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Minneapolis, MN (MinnPost) WASHINGTON -- When this year began, Gov. Tim Walz's election as the new head of the Democratic Governors Association set him on a course to raise his profile - but who knew he would be at the center of the biggest political story of the year? Walz began 2024 focused on duties typical of a Minnesota governor: naming judicial appointments, announcing a new state infrastructure plan and naming the eight winners of the 2023-24 Name a Snowplow contest. The governor had problems, sure. He had to deal with the fallout of the $250 million "Feeding our Future" scandal, in which dodgy nonprofit groups claimed to distribute meals to schoolchildren during the pandemic. Instead, more than two dozen people involved were convicted or pleaded guilty to charges including fraud, bribery and money laundering. Walz also had to defend state spending that could lead to a future budget deficit and was concerned the DFL might not be able to hang on to its majorities in the state Legislature. But he faced a unique challenge in July when a group of Democratic governors wanted to meet with President Joe Biden to discuss concerns about the president's rocky debate performance with Donald Trump. As head of the DGA, Walz was in charge of trying to arrange a meeting between the governors and Biden, who had not reached out to those Democrats as concerns about the president's health escalated. Some of those governors, like Maryland's Wes Moore and Rhode Island's Dan McKee were Biden boosters. But others, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer, had been floated as potential presidential candidates themselves. Walz walked out of the meeting with Moore and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, another Biden ally, and claimed all was well. "Yes, fit for office," the governor said in response to a question from a reporter, tamping down Democratic fears about Biden's ability to lead the nation. Walz's calming of the political waters became a turning point in his political career. How he handled the sensitive visit to the White House was appreciated by the Biden-Harris campaign team - and it put him on the radar when Biden decided he would not seek a second term. There were plenty of good VP candidates Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, could have chosen as running mates, especially Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. In fact, Las Vegas bettors gave Walz low odds at becoming the Democratic vice presidential pick. But no one campaigned harder than Walz. He took to social media and cable news shows. Americans who had never heard of him warmed to his Midwesternisms and his interactions with his daughter Hope, who became an internet star in her own right. Walz also came up with a popular insult to Donald Trump and his camp, calling them "weird" and boosting his candidacy as an effective communicator. Walz's Midwestern roots and his progressive record as governor also had an appeal to the new Harris for President campaign. Eventually, after what was characterized as a successful interview with Harris, Walz got the job. That's when his political and personal life zoomed in a totally different direction. No longer would Walz spend his days on the more predictable job of governing Minnesota. Now he was on the national stage, giving stump speeches across the country and enlisting his wife, Gwen, and daughter Hope to help during a compressed campaign for the White House. He also drew white-hot media attention, which resurrected his misstatements about his rank when he retired from the National Guard, the fertility treatments he and Gwen used to conceive their children and the timing of his visit to China's Tiananmen Square (he was not there during a military crackdown on protesters, as he has said.) Under pressure during his debate with Sen. JD Vance, Walz called himself a "knucklehead" for his misstatements. The governor was deployed to reach out to small-town and rural America, and try to connect with male voters who were cool to Harris. Gwen Walz also proved to be adept at giving political speeches. Like her husband, she deployed to key swing states that would decide the election. But the furious effort to win the White House failed, and Walz is now back home working out of the State Capitol in St. Paul. He has joined a long list of losing vice-presidential candidates, a list that includes Teddy Roosevelt, Walter Mondale, John Edwards, Sarah Palin, Paul Ryan and Tim Kaine. Most never won a national election after their attempt to become vice president. Walz was philosophical after his loss, saying the campaign gave him a good tour of the nation. But he also said he was "a little surprised" Americans rejected the Harris-Walz ticket. "It felt like at the rallies, at the things I was going to, the shops I was going in, that the momentum was going our way," Walz told Tom Hauser of KTSP-TV earlier this month. "And it obviously wasn't at the end of time." In an interview with MPR News, he also rued why he, the least wealthy candidate for vice president, did not connect with voters who preferred Trump. "I thought it was a real flex when the Wall Street Journal pointed out that I might have been the least wealthy person to ever run for vice president," Walz said on MPR. "And I thought that would be something people say, "Well, this guy knows where we're coming from. He's had to pay his bills, he had to and still does."" Walz, who had to leave his job as the head of the DGA when he became a vice-presidential candidate, is now one of the 23 Democratic governors who will, in one way or another, be forced