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None( MENAFN - Investor Brand Network) The Vancouver Resource investment conference 2025 (“VRIC”), by Cambridge House, invites executives and professionals from the finance, commodities and investment sectors, for a two-day conference at the Vancouver convention Centre West. Jay Martin, the CEO of Cambridge House, hosts the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference. The VRIC will have over 9,000 attending investors networking and collaborating on the event floor. The Cambridge House Conference showcases 120 eminent dignitaries from the finance and investment spectrum presiding over as keynote speakers. They will offer invaluable advice covering the latest... Read More>> To learn more, please visit . About InvestorWire InvestorWire (“IW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on advanced wire-grade press release syndication for private and public companies and the investment community. It is one of 70+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers : (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries ; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets ; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact ; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers ; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions . With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, IW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, IW brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness. IW is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge. For more information, please visit Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the InvestorWire website applicable to all content provided by IW, wherever published or re-published: /Disclaimer InvestorWire Los Angeles, CA 310.299.1717 Office [email protected] InvestorWire is powered by IBN MENAFN26122024000224011066ID1109033804 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

Is Enron back? If it's a joke, some former employees aren't laughing

Rider's Jay Alvarez drives toward the basket against Delaware during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider's Jay Alvarez, right, and Ife West-Ingram, left, slap hands after Alvarez got to the free throw line against Delaware during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider's Zion Cruz reacts after scoring against Delaware during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider's Tariq Ingraham grabs the ball against Delaware during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider's Jay Alvarez, 5, goes up between two Delaware defenders during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider's Zion Cruz looks to drive against Delaware during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider's Tariq Ingraham, back, looks to pass the ball as he's defended by Delaware's Tahron Allen, front, during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider's Flash Burton brings the ball up the floor against Delaware during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider's Jay Alvarez drives toward the basket against Delaware during an NCAA men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) LAWRENCEVILLE — Maybe Jay Alvarez and his Rider teammates would have been better served staying on the road rather than returning to Alumni Gymnasium for the home cooking they were expecting. Instead, it was a post-Thanksgiving malaise. The Broncs failed to get timely stops on one end, then went ice cold in the second half on the other of what ended up a 72-66 loss to Delaware in the home opener on Saturday afternoon. “I felt we could get whatever we wanted on offense when we moved the ball, but I felt like nothing was going in,” Alvarez said. “That’s when we got to lock in on defense and get some stops.” Rider (4-4) lost consecutive games for the first time this season, although it was hoping that being inside Alumni Gymnasium after a seven game season-opening road trip that took it to four states and three time zones would provide a boost to a road-weary club. “I was worried about being home and the distractions,” coach Kevin Baggett said. “I wanted our guys to play for one another and not for the crowd or anybody else for that matter. It just came down to a poor defensive effort today. Give them credit because they made some big shots and scored at costly times when we were trying get stops.” Despite a near five-minute scoring drought in which the Broncs were 1-for-17 from the floor in the second half, they were still down just 11 and made a late run at it. Alvarez finally got a 3 to drop to make it 63-57 with 2:02 left, but Delaware’s John Camden converted a three-point play after on a second-chance opportunity to push the deficit back to nine. Even though Rider missed its first nine 3s in the second half — it was another tough shooting night from beyond the arc as it finished 6-for-23 — T.J. Weeks Jr. followed Alvarez’s trey with a four-point play to make it 66-61 with 1:09 to go. And again the Broncs couldn’t get a stop as the Blue Hens (4-3) moved the ball into the hands of the open Erik Timko for a dagger 3 with 45 seconds left. “Too many breakdowns, not enough ball pressure, gave up too many 3s at costly times when we knew they were desperate,” Baggett said. “They got all the 50/50 balls, so therefore you lose the game. When the game is in the balance, you have to get stops. Then you get a stop and then you don’t get a rebound to secure the possession.” Baggett tried just about every five-man combination he could think of; ten players logged at least nine minutes. “I just couldn’t find a great five that could consistently get stops,” he said. “It wasn’t about scoring the ball. It was about getting stops. I couldn’t find that group five. It was maybe three guys defending and two guys breaking down; four guys defending and one guy breaking down.” Alvarez finished with 17 points and Weeks Jr. had 15 but they also combined to shoot 4-of-16 from beyond the arc. Tariq Ingraham had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds and Zion Cruz scored 10 off the bench. “We know we what we got to do,” Alvarez said. “Just go back and practice, fix some things up, watch film and then we’ll be better.” It has to get better quickly because the Broncs are at Fairfield on Wednesday night in the MAAC opener. “Got to focus on the defensive stuff,” Alvarez said. “That’s something we stress at practice every day, bringing the intensity just like a game so we’re ready when gametime comes.”No. 22 Syracuse looking for 10 wins in 1st year under Fran Brown against depleted Washington State

