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jilibet casino register Tech billionaire Elon Musk spent at least $270 million to help Donald Trump win the US presidency, according to new federal filings, making him the country's biggest political donor. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk, the world's richest person, was an ardent supporter of Trump's White House campaign -- funneling money into door knocking operations and speaking at his rallies. His financial backing, which has earned him a cost-cutting advisory role in Trump's incoming government, surpassed spending by any single political donor since at least 2010, according to data from nonprofit OpenSecrets. The Washington Post reported that Musk spent more this election cycle than Trump backer Tim Mellon, who gave nearly $200 million and was previously the Republican's top donor. Musk donated $238 million to America PAC, a political action committee that he founded to support Trump, filings late Thursday with the Federal Election Commission showed. An additional $20 million went to the RBG PAC, a group that used advertising to soften Trump's hardline reputation on the key voter issue of abortion. Musk has been an ever-present sidekick for Trump since his election victory in November, inviting him to watch a rocket launch in Texas by his SpaceX company. Trump has selected the South African-born tycoon and fellow ally Vivek Ramaswamy to head the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, through which the pair have promised to deliver billions of dollars of cuts in federal spending. However, with Musk's businesses all having varying degrees of interactions with US and foreign governments, his new position also raises concerns about conflict of interest. The president-elect has nominated several people close to Musk for roles in his administration, including investor David Sacks as the so-called AI and crypto czar. Meanwhile, billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman, who has collaborated with Musk's SpaceX, was named the head of US space agency NASA. pgf-bjt/acb

Darden Restaurants' Diversified Portfolio And Uber Delivery Partnership Offer Confidence In Overcoming Fine Dining Challenges: AnalystsThe 17-year-old X Æ A-12, whose unique name has already attracted its fair share of attention, made the statement during a candid interview with a major news outlet. The young man expressed his belief that his father, Elon Musk, as one of the most influential figures in the technology and space exploration industries, possesses the capacity and responsibility to play a pivotal role in addressing the challenges facing the United States.

Industrial Open Frame Touchscreen Monitor Market Outlook and Future Projections for 2030 12-22-2024 01:19 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Dhirtek Business Research and Consulting Industrial Open Frame Touchscreen Monitor Market The industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market represents a dynamic and continually evolving landscape, shaped by changing consumer demands and technological advancements. In this comprehensive report, we provide an in-depth exploration of the market, designed for a wide range of stakeholders including manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and investors. Our goal is to equip industry participants with essential insights that enable informed decision-making in an ever-changing market environment. This analysis not only examines the current state of the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market but also forecasts its future trends. Scope and Purpose This report serves as an extensive resource, thoughtfully curated to deliver actionable intelligence to industry stakeholders. It covers critical elements such as market dynamics, competitive environments, growth opportunities, challenges, and regional differences. The insights provided go beyond mere descriptions, offering a valuable tool for stakeholders to refine their strategies and make informed choices in a competitive market. Request for Sample Report: https://www.dhirtekbusinessresearch.com/market-report/Industrial-Open-Frame-Touchscreen-Monitor-Market/request-for-sample-report Comprehensive Market Analysis We are committed to providing a thorough analysis that explores every aspect of market growth, including shifts in consumer preferences and technological innovations driving demand for industrial open frame touchscreen monitor products. We also address the challenges faced by the industry, such as economic uncertainties and intense competition, offering insights to help stakeholders navigate these complexities. Key Players in the Industrial Open Frame Touchscreen Monitor Market: Winmate Advantech US Micro Products Mimo Monitors kontron AccuView Faytech North America, Connecttronics, LLC Crystal Display Systems Lilliput FORTEC TECHNOLOGY UK LTD TRU-Vu Monitors, Inc Acnodes Corporation ARBOR Technology Corp Keetouch GmbH MicroTouch Strategic Guidance for the Future This report invites stakeholders to delve into a detailed examination of the competitive landscape. By profiling key players in the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market and analyzing their strategies, we offer crucial insights to help industry participants make informed strategic decisions. Whether it's about outpacing competitors or learning from successful approaches, our analysis is designed to guide stakeholders toward success. Anticipated Insights Understanding the diverse segments within the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market is critical to success. Our report breaks down segment sizes, potential growth trajectories, and key trends, offering actionable insights that allow stakeholders to develop targeted strategies and optimize resource allocation. The knowledge provided empowers stakeholders to navigate the complexities of the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market with clarity and confidence. Balancing Market Forces and Strategic Impact This report delivers a comprehensive analysis of the factors shaping the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market. By evaluating both the drivers of market growth and the obstacles that could impede it, stakeholders gain a holistic understanding of the market's dynamics. For manufacturers, this analysis helps align innovation