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jili 777 casino Light snow could bring slick roads Wed. Night & Thursday morning in New HampshireBrisbane news live: Man jailed for stabbing police officer who put gun awayIn both real estate and politics, timing is everything. For Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he of once-impeccable political judgment, that timing has gone a little awry of late. Albanese’s decision to buy a $4.3 million clifftop home in the Central Coast amid a housing and cost-of-living crisis left several of his Labor colleagues scratching their heads. It meant the government wasted another week defending the prime minister from the “out of touch” allegations rather than prosecuting its agenda. Tough market... Anthony Albanese is struggling to sell his Dulwich Hill investment property. Those allegations had been furnished by news in May that a Sydney man who had lived as a tenant in Albanese’s Dulwich Hill investment property was left blindsided after receiving an eviction notice. That too left the prime minister on the defensive, forced to waste time discussing his record as a landlord. That property was set to go under the hammer with a $1.9 million price guide last month. Not a bad return given Albanese bought it in 2015 for $1.175 million. But the property was abruptly pulled from auction, and the asking price lowered to $1.85 million. Now, the asking price has fallen to $1.75 million, with Albo’s real estate agent Shad Hassen telling us it was the victim of a changing market. “I think the reason for it is quite simple. There’s been a slight change in the market, and the PM’s property is not immune to that change,” he said, adding that he anticipates the property will be sold soon. When it does, it’ll still leave a tidy profit for the former housing commission boy made good. And the fact that a three-bedroom red brick townhouse in Dulwich Hill is pushing the $2 million mark says it all about the housing challenges the Albanese government faces. You can get a French chateau for less. Pistols at dawn On Friday, Australia’s politicians finally got a chance to return fire against the country’s journalists. It didn’t end well for them. About a dozen MPs had gathered at the Canberra International Clay Target Club for the pollies versus press gallery shoot-out, organised by former Olympic shooter turned Labor’s man mountain member for Hunter Dan Repacholi and Coalition frontbencher Bridget McKenzie. Co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Shooting, the pair had worked hard to get the tournament together. Attending MPs included Regional Development Minister Kristy McBain, Labor’s Alison Byrnes, and Perin Davey, Colin Boyce and Ian Goodenough from the Coalition. But the might of that bipartisanship was no match for the journos, not usually the most athletic bunch. In just his second time shooting, Channel Nine cameraman Luke Nicolaou had a blinder, with both sides finishing on equal points. Things then proceeded to a tiebreaker between Repacholi and a ring-in from the National Press Club. The big man was the first to miss, giving the journos bragging rights. Lovely Rita “On social media, bad behaviour is good for business.” Rita Panahi’s controversial Instagram story. Credit: Instagram So spoke News Corp executive chair Michael Miller at a National Press Club address earlier this year, where he laid into the big tech giants. But we wonder who exactly the online behaviour of some of News Corp’s highest profile opinionators is good for. Take Rita Panahi, the Herald Sun columnist who also co-hosts the Outsiders show on Sky News for one of the world’s biggest multinational media companies. Last week, Panahi’s Instagram story featured the Appeal to Heaven Flag, or Pine Tree Flag, an American Revolutionary War symbol popularised by the rioters who tried to storm the United States Capitol in 2021, inspired by the conspiracy theory that the previous year’s presidential election was “stolen” from Donald Trump . US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito caused a bit of a storm when the flag was seen flying at his Virginia beach house earlier this year. Panahi’s flag went even better, and was captioned with: “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN TO SEND THE JOURNOS TO GITMO,” accompanied by the caption “fair”. So, does Panahi really reckon her hardworking colleagues at the Hun and Sky ought to be shipped off to an offshore military prison synonymous with torture and other nastiness? Perhaps it was an off-colour attempt at trolling. Either way, neither Herald Sun editor Sam Weir nor Sky News’ representatives responded to our questions. And Rita didn’t take up our offer to clarify things either. No doubt, we’ll get a scolding in her other Sky News after-dark show, Lefties Losing It. Bush Boutique In Gina Rinehart’s evolution from Australia’s richest person to art aficionado and wannabe fashion mogul, the billionaire has bought up bushwear brands, including coat maker Driza-Bone and RM Williams’ challenger Rossi Boots, managing to get the likes of Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce to play influencer . Now, the mining magnate’s S Kidman & Co has opened a bricks-and-mortar store in Tamworth, “bringing country style to the heart of fashion”. No, we’ve never heard anybody talk about Tamworth like that either. Rinehart, who we last encountered at Mar-a-Lago toasting Donald Trump’s election victory and hanging out with Elon Musk, was in town for the ribbon-cutting, along with former Northern Territory chief minister Adam Giles (who is chief executive of her Hancock Agriculture) and Joyce, decked out in his custom Gina-sponsored bush hat. 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To lure Juan Soto, Mets created a video of his statue outside Citi Field next to Tom Seaver's NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets wanted Juan Soto to know his future with them could be set in stone. When the free agent outfielder traveled to owner Steve Cohen’s house in Beverly Hills, California, for a presentation last month, the team unveiled a video that included an image of a future Soto statue outside Citi Field, next to the one erected of franchise great Tom Seaver. Soto put on a New York Mets jersey and cap for the first time Thursday after his record $765 million, 15-year contract was finalized and talked about what made the difference in his decision. Bill Belichick 'always wanted' to give college coaching a try. Now he will at North Carolina New North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick said he had long been interested in coaching in the college ranks. But it had never worked out until now, as he takes over the Tar Heels program. Belichick led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles during a 24-year run there that ended last year. Belichick's five-year deal pays him $10 million in base and supplemental salary per year. It is guaranteed only for the first three years, including for buyout purposes. There is also up to $3.5 million in annual bonuses. Wander Franco's sex abuse trial has been postponed 5 months PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — The trial against Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking, has been postponed until June 2, 2025. Dominican judge Yacaira Veras postponed the hearing Thursday at the request of prosecutors because of the absence of several key witnesses in the case. Franco’s lawyers asked the court to reconsider the postponement, arguing Franco must report to spring training in mid-February. The judge replied that Franco is obligated to continue with the trial schedule and his conditional release from detainment. LeBron James ruled out of Lakers' game at Minnesota on Friday with foot soreness LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James has been ruled out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game at Minnesota on Friday night due to soreness in his left foot. James will miss his second straight game when the Lakers return from a four-day break to face the Timberwolves. The top scorer in NBA history was away from the team this week with an excused absence attributed to “personal reasons,” coach JJ Redick said Wednesday. It’s unclear whether James will even make the quick round trip to Minnesota before the Lakers’ next game at home against Memphis on Sunday. Rape investigation that Swedish media say focused on Kylian Mbappé has been closed STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish prosecutors say they have dropped a rape investigation that was launched in connection with soccer star Kylian Mbappé’s visit to Stockholm in October. In a statement, lead investigator Marina Chirakova says there is not enough evidence to continue the investigation into the allegation at a hotel. Prosecutors never publicly named the suspect in the investigation but some Swedish media reported it was Mbappé. The Real Madrid striker visited Stockholm in October during a break in the Spanish league. At the time, Mbappé’s legal team dismissed those reports as false. Travis Hunter, the 2-way standout for Colorado, is the AP college football player of the year BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado two-way standout Travis Hunter is The Associated Press college football player of the year. Hunter received 26 of the 43 votes from a panel of AP Top 25 voters. Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty finished second with 16 votes, and Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo received one vote. A throwback player who rarely left the field, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns as a receiver. He had four interceptions and 11 passes defensed as a shutdown corner. Hunter helped the the 20th-ranked Buffaloes to a 9-3 record and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl against BYU. 2034 World Cup visitors will live in 'a bubble' and not see real life, Saudi rights activist says LONDON (AP) — A Saudi human rights activist says soccer fans visiting Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup will live in a “bubble” that doesn't reflect real life there. Lina al-Hathloul is a London-based activist whose sister was jailed in Saudi Arabia then banned from travel after campaigning to end a ban on women driving. When FIFA confirmed the kingdom as the 2034 tournament host on Wednesday its president Gianni Infantino acknowledged “the world will be watching” for positive social change. Al-Hathloul says western people “will be very safe” at the World Cup but "will see a bubble of what Saudi Arabia is.” Team claims NASCAR rescinded approval to buy new charter unless federal antitrust suit is dropped CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A new court filing says NASCAR rejected Front Row Motorsports’ agreement to purchase a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing unless the team and 23XI Racing dropped their federal antitrust lawsuit against the stock car series. Front Row and 23XI rejected NASCAR's new revenue sharing agreement and have gone to court. NASCAR now says it will move forward in 2025 with 32 chartered teams and eight open spots, with offers on charters for Front Row and 23XI rescinded and the SHR charters in limbo. Indian teen Gukesh Dommaraju becomes the youngest chess world champion after beating Chinese rival NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest chess world champion after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in Thursday's game which was played in Singapore. He has surpassed the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov who won the title at the age of 22. Dommaraju is now also the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year. Hojlund scores twice for Man United to beat Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in Europa League, Tottenham held 1-1 Rasmus Hojlund scored twice after coming off the bench and Manchester United rallied to beat Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Europa League. The Denmark striker netted in the 88th minute after collecting Bruno Fernandes’ pass off a free kick to seal the victory. Hojlund came on in the 56th and scored an equalizer six minutes later. Totenham was held 1-1 at Rangers and Lazio tops the standings after a 3-1 win at Ajax. In the Conference League a youthful Chelsea lineup made the most of a long trip to Kazakhstan by beating Astana 3-1 to stay perfect in the third-tier competition.

