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Taylor Swift's concerts at Vancouver's BC Place Dec. 6, 7 and 8 are continuing to help local charities. The BC Children's Hospital Foundation on Saturday night (Nov. 30) auctioned 15 tickets to a private suite at one of the Taylor Swift Vancouver concerts for $290,000 – an impressive amount of money but it was not the most that a B.C. charity has garnered for a suite during one of Swift's concerts. The VGH UBC Hospital Foundation on Oct. 19 raised a staggering $320,000 from a winning bid at its Vitality Gala live auction for 15 private suite tickets to see Swift sing in Vancouver. The BC Children's Hospital Foundation's weekend windfall at its Crystal Ball gala did, however, better some other B.C. charities that auctioned off tickets at suites to see Taylor Swift. The Victoria Hospitals Foundation at its Visions Gala Nov. 16 netted $260,000 by auctioning off a 15-person suite to see Swift. The BC Cancer Society was the first local charity to auction off a 15-person suite to see Swift. It raised $125,000 for that suite during an action at its Daffodil Ball in April. Combined, those four suites generated more than $1 million for the charities. PavCo, which operates BC Place, gifted the suites to be auctioned off, PavCo senior manager of marketing and communications Jenny McKenzie told BIV. “For every concert that comes through, we have a certain number of suites and tickets that [we get as] part of our partnership with that tour,” she explained. PavCo sometimes gives tickets and suites to what she called “stakeholders” related to PavCo, but the organization also donates access to suites and tickets to charities, she said. McKenzie said that PavCo has long had an informal system in place to provide suites and tickets to charities, and this year formalized what it is calling its BC Place Community Benefit Program. “By donating tickets, BC Place enables charities to raise critical funds while offering unforgettable experiences to their supporters,” she said. She added that the program reinforces PavCo’s role as a catalyst for positive change and social impact. The Canuck Place Children’s Hospice is another charity that has cashed in on excitement about Taylor Swift. It sold two sets of tickets—eight in total—to a Taylor Swift Vancouver concert for $46,000 at its November 2 Gift of Time Gala auction, which raised more than $1.63 million in support of Canuck Place. Toronto-based telecom Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX:RCI-B) is a presenting sponsor of the Canadian leg of Swift’s Eras tour, which includes six shows in Toronto and three in Vancouver. Because it is a presenting sponsor, it has access to many tickets for internal use. Some of those tickets are being given away to forge customer loyalty while others are being given to charities, Rogers’ senior manager of communication in Western Canada, Leann Yutuc, told BIV. Rogers has been giving away 35 pairs of tickets each week to different Rogers customers who enter draws, she said. “Specific to charities, we have given tickets to BGC Canada, Jays Care, Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto and Canucks for Kids to distribute to their beneficiaries,” she said. Canucks for Kids received 40 tickets with those going to deserving families to attend a Taylor Swift concert, Yutuc said. Swift has been a vocal supporter of food banks and that has spurred fan Heidi Van Schaik to launch a Canada-wide initiative dubbed Tay It Forward. Waterloo, Ont.-based Schaik has set a goal to raise $1.3 million for Canadian food banks, with that amount chosen because 13 is said to be Swift’s favourite number, and it is one she has reportedly drawn on her hand before performances. Schaik is encouraging fans to make $13 donations, with the campaign slated to end December 13. A wide range of businesses in Vancouver are also cashing in on the Taylor Swift concerts . [email protected] @GlenKorstrom glenkorstrom.bsky.social

A Republican president-elect pledges support for expansive tariffs as a means of protecting U.S. businesses and hamstringing global competitors. That description may conjure up former President Donald Trump, but it also applies to Herbert Hoover, who led the country nearly a century ago during the onset of the Great Depression. Within months of the stock market crash, Hoover signed into law the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, a 1930 measure that increased tariffs for a broad swathe of imported goods. In response, several countries imposed retaliatory tariffs and trade plummeted. Many economists view the measure as a factor that exacerbated the nation's economic downturn. "A whole generation of Republicans and Democrats after World War II was very much conditioned against tariff hikes because of the experience of the 1930s. Now we have a new generation of leaders who are much more willing to pull the trigger on higher tariffs," Douglas Irwin, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College and author of "Peddling Protectionism: Smoot-Hawley and the Great Depression," told ABC News. MORE: Trump's proposed tariffs would raise prices for these products, experts say Here's what to know about the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, its economic impact, and what its legacy means for tariffs promised by Trump, according to experts. What is the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act? The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act arrived at a moment of economic crisis. As the stock market