US stocks mostly rose Friday after a report showed a healthy jobs market, and Paris rallied as President Emmanuel Macron vowed to serve out his full term and end France's political crisis. Oil fell on concerns of oversupply and Bitcoin held at a level over $100,000 after hitting records Thursday. The world's biggest economy gained 227,000 jobs in November, more than analysts expected and up from a revised 36,000 in October, said the US Department of Labor. "The US jobs market has emphatically rebounded following October's disappointing data," said Neal Keane, head of global sales trading at ADSS. October's figures had been depressed by hurricanes and workers' strikes, while November's increases may have been exaggerated by the end of a strike at Boeing in particular -- and by retail hiring ahead of the holiday season. US stocks mostly closed higher, with the broad-based S&P 500 and tech-focused Nasdaq both hitting fresh records, although the Dow retreated slightly. Investors are mostly betting that November's jobs numbers, while comforting, are probably not strong enough to deter the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates again this month. "Investors needed a reassuring jobs report and that's exactly what they got," said eToro analyst Bret Kenwell. "The market still favors a rate cut from the Fed later this month and this report may not change that expectation." The Paris stock market closed up 1.3 percent on "hope that President Emmanuel Macron will serve out his term and that a (French) budget can be passed in the coming weeks," noted Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown. Macron on Friday was holding talks with French political leaders on the left and right as he seeks to quickly name a new prime minister after Michel Barnier's government was ousted in a historic no-confidence vote. Macron adopted a defiant tone in an address to the nation Thursday evening, just 24 hours after parliament voted out Barnier over his 2025 budget plan, which included unpopular austerity measures forced through without a vote using special powers. The luxury sector benefitted also from hopes of a pickup in Chinese demand. Gucci owner Kering topped the Paris CAC 40 as its shares gained more than six percent, while LVMH rose more than three percent. French video game company Ubisoft jumped 13 percent on takeover speculation. Frankfurt closed slightly higher, other continental markets were mixed, and London slid. In Asia, shares in Seoul sank more than one percent and the won weakened to about 1,420 per dollar as lawmakers prepared to hold an impeachment vote Saturday after President Yoon Suk Yeol's dramatic, short-lived imposition of martial law this week. While analysts said the economic fallout from the crisis would likely be limited, a political storm is ongoing. Hong Kong and Shanghai rallied as investors grew hopeful of fresh stimulus when top Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping meet to discuss economic policy next week. Bitcoin hovered above $100,000 after having blasted to the historic peak of $103,800 Thursday on news that US President-elect Donald Trump had picked crypto proponent Paul Atkins to head the nation's markets regulator. New York - Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 44,642.52 points (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.3 percent at 6,090.27 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 19,859.77 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.3 percent at 7,426.88 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 20,384.61 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,308.61 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.8 percent at 39,091.17 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.6 percent at 19,865.85 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.1 percent at 3,404.08 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0566 from $1.0591 on Thursday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2740 from $1.2760 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 149.97 yen from 150.09 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.93 from 82.97 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.6 percent at $67.20 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.4 percent at $71.12 per barrel gv/rl/bys/ahaANOKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 25, 2024-- Vista Outdoor Inc. (“Vista Outdoor”, the “Company”) (NYSE: VSTO) today announced that its stockholders voted to approve the sale of The Kinetic Group to Czechoslovak Group a.s. (“CSG”) (the “CSG Transaction”) at its special meeting of stockholders held earlier today. Vista Outdoor and CSG have received all regulatory approvals required under the merger agreement for the CSG Transaction and intend to close the CSG Transaction on November 27, 2024. Under the terms of the CSG Transaction, Vista Outdoor stockholders will receive $25.75 in cash and one share of Revelyst common stock for each share of Vista Outdoor common stock they hold. “We are thrilled to have received overwhelming support from our stockholders for the compelling transaction with CSG,” said Michael Callahan, Chairman of the Vista Outdoor Board of Directors. “The CSG transaction maximizes value for our stockholders, while also providing an ideal home for our leading ammunition brands and significant opportunities for our employees.” Based on