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is fortune game legit EXCLUSIVE Investors threaten to call in police over huge losses after collapse of Alastair Campbell son's football betting syndicate By GLEN OWEN Published: 23:00, 28 December 2024 | Updated: 23:08, 28 December 2024 e-mail View comments Alastair Campbell is facing losses running into hundreds of thousands of pounds following the collapse of a football betting syndicate run by his son, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Tony Blair 's former spin chief is understood to be among those alleged to have lost a total of more than £5 million from Rory Campbell's venture, with some out-of-pocket investors now threatening to go to the police. The row has dragged in Charlie Falconer, Mr Blair's Lord Chancellor and former flatmate, who held meetings with syndicate members shortly before Christmas to 'calm tempers' after they were told that they would not be able to recoup their losses. The syndicate bet on the Premier League , the German Bundesliga , Italy 's Serie A and Spain 's La Liga using mathematical models intended to give it an edge over the rest of the betting market by assessing the effect of injuries, how well players link up and factors such as the weather. Sources said that Rory, 37, told investors in April that 'everyone will get paid in the summer' and 'there is absolutely no hole' in the fund, before in June promising again that they would be paid back in full by the end of July. But it is claimed that on July 18 he warned they might receive 'in the region of 50%-65%' of their investment. Two weeks ago, his lawyers are said to have informed them that the venture had collapsed because bookmakers in Asia had failed to pay their debts. Last night, a representative for Rory Campbell said: 'You appear to have been given an incomplete and in several respects inaccurate account of a highly complex set of issues, which are currently the subject of what we had understood to be confidential negotiations intended to seek a resolution between the various parties. Alastair Campbell's son Rory's (pictured) football betting syndicate has gone bust, with losses of up to £5million Alastair Campbell and his partner Fiona Millar (pictured) are believed to have invested nearly £300,000 in the business 'It is a matter of concern and very disappointing to learn from you that these confidences have been broken. Given the confidential nature of the discussions, we are not at liberty to make any further comment at this stage.' More than 50 people are understood to have placed between £10,000 and £500,000 each in the syndicate over the past five years, with Alastair Campbell and his partner Fiona Millar believed to have invested nearly £300,000. Around 20 of the investors have compiled a dossier of evidence to pass to the police, including contracts setting out how the syndicate would run, bank statements, emails stating that the fund was profitable and spreadsheets detailing how much it was supposedly making. The sources said that Lord Falconer met twice with investors to try and negotiate a financial settlement on behalf of the Campbell family, most recently in early December. The meetings have been described by sources as 'long and bruising'. This newspaper has seen correspondence between Rory and one investor who tried to withdraw his money from the syndicate last year after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The investor wrote in November 2023: 'I am now reaching the end of my tether and the next step will be for me to start looking at legal options to recover what you owe me. 'I really don't want to do that but when you continually tell me the money is coming shortly (since July) and December is approaching you can understand why I think you may not be good for it.' Sources said that Lord Falconer (pictured) met twice with investors to try and negotiate a financial settlement on behalf of the Campbell family The investor added: 'Are you going to send some money soon or are you just hoping I die before you need to pay up?' Rory replied: 'Absolutely not and yes very, very soon. All of it.' A year later, the investor says he is still to receive the £160,000 he's owed. Another syndicate member, said to be facing losses of more than £150,000, told the MoS: 'We are all absolutely furious. 'Rory told us that at no time could he lose more than 5 per cent of the total betting fund to a single bookmaker and that his job was to manage that risk. 'Then suddenly all the money has just disappeared. He has provided absolutely zero evidence of where it has gone and we want a proper explanation of where all the millions of pounds have gone.' Another investor said: 'We will be very lucky to get 15 per cent of our losses back after legal and professional costs. 