One of the two men rescued from the Maine woods Wednesday night has been taken to Boston for frostbite treatment and possible amputation, his wife said. Gary Foster, 75, left, and Sidney Hoyt, 77. Both men are from Bangor. Photo courtesy of Maine Warden Service Constance Hoyt, 78, said her husband, Sidney Hoyt, 77, was only wearing socks and sandals when he stepped out of his car to look for help after getting turned around on rural roads near Bangor. Authorities found him and a friend, 75-year-old Gary Foster, after dark Wednesday night. “He didn’t put any boots on. His feet froze,” Constance Hoyt said on a Thursday afternoon phone call. “I looked at his toes, and they were pretty black.” Foster was still in the car, which slid off the road and into a ditch, but Sidney Hoyt had collapsed after walking down a nearby path, Constance Hoyt said. The men had been missing for more than 24 hours, enduring temperatures that dropped below freezing, before a couple on a nearby farm heard their cries for help and called the 911 . “We had a lot of people praying. My church was praying,” Constance Hoyt said. Maine Game Warden Jonathan Parker found the men along a remote road in Township 32, about 15 miles northeast of Bangor, officials said. Parker found the men a few turns off of Stud Mill Road, which runs from Milford, in Penobscot County, to Princeton, in Washington County. Sidney Hoyt was taken to Boston before noon and was “in a lot of pain,” his wife said around 2:30 p.m., but she had not gotten an update on his condition since he was transported south Thursday morning. She said doctors may need to amputate his toes or part of his feet, but the scope of the damage was still being determined. Foster was admitted to the Maine Veteran’s Home in Bangor in October, and this was the first day trip he had been allowed to take, Constance Hoyt said. Constance Hoyt said she believed Foster was still in Maine, but had not heard any recent updates on his condition. A spokesperson for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife did not immediately return a phone call asking about Foster’s status. An employee reached by phone at the Bangor Veterans Home referred a reporter to an email address at the central office, which did not reply to questions about Foster’s condition or their day-trip protocols. ROUTINE DRIVE GONE WRONG Constance Hoyt said the two longtime friends would regularly drive along Stud Mill, taking in the scenery, scouting fishing and hunting spots and stopping to eat at a nearby diner. “That’s what they usually do, they go up, they drive,” she said. “But there’s so many side roads off that road, they got on the wrong one.” At one point, they lost Stud Mill Road and attempted to circle back to it by heading further north. But without a GPS, Sidney Hoyt was unable to navigate and ended up driving deeper and deeper into the rural area. At several points during the drive, the men had to dig the car out after it became stuck in a snowbank, Constance Hoyt said. Ultimately, it slid off the road and became lodged in a ditch. Neither man had a cellphone, and the vehicle, a Honda Ridgeline, did not have a GPS or technology that could be used to track it externally, she said. “He didn’t plan ahead,” she said. “He’s not a spring chicken anymore. He can’t just go wandering off somewhere and not have a backup plan.” The warden service’s survival guide recommends that anyone venturing into the wilderness dress in warm layers and carry a cellphone to call 911 if they become lost. If it’s possible to signal one’s location using noise – whistling or gunshots – groups of three are understood to be distress signals. If someone becomes lost within about an hour of sunset, the warden service recommends using the remaining daylight to prepare for a night in the woods, rather than attempting to find help. The Maine Emergency Management Agency recommends drivers keep an emergency kit in their vehicle containing blankets, a first aid kit, brightly colored cloth to flag rescuers and extra cold-weather gear, among other items. The agency also recommends keeping sand or cat litter in the car to help get unstuck from ice and snow. Constance Hoyt said she and Sidney have been married for 55 years and together for around 57. She called the warden service to report the men missing Tuesday night. From now on, she plans to keep a closer eye on her husband’s location. “I like it better when he’s sitting on the couch,” she said, laughing softly. “I can see him.” Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous Next »Loneliness has become so prevalent that the U.S. Surgeon General referred to loneliness and isolation as an epidemic affecting productivity and engagement in schools, workplaces, and civic organizations. According to the 2023 Work in America Survey by the American Psychological Association, 26 percent of employees — both working in offices and remotely — reported feeling lonely and isolated at work. With 167 million people in the United States’ labor force as of May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are clearly many lonely people sitting behind computer screens and along factory lines. Jennice Chewlin, owner of Chewlin Group, a New Hampshire-based consultancy focused on improving workplace well-being through