efforts with consumer demands and regulatory trends, while investors and decision-makers gain a deeper understanding of economic risks and supply chain vulnerabilities, allowing them to make more informed strategic choices. Our goal is to provide stakeholders with the knowledge needed to confidently and successfully navigate the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market. Competitive Landscape Our in-depth examination of the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market's competitive landscape highlights key players, scrutinizing their strategies and impacts on the industry. By analyzing the approaches of major companies, stakeholders gain a valuable understanding of market dynamics and can leverage these insights to identify growth opportunities, innovate, and make informed strategic decisions. Market Segmentation The report begins with a detailed analysis of the unique characteristics defining each segment within the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market. Segmentation can occur across various dimensions, including product types, customer demographics, or specific use cases. Understanding these differences allows stakeholders to tailor their strategies, products, and marketing efforts to meet the specific needs of each segment, enhancing competitive positioning and maximizing opportunities for success. Market Segments: Product Type: Resistive Touchscreen Capacitive Touchscreen Projected Capacitive Touchscreen Others Application: Production Line and Manufacturing Facility Monitoring Self-service Kiosks and Interactive Displays Others Market Size and Segment Growth Potential A crucial part of the report focuses on understanding the size and significance of each market segment. We provide quantitative data that illustrates the market share and contribution of each segment, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding resource allocation, strategic prioritization, and investment. This section offers insights into the growth potential of each segment, including factors driving future expansion, evolving consumer preferences, and technological adoption. Conclusion This report serves as a strategic guide for stakeholders in the industrial open frame touchscreen monitor market, offering comprehensive insights into market segmentation, competitive dynamics, and growth potential. By understanding the market's complexities and emerging opportunities, industry participants can make well-informed decisions that drive success and innovation in this rapidly evolving market. Other Reports Hydrogen Production Rectifier Power Supply Market https://www.dhirtekbusinessresearch.com/market-report/Hydrogen-Production-Rectifier-Power-Supply-Market White Goods MCU Chip Market https://www.dhirtekbusinessresearch.com/market-report/White-Goods-MCU-Chip-Market Birthday Candles Market https://www.dhirtekbusinessresearch.com/market-report/Birthday-Candles-Market RSV Detection Reagents Market https://www.dhirtekbusinessresearch.com/market-report/RSV-Detection-Reagents-Market "Contact Us Dhirtek Business Research and Consulting Private Limited Contact No: +91 7580990088 Email Id: sales@dhirtekbusinessresearch.com" "About Us Dhirtek Business Research & Consulting Pvt Ltd is a global market research and consulting services provider headquartered in India. We offer our customers syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. Our objective is to enable our clientele to achieve transformational progress and help them to make better strategic business decisions and enhance their global presence. We serve numerous companies worldwide, mobilizing our seasoned workforce to help companies shape their development through proper channeling and execution. We offer our services to large enterprises, start-ups, non-profit organizations, universities, and government agencies. The renowned institutions of various countries and Fortune 500 businesses use our market research services to understand the business environment at the global, regional, and country levels. Our market research reports offer thousands of statistical information and analysis of various industries at a granular level." This release was published on openPR.None

IT was a typically sunny Los Angeles afternoon and I was sitting in a trailer at the ABC Studios car park watching Bruno Tonioli strip down to his underpants. Bruno was all hot and bothered after a full afternoon rehearsing for Dancing With The Stars, the US version of the show that made him a household name, Strictly Come Dancing. I was there, in this oven-cum-caravan, to interview him about his transatlantic life as a judge on both shows in the same week. I had only met him about two minutes before he decided he simply had to get out of his TV clobber. Then suddenly there he was, mere feet away from me wearing nothing but a pair of tighty whities and a very expensive-looking gold chain. He was gesticulating wildly by now and, in between puffs on a cigarette, was tearing into then Strictly pro Anton Du Beke who had been caught out calling Laila Rouass the P-word. “You say that to me and I’m gonna punch you in the f***ing face,” he boomed. Strong stuff. A bit too strong for his BBC paymasters, who asked me to exclude it from my subsequent interview for this newspaper. I would say I am very hard to shock but he had made me feel awkward during his rant about how his fellow Strictly star had made someone else feel awkward (and worse). The irony seemed completely lost on Bruno, who has famously stripped off for the cameras on many occasions. You say that to me and I’m gonna punch you in the f***ing face Yet I made no fuss because it was by no means threatening and only mildly uncomfortable. Also, I had an interview to do and, well, I quite liked Bruno and he was giving me some good copy (most of which the Beeb would not later request to be ignored). And, well, some stars are just a bit bonkers, aren’t they? But I couldn’t help thinking later, back at my hotel, would he have done that if I was a woman? I was reminded of that episode this week when the Gregg Wallace scandal blew up again. Not that Bruno’s behaviour was anything like that which Gregg is being accused of. But I would argue there is a common thread. Here was a star doing as he pleased without much of an apparent thought for whoever else was in the vicinity. It is behaviour that smacks of