Eagles vs. Rams Player Prop for Sunday Night Football: Kobie Turner Tackles Total - The Action NetworkA timing mess-up has left dozens of Coalition MPs scratching their heads waiting for Peter Dutton to brief them on the party’s nuclear costings. MPs were told of an online party room meeting at 10am AEST. Most took this to mean 10am AEDT, or “daylight savings time”, so a big group of MPs including frontbenchers Dan Tehan and Michaelia Cash logged onto the call. Tehan and others spoke on the hook-up trying to figure out when it was starting. Chief whip Bert Van Manen, a Queensland member, then clarified in a party WhatsApp group at about 10.20am that the meeting was actually beginning at 10am Brisbane time. He told the group to come back at 11am Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania time. “Yeah we are going to build seven nuclear plants on time...” one MP said of the mess-up. Dutton was due to address the media in Brisbane at 9.30am AEST. It wasn’t just the Coalition dodging questions this morning, with Labor frontbenchers Chris Bowen and Bill Shorten playing coy on the broken 2022 election promise that power bills would come down by $275 by 2023. Energy Minister Chris Bowen was asked if he regretted making the promise in 2022, but he was keen to redirect the question to discuss the cost of renewable energy. Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen “I don’t regret obviously pointing out that renewables are the cheapest form of energy,” Bowen said. “I look forward to debating the competing plans before the Australian people at the next election.” Pushed to answer the question again, Bowen said we were dealing with “a different set of circumstances internationally” post-2022. “Australia’s increase in energy prices has been less than a lot of other comparable countries. We delivered billions of dollars of energy bill relief, which has been the appropriate thing to do, which has been opposed by the Liberal and National Party.” Asked about the promise on Nine’s Today , NDIS Minister Bill Shorten also opted to pivot to the Coalition’s nuclear plan. “We know that energy prices are part of the cost-of-living pressure on families. That’s why I think that the heroic assumptions of Peter Dutton promising some fanciful solution in 25 years’ time is just a crock,” Shorten said. “The idea we’re going to come from scratch and build a whole nuclear industry in Australia is, you know, just a fantasy.” The wait is over for Queensland’s year 12 graduates, with school-leavers across the state receiving their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) results this morning. This year, 28,845 graduates received an ATAR – about 1000 more than last year – with 36 students achieving a top result of 99.95. ATARs were made available to eligible students through Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre (QTAC). Big smiles for Lachlan Howie and Kaiyu Su, two of the 36 students in Queensland to receive top ATAR scores of 99.95. Credit: QTAC Seventeen-year-old Brisbane Girls Grammar graduate Kaiyu Su was among those to achieve the top score. “I was definitely hoping for it but it’s been great to see that it’s a 99.95,” she said. “[I’m] definitely very happy and excited for where it might take me.” Read the full story. Queensland year 12 graduates are getting their ATAR results this morning, providing their ticket to tertiary study. But the Queensland government has not released the full data for year 12 results for years. The information released today in Queensland will include overall figures for the state, such as how many students received an ATAR and how many got the top rank of 99.95. Hardly illuminating. In comparison, our colleagues at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can access individual school data, which they can use to celebrate wins, including when students get great results against the odds. Queensland journalists can only get school-by-school data if they contact each school individually, and putting aside resourcing issues in stretched newsrooms for a minute, it would hardly be surprising if only the top-performing schools were happy to share – and we all know how controversial these media-created league tables are, especially if they lack context about a school’s socio-economic background. Without the full data, we can’t understand individual school data in its proper context and explain it. This was not always the case in Queensland. Before the OP system was swapped for ATARs, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority released a more than 200-page report showing how many students received OPs in each bracket at each individual school , but this was discontinued in 2021 under the ATAR system, with a brief Queensland-wide report now produced. NSW and Victoria also use ATAR, but release more comprehensive results than the Sunshine State. Amid our constraints, Brisbane Times journalist Courtney Kruk has put together a story celebrating the achievements of this year’s graduates. We’d love to have brought you even more. Two of the ABC’s most well-known broadcasters, Patricia Karvelas and Michael Rowland, have signed off for the final time from their respective morning programs. Rowland wrapped up nearly 15 years at ABC News Breakfast helm in an emotional final bulletin surrounded by his family and colleagues. ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland has signed off after 15 years in the role. Credit: ABC “Thank you very much, It’s been wonderful,” said Rowland. “I have been genuinely touched and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection from our viewers. One of my great achievements over the last 15 years has been building up this fantastic audience.” Meanwhile, Karvelas signed off after three years hosting ABC’s flagship morning radio show RN Breakfast. “You’ve been there with me throughout great change in our country and the world, and I want to thank you for it,” Karvelas said, thanking listeners and the Radio National team. Karvelas reflected on her “uniquely Australian” story, growing up in a household where she didn’t speak English. Patricia Karvelas has been filling in as host since Grant’s departure and will now stay in the chair until the end of the year. Credit: Scott McNaughton “Because of a strong public education system and dedicated teachers and incredible family support, I got to grow up and host a national radio show where rigour and curiosity is at the centre of what we do,” she said. Karvelas wished the best of luck to her replacement Sally Sara. “I’ll be listening because I care about this show, and I care about journalism, and I care about telling the truth in a world where the truth is not to be contested.” Coalition frontbenchers have avoided promising energy bills will be cheaper if they win government, as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton prepares to reveal the costings of his signature nuclear policy later today. Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie and MP Barnaby Joyce were both asked if they would pledge power would be cheaper under the Coalition, but both dodged the question. McKenzie was asked on Nine’s Today , where she first said that the price is attached to the “cost of delivering something”. “And our plan is absolutely cheaper than Labor’s plan to get to 2050,” she said. Asked again if the Coalition would bring down power bills, McKenzie weaved again, saying prices would come down in the longer term. “By adding net zero nuclear to firm up the renewables that we’ve got in the grid as well, is the way to actually get prices down over the long term,” she said. Joyve was asked the same question on ABC’s RN Breakfast. On the fifth iteration of the question, would power bills come down under the Coalition, Joyce finally answered: “That is asking for a hypothetical question, which I could answer you, but I would not be telling the truth, because I don’t have the facts before me.” Airports around the country are bracing for chaos as hundreds of Qantas engineers walk off the job. But the airline has assured customers there will be no impact on their travel plans on one of the busiest travel days of the year. About 500 workers from three different unions began a 24-hour strike action at 3.30am this morning. It’s expected to impact major airports across the country, including Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, and will end at 7.30am on Saturday. Friday marks the first day of the six-week summer travel period when 13.5 million travellers pass through Australia’s domestic airports. It’s also the first day of school holidays in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. The striking workers, responsible for the towing and marshalling of planes, are calling for a 5 per cent per year pay increase over 5 years after what they say is 3.5 years of frozen wages. Qantas says it has put forward a competitive package with 3 per cent per year over three years, with negotiations now at a stalemate. Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union National Secretary Steve Murphy says industrial action was the only way to get Qantas to the bargaining table. It’s been six weeks since the last strike. “Workers have no other choice. They will be taking industrial action to bring Qantas back to the bargaining table,” Murphy said. “Qantas is to blame if there’s any disruption to commuters over the holiday period. They have had six weeks to simply do what they said they would.” A Qantas spokesperson said a number of contingencies are in place to prevent delays. “Around 160 aircraft maintenance engineers are rostered on during Friday’s industrial action, and only members of the alliance unions can take industrial action,” said Qantas. The spokesperson noted there were no delays or cancellations during the previous strikes. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took time out of his busy pre-Christmas schedule to join the farewell party for Sammy J on ABC Radio in Melbourne this morning, where he wasted no time using his appearance to go into political attack mode. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Credit: Kate Geraghty “It’s Friday the 13th, an auspicious day, I’ve got to say, for Peter Dutton to drop his nuclear nightmare policy out there,” Albanese said, bypassing the pleasantries and bonhomie in favour of dropping a bomb on the opposition leader. “Oh, so straight into it,” said Sammy J. “Have you had a sneak peek [at Dutton’s nuclear power plan]?” he asked. “I had a look at some of the fiction that’s out there,” the PM replied, claiming nuclear power would not lead to savings on the cost of household power but rather “increase bills by $1200”. “The truth is that renewables are the cheapest form of new energy. Everyone knows that’s the case. The science tells us that that’s the case. The economists tell us that’s the case.” The Brisbane City Council has offered sandbags to residents in the city’s tidal flood areas before a predicted anomaly from Sunday through to Tuesday next week. The council advised residents that tide peaks were expected to reach similar levels to September this year, and that “minor localised flooding may be experienced in bayside, riverside, and low-lying parts of nearby suburbs”. Sandbags were also made available for locals, and those in low-lying foreshore and riverside areas were warned to avoid parking their cars on the street. The higher-than-average tides were also expected to impact creeks within bayside suburbs.Calgary, Alberta–(Newsfile Corp. – December 12, 2024) – Cleantek Industries Inc. (TSXV: CTEK), a leader in innovative clean technology solutions, is pleased to announce the cash-free debt forgiveness of over 7% of its long-term debt. The debt forgiveness effort was part of a constructive negotiation with the security holder. The tranche of long-term debt, established in 2020, was used to fund a development program and equipment related to water evaporation technology. Following the program’s completion in November 2024, the remaining debt was settled through a mutual agreement. The key takeaways of this project enhance the operational understanding of our evaporation technology and will support the ongoing advancements of our DZeroE and EcoSteam technologies. Key Highlights from the Debt Forgiveness: “We remain dedicated to reinforcing our company’s core fundamentals,” stated President & CEO Riley Taggart. “This debt forgiveness is a key component of our broader strategy to fortify Cleantek’s balance sheet and position the company for sustained growth and market success. This retirement represents approximately 7.6% of our long-term debt, enabling us to achieve significant annual savings through reduced interest expenses while further strengthening our financial foundation.” About Cleantek Industries Inc.: Cleantek is an environmental technology-based company that provides specialized and fully integrated wastewater treatment and disposal equipment along with turnkey sustainable lighting rental solutions. Cleantek leverages its patented technology and industry expertise to provide equipment to service a diverse range of clientele. Cleantek prioritizes people and the environment through our high-performance safety focused culture and our experienced technical professionals are committed to providing environmentally friendly cost-effective solutions to our clients. Cleantek provides technology-based solutions for an increasingly demanding water treatment and disposal sector along with location lighting to provide safe working conditions for 24-hour operations. Cleantek provides its technology and services in some of the most active areas in Canada and the United States. Our environmental, safety and operational performance have enabled us to establish and maintain a blue-chip client base, including many exploration and production companies in North America. For Further Information: To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/233583 #distro

The Kid Mero (real name Joel Martinez), one of the biggest entertainers from the Bronx, is working to bring up the next generation of new talent — coming from unexpected places. “There’s a dude right now in some random country, town — spin the globe, point a finger, and there’s a guy who’s the most brilliant biochemist of our time. And he’s just sitting in a tree reading a book, because he doesn’t have access,” said Mero in an interview with the Bronx Times. “And that’s what I think the Bronx needs more of too — access. And if I can do that, I would love to be the guy to spearhead that.” While Mero and his wife, Heather, are now raising their four kids, ages 13, 11, 9 and 7, in what he called a “super suburban” New Jersey neighborhood, he never fully left the Bronx, remaining committed to uplifting the borough and the talented people within it. Mero is best known for his work with Desus Nice (real name Daniel Baker), a fellow Bronxite who was his comedy partner for nearly a decade. Desus and Mero’s authentic perspectives hilariously embodied New York City culture. Their first podcast, “Desus vs. Mero,” first launched in 2013 and later became the “Bodega Boys” pod, which turned into television with shows on Viceland and Showtime, where they interviewed fellow Bronx native U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and celebrities including David Letterman, Spike Lee, Derek Jeter and Denzel Washington. In 2020, Desus and Mero published a New York Times bestselling book, “God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons from the Bronx” (with his sections written in his signature ALL CAPS style). But alas, in 2022, the duo went their separate ways, and fans still aren’t over it. But Mero remains a Bronx Dominican-American superstar who keeps us up-to-date on new talent and laughing along the way — with more big things coming soon for him and his team. Mero is currently between seasons of “Victory Light ,” a podcast he created and hosts, billed as “an extremely culturally relevant biweekly podcast” in which he and co-hosts “discuss topics of the day with the energy of a rhino on Viagra.” Mero is also a frequent co-host of the popular sports podcast “7PM in Brooklyn” by Knicks alum Carmelo Anthony. It has been a remarkable road for a guy who went to middle school at 176th and Morris Avenue and wishes that all Bronx kids could have all the resources he sees in the Jersey suburbs. “I want football fields, I want baseball fields, I want soccer pitches, I want tennis courts, I want indoor gyms, I want pools, dance classes, fencing classes,” Mero said. “Stuff that’s not, ‘Here’s a basketball hoop. You’re welcome.’ This big brand like, ‘Hey, we sponsored your school basketball team.’ Bro, you sent warmup suits. Cut it out. Build us a new court! Build us a new track! All these huge corporations — come back here [to the Bronx]. There’s so much that’s untapped.” Mero sat down with the Bronx Times at the Parkchester restaurant Step In, the same locale where he and Desus put AOC’s bartending chops to the test in early 2020. Over a lunch of Cuban sandwiches (his recommendation), Mero talked for nearly four hours about his favorite Bronx pizza spot (Tommy’s in Throggs Neck), New York sports, being an “elder statesman” of the entertainment industry, his split with Desus and how the natural funny guy in him sometimes crosses the line into “annoying mode.” “This is the New York Times for me, man,” said Mero. “I love the Bronx so f—in’ much.” This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity. Where in the Bronx did you grow up mainly? Kind of all over the place, really. But like here, in Throggs Neck on East Tremont and Dewey Avenue by the Throggs Neck Houses. Kingsbridge on 184th and Sedgwick. Bounced around, you know, apartment to apartment, girl to girl. If I was king of New York or something, I’d be like hey, guys, we are gonna freeze these prices so that more people with families and you know your neighbors and have a sense of community, you can stay here. You know what I mean? Even if you get a job at like, Apple, and you’re making a bunch of money, you should be able to kinda like grow with the people around you. There’s something to be said for leaving your hood, but there’s also the other side of that, which is like, continuity, communities, small businesses staying solid. I miss that a lot. I come back to around here, and Step In is still here, bro — that’s it. If this place ever goes, I’m gonna cry 40 days and 40 nights. For someone who’s from here but doesn’t live here anymore, unfortunately, it seems like you’re still a big part of repping the Bronx and staying connected. I don’t know if I should say this, but I still come out here and do graffiti. Like I love the Bronx, I need...it’s like recharging my batteries. I come back here, I come [to Step In]. I go to Sabrosura in Castle Hill, and they have Dominican-Asian fusion, which is like, wild, but it’s delicious. [In Jersey] the lifestyle is like, suuuuper suburban. NFL players, Housewives of New Jersey territory. There’s no sidewalks where I live now. You know what I’m saying? Neighbors growing trees really long and tall so you can’t even see what they’re doing. It’s really kind of siloed; everybody has their little mansion. I walked here, and I was five minutes later than I would’ve been, because I parked my car and put money in the meter, and this old Puerto Rican dude came and was like, “Papi, that’s a nice car! I wanna get me a 2025 Mustang, the new body styles, they’re bringing back the old school style.” So, we just ended up chopping it up about cars for like five minutes. And then I was like, I gotta go. There’s a reporter, a very important reporter waiting for me to do a piece. I gotta jet, but yo, it was good talking to you. Hopefully I’ll see you around. Peace.” That was a very everyday Bronx interaction. That’s part of also what makes it so great to be a reporter here. You know what it is? Bronx people, I’m speaking for the borough — I feel like we don’t get talked about. There’s like, the Yankees and hip-hop, and that’s it. There’s waaay more than that to the Bronx. There’s