'By Rory's own figures over £5 million is owed. He has at least finally admitted there is a massive financial black hole, which he denied for a long time, but this has left a lot of people in serious financial trouble as many had invested a decent proportion of their overall wealth in something Rory described as 'massively low risk'.' Alastair with his son Rory (right) and Calum Campbell (centre) at the London Stadium In a 2018 interview Rory, who read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford, said he spent 'the majority of time' at university 'playing poker and watching football'. After graduating, he advised football clubs on 'tactical insights'. Alastair Campbell, 67, is enjoying a lucrative second career as co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast with former Tory minister Rory Stewart, with his personal income topping an estimated £100,000 a month. Alastair Campbell and Lord Falconer both declined to comment. Spain Serie A La liga Italy Asia Share or comment on this article: Investors threaten to call in police over huge losses after collapse of Alastair Campbell son's football betting syndicate e-mail Add commentCatch up - Further supportive measures in store for China housing sector in 2025

The Two Faces Of Violence:

Manmohan Singh, India’s former Prime Minister, dies at 92

Consistent with Strategy to Optimize Business Portfolio and Enhance Free Cash Flow PITTSBURGH , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Koppers Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koppers Holdings Inc. KOP , today announced that the company will discontinue phthalic anhydride production at its facility in Stickney, Illinois , in 2025. The decision, affecting approximately 25 employees, was driven by significant near-term capital spending requirements that could not be economically justified by end-market projections. An ancillary benefit is an improvement in the site's environmental footprint as annual emissions of certain regulated air contaminants are expected to be reduced by 50 to 70 percent. Koppers has targeted mid-2025 for the shutdown and expects to ramp down production of phthalic anhydride over the next six months as the company builds inventory to supply existing contracts through 2025, as necessary. The closure of the phthalic anhydride plant will not impact Stickney's coal tar distillation operations, which manufacture products including creosote, carbon pitch and pavement sealer base. The phthalic anhydride plant at Stickney was constructed to consume naphthalene, a byproduct of the coal tar distillation process, as a feedstock to produce the chemical intermediate used to manufacture plasticizers, polyester resins, and alkyd paints. As availability of coal tar has declined, phthalic anhydride has become less profitable as lower naphthalene production resulted in a need to supplement production with a greater proportion of higher-cost third-party feedstock. This action is expected to result in pre-tax charges to earnings of $51 million to $55 million through the end of 2026. Approximately $28 million constitutes non-cash charges anticipated to be recorded in 2024 and 2025 with approximately $23 million to $27 million over the next two years going toward cash expenditures, primarily for plant cleaning, waste disposal, and demolition costs. Ongoing operational and capital expenditure savings have been incorporated into the company's current 2025 goals of $300 million of adjusted EBITDA and $65 million to $75 million of capital expenditures. Koppers CEO Leroy Ball said , "The decision to close the phthalic anhydride plant demonstrates our ongoing willingness to critically assess our portfolio and pivot from underperforming businesses when it is clear that improvement is not on the horizon. By focusing on our core strengths, we can continue to enhance our competitive position in healthier markets to drive better long-term returns. Ceasing operations at any plant is never easy, however, this will improve the performance, efficiency, and emissions profile at Stickney . I want to thank our dedicated employees who have worked hard over the years to serve our customers with quality products. I am mindful of the impact this decision has on them and am committed to ensuring that they are supported through this transition." About Koppers Koppers KOP is an integrated global provider of essential treated wood products, wood preservation technologies and carbon compounds. Our team of 2,200 employees create, protect and preserve key elements of our global infrastructure – including railroad crossties, utility poles, outdoor wooden structures, and production feedstocks for steel, aluminum and construction materials, among others – applying decades of industry-leading expertise while constantly innovating to anticipate the needs of tomorrow. Together we are providing safe and sustainable solutions to enable rail transportation, keep power flowing, and create spaces of enjoyment for people everywhere. Protecting What Matters, Preserving The Future. Learn more at Koppers.com . Inquiries from the media should be directed to Ms. Jessica Franklin Black at BlackJF@koppers.com or 412-227-2025. Inquiries from the investment community should be directed to Ms. Quynh McGuire at McGuireQT@koppers.com or 412-227-2049. Safe Harbor Statement Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and may include, but are not limited to, statements about sales levels, acquisitions, restructuring, declines in the value of Koppers assets and the effect of any resulting impairment charges, profitability and anticipated expenses and cash outflows. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature are forward-looking, and words such as "outlook," "guidance," "forecast," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "may," "will," "should," "continue," "plan," "potential," "intend," "likely," or other similar words or phrases are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement contained herein, in other press releases, written statements or other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or in Koppers communications and discussions with investors and analysts in the normal course of business through meetings, phone calls and conference calls, regarding future dividends, expectations with respect to sales, earnings, cash flows, operating efficiencies, restructurings, cost reduction efforts, the amount and timing of the charge to earnings Koppers expects to record, including the estimates of the total costs expected for each major type of cost and the expected cash outlays, the benefits of acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures or other matters as well as financings and debt reduction, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies. Many of these risks, uncertainties and contingencies are beyond our control, and may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance or achievements. Factors that might affect such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the impact of changes in commodity prices, such as oil and copper, on product margins; general economic and business conditions; potential difficulties in protecting our intellectual property; the ratings on our debt and our ability to repay or refinance our outstanding indebtedness as it matures; our ability to operate within the limitations of our debt covenants; unexpected business disruptions; potential delays in timing or changes to expected benefits from cost reduction efforts; finalization of employee retention and severance arrangements; finalization of the accounting impact of the closure; higher than expected demolition, site clearing, environmental remediation or asset retirement costs; potential impairment of our goodwill and/or long-lived assets; demand for Koppers goods and services; competitive conditions; capital market conditions, including interest rates, borrowing costs and foreign currency rate fluctuations; availability and fluctuations in the prices of key raw materials; disruptions and inefficiencies in the supply chain; economic, political and environmental conditions in international markets; changes in laws; the impact of environmental laws and regulations; unfavorable resolution of claims against us, as well as those discussed more fully elsewhere in this release and in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Koppers, particularly our latest annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings by Koppers with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after that date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For Information: Quynh McGuire, Vice President, Investor Relations 412 227 2049 McGuireQT@koppers.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/koppers-ceasing-phthalic-anhydride-operations-at-stickney-facility-302324251.html SOURCE KOPPERS HOLDINGS INC. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Fleet Management Market: Set to Reach $85.24B by 2031, 14.3% CAGR

Wade Taylor IV helps No. 13 Texas A&M rout Abilene ChristianThe Gunners delivered the statement Champions League victory their manager had demanded to bounce back from a narrow defeat at Inter Milan last time out. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track, lifting them to seventh place with 10 points in the new-look 36-team table. It was Arsenal’s biggest away win in the Champions League since beating Inter by the same scoreline in 2003. “For sure, especially against opposition we played at their home who have not lost a game in 18 months – they have been in top form here – so to play with the level, the determination, the purpose and the fluidity we showed today, I am very pleased,” said Arteta. “The team played with so much courage, because they are so good. When I’m watching them live they are so good! They were all exceptional today. It was a big performance, a big win and we are really happy. “The performance was there a few times when we have played big teams. That’s the level that we have to be able to cope and you have to make it happen, and that creates belief.” A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners took the lead after only seven minutes when Martinelli tucked in Jurrien Timber’s cross, and Saka teed up Havertz for a tap-in to double the advantage. Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Declan Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Viktor Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after David Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved. A miserable night for prolific Sporting striker Gyokeres was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.