a supreme sense of entitlement where the star is the only person who matters. It is behaviour that smacks of a supreme sense of entitlement where the star is the only person who matters Much of this attitude comes from the “talent” — a word now banned by BBC chief Tim Davie to describe those “front of camera”. Many believe they are God’s gift to whatever line of work it is that has propelled them on to the flat screen 55-incher on your wall. Confidence is a prerequisite of fame. Sharp elbows will get you the audition, only then will talent get you the gig. But while celebrities and their egos are the frontmen and women of TV shows, it is the production teams that get them on the air. And unfortunately television is full of enablers — nervous executives and producers who will tolerate almost anything to get the show out. When it’s a hit they care even less how badly their stars might behave. Don’t mess with success! Indeed, the industry is awash with bad behaviour from famous faces and anyone (honest) who works in it will tell you that pretty much every star they work with can behave like a complete **** (and it’s usually the full-strength Anglo-Saxon term used). I can attest to this. In my many years of covering TV I met and wrote about the biggest names on the box on a regular basis and they all had their moments. Yes, even the saintly Ant and Dec. Just ask Kelly Brook , who blamed them for her sacking as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent in 2012. So the Gregg Wallace saga goes much deeper than Gregg Wallace, his potty mouth and allegedly wandering hands. It goes much deeper than the BBC and its patently piss-poor complaints procedure. It is about how the entire industry behaves. How time after time it has been shown to foster a toxic environment where stars are considered just too important to sack, no matter how appalling their behaviour. And it will continue to be that way until the people who perpetuate it decide enough is enough and enact the changes that are so urgently needed. EMMA “don’t call me a woman” Corrin has been doing her, sorry “their”, bit for gender diversity this week by appearing at the premiere of a new horror film with a brace of presumably non-female breasts, proudly on display. The star, who plays a female character in the film, showcased the daring braless look on the blood-red carpet for the remake of the classic 1922 Dracula-inspired Nosferatu. Vainglorious Emma insists on being called “they”, in keeping with the pronoun demands of her fellow non-binaries. Well, we certainly won’t forget them. NEWSREADER, Mastermind host and one of the only male stars left at the Beeb who hasn’t been revealed to be a sex pest, Clive Myrie has got himself into a pickle. He apologised this week after confessing that due to “administrative issues” he had failed to disclose extra-curricular activities totalling up to £250,000 . Strict BBC rules insist that people like Clive, who are supposed to be impartial, declare what they are up to elsewhere. Clive says he now won’t take on any other extra stuff for the time being and will instead struggle by on the £310,000 a year he gets from our licence fees (u ok hun?). But this whole episode reveals a fundamental flaw at the heart of the BBC’s argument as to why it must pay so much. The corporation says it is because of what the commercial sector offers. So it pays “market price”, despite insisting it rarely does pay that. But once installed at the BBC, stars like Clive can trade on that to make even more cash in the commercial market. So simply by having a job at the BBC, their stock rises. That would also be the case if we paid them less. Maybe if we did, executives could stop claiming to be skint – and then stop jacking up the increasingly unjustifiable licence fee. SPOTIFY’S Unwrapped week is upon us, when folk with the audio streaming app take to social media to boast about how cool their music choices are. Unless you’re a parent of young kids. Unwrapped collates all your most-played songs to reveal a bespoke top five. So my No1 was not one of the cool new indie bands I’ve been streaming all year but a song by Taylor Swift. Now I happen to like this particular tune but not as much as my daughter, who insists on it being streamed in the car from my Spotify account at least five times a journey. But it could be worse. A friend with younger kids revealed her number one was Wheels On The Bus. Cool points for that one: Zero. A HARD-and-fast rule of any new public policy is that by the time it’s actually ready to be implemented, it will be completely outdated. Take the plan to ban “junk food” ads before 9pm on telly or in paid online adverts. We’ve heard about this since cavemen created their first brontosaurus smash burger. And still it won’t come in until October 2025. But even if it was introduced now it would a waste of time, as a cursory glance at social media will confirm. The number of junk food influencers – aka snackfluencers – is expanding faster than their viewers’ waistlines. Food porn accounts Only Scrans and El Burrito Monster already have a million followers. Instagram and TikTok are stuffed to the gills with six-patty burgers deep fried in cheese. Or my favourite, a burrito made of about ten items from McDonald’s. Once again, the internet charges ahead while government puffs and pants behind it like someone from My 600lb Life. MANCHESTER United ’s new boss, Jim “local lad” Ratcliffe , has decided to endear himself to fans by ripping us off at the turnstiles. Ratcliffe – net worth £12.5billion – has whacked up ticket prices and scrapped all concessions so my lad’s £20 ticket is now £66. Squeezing more cash out of already fed-up Reds is quite the PR masterstroke, as the huge protests outside Old Trafford at Sunday’s Everton game showed. Now, Unlucky Jim is being spoken of with the same disdain fans have for owners the Glazers. But at least he can console himself that he now has his very own terrace chant, to the tune of The Beach Boys’ Sloop John B. All together now: “Jim Ratcliffe’s a c***, Jim Ratcliffe’s a c***, just like the Glazers . . . Jim Ratcliffe’s a c***.”Ahmad's story serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of hope. In a world plagued by conflict and turmoil, his laughter serves as a beacon of light, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always room for joy and laughter.