wobbled and financial panic took hold, Congress negotiated a set of tariff increases that initially aimed to protect U.S. farmers from foreign competition but ultimately extended to a wide range of manufactured goods. The measure is named after its key supporters in Congress: Republican Sen. Reed Smoot of Utah and Republican Rep. Willis Hawley of Oregon. It passed the Senate by a narrow margin of 44 to 42, and sailed through the House of Representatives by a vote of 264 to 147. Hoover signed Smoot-Hawley into law in June 1930. For products already facing tariffs, the law, on average, raised the import tax from 40% to nearly 60%, making for an increase of roughly 20 percentage points, Kris Mitchener, a professor of economics at Santa Clara University who studies Smoot-Hawley, told ABC News. It also significantly expanded the number of goods subject to a tariff, he added. "It culminated in a more or less complete rewrite of the tariff schedule," Mitchener said, referring to the nation's tariff code. What happened after Smoot-Hawley took effect, and did it cause the Great Depression? The Smoot-Hawley tariffs set off a near-immediate trade war, in which several foreign nations responded to tariffs by slapping U.S. imports with taxes of their own. For instance, Canada placed tariffs on 16 products that accounted for roughly a third of U.S. exports, according to a working paper co-authored by Mitchener in 2021. France and Spain both slapped taxes on imported American automobiles, a major U.S. industry. "America's trade partners responded by targeting U.S. exports," Mitchener said. "The most important declines were in the products that were targeted." As a result, trading partners suffered reduced output, but so did the United States, Michener said. The trade slowdown weakened the economy and exacerbated the nation's economic downturn, experts said. However, the Great Depression had taken hold before the effects of Smoot-Hawley, ruling it out as a cause of the crisis, they added. "Smoot-Hawley impacted the U.S. economy at a vulnerable moment," Irwin said. What could the legacy of Smoot-Hawley mean for Trump's tariff proposals? Smoot-Hawley cast a shadow over tariff policy for decades, Irwin said. "It gave tariffs a bad name," he added. For decades, prominent members of both major parties focused on the risks posed by tariffs, occasionally citing Smoot-Hawley, Irwin said. "The Smoot-Hawley tariff ignited an international trade war and helped sink our country into the Great Depression," then-president Ronald Reagan said during a radio address in 1986. MORE: What have past Republican presidents said about tariffs? The measure also played a key role in shifting tariff authority from Congress toward the executive branch, since lawmakers sought a speedy way to roll back the tariffs, experts said. In 1934, the Reciprocal Tariffs Act gave the president the power to increase or reduce tariff levels by up to 50%. A series of subsequent laws helped shift additional tariff authority to the president. "Now, Congress doesn't have much to do with setting tariffs," Irwin said. On the campaign trail, Trump said he could enact tariffs without support from Congress. He is largely accurate in his description of the wide latitude enjoyed by the president in setting and implementing some tariffs, experts previously told ABC News. "Trump is using the delegated powers to pass tariffs," Irwin said. "That's completing the circle of Smoot-Hawley in some sense."Sidra Medicine opens PMFG Summit

A small asteroid was visible in northern Siberia on Tuesday, as it closed in on its collision course with Earth. It's first of two expected flybys this week. The European Space Agency issued an alert for the 27-inch asteroid at 4:27 a.m. ET, with the agency saying the celestial rock would create a visible fireball in the sky but that "the impact will be harmless." The asteroid, temporarily named C0WEPC5, has become Earth's fourth detected asteroid strike of the year and just the 11th of all time. Detected strikes are known as "imminent impactors," according to the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, which identified the fast-moving asteroid ahead of its arrival. The space rock entered Earth's atmosphere at 11:15 a.m. ET over Yakutia in northeastern Siberia, creating a massive fireball witnessed by people in the region, according to the agency. Video posted to social media on Tuesday shows the bright, fast-moving fireball darting through the sky before dissipating. It's currently unknown how much, if any, of the asteroid debris landed on Earth. Flyby asteroids are common, and astronomers' ability to detect them has rapidly increased with technological advancements. According to NASA , 132 known asteroids have passed closer to Earth than the moon is since October 2023. Overall, there have been upward of 36,000 asteroid flybys, the agency reported. Adding to the solar system show this week, another asteroid, known as 2020 XR, will fly by Earth at 12:27 a.m. ET on Wednesday, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Significantly larger but much farther away from impact than Tuesday's asteroid, 2020 XR is approximately 1,200 feet in diameter -- roughly the same as the height of New York City's Empire State Building -- but will pass Earth at a comfortable distance of 1.37 million miles, according to NASA. While the massive asteroid will unlikely have any impact, and is not considered a threat by officials, NASA designates any object that comes within 4.6 million miles of Earth as "potentially hazardous."