the vote count from the special meeting of stockholders, approximately 97.89% of votes cast were in favor of the CSG Transaction, representing approximately 82.57% of all outstanding shares. The final voting results will be reported in a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Following the closing of the CSG Transaction, Revelyst will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “GEAR”. Subject to the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions, funds managed by Strategic Value Partners, LLC (“SVP”) will subsequently acquire Revelyst in an all-cash transaction based on an enterprise value of $1.125 billion (the “SVP Transaction”), subject to a net cash adjustment. At the closing of the SVP Transaction, Revelyst stockholders will receive an estimated $19.25 in cash per share of Revelyst common stock 1. The SVP Transaction is on track to close by January 2025. No separate approval of the SVP Transaction by Vista Outdoor stockholders is required. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as sole financial adviser to Vista Outdoor and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is acting as legal adviser to Vista Outdoor. Moelis & Company LLC is acting as sole financial adviser to the independent directors of Vista Outdoor and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is acting as legal adviser to the independent directors of Vista Outdoor. About Vista Outdoor Inc. Vista Outdoor (NYSE: VSTO) is the parent company of more than three dozen renowned brands that design, manufacture and market sporting and outdoor products. Brands include Bushnell, CamelBak, Bushnell Golf, Foresight Sports, Fox Racing, Bell Helmets, Camp Chef, Giro, Simms Fishing, QuietKat, Stone Glacier, Federal Ammunition, Remington Ammunition and more. Our reporting segments, Outdoor Products and Sporting Products, provide consumers with a wide range of performance-driven, high-quality and innovative outdoor and sporting products. For news and information, visit our website at www.vistaoutdoor.com Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements made and information contained in this press release, excluding historical information, are “forward-looking statements,” including those that discuss, among other things: Vista Outdoor Inc.’s (“Vista Outdoor”, “we”, “us” or “our”) plans, objectives, expectations, intentions, strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; projections with respect to future revenues, income, earnings per share or other financial measures for Vista Outdoor; and the assumptions that underlie these matters. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “aim,” “should” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. To the extent that any such information is forward-looking, it is intended to fit within the safe harbor for forward-looking information provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations described in such forward-looking statements, including the following: risks related to the previously announced transaction among Vista Outdoor, Revelyst, Inc., CSG Elevate II Inc., CSG Elevate III Inc. and CZECHOSLOVAK GROUP a.s. (the “CSG Transaction”) and risks related to the previously announced transaction among Vista Outdoor, Revelyst, Olibre LLC and Cabin Ridge, Inc. (the “SVP Transaction”) including (i) the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the consummation of the CSG Transaction or the SVP Transaction may not be satisfied or waived, including the failure to receive any required regulatory approvals from any applicable governmental entities (or any conditions, limitations or restrictions placed on such approvals), (ii) the possibility that competing offers or acquisition proposals may be made, (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement relating to the CSG Transaction or the SVP Transaction, including in circumstances which would require Vista Outdoor or Revelyst, as applicable, to pay a termination fee, (iv) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the CSG Transaction or the SVP Transaction on our ability to attract, motivate or retain key executives and employees, our ability to maintain relationships with our customers, vendors, service providers and others with whom we do business, or our operating results and business generally, (v) risks related to the CSG Transaction or the SVP Transaction diverting management’s attention from our ongoing business operations, (vi) that the CSG Transaction or the SVP Transaction may not achieve some or all of any anticipated benefits with respect to either business segment and that the CSG Transaction or the SVP Transaction may not be completed in accordance with our expected plans or anticipated timelines, or at all, and (vii) that the consideration paid to Revelyst stockholders in connection with the SVP Transaction cannot be determined until the consummation of the SVP Transaction as it is subject to certain adjustments related to the net cash of Revelyst as of the closing of the SVP Transaction and the management team’s current estimate of the consideration may be higher or lower than the actual consideration paid to Revelyst stockholders in connection with the SVP Transaction due to the actual cash flows prior to the closing of the SVP Transaction or other factors; impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations, the operations of our customers and suppliers