Fan Luyuan's consistent emphasis on Ali's culture further complicates this dynamic. While cultural alignment can foster a sense of unity and synergy within the organization, it may also inadvertently homogenize creative outputs, leading to a lack of diversity and originality in the gaming portfolio. Creativity thrives in environments that celebrate difference, experimentation, and risk-taking. If Ali's culture leans towards conformity and tradition, it could hinder the game developers' ability to push boundaries and explore new territories in the gaming landscape.Mount St. Mary's 76, Delaware St. 66

In conclusion, the recent update to "Phantasmal Beast Palu" that removed the summoning mechanism with Poké Balls has stirred up mixed emotions among players. While the developers may have had good intentions in mind, it is evident that the decision has had a profound impact on the player community. Only time will tell if the game can recover from this controversial update and win back the trust of its loyal players.Taylor Hall scored his fifth career hat trick, Connor Bedard, Teuvo Teravainen and Louis Crevier also scored, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars 6-2 on Wednesday night for their second win in three games. Hall’s game-opening goal 17 seconds in set the tone. His shot clipped a defenseman’s stick and tumbled under the glove of Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith. From that point, the Blackhawks could do little wrong, and the Stars took the brunt of it in their second straight loss. Bedard’s goal was his first in 13 games. After he scored on a wrist shot from the right circle, he lifted his head toward the roof in relief. Petr Mrazek turned back 25 shots in collecting his seventh win of the season. Colin Blackwell and Matt Duchene scored for Dallas. Stars: DeSmith came in with a 2.22 goals-against average, his best in seven NHL seasons, but allowed four goals on the first 14 shots he faced, and got little help from his defenseman. Hall’s three goals didn’t travel 50 feet in total. Blackhawks: For one night, the offense of the league’s last-place team clicked. Twelve of the 18 skaters scored goals or assists, with Crevier’s first NHL goal coming in his second game in the league.

By nominating the feckless Matt Gaetz as attorney general, Donald Trump wanted to show how far he’s willing to go in blowing up the federal government. How fitting that cynical ploy blew up in his face. Was Gaetz fit for the job? No way! He only practiced law for two years. He accomplished nothing in Congress except to lead the mutiny against Kevin McCarthy. He was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for having sex with a 17-year-old one day and then nominated for attorney general the next (details of his pay-for-sex parties have already leaked out). And he pledged to weaponize the Justice Department to go after the “deep state” and Trump’s political opponents. The Gaetz nomination was met with immediate shock and outrage — by fellow Republicans. He’s a “terrible pick,” said Washington Times political correspondent Byron York. The conservative Bible, the National Review, slammed his nomination as “foolish” and “futile.” Conservative commentator Ben Domenech called Gaetz “vile” and “abhorrent,” adding, “If you vote for him to be attorney general of the United States, you don’t just need your head examined, you need to be committed to a mental institution.” And John Bolton — who, remember, was Donald Trump’s national security adviser — called Gaetz “the worst Cabinet appointment in American history.” Facing the prospect of an ugly and ultimately unsuccessful confirmation hearing, Gaetz withdrew his nomination. The wheels are already starting to fall off the Trump wagon. Now, what about the rest of Trump’s insane Cabinet nominations? My answer — hold onto your hats — confirm them all! Let the beast loose! If Gaetz was not qualified for the job, neither are Trump’s three other controversial picks: former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence; Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense; and anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services. In fact, they are singularly unqualified. Gabbard has never worked in the intelligence world or served on a congressional intelligence committee. Two years ago, she was accused by fellow Republicans, including Adam Kinzinger and Mitt Romney, of spreading Russian propaganda. Hegseth has no senior military or national security experience. Accused of sexual assault at a Republican Party conference in California in 2017, he denied the claim, but still paid the woman to keep quiet. Kennedy has no formal scientific or medical credentials, other than his self-described role as “poster child for the anti-vax movement.” Nevertheless, Republican senators should still confirm all three. Why? Two reasons. First, because that’s what the American people voted for. Unlike 2016, when, one could argue, Americans were lulled into voting for Trump because they didn’t really know him, this time was no accident. They knew what they were getting in Donald Trump: an egomaniac, serial adulterer, pathological liar, racist, misogynist, twice-impeached, four times indicted convicted felon who vowed a second term built on revenge against his political enemies, carried out by spineless sycophants loyal to nothing or nobody but Donald Trump. That’s what Trump promised at every campaign rally. That’s what half of Americans voted for. That’s what they wanted, and that’s what they got. Now let them own it. Elections have consequences. And this is one of them. Second reason. I hate to say it, but those who voted for Donald Trump deserve the worst. Again, they knew how unfit he is to be president. They knew he would surround himself with an equally unfit band of dangerous extremists. But they ignored the warning of former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who called Trump a “fascist.” They dismissed the alarm expressed by former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney: “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.” They voted for Trump, anyway. Chaos will result. Under Gabbard, our allies will no longer share intelligence with the United States, making us more vulnerable to foreign and domestic attacks. Under Hegseth, the Pentagon’s top generals will be sent packing and troops will be patrolling American cities, rounding up 12 million people here illegally, breaking up their families, and throwing them out of the country. Under Kennedy, the world’s best scientists and doctors at CDC will be fired and, without vaccines, we could well face a deadly measles attack. It’s going to be painful. People will get hurt. But here’s the good part: The worse it gets, the sooner Trump voters will realize their mistake, and the stronger the Resistance will grow. Let the reckoning begin. Bill Press’ column is distributed by Tribune Content Agency.