training, coaching, and strategy development, says many of those people may be hiding their feelings of loneliness. Creating a workplace culture of belonging is crucial, she says. “If you want to improve workplace wellbeing and reduce loneliness start with belonging,” she says, citing a recent American Psychological Association report. “Twenty percent of respondents to an APA survey said they did not feel like they belonged at work when asked.” From a financial perspective, loneliness often results in disengaged employees, lower productivity and decreased performance, costing businesses an estimated $154 billion annually in stress-related absenteeism alone in 2019, according to the Cigna Group’s Loneliness Index. Stuart Lustig, the national medical executive for behavioral health strategy and product design at Evernorth, a division of the Cigna Group, says when people are feeling lonely and disconnected, whether they work for a small or a large company, those employees are more likely to quit. “This happens when people feel disconnected from others and with their work,” he says. “We’re social beings by nature and want to feel connected and be with others at least some of the time.” Tackling loneliness post-COVID Loneliness became a huge problem during the COVID-19 pandemic, when offices across the country closed, sending people home to bedrooms, dining rooms and whatever spaces they could find. Chewlin says COVID exposed problems with workplace wellbeing that had been simmering for years. “There was a need to identify and prevent burn out,” she says. Chewlin, whose background is in public health, started Chewlin Group in 2022. “COVID taught workplaces they can’t keep doing business as usual and for those companies that made employee wellbeing a priority, they’re seeing the most benefit today.” And even as companies and workers adjusted to the “new normal” following the pandemic, loneliness in the workplace remains as prevalent as ever. Maggie Pritchard, CEO of Lakes Region Mental Health Center in Laconia and president of the N.H. Community Behavioral Health Association, says, “Feelings of loneliness at work are on the rise post-pandemic, both for our mental health workforce and the patients we see, [and] we likely won’t know the full extent of the crisis for years.” Remote work since the pandemic created more flexibility for employees and allowed businesses to reduce travel and office expenses, but it also affects peoples’ ability to stay connected, says Pritchard. “Remote work significantly changed workplace culture. People experienced unprecedented isolation,” she says. Sue Drolet, chief human resource officer for Lakes Region Mental Health, says workforce flexibility that provides more autonomy can also lead to isolation for some people. “If someone is feeling lonely at work, especially if they work remotely, they should reach out to a co-worker, schedule a meeting, phone call, or lunch,” she says. “There is a balance that can be achieved.” Understanding, combating loneliness Being proactive is one way to combat workforce loneliness. At Mainstay Technologies in Manchester, talking about loneliness and wellbeing is built into the company’s monthly check-ins with its 100 employees. President Jason Golden says Mainstay creates opportunities for connection and belonging. “We are very intentional about creating systems of communication,” Golden says. “You can’t force connections, but you can force opportunities.” Mainstay holds lunch and learn sessions allowing employees to connect with each other and offers quarterly outings, including to Funtown Splashtown USA in Maine. Golden and his team are aware of the potential for burnout, particularly for service companies like Mainstay. “We watch overtime, including billable client hours, to make sure there’s a good work-life balance,” he says. “And we’ve been very intentional in the past year about training our leadership in the idea of radical respect,” which involves honoring individuality, rather than demanding conformity and creating opportunities for collaboration, not coercion. “We’re super intentional about creating as many opportunities as we can to eliminate loneliness and increase connection,” Golden says. Pritchard says companies are increasing such efforts. “People, including legislators, are recognizing that mental health is a major priority,” she says. “The younger workforce, ‘Gen Z’ for example, is more comfortable asking for help or mental health days at work. This is helping to normalize it and reduce stigma.” Companies are also reaching out to experts for assistance. Chewlin Group facilitates conversations with companies by helping them make informed decisions about increasing potential opportunities for employee engagement and wellbeing.