked her who she was texting before taking her phone, she told police. She tried to leave the room, according to the report, but Hegseth blocked the door. She remembered saying “no” a lot, she told police. Her next memory, she told police, was lying on a bed or couch with Hegseth’s dog tags hovering over her face. She said he ejaculated on her stomach, threw a towel at her and said to “clean it up” before asking her whether she was OK, according to the report. Hegseth recalled the situation differently in an interview with authorities. He told police that Doe led him to his hotel room, where things progressed between the two of them, according to the report. There was “always” conversation and “always” consensual contact between himself and Doe, he told police. Hegseth recalled Doe displaying “early signs of regret” after the incident and said she would tell her husband she fell asleep on a couch in someone else’s room, according to the report. Around 4 a.m., Doe returned to her hotel room and explained to her husband that she “must have fallen asleep.” She told police she didn’t start remembering what happened between her and Hegseth until she returned home the next day. ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The biggest question in South Korea: Who is running the country?NEW DELHI: Amid rising expectations of higher tariffs on Chinese goods , exporters are in talks with govt to be ready to tap into possible opportunities across at least half-a-dozen sectors, ranging from textiles and leather to chemicals, electronics, auto parts and toys, by partnering American trade bodies and creating awareness about Indian products in the US. "These are sectors where we have built capacity and where we are competitive. We should be ready to take advantage of the opportunity if it arises," said Israr Ahmed, vice-president of industry lobby group Fieo . Toys alone offered a $1 billion opportunity in the US market in the coming few years. Ahmed said that with president-elect Donald Trump mounting pressure to reduce the dependence on China, American businesses have started scouting for other possible sources and India is poised to take advantage. "India has strong relations with the US, we have political stability and we are a democracy. India is in a good position," Ahmed said. He underlined the need for aggressive promotion and visibility in the US market, arguing that increased financial support would enable Indian exporters to showcase their products effectively and tap into emerging opportunities created by the shifting trade dynamics. Besides, he advocated tapping into ties with American businesses and industry bodies to push Indian products. "Capacities are being built as big factories are coming up in the country. We have to increase our presence in the US. We are asking for more funding under the Market Access Initiatives (MAI) scheme to seize the opportunities. The scheme should focus on the US for at least three years," the shoe and leather exporter said. He also argued for ensuring that Indian businesses have enough liquidity through export finance and sought restoration of interest equalisation schemes, moves that will help exporters compete favourably. Fieo has also urged the govt to relax the requirement of making payments to MSMEs within 45 days of buying goods and services, besides a five-year extension of interest equalisation scheme. Ready to Master Stock Valuation? ET’s Workshop is just around the corner!
Lately, when I find myself feeling a little too calm about things, I’ve taken to reading the Reddit subreddit r/singularity to help swing my equilibrium back to its natural state of intense panic. This is a place where activity has flourished in recent months, as community members feverishly discuss the day’s ever-increasing developments in artificial intelligence and casually argue about the date they expect computers to officially exceed all human control. “AGI by the end of 2025” predicted a top ranking post on the subreddit this week, referencing the stage of singularity when “artificial general intelligence” – the point at which computers can perform any intellectual task that a human can – is reached. The excitement was caused by OpenAI’s announcement that its o3 system can now reason through maths, science and computer programming problems, which are three things I definitely can’t do. We had the chance to give computers less control, and instead we gave them more. Credit: iStock It got me thinking: we should have just let the Y2K bug win, hey? There we were, exactly 25 years ago, gifted with a date glitch that would’ve sent us warmly back to the 1900s, when life was simple and butter was churned in the backyard. But instead we panicked, worried that nuclear plants would melt down, planes would fall out of the sky, ATMs would erase all our savings, and like Bill Pullman in Independence Day we chose to fight. Now, 25 years on and with robot overlords breathing down our necks, it feels like a fork-in-the-road moment where we Robert Frosted the wrong way. We had the chance to give computers less control, and instead we gave them more. Dummy move! Perhaps because I’d just turned legal drinking age, or perhaps because I was watching Buffy religiously instead of following the news, I don’t remember feeling too concerned about the Y2K bug. What did I care if computers thought it was 