CHICAGO – It was the last day of the General Assembly’s spring legislative session in 2018 when veteran Statehouse lobbyist Mike McClain realized his bill wasn’t going anywhere. McClain was officially retired but still took on “assignments” from his longtime friend Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. But one particular project he took on proved especially difficult. In the fall of 2017, he began working with then-Chicago Ald. Danny Solis on what was supposed to be a relatively simple legislative maneuver to transfer state-owned land to the city of Chicago. For years, the state had leased the land out to a company that operated it as a parking lot in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. Solis wanted the state to transfer the parcel to the city, which would then sell it to a real estate developer interested in building a mixed-use apartment complex. That sliver of Chinatown was in Solis’ 25th Ward. When Solis met with McClain about the proposal in late 2017, Solis agreed with McClain’s characterization that it was a “legacy” project after the alderman revealed he may not run for city council again in 2019 after two decades on the city council. McClain also recruited Nancy Kimme, a relatively new lobbyist, to work with then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration on the effort. Kimme spent years in GOP circles and served as chief of staff to the late Judy Baar Topinka when Topinka was both comptroller and state treasurer. McClain also involved Kimme to reduce the risk of upsetting the deal if Rauner – Madigan’s political nemesis – found out the speaker had any ties to the project. But the team of statehouse veterans couldn’t get the routine land transfer done, even after six months of work. They were confounded by how the deal had become such a boondoggle. Even six years later, Kimme still expressed a bit of that bewilderment Thursday as she testified about the yearlong effort in Madigan’s federal corruption trial. Kimme’s appearance on the witness stand came at the conclusion of the seventh week of testimony in the trial. McClain was indicted alongside Madigan in the case that extends to allegations of bribery involving McClain’s biggest client, electric utility Commonwealth Edison, and AT&T Illinois. Madigan and McClain are accused of running a “criminal enterprise” benefitting the speaker and his inner circle – the basis of racketeering charges against them. Kimme and McClain had relied on Solis’ assurances that state Rep. Theresa Mah, who represented Chinatown, supported the project. But when Kimme finally approached her in mid-May 2018, she said she was opposed. “She’s like, ‘This is a scam cooked up by Danny Solis. You know, people in my district don’t like him,’” Kimme told McClain, relaying the meeting in a May 16, 2018, phone call. “They’re trying to gentrify Chinatown and take away its identity and put some big high-rise up in the middle.” They’d also been unable to get state Sen. Marty Sandoval to “calm down” after he’d intervened, making his opposition known to the head of the Illinois Department of Transportation. They’d tried to placate him by dispatching state Sen. Tony Munoz to help their cause. They brought Munoz on board by combining another land transfer Munoz wanted into the same bill with the Chinatown transfer. But it hadn’t worked; in fact, the day before session ended, Kimme had gotten wind that Sandoval, who chaired the Senate’s Transportation Committee, had escalated his opposition to threatening IDOT Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “There’s something fishy here, don’t you think?” McClain asked Kimme as they puzzled over the events of the last several weeks. “I mean, Solis says Theresa Mah’s all in. Then you find out Theresa Mah’s not in. You know, Tony Munoz’s supposed to be in charge of Sandoval, and we find out, can’t do anything with Sandoval.” McClain was, as it turned out, at least half-correct in his suspicions, though he never imagined Solis had secretly been working as an FBI cooperator for nearly two years at that point. Solis, who chaired the city council’s influential Zoning Committee, had become friendly with Madigan the previous summer after the speaker called him out of the blue asking about a proposed apartment complex project in Chicago’s booming West Loop neighborhood. Both he and the FBI agent who’d been overseeing the feds’ still-unfolding corruption probe, which began in 2014, confirmed that it wasn’t until Madigan’s June 2017 call to Solis that the investigation shifted focus to the powerful speaker. Solis offered to introduce Madigan to the developers so the speaker’s law firm could pitch its property tax appeals services. After the alderman brought the developers to a meeting at Madigan’s law firm the next month, the two debriefed in the speaker’s private office. That’s when Solis brought up the Chinatown project. Prosecutors allege Madigan engaged in a bribe when he agreed to help Solis get the land transfer in exchange for the would-be developers engaging Madigan’s law firm. But in secretly recorded videos and wiretapped phone conversations shown to the jury while Solis was on the witness stand last week, McClain knew of Solis’ intent months before Madigan did. “So in the past I have been able to steer some work to Mike,” Solis said in his first meeting with McClain in November 2017. “And these guys will do the same thing.” It wasn’t until late March 2018 that Solis explicitly told Madigan the Chinatown developers would give him their property tax business. After a sit-down with another real estate developer Solis brought to Madigan’s office for a pitch meeting, Solis brought up the ongoing Chinatown project. He told the speaker, “they’ll work with you on property taxes.” In a follow-up call on the previous day’s meeting on March 27, 2018, Solis again mentioned the Chinatown project. “If you can take care of that matter in May, I’m confident they’ll appreciate it and sign you up after May,” Solis said. But there was no resolution to the issue in May. Just a few minutes after McClain hung up with Kimme on that last day of session, he spoke with Madigan and explained the “hurdle after hurdle” on the bill. In