Upbound Group Enters Definitive Agreement to Acquire Brigit, a Leading Financial Health Technology Firm, for up to $460 Million
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs blames Canada’s inaction for 140,000 backlogged cases for First Nations kidsAltria Group Inc. stock outperforms competitors despite losses on the day
No. 25 UConn working on climbing back up poll, faces No. 15 BaylorVenus Williams continues to be one of the most profitable women's athletes, even besting some of her younger contemporaries like Simone Biles . On Dec. 18, Forbes released their list of the highest-paid female athletes of 2024, and six of the 10 highest earners of the year played tennis. Leading the way was American star Coco Gauff , reportedly earning more than $34 million, with over half of that coming from her off-court ventures, as the highest-paid female athlete of the year. Gauff 's earnings eclipse the No. 2 earner, fellow tennis star Iga Swiatek. On the court, Swiatek was reported to have earned $8.8 million while off it, she earned $15 million, bringing her total to almost $24 million ($23.8m). Venus Williams wants tennis star to 'win every match' - even if she beats Serena record Venus Williams appears to snub Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at ESPY Awards Just a handful of spots below the two was the elder Williams sister, who was the ninth highest-earning female athlete of the year. The 44-year-old is reported to have earned $12.1 million in 2024, with most of her earnings coming from her off-the-court ventures, earning just $0.1 million from her time on the court. Williams played in only two tournaments this year, at Indian Wells and Miami, losing in the first round of both tournaments. Still, her presence was enough to make her the ninth most-paid female athlete, showing how her name still carries weight in the sports world, despite her lack of success. And while her career begins to wind down, especially with her sitting at No. 977 in the world tennis rankings, Williams' off-the-court endeavors are plentiful. When not defeating her foes, she often partakes in speaking engagements, reportedly earning more than six figures per appearance. She also is a main figure in Palazzo, an AI-powered interior design platform and was the model of a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll for its 65th anniversary celebration. With that in mind, it makes sense why Williams continues to be one of the most profitable athletes, just ahead of Biles. At 27 years old, Biles cemented herself as one of the best gymnasts of all time, winning four medals - three gold and one silver - during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The most decorated gymnast in history, Biles has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals, showing just how dominant she is. Don't Miss Simone Biles set to miss family Christmas over husband Jonathan Owens commitments Coco Gauff and Serena Williams on same page over Simone Biles stance Pickleball star, 17, to earn more than Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese with staggering contract Despite her Olympic performances, only a fraction of her earnings come from her performances. Reported to have made $11.2 million this year, over 90 percent of her earnings were amassed off the mat, with only $0.2 million coming directly from her Olympic dominance. Still, Biles has many notable endorsement deals with giants in various industries including Athleta, Nike, GK Elite, Uber Eats, Hershey's, and Beats by Dre, among many others. Of note, Biles is the only gymnast on the list, most of the list being comprised of tennis players. For Biles to be on the list in the first place makes sense, considering how many of her fellow athletes believe the star is the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.). Williams' younger sister, Serena, called Biles the GOAT after the tennis legend spent time with her at an event in early December. "Yesterday, I sat with the GOAT Simone Biles at an evening of impactful conversation with Audemars Piguet, Vanity Fair and The Female Quotient," Serena said in an Instagram post. "A house full of women. I love to see it."