to contend with Trump's agenda, which is likely to clash with their policies on health care, immigration, LGTBQ rights, education and other issues. In that interview with MPR News, Walz said there are redlines where he would fight against the policies of a Trump presidency and a GOP Congress, including any that restrict abortion access or those aimed at ending vaccine requirements in Minnesota's public schools Will he run for reelection? Walz says he hasn't decided yet. This story is provided as a service of the Institute for Nonprofit News’ On the Ground news wire. The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) is a network of more than 475 independent, nonprofit newsrooms serving communities throughout the US, Canada, and globally. On the Ground is a service of INN, which aggregates the best of its members’ elections and political content, and provides it free for republication. Read more about INN here: https://inn.org/ . Please coordinate with edunbar@minnpost.com should you want to publish photos for this piece. This content cannot be modified, apart from rewriting the headline. To view the original version, visit: http://www.minnpost.com/national/2024/12/a-2024-lookback-gov-tim-walzs-very-weird-year/lodibet gaming apk 。

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Starting in 2010, Tess Waresmith spent three years working on a cruise ship, first as a high-diver and acrobat, and then as a shopping guide for vacationers. For someone who had graduated from college a year earlier, it was a huge opportunity, Waresmith says. Not only was this a paying gig in an economy otherwise ravaged by recession, but food and living expenses on the ship were covered. “Over a couple year period, I thought to myself, ‘This is my chance to save as much as possible ,” Waresmith says. After a couple years of dutifully socking away cash, a friend aboard the ship suggested that she could be doing more with her funds than let them sit in the bank. “He was just like, ‘Tess, you can use the money you’re hoarding to buy things that make you more money,’” she says. “I knew that investing was a thing, but I’d never thought about it from that frame.” Waresmith, now 36, took that advice and ran with it. She currently has more than $US1 ($A1.6) million in stocks, real estate and other investments. In 2021, she founded financial education firm Wealth with Tess , with the aim of helping others follow her path while avoiding some of the pitfalls. In those early years, Waresmith remembers one pitfall in particular. “With stock market investing, I was really afraid to do it wrong, so I hired a financial adviser, and they made a lot of really bad decisions on my behalf,” she says. “I was paying over 2 per cent in fees. They sold me an annuity better suited for people in their 50s. I was 26.” Here’s how she says you can avoid falling into a similar trap. Waresmith did what a lot of experts might have suggested: hire a professional. But since she wasn’t too familiar with finance, Waresmith didn’t know that the advisor she chose was running a suboptimal strategy on her behalf. “It’s tough to identify red flags if you don’t have basic knowledge of investing. And when I say basic knowledge, I mean reading one or two books or taking one course,” she says. “You don’t have to have a Ph.D. in investing or be an analyst, but I didn’t really see red flags, because I wouldn’t have even been able to recognise them back then.” It took her a while to realize that her portfolio was lagging the market — both because her adviser had chosen underperforming mutual funds and because high fees were eating into her returns . Rather than charging a flat rate , her adviser charged a fee equivalent to 1 per cent of the value of her portfolio, plus a 0.25 per cent to use the adviser’s online investing platform. Some of the actively mutual funds her adviser chose came with expense ratios north of 0.75 per cent. The strategy, Waresmith eventually realised, was meant to make things more complicated than necessarily. “These were actively managed mutual funds and there were dozens of them,” she says. “It was way over-engineered.” Then there was the annuity, an often expensive financial instrument meant to provide income for retirees in exchange for fronting a lump sum of money. Waresmith put $US20,000 in — money she hasn’t been able to recoup. “When I turn 60, I’ll get a couple of bucks a month, or something from that,” she says. “It was a big mistake. No one should have sold me that.” Once she realised she was being charged for an overly complex, underperforming plan, Waresmith cut ties with her adviser and endeavoured to keep things simple. Instead of paying an expensive adviser to manage expensive funds, she opened her own account and invested in low-cost index funds. The advantages of investing this way are well documented. Index funds aim to replicate the performance of a market index, rather than trying to outperform it. While some active managers manage to beat the market, the vast majority don’t. Over the 10 years that ended in June 2024, about 29 per cent of active funds survived and outpaced their average indexed peer, according to Morningstar . Funds that track popular indexes, such as the S&P 500, give investors exposure to a broad array of stocks and come with very low costs. “Index funds are a great way to get started and to understand the basics of the stock market and to get your money invested in a really diversified, low-fee way,” Waresmith says. Advice given in this article is general in nature. Always seek your own professional advice taking into account your personal circumstances before making any financial decisions.