addition to unexpected opposition from Mah, McClain surmised that Sandoval’s interference had spooked Blankenhorn into an intractable position. “Yeah, sure, alright,” Madigan told McClain. “I mean, put the file in the drawer for a while.” The upcoming November 2018 election was likely to spell good news for the effort, Kimme explained, as it appeared that Rauner would lose. That meant the IDOT secretary he appointed would be out of a job – and out of their way. In a series of wiretapped calls made in the weeks leading up to the election and lawmakers’ fall veto session scheduled shortly thereafter, those involved strategized on how to get the bill passed before the end of the General Assembly’s adjournment in late November of that year. But despite last-minute negotiations on who could carry the legislation, the amendment to transfer the land to the city never passed even “after all of that,” Kimme testified Thursday. Business leaders in Chinatown – even those who initially supported the project – had registered their opposition with a petition drive in the fall of 2018. After they collected some 3,000 signatures, then-Secretary of State Jesse White threw his weight behind them, which Kimme testified sealed the deal on the bill’s death. Under questioning by Madigan attorney Tom Breen, Kimme said figuring out what she’d referred to in one wiretapped call as a “crazy parking lot disaster” had become “my Rubik’s cube.” “Did you find it undoable?” Breen asked. “I did,” Kimme replied. “And that was because of miscommunication and bad information and petty politics?” Breen asked. Prosecutors objected to Breen’s question, along with his insinuation a minute later that the situation was impossible as she’d been trying to follow “a script written by” the FBI. The comment harkened back to cross-examination of FBI Special Agent Ryan McDonald last month when Madigan attorney Dan Collins accused the FBI of creating a trap just to see if the speaker would fall into it. “Just as you directed Solis to say false things to Madigan, the same is true of other folks,” Breen said to McDonald, citing the involvement of McClain and Kimme in the unsuccessful Chinatown land transfer. “So you know that after Danny Solis told false information to Nancy Kimme, she talked to Mike McClain about it.” “Yes,” McDonald replied. “That false information – it spreads, right?” Collins asked. “I don’t know,” McDonald said.

Percentages: FG .448, FT .444. 3-Point Goals: 2-13, .154 (Smith 2-10, Kas.Watson 0-1, Perkins 0-1, Robinson 0-1). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Somerville 2, Andrews, Newton). Turnovers: 8 (Smith 3, Andrews 2, Kas.Watson, Newton, Surgers). Steals: 7 (Andrews 2, Robinson 2, Newton, Perkins, Somerville). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .474, FT .778. 3-Point Goals: 8-20, .400 (Pacheco 4-5, Hobbs 2-5, Khadre Kebe 1-1, Adebayo 1-3, Ervin 0-2, Keyes 0-2, Lipscomb 0-2). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Cordilia 2, Adebayo, Ard, Keyes). Turnovers: 13 (Ard 3, Cordilia 3, Hobbs 2, Lipscomb 2, Adebayo, Keyes, Khadre Kebe). Steals: 4 (Hobbs, Keyes, Khadre Kebe, Lipscomb). Technical Fouls: None. A_1,590 (3,500).

Share Tweet Share Share Email Empowering enterprises with cutting-edge AI and blockchain integration for smarter decision-making Dubai, UAE – December 20, 2024 — Atua AI (TUA), a leader in on-chain AI solutions, announces the adoption of the Grok xAI API to enhance real-time intelligence and decision-making for decentralized enterprises. This integration marks a significant step toward providing enterprises with AI-driven automation and real-time insights within blockchain ecosystems. The Grok xAI API, developed by xAI, offers advanced natural language processing (NLP) and contextual understanding capabilities, enabling Atua AI to deliver enhanced AI solutions tailored to on-chain operations. This collaboration allows enterprises using Atua AI’s platform to leverage real-time data processing, smarter automation, and predictive analytics, driving efficiency and scalability across decentralized systems. By incorporating the Grok xAI API, Atua AI reinforces its commitment to combining AI and blockchain technology to optimize enterprise operations. The integration will empower users to access faster decision-making tools, adaptive insights, and intelligent automation, ensuring smoother workflows in decentralized ecosystems. The API’s capability to process real-time data streams supports Atua AI’s vision of creating a dynamic AI-powered platform for the blockchain space. This advancement highlights Atua AI’s ongoing mission to deliver seamless and intelligent enterprise solutions. As more decentralized enterprises look for robust AI integrations, Atua AI’s adoption of Grok xAI positions the platform as a frontrunner in blockchain-AI innovation. For more information, visit: https://atua.ai About Atua AI Atua AI provides AI-powered tools for on-chain enterprises, merging artificial intelligence with blockchain technology to optimize operations, decision-making, and automation. The platform delivers innovative solutions to enhance decentralized workflows and foster intelligent enterprise growth. Social Media: Twitter Instagram Related Items: Share Tweet Share Share Email Comments(TNS) — Crawford Central School Board members officially pulled the plug Monday on a major infrastructure project meant to generate years of energy savings for taxpayers while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, just 13 years after it began operation, the Biomass District Heating System is set to be disassembled and sold for parts while taxpayers continue footing the bill for the plant’s construction at a rate of about $181,000 per year for another 12 years. Board members on Monday voted unanimously in favor of an addendum to the original agreement that will allow Crawford Tech to convert the biomass building to classroom space once the high-pressure steam system has been removed. With the notable exception of the ongoing debt payments, the move brings to an end a multimillion-dollar effort at alternative energy production. “I think it’s time to move on,” board President Kevin Merritt said after the