so much culture here, there’s so much color here. It’s so vibrant. I’ll throw the challenge to Queens for diversity! Your kids go to school, they see everybody and everything and every culture. And to me, that is the ideal way to grow up. It’s a meeting ground for so many different people from different places. But they come here to work. I feel like no one comes to the Bronx for a luxurious vacation. Y’all come here to work. That’s what I love about the Bronx. It’s like, blue collar...everyone here is on their grind. Everybody here is born with the hustle gene. Even if they’re lazy! They find a way to be creatively lazy. What sort of things do you think should be talked about more in the Bronx? Honestly, like, the people. I would love to see the everyday people of the Bronx highlighted. Like Joe [the server at Step In]. Joe is a character, he’s been here forever, and that’s a guy that deserves a profile. Because everybody here knows who he is, but everybody out there doesn’t know who he is. Especially in these times, we’re in a weird climate. How about we focus on what we do like about each other. Let’s leave red versus blue to the Bloods and the Crips. People look at New York, and it’s just like, “The trains are crazy, and there’s homeless people and violence and crime,” blah blah blah. There’s a lot of pearl-clutching when it comes to talking about the Bronx. And it’s like, no, man, this is a great place. The food is another thing I feel like should definitely be highlighted. There’s so many different ethnicities. You can go get some Albanian food, you can get Nigerian food, you can get some Italian food which is the BEST Italian food in the world, I will fight anybody! I live in Jersey now, but the best Italian food is in the Bronx! I don’t care about Mulberry Street [in Manhattan’s Little Italy]. You can take that and put it in an air fryer, I don’t care. The best Italian food is in the Bronx. Mero said it. When I started dating my wife, she was like, “I really like Thai food.” And I never had Thai food, but I was like, “We live in the Bronx. So I’m sure there will be a Thai food place near us.” And Honey’s Thai Pavillion hit the spot. You know what I mean? So shoutout to them. It’s real food made by people that are from the places they are coming from. I feel like if this interview was only about New York sports, that would be cool by me. So with everything going on with the Knicks and the Timberwolves... [Karl-Anthony Towns] is balling. He is BALLING. I’m cheap, so I don’t have [NBA subscription channel] League Pass, so I didn’t watch enough Timberwolves basketball to understand KAT’s game. Like, I knew he was a big man that can shoot. And also he’s Dominican, so I made an effort to follow him. But everybody’s like, aw, he’s soft, he can’t play defense, he’s this, he’s that. And I see him at the [Madison Square] Garden like, three on one, in the paint, “Get off me!” and he’s just like, “NEW YOOOORK!” and I’m just ready to pull out a Dominican flag and wave it down the court. If there was ever a destination that was perfect for him that was not Minnesota, it was New York. Not the Brooklyn Nets — the New York Knicks. It’s like the trade where both teams win. You know what I’m saying? Julius [Randle], he handled the pressure of New York pretty well, but I feel in Minnesota, people will like his tenacity. Like, the bully ball. Cause everyone was like, “Oh, KAT’s so soft.” And you get a guy that’s an absolute monster. He might have a little spin move turnover here and there, you know what I’m saying, but the passion is real. I wasn’t gonna bring up the Yankees, because that’s, like, sad... [laughs] You know what’s crazy about Yankees fans? Yeah, we did go out sad. That was the fifth inning from hell, the worst inning I’ve ever seen, and I coached Little League. They were doing s—t that would get you benched for the next two games if I’m your coach. But you know, these are million-dollar grown men. You can’t just say oh, I’m gonna bench this guy. Imagine benching Aaron Judge. But I’m proud of the Yankees! We made it to the World Series — it’s been 15 years! You know what I’m saying? We made it! The ALCS Juan Soto at-bat will live in my brain forever, like the birth of my first child. They’re gonna be that vivid in my memory until I’m on my deathbed like [wheezing], “Play the kids being born, and Juan Soto’s at-bat to send us to the World Series. That’s all I wanna see before I go.” What in the Bronx are your go-to spots, not just for food but anything else? Fordham Road is like my drag. When I wanna go shopping, Fordham Road is there for me. If I just wanna sit in front of someone’s building, I’m on 196th and Morris, my boy Ed’s building, just hanging out. That’s a very New York thing and a very Bronx thing in particular. Like, we live in apartment buildings and we’re not allowed to just hang out in the lobby, so let’s go hang out in front of the building. You know what I mean? Let’s have some drinks, let’s get a hibachi grill from the dollar store, and let’s make things happen. They put a Mama Sushi in Throggs Neck on Tremont! When I was there, it was like, three pizzerias and a food market. Now it’s like restaurants, Mamajauna! This, that and the third. I was like, yo, you could go on a date and not be embarrassed. I don’t have to take you to McDonalds. Tremont for restaurants, Fordham Road for shopping. I love just walking down Southern Boulevard just to sit on a bench and people-watch. I feel like the Botanical Garden is a corny answer, but it’s like nobody talks about it. It’s mad nice! It’s like an oasis of beauty in the Bronx, mad nature. Do a lot of people recognize you when you’re out? I was gonna say no, but surprisingly, yes. Which is great, and it makes me feel like...this is gonna sound crazy, but I feel like [Yankees legend] Derek Jeter, you know? A kid from here who made it, and when people are proud of you, man, that hits. Like, “Yo, you did it. You’re representing for us, you’re not stopping. You didn’t switch up. You didn’t get on TV and become an L.A. guy and change your voice and do all this other goofy stuff. You’re still Mero. You’re not out here with a hoop earring and doing yoga. Talking about ‘I’m bi-coastal.’” I’m not bi-coastal, I’m from the Bronx. Can you talk a bit about stuff you have going on now? You have the podcast. Yeah, we got “Victory Light,” which is an extension of me loving the Bronx so much that I want to elevate young talent from where we’re from. Shoutout to [co-hosts] Rainey Ovalle and Lizbel Ortiz [and the rest of my team]. It’s a very small crew, but I just wanna give them all their flowers because we’re all New York City kids. Rainey in particular is from East Tremont in the Bronx. It’s like damn, you’re me 10 years ago. And he’s so talented musically, like he’s just an artist. He’s hilarious, funny guy, comedian, musician, gamer, you name it. Fashion guy. I just love, like Dos Flacos, like Planta Industrial. This is all coming out of the Bronx, like yo, a pop-punk band coming out of the Bronx? Like, what?! No media company is in the business of making you rich. So it’s just like, I’m gonna take this money and make what I want. And if you don’t like it, f—k you, fire me, I dare you. That’s the attitude I always had. Well, not always — I’m an immigrant child, my parents were always like, “Don’t leave your job until you have a new job.” But if it felt like I wasn’t being valued where I was at, I was already looking for the next thing. Because we are from the Bronx, our voices matter, we matter. Going from like AOC to like local artists, DJs, all that kind of stuff. If you watch early episodes of Viceland show, that’s what it was. It was like me picking up my phone, like, I know [rapper] Wale, but I also know, you know, [Bronx rapper] A Boogie [Wit Da Hoodie] before he was A Boogie. I appreciate that. I feel like that’s where journalism really should be. Let’s do high-profile, let’s do what’s coming up. Stay ahead of the curve in supporting. Are you open to talking a little bit about your split with Desus? Is there any path forward with the two of you, or what do you think about that? I always say never say never, but probably not. I’m moving in kind of like a different direction. I started in writing first, so that’s always been my forte. Performing just is part of me being like the goofy older brother, you know what I’m saying? I would do [impressions] for my family. Everyone gets together on a weekend, my father would have a couple Courvasiers and be like, “Hey, do an impression of your uncle.” And I would do it. I’ve told this story a bunch of times. I realized, hold up — there’s power in this. There’s all these people who are like authorities to you, like your elders. Growing up as a child of immigrants, it was like, these are my elders. I must respect them at all times. But when I was making them laugh, all those rules went out the window. I could cuss, I could be like, “Yoooo, you drunk motherf—er!” and I was like, “Great! Comedy is the key to opening all this up.” I’m not gonna lie to you that I had that epiphany at eight years old, but I made that connection later on in life to those experiences as a seven-, eight-, nine-year-old. To me, it’s like, I wanna produce young talent from the Bronx. I wanna bring up young talent from the Bronx. The door that I opened, I want to hold it open, like Game of Thrones, “Hodor!” — but keep it open, not shut. And let all of them through. There are people who have to be in the very right place in the very right time to get a look, you know? Sadly, not a lot of people come to the Bronx to look for talent, which is crazy. Talent doesn’t give a f—k where it’s born. Do you feel that kind of worldview put you on a different path than Desus? I think so. We used to joke around, and he used to say, “I can’t wait to sell out. I can’t wait to move to L.A., hahaha,” this, that and the third, jokey joke. But you know, sometimes you say things out loud — the power of manifestation or whatever. But I always was like, I’m my father’s son to the