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The sad decline of the public hangoutJPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its holdings in Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF ( NASDAQ:VGSH – Free Report ) by 26.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,268,498 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,149,931 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 4.14% of Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF worth $842,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Burney Co. bought a new position in Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $291,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $494,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF in the second quarter worth approximately $233,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF during the second quarter valued at approximately $96,000. Finally, Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF by 64.7% during the second quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 6,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF Trading Up 0.1 % VGSH opened at $58.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.41. Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF has a 1-year low of $57.46 and a 1-year high of $59.13. Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF Increases Dividend Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF Profile ( Free Report ) Vanguard Short Term Government Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the performance of a market-weighted government bond index with a short-term, dollar-weighted average maturity. The Fund employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Investor Alert: Robbins LLP Informs Investors That a Class Action was Filed Against Five9, Inc.Evolv Receives Expected Nasdaq Delinquency Notification

Expressing serious concern over some farmers leaders not allowing Jagjit Singh Dallewal — who is on ‘fast unto death’ in support of the demand for legally guaranteed minimum support price for crops — to be shifted to hospital in the wake of his deteriorating health condition, the Supreme court on Saturday also expressed dissatisfaction with the efforts made by the Punjab government in persuading the fasting farmer leader to agree to medical aid and hospitalisation. “Please communicate to them (agitating farmers leaders) that those who are resisting Dallewal’s hospitalisation are not his well-wishers,” a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and Sudhanshu Dhulia said and on an assurance by the Punjab, Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and the Advocate General Gurminder Singh, granted more time to take appropriate steps to comply with its December 20, 2024, directions. Advertisement The Chief Secretary, and the Director General of Police of Punjab appeared in the hearing through video-conferencing. Advertisement The top court on December 20, 2024, had directed the Punjab government to provide medical aid to Dallewal and to convince him to go to the hospital. Taking exception to the Punjab government’s argument that the state was “helpless and saddled” as other protesting farmers were obstructing its attempts to secure medical aid to Dallewal, Justice Surya Kant said, “If state machinery says you are helpless, then do you know what is the repercussion? You are a constitutionally elected government... Court is not saying to use unwanted force.” The top court today questioned the Central government, asking what it was doing to diffuse the situation. Justice Dhulia said that even a word from the Union (Central government) can help diffuse the situation. He said the Punjab government that if it requires any assistance, the Central government would give all requisite support to ensure compliance of the court’s directions. As Advocate General Gurminder Singh told the bench that “Farmers are keeping close vigil around the protest site. If a move is made to take him somewhere, then...”, Justice Surya Kant said, “So long the gathering is there for the purpose of the demands raised by farmers, it is understandable. That is peaceful agitation for the purpose of raising their demands, and voice in a democratic manner... But gathering of farmers to prevent a person from being shifted to the hospital, who requires immediate medical aid, is something which is completely unheard of.” Justice Dhulia said, “This is actually abetment to suicide... You first create a problem and then take a plea, now that there is a problem we cannot do anything.” In the course of the hearing, the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police told the bench that if the evacuation of Dallewal is not peaceful considering that the farmers are resisting his shifting, there would be “collateral damage”. “If there is resistance to a lawful action, you will have to face it and meet it with whatever the law enforcement agencies do normally... What appears to be the scenario is that Dallewal is refusing despite the fact that his health is not supporting him... He appears to be under peer pressure,” Justice Kant said. “There are some farmers leaders, we don’t want to comment on their conduct. What