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By Lea Skene | The Associated Press Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was filed last week in federal court, focuses on a cluster of 13 facilities in northeastern Maryland operated by Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates. It alleges the company polluted the air and water around its facilities with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances , jeopardizing the health of surrounding communities while raking in profits. The lawsuit adds to other claims filed in recent years, including a class action on behalf of Cecil County residents in 2023 demanding Gore foot the bill for water filtration systems, medical bills and other damages associated with decades of harmful pollution in the largely rural community. “PFAS are linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, and can even harm the ability to bear children,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any company to knowingly contaminate our drinking water with these toxins, putting Marylanders at risk of severe health conditions.” Gore spokesperson Donna Leinwand Leger said the company is “surprised by the Maryland Attorney General’s decision to initiate legal action, particularly in light of our proactive and intensive engagement with state regulators over the past two years.” “We have been working with Maryland, employing the most current, reliable science and technology to assess the potential impact of our operations and guide our ongoing, collaborative efforts to protect the environment,” the company said in a statement, noting a Dec. 18 report that contains nearly two years of groundwater testing results. But attorney Philip Federico, who represents plaintiffs in the class action and other lawsuits against Gore, called the company’s efforts “too little, much too late.” In the meantime, he said, residents are continuing to suffer — one of his clients was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. “It’s typical corporate environmental contamination,” he said. “They’re in no hurry to fix the problem.” The synthetic chemicals are especially harmful because they’re nearly indestructible and can build up in various environments, including the human body. In addition to cancers and immune system problems, exposure to certain levels of PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, reproductive health issues and developmental delays in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gore leaders failed to warn people living near its Maryland facilities about the potential impacts, hoping to protect their corporate image and avoid liability, according to the state’s lawsuit. The result has been “a toxic legacy for generations to come,” the lawsuit alleges. Since the chemicals are already in the local environment, protecting residents now often means installing complex and expensive water filtration systems. People with private wells have found highly elevated levels of dangerous chemicals in their water, according to the class action lawsuit. The Maryland facilities are located in a rural area just across the border from Delaware, where Gore has become a longtime fixture in the community. The company, which today employs more than 13,000 people, was founded in 1958 after Wilbert Gore left the chemical giant DuPont to start his own business. Its profile rose with the development of Gore-Tex , a lightweight waterproof material created by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene, which is better known by the brand name Teflon that’s used to coat nonstick pans. The membrane within Gore-Tex fabric has billions of pores that are smaller than water droplets, making it especially effective for outdoor gear. The state’s complaint traces Gore’s longstanding relationship with DuPont , arguing that information about the chemicals’ dangers was long known within both companies as they sought to keep things quiet and boost profits. It alleges that as early as 1961, DuPont scientists knew the chemical caused adverse liver reactions in rats and dogs. DuPont has faced widespread litigation in recent years. Along with two spinoff companies, it announced a $1.18 billion deal last year to resolve complaints of polluting many U.S. drinking water systems with forever chemicals. The Maryland lawsuit seeks to hold Gore responsible for costs associated with the state’s ongoing investigations and cleanup efforts, among other damages. State oversight has ramped up following litigation from residents alleging their drinking water was contaminated. Until then, the company operated in Cecil County with little scrutiny. Gore announced in 2014 that it had eliminated perfluorooctanoic acid from the raw materials used to create Gore-Tex. But it’s still causing long-term impacts because it persists for so long in the environment, attorneys say. Over the past two years, Gore has hired an environmental consulting firm to conduct testing in the area and provided bottled water and water filtration systems to residents near certain Maryland facilities, according to a webpage describing its efforts. Recent testing of drinking water at residences near certain Gore sites revealed perfluorooctanoic acid levels well above what the EPA considers safe, according to state officials. Attorneys for the state acknowledged Gore’s ongoing efforts to investigate and address the problem but said the company needs to step up and be a better neighbor. “While we appreciate Gore’s limited investigation to ascertain the extent of PFAS contamination around its facilities, much more needs to be done to protect the community and the health of residents,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. “We must remove these forever chemicals from our natural resources urgently, and we expect responsible parties to pay for this remediation.” Related Articles Business | Addicts trafficked cross country by ‘army of fraudsters,’ new lawsuit alleges Business | FTC sues largest wine and spirits distributor, saying it discriminates against smaller stores Business | LA prosecutor suing over alleged demotion during Gascón era tentatively settles Business | Embattled addiction treatment empire countersues Aetna in $40 million tug-of-war Business | California charges construction firm with felony wage theft at Cathedral City projectAdobe Earnings Beat But Stock Falls As Revenue Guidance Misses the Mark - Barron's50jili com login download 。

