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Where to watch UT vs. A&M: Looking ahead to matchup this Thanksgiving weekend
Editor’s note: This is one of a series of articles profiling area agencies that help the needy.KINGSTON, N.Y. — Donations made to Ulster County Community Action this holiday season will assist displaced families from throughout Ulster and Sullivan counties who are housed at motels. Many of them received Thanksgiving turkey dinners from the agency earlier [...]
Nellore (Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 30 (ANI): Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA and former minister Somireddy Chandra Mohan Reddy criticized former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of hiking electricity charges ten times during his tenure. He described the YSR Congress Party's (YSRCP) recent protests against electricity hikes as a "shameful" act. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Woman Gives Birth to Child at Makeshift Hospital in Mahakumbh Nagar (See Pics). Notably, leaders of the YSRCP organised protests across Andhra Pradesh on Friday against the alleged "steep hikes" in electricity charges. Reddy claimed that by the time the YSRCP government steps down, the state would be left with a power deficit of 22.5 million units. "Jagan has increased electricity charges ten times in these five years. By the time the YSRCP government steps down, it will have left a power deficit of 22.5 million units. Jagan has pushed the state into ruin through corruption and bribery. He approved electricity-related decisions without cabinet approval," said Somireddy Chandra Mohan Reddy. Also Read | Akash Sagar, Social Media Influencer, Will Be Arrested Soon for Chanting 'Siya Ram Jai Jai Ram' Inside Church in East Khasi Hills, Say Meghalaya Police (Watch Video). "While the entire country opposed the installation of smart meters for agriculture, the YSRCP implemented them in Andhra Pradesh. After committing so many irregularities in the power sector, staging a protest related to electricity is shameful," he further alleged. Additionally, Reddy praised the current government led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its chief, CM Chandrababu Naidu, for working to reduce financial burdens on the public in relation to electricity charges. "Chandrababu is working towards reducing future electricity burdens on the public. A Crime Investigation Department (CID) investigation should be conducted into the Aurobindo coal supply issue," said Reddy. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)How to protect your communications through encryption
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Is Optimism Too Optimistic For 2025?A recent study that recommended toxic chemicals in black plastic products be immediately thrown away included a math error that significantly overstated the risks of contamination, but its authors are standing by their conclusions and warn against using such products. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Chemosphere , experts from the nonprofit Toxic-Free Future said they detected flame retardants and other toxic chemicals in 85% of 203 items made of black plastic including kitchen utensils , take-out containers, children's toys and hair accessories. In a blog post, Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada, explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. (Dreamstime/TNS) The study initially said the potential exposure to chemicals found in one of the kitchen utensils approached the minimum levels the Environmental Protection Agency deemed a health risk. But in an update to the study, the authors say they made an error in their calculations and the real levels were "an order of magnitude lower" than the EPA's thresholds. The error was discovered by Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada. In a blog post, Schwarcz explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. Though Schwarcz said the risks outlined in the study aren't enough for him to discard his black plastic kitchen items if he had them, he agreed with the authors that flame retardants shouldn't be in these products in the first place. "The math error does not impact the study's findings, conclusions or recommendations," said Megan Liu, a co-author of the study who is the science and policy manager for Toxic-Free Future . She added that any traces of flame retardants or toxic chemicals in cooking utensils should be concerning for the public. Flame retardants are getting into commonly used items because black-colored products are being made from recycled electronic waste, such as discarded television sets and computers, that frequently contain the additives. When they're heated, the flame retardants and other toxic chemicals can migrate out. If you're wondering whether your old black plastic spoon or other utensils are a part of this group, Liu shared some more guidance. It's nearly impossible to know whether a black plastic product is contaminated. That's because these products that include recycled e-waste don't disclose a detailed list of all ingredients and contaminants in the product. Liu said it's also unclear how many types of flame retardants are in these black plastic products. Some of the products that researchers tested in this recent study "had up to nine different harmful chemicals and harmful flame retardants in them," she said. Anytime you're looking for the type of recycled plastic a product is made of you're going to look for a number within the chasing arrows (that form a triangle) logo. Recycling symbols are numbered 1 to 7 and we commonly associate the numbers with what we can toss in our blue recycling bins. The 1 through 7 numbers stand for, respectively, polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene or Styrofoam, and miscellaneous plastics (including polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene, fiberglass and nylon). The study found higher levels of toxic flame retardants in polystyrene plastic, which is labeled with the number 6, said Liu. There isn't a definitive timeline of when recycled electronic-waste started to be incorporated into black plastic products specifically, but e-waste started to get recycled in the early 2000s, Liu said. The way computers, cellphones, stereos, printers and copiers were being disposed of previously was to simply add them to a landfill without reusing salvageable parts. But as the National Conference of State Legislatures notes, electronics production required a significant amount of resources that could be recovered through recycling. Recovering resources such