‘Enron CEO’ Connor Gaydos hit in the face with pie in New York CityMobile homes are a viable form of low-income housing. So, why isn’t it being factored in to solve the housing crisis?
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Michelle Obama slammed for gloomy New Year's message as Trump prepares to take officeEarl Holliman , an actor with scores of credits spanning a half-century that ranged 1950s films Forbidden Planet and Giant to Police Woman and popular ’70s and ’80s TV dramas and the syndicated superhero series NightMan, died Monday after a short illness. He was 96. His niece, Theresa Mullins Harris, announced the news on social media , writing in part: “His dream at 5 years old of becoming a movie star came true, more than he ever could have imagined.” Holliman won a Supporting Actor Golden Globe for 1957’s The Rainmaker and was nominated for the short-lived early-’90s ABC sitcom Delta , starring Delta Burke. He was a series regular on the latter, playing the understanding owner of a bar where aspiring country singer Delta Bishop (Burke) worked while trying to make it. Born on September 11, 1928, Holliman began his screen career with roles in 1950s movies including the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet and James Dean’s final film Giant among many others. He co-starred opposite Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn in The Rainmaker as Jim Curry, the randy brother of Hepburn’s spinster Lizzie. Holliman had done several guest-starring roles on 1950s TV before landing his first starring role on the CBS western Hotel de Paree. He toplined as Sundance, who accidentally had killed a man in Colorado town but returned after a long prison term. When he got back to town, the hotel was being run by two of his victim’s relatives (Jeanette Nolan and Judi Meredith). Sundance got a job as a strongarm and peacekeeper. Among his stocks in trade were shiny discs in his hatband that could blind any rivals. The series failed to catch on in a three-network universe where half of the Top 20 series were westerns, and it aired just one season min 1959-60. Holliman continued to guest on TV before landing a second series-regular role on Wide Country, starring as a champion bronc buster who made the rodeo-circuit rounds while trying to keep his younger brother (Andrew Prine) from following in his footsteps. The NBC western also lasted a single season in 1962-63. MORE TO COME... DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO:
As It Happens 6:19 This humpback made an epic, record-breaking trek across 3 oceans Why did a humpback whale swim a record-breaking 13,046 kilometres, traversing the planet and crossing three oceans? It's possible he got lost on his usual route, or that a changing climate forced him to travel farther afield in search of food. But marine research scientist Aylin Akkaya suspects he's simply a "cool dude" scouring the oceans to meet hot new babes. Akkaya is a co-author of a new study that documented what is believed to be the longest recorded migration of a humpback whale — from the Pacific Coast of Columbia to the Indian Ocean near Zanzibar. The previous record was 10,000 kilometres from Brazil to Madagascar set in 2010. The whale's journey was so long and unusual that scientists first thought it must be some kind of technological error. "We were like, rechecking and checking and checking again [to see] if there's a mistake," Akkaya, of the Tanzania Cetaceans Program, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "But no, it was just one wander of the humpback whale male cruising around and looking for females." Scientists say the findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science , provide new insight into humpback migration patterns, and could even be a sign the species is undergoing a cultural shift, adapting to changing oceans and taking different journeys than the generations that came before them. A skull-shaped 'tattoo' on his tail The team made the discovery using data from HappyWhale, a platform created by marine scientist Ted Cheeseman , to which whale watchers and scientists upload photos of whales around the world to be used in research. Cheeseman, a co-author on the study, says this kind of international collaboration would be much less likely to happen without the platform. "It's really much more honest to how the animals use the ocean," Cheeseman told CBC. "They're not following the borders and boundaries that we follow." The whale in question crossed three oceans to get from one breeding ground to another. Humpbacks, scientists say, usually return to the same breeding ground year after year. (Submitted by Aylin Akkaya) The key to identifying whales lies in their tails, also known as flukes, which have unique markers. The male humpback in question, says Akkaya, has an imprint on its tail that resembles a skull. "It's like almost like a tattoo, you know?" she said. Using an artificial intelligence algorithm, scientists tracked the skull-tailed whale on his massive trek. He first appeared near a humpback breeding ground off Colombia in 2013, and then again in 2017. Then he popped up in 2022 near breeding grounds by Zanzibar, an archipelago on the eastern coast of Africa that's part of Tanzania. 3 humpbacks in 10 days struck by ships off B.C. coast 'devastating,' conservationist says These are the 1st images of humpbacks having sex, and they're both males Canadian humpback whale researcher Christie McMillan, who was not involved in the study, says this is extremely unusual. Humpbacks, she says, are creatures of habit who tend to breed in warm waters and feed in cold ones. "They tend to return year after year to the same breeding and feeding areas where their mothers first brought them when they were calves," MacMillan, who works for B.C.'s Marine Education and Research Society as well as the Department of Oceans and Fisheries, said in an email. "Unlike the individual in this study, who was documented in two breeding areas separated by such a great east-west (longitudinal) distance." Climate change or cultural shift? Cheeseman says it's unclear why the whale took such an unconventional journey instead of heading to the West Antarctic Peninsula to feed, as Colombian whales usually do. It's possible, he says, he had to travel to different parts of the