fullest. Shoutout to my pops Tito Martinez, the Don, you know, and my mom Dulce, because they raised me to be like ... yo, listen, I always saw my dad. He was an independent HVAC technician, and he had a steady stream of work. Not that there’s anything wrong with taking government assistance or whatever, but he was like, yo, this is my goal — I’m gonna provide for y’all without government assistance. And that was a point of pride, you know what I mean? When anyone would come over from DR, or he met a guy who was like, down, but knew how to turn a screwdriver, he’d be like, “Yo, come work with me.” So seeing that at a young age, I was like, wow. I just locked that in. If you can help somebody and it costs you nothing — even if it costs you a little bit — you got all this going on, why not? That’s what we’re here for. What sort of things do you think people in the Bronx need or should have more access to? And does that get political at all? Yeah! So where I’m at now in Jersey, I saw campaign ads like, “Governor Phil Murphy has taxes out of control in the state of New Jersey. Property taxes are at an all-time high.” And I’m like, “Bro, I’m from New York City. Beat that. Beat those taxes.” I have four kids, and when I go to the baseball fields, when I go to the parks, when I go to the library, when I go to every public common area, it’s like, well-kept, there are people working to take care of it, and the upkeep is there. I want that for my neighborhood, for where I’m from. Cardinal Hayes [High School in the South Bronx] won the state championship in football without, like, real — I mean they have facilities, I’m not trying to dunk on Hayes — but you don’t have the same facilities and standards as they do in say, Long Island. Random town on Long Island has more resources and more, you know, everything than we do in the Bronx. Which is nuts! If you can’t attract investment in New York City, what the f—k are you doing? Do I need to run for mayor? Like Eric Adams, we both live in New Jersey. Ok, so you have the podcast now. It seems to be a big part of what you do. Yeah, Victory Light started as a blog. I’m a writer by trade. My first foray into comedy was always writing, and writing in my own voice. Shoutout to [manager] Victor Lopez for being like, “This guy is writing in a very clever way, and he’s not breaking from who he is. This is not a persona, this is a person, this is an authentic voice, and he’s funny as f—k.” The agency he was at at the time was like, “Hey, leave that guy alone.” But [Victor] was like, “No f—k you. He’s very funny, and I think we can build something big together.” So we started working together, and the rest was history. We’re between seasons [for Victory Light]. I wanted to give my guys a break for the holidays. We’ve been ripping two times a week, 80 episodes for a year straight, no breaks. So I wanted to give them a break because I was like, you know, “Y’all are new to this.” When I got into it, I was so hungry, I didn’t care. I was working five days a week, six days a week, seven days a week, 12 hours, I did not care. F—-k union rules. I’m just here to make things happen. And having done that, I’m like [quoting the Jay-Z song, “Izzo (H.O.V.A.”)], “Hov did that so hopefully you don’t have to go through that.” And the podcast with Melo [Carmelo Anthony] — is that still going on? Yeah. With season two, I have so many commitments that I couldn’t commit to every day being on set. So we expanded the roster. Shoutout to [ESPN basketball analyst] Monica McNutt, shoutout to [former NBA player] Rudy Gay, shoutout to Kaz [host Kazeem Famuyide] for coming on the team and having kind of a 7PM universe. I like to have conversations with people, like, just be yourself. If you wanna curse, curse. I’ll curse too. Much to the chagrin of my wife, and our kids running around the house like, “F—k you, motherf—-er!” It is what it is, but like...that’s my thing. I don’t care who you are. It could be Emily sitting across from me, it could be Denzel sitting across from me...it’s still the same energy. I’m still me. It’s crazy that that’s not the norm, that you can’t just be you and be successful. That you gotta put on this face every day. It’s crazy, because I wake up and I’m Mero. My wife is like,” Turn that s—t off,” and I’m like, “You know I can’t! You knew what I was when you signed up!” She calls it “annoying mode.” My kids, my family, my brother Tito, my sister Ingrid, my mom and dad — I have such a strong sense of family and community that, I feel good no matter what, man. I could be up, I could be down. Entertainment is weird. One year I might make fifteen million dollars, and the next year, I make, like, a hundred thousand. Which is still a lot of money! ‘Cause in my mind, I am broke. Forever. I’m perpetually broke. I reinvest my money into my own stuff. Like, when I got paid from the Showtime bag and all that stuff, I didn’t go buy a Lamborghini. I went and invested that shit, I bought a house, I paid my wife’s student loans off, you know? I invested money wisely because I knew, I don’t want to be a slave to a network the rest of my life. I can’t be The Kid Mero at 65 years old, falling out of my chair, talking about current events that I don’t even know about, you know? With what you’re saying about not wanting to be shackled to one place or thing, how do you approach that now? Is that a big part of your independence and doing your own thing? Yeah, I always step into a room confident and like, “Yo, my work speaks for itself.” I’ve done almost any kind of media product you can do. I’ve done podcasts, sports talk shows, I’ve hosted awards shows, I’ve been on covers of magazines, I’ve written articles, I’ve been the subject of articles. Anything you can touch in media, I’ve touched. In the space of where I’m in now, linear, old-school TV is fighting a battle against digital. I’m like, “This it it for me. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.” I’m banging my fist on the table — there is no Black or brown-owned production companies in New York City. That is insane! We gotta change that. Victory Light is gonna be the first. So, if you’re a government official and you want to bring some grants, holler at me. Right now, we’re raising capital — and it is looking good. Get in on the ground floor. So even in New York City, the media companies are all very white at the top? The same is true in journalism too. Once you go up the chain, it’s crazy. My whole thing is, Victory Light as a company, as a production services entity, that C-suite is gonna look like the rest of the company. You know what I’m saying? And that’s not saying, “F—k white people, get out of here.” It’s talent first. And we’re gonna look for talent where people don’t look for talent. It’s like, “Oh, we need a TV person. Who’s coming out of NYU?” Who’s coming out of Lehman College? Who’s coming out of BCC [Bronx Community College]? Who’s independently doing their own thing? Those are the people who deserve the most praise and the biggest megaphone. We got Asian, Latino, Black, everything. Gay, straight, every iteration. But it’s not about “let’s check these boxes.” It’s like, “Yo, are you good at this? Alright, bet. Let’s do it.” I don’t give a f—k what your background is. If your background is different, that’s good, because you can give me a POV that I don’t have, as a Dominican man who’s 40 years old with four kids. You are a 30-something-year-old Black woman, so you tell me what your experience is like. And that will inform how we do comedy. I feel like that’s important. What sort of things do you envision Victory Light doing? What sort of things would people see on a daily basis? Everything. Starting with the podcast, getting that super locked in. Season two, I’ve taken this extended break because I wanna come out on fire. Nuclear. ‘Cause the fans who have been locked in with us now — it’s not mind-blowing numbers, but I wanna reward them with something BIG. Like live shows, where you can come. Because I’ve done this before. The trajectory for Victory Light, the numbers, the community reception of it — it’s giving, “I’ve been here before. There’s a previous iteration I’ve done like this before, to much success.” But to run it back, with younger, newer talent, because I am washed. I am the elder statesman, you know what I’m saying? “Bodega Boys” was just two dudes. A Dominican Afro-Latino and a Jamaican man from the Bronx. Similar POVs. And now “Victory Light” is — to me, I love it. We’re all Dominican kids, but we’re all very different. Rainey is very, like, anime, nerdy guy, Magic the Gathering. Lizbel is like, quintessential New York “f—k around and find out” shorty. Reminds me of my sister. That woman needs to be heard, you know what I mean? They are the backbone of New York City, and they don’t get heard. But when you scale up, you gotta expand your reach. That’s a lesson I’ve learned throughout my career that I’m trying to teach them early. That they do stuff for themselves that fulfills them, but then they also keep the lights on. You know, a Coca-Cola commercial here or there, or sponsorship. But OUR way. The Coca-Cola commercial we’re doing — we’re going to the bodega to get the Coca-Cola on a hot day, and then we’re drinking Coca-Cola while we spray your car with the window open from the hydrant as you drive past. It’s hilarious that every podcast, no matter how famous the person is or how much money the newsroom has, they all have these ridiculous ads. It’s wild because the market is saturated. Everybody tells me this, so that’s why I’m saying it: “Bro, you’re too modest. You’re too humble, you don’t talk about what you accomplished.” I got to Complex first alone, and there was a show called “Mero in the Wild” that ran concurrently with “Desus vs. Mero.” “Desus vs. Mero” was successful because I had somebody to bounce off of. Those conversations were like, on the block conversations. I was just like, “Hey man, if we take this and just scale this up, we can’t lose.” That was all [their manager] Victor Lopez. Victor was like, “You guys got