and general economic conditions; supplier capacity constraints, production or shipping disruptions or quality or price issues affecting our operating costs; the supply, availability and costs of raw materials and components; increases in commodity, energy, and production costs; seasonality and weather conditions; our ability to complete acquisitions, realize expected benefits from acquisitions and integrate acquired businesses; reductions in or unexpected changes in or our inability to accurately forecast demand for ammunition, accessories, or other outdoor sports and recreation products; disruption in the service or significant increase in the cost of our primary delivery and shipping services for our products and components or a significant disruption at shipping ports; risks associated with diversification into new international and commercial markets, including regulatory compliance; our ability to take advantage of growth opportunities in international and commercial markets; our ability to obtain and maintain licenses to third-party technology; our ability to attract and retain key personnel; disruptions caused by catastrophic events; risks associated with our sales to significant retail customers, including unexpected cancellations, delays, and other changes to purchase orders; our competitive environment; our ability to adapt our products to changes in technology, the marketplace and customer preferences, including our ability to respond to shifting preferences of the end consumer from brick and mortar retail to online retail; our ability to maintain and enhance brand recognition and reputation; our association with the firearms industry, others’ use of social media to disseminate negative commentary about us, our products, and boycotts; the outcome of contingencies, including with respect to litigation and other proceedings relating to intellectual property, product liability, warranty liability, personal injury, and environmental remediation; our ability to comply with extensive federal, state and international laws, rules and regulations; changes in laws, rules and regulations relating to our business, such as federal and state ammunition regulations; risks associated with cybersecurity and other industrial and physical security threats; interest rate risk; changes in the current tariff structures; changes in tax rules or pronouncements; capital market volatility and the availability of financing; our debt covenants may limit our ability to complete acquisitions, incur debt, make investments, sell assets, merge or complete other significant transactions; foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations in those rates; general economic and business conditions in the United States and our markets outside the United States, including as a result of the war in Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions on Russia, the conflict in the Gaza strip, the COVID-19 pandemic or another pandemic, conditions affecting employment levels, consumer confidence and spending, conditions in the retail environment, and other economic conditions affecting demand for our products and the financial health of our customers. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements we make, which are based only on information currently available to us and speak only as of the date hereof. A more detailed description of risk factors that may affect our operating results can be found in Part 1, Item 1A, Risk Factors, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2024, and in the filings we make with the SEC from time to time. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law. 1 Based on management estimates, including an assumption the SVP Transaction closes on December 31, 2024. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125635762/en/ CONTACT: Investor: Tyler Lindwall Phone: 612-704-0147 Email:investor.relations@vistaoutdoor.comMedia: Eric Smith Phone: 720-772-0877 Email:media.relations@vistaoutdoor.com KEYWORD: MINNESOTA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL OTHER CONSUMER CONSUMER OTHER RETAIL MANUFACTURING OTHER MANUFACTURING SOURCE: Vista Outdoor Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/25/2024 04:01 PM/DISC: 11/25/2024 04:01 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125635762/en
During the cold Nebraska winters, many Columbus residents would probably claim that their driveway is the coldest place in town, but in reality, it's not even close. That honor goes to a new therapeutic device located within Linn Family Chiropractic. The building at 4307 23rd St. looks like one would expect a chiropractic office to look, with a waiting area, several adjustment devices, a desk ... and a glass door framed by LED lights, holding back fog. According to Doctor of Chiropractic Justin Linn, that's where the cold magic happens, as patients step into a room that is 166 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. "By putting the body into the coldest place on planet Earth, you can get some positive healing effects from it," Linn said. "There's a biphasic dose response of extreme environments. You can get a positive effect. Cold temperature in small doses causes the body to heal itself." This is Linn's newest addition to his practice, something he experienced on a trip to Salt Lake City six or seven years ago. Being frozen in the desert wasn't on his itinerary at the time, he