Arctic in search of food, and adjusted his mating route accordingly. Or, he says, he could be "essentially looking for a different mate because he wasn't finding what he liked" in Colombia. That could be a symptom of a larger generational shift, he says. Humpbacks were once hunted to near-extinction, and their populations are only beginning to recover in recent decades. "There are many more younger animals, and it could be that this is part of figuring out, and actually like a re-establishment of the culture of the population," he said. "Because these animals do very much have culture." From left to right, Tanzanian Cetaceans Program researchers Ekaterina Kalashnikova, Aylin Akkaya and Said Kachakacha Chelele. (Submitted by Aylin Akkaya) Akkaya says this whale is "mixing the culture" in a way that's fascinating. Different populations of humpbacks, she says, have their own unique whale songs and dialects, which vary between regions. "So in Colombia, they speak more Latino. And in Tanzania, they have ... fragments of African languages," she said. "What we are curious about now, this male, does it [have] a Colombian song or does it [have] an African song?" Humpback whale numbers fall 20% but scientists aren't worried yet 'CSI on the ocean': Whale researchers comb B.C. waters for eDNA Learning about humpback migration and culture, she says, is key to conserving the species. "For me, humpbacks are like little hyperactive kids. You know, they are like, 'Look at me! Look at me! I'm gorgeous!' Like, they're jumping all over the place," she said. "But it's not just cute." The whales, she says, are "climate warriors" that store immense amounts of carbon in their bodies , which is released into marine ecosystems when they die. " So it's cute to protect them, but it's also vital for us, for our own living, too."Hezbollah leaders also signalled tentative backing for the US-brokered deal, which offers both sides an off-ramp from hostilities that have driven more than 1.2 million Lebanese and 50,000 Israelis from their homes. An intense bombing campaign by Israel has killed more than 3,700 people, many of them civilians, Lebanese officials say. But while the deal, set to take effect early Wednesday, could significantly calm the tensions that have inflamed the region, it does little directly to resolve the much deadlier war that has raged in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people. Hezbollah, which began firing scores of rockets into Israel the following day in support of Hamas, has previously said it would keep fighting until there was a stop to the fighting in Gaza. Here’s what to know about the tentative ceasefire agreement and its potential implications: – The terms of the deal The agreement reportedly calls for a 60-day halt in fighting that would see Israeli troops retreat to their side of the border while requiring Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swathe of southern Lebanon. Us President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the deal is set to take effect at 4am local time on Wednesday. Under the deal, thousands of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers are to deploy to the region south of the Litani River. An international panel lead by the US would monitor compliance by all sides. Mr Biden said the deal “was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, insisted on Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the UN peacekeeping force, known as Unifil, does not provide “effective enforcement” of the deal. – Lingering uncertainty A Hezbollah leader said the group’s support for the deal hinged on clarity that Israel would not renew its attacks. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Qatari satellite news network Al Jazeera. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Tuesday that Israel’s security concerns had been addressed in the deal also brokered by France. – Where the fighting has left both sides After months of cross-border bombings, Israel can claim major victories, including the killing of Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, most of his senior commanders and the destruction of extensive militant infrastructure. A complex attack in September involving the explosion of hundreds of walkie-talkies and pagers used by Hezbollah was widely attributed to Israel, signalling a remarkable penetration of the militant group. The damage inflicted on Hezbollah has come not only in its ranks, but to the reputation it built by fighting Israel to a stalemate in the 2006 war. Still, its fighters managed to put up heavy resistance on the ground, slowing Israel’s advance while continuing to fire scores of rockets, missiles and drones across the border each day. The ceasefire offers relief to both sides, giving Israel’s overstretched army a break and allowing Hezbollah leaders to tout the group’s effectiveness in holding their ground despite Israel’s massive advantage in weaponry. But the group is likely to face a reckoning, with many Lebanese accusing it of tying their country’s fate to Gaza’s at the service of key ally Iran, inflicting great damage on a Lebanese economy that was already in a grave condition. – No answers for Gaza Until now, Hezbollah has insisted that it would only halt its attacks on Israel when it agreed to stop fighting in Gaza. Some in the region are likely to view a deal between the Lebanon-based group and Israel as a capitulation. In Gaza, where officials say the war has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, Israel’s attacks have inflicted a heavy toll on Hamas, including the killing of the group’s top leaders. But Hamas fighters continue to hold scores of Israeli hostages, giving the militant group a bargaining chip if indirect ceasefire negotiations resume. Hamas is likely to continue to demand a lasting truce and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in any such deal. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas offered a pointed reminder on Tuesday of the intractability of the war, demanding urgent international intervention. “The only way to halt the dangerous escalation we are witnessing in the region, and maintain regional and international stability, security and peace, is to resolve the question of Palestine,” he said in a speech to the UN read by his ambassador.