lightning in a bottle. Let’s just keep going. We’re not gonna take on sponsors, we’re just gonna do what we wanna do.” And boom, there comes CashApp. And we took our one sponsor, they let us do what we wanted, we maintained total creative control. Which is rare, bro. Shoutout to Eddie Huang, one of the first guys I met in entertainment. His story with how they took [Huang’s memoir] “Fresh Off the Boat” and put it on ABC, he didn’t like how they were treating it. Tracy Morgan has a similar story with his show on FOX. Once you get to this higher level — it’s like me taking your legal pad right now and being like, “Now I’m writing the story, motherf—er.” No! You’re not the creator, you didn’t sit with this, you didn’t create this. When you get to a point in making television... I was never a line producer. The line producer deals with the budget, he’s just the money, number-crunching guy. And I never had to do that. But I get to Showtime, and now I gotta do that. Because now I’m like, alright, we got a 25 million dollar budget. This guy that’s an executive producer that I’ve seen twice is getting paid three million dollars?! And I never see him? He contributes nothing to this show except liability, accepting liability? F—k, I’ll do that! I’ll take it all on the chin if it means that I get to divide this money amongst the people who deserve it, the people who are on the ground. The people who are outside when it’s cold when we’re doing field pieces. S—t like that. I came to this game thinking it was like corporate America. Nah, bro, this s—t is like the streets, for real. You gotta be aggressive. Unfortunately, when you’re Black and brown, being aggressive is... aggressive . Confrontational and scary. Even if you’re using the king’s English, people are gonna get nervous. So that’s one obstacle we’ve had to fight against the entire time we’ve been doing what we do. But I don’t care. It makes it sweeter when we get to the top. Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimesAP News Summary at 4:24 p.m. ESTKwara:1,500 Youth Trained in Tech Ecosystem Opportunities

President-elect Donald Trump’s border enforcer Tom Homan is heading to Texas to prepare for his crackdown on illegal crossings. Lone Star State Gov. Greg Abbott said Homan will inspect the Texas-Mexico border with him during a visit later this week. He praised Homan as “the right guy in charge” to secure the border and deport illegal migrants. “There’s a tall task for President Trump to find, to locate these people and then to deport them or to jail them,” Abbott said Sunday on the “Cats Roundtable” 770 “WABC radio. “We’ve got the right guy in charge of it. His name is Tom Homan. He’s going to be the border czar. I’ve already begun to work with him. He’s going to be joining me in Texas this coming week.” Abbott, who has clashed with the outgoing Biden administration over its dangerously lax border policies and refusal to cooperate with Texas on a crackdown, said he is thrilled to now have a willing partner to jointly address the crisis. “We’ve had people who were antagonistic to Texas securing the border. Now we have allies. It’s going to be Texas working collaboratively with the Trump administration,” Abbott said. “For one, we’re going to secure the border. For another, we’re going to have to remove from our country all these dangerous criminals to restore peace and safety in our communities.” The governor said that arresting and deporting members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua will be a top priority for both the Trump administration and Texas. “You’ve seen these outbreaks of the Tren de Aragua gang members here in New York. We have the Tren de Aragua members in Texas also. ... We have to stop the murders by the people who Biden allowed into the country illegally,” Abbott said. Texas has declared Tren de Aragua a terrorist organization. Homan has said that deporting the gang members is part of his mission. He got choked up during a recent interview discussing the murder of Laken Riley by illegal migrant and Tren member Jose Ibarra and said he should have never set foot in the country. “We’re using law enforcement at the federal, state and local level to go after them more than any other state in America,” Abbott said Sunday. “We’ve made hundreds of arrests already. If you’re a member of Tren de Aragua in Texas, you’re going to be arrested. You’re going to be jailed.” Texas, a border state, has been ground zero for grappling with illegal crossings for decades. But when the crossings spiraled out of control two years ago, Abbott began putting thousands of migrants on buses to New York City and other urban centers in blue states to spread the burden of dealing with the crisis. It turned out to be a brilliant political strategy despite the criticism, forcing Democratic mayors including the Big Apple’s Eric Adams to publicly pressure and criticize Biden over the problem. Texas authorities last week added more buoy barriers across sections of the Rio Grande to try to thwart illegal crossings after the Biden administration unsuccessfully sued the state over the floating barricades. Abbott said Sunday that even more buoys, fencing and walls will be used to deter crossings. Homan told The Post last week how he will use the military, too, to aid in the deportations of illegal migrants. Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, said he will employ servicemen to perform “non-enforcement” duties such as providing transportation to free up more ICE agents to do field work. He said he’s ready to do battle with sanctuary cities and states such as New York that prevent local law enforcement officers from communicating with the feds on the basis of immigration status. The incoming border enforcer said harboring illegal migrants is a felony. “Don’t cross that line,” he said.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Targets Tech Platforms Over Minors' Privacy

Man City boss Guardiola has a friendly reminder

ATLANTA , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cousins Properties Incorporated (the "Company" or "Cousins") (NYSE:CUZ) announced today that its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP (the "Operating Partnership"), has priced an offering of $400 million aggregate principal amount of 5.375% senior unsecured notes due 2032 at 99.463% of the principal amount. The offering is expected to close on December 17, 2024 , subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Cousins intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund a portion of the purchase price of 601 West 2nd Street, also known as Sail Tower, an 804,000 square foot trophy lifestyle office property in Austin (the "Sail Tower Acquisition"), and the remainder to repay borrowings under its credit facility and for general corporate purposes. In the event the Sail Tower Acquisition is not completed, Cousins will use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including the acquisition and development of office properties, other opportunistic investments and the repayment of debt. The notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by the Company. J.P. Morgan, Truist Securities, US Bancorp, BofA Securities, Morgan Stanley, PNC Capital Markets LLC, TD Securities and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint book-running managers. A shelf registration statement relating to these securities is effective with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Copies of these documents may be obtained by contacting J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York , 10179, Attention: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk, 3rd Floor, telephone collect at 1-212-834-4533; Truist Securities, Inc., Attention: Prospectus Department, 303 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308, telephone: 800-685-4786, or e-mail: TruistSecurities.prospectus@Truist.com ; or U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., Attention: High Grade Syndicate, 214 North Tryon Street, 26th Floor, Charlotte, NC 28202, or by telephone at: (877) 558-2607. Electronic copies of these documents are also available from the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov . This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell the notes, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. About Cousins Properties Cousins Properties is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust ("REIT"). The Company, based in Atlanta, GA and acting through the Operating Partnership, primarily invests in Class A office buildings located in high growth Sun Belt markets. Founded in 1958, Cousins creates shareholder value through its extensive expertise in the development, acquisition, leasing, and management of high-quality real estate assets. The Company has a comprehensive strategy in place based on a simple platform, trophy assets, and opportunistic investments. Forward-Looking Statements Certain matters contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws and are subject to uncertainties and risks, as itemized in Item 1A included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2024 and September 30, 2024 . These forward-looking statements include information about the Company's possible or assumed future results of the business and the Company's financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans, and objectives. They also include, among other things, statements regarding subjects that are forward-looking by their nature, such as: guidance and underlying assumptions; business and financial strategy; future debt financings; future acquisitions and dispositions of operating assets or joint venture interests; future acquisitions and dispositions of land, including ground leases; future acquisitions of investments in real estate debt; future development and redevelopment opportunities; future issuances and repurchases of common stock, limited partnership units, or preferred stock; future distributions; projected capital expenditures; market and industry trends; future occupancy or volume and velocity of leasing activity; entry into new markets, changes in existing market concentrations, or exits from existing markets; future changes in interest rates and liquidity of capital markets; and all statements that address operating performance, events, investments, or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future — including statements relating to creating value for stockholders. Any forward-looking statements are based upon management's beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of our future performance, taking into account information that is currently available. These beliefs, assumptions, and expectations may change as a result of possible events or factors, not all of which are known. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements due to, but not limited to, the following: the availability and terms of capital and our ability to obtain and maintain financing arrangements on terms favorable to us or at all; the ability to refinance or repay indebtedness as it matures; any changes to our credit rating; the failure of purchase, sale, or other contracts to ultimately close; the failure to achieve anticipated benefits from acquisitions, developments, investments, or dispositions; the effect of common stock or operating partnership unit issuances, including those undertaken on a forward basis, which may negatively affect the market price of our common stock; the availability of buyers and pricing with respect to the disposition of assets; changes in national and local economic conditions, the real estate industry, and the commercial real estate markets in which we operate (including supply and demand changes), particularly in Atlanta , Austin , Tampa , Charlotte , Phoenix , Dallas , and Nashville , including the impact of high unemployment, volatility in the public equity and debt markets, and international economic and other conditions; threatened terrorist attacks or sociopolitical unrest such as political instability, civil unrest, armed hostilities, or political activism, which may result in a disruption of day-to-day building operations; changes to our strategy in regard to our real estate assets may require impairment to be recognized; leasing risks, including the ability to obtain new tenants or renew expiring tenants, the ability to lease newly-developed and/or recently acquired space, the failure of a tenant to commence or complete tenant improvements on schedule or to occupy leased space, and the risk of declining leasing rates; changes in the preferences of our tenants brought about by the desire for co-working arrangements, trends toward utilizing less office space per employee, and the effect of employees working remotely; any adverse change in the financial condition or liquidity of one or more of our tenants or borrowers under our real estate debt investments; volatility in interest rates (including the impact upon the effectiveness of forward interest rate contract arrangements) and insurance rates; inflation; competition from other developers or investors; the risks associated with real estate developments (such as zoning approval, receipt of required permits, construction delays, cost overruns, and leasing risk); supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and increased construction costs; risks associated with security breaches through cyberattacks, cyber intrusions or otherwise, as well as other significant disruptions of our information technology networks and related systems, which support our operations and our buildings; changes in senior management, changes in the Company's board of directors, and the loss of key personnel; the potential liability for uninsured losses, condemnation, or environmental issues; the potential liability for a failure to meet regulatory requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar laws or the impact of any investigation regarding the same; the financial condition and liquidity of, or disputes with, joint venture partners; any failure to comply with debt covenants under debt instruments and credit agreements; any failure to continue to qualify for taxation as a real estate investment trust or meet regulatory requirements; potential changes to state, local, or federal regulations applicable to our business; material changes in dividend rates on common shares or other securities or the ability to pay those dividends; potential changes to the tax laws impacting real estate investment trusts and real estate in general; risks associated with climate change and severe weather events, as well as the regulatory efforts intended to reduce the effects of climate changes and investor and public perception of our efforts to respond to the same; the impact of newly adopted accounting principles on our accounting policies and on period-to-period comparisons of financial results; risks associated with possible federal, state, local, or property tax audits; and those additional risks and environmental or other factors discussed in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company cannot guarantee the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements contained in this press release, and the Company does not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contacts Roni Imbeaux Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations 404-407-1104 rimbeaux@cousins.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cousins-properties-announces-pricing-of-senior-notes-offering-302330787.html SOURCE Cousins PropertiesBy Noam N. Levey, KFF Health News Worried that President-elect Donald Trump will curtail federal efforts to take on the nation’s medical debt problem, patient and consumer advocates are looking to states to help people who can’t afford their medical bills or pay down their debts. “The election simply shifts our focus,” said Eva Stahl, who oversees public policy at Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit that has worked closely with the Biden administration and state leaders on medical debt. “States are going to be the epicenter of policy change to mitigate the harms of medical debt.” New state initiatives may not be enough to protect Americans from medical debt if the incoming Trump administration and congressional Republicans move forward with plans to scale back federal aid that has helped millions gain health insurance or reduce the cost of their plans in recent years. Comprehensive health coverage that limits patients’ out-of-pocket costs remains the best defense against medical debt. But in the face of federal retrenchment, advocates are eyeing new initiatives in state legislatures to keep medical bills off people’s credit reports, a consumer protection that can boost credit scores and make it easier to buy a car, rent an apartment, or even get a job. Several states are looking to strengthen oversight of medical credit cards and other financial products that can leave patients paying high interest rates on top of their medical debt. Related Articles Some states are also exploring new ways to compel hospitals to bolster financial aid programs to help their patients avoid sinking into debt. “There’s an enormous amount that states can do,” said Elisabeth Benjamin, who leads health care initiatives at the nonprofit Community Service Society of New York. “Look at what’s happened here.” New York state has enacted several laws in recent years to rein in hospital debt collections and to expand financial aid for patients, often with support from both Democrats and Republicans in the legislature. “It doesn’t matter the party. No one likes medical debt,” Benjamin said. Other states that have enacted protections in recent years include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. Many measures picked up bipartisan support. President Joe Biden’s administration has proved to be an ally in state efforts to control health care debt. Such debt burdens 100 million people in the United States, a KFF Health News investigation found . Led by Biden appointee Rohit Chopra, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has made medical debt a priority , going after aggressive collectors and exposing problematic practices across the medical debt industry. Earlier this year, the agency proposed landmark regulations to remove medical bills from consumer credit scores. The White House also championed legislation to boost access to government-subsidized health insurance and to cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, both key bulwarks against medical debt. Trump hasn’t indicated whether his administration will move ahead with the CFPB credit reporting rule, which was slated to be finalized early next year. Congressional Republicans, who will control the House and Senate next year, have blasted the proposal as regulatory overreach that will compromise the value of credit reports. And Elon Musk, the billionaire whom Trump has tapped to lead his initiative to shrink government, last week called for the elimination of the watchdog agency . “Delete CFPB,” Musk posted on X. If the CFPB withdraws the proposed regulation, states could enact their own rules, following the lead of Colorado, New York, and other states that have passed credit reporting bans since 2023. Advocates in Massachusetts are pushing the legislature there to take up a ban when it reconvenes in January. “There are a lot of different levers that states have to take on medical debt,” said April Kuehnhoff, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, which has helped lead national efforts to expand debt protections for patients. Kuehnhoff said she expects more states to crack down on medical credit card providers and other companies that lend money to patients to pay off medical bills, sometimes at double-digit interest rates. Under the Biden administration, the CFPB has been investigating patient financing companies amid warnings that many people may not understand that signing up for a medical credit card such as CareCredit or enrolling in a payment plan through a financial services company