“[People] often confuse feeling lonely with being alone,” Chewlin says, citing the surgeon general’s definition of loneliness, which is rooted in feelings of disconnection and a lack of belonging. “There’s often a deficit of connection.” Loneliness is a normal human experience, as much as happiness, joy, or hunger, Chewlin says, adding that it is often hidden. “There’s stigma attached to this feeling,” she says. “People feel others will perceive them as having something wrong with them and because of this we put on a mask and pretend everything is OK.” Nicole Sublette, owner of Therapists of Color New England in Manchester, says the topic of workplace disconnection and loneliness came up recently at a Stay Work Play event she attended. “People were talking about this, and my own business really struggles because people tend to work in silos,” she says. One thing Sublette has done to combat loneliness at her company is to plan group gatherings. Recently, Therapists of Color also created a “clinician support coordinator” to do check-ins and meetings with staff. “Workplaces today are becoming more progressive around mental health and wellness. I had a client whose organization offered wellness incentives including yoga, gym memberships and coaching.” Sublette says 50 percent of Therapists of Color’s work is telehealth and that staff work two days in office. “This allows people to grab lunch with each other and they have two hours off during the day,” she says. “I try to make everyone’s lunch hours the same.” Money, race, and age matters When it comes to loneliness in the workplace, certain trends stand out. One is age. The 2024 Work in America Survey by the American Psychological Association found that 45 percent of workers ages 18 to 25 felt lonely, compared to 33 percent of workers ages 26 to 33, 22 percent of workers ages 44 to 57 and about 15 percent of workers over age 58. “It seems counterintuitive. You would think younger people would have more connections than older people, but it doesn’t pan out that way,” says Lustig, a child psychiatrist by training. “Younger people are supposed to be forming their identities and making lasting connections, graduating college, having their first jobs, and much of that was hindered by the pandemic.” The U.S. Surgeon General laid out a framework of five requirements for workplace mental health and wellbeing. They are: protection from harm, opportunity for growth, connection and community, mattering at work and work-life harmony. Forlower paid workers, these are harder to find. Lustig says that while money can’t buy a person happiness, it can buy friends. “All joking aside, having connections with friends is an indicator of well-being,” he says, explaining that having financial resources provides the ability to better engage in social activities. And working more hours to make ends meet is time away from family and friends, he adds. “People with better financial resources can engage in important activities and stay more connected.” According to a 2021 Cigna report, men and women have roughly the same likelihood of loneliness (57 percent of men and 59 percent of women) while people from underrepresented racial groups are more likely to be lonely. Seventy five percent of Hispanic adults and 68 percent of Black/African American adults are classified as lonely — at least 10 points higher than what is seen among the total adult population (58 percent). Sublette says people of color — who can experience powerlessness and invisibility — and those with neurodivergence have needs that employers may not understand. “It’s important for employers to gauge their employees’ needs individually. When it comes to group gatherings they can simply ask, ‘what do you want to do, what does fun look like to you,’ these questions are important,” she says. Creating the potential for connection Creating a workplace of belonging begins with trust, says Chewlin. This includes executive leaders, managers and employees working together to build that trust. “This requires more than a one-and-done approach, she says. “But when building trust is made a priority, workplaces can help create a momentum for change where everyone thrives.” Golden of Mainstay says he asks employees what is meaningful in their lives and how they can get closer to that. He emphasizes to his staff the importance of fostering positive relationships with people who are trusted sources of wisdom. “You need to know your squad,” he says. “When you’re feeling lonely, who is it you turn to?” As the leader of a tech company, Golden says he’s aware of the dangers of isolation. “I’m an introvert who also enjoys people,” he says, adding he’d typically rather be reading a book than attending networking events. “There’s a seduction for introverts, especially in the tech world where much of the work is online ... they sometimes think they can solve everything in their own mind. That’s dangerous.”Georgia's Dasha Vidmanova, Columbia's Michael Zheng win NCAA singles titles
Warning - this article contains major spoilers for Squid Game season 2. The much-anticipated second season of Squid Game is finally here, with seven fresh episodes landing on Netflix this Boxing Day. This new installment of the wildly popular South Korean drama sees Seong Gi-hun (portrayed by Lee Jung-jae) devising a plan to dismantle the sinister games that previously awarded him 45.6 billion won after surviving a brutal series of challenges three years prior. With the assistance of police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), Gi-hun infiltrates the games intending to shut them down but finds himself drawn back into competition when his strategy to lead the police to the island is thwarted. During the games, he forms alliances with his old friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) and