Still no deal between Canada Post and its striking staffChina is looking to challenge the U.S. in artificial intelligence. China's tech giants have launched their own AI models. Niphon | Istock | Getty Images China's race to develop smarter-than-human artificial intelligence may put it ahead of the U.S., but such ground-breaking technology could also risk lessening the stronghold that the ruling Communist Party has over the world's second-largest economy. That's the view of prominent AI scientist Max Tegmark, who told CNBC artificial general intelligence (AGI) is closer than we think and the narrative of a geopolitical battle between the U.S. and China racing to build the smartest AI is a "suicide race." While there is no singular definition of AGI, it is broadly taken to refer to AI that can outsmart humans. Applications like ChatGPT — that allow users to prompt a chatbot for answers — have exploded in popularity. But many AI companies are racing to develop the next level, with AI that has human-level intelligence. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has said that AGI could be achieved by 2025. While there are other major names in the tech sector who also think AGI is close, many others think true AGI is still very far away . As well as competition between technology companies, there is also the geopolitical battle taking place between the U.S. and China for dominance in realms from AI to chips. While this is often portrayed as a race to be first to the latest technology, Tegmark said this is not the right framing. "I think of this battle, this geopolitical battle to build AGI first as a 'hopium war'," Tegmark told CNBC in an interview last month. " I call it the 'hopium war' because it's fueled by ... delusional hope that we can control AGI." Tegmark is the president of the Future of Life Institute, a thinktank which penned a letter last year calling for AI labs to pause the development of advanced AI systems . The letter was signed by major tech names including Tesla CEO Elon Musk . Tegmark's concern is that AI is advancing rapidly with very few guardrails in place, and no way to control it should it begin to outsmart humans. "We are much closer to building AGI than figuring out how to control it. And that means that the AGI race is not an arms race, it's a suicide race," Tegmark said. Is China worried about AGI? China has little incentive to build AGI, according to Tegmark. The AI scientist recalled a story in which Elon Musk told him about a "high level meeting" the Tesla boss had with Chinese government officials in early 2023. Musk said to the Chinese government that if AGI is built, China "will not be controlled by the Communist Party, but by the super intelligence," Tegmark said. "[Musk] got a very strong reaction. Some of them, really hadn't thought about that, and with less than a month from that, China came out with their first AI regulations," Tegmark said, referencing new regulation governing generative AI . China's ministry of foreign affairs was not immediately available for comment on the anecdote. CNBC also contacted Tesla for a response from Musk. "The U.S. doesn't need to convince China to not build AGI. Even if the U.S. didn't exist, the Chinese government would have an incentive to not build it because they want to be in control," Tegmark said. "[The] last thing they want is to lose that control." China's approach to AI AI is a strategic priority for the Chinese government. The country's biggest firms such as Alibaba , Huawei and Tencent have been developing their own AI models . The capabilities of those models are also advancing. China was also among the first countries in the world to bring in regulation around various aspects of AI . The country's internet is heavily censored and any information that appears to go against Beijing's ideology is blocked. OpenAI's ChatGPT is banned and it is well-noted that chatbots in China won't answer questions related to politics and topics deemed sensitive by the Communist Party. The country's approach to AI is therefore an attempt to push innovation while also balancing its own interests. When it comes to AGI, China is likely to pursue a similar approach, according to analysts. "I would not count on China to limit its own AI capabilities due to fears that such technologies would threaten Party rule. Similar predictions were made about the internet, they all proved to be false," Kendra Schaefer, a partner at consultancy Trivium China," told CNBC. "China will attempt to dominate AGI while creating a techno-regulatory apparatus that limits what AGI is permitted to do domestically." U.S.