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Maura Higgins quickly became a household name after she appeared on "Love Island" in 2019 and we're sure she'll gain a new legion of fans while she's in the "I'm A Celeb" jungle. People loved her quick-witted and cutthroat responses, and she's maintained this entertaining persona through everything she does in life from her social media presence to her hosting duties. It's been five years since we were first introduced to the Longford lady and while we feel like we know her by now, there are some surprising facts about her that aren't too common knowledge... Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Maura's an ex-fiancée as she was engaged to her first-ever boyfriend James Finnegan. Speaking on the "We Need to Talk" podcast with Paul C. Brunson, Maura revealed she and James first got together when she was 17 years old. She moved out of her family home and in with him in their small Longford town. The former couple were together for nine years, with James popping the question around a year before they parted ways. The "Love Island" star said she knew at the time she accepted his proposal that she wasn't going to marry him. "It shouldn't have happened, but it just did," she admitted. "For some reason, in our heads we thought '[the engagement] will fix everything.' It's not going to fix anything. What's a ring gonna do?' "I fell out of love," she said, before explaining that she had toyed with the idea of their split for a while before pulling the trigger. She didn't want to break his heart but knew she had to do it for herself. Maura has a surprising One Direction connection... she featured in a music video for Liam Payne and Zedd's track "Get Low." Snippets of the music video played in the background of the late singer's performance at Radio 1's Teen Awards in 2017. Prior to entering the Australian jungle for "I'm A Celeb" 2024, Maura confessed her phobias cover "everything." Fantastic! Another big concern of hers is sleeping under the stars, admitting: "I have never slept outside before. I am an indoor girl." A post shared by I'm a Celebrity... (@imacelebrity) After her appearance on "Love Island," Maura joined the "This Morning" team as an Agony Aunt. Honestly, no better woman! She has a candid, no-nonsense approach to life and thrilled viewers as she gave people a dig out with their relationship woes. Maura always has her trusty right-hand man, celebrity hairstylist Carl Bembridge, by her side, but if she didn't it's not like she'd be losing her right arm... The Longford woman is actually trained as a hairdresser. She worked in that career for a solid ten years, not bad going! A post shared by MAURA HIGGINS (@maurahiggins) Maura sacrificed attending her sister's wedding in favour of a stint on "Love Island." Her sister Louise tied the knot at a private ceremony at Abbeyshrule Church, outside Ballymahon, in July 2019 while Maura was basking under the Majorcan sun. There's no bad blood between the sisters, however, as locals confirmed at the time Louise gave Maura her blessing to leave her at the altar. Maura dropped out of secondary school when she was just 16 years old, and never sat the Leaving Cert. Evidently, she didn't need it to boast an uber-successful career! *This article was originally published on Evoke.ie .Johnson scores 21 as Portland State beats Wofford 79-74 at Cream City Challenge
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The dizzying array of legal threats to Brazil’s former President Jair BolsonaroThe Baltimore City government helps local non-profits use a financial structure that keeps the public in the dark about some organizations’ finances, even when they receive government money. This practice of “fiscal sponsorship” allows established non-profits to provide a variety of services to smaller non-profits, which are often newly created and not registered with the IRS. These services include handling their finances, allowing the smaller non-profits to avoid filing public tax disclosures. “The IRS must investigate these kinds of arrangements for impropriety and bending of the rules,” said Scott Hodge, a senior policy advisor at the Tax Foundation. “These too-clever partnerships are a sign that federal tax-exempt rules are broken and should be reformed.” Baltimore City has a lucrative network of fiscal sponsors that expanded since the COVID-19 pandemic. This effort was steered by prominent foundations, such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Open Society Institute. The collaboration between wealthy foundations, established fiscal sponsors and local non-profits was later boosted by Baltimore City taxpayer dollars through the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund (BCYF). BCYF was created through a city charter amendment in 2016 and was touted by elected leaders as a plan to support youth-focused community projects after the death of Freddie Gray. The program is funded exclusively by Baltimore City taxpayers, but is run through a separate non-profit, meaning there is no regular performance auditing of the fund. There is also no sunset date on the money it receives. A previous FOX45 investigation identified an extensive list of 2022 BCYF grant recipients that did not file tax forms in recent years or are not registered as non-profits with the IRS. Community leaders capitalized on the passage of BCYF to boost the fiscal sponsor network in Baltimore City. BCYF hosted an educational event titled “Understanding Baltimore’s Fiscal Sponsorship Landscape” in January 2021, which it posted on YouTube a month later. The event hosted three panelists: Danielle Torrain of the Open Society Institute; Changa Onyango of Fusion Partnerships, which is a fiscal sponsor; and Candace Chance of The VPI Firm, which provides consulting services. The panelists advocated for government entities and local non-profits to increase payments and coordination with fiscal sponsors in the community, which they said was