DALLAS – The Washington Nationals will have the No. 1 overall pick in the amateur draft next summer after winning the lottery in a drawing of ping-pong balls at the winter meetings Tuesday. Unlike last year, when the Nationals were ineligible after initially coming out with the top spot, they will get to make the first pick in July in Atlanta, the site of the All-Star Game. Recommended Videos Washington was ineligible for a top-six pick last year because the collective bargaining agreement states a team that pays into the revenue-sharing plan cannot have a lottery selection in back-to-back years. The Nationals chose outfielder Dylan Crews with the No. 2 pick in 2023. The Los Angeles Angels have the second pick for next summer. Seattle, Colorado, St. Louis and Pittsburgh round out the top six. A weighted lottery among the 18 teams that failed to make the playoffs this season determined the order of picks for the third year in a row. The Nationals went in with a 10.2% chance, the fourth-best odds, for getting the No. 1 pick. Colorado and Miami, both 100-loss teams, had the best odds at 22.45%, ahead of the Angels at 17.96%. Miami instead ended up with the seventh pick. Seattle got the No. 3 overall pick after having a 0.53% chance to get the No. 1 pick, the second-worst odds among 16 eligible teams. The 121-loss Chicago White Sox, who had the most losses of any major league club since 1900, were not eligible for the draft lottery since they had one of the top six picks last year (No. 5) and is a team that pays into the revenue-sharing plan. The CBA also doesn’t allow teams that receive money in revenue sharing to have lottery picks three years in a row. That made the Athletics (69-93) ineligible for the lottery — they picked fourth last year after having the No. 6 selection in 2023. Chicago instead got the 10th pick, one spot ahead of Oakland — the highest possible positions for those two teams because of their recent lottery picks. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLBSkating smiles as Jonas Brodin and Mats Zuccarello return to practiceFlu and RSV outbreak cancels Christmas events and closes schools early ahead of the holidays READ MORE: States bring back face mask rules as doctors warn of 'quad-demic' By ALEXA LARDIERI U.S. DEPUTY HEALTH EDITOR DAILYMAIL.COM and SADIE WHITELOCKS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 19:04, 23 December 2024 | Updated: 19:09, 23 December 2024 e-mail 1 View comments More than a dozen states have been upgraded to a status of 'high' or 'very high' levels of respiratory virus activity, with some forced to close schools and cancel holiday events. Oregon and Louisiana are seeing very high levels of the flu , Covid, RSV and other respiratory illnesses for the week ending December 14, the latest data available. While California , Idaho , Nevada, Arizona , New Mexico, Kansas , Arkansas , Alabama , Tennessee, Georgia, New Jersey, Washington, DC and New York City are reporting high levels. The number of states at either of these levels is double from the week prior, with experts saying illnesses are rising quickly. And in some states, hospitals are reinstating mask rules in hopes of curbing the spread. Dr William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, which is dealing with a respiratory illness spike in the Nashville area, told the East Bay Times: 'Flu has been increasing, but just this last week has exploded.' Alabama was the newest state to be upgraded this week and the state had to cancel classes for three days at one school in Limestone County as the district fights a flu outbreak. Sugar Creek Elementary School announced it had 'been monitoring the amount of sickness among students and staff' and decided to close for three days 'to give our students and staff a chance to recover and stop the spread.' Additionally, the school postponed a holiday event until next month 'due to the high number of illnesses in our school and community.' Children and seniors are at particular risk for severe illness from flu, RSV or Covid Christmas festivities in Hartselle, Alabama were also postponed 'due to so many of our vendors being under the weather.' In a social media post, the organizers said: 'Due to multiple vendors having the FLU...we feel it’s best to CANCEL THE Rocky Acres Christmas Market!!! We are so sorry for any inconvenience!!!' Read More Terrifying quad-demic could ruin your Christmas gatherings, warn health chiefs Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) medical officer Wes Stubblefield said the state's number of flu-like illnesses continues to surge. He told local Fox 54: 'This year, our numbers have started to rise pretty dramatically over the last two to three weeks. We don't know where the peak will end. But it's safe to say that the flu is here, and everyone needs to be prepared.' Nationally, lab tests for positive influenza cases have risen nine percent and 9,000 people have been hospitalized during the past week. Doctors visits for the flu have risen four percent and two more deaths from the virus were reported this week. Thus far for the 2024-2025 flu season, the CDC estimates there have been nearly 2million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,000 deaths. Experts partly attribute the highly active start of flu season to lower vaccination rates. As of December 7, only 41 percent of both adults and kids had received a flu shot. The flu is not the only virus driving