-China AI battle Despite Tegmark's view that the the race to build AGI is a "hopium war," geopoltiics remains front and center between the U.S. and China when it comes to development of the technology. "Right now, China is viewing AI through a dual-lens: geopolitical power and domestic growth," said Abishur Prakash, founder and geopolitical strategist at Toronto-based strategy advisory firm, The Geopolitical Business. watch now VIDEO 3:04 03:04 Underestimating China in the AI 'multi-decade arms race' would be a mistake Street Signs Asia "With AI, China hopes to shift the balance of power around the globe, like creating a new export model. And, in parallel, China wants to power its economy in new ways, from government efficiency to business applications," Prakash told CNBC. The U.S. has pursued a policy of attempting to restrict China's access to key technologies, mainly semiconductors like those designed by Nvidia , that are required to train more advanced AI models. China has responded by attempting to build its homegrown chip industry. Will the U.S. and China partner on AI rules? Technologists have warned of some of the risks and dangers when AGI does finally arrive. One theory is that without guardrails, AI will be able to improve itself and design new systems independently. Tegmark believes that any such risks will be realized by both the U.S. and China, which will force both countries' governments to individually come up with rules around AI safety. "So my optimistic path forward is the U.S. and China unilaterally impose national safety standards to prevent their own companies from doing harm and building uncontrollable AGI, not to appease the rivals superpowers, but just to protect themselves," Tegmark said. "After that happens though, there's this really interesting stage where the U.S. and China will be like, wait, how can we guarantee that North Korea doesn't build AGI or someone else? And then the U.S. and China have an incentive now to push the rest of the world to join them into an AGI moratorium." Indeed, governments are already trying to work together to figure out how to create regulations and frameworks around AI. Last year, the U.K. hosted an AI safety summit, which the U.S. and China were both in attendance, to discuss potential guardrails around the technology. But regulation and rules around AI are currently fragmented. This year, the European Union enacted the AI Act , the first major law globally governing the technology. China has its own set of rules, while many other countries have not yet moved to create any regulation. Tegmark's hope of co-ordination around AI safety is echoed by others. "When the dangers of competition are greater than the rewards, nations will ideally be motivated to come together and mutually self-regulate," Trivium China's Schaefer said. "Indeed, some Chinese policymakers have advocated for getting out ahead of that potential issue and establishing an international governance body under the UN – similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency – so there is desire on Beijing's side to establish a global governance body," she said.

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Scheffler goes on a run of birdies in the Bahamas and leads by 2

A t the end of the year, newsrooms are generally half-empty. Many journalists happily go away on holiday, leaving news editors patrolling deserted aisles and staring at empty news lists and blank pages, wondering how to fill them. The panicked editors sometimes terrorise the few unfortunate reporters left behind, who then furiously start working the lines. It is especially at this difficult hour that people with capacious minds and precise memories come to our rescue. They have no billowing capes, no colourful spandex costumes, no shields, and no swords, but they are our saviours. In a reporter’s lexicon, they are ‘dial a quote’ sources — subject experts who can weigh in on any problem and provide context for stories. Two days ago, I went around the newsroom speaking to reporters. My colleagues said they swear by a student leader-turned-activist-turned-politician, who is now an academic, for quotes on anything from the travails of the homeless in Delhi’s bitter cold winters, to trade union protests, to trouble at universities. For the security beat reporters, former officers of the Army, Air Force, and Navy are the go-to guides. They explain the topography of a border area where a conflict has broken out or the torturous process of buying weapons than may span over decades. Their on-the-record comments add gravitas to the story. Then there are historians. Every time a road is renamed or a heritage structure comes crumbling down, they take us through the dusty bylanes of a bygone era. Without them, our stories would have no roots and simply become dull ‘he said, she said’ exchanges. While writing about rural development, I lean on activists who spend months in the field and are in touch with the workers every day. They trawl through the gigabytes of data on government websites to spot trends. Often, I feel guilty for sponging off their hard work, but we reporters draw solace from the fact that as the medium, we have successfully managed to put the message across. Political commentators are always ready to talk. Generally, the more they are sidelined within their party, the more enthusiastic they are to be quoted. ‘Dial a quote’ is not a new fad; it is as old as newsrooms. The scientist, J.B.S. Haldane, was a darling of journalists and would be ready to comment on anything under the sun, from weather to submarines. In Haldane’s biography, A Dominant Character , Samanth Subramanian quotes an apocryphal story about him. A journalist, probably on a slow news day, called Haldane to ask him what his studies about nature had taught him about the Creator. Haldane replied, “He has an inordinate fondness for beetles.” If dial-a-quoters are witty, it is an added bonus. Editors, of course, hate some of these stock names that appear often in stories. Once, a harried news editor, tired of seeing the same names crop up in copies on cost of living, gave a standing instruction: the names of the people who supply tea and snacks should never find their way to print. Also, the views of these sources can sometimes be jaded and out of date. So, we keep searching for new ‘dial a quote’ sources who offer newer and different perspectives. The