Oh Young-il, unaware that the latter is actually the enigmatic Front Man Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) from the previous tournament. In this season, players are given the chance to vote on whether to proceed with the games after each round, creating a divide between the 'Xs', those who wish to quit, and 'Os', participants who choose to continue in hopes of splitting the grand prize, reports the Express . In the season's final episode, Friend or Foe, Gi-hun and several other Xs stage a revolt against the guards, ambushing them following a brawl that erupts the night after the third game and seizing their weapons. Gi-hun and Jung-bae's attempt to penetrate the upper echelons hits a calamitous snag when Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), touted as an ex-Marine, is sent off for more bullets and instead Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon) discovers him hiding out in the bunks. Elsewhere, In-ho with two companions finds a way to flank the guards holding Gi-hun and Jung-bae at bay, only to turn his gun on them and fake his own death over the radios. The seventh episode's nail-biting conclusion finds Gi-hun facing off with In-ho, now donned in his Front Man disguise to conceal who he is, for an ultimate showdown. After demanding to know if Gi-hun relishes "playing the hero", In-ho coldly murders Jung-bae right before him, leaving him shattered. Yet, Gi-hun's destiny remains uncertain, deliberately untold as we approach the oncoming season. Within the dorms, Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) persuades Hyun-ju not to press on with a futile battle. The season finishes off with an intriguing snippet potentially lifted from a future season three episode, glimpsed just as the credits wrap up. We watch three contenders step into a new game zone, confronted by a robotic schoolgirl opposite her equally eerie robotic schoolboy counterpart. Involving red and green traffic signals, the sequence hints at Gi-hun and crew embarking on an altered version of Red Light, Green Light. With his strategies allowing a greater number of players to advance to the subsequent game, two motion-sensing robots positioned at both ends of the arena could guarantee that the next game will be utterly brutal. It appears that the games are set to resume when Squid Game makes its comeback next year. But the question remains: can Jun-ho locate Gi-hun in time? Squid Game season 2 is available to stream on Netflix. Season 3 will be released in 2025.
The Pew Research poll from this summer found that 56% of Americans say the government is “almost always wasteful and inefficient.” Gallup’s recent polling data shows that 55% of Americans say the government is doing “too much” while only 41% say it should do more. Americans are more evenly split how big the government should be, but increasing government efficiency has more broad support. “Gallup polling earlier this year showed that 58% of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and power of the federal government,” Gallup said. “A slight majority of Americans say the government has too much power. Seven in 10 Americans in 2019 agreed that businesses can do things more efficiently than the federal government.” The survey comes after President-elect Donald Trump won the White House and issued broad, sweeping plans to decrease the scope of the federal government. To accomplish this task, Trump appointed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,’” Trump said in his announcement. Both Ramaswamy and Musk have publicly issued scathing remarks about the waste of federal resources currently occurring in Washington, D.C. Ramaswamy, for instance, has laid out a specific plan on how thousands of federal workers could be fired. The pair of businessmen have said publicly DOGE could cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Ramaswamy and Musk visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with lawmakers to discuss the potential cuts, which could even include ideas as drastic as eliminating the Department of Education and returning that responsibility to the states. Trump's allies have also discussed cutting spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which are seen by Trump's camp as taxpayer-funded investment in woke ideology. Whether such stark actions would be supported by Americans remains unclear, but for now the latest polling shows Americans want something to be done. On top of that, Americans’ desire for smaller government seems to be more than a momentary political phase. “Gallup has asked this question annually over the past 24 years. On average, 52% of Americans have said the government is doing too much, compared with 42% saying the government should do more...” Gallup said. “Only twice have more Americans chosen the ‘government should do more’ alternative over the ‘government doing too much’ alternative -- in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19.”Salim Khan turns 89: Salman Khan's rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur shares a heartfelt birthday wish - 'You made me feel like home in India'Recon Technology (NASDAQ:RCON) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.comFlagg's growth, Broome's consistency show in matchup of AP All-Americans