1900 instead of 2000? Life across those 100 years wasn’t that different. In 1999, I still walked everywhere; I still did school exams in pencil; I still developed 35mm film negatives for my day job like Thomas Edison in his laboratory. Computers might’ve been around, but they weren’t such a part of our lives as they are now. I’d go whole days without touching one sometimes, except to play Grim Fandango . We were so close, as this archival shot from the film Time Bomb Y2K shows. Not to get all John Lennon, but imagine there were no computers. I wouldn’t miss them. I’d be sitting by a river bank right now, writing this column in salmon blood with my index finger. We’d all be so close to nature we could taste it, like the kid from Into the Wild . Maybe we’d die eating berries, but we’d live eating berries, too. If computers had died in 1999, we wouldn’t have social media either, the worst experiment in humankind since lobotomies. Instead we’d just have polite conversation with whoever was in our vicinity and/or crushing loneliness, both preferable options. If Y2K had happened, industry would be thriving too. No computers means no factory closures means no Donald Trump, it’s a simple equation. And not just manual industries, but creative ones too. If computers had died, music might still be a viable artistic career. I know this because in 1999 it would take me four days to download one Talib Kweli song, whereas today I just skimmed through his full life’s work during a toilet break. No one should have such carefree access to an artist’s entire life work, especially during a bowel movement. It’s not right. Maps. Street directories. The Yellow Pages. Privacy. Look at all the things we lost because, 25 years ago, we chose to save computers instead. A worthwhile exchange? I don’t know, maps were fun to fold. You can’t fold a GPS, you can just yell at its ignorant directions. “But what about the hospitals?” you’re probably saying. “Hospitals need computers.” Yes, I’m sure computers have saved more lives than the cast of Bondi Rescue , and the result is overpopulation. To paraphrase Paris Hilton, sometimes you just have to leave the party. The people of 1900, aprons splattered in freshly churned butter, understood this. As you can see, the Y2K bug got an unnecessarily bad rap in 1999. The good news is that we have another chance to get it right in 2038, when at 03:14:08 UTC on 19 January 2038, computer systems running on Unix time will suddenly revert to 20:45:52 on Friday, 13 December 1901. It’s called the Year 2038 Problem , which isn’t as catchy as Y2K, but it’ll do. Butter churning, here I come. To read more from Spectrum , visit our page here . Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter .
Despite struggles, Steelers RT Broderick Jones keeps faith knowing Mike Tomlin 'has my back'It took just a minute for Gov. Glenn Youngkin and his partner from Feed More's “Wednesday A-Team” volunteer group to plate two dozen portions of a baked macaroni and cheese dish on Wednesday’s shipment for Meals on Wheels programs from the Northern Neck to Southside Virginia. And the trays to be filled kept coming, along with the pans full of food. “The line doesn’t stop,” Feed More volunteer Brenda Johnson said, allowing that the governor did all right for a newcomer to the nonprofit dedicated to relieving hunger in Central Virginia. He, she and the two volunteers plating broccoli, the man dishing out tomato salad and the woman shifting the steady flow of packaged meals onto a trolley to be wheeled into a freezer before they were to be loaded on some of Feed More’s trucks, were playing key roles in an intricate chain. It brings donations from supermarkets, food processors and individuals across the region to people in need in a region that stretches from just west of Williamsburg to just south of Fredericksburg to just east of Charlottesville and then down to the North Carolina state line. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin volunteers with nonprofit group Feed More in Henrico County, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. “The logistics here are just amazing,” Youngkin said. Feed More’s new Henrico County facility includes a warehouse that can stack pallets on five levels — this makes for faster flow of food, since the old warehouse on Rhoadmiller Street in Richmond could only handle two levels. That meant a lot of taking down pallets, taking a few items off and then repacking and replacing them, CEO Doug Pick said. Now Feed More’s warehouse crew can pack smaller pallets, targeting food for specific destinations on separate pallets. “We’re three times more efficient,” Pick said. But the real heart of the operation — which moves food through about 255 agencies, most of which goes for people who face a sudden food emergency, such as no money for groceries after a big medical or auto insurance bill — is its volunteers, he said. About 200 a day show up to cook, pack and ship food. “During the holiday season, food insecurity, which is already a worry, becomes even more of an issue,” Youngkin said. “It’s so important for people to volunteer,” he continued “During emergencies, like Hurricane Helene, that’s what we see Virginians do.” Dave Ress (804) 649-6948 dress@timesdispatch.com Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. 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.