TORRINGTON – Fighting back tears, Christina Bishop, the unsheltered programs manager for the Center for Human Development, said she is one missed paycheck away from becoming a member of the community she serves. “I just need one mistake,” she said Friday during the Northwest Connecticut Legislative Roundtable at Torrington Library. “And I do this work and the people who know me know I would crawl through the last of my chain to get my people’s needs met because that’s what they need. And I’m one paycheck away.” Bishop’s comments were met with nods from the audience and members of the panel, which included state Rep. Jay M. Case, R-Winsted; Deirdre Houlihan DiCara, executive director of FISH; Nancy Cannavo, director at The Gathering Place/New Beginnings; Anne Giordano, early childhood specialist at EdAdvance; Jessica Gueniat, director of Torrington Library; Julia Scharnberg, vice president of community engagement at Northwest CT Community Health Network; and Sarah Fox, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. The situation is even more dire than when the panel convened in November 2023. DiCara said FISH serves families, individuals and veterans experiencing homelessness at a 35-bed shelter. “We have seven children currently and five veterans as well,” she said. “We serve infants through seniors and they await placement in permanent supportive shelter.” Since the spring, the number of people served at the food pantry has increased by 700, she noted. “And on some occasions, pantry clients arrive in tears as they begin to notice that their landlord has increased their rent, and they can no longer afford their apartment of 20 or 30 years under Social Security income,” DiCara said. Cannavo said The Gathering Place is experiencing a similar trend, with 604 new clients coming through its doors. “That is outrageous,” she said. “It’s unacceptable. ... That’s a large, large number and we need this funding to keep them warm in the winter.” With the cold-weather months looming, the shelters are going to be relied upon even further. “We nonprofits are greatly challenged to fund rates to keep our shelter doors open as funding through the (state) Department of Housing only comes about half to three-quarters of the cost of operating a shelter,” DiCara said. “The homeless should have and deserve a line item in the annual (state) budget to cover the cost of operating ... shelters around the state.” Case noted the state allocated $4.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act and bonding funds to tackle the issue of homelessness, including funding shelters, but those funds are separate from the state’s biennial budget. “I don’t want to enable homelessness,” he said. “I want to work to eradicate it. ... Money’s not going to fix it all. We want to talk about affordable housing. We want to talk about low-income housing. But to get these people into affordable housing, that housing has to have wraparound services with it because a lot of these people need the help to sustain themselves while they’re living day to day.” Fox, who said she experienced homelessness herself, cited legislative goals of the Waterbury-Litchfield County Coordinated Access Network: increase and annualize funding for homeless response and cold weather emergency services; boost homelessness prevention funding to help people overcome financial barriers such as a missed month of rent or help with utilities; invest in permanent supportive housing; tax incentives for housing people experiencing homelessness; decriminalize homelessness and increase investment in the 2-1-1 housing crisis line. Fox said there are families in the area living in tents at campgrounds with no running water, bathrooms or electricity. “There were eight children living in that environment throughout the summer,” she said, noting being unhoused is a traumatic experience for everyone, particularly kids. “One family experienced COVID during that period so they were trying to manage their family in that situation.” Those families are now all housed, but she said the number of homeless continues to rise as the temperature drops. “At the state level, we have to do better,” she said.