respiratory illness activity rates. RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is also picking up. Each year in the US, RSV leads to approximately 2.1million outpatient visits among children younger than five years old, though this is likely an undercount because many people with the virus don't seek medical treatment. One way officials estimate the spread of a virus is through wastewater testing, and levels of RSV being detected in wastewater are on the rise. Wastewater monitoring by the CDC can detect viruses spreading within communities earlier than lab testing of patient samples can and even before people who are sick visit a doctor. It can also detect infections without symptoms. The overall RSV activity level in wastewater is currently 'low,' but has seen a sharp increase over the last several weeks. During the two weeks between November 30 and December 14, national wastewater levels of RSV activity increased 160 percent, according to the CDC. Activity was marked as 'very high' in Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Missouri, Louisiana, Washington, DC, and Maryland during the week of December 8 to 14. The above graph shows the nationwide activity of RSV detection levels in wastewater The above map shows the activity of RSV detection levels in wastewater in each state The CDC estimates 22,000 to 45,000 people were hospitalized with RSV during from October 1 to December 7. It is also estimated the virus has caused 980 to 2,300 deaths. Meanwhile, the numbers are even higher for Covid, with up to 120,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths. In light of the growing numbers, the CDC says immunizations are the best way to prevent serious illness from Covid, RSV and flu. Everyone aged six months and older is advised to be up to date with the most recent Covid vaccine, while the flu vaccine is recommended annually, each season. For RSV, there are two options recommended to protect infants and one is recommended for a small group of young children aged eight to 19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV. RSV vaccines - given as single doses - are recommended for all adults ages 75 and older and adults ages 60 to 74 who are at increased risk. Older residents in nursing homes are at heightened risk of severe illness and death from any one of the three viruses due to their weakened immune systems. During the 2021-2022 flu season, the death rate for people 65 years and older was around 7.4 per 100,000 population, compared to 0.1 per 100,000 people among those aged 18 to 49 years. If you have received an RSV vaccine already, the CDC says you do not need to get another RSV vaccine at this time. Along with getting vaccinated, the CDC recommends mask wearing 'during periods of increased acute respiratory infections in the community'. It adds: 'Coughing patients and anyone suspected of having influenza should wear a mask at all times until they are isolated in a private room. '[However] no recommendation can be made at this time for mask use in the community by asymptomatic persons, including those at higher risk for complications, to prevent exposure to influenza viruses.' Share or comment on this article: Flu and RSV outbreak cancels Christmas events and closes schools early ahead of the holidays e-mail Add comment
For Destiny 2, the afterglow following The Final Shape, last summer's saga-capping expansion, has long faded. Those players who have stuck around (like me) for the next phase now have a shopping list of complaints about the episodic format that has followed, exacerbated by how buggy the game has become in the wake of the mass layoffs conducted by Bungie in July. Into that atmosphere it's important to strike the right balance between contrition over mistakes and the optimism necessary to convince players that the good times are coming again. In today's end of year communique from assistant game director Robbie Stevens, he largely gets the tone right, acknowledging that since The Final Shape "some changes have been well received by the community..." while "others have had a rocky start." Stevens cites the removal of weapon crafting as a particular pain point. The decision to cut crafting from seasonally-released weapons was sold as a way to make each loot drop more exciting, rather than just grinding out the patterns necessary before you could create your perfect 'God Roll'. However, and this may shock you, many people have not been delighted at going back to relying on RNG, particularly when as Stevens acknowledges, the new 'Tonic' system designed to mitigate that RNG has been buggy and onerous to interact with. We know we missed the mark with the Tonic timers and not guaranteeing a weapon from the active Tonic. The way Tonics work is that you use materials to mix potions, which once glugged will give your character an increased chance of looting a particular item for a set amount of time. In theory, it lets you target farm for the weapon you want, regardless of which of the game's many activities you're playing. In practice, some found themselves locked out of creating tonics entirely, others simply couldn't be bothered to manage the timers, and it was eventually discovered that certain tonics weren't even rewarding the right items. Add that to the recent 'Weightgate' controversy, in which the community uncovered a problem with the way loot RNG works (ie much less randomly than it should) that seemed to date all the way