meeting. “It was costing us more money to operate the biomass than if we just went back to natural gas.” While the choice to pursue the biomass did not pay off, Merritt declined to point fingers at his predecessors on the board. “It’s not a fault of the people that made the decision back when they started it,” he said. “Things just didn’t materialize to what was expected or anticipated from the original agreement. Gas prices were supposed to skyrocket. They never did.” First conceived 16 years ago, the biomass plant proposal came in direct response to natural gas prices that had remained high for several years before spiking even higher for much of 2008. Looking back, the plan still sounds like a good one, Matt Barnes, a certified energy manager with Erie -based Rabe Environmental systems, suggested in separate presentations to board members at Crawford Central and Crawford Tech earlier this year: Find a cheaper source of fuel and use it to heat the Meadville Area Senior High-Meadville Area Middle School complex, Crawford Tech and the Meadville Area Recreation Complex (MARC). “It was extremely high,” Barnes said of the cost of natural gas when the plant was being planned, “making the viability of the biomass a good, cost-effective source of energy at the time. I believe the district made a good-faith decision to build and operate the plant but would not have been able to predict the amount that natural gas prices would have dropped over the subsequent years.” A biomass plant burns renewable and biodegradable energy sources, such as switchgrass or wood chips, to generate heat or electricity, and the possibility of an energy fuel with a stable and relatively low price that was readily available in the region proved appealing to federal and state officials at the time as well. According to Meadville Tribune reporting at the time, Crawford Central secured $3.6 million in financing for a project that ultimately cost about $3.2 million. The financing included $1.1 million in state and federal grants and a $2.4 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. After multiple refinancings and years of payments going almost exclusively toward interest, nearly $2.3 million in total debt remains: $2.1 million of the original principal and $230,300 in interest. Based on a 2008 agreement, payments are split between the three entities that partnered on the biomass project: Crawford Central is responsible for 42 percent; the authority that oversees the MARC, 34 percent; and the Career and Technical Center, 24 percent. However, since at least 2016, Crawford Central has paid the MARC’s share in an agreement reached after the district slashed its annual funding for the facility. Since Crawford Tech receives its funding from Crawford Central, Conneaut and PENNCREST school districts, with the districts splitting the annual budget based on the percentage of students they send to the school, Crawford Central ends up funding nearly 85 percent of the debt payments. Board members at the time had no way of knowing it, but when natural gas climbed to $12.69 per 1 million British thermal units (Btu) in June 2008, it was by far the highest price that natural gas would reach for the next 16 years. As demand plummeted in the wake of the Great Recession, the price fell to $5.82 per 1 million Btu by the end of 2008, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistical and analytical agency for the U.S. Department of Energy. Increased production has kept prices low in the years since. In fact, since 2008, the price has climbed over $5 per 1 million Btu in just 21 of 190 months. In the last two years, the monthly average price has fluctuated between $5.53 and $1.49 per 1 million Btu. In retrospect, the dropoff in price was so steep — and so perfectly timed following the decision to proceed with the biomass — it appears “almost comical,” Crawford Central Business Manager Austin Stofferahn told board members in September. As the plant neared completion in late 2011, district officials were still projecting that it would save taxpayers $1.5 million over 25 years. Thirteen years later, the savings estimate seems naive. Operating the biomass last winter cost at least $61,000 more than heating with natural gas-fueled conventional boilers would have cost, according to a report from Barnes. Stofferahn’s skepticism regarding savings extended even further. “I’d almost be willing to bet that the savings were extremely minimal, even from the first year, second year, third year,” he told the board in September. “After that, I’d be willing to bet there was no savings.” In addition to lower fuel costs, the biomass plant was originally projected to generate its own electricity, which would be used to offset the cost of operating the plant. That never happened, according to Merritt. According to a presentation on the biomass plant this spring, electricity for the facility cost $32,000 last winter. “The electric generator — that went offline shortly after it started,” he said. “Nobody ever repaired it.” Like the savings projections, the original agreement between the school district, the recreation complex and Crawford Tech seems naive from today’s vantage point. “Biomass has historically been a stable, low-cost energy source and modern equipment to burn biomass for hot water heat is reliable, efficient and clean,” the 2008 agreement stated. Despite that optimism, reliability has been an issue for Crawford Central’s biomass plant almost from the start. The plant began operating in the winter of 2011-12. By the summer of 2013, Crawford Central was raising taxes and slashing its annual funding to the MARC, largely as the result of state funding cuts to education that resulted from the Great Recession. Following an outpouring of community concern to save the MARC, Crawford Central slashed but continued its annual funding for the MARC. Doug Lang, one of the leaders of the effort to save the MARC, told The Meadville Tribune at the time, “Now that we’ve stabilized things, we can get on with trying to market the MARC to the community, which should lessen the financial burden on all the community — and figuring out how to make the biomass work right.” By the middle of the decade, Crawford