DALLAS , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) today announced that its board of directors approved the purchase of up to an additional $500 million of its outstanding shares of common stock under its existing share repurchase program, effective immediately. This repurchase program follows the substantial completion of purchases of common stock under the inaugural $250 million repurchase authorization from August 2023 . With this additional repurchase authorization, the Company anticipates executing a $250 million accelerated share repurchase ("ASR") program that will commence in the fourth quarter of 2024. "We believe our asset-lite, highly-franchised model enables industry-leading shareholder returns," commented Alex Kaleida , Chief Financial Officer. "Since becoming a public company in 2015, we have returned more than $1 billion of capital to shareholders. Our share repurchase program is another example of the long-term value creation enabled by our category of one operating model." Repurchases under the program may be made in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions or by other means, including through trading plans intended to qualify under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and accelerated share repurchase agreements, with the amount and timing of repurchases to be determined at Wingstop's discretion, depending on market and business conditions, prevailing stock prices, and contractual limitations, among other factors. Open market repurchases will be structured to occur in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. This program does not obligate Wingstop to acquire any particular amount of common stock, or at any specific time or intervals and may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time at Wingstop's discretion. Wingstop expects to fund repurchases with existing cash and cash equivalents, including the proceeds from its recently completed $500 million financing transaction which closed on December 3, 2024 . About Wingstop Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX , Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 2,450 locations worldwide. The Wing Experts are dedicated to Serving the World Flavor through an unparalleled guest experience and a best-in-class technology platform, all while offering classic and boneless wings, tenders, and chicken sandwiches, cooked to order and hand sauced-and-tossed in fans' choice of 12 bold, distinctive flavors. Wingstop's menu also features signature sides including fresh-cut, seasoned fries and freshly-made ranch and bleu cheese dips. In fiscal year 2023, Wingstop's system-wide sales increased 27.1% to approximately $3.5 billion , marking the 20th consecutive year of same store sales growth. With a vision of becoming a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand, Wingstop's system is comprised of corporate-owned restaurants and independent franchisees, or brand partners, who account for approximately 98% of Wingstop's total restaurant count of 2,458 as of September 28, 2024 . A key to this business success and consumer fandom stems from The Wingstop Way, which includes a core value system of being Authentic, Entrepreneurial, Service-minded, and Fun. The Wingstop Way extends to the brand's environmental, social and governance platform as Wingstop seeks to provide value to all guests. In 2023, Wingstop earned its "Best Places to Work" certification. The Company landed on Entrepreneur Magazine's "Fastest-Growing Franchises" list and ranked #16 on "Franchise 500." Wingstop was listed on Technomic's "Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report," QSR Magazine's "2023 QSR 50" and Franchise Time's "40 Smartest-Growing Franchises." For more information, visit www.wingstop.com or www.wingstop.com/own-a-wingstop and follow @Wingstop on X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Learn more about Wingstop's involvement in its local communities at www.wingstopcharities.org . Unless specifically noted otherwise, references to our website addresses, the website addresses of third parties or other references to online content in this press release do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on such website and should not be considered part of this release. Forward-looking Statements This news release includes statements of our expectations, intentions, plans and beliefs that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to come within the safe harbor protection provided by those sections. These statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to the discussion of our expectations concerning the implementation and execution of our share repurchase program, including the anticipated execution of a $250 million ASR and our strategic growth initiatives. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "may," "will," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "outlook," "guidance," "anticipate," "believe," "think," "estimate," "seek," "predict," "can," "could," "project," "potential" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements are accompanied by such terms. These forward-looking statements are made based on expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting us and are subject to uncertainties, risks, and factors relating to our operations and business environments, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Please refer to the risk factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which can be found at the SEC's website www.sec.gov . The discussion of these risks is specifically incorporated by reference into this news release. When considering forward-looking statements in this news release or that we make in other reports or statements, you should keep in mind the cautionary statements in this news release and future reports we file with the SEC. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and we cannot predict when they may arise or how they may affect us. Any forward-looking statement in this news release speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Media Contact Maddie Lupori Media@wingstop.com Investor Contact Kristen Thomas IR@wingstop.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wingstop-announces-additional-500-million-share-repurchase-authorization-302324306.html SOURCE Wingstop Restaurants Inc.NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler brought a new putting grip to the Hero World Challenge and felt enough improvement to be satisfied with the result, a 5-under 67 that left him three shots behind Cameron Young on Thursday. Young was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship more than three months ago and found great success on and around the greens of Albany Golf Club, chipping beautifully and holing four birdie putts from 15 feet or longer for his 64. He led by two shots over Justin Thomas in his first competition since his daughter was born a few weeks ago. Thomas ran off four straight birdies late in his round and was a fraction of an inch away with a fifth. The big surprise was Scheffler, the No. 1 player in golf who looked as good as he has all year in compiling eight victories, including an Olympic gold medal. His iron play has no equal. His putting at times has kept him from winning more or winning bigger. He decided to try to a claw putting grip from about 20 feet or closer — the putter rests between his right thumb and his fingers, with his left index finger pointed down the shaft. “I’m always looking for ways to improve,” Scheffler said. Scheffler last year began working with renowned putting instructor Phil Kenyon, and he says Kenyon mentioned the alternative putting grip back then. “But it was really our first time working together and it’s something that’s different than what I’ve done in the past,” Scheffler said. “This year I had thought about it from time to time, and it was something that we had just said let’s table that for the end of the season, take a look at it. “Figured this is a good week to try stuff.” Golf Channel Staff , Golf Channel Staff , He opened with a wedge to 2 feet and he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third. But he holed a birdie from about the same distance at the next par 5, No. 6, and holed a sliding 6-footer on the ninth to save par. His longest putt was his last hole, from 12 feet for a closing birdie. “I really enjoyed the way it felt,” he said. “I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.” Young, regarded as the best active player without a PGA Tour victory, is treating this holiday tournament as the start of a new season. He worked on getting stronger and got back to the basics in his powerful golf swing. And on this day, he was dialed in with his short game. He only struggled to save par twice and kept piling up birdies in his bogey-free round on an ideal day in the Bahamas. “The wind wasn’t blowing much so it was relatively stress-free,” Young said. Patrick Cantlay, along with Scheffler playing for the first time since the Presidents Cup, also was at 67 with Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala. Thomas also took this occasion to do a little experimenting against a 20-man field. He has using a 46-inch driver at home — a little more than an inch longer than his regular driver — in a bid to gain more speed. On a day with little wind, on a golf course with some room off the tee, he decided to put it in play. “Just with it being a little bit longer, I just kind of have to get the club out in front of me and get on top of it a little bit more,” Thomas said. “I drove the hell out of it on the back, so that was nice to try something different and have it go a little bit better on the back.” Thomas said the longer driver gives him 2 or 3 mph in ball speed and 10 extra yards in the air. “It’s very specific for courses, but gave it a try,” he said. Conditions were easy enough that only four players in field failed to break par, with Jason Day bringing up the rear with a 75.No. 22 UCLA edges No. 14 Gonzaga in another classic between rivals

TORRINGTON – Fighting back tears, Christina Bishop, the unsheltered programs manager for the Center for Human Development, said she is one missed paycheck away from becoming a member of the community she serves. “I just need one mistake,” she said Friday during the Northwest Connecticut Legislative Roundtable at Torrington Library. “And I do this work and the people who know me know I would crawl through the last of my chain to get my people’s needs met because that’s what they need. And I’m one paycheck away.” Bishop’s comments were met with nods from the audience and members of the panel, which included state Rep. Jay M. Case, R-Winsted; Deirdre Houlihan DiCara, executive director of FISH; Nancy Cannavo, director at The Gathering Place/New Beginnings; Anne Giordano, early childhood specialist at EdAdvance; Jessica Gueniat, director of Torrington Library; Julia Scharnberg, vice president of community engagement at Northwest CT Community Health Network; and Sarah Fox, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. The situation is even more dire than when the panel convened in November 2023. DiCara said FISH serves families, individuals and veterans experiencing homelessness at a 35-bed shelter. “We have seven children currently and five veterans as well,” she said. “We serve infants through seniors and they await placement in permanent supportive shelter.” Since the spring, the number of people served at the food pantry has increased by 700, she noted. “And on some occasions, pantry clients arrive in tears as they begin to notice that their landlord has increased their rent, and they can no longer afford their apartment of 20 or 30 years under Social Security income,” DiCara said. Cannavo said The Gathering Place is experiencing a similar trend, with 604 new clients coming through its doors. “That is outrageous,” she said. “It’s unacceptable. ... That’s a large, large number and we need this funding to keep them warm in the winter.” With the cold-weather months looming, the shelters are going to be relied upon even further. “We nonprofits are greatly challenged to fund rates to keep our shelter doors open as funding through the (state) Department of Housing only comes about half to three-quarters of the cost of operating a shelter,” DiCara said. “The homeless should have and deserve a line item in the annual (state) budget to cover the cost of operating ... shelters around the state.” Case noted the state allocated $4.