as metals, plastics and glass through recycling used a fraction of the energy needed to mine new materials. However, the study pointed out that flame retardants and other chemical contaminates have been detected in and near e-waste recycling facilities, in indoor air and dust at formal e-waste recycling facilities in Canada, China, Spain and the U.S. It also noted contamination in soil samples surrounding e-waste recycling sites in China and Vietnam. The safest nontoxic material options for kitchen utensil are wood and stainless steel. The 20th century brought airplanes, radio, television, the internet, and plastic. Lots of plastic. That plastic is now showing up on shorelines, forming islands in oceans, and generating mountains of translucent trash on land. Around 700 species of animals in the sea have been found to interact with plastic daily. Companies across every industry face pressure to reduce the amount of plastic they produce. Seventy-two percent of the world's largest have made voluntary commitments to reduce their plastic waste, according to a Duke University analysis. One industry, in particular, has greatly benefited from advancements in single-use plastic technology: the medical industry. Only in recent years have businesses and academics in the field begun to talk about minimizing their impact on our environment like beverage manufacturers and other consumer goods-producing businesses. Medical Technology Schools analyzed academic studies published in the National Library of Medicine , the American Medical Association , and news reports to shed light on the medical community's use of plastics through history, their environmental problems, and proposed solutions to reduce their impact. And the impact can be significant. A single hospital patient generates nearly 34 pounds of waste a day —as much as a quarter of it is plastic. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened the problem. The pandemic pushed hospital capacity to the brink and led to a massive increase in personal protective equipment and medical supply usage. Medical-grade masks and other protective equipment like face shields, made mostly of nonrenewable plastics, were in high demand. In 2020, the World Health Organization estimated that the international need for PPE manufacturing would boost 40% to address the public health crisis. Hospitals needed an estimated 89 million masks, 76 million gloves, and 1.6 million goggles every month of the pandemic. To date, nearly 677 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, each requiring their own plastic syringe, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan estimated that the U.S. would produce a year's worth of medical waste in just two months due to the pandemic. The World Economic Forum warned that the COVID-19 crisis threatened to " stall and even reverse progress " to reduce large plastic waste. It's a challenge researchers acknowledge today as they search for solutions. Plastics introduced an era of ultraconvenience to the world. It makes our clothes. It's made bike helmets and airbags possible. And it's a cheap material to produce, meaning it's cheap for consumers too. Almost as importantly, it's durable and incredibly easy to make into complex shapes—a trait that helped plastics invented in the mid-20th century quickly replace more expensive metal and wooden goods. That adoption extended to the medical field, where the single-use nature of plastics represented a move toward more hygienic tools for physicians and hospitals. But it wasn't plastic's sanitary qualities that the industry first latched onto. Like so many other technical advancements, convenience and cost were the initial driving factors. That they were more conducive to creating a sterile environment for patients was a benefit that health care began to tout closer to the end of the 20th century. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, replaced glass bottles previously used to hold IV solution and replaced rubber tubing used throughout hospital settings. Plastic has also become the go-to material for making syringes and catheters. Plastic products are generally made from chemicals derived from the oil and natural gas refining process. Chemists use those byproducts to create synthetic materials with malleable and durable chemical structures. The low cost of these materials has helped medical device-makers support better health outcomes for communities across the U.S. since the 1900s. No longer was health care priced at rates only the elite could afford—it was accessible to a much larger swath of the public. In the last decade, the U.S., in particular, has emerged as a massive market for medical plastics. The country generally accounts for nearly half of the global market for medical devices. Plastic's durability is not only a benefit but a detriment to the environment, as the material can take many years to deteriorate when it enters landfills or trashes oceans. Estimates vary widely, but scientists ballpark that depending on the kind of plastic and the environment in which it decomposes, it could take dozens to thousands of years to break down entirely. COVID-19, which remains a burden for health care systems, isn't the only force raising the stakes for a health care industry pressured to reduce reliance on plastics or find ways to reuse them. Global annual production of plastic has doubled in the last two decades , according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As the U.S. looks toward the future, its aging population is another factor that could exacerbate the rate at which medical plastics end up in landfills. People require more medical care as they age, and aging baby boomers are expected to place increased demand on the medical device industry. At the same time, governments are under pressure to lower health care costs, which have become unaffordable even for those insured . As recently as 2021, researchers lamented a lack of data on efforts to recycle medical plastics. Around 350 hospitals participate in Practice Greenhealth's Environmental Excellence Awards . Practice Greenhealth is an organization working to help hospitals increase their sustainability. It's one of the few sources of hospital sustainability data, and its roster of participating hospitals represents a small fraction of the more than 6,000 hospitals operating in the U.S. To meet the need to reduce plastic waste generation, some hospitals are moving away from using plastic in certain applications. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center replaced health care workers' disposable plastic isolation gowns with reusable cloth gowns at its hospitals in the last decade, saving money and preventing literal tons of medical waste. It also implemented a process for sterilizing and incinerating the boxes that hold used needles, allowing them to be reassembled and reused in a health care setting. Recycling plastic medical waste is complicated by the potential for contamination and the need to separate contaminated and noncontaminated waste; once separated, they can be broken down with heat or treated with chemicals and reprocessed. However, using chemical methods to break down and dispose of plastics has drawbacks. Over 200 nongovernmental organizations signed a letter in 2023 urging the Biden administration to end federal support for methods like these, arguing they generate toxic pollutants. The Vinyl Council of Australia is working with hospitals to recover used materials made of PVC . The materials are broken down into tiny pieces, washed and heated at high temperatures, and remade into things used outside medical settings. In the U.S. and Europe, there's the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, a coalition of companies working in the health care device space that includes DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic. In 2021, the HPRC, advised by professionals at Kaiser Permanente and other health systems, rolled out a medical waste recycling pilot project with hopes of scaling it across more hospitals. Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on Medical Technology Schools and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week!If you’re on a routine for putting your trash cans out, you might want to take a second look at your calendar. The City of Sarnia is modifying its waste collection schedule to optimize garbage pickup, and pivoting from picking up Christmas trees at curbside, to disposing of them at a central location. As of January 6, yard waste will be pivoting to a bi-weekly schedule in alternating zones from April to December, and routes will be changed to optimize pick-up and reduce collection delays. There will be some zones where the change will create a three-week delay in delivery – this will then mean that those select areas will receive one additional pickup to reduce that gap. You can visit the city’s website to make sure that you know your collection day and/or zone change. Shopping Trends The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us. 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Toronto man accused of posing as surgeon, performing cosmetic procedures on several women A 29-year-old Toronto man has been charged after allegedly posing as a surgeon and providing cosmetic procedures on several women. W5 Investigates | 'I never took part in beheadings': Canadian ISIS sniper has warning about future of terror group An admitted Canadian ISIS sniper held in one of northeast Syria’s highest-security prisons has issued a stark warning about the potential resurgence of the terror group. Is a phone for your kid on the holiday shopping list? Read this first Many families may be considering giving their children their first device with direct access to the internet and social media, but there are some concerns. Poilievre suggests Trudeau is too weak to engage with Trump, Ford won't go there While federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has taken aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week, calling him too 'weak' to engage with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declined to echo the characterization in an exclusive Canadian broadcast interview set to air this Sunday on CTV's Question Period. Bruce the tiny Vancouver parrot lands internet fame with abstract art Mononymous painter Bruce has carved a lucrative niche on social media with his abstract artworks, crafted entirely from the colourful juices of fruits. Why this Toronto man ran so a giant stickman could dance Colleagues would ask Duncan McCabe if he was training for a marathon, but, really, the 32-year-old accountant was committing multiple hours of his week, for 10 months, to stylistically run on the same few streets in Toronto's west end with absolutely no race in mind. It was all for the sake of creating a seconds-long animation of a dancing stickman for Strava. Former Ont. teacher charged with sexually assaulting a teen nearly 50 years ago A senior from Clearview Township faces charges in connection with an investigation into a sexual assault involving a teen nearly 50 years ago. It's time for a good movie this holiday season, here's what's new in theatres This holiday season has a special edition at the theatres with movies "that everyone has been waiting for," says a movie expert from Ottawa. Kitchener SIU invokes mandate after OPP-involved shooting on Highway 401 in Cambridge Highway 401, through Kitchener, was brought to a standstill Friday due to an investigation by Ontario Provincial Police. Family of Guelph, Ont. man killed in B.C. crash pushing for case review The family of a Guelph, Ont. man who was killed in a car crash in British Columbia is pushing for a review of the case, after learning about the charge that a driver involved is now facing. Region of Waterloo considers reducing, and even cutting, some services to keep tax increase down The Region of Waterloo is considering reducing or eliminating some services in an effort to lower the potential 2025 tax increase. Barrie Snow closes portion of Highway 11 OPP have closed a segment of Highway 11 in South Muskoka due to unsafe driving conditions caused by weather. Muskoka declares significant weather event The District Municipality of Muskoka has declared a significant weather event in response to the snow that continues to fall in the region. Road closed for 'suspicious' structure fire Emergency crews tended to a structure fire in Tottenham Saturday morning that has been deemed suspicious. Windsor Bright Lights Windsor opens it's 2024 display with a splash The cold couldn't keep hundreds from attending Friday night's opening of Bright Lights Windsor. The annual tradition returns this year with several new features. Firearms offender arrested in Windsor after violating conditions of release Just a month after being released from jail on firearm related charges, a Windsor man has been arrested once more. Windsor Spitfires outshoot Guelph on the road, but can't secure a win An uphill battle for the visitors, they outshot Guelph 43-27 but just couldn’t get it in the net, losing the game 6-2. Northern Ontario Saultites keep digging as the snow keeps falling Snowfall in Sault Ste. Marie seemed to be delayed this year, but the cruel joke