President-elect has filled the key posts for his second term in office, prioritizing loyalty to him after he felt bruised and hampered by internal squabbling during his first term. Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation fights in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, and one candidate has already withdrawn from consideration. Chad Chronister, sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, pulled his name from consideration to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration just days after being tapped for the post, following backlash from some conservative figures. Here's a look at Trump's choices: Trump would turn a former critic into an ally as the nation's top diplomat. , 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate before the slot went to JD Vance. Rubio is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His selection punctuates the hard pivot has made with Trump, whom the senator once called a “con man" during his own unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. , 44, was a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends Weekend” and had been a contributor with the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. He lacks senior military and national security experience and would oversee global crises ranging from Europe to the Middle East. in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report recently made public. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and has denied any wrongdoing. , 62, is a former money manager for , a big Democratic donor, and an . He founded the hedge fund Key Square Capital Management after having worked on and off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, Bessent would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. Gabbard, 43, is a former Democratic House member from Hawaii who has been She unsuccessfully sought the party’s 2020 presidential nomination and left the party in 2022. Gabbard endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him. has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades and deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. If confirmed she would come to the role as an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, spent several years in top national security and intelligence positions. , 59, was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered , Bondi also has served with the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-allied group that has helped lay the groundwork for his future administration. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush-money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appeared on Fox News and has been critical of the criminal cases against him. The narrowly lost her reelection bid on Nov. 5 but had received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the department's workforce and budget and put forth priorities that affect workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of a few House Republicans to endorse that would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and penalize companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws in more than half the states. heads the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and is a cryptocurrency enthusiast. He is co-chair of Trump's transition operation, charged along with Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration, with helping the president-elect fill key jobs in his second administration. As secretary, Lutnick would play a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. He would oversee a sprawling Cabinet department whose oversight ranges from funding new computer chip factories and imposing trade restrictions to releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. is a well-known conservative who used her two terms as South Dakota's governor to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions like other states, instead declaring South Dakota “open for business.” More recently, faced sharp criticism for writing in her memoir about shooting and killing her dog. She is set to lead a department crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda as well as other missions. Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. , a former U.S. House member from Texas, was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump’s first term. He led U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. If confirmed, Ratcliffe will have held the highest intelligence positions in the U.S. , 70, ran for president as a Democrat, then as an independent before he dropped out and . He's the Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during his own presidential campaign. Kennedy's nomination alarmed people who are concerned about . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. , 52, is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for Trump's second administration. She is a Texas attorney who was Trump's domestic policy adviser and director of his office of American innovation during his first term. previously was an aide to former Texas Gov. , who also served in Trump's first term. Rollins also ran the Texas Public Policy Foundation. is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy , sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential campaign, but was acquitted by the Senate. Collins also served in the armed forces himself. He is a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. The , 68, is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump after he dropped out of the running. Burgum then became a serious contender to in part because of his executive experience and business savvy. He also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump said Burgum would chair a new National Energy Council and have a seat on the National Security Council, which would be a first for the Interior secretary. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. He also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. McMahon, , would make a return appearance in a second Trump administration. She led the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 in Trump’s first term and twice ran unsuccessfully in Connecticut as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. She has expressed support for charter schools and school choice. does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI" and "we will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.” Trump often attacked the Biden administration’s promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referred to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often said his administration would “drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” is a partner at King & Spalding, a Washington law firm. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be responsible for negotiating directly with foreign governments on trade deals and disputes, as well as memberships in international trade bodies such as the World Trade Organization. He previously was chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, who was the trade representative in Trump's first term. , 67, was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. She has a , helping Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump’s defeat of him in the 2024 Republican primary. Wiles’ hire was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with him. Wiles is said to have earned Trump’s trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump’s three presidential campaigns. Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from east-central Florida. , he served multiple tours in Afghanistan and worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Hassett, 62, is a major advocate of tax cuts who was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the first Trump term. In the new role as chairman of the National Economic Council, Trump said Hassett will play an important role in helping American families recover from inflation as well as in renewing and improving tax cuts Trump enacted in 2017, many of which are set to expire after 2025. Homan, 62, with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. He led the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump's first administration. Democrats have criticized Homan for defending Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings in the first term, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Vought, 48, held the position during Trump’s first presidency. He the founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought also was closely involved with , a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that Trump tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Miller, an , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump’s first term. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation’s economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people living illegally in the U.S. Scavino was an adviser in all three of the president-elect's campaigns and was described by the transition team as one of “Trump’s longest serving and most trusted aides." He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino previously ran Trump’s social media profile in the White House. Blair was political director for Trump’s 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and an assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump’s economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump’s 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. , 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term. In 2022, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. McGinley was Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel has called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who have sought additional resources for the bureau. And though the Justice Department in 2021 during leak investigations, Patel has said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and they were golfing at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. , 80, is a highly decorated retired three-star general and one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an for Trump's second term. He has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues and served as national security adviser to Vice President . Kellogg also was chief of staff of the National Security Council under Trump and stepped in as an acting national security adviser for Trump after resigned the post. Huckabee is a and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests. Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Huckabee has rejected a Palestinian homeland in territory occupied by Israel. His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as White House press secretary in Trump's first term. Stefanik, 40, is a U.S. and one of Trump's staunchest defenders dating to his first impeachment trial. She was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in 2021, the third-highest position in House leadership, after then-Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after she publicly criticized Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. A former acting attorney general during Trump's first administration and tight end on the University of Iowa football team, , 55, has a background in law enforcement but not in foreign policy. A fierce Trump localist, Whitaker, is also a former U.S. attorney in Iowa and served as acting attorney general between November 2018 and February 2019 without Senate confirmation, until William Barr was confirmed for the role. That was when was drawing to a close. Whitaker also faced questions about his past business dealings, including his ties to an invention-promotion company that was accused of misleading consumers. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. , 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime TV talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz’s bid for elected office. is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor on Fox News. is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative after cardiac arrest, state should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. , 56, is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. As head of the NIH, the leading medical research agency in the United States, Trump said Bhattacharya would work with Kennedy Jr. to direct U.S. medical research and make important discoveries that will improve health and save lives. Bhattacharya is professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and was one of three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 open letter maintaining that lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic were causing irreparable harm. Chronister removed himself from consideration to lead the nation's top controlled substances enforcement agency, just days after being tapped for the post. Trump's announcement that he would nominate Chronister, who has worked for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office since 1992, was met with backlash from some conservative figures over his enforcement of lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his past comments he made that his sheriff’s office was not focused on enforcing federal immigration laws. Gaetz, 42, to become the top law enforcement officer of the United States amid fallout over a that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed by the Senate. In choosing Gaetz, Trump had passed over more established lawyers whose names had been floated as possible contenders for the job. Gaetz resigned from Congress after Trump announced him on Nov. 13. The House Ethics Committee has been investigating an allegation that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Zeke Miller, Farnoush Amiri, Lolita C. Baldor, Jill Colvin, Matthew Daly, Edith M. Lederer, Adriana Gomez Licon, Lisa Mascaro, Chris Megerian, Michelle L. Price, Will Weissert, Meg Kinnard and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.BJP's Prem Shukla hits out at Bhai Jagtap over remarks against ECI

The hills are alive. Anaconda residents won’t hear nuns singing from the slopes of A-Hill or C-Hill. Yet they might savor a songbird’s serenade or a mule deer fawn's bleats and bawls as the animals find cover in recently-rooted shrubs and trees. A current document from the state’s Natural Resource Damage Program describes the recovery of vegetation and wildlife habitat in the landmark hills above Anaconda — a revival aided and abetted by the copper smelter’s closing in 1980, by human toil since then and the passage of time. Both the vegetation and Anaconda have begun to thrive in recent years. The Natural Resource Damage Program, or NRDP, aims to restore vegetation and other natural resources lost to pollution from more than 100 years of toxic smelter emissions. It’s all part of the federal Superfund process that guides remediation and restoration. NRDP’s mission also includes addressing a century of lost recreational opportunities. The program has funds available toward that end reached in a 2008 settlement with Atlantic Richfield. Enter the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Open Lands Plan. Adopted in early 2024, the 142-page plan reports, “The Anaconda community prioritizes the development of a comprehensive, interconnected multi-use trail system that caters to various activities and skill levels.” Enter the Anaconda Trail Society, a nonprofit with about 100 active members. It has proposed creating a recreational trail that would link Birch Street in east Anaconda to the Sunnyside area in west Anaconda. One use of money earmarked to restore natural resources in Anaconda damaged by smelter pollution would be to buy the A-Hill, a key landmark now in private hands, for $200,000. It could host a portion of a new trail proposed by the Anaconda Trail Society. As envisioned, the 3.5-mile non-motorized trail would serve walkers, hikers, bicyclists and, possibly, riders on horseback. On Monday, Emily Adams, president of the Anaconda Trail Society, described the proposed path as a single-track trail. Some accounts of single-track trails describe them as being only as wide as a mountain bike. American Trails reports that a single-track mountain bike trail is typically between 12 inches and 30 inches wide. Adams said the Birch to Sunnyside trail would likely be 36 inches to 48 inches wide. She said a hiker or biker might need to step aside to let the other pass. Signage would explain and encourage trail etiquette, Adams said, and the proposed trail’s comparatively even grade would not enable cyclists to come barreling around curves. Anaconda-Deer Lodge County is poised to purchase the A-Hill property with $200,000 in NRDP funds. The city-county already owns acreage on C-Hill. Anaconda-Deer Lodge County already owns acreage on the city's C-Hill, which would host a portion of the trail proposed by the Anaconda Trail Society. As a