One person died in Ecuador and ports closed across Peru as massive waves up to four meters (13 feet) high pummeled the region, officials said Saturday. Many beaches along the central and northern stretches of the Peruvian coastline were closed to prevent risk to human life, local authorities said. Waves there submerged jetties and public squares, sending residents fleeing to higher ground, according to images on local media. In neighboring Ecuador, the National Secretariat for Risk Management said a body was recovered in the coastal city of Manta. "The Manta Fire Department reported that, at 6:00 am, the body of a missing person was found lifeless in the Barbasquillo sector," the agency announced on social media. Peru closed 91 of its 121 ports until January 1, the National Emergency Operations Center said on its X social media account. The municipality of Callao, close to the capital Lima and the location of the country's main port, closed several beaches and barred tourist and fishing boats from venturing out. "These waves are being generated thousands of kilometers away from Peru, off the coast of the United States," navy Captain Enrique Varea told Channel N television. "They are waves generated by a persistent wind on the surface of the ocean that is approaching our coasts," he said. Dozens of small fishing boats and businesses near the sea were affected, according to images broadcast on television and social networks. axl/rmb/nro/acbBy JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company’s collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered $60 billion in Enron stock worthless. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were eventually convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release that it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video that was full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” Enron’s new website features a company store, where various items featuring the brand’s tilted “E” logo are for sale, including a $118 hoodie. In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but that “We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company’s website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory that claims all birds are actually surveillance drones for the government. Peters said that since learning about the “relaunch” of Enron, she has spoken with several other former employees and they are also upset by it. She said the apparent stunt was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, who is 74 years old, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70
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Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc. stock outperforms competitors despite losses on the dayAn elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In the last month, violent deaths at a WeGo bus stop and the main terminal in downtown Nashville have prompted questions to the mayor's office about safety measures given the passage of the new transit plan. A Metro Nashville Public Schools student was shot and killed by another teen a week ago at the bus station at around 4 p.m. In mid-November, a suspect was arrested after attacking and stabbing a woman in the face at 5:15 a.m. She later died from injuries. The two were sitting on a bus bench on Harding Place at Antioch Pike. Police said surveillance video showed they both rose as the bus began to approach and that the suspect attacked the woman unprovoked. On Tuesday, Mayor Freddie O'Connell addressed the safety of bus stop services given the Choose How You Move plan passed on election day. "These were very troubling incidents from a public safety perspective," O'Connell said. "And I think where we are is we have a comprehensive report looking at the entire system that was underway as we were working on Choose How You Move. But one of the four key pillars of Choose How You Move is safety for this very reason." A few days after the shooting, an extra police presence was noticeably visible, but that was tapered back after a couple of days. The Choose How You Move plan would improve bus service, add more sidewalks and create smarter traffic lights among other elements. But it comes at a cost. The mayor's plan called for a half-cent hike in the sales tax. The sales tax increase is expected to cost families an extra $70 a year. As detailed, the plan calls for $3.1 billion and promises 86 miles of new sidewalks in the first 15 years, along with a dozen new transit centers, new crosstown bus routes, 24-hour bus service, and nearly 600 traffic lights upgraded to a connected smart network. "We have talked to both Steve Bland, the CEO of WeGo, and Chief Drake at MNPD about how we would dedicate some of the funding to personnel and technology," O'Connell said. "Our hope is having this report — ideally before the end of the year — is gonna help us make rapid progress on the safety of not just facilities like WeGo Central, but the network as a whole. We are expecting a significant step forward in safety system-wide." At the time of the shooting, a Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson said the WeGo bus terminal has bus security and police regularly patrolling the area. Bus riders told NewsChannel 5 that they have seen violence surrounding WeGo and some MNPS parents shared they had been hesitant after this month to allow their students to use the public transit system. Around 4,000 with MNPS use the public bus system. The Choose How You Move plan is just getting started. The city is looking to hire a transit czar, and O'Connell said Tuesday they will look to the original technical and community advisory committee before making a new one. "I think we want this to be something that's got a balanced focus on implementation details, including everything from design and safety elements, but also making sure we are doing community engagement along all the corridors where we expect the most significant changes to take place. But we don't have a complete list of who we expect to be participating in that yet," O'Connell said. Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at emily.west@newschannel5.com. Rebecca: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/a2/d9/fb69982545c59e9836fbe80fe431/rebecca-recommends.png Carrie: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/2e/72/be0f23854c54a228c9d6138c9847/carrie-recommends-header.png Ben: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/df/c4/19fa7c504480938f39a431e3b276/ben-recommends-header.png Amy: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/b9/b6/1408516a4a91b97639b178fc1ba9/amy-recommends-header.png Rhori: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/5b/25/a224d13d47739165c92b94e643db/rhori-recommends-header.png Lelan: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/af/54/833bf879454097a398bd44f723de/lelan-recommends.png Journalism is at its best when we can shine a light on an issue that needs more attention. Once again, Hannah McDonald does this beautifully by highlighting the hardships of teens aging out of the foster care system. I learned something new in her reporting and am inspired by the work I AM NEXT is doing to make a difference. I think you will be too! -Carrie Sharp