Bellingham gives Atalanta too much to do as Real Madrid show they are back - The GuardianSan Francisco (5-5) at Green Bay (7-3) Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, FOX BetMGM NFL odds: Packers by 2 1/2. Against the spread: 49ers 4-6; Packers 4-6 Series record: Packers lead 38-34-1 Last meeting: 49ers beat Packers 24-21 in NFC divisional playoff game Jan. 20, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. Last week: 49ers lost 20-17 at home to Seattle; Packers won 20-19 at Chicago 49ers offense: overall (2), rush (7), pass (4), scoring (T-8) Packers offense: overall (4), rush (4), pass (9), scoring (T-8) 49ers defense: overall (6), rush (8), pass (8), scoring (T-16) Packers defense: overall (12), rush (14), pass (13), scoring (10) Turnover differential: 49ers plus-3; Packers plus-5 QB Brandon Allen: With Brock Purdy unavailable due to a sore right shoulder, Allen will make his first start in three years. The 32-year-old Allen has made nine career starts, and his teams have gone 2-7 in those games. His last start came with Cincinnati in the 2021 regular-season finale when the Bengals rested usual starter Joe Burrow to get ready for the playoffs. Allen has thrown three passes in the last three seasons, including none since joining San Francisco in 2023. Allen was a member of the Los Angeles Rams in 2017, when Packers coach Matt LaFleur was that team’s offensive coordinator. RB Josh Jacobs has 838 yards rushing this season to rank third in the NFL entering Week 12. He ran for 76 yards and a touchdown while also catching five passes for 58 yards against the Bears. Jacobs has scored four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) over his past four games. He has at least 90 yards from scrimmage over his past six games, matching Houston’s Joe Mixon for the NFL’s longest such active streak. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey vs. Packers run defense: McCaffrey rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns — including the game-winner with 1:07 left — in the 49ers’ playoff victory over the Packers last season. Green Bay is coming off a performance in which it allowed a season-high 179 yards rushing to the Bears. Purdy isn't playing due to a sore throwing shoulder. ... The 49ers also won't have Nick Bosa after he injured his left hip and oblique against the Seahawks. ... Niners CB Charvarius Ward will miss a third straight game following the death of his 1-year-old daughter. ... Niners LT Trent Williams (ankle) is questionable. ... Niners TE George Kittle is expected back after missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury. ... Packers CB Jaire Alexander (knee) and LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) have been ruled out. ... Packers guard Jordan Morgan (shoulder) is on injured reserve. The 49ers have beaten the Packers in the playoffs three of the past five years. That includes a 37-19 victory in the 2019 NFC championship, a 13-10 upset at Lambeau Field in the 2021 divisional round and the 24-21 thriller last season. The past three matchups between these teams — including a Packers 30-28 road victory on Sept. 26, 2021 — have been decided by a total of eight points. This marks the first time these teams have faced off at Lambeau Field during the regular season since a Packers 33-30 triumph on Oct. 15, 2018. Each of the past three Packers-49ers games at Green Bay have been decided by three points. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Packers coach Matt LaFleur worked together as assistants at Houston (2008-09), Washington (2010-13) and Atlanta (2015-16). A loss would give the 49ers a losing record more than 10 games into a season for the first time since going 6-10 in 2020. ... San Francisco has lost a league-worst three games this season after leading in the final two minutes of regulation. ... The 49ers have allowed 36 points in the final two minutes of regulation, second most in the NFL. ... The Niners had only one play from scrimmage go for at least 20 yards last week, tied for the fewest in any game in eight seasons under Shanahan. ... San Francisco is outgaining the opposition through the air by an NFL-best 53.9 yards per game. ... McCaffrey has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in his first two games back from Achilles tendinitis and has five straight games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage going back to last postseason. ... McCaffrey’s 57 games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage are the most for any active player. ... The 49ers are 1-5 this season when Purdy turns the ball over and 4-0 when he doesn’t. ... Purdy’s four rushing TDs are the most in a season for a Niners QB since Colin Kaepernick had four in 2013. ... This is the first of three games the Packers are playing in a 12-day stretch. They host the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving night and visit the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Dec. 5. ... The Packers are tied for fourth in the league with 19 takeaways, but they don’t have any over their past two games. ... Packers S Xavier McKinney has six interceptions this season to rank second in the league, behind Detroit’s Kerby Joseph (seven). McKinney has seven total takeaways, putting him in a tie for first with Joseph. ... Jacobs’ 838 yards rushing and 1,024 scrimmage yards this season are the most any Packer has had in his first 10 games with the team. Jacobs’ 1,024 scrimmage yards are the most for any Packer through the first 10 games of a season since Ahman Green had 1,057 at this point in 2004. ... Packers DL Rashan Gary had his 35th sack against Chicago to overtake teammate Kenny Clark for ninth place in franchise history. Clark, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is still seeking his first sack of the season. ... The Packers and 49ers have the NFC’s best regular-season winning percentage since 2019. The Packers are 63-30 and the 49ers 59-34 during that stretch. ... San Francisco’s George Kittle has seven touchdown catches to lead all NFL tight ends. Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft has five touchdown receptions to match Baltimore’s Mark Andrews for the second-highest total among tight ends. ... The 49ers rank 26th in the league with TDs on 48.8% of their red zone drives. Green Bay is 27th in that category and has scored TDs on 48.7% of its drives. Packers WR Christian Watson’s slow start to the season means he might have been stashed on someone’s bench or perhaps even became available on some fantasy football waiver wires. Now would be a good time to try to acquire him. Watson had four catches for a career-high 150 yards against the Bears. After getting targeted just 14 times over his first six games, Watson’s had 17 targets in his past three. He had a catch each of the four times Jordan Love targeted him in Chicago. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Stock market today: Wall Street slips to a rare back-to-back lossEastman Chemical Co. stock outperforms competitors despite losses on the day

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have presented a concept for decarbonizing transport while keeping it economically competitive. Increasing the utilization of carbon dioxide from biogas plants plays an important role. In 2022, Switzerland's transport-related CO emissions amounted to 13.6 million tons, not including international aviation. This corresponds to 41% of Switzerland's overall emissions. Transport can only become more climate-friendly by switching to low-carbon technologies. Electric drives are suitable for passenger cars and are already well established in this segment. However, from a technical point of view, hydrogen propulsion is more suitable for heavy commercial vehicles, because a hydrogen-powered truck outperforms its battery-powered counterpart in terms of weight, load, recharging time and range. In both cases, however, the electricity required must come from renewable sources. Otherwise, decarbonization will not work. The problem is that there is less sunshine in winter, for example, so less solar power is produced. Is it possible to supply enough renewable electricity and green hydrogen for throughout the year while still remaining economically competitive? PSI researchers Emanuele Moioli, Tilman Schildhauer and Hossein Madi have now shown how this might be achieved. Their concept is based on a clever combination of electricity generation and biogas production. The work is in the journal . Two-step conversion The concept proposes storing surpluses when more renewable electricity is available than required—in the summer and sometimes also in spring and autumn—and making these available to transport systems in the winter when electricity from renewable sources is scarce. This is to be achieved via a number of conversion and re-conversion steps. First, the surplus electricity is used to electrolyze water, splitting it into its molecular components, hydrogen and oxygen. The surplus electrical energy is stored in a converted form in the hydrogen. In a further step, two synthetic fuels are then produced, methane gas (CH ) and liquid methanol (CH OH). "These are the molecules we use to store energy, and they play a central part in the concept," says Emanuele Moioli from the Laboratory for Sustainable Energy Carriers and Processes at the PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences. The reason why the hydrogen itself is not stored is that hydrogen cannot be liquefied at ambient temperatures, and even in compressed form it still has a large specific volume. This makes it difficult to store and transport. Also, the necessary infrastructure for this is lacking. "It is much better to convert the hydrogen further into methane or methanol, because they have a much higher energy density than hydrogen. This significantly reduces the amount of space needed, making both storage and transport much simpler," explains Moioli. Biogas plants as a third sector However, producing the molecules that store this energy requires another reagent: carbon dioxide. In the decarbonization concept presented, biogas plants are used as a source of CO . CO is produced here as a waste product when biogas is processed, making it very cheap. It can be used directly to produce methane and methanol. According to Moioli, this will in fact be done on site. In addition to the bioreactors, in which biomass is fermented into biogas, additional tanks will be installed in which the captured carbon dioxide and the previously produced hydrogen will be mixed and converted into either methane or methanol. So much for the storage side. In winter, when renewable electricity is in short supply, the second part of the concept comes into effect. The two synthetic fuels are transported to a centrally located electricity/H fueling station. The liquid methanol will be transported there by truck, the gaseous methane ideally via existing natural gas pipelines. "This is often possible because already produce methane and feed it into the grid," says Moioli. Alternatively, the