by Mother Nature saw a single dump make up for weeks of fall-like weather. Canadian team told Trump's tariffs unavoidable in short term in surprise Mar-a-Lago meeting During a surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago, representatives of the federal government were told U.S. tariffs from the incoming Donald Trump administration cannot be avoided in the immediate term, two government sources tell CTV News. Man fined $10K for abandoning homemade barge in Lake Nipissing A man from Lavigne, Ont., has been fined $10,000 for abandoning a homemade barge in Lake Nipissing. Sault Ste. Marie Saultites keep digging as the snow keeps falling Snowfall in Sault Ste. Marie seemed to be delayed this year, but the cruel joke by Mother Nature saw a single dump make up for weeks of fall-like weather. Two arrested following shooting on Manitoulin Island The Manitoulin detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police have two people in custody following a shooting incident in Wikwemikong Unceded Territory on Thursday. Another 60 cm of snow possible in the Sault as severe weather continues Closures and cancellations are piling up in Sault Ste. Marie as a major winter storm continues for another day Friday. Ottawa New plan in the making to free cargo ship stuck in St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont. A new plan to free the Tim S. Dool, a large cargo ship that ran aground on a shoal along the St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont. on Saturday is expected to be finalized early next week. It's time for a good movie this holiday season, here's what's new in theatres This holiday season has a special edition at the theatres with movies "that everyone has been waiting for," says a movie expert from Ottawa. Canadian Army vehicles on roads and highways in the Ottawa area starting this weekend Attention eastern Ontario drivers! You may see an increased number of Canadian Army vehicles on roads and highways in the Ottawa area starting this weekend, warns the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Toronto Toronto man accused of posing as surgeon, performing cosmetic procedures on several women A 29-year-old Toronto man has been charged after allegedly posing as a surgeon and providing cosmetic procedures on several women. Why this Toronto man ran so a giant stickman could dance Colleagues would ask Duncan McCabe if he was training for a marathon, but, really, the 32-year-old accountant was committing multiple hours of his week, for 10 months, to stylistically run on the same few streets in Toronto's west end with absolutely no race in mind. It was all for the sake of creating a seconds-long animation of a dancing stickman for Strava. 'A huge, huge hit:' Ontario would be disproportionately impacted by Trump’s proposed tariffs, expert says If U.S. President-elect Donald Trump follows through on a threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports, Ontario will likely see the brunt of the impact, a business professor at Carleton University says. Montreal Buying a home? Here's everything you need to know about Quebec's 'welcome' tax Anyone who has bought a home in Quebec knows the rollercoaster high of making that big, life-changing purchase – and the sudden crash that occurs when the welcome tax bill comes in the mail, alongside its 30-day payment deadline. Montreal researchers make breakthrough discovery in fighting HIV Researchers in Montreal have made a breakthrough discovery in HIV research by finding a way to expel the virus from its hiding places and destroy it. Cyclist injured in collision near Jacques-Cartier Bridge Montreal police (SPVM) say that a cyclist was struck by a vehicle on an access ramp to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge in Ville-Marie on Saturday morning. Atlantic Man charged after Halifax high school placed in hold and secure A man has been charged after a high school in Halifax was placed in hold and secure Friday morning. Teen arrested in connection with weapons call at Fredericton High School Fredericton Police Force arrested a 14-year-old boy Thursday in relation to a weapons call at Fredericton High School. Singer-Songwriter Aaron Goodvin says ‘thank you’ to Atlantic Canadians with east coast tour Singer-songwriter Aaron Goodvin catches up with CTV's Katie Kelly during a quick stop on his east coast tour. Winnipeg True North officially buys Portage Place Mall True North Real Estate Development (TNRED) has officially purchased Portage Place Mall. Parts of southwestern Manitoba under extreme cold warning, temperatures could feel like -40 Much of southwestern Manitoba is under an extreme cold warning as the wind chill could make temperatures feel close to minus 40. 'Very alarming:' Online scams spike during the holidays Shoppers are out looking for the best deals on gifts for their loved ones. However, the RCMP and the Better Business Bureau are warning people that the deals they’re seeing online might be too good to be true. Calgary Man who died trying to help stranded motorist identified as Khalid Farooq, father of 5 The man who lost his life trying to help a stranded motorist Wednesday has been identified as Khalid Farooq. Cautious optimism? Alberta energy sector prepping for a turbulent 2025 Energy sector leaders say they're happy with how 2024 went but fear the stretch of good fortune could end in 2025. Stampeders locker room sale offers helmets, game-worn jerseys The Calgary Stampeders are cleaning out their lockers Saturday and giving fans an opportunity to own some game-worn gear. Edmonton Canadian team told Trump's tariffs unavoidable in short term in surprise Mar-a-Lago meeting During a surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago, representatives of the federal government were told U.S. tariffs from the incoming Donald Trump administration cannot be avoided in the immediate term, two government sources tell CTV News. Massage therapist charged in connection with sexual assault at Mill Woods clinic An Edmonton massage therapist has been charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident earlier this year. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scores in OT to lift Oilers to 4-3 win over Utah Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored 1:18 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-3 on Friday night. Regina Regina's LED volume wall leaving Sask. months after opening Less than a year after an LED volume wall was introduced to the film world in Saskatchewan, the equipment is making its exit from the province. Over 400 volunteers play a part in 2024 Canadian Western Agribition As the Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) comes to s close, organizers are celebrating the volunteers who have helped make the event a success over the years. Jury sequestered to find verdict in sexual assault trial against Regina chiropractor Justice Janet McMurtry sequestered a 12-person jury to determine a verdict against Regina-based chiropractor Ruben Manz. Saskatoon Saskatoon priest accused of sexual assault says he meant to encourage young girl with hug and kiss A Saskatoon priest accused of sexual assault says he meant to encourage and reassure a young girl when he hugged and kissed during his testimony at Saskatoon Provincial Court Friday. One dead, two injured in Sask. highway collision A 61-year-old man was killed and two others were taken to hospital following a collision between an SUV and a truck near Prince Albert on Friday night. Saskatoon temporary smudge location to be taken down While the City of Saskatoon says it granted a temporary permit for smudging and a ceremonial open fire, that expired at 6p.m. Tuesday night. Vancouver Bruce the tiny Vancouver parrot lands internet fame with abstract art Mononymous painter Bruce has carved a lucrative niche on social media with his abstract artworks, crafted entirely from the colourful juices of fruits. Canadian team told Trump's tariffs unavoidable in short term in surprise Mar-a-Lago meeting During a surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago, representatives of the federal government were told U.S. tariffs from the incoming Donald Trump administration cannot be avoided in the immediate term, two government sources tell CTV News. Are scented candles bad for you? What the science says Concerns about the safety of candles are rooted in the chemical reactions that occur when you burn them, as well as in the artificial fragrances and colorants that contribute to the various scents you may love. Vancouver Island Yuletide festivities help kick off holiday season in Greater Victoria Greater Victoria has a host of yuletide festivities this weekend for residents ready to kick off the holiday season. Supreme Court clears way for B.C. to include other governments in opioid lawsuit B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma says a Supreme Court of Canada victory has cleared a "pathway" for governments across the country to go after opioid makers and distributors for damages arising from the opioid crisis. Study of 2023 Okanagan wildfires recommends limiting development in high-risk areas A study into the devastating wildfires that struck British Columbia's Okanagan region in 2023 has recommended that government and industry limit development in high-fire-risk areas. Stay Connected
Iceland votes for a new parliament amid disagreements on immigration, energy policy and the economy
We have much to be thankful for this year. One of those things is the defeat of Proposition 5, which would have made it easier to raise property taxes. Affecting homes, apartment buildings and commercial real estate, Prop. 5 would have burdened Californians with a higher cost of housing and a higher cost of living. We can all be grateful that voters resoundingly said no to that. It is also a good reminder of why we Californians should be thankful for Proposition 13, the 1978 initiative that put sensible limits on increases in property taxes, and put those limits into the state constitution. Prior to Proposition 13, property taxes were out of control. The tax rate throughout California averaged 2.67% of assessed value, and assessed value was regularly updated to match current market value. As inflation and market factors pushed property values higher and higher, homeowners received property tax bills based on their “paper profits,” with no limits on annual increases. Some properties were reassessed 50 to 100 percent higher in just one year, so their owners’ tax bills skyrocketed, often beyond the homeowners’ ability to pay. In one year in Los Angeles County alone, 400,000 people had not paid their property tax because they didn’t have the money, running the risk of being forced out of their homes. Retired people on fixed incomes were among the hardest hit. Many had paid off their mortgages yet faced losing their homes because they couldn’t afford the annual property tax bill. Then, just as millions of Californians were at risk of being driven out of their homes, Howard Jarvis gathered more than 1.5 million signatures to qualify a statewide initiative that would finally end excessive taxation and protect the security of property ownership — Proposition 13. An overwhelming majority of Californian voters voted for Proposition 13 despite a campaign of scare tactics. It turned out that nothing scared Californians more than opening their property tax bill. Proposition 13 made property taxes predictable and manageable. First, Prop. 13 cut the property tax rate from a statewide average of 2.67% down to 1%. To this day, even new homeowners are saving money compared to what they would have been paying. Check out the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s calculator at GuessingGame.org for a look at how much you’d be paying in annual property taxes if Prop. 13 had never passed. Second, it limits the annual increase in assessed value to the rate of inflation, capped at 2%. Under Prop. 13, even if a property doubles in market value in a single year, its “taxable value,” against which the assessor applies the 1% tax rate, can only be increased a maximum of 2% per year. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Gavin Newsom should stop showboating and just do his job as governor of California Opinion Columnists | Will Trump double down on or fix Biden’s antitrust insanity? Opinion Columnists | Rafael Perez: Americans really need to relax and stop taking national politics so seriously Opinion Columnists | Elon Musk gets it: America’s legal immigration process need to change Opinion Columnists | Susan Shelley: The mundane reality of UFOs Third, Prop. 13 requires reassessment of property when it changes hands. This provides local governments with a stable and predictable source of tax revenue, which has grown virtually every year since 1978 in percentages that exceed inflation and population growth. Proposition 13 also protected taxpayers by requiring a two-thirds vote of the state legislature to raise taxes and by giving Californians the right to vote on local tax increases, with a two-thirds vote required to pass certain tax hikes. The two-thirds vote is particularly critical when it comes to property taxes. Because people can lose their homes if they can’t pay the property tax bill, the vote threshold must be higher than a simple majority of voters, many of whom are voting on a tax they won’t personally have to pay, at least not directly. It’s this two-thirds protection that Proposition 5 attempted to destroy. It’s hard enough to pay the bills in this state without politicians trying to raise taxes in every election. We’re thankful that Proposition 13 is protecting Californians, every day. Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