result, as envisioned, the trail would travel across Anaconda-Deer Lodge County property. A 2008 Consent Decree with Atlantic Richfield/BP provided about $13.3 million to the state for natural resource damages suffered by pollution-impacted lands on Stucky Ridge, Smelter Hill and the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area. An Anaconda Uplands Restoration Plan prepared by NRDP specified that up to $4 million could be used for restoration on lands owned by Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. In April 2023, NRDP celebrated the completed cleanup of state lands on Stucky Ridge and within portions of the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area east and south of Anaconda. Last month, NRDP published an amendment to the Anaconda Uplands Restoration Plan. Among other things, it provides a recommendation about how to divvy up that $4 million between restoration activities such as ecological restoration, wildlife habitat restoration or recreational restoration. NRDP has proposed allocating $1.9 million for recreation projects. The program suggests that development of trail networks, trailheads and signage on A-Hill and C-Hill — trails designed to serve multiple user groups — could be considered an appropriate restoration action. The Anaconda Trail Society would hire professional trail designers and builders if funding becomes available through NRDP, grants or some combination. As proposed, it would partner with Anaconda-Deer Lodge County to collaborate on planning, developing, monitoring and maintaining trail segments. The city-county could also assist with matching costs for potential grant awards and provide other support. Adams said a properly designed and built dirt trail, with water bars and other features to reduce erosion, should need little maintenance. County commissioners for Anaconda-Deer Lodge County were scheduled to review a related memorandum of understanding during the board’s Tuesday night meeting. As envisioned, the connection between Birch Street and Sunnyside Road would be “a leisurely, groomed trail” with a grade below 12%, Adams said. Emily Adams, right, is president of the Anaconda Trail Society. She and her husband, Matt Johnson, own and operate Anaconda Bicycles. Both have been active supporters of outdoors recreation in the region. The community could access the trail at Birch Street, Sheep Gulch, 7 th Street, Walnut Street, Willow Street and Sunnyside Road. During a Nov. 26 meeting of commissioners for Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, Adams said the trail would yield community, social and health benefits. She noted too that studies have demonstrated that trails provide economic benefits to communities. Meeting minutes from Nov. 26 show that Commissioner Ed Beaudette expressed concerns about including horses on the trail and whether it would be wheelchair accessible. Adams said the trail would not be wheelchair accessible and it’s not yet clear whether horses would be appropriate. NRDP’s proposed amendment to the Anaconda Uplands Restoration Plan cites reforestation efforts dating back to 1940. It references work by Bob Andreozzi, now retired as a forester for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and others for shepherding years of conifer and shrubs planting around Anaconda, as well as ambitious Arbor Day plantings. NRDP notes also that in some areas, lands owned by Anaconda-Deer Lodge County are returning to baseline conditions — as in, conditions prior to pollution — “without the expenditure of remedy or restoration funds.” Ray Vinkey, an environmental scientist for NRDP, said no Anaconda Uplands money has been spent to date on recreation. A copy of the NRDP Amendment to the Anaconda Uplands Restoration Plan and related environmental assessments can be reviewed at https://dojmt.gov/nrdp/public-notices/notices-of-public-comment . Comments are due by Jan. 15. Submit via email to nrdp@mt.gov Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The president of South Korea early Wednesday lifted the martial law he imposed on the country hours earlier, bending to political pressure after a tense night in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule. President Yoon Suk Yeol, who appeared likely to be impeached over his actions, imposed martial law late Tuesday out of frustration with the opposition, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against opponents who control parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea. Police and military personnel were seen leaving the grounds of parliament following the bipartisan vote to overrule the president, and the declaration was formally lifted around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting. Parliament acted swiftly after martial law was imposed, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring that the law was “invalid” and that lawmakers would “protect democracy with the people.” In all, martial law was in effect for about six hours. The president’s surprising move harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders that the country has not seen since the 1980s, and it was immediately denounced by the opposition and the leader of Yoon’s own conservative party. Lee Jae-myung , leader of the liberal Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament, said the party’s lawmakers would remain in the Assembly’s main hall until Yoon formally lifted his order. Woo applauded how troops quickly left the Assembly after the vote. “Even with our unfortunate memories of military coups, our citizens have surely observed the events of today and saw the maturity of our military,” Woo said. While announcing his plan to lift martial law, Yoon continued to criticize parliament’s attempts to impeach key government officials and senior prosecutors. He said lawmakers had engaged in “unscrupulous acts of legislative and budgetary manipulation that are paralyzing the functions of the state.” Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker, claimed that security camera footage following Yoon’s declaration showed that troops moved in a way that suggested they were trying to arrest Lee, Woo and even Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Yoon’s People Power Party. Officials from Yoon’s office and the Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment early Wednesday. Seemingly hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Assembly, waving banners and calling for Yoon’s impeachment. Some protesters scuffled with troops ahead of the lawmakers’ vote, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major property damage. At least one window was broken as troops attempted to enter the Assembly building. One woman tried unsuccessfully to pull a rifle away from one of the soldiers, while shouting “Aren’t you embarrassed?” Under South Korea’s constitution, the president can declare martial law during “wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states” that require the use of military force to maintain peace and order. It was questionable whether South Korea is currently in such a state. When martial law is declared, “special measures” can be employed to restrict freedom of press, freedom of assembly and other rights, as well as the power of courts. The constitution also states that the president must oblige when the National Assembly demands the lifting of martial law with a majority vote. Following Yoon’s announcement of martial law, South Korea’s military proclaimed that parliament and other political gatherings that could cause “social confusion” would be suspended, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said. The military said anyone who violated the decree could be arrested without a warrant. In Washington, the White House said the U.S. was “seriously concerned” by the events in Seoul. A spokesperson for the National Security Council said President Joe Biden’s administration was not notified in advance of the martial law announcement and was in contact with the South Korean government. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said there was no effect on the more than 27,000 U.S. service members based in South Korea. The South Korean military also said that the country’s striking doctors should return to work within 48 hours, Yonhap said. Thousands of doctors have been striking for months over government plans to expand the number of students at medical schools. Soon after martial law was declared, the parliament speaker called on his YouTube channel for all lawmakers to gather at the National Assembly. He urged military and law enforcement personnel to “remain calm and hold their positions. All 190 lawmakers who participated in the vote supported the lifting of martial law. At one point, television footage showed police officers blocking the entrance of the National Assembly and helmeted soldiers carrying rifles in front of the building. An Associated Press photographer saw at least three helicopters, likely from the military, that landed inside the Assembly grounds, while two or three helicopters circled above the site. The leader of Yoon’s conservative party called the decision to impose martial law “wrong.” Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, said Yoon’s announcement was “illegal and unconstitutional.” Yoon said during a televised speech that martial law would help “rebuild and protect” the country from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” He said he would “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.” “I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country,” he said, while asking the people to believe in him and tolerate “some inconveniences.” Yoon — whose approval rating dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022. His party has been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition over next year’s budget bill. The opposition has also attempted to impeach three top prosecutors, including the chief of the central Seoul prosecutors’ office, in what the conservatives have called a vendetta against their criminal investigations of Lee, who has been seen as the favorite for the next presidential election in 2027 in opinion polls. During his televised announcement, Yoon also described the opposition as “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces who are plundering the freedom and happiness of our citizens.” He did not elaborate. Yoon has taken a hard line on North Korea over its nuclear ambitions, departing from the policies of his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who pursued inter-Korean engagement. Yoon has also dismissed calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals. Yoon’s move was the first declaration of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987. The country’s last previous martial law was in October 1979, following the assassination of former military dictator Park Chung-hee. Sydney Seiler, Korean chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, argued that the move was symbolic for Yoon to express his frustration with the opposition-controlled parliament. “He has nothing to lose,” said Seiler, comparing Yoon’s move to the Hail Mary pass in American football, with a slim chance of success. Now Yoon faces likely impeachment, a scenario that was also possible before he made the bold move, Seiler said. Natalia Slavney, research analyst at the Stimson Center’s 38 North website that focuses on Korean affairs, said Yoon’s imposition of martial law was “a serious backslide of democracy" that followed a “worrying trend of abuse” since he took office in 2022. South Korea “has a robust history of political pluralism and is no stranger to mass protests and swift impeachments,” Slavney said, citing the example of former President Park Geun-hye, the country’s first female president, who was ousted from office and imprisoned for bribery and other crimes in 2017 . Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Matt Lee, Didi Tang and Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.The year that was 2024