said, but the spontaneous experience had a lasting impact. "I was feeling like garbage and I was telling my brother, who's a chiropractor, 'hey, man, can you fix me up?' He's like, 'we'll find a table or something in the house that we can work on.' Then he's like, 'you know what we should do? We should go into town and go to cryotherapy,'" Linn said. At first, the novelty aspect of stepping into the coldest spot on Earth in one's underwear is sort of entertaining, Linn said, but when the cold actually hits, it sets in that this isn't just hanging out in a walk-in cooler. "For the first 10, 15 seconds, there's kind of a gimmicky effect to it where you say, 'yeah, this is cold," like opening a freezer door in the summer and you stick your head in it," Linn said. "Then it just kept getting worse and worse and worse and worse like an airplane gaining altitude." After three minutes in the box the ambient air felt like a boxing glove hitting him in the face, Linn said. A 200-some degree shift in relative temperature hits hard, but that's part of why people like it. "The air hit me, and instant adrenaline, instant endorphins, and I felt like I could run through a brick wall. That feeling was amazing," Linn said. "I came out of that thing and instantly I felt good and I was like, 'whatever this drug is, I want it.' I've been chasing that for years." Linn originally wanted to debut this chill technology some time ago, but a cryotherapy chamber costs upwards multiple tens of thousands of dollars. COVID-19 also threw its wrench in the works, so he decided to wait. Now that Linn does have the chamber, he sees the effects daily on his patients, he said. According to Linn, cryotherapy works by triggering the body's self-preservation instincts, which is the opposite of how ice baths work, because the body is reacting to a very sudden level of cold that it knows it should protect itself from. "That creates a systemic autonomic response, basically a fight or flight reaction, that causes vasoconstriction of the peripheral (blood vessels)," Linn said. "It squeezes your blood vessels down and pushes that blood flow to the core to protect the core organ systems." Linn said that despite the use of the body's self-preservation systems, the machine is safe and patients don't run a risk of frostbite or anything like that, though users wear protective gloves, masks and socks just to be safe. There has only been one death associated with cryotherapy machines and it was an operator error when using the machine alone, Linn said. Linn's machine is always supervised and there's a timed light in the door frame so those inside can see how long they've been in there. The longest people stay inside is around five minutes and that's experienced users with excellent temperature regulation. "I would like to see a 35 to 40 degree surface skin temperature drop," Linn said. "So we take a laser thermometer, check people on their way in and out. So I'm 95.5 coming in ... to perfection, that would be a 40 degree drop. I would come out at 55," Linn said. "That's where the medical literature says the sweet spot happens when you get the fight or flight reaction." Linn said that cryotherapy as a practice has been used for years with helpful effects on multiple fronts. He also uses a targeted cryotherapy device that looks sort of like a vacuum hose, for injuries. A lot of athletes use that machine. "Cryotherapy in general was developed by a Japanese physician in 1979 and he experimented and treated patients with inflammatory issues like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and things like that," Linn said. "They expanded into treating psoriasis, eczema, inflammatory skin conditions which it works really well for. It was only recently that kind of got co-opted into athletic rehab." The Minnesota Vikings use a cryotherapy chamber for rehabilitation, Linn said. Angel Rodriguez, a local soccer player, has used it for three weeks now and has even gotten his mother to use it for her own purposes. "It helps with muscle recovery," Rodriguez said. "I like to work out every day. I play soccer too and I'm not as sore. It helps with sleeping at night, I sleep way better and it helps with your immune system. My mom was sick recently and I never got sick, that's the things I've noticed." Linn also added a hyperbaric chamber, an inflatable pill-shaped tent that allows users to take more oxygen into their bloodstream more directly than just by regular breathing. "We can put oxygen in and it's like, take a jar full of marbles, we can't get any more marbles in the jar, but if we dump sand in there, we can fill the space between the marbles," Linn said. "That's how we can increase oxygen saturation to tissues, by putting it under pressure. Then you come out of pressure, all that oxygen dissolves out of the solution and boom, it goes to the body and can increase healing." Cryotherapy and oxygen therapy work by the same merit as exercise or dieting, Linn said, as continual conditioning in unusual conditions strengthen the normal conditions, just like a caloric deficit can help the body burn fat or "torturing" muscles by testing their limits strengthen them. The hyperbaric chamber requires an appointment since it takes just shy of an hour to get the full effect, but the cryotherapy machine can get someone in and out in the span of five minutes, Linn said, so there's no appointment there. While there is an option for one-time use, where someone can just come in and pay $30 for one session, Linn has membership levels for repeated use up to a month, which almost all of its use comes from. (c)2024 the Columbus Telegram (Columbus, Neb.) Visit the Columbus Telegram (Columbus, Neb.) at www.columbustelegram.