— BIRTH NAME: James Earl Carter, Jr. — BORN: Oct. 1, 1924, at the Wise Clinic in Plains, Georgia, the first U.S. president born in a hospital. He would become the first president to live for an entire century . — EDUCATION: Plains High School, Plains, Georgia, 1939-1941; Georgia Southwestern College, Americus, Georgia, 1941-1942; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 1942-1943; U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, 1943-1946 (class of 1947); Union College, Schenectady, New York, 1952-1953. — PRESIDENCY: Sworn-in as 39th president of the United States at the age of 52 years, 3 months and 20 days on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. Left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. — POST-PRESIDENCY: Launched The Carter Center in 1982. Began volunteering at Habitat for Humanity in 1984. Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Taught for 37 years at Emory University, where he was granted tenure in 2019, at age 94. — OTHER ELECTED OFFICES: Georgia state senator, 1963-1967; Georgia governor, 1971-1975. — OTHER OCCUPATIONS: Served in U.S. Navy, achieved rank of lieutenant, 1946-53; Farmer, warehouseman, Plains, Georgia, 1953-77. — FAMILY: Wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter , married July 7, 1946 until her death Nov. 19, 2023. They had three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff); a daughter, Amy Lynn; and 11 living grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Source: Jimmy Carter Library & MuseumPatrick Stewart's first act as Rangers chief executive could be to sack Philippe Clement By STEPHEN MCGOWAN Published: 22:00, 25 November 2024 | Updated: 22:00, 25 November 2024 e-mail View comments Following his departure from Manchester United in April, Patrick Stewart took some time to travel and recharge his batteries. After 18 seasons of overseeing legal affairs at Old Trafford, the Aberdonian travelled to Germany to support Scotland at Euro 2024. In the parlance of professional football, he spent some time with the family. Day one at Rangers could make all of that feel like a distant mirage if he is faced with the most difficult decision any football chief executive has to make. Sharing a name with a famous actor has its downside and Stewart has spent most of his adult life batting away the Star Trek humour which followed news of his return to football as the replacement for James Bisgrove. He can expect more of that if his new employers come up short against Ange Postecoglou ’s Tottenham on December 12 then lose the Premier Sports Cup final to Celtic at Hampden three days later. By the time he’d reached the top of the marble staircase, briefcase in hand, Stewart would be under pressure to go boldly where so many of the occupants of the Ibrox hotseat have gone before by dismissing a manager before lunchtime. Patrick Stewart will take over as Rangers CEO the day after their League Cup final against Celtic Clement's position as Rangers manager would become impossible if they lose at Hampden While a start date of December 16 might disassociate the new man from guilt by association with two precarious fixtures, it won’t insulate him from the toxic fall-out if results go badly. He’d be straight in at the deep end, facing calls to axe Philippe Clement with immediate effect. A 1-1 draw with Dundee United on Saturday only added to the clamour for the Belgian’s removal. Eleven points behind Celtic in the Premiership, with no evidence of a pattern of play, a tactical vision or forward momentum, supporters have seen enough now. On Sunday night, Whatsapp rumours swept Glasgow suggesting Clement and Rangers had parted company by mutual consent. They were inaccurate — they usually are — but the blaze ignited quickly because the situation is now flammable. Most now regard Clement’s exit as a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. The progress of his first season in charge is now a distant memory. Despite moments of individual quality from the likes of Vaclav Cerny and Nedim Bajrami, all that talk of improvement and progress fools no one these days. The team is now going backwards and, while the imminent arrival of a new chief executive and permanent chairman will bring more stability to the boardroom, the men in grey suits can’t put the ball in the net or stop the opposition doing the same. Malcolm Offord looks set to be named as Rangers' non-executive chairman in the weeks ahead Clement has yet to win a game against Celtic in five attempts. And defeat in the first showpiece final of the season at Hampden would render his position impossible. More so if the defeat is as convincing as the 3-0 humbling at Parkhead in September. It’s not impossible that Rangers will win at Hampden. While a long-awaited victory over Celtic would bring respite and relief, the title already looks too far gone. And, to deliver the financial equilibrium Rangers need off the pitch, Stewart really needs a manager capable of winning games and trophies on it. Champions League football is critical. He won’t be expected to do it all on his own. Malcolm Offord — Lord Offord of Garvel to give him his Sunday name — is expected to be named as the Rangers non-executive chairman in the coming weeks, replacing interim incumbent John Gilligan. Read More Rangers confirm appointment of former Man United man as chief executive officer six months after his predecessor's departure A political heavyweight with the clout to corral boardroom factions, Offord will work closely with the new CEO and, if the two men decide that Clement has to go, it’s their job to find a replacement. For that reason alone, it made sense to delay a decision on the manager until they were in the building. Like Michael Nicholson at Celtic, Stewart stems from a legal background and sees no value in being a front-of-house figure, courting journalists. Ask colleagues who cover Manchester United what they know about his background and the response is a shrug of the shoulders. Growing up in the Granite City, supporting his local team, Stewart was part of UEFA’s Champions League marketing agency for five years. He then moved to Old Trafford as the club’s first General Counsel in March 2006, the attraction of working with Sir Alex Ferguson too strong to resist. A graduate of Glasgow University, he built up the legal function from scratch. One of the first in-house lawyers at an English top-flight club, he was responsible for signing off on everything from player contracts to kit deals and liaised with the Premier League. A member of various football industry groups at the Football Association, the English Premier League and the European Club Association, Stewart also held a position at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and eventually became a Manchester United director before he was handed the job of interim CEO, overseeing the transition of power from the Glazers to Jim Ratcliffe before his departure in April. Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport Advertisement A political big hitter with a bulging contacts book will be good for a club which has spent recent years engaging in battles they couldn’t win. Rangers need figureheads capable of winning friends and influencing other clubs and both Offord and Stewart know their way around the corridors of power. While luring a man with an impressive CV drawn from Manchester United should be seen as a coup, there is an obvious drawback. Rangers are not Manchester United and, in recent times, Manchester United haven’t looked much like Manchester United either. Like Rangers, they’ve lost their way, on the field and off it. If nothing else, the appointment of a chief executive brings stability to Ibrox and, after a turbulent six months, they need that at least. Discussing Stewart’s appointment on the Jim White show on TalkSport yesterday, Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan probably summed it up best. ‘It certainly alleviates the observations that they’re rudderless,’ said Jordan. ‘Whether he’s a good oarsman, we’ll see.’ Share or comment on this article: Patrick Stewart's first act as Rangers chief executive could be to sack Philippe Clement e-mail Add comment— BIRTH NAME: James Earl Carter, Jr. — BORN: Oct. 1, 1924, at the Wise Clinic in Plains, Georgia, the first U.S. president born in a hospital. He would become the first president to live for an entire century . — EDUCATION: Plains High School, Plains, Georgia, 1939-1941; Georgia Southwestern College, Americus, Georgia, 1941-1942; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 1942-1943; U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, 1943-1946 (class of 1947); Union College, Schenectady, New York, 1952-1953. — PRESIDENCY: Sworn-in as 39th president of the United States at the age of 52 years, 3 months and 20 days on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. Left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. — POST-PRESIDENCY: Launched The Carter Center in 1982. Began volunteering at Habitat for Humanity in 1984. Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Taught for 37 years at Emory University, where he was granted tenure in 2019, at age 94. — OTHER ELECTED OFFICES: Georgia state senator, 1963-1967; Georgia governor, 1971-1975. — OTHER OCCUPATIONS: Served in U.S. Navy, achieved rank of lieutenant, 1946-53; Farmer, warehouseman, Plains, Georgia, 1953-77. — FAMILY: Wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter , married July 7, 1946 until her death Nov. 19, 2023. They had three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff); a daughter, Amy Lynn; and 11 living grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. ___ Source: Jimmy Carter Library & Museum
New Channel Additions Offer Comedic, Iconic, and Women's Entertainment Content LOS ANGELES , Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cineverse CNVS , a next-gen entertainment studio, announced today that its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels "Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan", "Comedy Dynamics", "The Bob Ross Channel" and "The Dove Channel" are now available on Google TV Freeplay. Google TV Freeplay is your home for free live TV on Google TV – no app download, install or subscription required. In addition to exploring the new Cineverse channels, Google TV users in the U.S. can catch news, sports, movies, hit TV shows and more, right from the Your apps row or the Live tab. "Launching these FAST channels on Google TV Freeplay allows us to bring an even broader audience a diverse array of beloved and trusted content," said Alexandra Viglione , Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Cineverse . "From Cesar Millan's expert dog training to the timeless inspiration of Bob Ross , these channels provide something for everyone in the family." Channel Highlights Include: Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan: Nine seasons of problem-solving and advice for dog owners, featuring Cesar Millan's signature approach. Comedy Dynamics: A robust stand-up comedy library featuring some of the industry's top comedians. The Bob Ross Channel: Nearly 400 episodes of the iconic "Joy of Painting" series that has inspired generations of artists. Dove Channel: Where heartwarming stories await – from light-hearted romance and inspiring drama to heartwarming holiday escapes. Google TV is a trademark of Google LLC. ABOUT CINEVERSE Cineverse's advanced, proprietary technology drives the distribution of over 70,000 premium films, series, and podcasts to more than 150 million unique viewers monthly. From providing a complete streaming solution to some of the world's most recognizable brands, to super-serving their own network of fan channels, Cineverse CNVS is powering the future of entertainment. For more information, please visit cineverse.com . Contacts: For Media The Lippin Group for Cineverse, cineverse@lippingroup.com For Investors Julie Milstead , investorrelations@cineverse.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cineverses-bob-ross-comedy-dynamics-dog-whisperer-and-dove-fast-channels-now-live-on-google-tv-freeplay-302314347.html SOURCE Cineverse Corp. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Winning the 2024 election didn’t just return Donald Trump to power. It also allowed him to dodge multiple criminal cases . And while his unofficial vice president , Elon Musk, didn’t need a Trump win to stay out of jail—at least under any existing charges—the victory likely freed Musk and his companies from regulatory oversight. That’s an exceedingly lucky break for Musk, currently being scrutinized by multiple government agencies for everything from his inflated claims about self-driving Tesla cars to his SpaceX rocket launches polluting wetlands to his purchase of social media platform X—just to name a few. To be perfectly fair, Trump’s victory means a far friendlier atmosphere for all greedy billionaires who hate regulations, not just Musk personally. But Musk is the one sitting next to Trump at Thanksgiving and the one who threw roughly $260 million at Trump’s campaign while fawning over him on X and in person. So which pesky investigations and regulations is Musk probably free of now that his bestie is headed to the White House? For starters, perhaps he’ll get out from under the alphabet soup of agencies looking into Tesla’s so-called full self-driving system, or FSD. Musk has promised a vision of a completely autonomous hands-free Tesla since 2013 . It’s not a vision that has ever come true. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has twice required Tesla to recall FSD because of the system’s bad habit of ignoring traffic laws, including being programmed to run stop signs at slow speeds. In October, the agency opened another inquiry after the company reported four crashes, one of which killed a pedestrian, when FSD was used in low-visibility conditions like fog. The issue isn’t just that FSD is unsafe. It’s also that Tesla hoovered up cash by selling a product that basically doesn’t exist. Tesla owners filed a class-action lawsuit in 2022 alleging the company defrauded them by charging $15,000 for an FSD package that didn’t result in a Tesla being able to drive itself successfully. Tesla’s defense? Full self-driving is merely an aspirational goal, so a failure to provide it isn’t a deliberate fraud—just bad luck. Perhaps that’s the same excuse Tesla would have trotted out in response to the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation into whether the company committed wire fraud by deceiving consumers about FSD’s capabilities and securities fraud by deceiving investors. Trump named former reality show star and former Congressman Sean Duffy to head the Department of Transportation, of which NHTSA is a part, and tapped one of his impeachment defense attorneys, Pam Bondi, to head the DOJ after Matt Gaetz’s nomination flamed out. There’s no reason to think either of these people will grow a spine and continue investigating “ first buddy ” Elon Musk or Tesla. Trump’s election also probably gives SpaceX breathing room. Musk’s private space company, which receives literal billions in government money, hasn’t been terribly interested in following government rules. In September, the Environmental Protection Agency fined SpaceX $148,378 for dumping industrial wastewater and pollutants into wetlands near its Texas launch site. The company paid that fine, albeit with some whining about how it was “disappointing” to pay when it disagreed with the allegations, but it’s planning on challenging the recent $633,000 fine from the Federal Aviation Administration. The regulatory agency proposed the fine after two launches in 2023 where the company allegedly didn’t get FAA approval for launch procedure changes and didn’t follow license requirements. This isn’t SpaceX’s first run-in with the FAA. The aerospace company paid a $175,000 fine in October 2023 over not submitting required safety data to the agency before a 2022 launch of Starlink satellites. After an April 2023 launch where one of the company’s rockets blew up shortly after takeoff, sending debris over South Texas, the FAA required the agency to make dozens of changes before another launch. Like the NHTSA, the FAA is part of the Transportation Department. Sean Duffy’s past as an airline industry lobbyist doesn’t inspire confidence that he’ll take a hard line against SpaceX. And as far as whether the EPA will continue to pose any problems for Musk? Under Trump, that agency will be run by former GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin, whose primary qualification seems to be hating EPA regulations . He’s voted against replacing lead water pipes and cleaning up brownfields and sees his mission at the EPA as pursuing “energy dominance.” Again, not exactly someone who will bring the hammer down on Musk or his companies. Musk is also in hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission over the possibility he delayed disclosing his acquisition of Twitter stock in 2022. Investors must disclose when they accumulate 5% of a publicly traded company, a requirement that ostensible super-genius Musk says he misunderstood somehow. Under President Joe Biden, current SEC chair Gary Gensler has aggressively pursued enforcement efforts, a trend in no way expected to continue under whoever Trump picks. Lightning round! Musk tried hard to violate a consent order with the Federal Trade Commission by giving “Twitter Files” writers improper access to user data, but he was thwarted by Twitter employees who actually followed the order. He’s faced numerous unfair labor practices claims and been investigated multiple times by the National Labor Relations Board, so he’s suing to have the board declared unconstitutional . He lost out on $885 million in government subsidies after the Federal Communications Commission found that Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, couldn’t meet the speed metrics for the government’s rural broadband program. Luckily for the multibillionaire, the incoming head of the FCC is a pal of Musk’s who thinks it is “ regulatory harassment ” to require Starlink to meet program requirements. Musk will also have the advantage of helming a newly invented entity, the cringily titled Department of Government Efficiency (aka DOGE—ugh), that can put his rivals under a microscope. DOGE’s co-head, fellow tech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, has already said he’ll examine a government loan to Rivian, a competing electric vehicle manufacturer, calling the loan “a political shot across the bow at Elon Musk and Tesla.” Though DOGE is not an actual department—you need Congress to create one of those—and cannot slash spending directly, Musk could still suggest to Trump that government funding of fiber optic cables in rural areas be gutted . This would leave satellite services like Starlink as the only option for some rural consumers—an option either those consumers or the government would then have to pay for. Until Trump was elected in 2016, it was impossible to imagine giving billionaires like Musk so much opportunity to use the levers of government to openly and directly benefit themselves. Now that Trump has won a second term in office, Musk is just one of many oligarchs looking forward to an extremely lucrative four years. It’s lucky for them—but terrible for the rest of us.