From pagans to pansexuals... how civil servants are being encouraged to mark an array of 'woke weeks' at work By MARTIN BECKFORD Published: 23:03, 26 December 2024 | Updated: 23:09, 26 December 2024 e-mail View comments Civil servants are being encouraged to mark a baffling array of ‘ woke weeks’ at work. Diversity and inclusion calendars produced by Whitehall departments and quangos include the dates of everything from Pansexual Visibility Day and Stress Awareness Month to the pagan festivals of Samhain and Yule. NHS England’s calendar marks more than 350 awareness events including gender-fluid visibility week and transgender parent day. Staff support groups often hold talks or put up displays in offices to coincide with the dates although the Government insists that employees do not have to commemorate them. Earlier this year the Mail told how the Foreign Office was flying the flag for bisexuality awareness week outside its grand headquarters. Last night Elliot Keck, head of campaigns at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The extent to which the diversity demagogues have taken over Whitehall is truly alarming. ‘While there are key religious and national dates that the public sector should be aware of, the focus of internal calendars should be on driving home deadlines for delivering improvements to public services. ‘Ministers should remind civil servants that their duty is to the public as a whole.’ Obscure: Pagan festivals, such as last week’s Winter Solstice at Stonehenge, are marked in internal calendars Diversity and inclusion calendars produced by Whitehall departments and quangos include the dates of everything from Pansexual Visibility Day and Stress Awareness Month to the pagan festivals of Samhain and Yule Caroline Ffiske from Conservatives for Women said: 'Whoever put Pansexual Visibility Day in this calendar should be invited to write up the history of this day and would be shown to struggle to cover half of the back of a small envelope' And Caroline Ffiske from Conservatives for Women said: ‘It’s offensive, and illustrates a lack of judgement and courage from the organisers, to see recently made-up woke nonsense treated with the same degree of seriousness as important days for Christians and those of other faiths. ‘Whoever put Pansexual Visibility Day in this calendar should be invited to write up the history of this day and would be shown to struggle to cover half of the back of a small envelope.’ The Forestry Commission, which manages publicly owned woodland, said in a recent equality report: ‘A Diversity and Inclusion calendar has been published for 2024, which has helped to inform our communications plan for internal and external engagement. It also raises awareness of key dates affecting our stakeholders and wider society.’ Details of the calendar obtained by the Mail reveal that it includes Latinx Heritage Month, a gender-neutral term for people of South American background which is mainly used in the USA, and the birthday of Rastafarian divinity Haile Selassie. So crowded is the Forestry Commission’s calendar that Men’s Health Awareness Month, Islamophobia Awareness Month and Disability History Month are all included in November while June is Pride Month as well as Gypsy, Roma and Travellers History Month. A Forestry Commission spokesman said: ‘The dates are not automatically added to staff calendars – they are available to access as an e-resource as part of our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture in our workplaces and understanding the people we serve.’ The Ministry of Justice meanwhile issues a list of ‘core awareness’ dates containing events not included by the Forestry Commission. April is Stress Awareness Month as well as containing Intergenerational Week, but National Stress Awareness Day is in November along with Inter Faith Week. In the shadow of the stones a group of revellers go through ultra stretches and bends during the Winter Solstice celebrations Carers Week takes place in June as does Social Mobility Awareness Day. The Ministry of Justice said: ‘Religious holidays and other notable occasions, like Holocaust Memorial Day, Carers Week and Black History Month are widely marked and these events are recognised across government. ‘Recognising them helps tackle discrimination and supports our drive to build a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve across England and Wales.’ The Crown Commercial Service, a procurement quango within the Cabinet Office, lists hundreds of events in its inclusion and diversity calendars. They range from World Braille Day and International Mother Language Day to Pansexual Visibility Day. As well as major religious holidays such as Easter and Ramadan, it includes the Declaration of Bab celebrated by the Baha’i faith and even the Beltane and Yule festivals sacred to pagans. Christmas Day is not mentioned in the diversity calendar but the Government insisted this is because it is already included in the main calendars seen by all staff on their computer systems. A Cabinet Office spokesman said: ‘As you would expect, Christmas and other public holidays are all rightly marked in teams’ calendars by default. ‘These optional, shared calendars provide additional dates for awareness only. Inclusion in the calendar does not mean they are officially marked by CCS.’ All three public bodies highlight the National Day for Staff Networks, the support groups for employees of different races, faiths and sexualities that have sprung up across the public sector in recent years. 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Blame it on the food and drink?SM approaches 2025 with cautious optimism