most invaluable sources are those whose names never appear in print, but who provide background information; the scaffolding that supports our stories. During elections, they provide tutorials on caste equations, political rivalries, and the shifting loyalties of local leaders in various constituencies. There are also those who we may not call for months, but still go the extra mile to arrange interviews. The dial-a-quote sources may come from different fields but they have some things in common. They are passionate about their area of expertise, kind enough to pick our call at any time, and answer basic queries with patience. They are also brave enough to be quoted on record. As we take stock of the year gone by, we would like to pay our gratitude to all our ‘dial a quote’ sources — thank you. sobhanak.nair@thehindu.co.in Published - December 27, 2024 03:12 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit news media

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NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler birdied every hole but the par 3s on the front nine at Albany Golf Club on Friday and finished his bogey-free round with an 8-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Hero World Challenge. Two months off did nothing to slow the world's No. 1 player. Scheffler already has eight victories this year and is in position to get another before the end of the year. Scheffler was at 13-under 131, two ahead of Akshay Bhatia (66) and Justin Thomas (67), both of whom had to save par on the 18th hole to stay in range going into the weekend. Scheffler started with a lob wedge to 2 feet for birdie and never slowed until after he went out in 29 to seize control of the holiday tournament against a 20-man field. Scheffler cooled slightly on the back nine, except it didn't feel that way to him. "Front nine, just things were going my way. Back nine, maybe not as much," Scheffler said. "A couple shots could end up closer to the hole, a couple putts go in, just little things." People are also reading... Asked if he felt any frustration he didn't take it lower — he once shot 59 at the TPC Boston during the FedEx Cup playoffs — Scheffler sounded bemused. "I think in this game I think a lot of all y'all are looking for perfection out of us," he said. "Today I shot 8 under on the golf course, not something I hang my head about. A lot of good things out there — clean card, bogey-free, eight birdies. Overall, I think I'm pretty pleased." Thomas felt his 67 was stress-free, particularly the way he was driving the ball. The wind laid down again, rare for the Bahamas, though it is expected to pick up on the weekend. Thomas wasn't concerned to see Scheffler get off to a hot start, especially with three par 5s on the front nine and a short par 4 that at worst leaves a flip wedge to the green. "You literally can birdie every hole as soft as the greens are," Thomas said. "He's a great player, a great wedge player, and you have a lot of birdie holes to start. I'm honestly surprised he only shot 8 under. It's a sneaky course because if you fall asleep on some shots, you can get out of position. But if you're on and focused and really in control of everything — like these last two days with no wind — you can just make so many birdies." Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had a 67 and was four shots behind. No matter how benign the conditions, it wasn't always easy. Cameron Young, who opened with a 64 for a two-shot lead, followed with a 75 despite making five birdies. That included a double bogey on the final hole when his approach tumbled down the bank into the rocks framing the lake that goes all the way down the 18th hole. Patrick Cantlay was trying to keep pace playing alongside Scheffler, but he had three bogeys over the final seven holes and fell seven shots behind with a 71. The tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, is unofficial but offers world ranking points to all but the bottom three players because of the small field. It's the weakest field in 25 years, but Scheffler at No. 1 gives it enough cachet. He is the first player since Woods in 2009 to start and finish a year at No. 1 in the world. And even after a layoff — giving him time to tinker with a new putting stroke — it looks like it might be a while before anyone changes that. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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Donald Trump has yet to move back into the White House and already fissures are opening in his coalition, amid squabbling between Elon Musk and his Silicon Valley "tech bros" and his hardcore Republican backers. At the heart of the internecine sniping is Trump's central election issue -- immigration -- and the H1-B visas that allow companies to bring foreigners with specific qualifications to the United States. The permits are widely used in Silicon Valley, and Musk -- who himself came to the United States from South Africa on an H1-B -- is a fervent advocate. The world's richest man, who bankrolled Trump's election campaign and has become a close advisor, posted on X Thursday that welcoming elite engineering talent from abroad was "essential for America to keep winning." Vivek Ramaswamy, appointed by Trump as Musk's co-chair on a new advisory board on government efficiency, suggested that companies prefer foreign workers because they lack an "American culture," which he said venerates mediocrity. "A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers," he posted, warning that, without a change in attitude, "we'll have our asses handed to us by China." Skepticism over the benefits of immigration is a hallmark of Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement and the billionaires' remarks angered immigration hawks who accused them of ignoring US achievements in