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SAN DIEGO — U.S. Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheeks, a former San Diego prosecutor and defense attorney, is tracking toward becoming one of the last two federal judges appointed by President Joe Biden, though it remains uncertain if he’ll make it across the finish line that is the Senate confirmation needed for the life-tenure position. Nominated by Biden in October for a U.S. district judge seat in the Southern District of California, Cheeks has become a political pawn in Washington, D.C., where Senate Democrats and Republicans are battling over more than a dozen federal judgeships in the waning days of the Biden administration. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump during his first term made judicial nominations a priority, as federal courts often have the final say on the legality of a president’s policies and the constitutionality of state and federal laws. During Trump’s first term, he appointed a total of 245 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices, 54 appeals court judges and 174 district court judges, according to the U.S. Courts . Trump appointed just one judge to the federal bench in the Southern District of California. Biden will likely end his term having appointed about 230 federal judges, including at least six in the San Diego area. Cheeks would be his seventh appointee. Despite a Republican-led Senate confirming 19 of Trump’s nominees after he lost the 2020 election, Trump recently urged the Senate not to do the same for Biden by confirming his last slate of nominees, including Cheeks. “The Democrats are trying to stack the courts with radical left judges on their way out the door,” Trump claimed on social media. “Republican senators need to show up and hold the line — no more judges confirmed before inauguration day!” A few days later, after Senate Republicans promised to try to fulfill Trump’s wishes by stalling and preventing any more confirmations, Senate Democrats and Republicans reached a compromise . The terms of the deal allowed the Senate to confirm at least 12 more district judges without Republican roadblocks but will leave vacant four openings on appellate courts that Trump can fill. Cheeks was not among the 12 nominees included in the compromise, so Senate Republicans could still try to block his confirmation without reneging on the deal. But with a Democratic majority still in power, his confirmation rests more on whether the Senate has time to push his confirmation through, according to Carl Tobias, the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond School of Law. “I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Tobias, who tracks federal judge and U.S. attorney appointments. “It’s certainly possible, but whether it’s probable, I can’t say.” Cheeks and Serena Murillo, a candidate for U.S. district judge in the Los Angeles area, got past a key hurdle just hours before the Senate compromise when they had a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee now must approve their nominations and send them to the full Senate for a vote. The Senate is on recess this week for Thanksgiving. But Tobias said that if the Judiciary Committee votes to approve the duo in the first or second week of December, it would give the full Senate enough time to confirm the two judges before going on a final recess. When the Senate returns from that recess, a new Republican majority will take power and would almost certainly vote against the Biden nominees. There are currently two federal judgeship vacancies in the Southern District of California, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties. The last-minute rush to confirm Cheeks stands in stark contrast to the nominee for the other vacant seat. San Diego Superior Court Judge Rebecca Kanter was nominated in January but never got a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her nomination will expire when the new Senate convenes next year. Neither Kanter nor Sen. Alex Padilla responded to recent questions about why her confirmation process stalled. “I’m bewildered by it,” Tobias said. “It’s so rare something like that happens ... It makes no sense.” Kanter was a federal prosecutor in San Diego for 16 years before winning a contested election to become a state court judge. Tobias said there was no indication of any red flags in her background. “The only people who may know what happened are the senators,” Tobias said, referring to Padilla and Laphonza Butler. Each state’s senators are typically responsible for vetting and recommending nominees to the president. Meanwhile, San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath, a Biden nominee confirmed by the Senate last year , appears unlikely to resign before Trump takes office. “The U.S. Attorney is proud to serve this district and will continue in the role as long as she is needed,” spokesperson Kelly Thornton said in a statement Monday. If history holds, the new Trump administration will request the resignations of McGrath and other Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys shortly after inauguration day. It’s a customary process that occurs for most of the 94 U.S. attorneys across the nation each time a presidential administration from a different party takes office. Trump’s U.S. attorney in San Diego, Robert Brewer, resigned on the last day of February 2021 , about a month after President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Weeks earlier, the Biden administration had requested the resignations of Brewer and all but two Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys. If McGrath is asked to resign, it will be up to the Trump administration to nominate her replacement and up to the Senate to confirm that nomination. That could take years, based on recent history. Former San Diego U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy, an appointee of President Barack Obama, was not sworn in as U.S. attorney until May 2010, about 16 months into his presidency. Brewer took office in January 2019, halfway through Trump’s first term. McGrath was sworn in just a year ago, nearly three full years into Biden’s presidency. Until Trump’s nominee is in place, the Department of Justice will appoint an acting U.S. attorney to lead the office. In the recent past, that interim position has gone to the first assistant U.S. attorney, the No. 2 person in the office. Andrew Haden, who had previously served as first assistant before McGrath’s arrival, was elevated back to the No. 2 position in the office earlier this month. His serving as acting U.S. attorney in the event of McGrath’s resignation would appear to make sense, given that he briefly filled the same role last year before McGrath took office. But that will ultimately be the decision of the DOJ and the attorney general, which at the moment is slated to be former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. ©2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women's volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to compete in the Mountain West Conference women's championship opening this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by nine current players against the Mountain West Conference challenging the league's policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans woman volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player's name because she has not commented publicly on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Crews' ruling referred to the athlete as an "alleged transgender" player and noted that no defendant disputed that the San Jose State roster includes a transgender woman player. San Jose State will "continue to support its student-athletes and reject discrimination in all forms," the university said in a statement, confirming that all its student-athletes are eligible to participate under NCAA and conference rules. "We are gratified that the Court rejected an eleventh-hour attempt to change those rules. Our team looks forward to competing in the Mountain West volleyball tournament this week." The conference did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The players filed a notice for emergency appeal with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Crews said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a loss in league standings. He also refused a request to re-seed the tournament without the forfeited losses. The judge said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 -– making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season's awareness of her reported identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a major election year. Crews' ruling also said injunctions are meant to prevent harm, but in this case, he argued, the harm has already occurred. The games have been forfeited, the tournament has been seeded, the teams have made travel plans and the participants have confirmed they're playing. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. Colorado State is seeded first and San Jose State, second. The teams split their regular-season matches and both get byes into Friday's semifinals. San Jose State will play the winner of Wednesday's match between Utah State and Boise State — teams that both forfeited matches to SJSU during the regular season. Boise State associate athletic director Chris Kutz declined to comment on whether the Broncos would play SJSU if they won their first-round tournament game. Utah State officials did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The conference tournament winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. San Jose State coach Todd Kress, whose team has not competed in the national tournament since 2001, has said his team has been getting "messages of hate" and that has taken a toll on his players. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official conference standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada's players stated they "refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes," without elaborating. Nevada did not qualify for the conference tournament. The nine current players and others now suing the Mountain West Conference, the California State University Board of Trustees and others include San Jose State senior setter and co-captain Brooke Slusser. The teammate Slusser says is transgender hits the volleyball with more force than others on the team, raising fear during practices of suffering concussions from a head hit, the complaint says. The Independent Council on Women's Sports is funding a separate lawsuit against the NCAA for allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. Both lawsuits claim the landmark 1972 federal antidiscrimination law known as Title IX prohibits transgender women in women's sports. Title IX prohibits sexual discrimination in federally funded education; Slusser is a plaintiff in both lawsuits. Several circuit courts have used a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to conclude that discriminating against someone based on their transgender status or sexual orientation is sex-based discrimination, Crews wrote. That means case law does not prove the "likelihood of success" needed to grant an injunction. An NCAA policy that subjects transgender participation to the rules of sports governing bodies took effect this academic year. USA Volleyball says a trans woman must suppress testosterone for 12 months before competing. The NCAA has not flagged any issues with San Jose State. The Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the team cancellations, citing fairness in women's sports. President-elect Donald Trump likewise has spoken out against allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. Crews was a magistrate judge in Colorado's U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him as a federal judge in January. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
SA News Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News. One half of a mystery around the disappearance of two beloved hairy steers has been solved with the safe recovery of Rahley, who was found in a paddock. Owner Michael Trenerry’s mission to recover his beloved bovine went viral across social media as he tracked possible sightings of the animal who vanished more than a week ago from Onkaparinga Hills. It was around the same time as Olaf the speckled steer – weighing an adorable 60kg and standing about the height of a labrador dog – also went missing from a paddock at Barristers Block in Woodside. Olaf is yet to be found, and Mr Trenerry has called for people to remain on the lookout for him. Rahley the 600kg Highland steer has been found. Picture: Michael Trenerry/Facebook Olaf the missing mini steer from Barristers Block Wines is yet to be found. Picture: Barristers Block Mr Trenerry said he received a phone call about 7pm Monday reporting Rahley had appeared in the caller’s yard. “We 100 per cent know this person had nothing to do with it, and the mystery of how he got there is as big as the mystery as to how he left,” he posted on social media Monday night. “We couldn't pick him up tonight, so we have a plan in place to bring him home tomorrow. “We have no doubt at all that we got Rahley home due to the support of everyone that has shared and supported our posts. “He became too hard to keep. “However we have still not found Olaf, and we can’t finish this journey until he is home too.” Olaf’s carer Julia Brown has been relentless in her search for the tiny steer, telling The Advertiser she was so grateful Rahley had been found but had mixed emotions about the news. She has resumed the search on Tuesday morning in the hope to find the beloved pet which, as a steer, has no breeding value and his size makes him very unique. She has already searched every inch of the Barristers Block winery and neighbouring paddocks to no avail. More Coverage ‘Disappeared off face of the Earth’: Desperate search for rare tiny steer Tara Miko Originally published as Rahley the Adelaide Hills steer found as search for Olaf continues Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories SA News Worker breaks spine in sickening 4.6m skylight fall Two companies have been fined a total of more than $100,000 after a worker suffered horrific injuries when he fell through a skylight at an aged care facility. Read more SA News Exposed: Adelaide’s most dangerous suburbs How safe is your neighbourhood? Analysis of police figures reveals the most crime-ridden areas of Adelaide. Search the list to see where every suburb ranks. Read moreSOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alector, Inc. ALEC , a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel, genetically validated therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, today announced results from the INVOKE-2 Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of AL002 in slowing disease progression in individuals with early Alzheimer's disease (AD). Treatment with AL002 resulted in sustained target engagement and pharmacodynamic responses indicative of microglial activation. However, AL002 failed to meet the primary endpoint of slowing of Alzheimer's clinical progression as measured by the Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR ® -SB), and there were no treatment effects that favored AL002 on secondary clinical and functional endpoints. Similarly, there were no significant effects on Alzheimer's fluid biomarkers favoring AL002, and amyloid PET imaging demonstrated no treatment-related reduction of brain amyloid levels. As previously reported, MRI changes resembling amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) and infusion-related reactions were observed in INVOKE-2. The instances of ARIA were primarily seen in participants treated with AL002. "We, at Alector, recognize the importance of advancing therapeutics to treat Alzheimer's disease and remain committed