methane could be compressed and transported by rail in gas cylinders. At the electricity/H fueling station, the stored energy is converted back into hydrogen by steam reforming, i.e., recovering the hydrogen from the methane. During the chemical process, the hydrogen is separated from the methane or methanol and is immediately available for "refueling" hydrogen-powered vehicles. The further conversion back into electricity for electric vehicles also takes place on site through the combustion of the methane in a gas turbine and the methanol in a fuel cell. In view of their individual characteristics, the two molecules would be used differently. Methanol is more suitable for producing H , because steam reforming is more efficient with methanol than with methane. Methane, on the other hand, is more suitable for electricity generation because of its higher efficiency during combustion. Narrowing the cost gap But does decarbonizing transport along these lines make economic sense? To answer this question, the authors of the study analyzed publicly available data from the Werdhölzi biogas plant in Zurich and calculated the size of the proposed fuel synthesis station that would be required, as well as the capital costs associated with building such a plant. Moioli summarizes the results of their calculations: providing electricity and hydrogen from stored methanol or methane, as proposed in the study, is more expensive than today's petrol. But by carefully combining electricity, gas and infrastructure, the costs of decarbonizing transport can be reduced to a level at which even "moderate incentives," such as CO certificates, can make it cost-competitive with fossil fuels. And the cost calculation did not even take into account the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Moioli points out that carbon capture and the long-term storage of carbon dioxide can actually result in negative carbon emissions. The proposed approach is therefore viable. However, the complete decarbonization of a sector such as mobility will require very large amounts of renewable electricity. The quantities produced today are nowhere near sufficient. According to Moioli, there are several obstacles to increasing the supply: "The imbalance between demand and supply limits the direct use of renewable electricity and , especially for transport. This can be seen in the field of photovoltaics. Installing additional PV systems means that the new systems will have fewer customers. Because in summer, when solar power is available in large quantities, the existing systems already cover the demand." This is slowing down the expansion of PV, which—according to Moioli—means that many more energy storage systems must be installed. A significant increase in the storage capacity would speed up the expansion of photovoltaic systems, thereby creating the basis for the climate-friendly transport of the future.None

FRO stock touches 52-week low at $18.26 amid market shiftsTHE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is resuscitating a 17-year-old resolution that mandates the repossession of council-leased shops whose occupants have exceeded a 10-year tenure, rather than crafting a new policy. This resolution, first passed on December 5, 2007, aimed at ensuring the equitable distribution of commercial spaces. However, it was shelved after resistance from various business groups. In 2017, the council attempted to enforce the measure, but the plan faced similar opposition, resulting in its delay. Recent deliberations by the council’s finance and economic development committee have reignited the issue. During a September meeting of the sub-committee on the allocation of stands and premises for development, discussions centered on introducing a policy to cap lease periods. However, it was noted that the 2007 resolution already provided a framework to address the matter. The sub-committee chairperson, Councillor Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu, sought clarification on how the council would implement evictions under the policy. The council’s valuer and estates manager, Mr Thabani Ncube recommended a case-by-case approach, acknowledging ethical concerns about immediate evictions, especially for tenants with long-term leases. “Council would rather wait for the lapse of the policy and advise the applicants accordingly. However, a notice in writing would be issued out as a reminder of the new policy when applicants sought the renewal of leases,” said. It was subsequently resolved to reaffirm the 2007 resolution and proceed with its enforcement. Meanwhile, the council has issued a tender inviting bids for a variety of business premises across Bulawayo. These include tuck shops, kiosks, industrial stands, service stations, factory shells, social clubs, and a primary school site. Six tuck shops at various primary schools, including Mgombane, Sigombe, and Mtshane in Nkulumane, and Emganwini, Manondwane, and Aisleby Farm, are up for lease. Two kiosks at Barbourfields Stadium and the Borrow Swimming Pool are also available. The council has advertised a service station in Barham Green and nine service industry stands in Emakhandeni, Luveve, and Cowdray Park for ventures such as hair salons, grinding mills, gas retailing, and welding. Six factory shells in Kelvin North industrial area are being offered for activities like carpentry, tailoring, pottery, and electrical repairs. Other opportunities include leased shops in Makokoba and Njube, a primary school site in Montrose, and two social