kind of leaders are they if they are allowing him to die there? Please try to read in between the lines. Who are these people? Are they interested in Dallewal’s life or do they want him to die there at the spot? Their intention is questionable. We don’t want to comment on what kind of conduct they are exhibiting... Even if you shift him to the hospital, you can assure Dallewal that you will not allow him to break his fast. A person with medical aid can also continue that,” said the bench. Jagjit Singh Dallewal is the convenor of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and is on fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border since November 26, 2024, in support of farmers’ demands, in particular a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Having given the Punjab government a breather of four days to comply with its December 20, direction to provide medical aid to Dallewal and shift him to the hospital, the court posted the matter for further hearing on December 31, 2024. AdvertisementMalawi akulowera ku chigwembe – Kafukufuku wa Afrobarometer

SAN FRANCISCO — The parents of a former OpenAI researcher known for recently blowing the whistle on the company’s business practices are questioning the circumstances of their son’s death last month. In an interview this week, Suchir Balaji’s mother and father expressed confusion and shock over his sudden passing, expressing doubt their son could have died by suicide, as determined by the county medical examiner. The family hired an expert to perform an independent autopsy but has yet to release the report’s findings. “We’re demanding a thorough investigation — that’s our call,” said Balaji’s mother, Poornima Ramarao. San Francisco police found Balaji dead in his Lower Haight apartment on Nov. 26, less than a week after his 26th birthday. The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office later told this news agency his death was ruled a suicide, though a final autopsy report has yet to be released while the office completes toxicology tests. Earlier this month, San Francisco police officials said there is “currently, no evidence of foul play.” Balaji’s death sent shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley and the artificial intelligence industry. He garnered a national spotlight in late October when he accused his former employer, OpenAI, of breaking federal copyright law by siphoning data from across the internet to train its blockbuster chatbot, ChatGPT. His concerns backed up allegations aired in recent years by authors, screenwriters and computer programmers who say OpenAI stole their content without permission, in violation of U.S. “fair use” laws governing how people can use previously published work. Media companies have been among those to sue the company, including The Mercury News and seven of its affiliated newspapers, and, separately, The New York Times. In an interview with The New York Times published in October 2024, Balaji described his decision to leave the generative artificial intelligence company in August while suggesting that its data collection practices are “not a sustainable model for the internet ecosystem as a whole. “If you believe what I believe, you have to just leave the company,” he told the newspaper. By Nov. 18, Balaji had been named in court filings as someone who had “unique and relevant documents” that would support the case against OpenAI. He was among at least 12 people — many of them past or present OpenAI employees — to be named by the newspaper in court filings as having material helpful to their case. His death a week later has left Balaji’s parents reeling. In an interview at their Alameda County home this week, his mother said her only child “was an amazing human being, from childhood.” “No one believes that he could do that,” Ramarao said about his taking his own life. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment but in a statement to Business Insider said it was “devastated” to learn of Balaji’s death and said they had been in touch with his parents “to offer our full support during this difficult time.” “Our priority is to continue to do everything we can to assist them,” the company’s statement read. “We first became aware of his concerns when The New York Times published his comments and we have no record of any further interaction with him. “We respect his, and others’, right to share views freely,” the statement added. “Our hearts go out to Suchir’s loved ones, and we extend our deepest condolences to all who are mourning his loss.” Related Articles National News | Most Americans blame insurance profits and denials alongside the killer in UHC CEO death, poll finds National News | Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal? National News | Man indicted in burning death of woman inside a New York City subway train, prosecutors say National News | Powerful thunderstorms threaten Texas and Louisiana, delaying holiday travel National News | Today in History: December 27, Benazir Bhutto assassinated Born in Florida and raised in the Bay Area, Balaji was a prodigy from an early age, his mother told this news agency. He spoke her name at 3 months old; at 18-months he would ask “me to