A ceasefire deal that could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group has won the backing of Israeli leaders, raising hopes and renewing difficult questions in a region gripped by conflict. Hezbollah leaders also signalled tentative backing for the US-brokered deal, which offers both sides an off-ramp from hostilities that have driven more than 1.2 million Lebanese and 50,000 Israelis from their homes. An intense bombing campaign by Israel has killed more than 3,700 people, many of them civilians, Lebanese officials say. But while the deal, set to take effect early Wednesday, could significantly calm the tensions that have inflamed the region, it does little directly to resolve the much deadlier war that has raged in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people. Hezbollah, which began firing scores of rockets into Israel the following day in support of Hamas, has previously said it would keep fighting until there was a stop to the fighting in Gaza. Here’s what to know about the tentative ceasefire agreement and its potential implications: – The terms of the deal The agreement reportedly calls for a 60-day halt in fighting that would see Israeli troops retreat to their side of the border while requiring Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swathe of southern Lebanon. Us President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the deal is set to take effect at 4am local time on Wednesday. Under the deal, thousands of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers are to deploy to the region south of the Litani River. An international panel lead by the US would monitor compliance by all sides. Mr Biden said the deal “was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, insisted on Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the UN peacekeeping force, known as Unifil, does not provide “effective enforcement” of the deal. – Lingering uncertainty A Hezbollah leader said the group’s support for the deal hinged on clarity that Israel would not renew its attacks. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Qatari satellite news network Al Jazeera. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Tuesday that Israel’s security concerns had been addressed in the deal also brokered by France. – Where the fighting has left both sides After months of cross-border bombings, Israel can claim major victories, including the killing of Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, most of his senior commanders and the destruction of extensive militant infrastructure. A complex attack in September involving the explosion of hundreds of walkie-talkies and pagers used by Hezbollah was widely attributed to Israel, signalling a remarkable penetration of the militant group. The damage inflicted on Hezbollah has come not only in its ranks, but to the reputation it built by fighting Israel to a stalemate in the 2006 war. Still, its fighters managed to put up heavy resistance on the ground, slowing Israel’s advance while continuing to fire scores of rockets, missiles and drones across the border each day. The ceasefire offers relief to both sides, giving Israel’s overstretched army a break and allowing Hezbollah leaders to tout the group’s effectiveness in holding their ground despite Israel’s massive advantage in weaponry. But the group is likely to face a reckoning, with many Lebanese accusing it of tying their country’s fate to Gaza’s at the service of key ally Iran, inflicting great damage on a Lebanese economy that was already in a grave condition. – No answers for Gaza Until now, Hezbollah has insisted that it would only halt its attacks on Israel when it agreed to stop fighting in Gaza. Some in the region are likely to view a deal between the Lebanon-based group and Israel as a capitulation. In Gaza, where officials say the war has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, Israel’s attacks have inflicted a heavy toll on Hamas, including the killing of the group’s top leaders. But Hamas fighters continue to hold scores of Israeli hostages, giving the militant group a bargaining chip if indirect ceasefire negotiations resume. Hamas is likely to continue to demand a lasting truce and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in any such deal. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas offered a pointed reminder on Tuesday of the intractability of the war, demanding urgent international intervention. “The only way to halt the dangerous escalation we are witnessing in the region, and maintain regional and international stability, security and peace, is to resolve the question of Palestine,” he said in a speech to the UN read by his ambassador.