back to 2018, and it's little wonder that players have become increasingly frustrated and mistrustful about the game's fundamental systems. "Tonics were meant to provide loot agency in-lieu of crafting and give you a fresh way to chase gear," said Stevens. "But we know we missed the mark with the Tonic timers and not guaranteeing a weapon from the active Tonic. So, we’re in the process of developing changes to make Tonics last longer and give better payouts on top of a series of bug fixes planned for December 17." That is the question. And please indulge me with a mini-rant: Bungie really needs to sort out how Dungeon loot works. Certain exotics aside, weapons that drop from Dungeons have never been craftable, and that makes farming them a huge annoyance, specifically because the loot pool is clogged with armor that no one needs once they've unlocked the transmog. I recently spent two nights farming for a perfect VS Pyroelectric Propellant [picture top], and none of us even came close to the roll we wanted. We sure did get a lot of boots though. That's all well and good, but I'm still not convinced by Tonics as a concept. Extending their timers doesn't feel like enough of a rethink. Ultimately it's an unnecessary system layered onto a game which already has too many of those. Far better to take inspiration from the way Destiny 2 handles focusing for exotic class items and lets players simply toggle the item they wish to target. I feel much more positive about the mention of the Heretical Arsenal, which Stevens describes as "a new tier of seasonal weapon", which will launch as part of the next episode, currently scheduled for 4 February. "More details on these weapons as we approach Heresy but rest assured that it will be clear when they hit your inventory that they’re worth inspecting," said Stevens. My hope is that this might be an entirely new tier of weapon rarity, which frankly the game has needed for years. I'd love something like the Mythic Uniques found in Diablo, but if I had to guess it's more likely to be similar to the 'shiny' weapons that dropped from the original version of Onslaught. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Vaulting ambition More gear means more pressure on Guardians' storage vaults, but Stevens also hinted at help coming on that front. "We’re in the early stages of planning long-term changes to relieve vault pressure that will start [to] manifest later in the year of Codename Frontiers." For those of you who've understandably lost track of the lexicon of Destiny expansion codenames, Frontiers is the next big narrative cycle coming to Destiny, which will begin after Heresy wraps up next summer. Frontiers will comprise two expansions in 2025, each pegged at a roughly similar size to the Rise of Iron DLC, and involves players venturing out beyond the Sol system for the first time. The working title for the first of those expansions is Apollo, and Stevens confirmed that it will feature a brand new planetary destination which is already content complete: "We’re focused on polishing the non-linear campaign, Metroidvania gameplay experience, developing the finer details of the world and fleshing out the numerous quests that you’ll discover during the journey through new frontiers. The Core Game Portal, activities, modifiers, and next generation gear that will be Destiny’s new backbone are coming online." The Metroidvania concept is the most interesting thing here, as it points to a potentially very different way to explore the game's universe. However, if what that amounts to is time-gating by another name—ie ' Sorry, you can't get through that door this week, come back next with the right upgrade'—I suspect the outcry on Reddit will be heard from Venus. Speaking of playtesting Apollo's content, Stevens revealed that multiple community summits are in the works, and that Bungie is also hiring a number of gameplay specialists to test the core systems and activities. On that front, let's also hope the QA department is being staffed back up. I've played Destiny 2 for 10 years and many thousands of hours, and I've never known it to be this buggy. Only yesterday, an 'Event Card' for the game's winter celebration went live for free, when it normally costs $10, before it was pulled from the store. Bungie described that as a "bank error" in favor of those players who grabbed the cosmetics quickly enough, but that magnanimity aside, there are an enormous amount of bugs in the game which are hampering players. We've had loot chests that drop nothing. Abilities doing way too much (or too little) damage. Regular crashing in certain areas, UI glitches, in-game notifications that repeat ad nauseam—on and on it goes. As my colleague on GamesRadar noted last month: ' Destiny 2 is kind of a mess right now '. At no point in the blog does Stevens engage directly with the community-wide sentiment that something really needs to be done to stabilise the game, but I have to hope it's being made a substantial priority. Again, it's hard not to look back at those layoffs as the most likely culprit for the overall downturn in reliability. I mean, if developing your game is a bit like building a plane while still flying it, then maybe it isn't a good idea to get rid of a bunch of the people whose job it was to ensure things work properly.
Pharmacokinetics and chemical composition of Shenqi FuzhengATLANTA , 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 Properties