clubs in North End. One of the clubs is designated for amateur sports and social activities, while the other is earmarked for basketball. This initiative seeks to provide residents with opportunities to contribute to the city’s economic growth while addressing the longstanding issue of equitable access to council-leased properties. Raymond Jaravaza, ZIMBABWE is carving a niche as a global leader in the rapidly rising cannabis industry. By using research to develop cannabis seed genetics, the country is aiming to reduce production costs and increase export opportunities. This initiative indicates the country’s determination to drive economic development through cannabis farming. The Kutsaga Research Board is [...] Mukudzei Chingwere, Harare Bureau PRESIDENT Mnangagwa’s role as Chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has received global commendation for bringing peace and stability in the region. Visiting Director General of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Ms Amy Pope, who paid a courtesy call on the President at State House in Harare yesterday, said [...] Peter Matika, GOVERNMENT has assured the nation that the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) holds ample grain supplies to support essential food initiatives, such as the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme, despite rising concerns about a potential drought. Speaking during a post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said the SGR currently [...]

Online auction of confiscated booze features hard-to-find bottles of Kentucky bourbonsMAA Announces Regular Quarterly Preferred Dividend

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MachTen, Inc. ("MACT”) (OTC: MACT) today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024. Financial Highlights Revenue was $4.3 million in the quarter vs. $4.1 million in the prior year. For the nine months ended September 30, revenue was $12.7 million vs. $11.9 million in 2023. EBITDA was $2.5 million in the third quarter vs. $2.1 million in the prior year, and $6.8 million for the first nine months of 2024 compared to $5.8 million in 2023. After consulting for several months, Marc Blom joined MachTen full-time as Chief Financial Officer on October 1. Marc brings considerable finance and accounting experience, having held key positions with companies in the asset management, medical device and consumer products industries. "I am looking forward to continuing the long legacy of the Michigan based companies in providing exceptional telecommunication services and expanding the company into new markets,” added Marc Blom. Third Quarter 2024 Operational Highlights Michigan Broadband continues to invest significant capital in equipment, software, and personnel to update systems and processes following its spin-off from LICT Corporation. Approximately 100 miles of fiber-optic network has been constructed over the last twelve months, passing nearly 2,500 potential customers. This brings total fiber-based passings to almost 8,000, with another 2,500 expected by year-end 2025. Following the investment period mandated by E-ACAM and the ReConnect American grants, Michigan Broadband anticipates being able to provide at least 100 Mbps / 20 Mbps data service to more than 20,000 locations. As of September 30, 2024, Michigan Broadband had approximately 1,450 fiber-based Internet subscribers. Sales efforts to increase market penetration will be bolstered by the May 2024 launch of a TiVo-based video solution, and the upcoming introduction of a mobile MVNO offering. In addition, all fiber-based services can now be ordered on www.michbbs.com , relaunched this spring with interactive functionality. Michigan Broadband also implemented a Referral & Affiliate Marketing program in August 2024. Capital Investments A $4 million project funded by a Connecting Michigan Communities 3.0 grant to bring fiber-based services to more than 700 homes and businesses in Wallace and Carney is nearing completion, with final reimbursement by the State expected in January 2025. It is anticipated that the take-rate should be more than 50% after 18 months. Construction has begun on the ReConnect America 3 ("RC3”) grant projects that will ultimately bring fiber-based service to more than 2,500 locations over 600 miles. These grants were awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service and will impact areas that are considered amongst the highest cost to serve. On a combined basis, the RC3 grant projects may have a total cost of approximately $85 million over a 5-year period, inclusive of a matching investment from MachTen of up to $16 million. The deployment of fiber-based broadband services to more than 8,900 locations in Michigan Broadband's incumbent network, supported by E-CAM, will accelerate in 2025. As previously disclosed, satisfaction of the E-ACAM obligation could cost up to $100 million, with most of the investment required by year-end 2028, 10-years earlier than expiration of support payments that should reach $150 million in aggregate. We continue to monitor potential developments related to E-ACAM funding in light of the recent ruling in the 5 th Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling impacts the funding mechanism and oversight of the Universal Service Fund and will be reviewed by the US Supreme Court in 2025. We are also monitoring the potential impact of the presidential election on broadband funding. Balance Sheet As of September 30, 2024, cash and cash equivalents were $1.3 million, compared