light a lamp to cheer me up” and could recognize words at 20 months, she said. Balaji appeared to have a knack for technology, math and computing, taking home trophies and earning renown, including in the 2016 United States of America Computing Olympiad. In 2020, he went to work for OpenAI — viewing the company’s then-commitment to operating as a nonprofit as admirable, his mother said. His opinion of the company soured in 2022 while he was assigned to gather data from the internet for the company’s GPT-4 program, the New York Times reported. The program analyzed text from nearly the entire internet to train its artificial intelligence program, the outlet reported. Ramarao said she wasn’t aware of her son’s decision to go public with his concerns about OpenAI until the paper ran his interview. While she immediately harbored anxiety about his decision — going so far as to implore him to speak with a copyright attorney — Ramarao also expressed pride in her son’s bravery. ‘He kept assuring me, ‘Mom, I’m not doing anything wrong — go see the article. I’m just saying, my opinion, there’s nothing wrong in it,” said Ramarao, herself a former employee of Microsoft who worked on its Azure cloud computing program. “I supported him. I didn’t criticize him. I told him, ‘I’m proud of you, because you have your own opinions and you know what’s right, what’s wrong.’ He was very ethical.” After leaving the company, Balaji settled on plans to create a nonprofit, one centering on the machine learning and neurosciences fields, Ramarao said. He had already spoken to at least one venture capitalist for seed funding, she said. “I’m asking, like, ”How will you manage your living?’ ” Ramarao said. She recalled how her son repeatedly tried to assuage any concerns about his finances, suggesting that “money is not important to me — I want to offer a service to humanity.” Balaji also appeared to be keeping a busy schedule. He turned 26 while on a backpacking trip in the Catalina Islands with several friends from high school. Such trips were commonplace for him — in April he went with several friends to Patagonia and South America. Balaji last spoke to his parents on Nov. 22, a 10-minute phone call that centered around his recent trip and that ended with his talking about getting dinner. “He was very happy,” Ramarao said. “He had a blast. He had one of the best times of his life.” Ramarao remembers calling her son shortly after noon on Nov. 23 but said it rang once and went to voicemail. Figuring that he was busy with friends, she didn’t try visiting his apartment until Nov. 25, when she knocked but got no answer. She said she called authorities that evening but was allegedly told by a police dispatch center that little could be done that day. She followed up Nov. 26, and San Francisco police later found Balaji’s body inside his apartment. Ramarao said she wasn’t told of her son’s death until a stretcher appeared in front of Balaji’s apartment. She was not allowed inside until the following day. “I can never forget that tragedy,” Ramarao said. “My heart broke.” Ramarao questioned authorities’ investigation of her son’s death, claiming that San Francisco police closed their case and turned it over to the county medical examiner’s office within an hour of discovering Balaji’s body. Ramarao said she and her husband have since commissioned a second autopsy of Balaji’s body. She declined to release any documents from that examination. Her attorney, Phil Kearney, declined to comment on the results of the family’s independent autopsy. Last week, San Francisco police spokesman Evan Sernoffsky referred questions about the case to the medical examiner’s office. David Serrano Sewell, executive director of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, declined to comment. Sitting on her living room couch, Ramarao shook her head and expressed frustration at authorities’ investigative efforts so far. “As grieving parents, we have the right to know what happened to our son,” Ramarao said. “He was so happy. He was so brave.” If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.Ancient hot water on Mars points to habitable past

Renowned Trader Who Predicted Bitcoin's Drop Now Sees Dogen Skyrocketing to $50!Must protect our aquifer If you are reading this letter, there’s a fair chance you live in one of the 14 counties that get their water from the Mahomet Aquifer. Recently, a measure was held up by the Senate Executive Committee in Springfield that would have banned the injection of carbon dioxide through or storage of it under our aquifer. The ban is needed to protect our water supply from heavy-metal contamination, acidification and salinization if stored CO2 were to leak. Several corporations are poised to inject CO2 right through the Mahomet Aquifer for the purpose of storing it deep underground because they stand to gain substantial tax credits/rebates by doing so. But the aquifer was designated as a sole-source aquifer by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2015. That means it supplies over 50 percent of the area’s drinking water and there are no other alternative drinking-water sources. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that this technology won’t fail and contaminate our water supply. As proof of the threat, this year, two leaks occurred at Archer Daniels Midland’s sequestration monitoring wells in Decatur. This is all the warning we need. Please contact state Sen. Paul Faraci, D-Champaign, and state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana. Thank them for sponsoring the bill to keep the Mahomet Aquifer safe and urge them to keep fighting for a ban on carbon sequestration to keep our water safe. Talk to your friends and neighbors and make them aware of the threat. Add your voice in opposition to the proposals that threaten public health in our area. CHRISTINE MAIN Champaign