essential to aid Black-led organizations and counter racism. Torrain said local leaders should focus on reforming what she described as a “non-profit industrial complex” that roots in a “very exploitative form of capitalism.” “I do view this as not only a racial justice issue but an economic justice issue,” Torrain said. “So when we think about the work of reimagining our local fiscal sponsorship ecosystem and what it can and should look like, it’s a part of the work of actually reimagining economic systems, and reimagining them in ways of being more regenerative and non-exploitative and more restorative and also rooted in our values as people.” Onyango emphasized the need to take advantage of what he described as a flawed non-profit ecosystem. “We know that the non-profit complex overall is a tax dodge,” he said. “The cat is out the bag. To my funding section, I would just ask you to relent on the pettiness, relent on the pettiness, do some research, let go of your fear, undo the racism, so that we can get on with the business of building what we need to build and coming back to the equilibrium of human beings.” Fusion Partnerships secured a $1.5 million grant from BCYF in June 2021, according to documents obtained by FOX45 through a public information request. The grant came six months after Fusion pleaded for more support for fiscal sponsors as a panelist in the BCYF event. The grant document reveals how BCYF leveraged its youth-focused program to boost fiscal sponsors. “BCYF’s multi-year funding investment will allow Fusion Partnerships (Fusion) to sustain and expand capacity by supporting the strengthening of its business model, to support its current portfolio of fiscally sponsored grantees, and to contribute to growing Fusion’s working capital,” the project summary reads. “This investment will bring to fruition BCYF’s plan to invest in Baltimore’s fiscal sponsorship landscape, thereby supporting the success of grassroots organizations who need fiscal sponsorship. This investment also allows BCYF to support an organization that has been a key partner for BCYF grantees. Fusion supports our partners through its fiscal sponsorship, community grants and capacity building programs. This infusion of cash will strengthen those small organizations, bolster the fiscal sponsorship ecosystem, and increase their grantees’ capacity to support the City’s youth and families.” Fusion Partnerships received grants from a variety of other sources within the Baltimore City government as well, according to the Baltimore City Board of Estimates website. The six government grants to the organization over the past two years total $536,780. A number of the grants were earmarked for fiscally sponsored organizations, such as the Baltimore Doula Project and Challenge2Change. A spokesman for Fusion Partnerships previously acknowledged to FOX45 that “some of our partner projects have received funding from BCYF,” but declined to specify those projects. The group did not respond to questions regarding why it needs funds from local organizations and taxpayers. The push to expand the fiscal sponsorship network in Baltimore City continued when the Casey Foundation and Open Society Institute initiated a study in August 2021 titled “Mapping Baltimore’s Fiscal Sponsorship Landscape.” Researchers interviewed local non-profit and fiscal sponsor leaders. The report recommends that grant distributors pay fiscal sponsors in addition to the grants awarded to community non-profits. “These cash reserves could be done as one-time direct investments into specific fiscal sponsors, such as BCYF did with Fusion Partnership,” the report recommended with a likely reference to Fusion Partnership’s $1.5 million contract with BCYF. More grants to fiscal sponsors soon followed. BCYF awarded a $2 million grant in December 2021 to the Fund for Educational Excellence (FFEE), a fiscal sponsor, for its “Baltimore’s Promise Summer Funding Collaborative” program, according to documents obtained by FOX45 in a public information request. FFEE continued to receive grants from BCYF for this summer program, according to additional documents, including $2 million in 2022 and $1.85 million in 2024. A review of FFEE’s non-profit tax forms revealed the group appeared to use its BCYF summer funding award to distribute an extensive list of grants of its own to other non-profits. This trail of payments accounts for a significant majority of FFEE’s dispersed grants. FFEE listed 80 of its 104 grant distributions in its fiscal year 2023 tax form as being for a “summer funding” program. Its fiscal year 2022 tax form listed 66 of its 82 grants under this qualification and fiscal year 2021 listed 52 of its 65 grants. The majority of these “summer funding” grants from FFEE appeared to go to smaller, local non-profits. However, some went to additional fiscal sponsors. FFEE gave Fusion Partnerships $374,022 between fiscal years 2022 and 2023 listed for “summer funding collaborative.” It gave Fusion Partnerships another $575,000 in fiscal year 2021 for “B’more Invested & Summer Grant.” B’more Invested is a non-profit focused on grantmaking that is “anchored” by the Open Society Institute, according to the group’s website. FFEE gave a series of recent grants to Bmore Empowered, a fiscal sponsor whose operations director, Hana Pugh, is married to Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott. Some of these grants appear to be tied to BCYF taxpayer dollars through the summer funding program. A $55,230 grant from FFEE in fiscal year 2023 to Bmore Empowered was listed for “Summer Funding / B’more Invested.” A $13,051 grant in fiscal year 2022 to the group was listed for “Summer Funding Collaborative.” A $150,000 grant in fiscal year 2021 was listed for “B’more Invested.” Another fiscal sponsor, the Maryland Philanthropy Network, received $377,000 from FFEE between fiscal years 2021 and 2023 for B’more Invested, “Summer Grant” and the “healing cities” program. Fusion Partnerships, FFEE and