with $1.5 million as of December 31, 2023, and $0.7 million on June 30, 2024. Prior to being spun-off from LICT Corporation, MachTen declared a $15 million distribution to its former parent, and a Promissory Note was issued that included interest expense at a rate of SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate) + 1.5%. In August, MachTen executed a $20 million term loan from the National Cooperative Services Corporation (NCSC). Concurrently, $16 million was drawn down to repay the LICT Note and for working capital. Accrued interest due LICT at the time of repayment of $1.02 million was reduced to $514,000 and converted to non-voting preferred equity with a 5% interest rate. The interest rate on the funds advanced from the NCSC term loan is fixed at approximately 5.5%. MachTen continues to explore scenarios for efficiently financing its capex obligations under E-ACAM and ReConnect America. About MachTen, Inc. MachTen is a holding company for Michigan Broadband Services, Upper Peninsula Telephone Company (UPTC), Michigan Central Broadband Company (MCBC), and Alpha Enterprises Ltd. MachTen's subsidiaries provide broadband internet access and communications services, including voice, video, home automation and managed hosting services. Investors should refer to filings that have been posted to www.machteninc.com .NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Tuesday in the runup to the highlight of the week for the market, the latest update on inflation that’s coming on Wednesday. The S&P 500 dipped 0.3%, a day after pulling back from its latest all-time high . They’re the first back-to-back losses for the index in nearly a month, as momentum slows following a big rally that has it on track for one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 154 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%. Tech titan Oracle dragged on the market and sank 6.7% after reporting growth for the latest quarter that fell just short of analysts’ expectations. It was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500, even though CEO Safra Catz said the company saw record demand related to artificial-intelligence technology for its cloud infrastructure business, which trains generative AI models. AI has been a big source of growth that’s helped many companies’ stock prices skyrocket. Oracle’s stock had already leaped more than 80% for the year coming into Tuesday, which raised the bar of expectations for its profit report. In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher ahead of Wednesday’s report on the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling. Economists expect it to show similar increases as the month before. Wednesday’s update and a report on Thursday about inflation at the wholesale level will be the final big pieces of data the Federal Reserve will get before its meeting next week, where many investors expect the year’s third cut to interest rates . The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to take pressure off the slowing jobs market, after bringing inflation nearly down to its 2% target. Lower rates would help give support to the economy, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts through next year have been a big reason the S&P 500 has set so many records this year. Trading in the options market suggests traders aren’t expecting a very big move for U.S. stocks following Wednesday’s report, according to strategists at Barclays. But a reading far off expectations in either direction could quickly change that. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.22% from 4.20% late Monday. Even though the Fed has been cutting its main interest rate, mortgage rates have been more stubborn to stay high and have been volatile since the autumn. That has hampered the housing industry, and homebuilder Toll Brothers’ stock fell 6.9% even though it delivered profit and revenue for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations. CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the luxury builder has been seeing strong demand since the start of its fiscal year six weeks ago, an encouraging signal as it approaches the beginning of the spring selling season in mid-January. Elsewhere on Wall Street, Alaska Air Group soared 13.2% after raising its forecast for profit in the current quarter. The airline said demand for flying around the holidays has been stronger than expected. It also approved a plan to buy back up to $1 billion of its stock, along with new service from Seattle to Tokyo and Seoul . Boeing climbed 4.5% after saying it’s resuming production of its bestselling plane , the 737 Max, for the first time since 33,000 workers began a seven-week strike that ended in early November. Vail Resorts rose 2.5% after the ski resort operator reported a smaller first-quarter loss than analysts expected in what is traditionally its worst quarter. All told, the S&P 500 fell 17.94 points to 6,034.91. The Dow dipped 154.10 to 44,247.83, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 49.45 to 19,687.24. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in China after the world’s second-largest economy said its exports rose by less than expected in November. Stocks rose 0.6% in Shanghai but fell 0.5% in Hong Kong. Indexes fell across much of Europe ahead of a meeting this week by the European Central Bank, where the widespread expectation is for another cut in interest rates. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

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