in our mission to develop safe and effective treatments for the millions of people worldwide impacted by neurodegenerative diseases," said Gary Romano, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer at Alector. "With a robust dataset from the INVOKE-2 trial, we plan to further explore TREM2 biology. We extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated investigators, patients and caregivers who made this important trial possible. We plan to share the results of the trial with the scientific community in the near future in the hopes of contributing to the understanding of AD pathophysiology and advancing effective therapeutics for this terrible disease." Based upon the results, Alector is stopping the long-term extension study. Alector remains committed to advancing its mechanistically broad and genetically validated drug candidates for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. At the core of this effort are the company's progranulin-elevating programs, latozinemab and AL101/GSK4527226, developed in collaboration with GSK. Topline data from the pivotal INFRONT-3 Phase 3 clinical trial of latozinemab in frontotemporal dementia with a progranulin gene mutation is expected in late 2025 or early 2026. PROGRESS-AD, a global Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating AL101/GSK4527226 in early AD, has reached more than one-third of its target enrollment of 282 participants. Alector is also advancing its preclinical candidates aimed at a broad and diverse range of protein and enzyme targets. In addition to advancing its pipeline, the company is continuing to develop its proprietary and versatile blood-brain barrier technology platform, Alector Brain Carrier (ABC). ABC aims to enhance the delivery of therapeutic antibodies, proteins and enzymes, achieve deeper penetration and efficacy at lower doses, and ultimately improve patient outcomes while reducing costs. To align resources with these strategic priorities, Alector is reducing its workforce by approximately 17%. By focusing on organizational goals, Alector continues to build upon its core strength in developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, with the potential to deliver transformative value for patients. As of September 30, 2024, Alector has $457.2 million in cash, cash equivalents, and investments, which the company continues to expect will provide runway through 2026. Alector plans to provide guidance for 2025 during its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings conference call. About INVOKE-2 INVOKE-2 (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT04592874), was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging, multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of AL002 in slowing disease progression in individuals with early Alzheimer's disease (AD). The trial, conducted at multiple sites across 11 countries, utilized a common close design with up to 96 weeks of randomized treatment, and all participants remained on their assigned regimen until the last participant completed 48 weeks of treatment. This design provided the opportunity to capture more observations for the primary analysis, with data collected at 48, 72, and 96 weeks. Patients were randomized to three dose regimens of AL002, 15mg/kg IV/q4w, 40mg/kg IV/q4w, 60mg/kg IV/q4w, or placebo. About Alector Alector is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that has pioneered immuno-neurology. The company has discovered and is developing a portfolio of mechanistically broad and genetically validated product candidates, including antibodies, protein and enzyme replacement therapies, for neurodegenerative diseases. Supported by biomarkers, Alector's product candidates seek to treat a range of indications, including frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Alector is also developing Alector Brain Carrier (ABC), a proprietary blood-brain barrier platform, which is being selectively applied to its next-generation product candidates and research pipeline. ABC aims to enhance the delivery of therapeutics, achieve deeper penetration and efficacy at lower doses, and ultimately improve patient outcomes while reducing costs. Alector is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit www.alector.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our business plans, workforce reduction, business strategy, product candidates, planned and ongoing preclinical studies and clinical trials, expected milestones, and expectations of our collaborations. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to risks and uncertainties as set forth in Alector's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 6, 2024, with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), as well as the other documents Alector files from time to time with the SEC. These documents contain and identify important factors that could cause the actual results for Alector to differ materially from those contained in Alector's forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Alector specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. Alector Contacts: Alector Katie Hogan 202-549-0557 katie.hogan@alector.com 1AB (media) Dan Budwick 973-271-6085 dan@1abmedia.com Argot Partners (investors) Laura Perry 212-600-1902 alector@argotpartners.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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