Bmore Empowered did not respond to questions about its fiscal sponsorship operations. BCYF mentioned the Summer Funding Collaborative program in its 2023 grant awardees announcement, stating its goal to “fund different types of summer programs to keep students engaged and reduce summer learning loss so that more youth can reach their full potential.” However, BCYF did not mention FFEE in its description of the program. BCYF listed $8.4 million in grant funding to 60 organizations in its 2023 announcement. It listed $5.25 million in grants to 35 organizations in its 2022 announcement. The Summer Funding Collaborative program has its own website that describes its operations as a “partnership between public, private and non-profit organizations that supports high-quality summer programs serving children and youth from low-income backgrounds in Baltimore City.” David Williams, the president of the non-partisan Taxpayer Protection Alliance, warned this trail of funds from BCYF to fiscal sponsors and then to smaller non-profits exposes a series of transparency concerns. “Every time you go from one non-profit to another, you’re getting less transparency and less accountability of the money,” Williams said. “When you create multiple non-profits, you’re creating a mini army that is marching in lockstep with you. And they look independent, but they aren’t.” Baltimore City did not respond to questions about its funding of fiscal sponsors. The reshaped fiscal sponsorship network in Baltimore City followed years of troubled finances. Strong City, a fiscal sponsor, abandoned its clients in May 2021 after it mismanaged $14 million in assets, as previously reported by The Baltimore Sun. At one point, the organization sponsored more than 150 programs. A 2019 city audit found BCYF had “opportunities for improvement” on its grant distributions. BCYF was restructured as its own non-profit shortly thereafter. The 2019 audit was ordered amid the Healthy Holly scandal that led to a three-year prison sentence for Former Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh. This story is part of an ongoing investigation into taxpayer money going to non-profits and how that money is spent. Got a story tip or comment? Reach Patrick Hauf via email at pjhauf@sbgtv.com.
The 39-year-old has been a breath of fresh air since succeeding Erik ten Hag, with his personality and approach, coupled with promising early performances, bringing hope back to Old Trafford. Amorim has been touched by his warm welcome but repeatedly urged fans to avoid jumping the gun, having followed a draw at Ipswich with home wins against Bodo/Glimt and Everton. Wednesday’s trip to Arsenal is comfortably his biggest challenge yet and victory would see United move within three points of the Premier League title contenders. Put to Amorim it will be hard to manage expectations if they won in the capital, the head coach said: “I would like to say different things, but I have to say it again: the storm will come. “I don’t know if you use that expression, but we are going to have difficult moments and we will be found out in some games. “And I know that because I’m knowing my players and I know football and I follow football, so I understand the difference between the teams. “We are in the point in that we are putting simple things in the team, without training, and you feel it in this game against Everton, they change a little bit the way they were building up. “They are very good team, and we were with a lot of problems because we cannot change it by calling one thing to the captain. “So, we don’t have this training, so let’s focus on each game, on the performance, what we have to improve, trying to win games. And that is the focus. “I know it’s really hard to be a Manchester United coach and say these things in press conferences. We want to win all the time. No matter what. “We are going to try to win, but we know that we are in a different point if you compare to Arsenal. “So, it is what it is and we will try to win it and we go with confidence to win, but we know that we need to play very well to win the next football match.” The trip to Arsenal is the second of nine December matches for United, who are looking to avoid suffering four straight league defeats to the Gunners for the first time. The Red Devils have not won a Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium since 2017, but Amorim knows a thing or two about frustrating Mikel Arteta’s men. Arsenal thrashed Sporting Lisbon 5-1 in the Champions League last week, but in 2022-23 he led the Portuguese side to a Europa League last-16 penalty triumph after a 1-1 draw in London made it 3-3 on aggregate. “Arsenal this year, they play a little bit different,” Amorim said. “They are more fluid. “For example, two years ago when we faced them with Sporting, you knew how to press because you can understand better the structure. “Now it’s more fluid with (Riccardo) Calafiori and (Jurrien) Timber in different sides. One coming inside, the other going outside. Also (Martin) Odegaard changed the team, and you can feel it during this season. “So, you can take something from that game, especially because I know so well the opponent so you can understand the weakness of that team. “But every game is different, so you take something, but you already know that you are going to face a very good team.” This hectic winter schedule means Amorim sidestepped talk of January transfer business ahead of facing Arsenal, although he was more forthcoming on Amad Diallo’s future. The 22-year-old, who put in a man of the match display in Sunday’s 4-0 win against Everton, is out of contract at the end of the season, although the club holds an option to extend by a year. Diallo has repeatedly spoken of his desire to stay at United and it has been reported an agreement is close. Amorim said: “I think he wants to stay, and we want him to stay. So that is clear and we will find a solution.”
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