can pile on more debt. If the CFPB efforts stall under Trump, states could follow the lead of California, New York, and Illinois, which have all tightened rules governing patient lending in recent years. Consumer advocates say states are also likely to continue expanding efforts to get hospitals to provide more financial assistance to reduce or eliminate bills for low- and middle-income patients, a key protection that can keep people from slipping into debt. Hospitals historically have not made this aid readily available, prompting states such as California, Colorado, and Washington to set stronger standards to ensure more patients get help with bills they can’t afford. This year, North Carolina also won approval from the Biden administration to withhold federal funding from hospitals in the state unless they agreed to expand financial assistance. In Georgia, where state government is entirely in Republican control, officials have been discussing new measures to get hospitals to provide more assistance to patients. “When we talk about hospitals putting profits over patients, we get lots of nodding in the legislature from Democrats and Republicans,” said Liz Coyle, executive director of Georgia Watch, a consumer advocacy nonprofit. Many advocates caution, however, that state efforts to bolster patient protections will be critically undermined if the Trump administration cuts federal funding for health insurance programs such as Medicaid and the insurance marketplaces established through the Affordable Care Act. Trump and congressional Republicans have signaled their intent to roll back federal subsidies passed under Biden that make health plans purchased on ACA marketplaces more affordable. That could hike annual premiums by hundreds or even thousands of dollars for many enrollees, according to estimates by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank. And during Trump’s first term, he backed efforts in Republican-led states to restrict enrollment in their Medicaid safety net programs through rules that would require people to work in order to receive benefits. GOP state leaders in Idaho, Louisiana, and other states have expressed a desire to renew such efforts. “That’s all a recipe for more medical debt,” said Stahl, of Undue Medical Debt. Jessica Altman, who heads the Covered California insurance marketplace, warned that federal cuts will imperil initiatives in her state that have limited copays and deductibles and curtailed debt for many state residents. “States like California that have invested in critical affordable programs for our residents will face tough decisions,” she said. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Malik Nabers has extremely harsh criticism of GiantsManipur needs immediate peace, understanding between two communities: CM N Biren SinghBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators approved permits Thursday for underground storage of carbon dioxide delivered through a massive pipeline proposed for the Midwest, marking another victory for a project that has drawn fierce opposition from landowners. The governor-led Industrial Commission voted unanimously to approve permits for Summit Carbon Solutions’ three proposed storage sites in central North Dakota. Summit says construction of the project would begin in 2026 with operations beginning in 2027, but it’s expected that resistant landowners will file lawsuits seeking to block the storage plans. “With these permits, we’re one step closer to providing vital infrastructure that benefits farmers, ethanol producers, and communities across the Midwest," Summit Executive VP Wade Boeshans said in a statement. People are also reading... Summit’s proposed 2,500-mile (4,023-kilometer), $8 billion pipeline would transport planet-warming CO2 emissions from 57 ethanol plants in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska for underground storage. Carbon dioxide would move through the pipeline in a pressurized form to be injected deep underground into a rock formation. The company has permits for its route in North Dakota and Iowa but can’t yet begin construction. Also on Thursday, Minnesota regulators approved a permit for a 28-mile (45-kilometer) leg of the project in western Minnesota. Summit also recently applied in South Dakota, where regulators denied the company’s previous application last year. Last month, the company gained approval for its North Dakota route , and Iowa regulators also have given conditional approval. Summit faces several lawsuits related to the project, including a North Dakota Supreme Court appeal over a property rights law related to the underground storage plan. Further court challenges are likely. North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, who chairs the Industrial Commission, is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Interior Secretary and to lead a new National Energy Council. Burgum has frequently touted North Dakota's underground carbon dioxide storage as a “geologic jackpot.” In 2021, he set a goal for the No. 3 oil-producing state to be carbon-neutral by 2030. His term ends Saturday. Summit's storage facilities would hold an estimated maximum of 352 million metric tons of CO2 over 20 years. The pipeline would carry up to 18 million metric tons of CO2 per year to be injected about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) underground, according to an application fact sheet. Jessie Stolark, who leads a group that supports the project and includes Summit, said the oil industry has long used similar technology. “We know that this can be done safely in a manner that is protective of human health and underground sources of drinking water,” said Stolark, executive director of the Carbon Capture Coalition. Summit's project has drawn the ire of landowners around the region. They oppose the potential taking of their property for the pipeline and fear a pipeline rupture releasing a cloud of heavy, hazardous gas over the land. A North Dakota landowners group is challenging a property rights law related to the underground storage, and attorney Derrick Braaten said they likely would challenge the granting of permits. “The landowners that I'm working with aren't necessarily opposed to carbon sequestration itself,” Braaten said. “They're opposed to the idea that a private company can come in and use their property without having to negotiate with them or pay them just compensation for taking their private property and using it.” Carbon capture projects such as Summit's are eligible for lucrative federal tax credits intended to encourage cleaner-burning ethanol and potentially result in corn-based ethanol being refined into jet fuel. Some opponents argue the amount of greenhouse gases sequestered through the process would make little difference and could lead farmers to grow more corn despite environmental concerns about the crop. In Minnesota, regulators granted a route permit that would connect an ethanol plant in Fergus Falls to Summit’s broader network. They attached several conditions, including requirements that Summit first begin construction in North Dakota. An administrative law judge who conducted hearings concluded in November that the environmental impacts from the Minnesota segment would be minimal and noted that Summit has secured agreements from landowners along most of the recommended route. Environmental groups that oppose the project disputed the judge’s finding that the project would have a net benefit for the environment. Iowa regulators required Summit to obtain approvals for routes in the Dakotas and underground storage in North Dakota before it can begin construction in Iowa. The Iowa Utilities Commission's approval sparked lawsuits related to the project. In Nebraska, where there is no state regulatory process for CO2 pipelines, Summit is working with individual counties to advance its project. At least one county has denied a permit. Karnowski reported from Minneapolis. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk ( NYSE:TLK – Get Free Report )’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $15.68, but opened at $16.10. Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk shares last traded at $16.00, with a volume of 133,184 shares traded. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on TLK Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk Trading Up 1.6 % Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TLK. DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk by 57.6% during the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 57,386 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 20,982 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 42,484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 10,070 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 4,870 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk by 24.6% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 12,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 2,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk in the 3rd quarter worth $338,000. About Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk ( Get Free Report ) Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk provides information and communications technology, and telecommunications network services worldwide. The company operates through mobile, consumer, enterprise, Wholesale and International Business, and Other segments. The Mobile segment offers mobile voice, SMS, value added services, and mobile broadband services. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .For over a century, YWCA Clinton has been committed to the health and well-being of our senior community. As Medicare open enrollment comes to an end, we are honoring this commitment with our continued partnership with well-known fitness programs SilverSneakers, Renew Active, and Silver&Fit to provide fitness memberships to eligible seniors at no cost. YWCA Clinton urges seniors to not let their free membership go to waste. 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