NBA News: Mike Brown Reportedly Fired as Kings HC amid 5-Game Losing StreakChris Sununu has one ask before he leaves the corner office: to see Dartmouth Health take over operations at Hampstead Hospital. He knows it’s a unique proposition – the private hospital would lease the facility from the state, gaining full control over hiring and operations – but after months of negotiations, he’s convinced it’s the best model of care for New Hampshire’s most vulnerable kids. In 2022, the state bought the psychiatric hospital and residential facility from private owners and offered the first state-run services for kids with the highest needs in New Hampshire. The last two years have been fraught, though, with changing leadership and limited capacity for services. “We’ve been very passionate about making sure that we’re doing everything we possibly can to create the right systems,” he said. “Assuming we’re going to get it through, it would be just a jewel and a crown of what is really a reformed system.” He’ll have to wait until later this month to see that wish come to fruition. Executive Council members tabled a contract for Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital – a branch of Dartmouth’s medical center – to take over operations at their Wednesday meeting, raising concerns on the oversight of the proposition and saying they need more time to understand the partnership agreement. The hospital itself has 71 beds available for in-patient services, as well as a dozen beds in the psychiatric residential facility, called East Acres. Both the hospital and residential facility have operated well below capacity since opening, leaving kids boarding in emergency rooms and utilizing out-of-state programs as they wait for in-state care. Within the hospital, 36 beds are currently occupied, with 35 offline and six kids waiting, as of Dec. 3. Only six children have been admitted at a time to East Acres, as well, with the Executive Council approving a $3 million renovation to the facility to increase the capacity, last month. Article continues after... Cross|Word Flipart Typeshift SpellTower Really Bad Chess Sununu’s confident the state will reach a consensus with the councilors, and they’ll approve the partnership at their Dec. 18 meeting, which will be his last before Governor-elect Kelly Ayotte takes office. “I absolutely expected that they would want more time. It’s a bit different than what we’ve seen before,” he said. “So they should absolutely take more time. I think the contract is fantastic.” Not all parties will be happy with the proposal, though. A petition from over 100 Hampstead Hospital employees is asking for them to remain as state employees, rather than be hired by Dartmouth. The last two years have marked a “challenging season of many changes” according to Morissa Henn, the deputy commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services. She hopes Dartmouth will right the ship. “We also owe it to the employees, to your point, to provide them with the certainty and stability they deserve. They have been through tremendous change,” said Henn. “Our commitment is that every employee has a great job at the end of the day.” Employees have had four changes in leadership, which means changes to insurance plans and retirement packages. Another transition to a new employer with Dartmouth would lead to “some objective – if inconvenient – facts,” they stated in the petition, including a loss of state pension plans. After the purchase, the state entered a contract with Wellpath, a healthcare company based in Nasvhille, Tennessee, to oversee clinical services. When the contract expired in May, Dartmouth took over as the provider. In that model, Dartmouth provided all clinical staff, but top leaders were employed by the state. The partnership mimicked that of New Hampshire Hospital and Glencliff Home, the state-run adult psychiatric hospital and assisted living facility. The new partnership with Dartmouth, though, means they would have full autonomy over staffing and operations. The state would oversee the facility through an advisory role on a joint commission. Sununu said through negotiations the state considered a myriad of options from operating the facility itself to selling it. He always envisioned a private partnership of sorts after purchasing Hampstead, but admits leasing the entire facility is a new approach. “It’s a great example of just because we haven’t done it before doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a home run,” he said. As the state and Dartmouth negotiated a contract for this takeover, employees were temporarily reassigned as state employees. This was never meant to be a permanent fixture, nor does Sununu foresee it becoming one. “These employees were never long-term state employees,” he said. “We made them ... temporary employee status while we negotiated the contract, but it was never guaranteed.” His conviction is pretty clear – he doesn’t expect the employees’ request to hinder negotiations. The Executive Council also does not have the ability to alter contracts, said Attorney General John Formella. The vote is a binary yes or no. All current employees will be guaranteed positions, said Henn. Plans include for all clinical staff to be hired full-time by Dartmouth and hospital leadership to be offered positions within the state department or by Dartmouth that match their skill set. The employees’ request could arise in the Legislature. Erica Layon, a Derry Republican, has filed a bill to establish classified state employee positions for all staff of Hampstead Hospital and Residential Treatment Facility. To state leaders, including Henn and Sununu, the partnership with Dartmouth will transform services for children at Hampstead. With Dartmouth at the helm, the private company would have better recruitment efforts than if the facility was state-run, said Sununu. Financing will also not be subject to a two-year state budget system and he estimates the deal will save the state $20 million in expenses annually. Henn hopes that this means more beds will be available for children, as staffing levels allow, but another factor of the contract is that Dartmouth intends to expand offerings to also provide outpatient care. “That’s why we want to build on that even further, to not just expand beds,” she said. “We also don’t want to be putting kids in institutions.” Still, councilors raised concerns over the scope of the 138-page contract. “Let’s make it perfectly clear, it’s an advisory committee for the state. It’s an advisory role. Dartmouth Hitchcock and their trustees and executives have all the authority and power,” said Executive Councilor Janet Stevens, a Rye Republican. “They are going to make the ultimate decisions.” To Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, a Concord Democrat, if another private entity were to take control of a state facility of this scope, the process would require a “rigorous process” through the Department of Justice charitable trusts. “They would have to show that they are capable of operating this and providing the services for the community into the future. They would have to talk to payers about the antitrust,” she said. “None of that is happening here but the process for doing something this big, in my opinion, should be equally as rigorous.” Dartmouth has a long history with the state of providing mental health services for residents, with services at New Hampshire Hospital and the Sununu Youth Services Center. With that, Warmington is “delighted” that the hospital system is the provider in negotiation. She just has more questions. “This is a big deal,” she said. “I hope we’ll continue working with them in the fu ture, and I want Dartmouth to be our partner, but I think that we have not gone through the process we should go through.”