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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Honey, they shrunk the catalogs. While retailers hope to go big this holiday season , customers may notice that the printed gift guides arriving in their mailboxes are smaller. Many of the millions of catalogs getting sent to U.S. homes were indeed scaled down to save on postage and paper, resulting in pint-sized editions. Lands’ End, Duluth Trading Company and Hammacher Schlemmer are among gift purveyors using smaller editions. Some retailers are saving even more money with postcards. Lisa Ayoob, a tech-savvy, online shopper in Portland, Maine, was surprised by the size of a recent catalog she received from outdoor apparel company Carbon2Cobalt. “It almost felt like it was a pamphlet compared to a catalog,” she said. Catalogs have undergone a steady recalibration over the years in response to technological changes and consumer behavior. The thick, heavy Sears and J.C. Penney catalogs that brought store displays to American living rooms slimmed down and gave way to targeted mailings once websites could do the same thing. Recent postal rate increases accelerated the latest shift to compact formats. The number of catalogs mailed each year dropped about 40% between 2006 to 2018, when an estimated 11.5 billion were mailed to homes, according to the trade group formerly known as the American Catalog Mailers Association. In a sign of the times, the group based in Washington rebranded itself in May as the American Commerce Marketing Association, reflecting a broadened focus. But don't expect catalogs to go the way of dinosaurs yet. Defying predictions of doom, they have managed to remain relevant in the e-commerce era. Retail companies found that could treat catalogs with fewer pages as a marketing tool and include QR and promo codes to entice customers to browse online and complete a purchase. Despite no longer carrying an extended inventory of goods, catalogs are costly to produce and ship. But they hold their own in value because of growing digital advertising costs, helping retailers cut through the noise for consumers barraged by multi-format advertisements, industry officials say. In an unlikely twist, notable e-commerce companies like Amazon and home goods supplier Wayfair started distributing catalogs in recent years. Amazon began mailing a toy catalog in 2018. That was the same year Sears, which produced an annual Christmas Wish Book Wish starting in 1933, filed for bankruptc y. Fans of printed information may rejoice to hear that apparel retailer J.Crew relaunched its glossy catalog this year. Research shows that the hands-on experience of thumbing through a catalog leaves a greater impression on consumers, said Jonathan Zhang, a professor of marketing at Colorado State University. “The reason why these paper formats are so effective is that our human brains haven’t evolved as fast as technology and computers over the past 10 to 20 years. We retain more information when we read something on paper. That's why paper books remain relevant," Zhang said. “The psychology shows that three-dimensional, tactile experiences are more memorable.” Pint-sized presentations still can work, though, because the purpose of catalogs these days is simply to get customers’ attention, Zhang said. Conserving paper also works better with younger consumers who are worried about the holiday shopping season's impact on the planet, he said. Postal increases are hastening changes. The latest round of postage hikes in July included the category with the 8.5-by-11-inch size that used to be ubiquitous for the catalog industry. Many retailers responded by reducing the size of catalogs, putting them in a lower-cost letter category, said Paul Miller, executive vice president and managing director of the American Commerce Marketing Association. One size, called a “slim jim,” measures 10.5 by 5.5 inches. But there other sizes. Some retailers have further reduced costs by mailing large postcards to consumers. Lands' End, for one, is testing new compact formats to supplement its traditional catalogs. This year, that included folded glossy brochures and postcards, along with other formats, Chief Transformation Officer Angie Rieger said. Maine resident Ayoob said she understands why retailers still use catalogs even though she no longer is a fan of the format. These days, she prefers to browse for products on the internet, not by flipping through paper pages. “Everybody wants eyeballs. There’s so much out there -- so many websites, so many