technological innovation. Incoming White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted a 2020 speech in which Trump marveled at the American "culture" that had "harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the Internet." The post appeared calculated to remind critics that Trump won November's election on a platform of getting tough on immigration and boosting American manufacturing. But it was Michael Faraday, an English scientist, who discovered that an electric current could be produced by passing a magnet through a copper wire and Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealander, who first split the atom. And Alexander Graham Bell may have died a US citizen but he was a British subject in Canada when he invented the telephone. Trump voiced opposition to H1-B visas during his successful first run for the White House in 2016, calling them "unfair for our workers" while acknowledging that he used foreign labor in his own businesses. The Republican placed restrictions on the system when he took office, but the curbs were lifted by President Joe Biden. Trump is known for enjoying the gladiatorial spectacle when conflict breaks out in his inner circle. He has been conspicuously silent during the hostilities that Politico characterized as "Musk vs MAGA." Many MAGA figures have been agitating for a complete closure of America's borders while the problem of illegal entries is tackled, and hoping for a steer from Trump that would reassure them that he remains firm in his "America First" stance. For some long-time loyalists, Silicon Valley has already inserted itself too deeply into MAGA politics. "We welcomed the tech bros when they came running our way to avoid the 3rd grade teacher picking their kid's gender -- and the obvious Biden/Harris economic decline," said Matt Gaetz, the scandal-hit congressman forced to withdraw after being nominated by Trump to run the Justice Department. "We did not ask them to engineer an immigration policy." When Musk almost single-handedly blew up a deal painstakingly hammered out between Democrats and Republicans to set the 2025 federal budget, Democrats used "President Musk" to mock Trump, who is famously sensitive about being upstaged. It remains to be seen whether these cracks can be smoothed out or if they are a portent of further strife, but critics point to the chaos in Trump's first term as a potential indicator. "Looking forward to the inevitable divorce between President Trump and Big Tech," said far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, a MAGA figure with so much influence that she had a seat on Trump's plane during the campaign. "We have to protect President Trump from the technocrats." Loomer has subsequently complained of censorship after she was stripped of her paying subscribers on X, which is owned by Musk. "Full censorship of my account simply because I called out H1B visas," she posted. "This is anti-American behavior by tech oligarchs. What happened to free speech?" rle/ft/smsIvy League prof says MAGA fan hurled N-word at her husband, said 'just wait for Jan. 20'

In eight days, another Nebraska football season will be over and answers will be had. Sure, the team may make a bowl game, but the outcome of that contest won't change much — not as much as the next two games. In their slide from 5-1 to 5-5, the Huskers have failed to answer a lot of questions. "Is this team really improving?" "Will they make a bowl game?" "What is holding Nebraska back?" Follow us on Facebook Fingers have been pointed at many people during Nebraska's stretch of disappointing seasons, including this one, but they should now be directed solely at the players, at least for these next couple of games. Another 5-7 finish would be disastrous after the strong first half, and losses to rivals in Wisconsin and Iowa won't settle a perturbed fanbase at all. There's more pressure in the form of a current four-game skid, a 10-game losing streak to Wisconsin and a seven-year bowl drought, and Nebraska's new offensive coordinator is apparently adding more. “He’s putting a lot of pressure on the guys to make the plays,” head coach Matt Rhule said of Dana Holgorsen. Pressure is good. If this program ends up regaining its form, it will find itself in big games, which naturally come with pressure. First, though, the players need to learn to handle it. The best teams are filled with players unshaken by intense heat and pressure, who turn into diamonds and shine in those conditions. The Huskers are still crumbling. “It’s been such a unique season. We’ve had some really, really great moments, and I don’t know if you’ll ever be able to recapture the felling of beating Colorado, the pick-six in that game," Rhule said. "And then to now be in the tough spot that we’re in, you’re just kinda looking for everybody to rally together and push us through.” The good news is the Huskers are still pushing and fighting to break through, but it's now time for it to happen. There's no time for sugarcoating or moral victories, they have to do it. Related: Huskers OC Holgorsen gives blunt assessment of offense, praises Raiola “(Holgorsen) was very direct and he’s been very direct with them," Rhule said. "If they want to win, they’re gonna have to go make plays. They’re gonna have to catch balls, break tackles, make long runs, make big blocks against an excellent defense, score touchdowns in the red zone, and it’s not the plays that do it, it’s the players that do it.” The head coach noted earlier this week that it can be frustrating to repeatedly come up short, but it can also be energizing when you focus on how close the team is. That may be true, but that energy will be zapped if Nebraska finishes 5-7, and it's up to the players to avoid that. “(Marcus Satterfield) was saying it to them but all the noise was ‘it’s Sat’s fault’ so the players can sometimes be like, ‘Well, I wish Sat did a better job.’ No, Dana comes in and he’s saying the same exact thing,” Rhule said. If they didn't listen to Satterfield, who took the brunt of the fans' blame, they better listen to Rhule and Holgorsen now because there's nobody else to blame. The pressure is on the guys on the field, and if they don't break through, the focus this offseason can shift to finding the right players to win. “I think that’s good, that’s the way we want to empower our players. We want our players to believe that players win games," Rhule said. "I think Dana’s juice and energy and intensity, and the fact that (the players) have nowhere to turn except to turn to themselves. I want us to go win the game and I want our players to walk off proud knowing that they won the game. Coach Rhule didn’t win the game, Dana didn’t win the game, Tony didn’t win the game, I want the players to go win the game, and so I think he’s helped get that message across.” Related: 'It'll be, definitely, very emotional' — Huskers hope to honor seniors with win on Saturday For the seniors, these next two games will be their last ones wearing the Scarlet and Cream. For everyone else, they should be a chance to prove they belong at this level and can help this program take the next step. “We’re in the same spot as last year," Rhule admitted. "You’ve got to break through so that there’s something new next year that you’re going for. So that’s what the end of the year is to me, it’s not about optics, it’s not about hope, it’s about action, it’s about doing things.” It's do or die time. Will the Huskers start to shine or continue to crumble? Either way, we'll have a lot of answers about this team in eight days. Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

UTICA — For decades, Varick Street was considered the heart of Utica’s nightlife. With the numerous bars and establishments that surround Utica’s historic brewery district, people from both near and far would flock to Varick Street and revel in what the iconic destination had to offer. And then came the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID rocked us,” said Fred Matt, president of F.X. Matt Brewing Company. “After COVID, people didn’t really want to be together immediately. You get people out of habits, they don’t go back to that habit.” One of the biggest crowd drawers for Varick Street pre-COVID-19 was Saranac Thursdays, which held concerts and sold Saranac drinks outside the brewery every summer. Saranac Thursdays was a time-honored tradition and rooted deep in Utica’s culture, with many saying that it was also a rite of passage for those who recently became of drinking age. “Varick Street really came alive when we were doing Saranac Thursdays. We were getting 3,000 people a week,” Matt said. “If you go back 25 years when we started that, there weren’t a lot of outside bars and there weren’t things to do outside during the summer, so we created this event where people could come down and be outside.” While Saranac Thursdays would draw people in, Matt credits ambitious entrepreneurs with keeping those people on Varick Street over the years, as other nearby bars and establishments would offer more options for people in close proximity all year round. In the few years that followed the pandemic, social distancing regulations became more relaxed and businesses were opening back up. Thinking about the other businesses that were also affected by the pandemic, Matt made the decision to not bring back Saranac Thursdays in an effort to support the surrounding establishments and not take away customers and revenue from them. The COVID-19 pandemic was just one of a few contributing factors that officials say was a “perfect storm” altering the heart of Utica’s nightlife. Additional factors included the removal of some parking spaces when finding parking was already a difficult task, as well as a string of recent crime incidents around the vicinity. While Varick Street isn’t frequented as much today as it was before the pandemic, significant changes have taken place in an effort to draw people back. Under Utica’s former mayor Robert M. Palmieri, nearly $3 million in funding from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allotment was allocated for the beautification of Varick Street. This included decorative string lighting over the roadway, a new tree canopy, and reconstructed sidewalks. Utica’s current mayor, Michael P. Galime, and his administration have continued those efforts and have been keeping their eyes on Varick Street. According to the mayor, his administration has been very active in reining in longstanding code violations around the brewery district and establishing a police presence to deter crime. “Longstanding businesses are starting to change hands, but I don’t want that shuffle to make it seem like things are going in the wrong direction,” Galime said. “I do recognize a change, but I don’t think it’s necessarily negative. I see the neighborhood evolving for the good.” “The city has made Varick Street look phenomenal. We’re sticking with that commitment as far as this administration goes,” he added. Today, businesses along Varick Street are still being frequented in good numbers, including popular bars like Nail Creek Pub and Celtic Harp, as well as eateries like Lukin’s Pizzeria and Zeina’s Café. New experiences are also bringing people in, like The Biergarten and Five Points Public House and Events Center. In addition to places to visit, there have been apartment developments keeping people in the district, including The Lofts at Globe Mills and the recently developed Speaks at Faxton Hill. “I think this area will come back,” Matt said. “It’s at a low right now, but it’ll come back.”Scheffler goes on a run of birdies in the Bahamas and leads by 2