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act and bonding funds to tackle the issue of homelessness, including funding shelters, but those funds are separate from the state’s biennial budget. “I don’t want to enable homelessness,” he said. “I want to work to eradicate it. ... Money’s not going to fix it all. We want to talk about affordable housing. We want to talk about low-income housing. But to get these people into affordable housing, that housing has to have wraparound services with it because a lot of these people need the help to sustain themselves while they’re living day to day.” Fox, who said she experienced homelessness herself, cited legislative goals of the Waterbury-Litchfield County Coordinated Access Network: increase and annualize funding for homeless response and cold weather emergency services; boost homelessness prevention funding to help people overcome financial barriers such as a missed month of rent or help with utilities; invest in permanent supportive housing; tax incentives for housing people experiencing homelessness; decriminalize homelessness and increase investment in the 2-1-1 housing crisis line. Fox said there are families in the area living in tents at campgrounds with no running water, bathrooms or electricity. “There were eight children living in that environment throughout the summer,” she said, noting being unhoused is a traumatic experience for everyone, particularly kids. “One family experienced COVID during that period so they were trying to manage their family in that situation.” Those families are now all housed, but she said the number of homeless continues to rise as the temperature drops. “At the state level, we have to do better,” she said.Uber and Lyft Stocks Plunge As Google's Waymo Brings Driverless Taxis to Miami(The Center Square) – The State Board of Education (SBOE) on Friday approved the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) proposal for Texas’ state-owned textbooks, known as Bluebonnet Learning. It passed by a vote of 8-7. It includes new Mathematics curriculum for K-8 students, new Language Arts material for K-5 students and additional instructional support for teachers. Gov. Greg Abbott lauded the vote, saying, “The passage of Bluebonnet Learning is a critical step forward to bring students back to the basics of education and provide the best education in the nation.” He also notes that the materials are voluntary and free for use. Parents and the public are able to access the materials at tea.texas.gov/bluebonnet . The “transformative educational materials ... will ensure young Texans have access to high-quality, grade-level appropriate curricula that will provide the necessary fundamentals in math, reading, science, and other core subjects and boost student outcomes across Texas,” Abbott said. The new curriculum stems from HB 1605, filed in 2023 by state Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, which passed the legislature and Abbott signed into law. It requires the TEA to provide Open Education Resources (OER) textbooks for core subjects, including reading and math for Pre-K to 8th grade. It also directed the TEA to appoint an advisory board to ensure the materials are high quality and compliant with state standards. The materials were subject to approval by the SBOE. The curriculum is voluntary, but school districts will receive additional funding if they use them. If they opt-in to use Bluebonnet Learning, a second stream of additional funding will be made available to defray printing costs. Abbott said in May when the materials were made available for public review that they will “provide the necessary fundamentals in math, reading, science, and other core subjects” and “allow our students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature, and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement, and the American Revolution,” The Center Square reported. Of the several issues opponents criticized, chief among them is proposed curriculum in the Language Arts material related to Christianity and the Bible. The American Federation of Teachers-Texas Chapter also took issue with additional state funding only being made available to school districts that opt-in, arguing the process is unethical and violates educational standards. “Every educator in this state agrees to a Code of Ethics. Among the standards we are expected to uphold by the state of Texas is that we shall not exclude a student from participation in a program, deny benefits to a student, or grant an advantage to a student on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, national origin, religion, family status, or sexual orientation,” AFT-Texas Chapter President Zeph Capo said. “Texas has a way of forcing us to violate this standard, usually about the time that the Legislature ends its session and the governor puts his pen to the signature line of so many counterproductive, detrimental bills. Today, though, it is the State Board of Education that has put us in the position of defying our Code of Ethics once more. “On Nov. 22, in a close vote that crossed party lines and was separated only by a last-minute political appointee, the SBOE voted to approve Bluebonnet Learning materials as curriculum resources for Texas public school districts.” Capo also said the materials “are not just inappropriate – they’re bad at what they proclaim to do. Instructional experts have expressed deep concerns about the age-appropriateness of the materials and whether they will be effective reading instruction.” The vote was held after significant public input. On Monday, more than 150 people signed up to testify before the board about the curriculum. On Tuesday, board members took a preliminary vote, 8-7, indicating it had enough votes to adopt the curriculum. This is after thousands weighed in after the material was made public in May. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER “A highly transparent, three-month public feedback period began in May 2024, giving the public an opportunity to review and offer comments on the proposed materials. The SBOE also welcomed several hours of public testimony at its September meeting where additional feedback on the product was received. TEA used these comments and feedback to further refine, edit and ready the product for final submission as part of the SBOE’s Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) process - ensuring the materials are aligned with state standards and values,” the TEA explains. “The branding of Bluebonnet Learning began with feedback from teachers and parents seeking a clear, distinctive name to make the materials easier to recognize for educators and school systems. Bluebonnet Learning materials are Texas Open Education Resources (OER), meaning they are owned by the state, made available free to anyone, and can be modified over time to make them better for students and teachers.”Wicked Interview: Jon M. Chu on Deleted Scene That Broke His Heart to Cut

Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. An uneasy calm settles over Syrian city of Homs after outbreak of sectarian violence HOMS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country’s fragile peace could break down. A tense calm prevailed Thursday after checkpoints were set up throughout the country’s third-largest city, which has a mixed population of Sunni and Shia Muslims, Alawites and Christians. The security forces are controlled by the former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the charge that unseated former President Bashar Assad. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. New York to charge fossil fuel companies for damage from climate change ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Large fossil fuel companies would have to pay fees to help New York fight the effects of climate change under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. The governor signed the new law Thursday. It requires companies responsible for substantial greenhouse gas emissions to pay into a state infrastructure fund for repairs or projects that help avoid future damage from climate change. Lawmakers approved the bill earlier this year. It's meant to make big oil and gas companies contribute to the cost of repairs after extreme weather events or for resiliency projects. Such projects may include restoring coastal wetlands or upgrading roads, bridges and water drainage systems. Legal challenges to the new law are expected. Aviation experts say Russia's air defense fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash as nation mourns Aviation experts say that Russian air defense fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured. Azerbaijan is observing a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday for the victims of the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade MIRANDO CITY, Texas (AP) — Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade. She and her husband were the first federally licensed peyote dealers who harvested and sold the sacramental plant to followers of the Native American Church in the 1930s. After her husband's death in 1967, Cardenas continued to welcome generations of Native American Church members to her home until her death in 2005, just before her 101st birthday.

The Kansas City Chiefs will have a short break after Week 12 before they face the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday for an AFC West clash. Although they are 10-1, the Chiefs have dealt with injuries to multiple impactful starters on both sides of the ball. However, it seems they may get one of those impactful starters back on Friday. © Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports Defensive end Charles Omenihu has been out since the AFC Championship in January with a torn ACL. The team took him off injured reserve prior to Week 11, but he still has yet to see any game action as he continues to ramp up his workload in practice. Now, it seems that Chiefs fans may see him make his season debut against Las Vegas. On Tuesday, Omenihu responded to an old post he made back in April with highlights from a past matchup against the Raiders. In his response, Omenihu posted two cryptic emojis, the letter "P" and a snake. Although this doesn't confirm that Omenihu will return, as that will likely come down to a decision between coaches and trainers, it does seem to be a sign that the defensive end plans to take the field on Friday. Related: Mahomes Reflects On Clutch Video Going Viral In his seventh season, Omenihu posted career-best numbers with Kansas City in 2023, which was also his first year with the team. In just 11 appearances, he finished the season with 28 combined tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles. After struggling the past two weeks, the Chiefs' defense could use a spark that Omenihu could certainly provide. Related: Mahomes Details The One Benefit Of Close Wins