brands,” said Ayoob, who spent 35 years working in department stores and in the wholesale industry. Targeting customers at home is not a new concept. L.L. Bean was a pioneer of the mail-order catalog after its founder promoted his famous “Maine Hunting Shoe” to hunting license holders from out-of-state in 1912. The outdoor clothing and equipment company based in Freeport, Maine, is sticking to mailing out regular-sized catalogs for now. “By showcasing our icons, the catalog became an icon itself,” L.L. Bean spokesperson Amanda Hannah said. "Even as we invest more in our digital and brand marketing channels, the catalog retains a strong association with our brand, and is therefore an important part of our omni-channel strategy, especially for our loyal customers.”Equasens: strategic acquisition of Calimed, a SaaS software expert for private practitioners and surgeons

Deep within the hills and greenery of the Appalachian Mountains exists a business born of faith and determination that has become a cornerstone of its community. Trinity Tree Services, a family-owned company, was established a decade ago by Ronnie Kuhn, his wife Joni Kuhn and his parents ET and Roberta Smith. The enterprise emerged as a solution to Ronnie’s desire for a better work-life balance, providing him with the freedom to escape the demands of the coal industry and dedicate time to his growing family. “I was afraid I’d miss my kids’ ball games and plays,” Ronnie Kuhn said. “Starting Trinity was about being home every night and creating a better life for my family.” This decision transformed Kuhn’s life and planted the seeds for a thriving business that has a real, demonstrable impact on the region itself. Just like telephone and power linemen, arborists and tree care professionals play an instrumental role in storm-damage cleanup and mitigation. Kuhn is not just an owner, but an operations manager with over 18 years of experience as a certified TCIA Tree Care Safety Professional who works with his team on the front lines. "I only hire professionals who are dedicated to safety and excellence," Kuhn asserted. The company’s name, "Trinity," was inspired by a moment of prayer by Ronnie’s father, ET Smith, who envisioned the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the guiding principles of their work. “ET said the Lord gave him the name in the middle of the night,” explained Bill Bilher, a certified arborist and project manager at Trinity. Bilher brings nearly 50 years of experience and credentials that include certifications from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and memberships in multiple professional organizations. Bilher’s commitment to staying at the forefront of the industry is evident in Trinity’s approach to education. “Ronnie and I both have to do continuing education units,” Bilher explained. “We need 30 CEUs every three years to maintain our certification, and we’re always attending meetings and learning about the latest research.” In fact, Bilher is even sometimes called upon to serve as expert testimony during trial proceedings, though he states that “they’re usually just civil disputes over where the tree begins or ends.” Trinity’s impact – like a tree limb – extends beyond the trees they service and toward innovation and education. Safety and technology are at the forefront of their operations, and their scientific approach to tree care is a cornerstone of Kuhn’s mindset and philosophy. “Tree work isn’t dangerous – it’s hazardous,” Ronnie explained. “With proper training, equipment and mindset, we can minimize the risks.” From restoring storm-damaged trees to providing routine maintenance, Kuhn is actively involved in the front line operations of his business. “I still love climbing trees, cutting branches, and playing with equipment,” Kuhn enthusiastically shared. “Figuring out how to dismantle a tree safely and efficiently is like a game of chess, and I love puzzles!” The company’s vision and ethos is reflected in their equipment advances and standards. Their arsenal includes bucket trucks, stump grinders, and a spider lift, which Kuhn described as “a backyard bucket truck that can navigate tight spaces and reach up to 75 feet.” These innovations not only improve efficiency but also protect the team. “Equipment like this gives our climbers longevity,” Bilher said. “They can work hard without wearing themselves out.” The intrinsic importance of nature is a guiding principle for the company. Bilher, known as the “Tree Preacher,” often educates clients on proper tree care. “Trees are living entities – they’re not telephone poles,” Bilher explained. Trinity Tree Service had an active role in storm cleanup efforts during Hurricane Helene, with one of the trees they worked on being estimated to be near a state record. “We've worked on some humongous American elm trees that are quite possibly state records,” Kuhn enthusiastically recalled. “It was damaged in the storm, but even with the damage, it's still bigger than most American elms I've ever seen." Trinity Tree Service’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and you can reach them at 304-253-7711 for an estimate or inquiries.Malawi akulowera ku chigwembe – Kafukufuku wa Afrobarometer