The vote came amid controversy about the pools' futures West Lancashire council leaders have weathered a 'no confidence' vote over the future of swimming pools in Skelmersdale and Ormskirk . However, three Labour councillors have now become independent due to the dispute over whether to close swimming pools in the two towns. One councillor said during a full council debate this week that any potential closures without replacements would be a 'betrayal of both towns'. Labour councillors Yvonne Gagen, the council leader, and Carl Coughlan, who is responsible for leisure services, were targeted in a 'no confidence' motion by the Our West Lancashire (OWL) group. However, Labour councillors dismissed these accusations. Outside the council building, some pool protesters gathered again, albeit in smaller numbers than in October. These included members of the Ormskirk Otters swimming club. The vote took place amidst controversy about the future of the pools, a recent public consultation by West Lancashire Council, and the backdrop of a new budget due next year. One proposal is to close the two existing pools before any replacements are built, as a cost-saving measure. Government cuts and rising costs are among the factors cited, but there are counter-claims of poor work by councillors, reports Lancs Live . The council is also seeking new design ideas after two recent blueprints were deemed unaffordable. Above-ground steel pools could be a cheaper option, a previous meeting heard, but a final decision has not yet been made. OWL Cllr Adrian Owens, proposing a 'no confidence' motion, said: "This reflects the wishes and opinions of local residents. It is local people who elect us and who we should listen to." He added: "I've been a councillor for 25 years. I've never seen the levels of anger and contempt for the council that I see at this time. I can't recall a petition being presented with so many signatures nor has there ever been a council consultation bringing anywhere close to 2,178 responses. This anger stretches across traditional political lines." Cllr Owens continued, regarding the situation with leisure services: "The council leader and lead member for leisure are driving us off the cliff top. It is time for a change of leadership before this council ends up the only one in the area with no council-operated swimming pools." Speaking on consultant spending and the council's leadership Cllr Owens concluded: "Residents have lost all confidence in him. He has consistently taken a he-knows-best approach, refusing to listen to other political groups or involve them in cross-party working groups. As a result, the council has spent more than £1.7m in the past 12 months on leisure consultants, much of it on two new leisure centre designs which are now deemed unaffordable." Furthermore, he claimed: "He has also starved the existing centres of investment. Nothing has been spent for four years and only £26,000 in the past decade. Then he has the cheek to use the alleged poor condition as a reason for closure." The OWL motion garnered support from Conservatives, including Robert Bailey and David Westley, with Cllr Westley saying: "We had a cross-party working group on leisure for six or eight years. But it was stopped 12 months ago. We tried to get it reinstated in May. The council leadership, honestly, needs help. There is a lack of control. Unfortunately there's lack of confidence in both of you." Former Labour councillors Neil Furey, Paul Hogan, and Kerry Lloyd have become independents due to the pools controversy. Cllr Furey said: "Make no mistake, community anger over potential closures is unbelievable. I hope we will hear some changes tonight. But this would be the ultimate betrayal of Ormskirk and Skelmersdale. People are up in arms, including teaching staff and governors. This cannot happen. There must be alternatives." Labour's Gareth Dowling, deputy council leader, said: "We've had about 15 minutes of slagging from the opposition and independents. You can check back on details. To say these councillors have been expelled from Labour is wrong. I suggest we move to a vote because nobody is going to change their minds." The OWL motion was ultimately defeated by a narrow margin of 23 votes to 21.None

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living" and “The people without homes uphold their rights.” The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States . Organizers said that over 100,000 had turned out, while Barcelona’s police said they estimated some 22,000 marched. Either way, the throngs of people clogging the streets recalled the massive separatist rallies at the heigh of the previous decade’s Catalan independence movement. Now, social concerns led by housing have displaced political crusades. That is because the average rent for Spain has doubled in last 10 years. The price per square meter has risen from 7.2 euros ($7.5) in 2014 to 13 euros this year, according to the popular online real estate website Idealista. The growth is even more acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Incomes meanwhile have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Protestor Samuel Saintot said he is “frustrated and scared” after being told by the owners of the apartment he has rented for the past 15 years in Barcelona’s city center that he must vacate the premises. He suspects that the owners want him out so they can renovate it and boost the price. “Even looking in a 20- or 30-kilometer radius outside town, I can’t even find anything within the price range I can afford,” he told The Associated Press. “And I consider myself a very fortunate person, because I earn a decent salary. And even in my case, I may be forced to leave town.” A report by the Bank of Spain indicates that nearly 40% of Spaniards who rent dedicate an average of 40% of their income to paying rents and utilities, compared to the European Union average of 27% of renters who do so. “We are talking about a housing emergency. It means people having many difficulties both in accessing and staying in their homes,” said Ignasi Martí, professor for Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory. The rise in rents is causing significant pain in Spain, where traditionally people seek to own their homes. Rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Many migrants to Spain are also disproportionately hit by the high rents because they often do not have enough savings. Spain is near the bottom end of OECD countries with under 2% of all housing available being public housing for rent. The OECD average is 7%. Spain is far behind France, with 14%, Britain with 16%, and the Netherlands with 34%. Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for Barcelona’s Tenants Union which helped organize the protest, said that renters should consider a “rent strike” and cease paying their monthly rents in a mass protest movement. “I think we the tenants have understood that this depends on us. That we can’t keep asking and making demands to the authorities and waiting for an answer. We must take the reins of the situation,” Arcarazo told the AP. “So, if they (the owners) won’t lower the rent, then we will force them to do it." The Barcelona protest came a month after tens of thousands rallied against high rents in Madrid. The rising discontent over housing is putting pressure on Spain’s governing Socialist party, which leads a coalition on the national level and is in charge of Catalonia’s regional government and Barcelona’s city hall. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presided over what the government termed a “housing summit” including government officials and real estate developers last month. But the Barcelona’s Tenants Union boycotted the event, saying it was like calling a summit for curing cancer and inviting tobacco companies to participate. The leading government measure has been a rent cap mechanism that the central government has offered to regional authorities based on a price index established by the housing ministry. Rent controls can be applied to areas deemed to be “highly stressed” by high rental prices. Catalonia was the first region to apply those caps, which are in place in downtown Barcelona. Many locals blame the million of tourists who visit Barcelona, and the rest of Spain, each year for the high prices. Barcelona’s town hall has pledged to completely eliminate the city’s 10,000 so called “tourist apartments,” or dwellings with permits for short-term rents, by 2028.