Central was replacing 10 to 15 of the steel tubes at the heart of the plant due to corrosion each year. In 2021, that number jumped to 40, resulting in $52,000 in repairs. By the end of last winter, the biomass was no longer being used to heat the MARC due to a ruptured hot water supply line that occurred about a month before the end of the October to April heating season, according to Matt Tarr, director of buildings and grounds for Crawford Central. In addition, a feasibility study revealed early this year that the biomass boiler’s refractory material, the heat-resistant brick lining in the interior of the boiler, was failing and needed to be replaced. The news came just before the retirement of the longtime district employee who was the only person qualified to operate the plant. Repairs needed to get the plant running for this fall were estimated at $240,000, but to convert it from high pressure steam to hot water, find appropriate staffing and address other long-term concerns would likely have cost more than $500,000, according to the HHSDR consultants who conducted the study. The original biomass agreement also called for the formation of a Biomass Operating Committee with members from the board for each of the partner entities. It’s not clear if such a committee ever met, according to Merritt, who was elected to the Crawford Central board in 2019. While the biomass plant will soon be disassembled, the partnering entities behind its construction continue to work together. Crawford Central still sends students to Crawford Tech, of course, and continues to lease the use of the MARC’s facilities. The decision to let Crawford Tech use the biomass building for classes will require extensive renovations following the removal of the biomass equipment. It also comes after Crawford Tech earlier this year purchased the former location of Integrity Complete Auto Repair for $545,000 in a move also intended to enable the school to expand its classes. Like their counterparts on the Conneaut and PENNCREST boards, Crawford Central members also approved the Integrity purchase; at the time, Crawford Central members were still determining their plans for the future of the biomass. Merritt, who chairs the joint committee that oversees Crawford Tech in addition to presiding over the Crawford Central board, said that “ultimately we could probably use both” buildings. Discussions earlier this year called for the school’s automotive technology and diesel technology classes to be moved to the Integrity location. The biomass building has been touted as a possible location for welding classes. Crawford Central efforts in recent months to persuade Conneaut and PENNCREST, its partners in the technical school, to pick up an increased share of the biomass debt payments proved unsuccessful. Recent meetings have suggested a possible fraying of the partnership between the school district and the MARC. Where the district once contributed as much as $260,000 to the MARC’s budget each year and sent all of its fourth graders to the facility for swim lessons, today it pays $45,000 and has not offered swim lessons in nearly a decade. The addition of the MARC’s share of the biomass debt payments brings the total annual contribution to about $105,000, still well short of what it was paying 15 years ago. At the school board’s work session last week, several members questioned an agreement that would continue the district’s annual payments to the MARC at the same rate, with Merritt saying he couldn’t support the arrangement and another saying he “actually started laughing” as he read the contract. Like Merritt and other current Crawford Central board members, Aaron Rekich, the executive director of the MARC, was not involved in the development of the biomass plants and its early years of operation, but he was optimistic about the working relationship between the district and the complex despite what he characterized as recent confusion regarding both the expenses associated with the annual facilities usage agreement and the evolution of the biomass. “There was an agreement back when this first started that we’re trying to iron out and figure out exactly where the information is. Apparently right now there’s a lot of miscommunication on what happened back when the biomass was made and why they’re paying for the bonds,” Rekich said. “We’ll end up putting something together and talking to (Superintendent) Jenn Galdon about it.”

Pakistan-trained militant Javed Munshi apprehended near Indo-Bangladesh border in West BengalThe upcoming World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2025 is set to witness a substantial gathering of global leaders and industrial giants in Davos, Switzerland. Notable attendees include three chief ministers from India—Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrababu Naidu, and Revant Reddy—alongside over 100 CEOs and senior officials discussing 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age.' This high-profile event, taking place from January 20, 2025, aims to strategically address pressing global geopolitical and macroeconomic issues, such as changes in US leadership, the Ukraine conflict, and ongoing tensions in West Asia. Indian economic strategies, particularly those driving localized innovation and startup growth, will be central to discussions, covering aspects of India's substantial rise above an 8% growth rate. The meeting seeks to establish a forum for diverse dialogue around revamping collaborative innovation, overcoming economic stagnation, and tapping into advancements across AI, biotech, and energy technology. By doing so, leaders hope to avoid global fragmentation and foster a cooperative, future-focused agenda for development. (With inputs from agencies.)

The Caribbean nation of Haiti has been plunged into a state of shock and mourning following a horrific outbreak of violence that has left over 184 people dead. The incident, which took place in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, has been described as one of the deadliest episodes of violence in recent years.The top five trends emerging in sports marketing in 2025

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